HOPE(61)

Her breath released, and she inhaled again.

“George is down there. If they hurt him I’ll kill the bastards.”

Penny tensed when she saw the big man reach for his pocket. Damon and the men behind him lifted their weapons in the air. Laura’s nails dug into her arms where the woman held onto her.

She winced.

“Laura, please,” she asked, staring at her hands.

“Sorry, I’m a fool. I don’t know my own strength.” Laura let her go.

The moment was tense, and Penny eased open a window to see if she could hear what was being said. Only the sound of the breeze could be heard.

****

Shelley sat at the bar waiting for someone to tell her what was happening. The man she loved was only on the outskirts of the city, and she didn’t have a clue if he lived or not.

Her hands shook as she picked up her chipped glass. The brew had been made at the club by the barman.

“Are you okay, Shelley?” the barman asked. He was one of the few men who’d stayed behind.

“I’m fine. I’m waiting to hear the news.

The barman nodded leaving her alone. The women were in their rooms waiting for the news. She’d been the one to send him. Don didn’t want to go as he hated leaving her alone. The tears she had kept at bay for too long threatened to spill over.

She didn’t know how anyone could handle this kind of sadness. If he died, Don’s blood would be on her hands.

Sipping the moonshine, she begged and prayed for him to be safe and to return.

When he did return to her, she wouldn’t let him treat her like an employee. Their affair would become public knowledge. She was tired of dying inside at night when Don left her room. There was only so much a woman could take before she started to hate herself.

Slamming the glass down, she made her way outside of the club. The crumbling city was in need of repair. She looked at each of the buildings and started to see hope. Grimes had done them all a favour. If it wasn’t for his threat on their lives then Don and the others wouldn’t have ventured out of their areas. Don needed to realise the only way he could make change was to start truly leading.

Kelly and several of the girls joined her outside waiting on the news. This moment could change the rest of their lives. She rubbed her arms staring up at the sun.

Shelley felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She felt hope.





Epilogue





Three months later





The day that Grimes died was the day that was talked about every day. Penny remembered the men raising their weapons prepared to fight. Her heart had raced inside her chest waiting for the moment their lives would end. She’d have run for Damon. She knew she’d have kept her promise to the very end. In the one moment they’d been ready to fight, and in the next, Grimes’s men had started to leave the field after Jordan had spoken. Grimes stood alone staring at all of them. She’d watched Damon and Pearce hold Grimes down. The man had fought, and she’d thought Damon was going to die. She’d seen a knife in Grimes’s hand, ready to strike, and then Tristan had taken the lead. He’d charged Grimes with a force that had shocked her. Every punch and slash of his knife had knocked Grimes down. All the men stood watching and waiting. If Tristan didn’t get the job done then the others were ready to take Grimes down.

Tristan had toyed with him, slashing and cutting him away, and when the final blow came Tristan had slammed the blade into his throat. Penny recalled screaming at the blood and the horror of the moment. When Grimes had gone down, Tristan had spat on him.

All of Don’s, Jordan’s, and Tristan’s men remained on the field for the remainder of the day. They’d not appointed a new leader for Grimes’s area yet, and she knew Damon had been approached to take over the area, which he’d turned down. She spent a great deal of time looking back over that battle. Damon had explained in detail about what had happened to Tristan. After she’d heard everything she felt Grimes died too early. He should have been made to suffer even more. Penny rubbed her stomach. Gazing down at her stomach she sent another prayer of gratitude that she hadn’t run away.

Damon had gotten her pregnant. Their child continued to grow every day. She rubbed her swollen stomach and stared out of the window. He’d been true to his word, and they lived on the farm once owned by Tony. They had spent the first month getting the house in order. Shelley and Don had visited her and brought some furniture in several of the jeeps. Pearce was helping to build several machines that relied on the light and heat of the sun. Their energy sources were gathered from sustainable resources.

“How are my woman and baby doing?” Damon asked the moment he walked inside.