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?

“But you’ll hurt him?” I ask nervously

“Depends which fucker it is”

I sigh deeply I’ out of this, nohe’d understand, that he’d want ry and trying to hide it from me

Regardless, I tell him, “Stryker”

His eyes widen soto pop out of his head for a second there I adjustit away fro just so thatto do

“Stryker?” I nodlouder, and I’ in fear I knohat this man is capable of, what they’re all capable of, and it’s only now I realize this was a very, very bad idea

I watch as he rakes his fingers through his long dark hair, hair that’s graying at the sides with age He’s huge biceps flex with thethis man really is

“How long, Coral? When did he force you into this?”

“He didn’t force !” I will not allow him to think that of Stryker I went into this relationship with both eyes open “I love him, Shepard!”

“How long?!”

“A couple of months”

His eyes widen again, chest heaving I should have told hio Now he thinks the worst of both Stryker and et the chance to say anything in response because he’s already out the door

I chase after hi him to calm down, not to hurt the man I love with all that I aes out of BlackJack’s house and out to the backyard whereWe came here for a barbecue, for everyone to relax for a while and I ruined it withmouth

I screarabs Stryker fro hi hiarden

I can hear the kids of the club screa to cal this kind of behavior Shepard never allows it usually That’s how I know he’s beyond angry, he’s not thinking straight

My brave man looks at Shepard, no fear in his eyes He knohat I’ve done, what Shepard is about to do to hiry with uess I’ll find out later if Shepard doesn’t kill him

BlackJack grabs Taylor’s arm as she attempts to make a move toward the man she calls her son Jack knows as well as everyone else here that you don’t get involved when the Prez has soet off his chest But I can see how badly Taylor wants to ignore her husband and try and stop Shepard

“You ainst Stryker’s throat, cutting off the oxygen supply to his lungs, and I am so scared that Shepard will kill hi until Stryker was ready to tell Shepard himself “I warned you ould happen Didn’t I?!” Stryker nods, eyes noide He can’t breathe!

I won’t wait for that to happen, I won’t wait for the man I see as my second father to kill the only man I have ever loved The only man who has ever loved me, the man I want to spendar anyone else

“Please, number two, please!” I yell with all my mite and emotion “Please! I love him!”

That seerip on Stryker’s throat, allowing him to breathe a little

Everyone is now staring Stryker down Not one person had worked it out before now We were sh to keep our relationship on such a do that now on suspected a thing BlackJack knew, but that’s it My eyes catch Denise’s for a second She’s standing with Ice, wrapped in his ars clad in denim, a leather jacket on her back She’s pissed that I didn’t tell her about Stryker and ive a shit right now

Shepard asks my man, “And you? Do you love her? And you dare fuckin’ tell me yes if you don’t mean it, boy, and I will fuckin’ kill you!”

Stryker rubs his neck for a second, then tells Shepard, “I love her, Prez I love ht to love a woman I didn’t mean to fall for her, dammit, but I did You have no idea how hard I tried to stay away from her I knohy you’re so protective of her, she told me”

Shepard’s eyes shoot to me He’s surprised that I've told Stryker my story However, he must know that I would only have done that if I trusted Stryker enough for him to know

“I would never hurt her or let anybody else hurt her like that I swear to you, Prez If you want to beat the shit out of o ahead, but you won’t beat what I feel for her out of me”

“She worth losin’ you place with the club for?”

Oh god! Shepard can’t throw him out of the club The club is all Stryker knows Yes, he’ll have me, but I knohat the Snakes mean to him I feel !

ButShepard, “She’s worth losing everything for, Prez The club, my ho but loyal to every brother in this club If you tell ether, then you’ll have to kill me, because I won’t walk away from her, Prez I can’t Just as much as you can’t walk away from Lynette”

Tears are falling froive up everything just to keep ive my very life for him

“I love you, nuht into his blue eyes “Please don’t hurt ht I could love anythat happened to ood to me I trust him with my life, my heart Please?”

I look to Stryker He’s looking at , I didn’t mean to cause all of this But his eyes tell ry with me at all for this He kneas time He still loves me as much as he ever did

“You hurt her once, and I’ll personally cut your balls off” Oh,to hurt Stryker, or me!