Page 9 of Razor
Maybe, just maybe, we'd found more than an escape plan in this dingy motel room.Maybe we'd found a man who saw us—really saw us—and didn't think we were too broken to save.
Dante had disappeared completely into his fortress, his occasional giggles and sound effects drifting out from beneath the blankets as he enacted some epic superhero battle.Razor gestured toward the window with a slight tilt of his head, indicating we should talk while my son was distracted.I followed him to the far side of the room, my legs stiff from hours of vigilance, keeping a careful eye on the pillow fort even as we moved away.The neon sign from the motel blinked through the thin curtains, casting alternating shadows across Razor's face that made his expression even harder to read.
"Your brother told me some of it," Razor said, his voice low enough that Dante wouldn't hear."But I need to understand exactly what we're dealing with."
I swallowed hard, the familiar knot of anxiety tightening in my chest."Tyler, my ex.Dante's father.He's...dangerous."The word was inadequate, but I didn't have the energy to catalog Tyler's cruelties."And my parents support him.They always have."
Razor nodded, his jaw tightening."I know your brother's in Hades Abyss.We've got connections there.Pretty Boy filled me in on the basics—your ex is connected, family's got money, legal system's stacked against you."
"Tyler's father is a judge," I confirmed, absently rubbing the faded bruise on my forearm."His uncle's the police chief in our county.I tried reporting him once.They buried it."
The red neon flashed, illuminating Razor's face in crimson before fading to blue, then darkness, then red again.His expression remained carefully neutral, but danger flashed briefly in his eyes.
"Pretty Boy didn't mention that part," he said, the muscle in his jaw working."Changes things."
Fear sliced through me."What do you mean?"
"Means we need to be more careful than I thought.Your ex isn't just some asshole with a temper—he's an asshole with resources.And if his family's backing him..."He glanced at the pillow fort where Dante continued his imaginary adventures, oblivious to the adult conversation."When was the last time you slept?Really slept?"
The question caught me off guard."I don't know.Before we left.Maybe longer."
"You look it."He said it matter-of-factly, not unkindly."You're running on fumes, and that's dangerous.Makes you slow.Makes you miss things."
I bristled slightly at the criticism, though I knew he was right."I've been a little busy trying to keep my son safe."
"I know.And you've done it.You got him out.That took guts."His eyes met mine, steady and serious."But you need to understand what you're up against.Your ex has probably already called in favors.There might be cops looking for you, not just his personal goons.Your picture could be circulating."
My exhaustion-fogged brain struggled to process the implications."But we haven't been gone a full day yet.My parents might not even know—"
"You think they haven't checked?Rich people notice when their possessions go missing."His bluntness stung, but the accuracy of his assessment hurt more.That's exactly how my parents saw me—a possession that had disappointed them, a doll that had failed to play its role correctly.
"What are you saying?"I asked, fingers gripping the windowsill to steady myself.
"I'm saying you need more than just distance.You need legal protection."He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself."I've talked it over with my club.We have a proposition."
The neon light flickered, casting his face in shadow.I waited, a strange premonition prickling along my spine.
"Marry me."
The words hung in the air between us, so unexpected that for a moment I thought I'd misheard him.
"What?"I managed, my voice barely audible.
"Vegas is four hours from here.We get married, sign the papers, make it legal.Your parents can't touch you if you're my wife.Neither can your ex."He spoke with the calm certainty of someone discussing a business transaction, not a life-altering proposal."As my wife, you get the club's protection.Legally, you get distance from your family's control.And Dante gets a shield between him and his father."
My fingers dug into the cheap laminate of the windowsill, the edge cutting into my palms.Marriage.To a man I'd met hours ago.A biker.A stranger with tattoos and a dangerous life.
"That's—" I struggled to find words."That's insane."
He didn't flinch at my response."Maybe.But it works.Your brother agrees."
"Pretty Boy knows about this?"The betrayal stung.My own brother, planning my marriage without consulting me.
"It was his idea," Razor admitted."But I agreed because it makes sense.Look, this isn't about—" he gestured vaguely between us "—anything like that.This is practical.This is protection."
My mind raced, thoughts colliding like bumper cars.Marriage.Legal protection.The club's resources.A shield for Dante.But also—a stranger, a commitment, jumping from one man's control to another's.
"Mommy!"Dante called from the fort, interrupting my spiraling thoughts."Come see!I made a trap for bad guys!"
