Free The Risen: Dawning by Marie F Crow

and I ain’t about to now. You let me know when those balls of yours drop so we can do this. Those pound puppy eyes of yours only work on your skirts.”
    J.D. lets Lawless go with a small shove before leaning back to his own motorcycle. Its chrome glares under the sun’s rays, mocking any need to hide from the world. He waits with a relaxed stance, finishing his own cigarette as if the other man has all the time in the world to come to a conclusion about the road they are going to take. There is no going back for him. It is just a matter of when they take the path ahead.
    J.D. knows Lawless will do as he asks. He has become his right hand, not out of need, but out of respect that he has earned. Lawless knows the depth of J.D. like no other ever will. They have become so well tuned to the other that a simple shift of face or roll of shoulder can give answers as well as any vocal conversation. J.D.’s desires in life are simple. Keep the ones you love safe. Destroy the rest. With Lawless at his side, and the MC backing his actions, those desires have become that much easier to attain. It is one of those very desires they are going to conquer now. The knowledge brings a grin of anticipation to J.D.’s face as he looks to one of the few trusted men beside him.
    Lawless nods as he starts his Harley, more out of male frustration from being called out than the belief in their actions. He is still nodding as he takes one last glance at Grit before following J.D. out with his own echoing engine roar. His machine is lean and low profile, allowing him to easily catch and out distance his Father of necessity.
    Their destination is one of future preservation for the club, and personal satisfaction for J.D. He always knew there would be a day for his style of reckoning for a well known man in town. He has waited, biding his time, looking for that perfect day to strike out. Now the world has given him a golden invitation with calligraphic script telling him just how to do it and he wastes no time putting his R.S.V.P. to the invitation.
    It is not what they are about to do that is causing Lawless to pause. He has known this day was coming and prepared for the course they are about to take long ago. It is just another wound for his soul to heal and scar forever. He has lost count of the number of scars he now wears for J.D. It is the price for his friendship, his trust, and his love. Every piper has its payment.
    The mere thought of having to leave those he cares for the most in the world unprotected is holding him hostage. J.D.’s plan is full of risks that could fall upon the two that have any chance of healing his soul. The soul that is depending on them for its very survival. It is only when lost in a world of their own making that he is at peace with everything he has done to please the man they all depend on.
    Getting lost in a word of their laughter and perfume gives him a reason to push harder each day for their smiles. Without them, his world would rip apart at the seams, leaving only the void he feels when the darkness of night covers the world and leaves him truly alone. Even with the warning he slipped to Rhett and Marxx, there is so much that could go wrong. So much, that he is picturing a thousand ways to lose them. Each picture is encasing his heart more than the last with its truth.
    His mind is still racing through the possible reenactments of what may happen when they pull into the parking lot of the shop. The next chapter looms before him; unflinching and waiting. It is as judging as the steel blue eyes watching him. They are both waiting for his fall out.
    “You know the plan?”
    “Yeah.”
    “You know what happens if you fuck this up?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So what aren’t you going to do?”
    Lawless stays silent. J.D. is not really looking for an answer. He is just making the point stick that the damage this will cause with its ripple effect if not done just right and Lawless is already well aware of the damage