All Chapters of THE BIKER'S ACCIDENTAL LADY: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

I stood in the bridal suite wearing a dress I hated, preparing for a wedding that would never happen."Five minutes." Cassidy adjusted my veil. Underneath the white lace, she strapped a knife to my thigh. "Damien has Sarah. Collar is defused. She is safe.""And Hope?""With Arnold. Three miles away. Armed escort. Richard's men will not touch her." Cassidy's eyes met mine in the mirror. "You do not have to do this. We can still run—""Running is over. Today we end this. Permanently." I checked the small gun hidden in my bouquet. "Is Damien in position?""Sniper nest. Three hundred yards. Clear line of sight to the altar." She handed me an earpiece. "He will take the shot the moment Richard says 'I do.' Clean. Final. Over."I inserted the earpiece. Damien's voice immediately: "Flora. You look beautiful. And terrifying.""Only one of those is intentional.""Both work." A pause. "If this goes wrong—if Richard suspects—get down. I will light up that entire chapel to protect you.""I know.

The jet landed somewhere hot. Humid. The kind of heat that pressed against skin like a living thing."Welcome to your new home." Marcus led me down the stairs. "Island purchased under shell companies. No extradition treaties. No oversight. Perfect isolation."A compound sprawled before us. Walls. Guards. Security that rivaled military installations. Beyond it, ocean stretched endlessly."How long do I stay here?" I asked."Until you prove useful. Or until you die trying." Marcus gestured to Richard, who waited by a vehicle. "Your husband will show you around. Get acquainted. Consummate your marriage. I want heirs within the year."My stomach turned. "That was not part of the deal—""The deal is whatever I say it is. You wanted to protect Hope? This is the price. You give Richard what he wants. You give me grandchildren to mold. You become the perfect Ashford wife while secretly running my empire." His smile was ice. "Or I make one phone call and Hope disappears into a system even Dami

We docked at a private marina in the Bahamas thirty hours later.I had drifted in and out of consciousness. Fever. Infection. My mangled finger turning black. A medic on the boat kept saying "amputation" but Damien kept saying "wait.""Hospital." His voice was firm. "Real doctors. Real treatment. Now."They carried me to a waiting vehicle. Arnold drove. Sarah rode shotgun. Both alive. Both real."Hope?" I managed."With Cassidy. Safe house in Montana. Waiting for her parents." Sarah turned in her seat. Her eyes were wet. "You did it, Flora. You survived Marcus Ashford. You are free.""Richard—""Is gone. Really gone this time. Dental records confirmed. DNA confirmed. Thomas Kane's men sent us proof." Arnold's voice was tight. "He died saving you. That counts for something.""Does it? Does one good act erase a lifetime of evil?""No. But it is more than his father ever did." Damien held my good hand. "Let him have that. A decent ending to an indecent life."The hospital was private. Ex

The woman from the treeline appeared on our doorstep three weeks later.I answered the door with my gun behind my back. Damien was upstairs with Hope. Cassidy was in the kitchen. We had learned to never be unprepared."Hello, Flora." She was mid-twenties. Dark hair. Marcus's eyes. Richard's smile. "May I come in?""Who are you?""Victoria Ashford. Marcus's daughter. Richard's half-sister. Your sister-in-law, technically." She held up empty hands. "I am unarmed. Alone. Just here to talk.""The Ashfords do not just talk—""The old Ashfords did not. I am different." She smiled sadly. "May I? Or would you prefer to have this conversation on your porch where neighbors can hear?"I let her in. Stupid. Dangerous. But curiosity won over caution.Damien appeared at the top of the stairs. Gun raised. "Flora, step away from her.""Relax, Mr. Cross. If I wanted violence, I would have brought an army. I came alone because I am not here to fight." Victoria sat on our couch without invitation. "I am

"You are not dying." The words fell flat in the elegant foyer. "Victoria lied.""Victoria told you what I needed her to tell you." Vera gestured to a sitting room. "Please. Sit. We have much to discuss before I decide how you die.""I came here for a trade. Me for Hope's freedom—""And you will get exactly that. After we talk. After you understand what you destroyed. After you suffer appropriately." She moved with the grace of someone decades younger. No cane. No tremor. "The cancer was real. Six months ago. Then I received experimental treatment. Very expensive. Very effective. I am in remission. I have years left. Many years to make you pay."My blood went cold. "The trade was based on you dying—""The trade was based on desperation. Yours. I exploited it. Just as you exploited my son. My grandson. My empire." She poured tea like we were having a social visit. "Sit, Flora. Or I call my people and they kill Damien, Hope, and everyone you love. Starting with the baby. I have snipers p