Free Fabio's Remorse (Hell Raiders MC Book 5) by Aden Lowe

certain I would never be with another woman. Justine was it, and I knew I wouldn't miss a damn thing.
    Badger nodded. "I heard that. These boys will be like a bunch of nosy old women matchmakers, and sometimes that's all it takes. Other times, just makes matters worse."
    "Bullshit, ol' man, what could be worse than getting no pussy?" Crank leaned on the porch rail, clearly prepared to argue the point.
    "Ha, you'll see one of these days, kid. And the only thing worse than getting no pussy? Getting the wrong pussy." The old man levered stiffly from his chair. "Fucking coffee's too weak. Who the fuck set the pot up, anyway?" He stomped inside, presumably to take care of that problem.
    Crank looked unconvinced, but he tossed the dregs of his coffee over the rail. "Bitchy old codger. What say we get that bike of yours off-loaded and see what she needs?"
    "Sounds like a plan." In truth, I might have agreed to throwing boulders at a rubber wall just to get away from the conversation. But I was itching to really dig into fixing the bike, too.
    I moved my truck around by the small barn that had been converted into a garage/workshop, and we unloaded the bike and Crank started looking it over.
    "Know if it still runs?"
    "Not a clue. It did when I bought it, even if it sounded painful. I haven't even had a chance to get it off the truck and start it up since then."
    "Okay, let's see what we got, then."
     

10
    Justine
    As I drove home from work, I took a last minute detour, then parked on a quiet street. For a long time, I sat in the car, trying to keep the tears at bay, without much luck. I only came by one time since the night those men took Caleb from me, and I had no idea why I found myself there now. Before that, even though his folks weren't there anymore, I sometimes drove by and just remembered. It made me feel closer to him, despite the continents between us.
    And now, I found myself parked across from the old three-story Victorian once more. A new family had moved in there since the last time. Caleb's parents were gone; his father from a heart attack right before he graduated, and his mom just sort of faded away after that. He got to come home long enough for her funeral, barely.
    Unable to help myself, I got out and leaned against the old maple tree, trying to keep the tears from drowning me again, and let the rough bark bite through my blouse. I already knew from experience the thin fabric would be ruined, but I didn't care. The sounds of a neighborhood settling in before dinner seemed so familiar. The place never changed in any big way.
    The porch had a fresh coat of paint, and it looked like the swing did, too. Caleb and I held hands for the first time on that porch swing, and the first time he kissed me was there, too. His parents had been just inside, with the TV turned low, probably so they could hear us, but it didn't matter. Looking back, I was sure they knew exactly what we were doing, even if we thought we were getting by with something.
    A breeze stirred and the movement of the oak branches in the side yard caught my eye. Caleb used to tell me that tree stood the test of time, and we would, too. We gave each other our virginity under the spreading limbs and vowed to stand strong together. Our lives had been perfect.
    All the way up until he decided he had to go to war, like all the men in his family had. There for a while, I actually considered breaking things off with him over it. But I realized that was just part of who Caleb was. He took responsibility and stood up for what was right. I couldn't ask him to be anyone else. So I held back my tears and waved him off when he went to Basic.
    Afterward, driving his mom back home, I had to comfort her as she wept for her son. She kept saying she wouldn't live long enough to see him again. No matter how I felt inside, I had to be strong for him. So I told her he would come home before we knew it, and life would be perfect again. I even almost believed it.
    Back then,