The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 1

Chapter 101-1

The sleet storm out over the ocean finally breaks around three in the morning, leaving behind a thick, heavy silence that settles over the city.

The penthouse is completely still.

Ten minutes ago, my Dad, Mayhem, and all the others headed back to the clubhouse to keep the perimeter secure. The guys in our lobby and on our roof just did a shift change, and Byte packed his heavy hard drives into black cases before slipping silently away.

Now, it’s just the two of us left awake and here. Just me and Locke.

I stand at the island in the kitchen, barefoot, wearing one of Locke’s oversized black t-shirts. The soft cotton hangs past my thighs, warm and smelling faintly of his sandalwood soap.

I’m slowly stirring two mugs of weak chamomile tea, watching the steam curl up into the dim light. My hands are still slightly stiff, my muscles slowly uncoiling after weeks – months, really- of holding my body rigid against the constant, suffocating threat of Knox.

For so long, survival was the only language I spoke. Every breath was calculated. Every noise outside a door was a potential threat. My mind had become a weapon kept permanently on safety off.

From behind me, soft, quiet footsteps sound against the hardwood.

Two heavy, warm arms slip around my waist, pulling me backward until my spine rests flush against Locke’s body. He rests his chin gently on the top of my head, letting out a long, slow breath that vibrates warm against my skin.

He’s stripped off his boots and his tactical gear, and is only wearing a pair of black jeans. His bare chest is hot against my back, the intricate ink of his tattoos familiar under my palms as I cover his hands with mine.

“You’re quiet, baby,” Locke murmurs softly. “You okay?”

“Just processing it all,” I say, leaning my head back against his shoulder. “For months, it’s felt like Knox was this massive, unstoppable monster. But hearing him crumble on that speakerphone tonight… listening to the panic in his voice when he thought his own men were turning on him…”

“He was always small, Zara,” Locke says softly. “Men like Knox only look big because they make enough noise and shed enough blood to keep everyone around them terrified. But the second you take away their leverage, they starve. He’s starving now.”

I turn slowly in his arms, wrapping my hands around his waist. Locke looks down at me, his dark eyes tender and entirely open.

The dangerous MC member who kidnapped Miller is completely stripped away now, leaving only the man who’s spent weeks guarding my life with his own. The scar on his chin catches the dim purple light from the window.

“Are you tired?” I ask, my thumb brushing over his cheekbone, feeling the slight rough shadow of his dark stubble.

12

Chapter 10-

Clam

Exhausted,” he says. “But I don’t want to sleep yet. I don’t want to lose this moment. No sneaking around The docks. No guns. No Knox. Just you.”

I take his hand, leading him away from the kitchen and toward the oversized sofa. We sit close together, sinking into the deep cushions. Locke stretches his long legs out, pulling me into his lap. I tuck my feet under me, resting my head against the curve of his neck, breathing in the scent of sleet, leather, and home.

For a long time, neither of us speaks.

It’s rare to catch a moment like this. In our world quiet is usually a luxury or a warning sign before a storm. But right now, surrounded by the vast, quiet darkness of the penthouse, it feels like a sanctuary.

Locke shifts slightly beneath me, his hands resting on my lower back. His fingers trace slow, deliberate circles through the thin cotton of his shirt, sending light shivers running across my skin.

“When this is over,” Locke says, his voice floating gently through the quiet room. “I’m taking you away for a week.”

“Oh yeah? Where?”

“Somewhere warm. No snow. No internet. No MC’s. No looking over your shoulder even once.”

“That sounds like a fantasy.”

“It’s not a fantasy,” Locke says, his tone suddenly fiercely protective. “It’s the life we’re going to build. Knox is the last piece of the past we have to burn away, Zara. Once he’s lost everything, the club will be secure… and you and I are going to actually live.”

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