Page 56 of Break Me

“That’s exactly what worries me,” my father replies.

We pull into the driveway. Before I open the door, he speaks again—low, heavy.

“This doesn’t mean I forgive him,” he says. “And it doesn’t mean I accept this.”

I nod. “I know.”

“But,” he adds, “it means I see you.”

That almost breaks me.

I get out of the car with a bruised heart and my resolve intact.

Whatever comes next, he won't face it alone.

Samuel

The motel smells like bleach and old smoke. It’s the kind of place you don’t ask questions about because you’re only here to disappear for a few nights.

I sit on the edge of the bed with my elbows braced on my knees, ribs screaming every time I breathe too deeply. The TV hums low in the corner, some late-night rerun I’m not watching. My cut lies folded on the chair across from me.

Still mine.

For now.

I haven’t been without the club since I was barely a man. They gave me structure when I didn’t have a damn thing else. Gave me a place to belong when the rest of the world didn’t give a shit whether I lived or died.

And tonight, I walked out of it alone.

Benched.

Stripped of voice and power.

All because I loved the one woman I should’ve never allowed myself to fall for.

I close my eyes and see her the way she looked standing beside me earlier. Soft but unyielding. Choosing me even when it could’ve cost her everything as well. Because loving her doesn’t just put me at risk.

That’s the part that won’t let me rest.

This isn’t just about rules or brotherhood or a pissed-off president who happens to be my best friend. Loving Raven puts her in the path of danger. That truth lands heavy and unavoidable.

Her father and brother’s concern hits me square in the chest. When danger comes, because it’s not an if, it’s a when, it won’t come looking for me, it’ll look for her.

I stand and cross the room, peeling my shirt off slowly. Purple blooms along my ribs, dark and angry. I hiss through my teeth and brace a hand on the dresser until the ache steadies.

Pain I can handle.

Losing her?

That would ruin me.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I don’t have to look to know who it is.

Raven: I can't stop thinking about you. How are you?

I stare at the screen longer than I should.

No lies this time.