It’s time to rise from the ashes and extinguish the flames. This is a new start. A clean slate for not just me or Scarlett, but for everyone else that’s trusted me to make their life better. Deciding to keep the Atlantic City chapter name was the right move. Not only is the weight of the members on my shoulders, but the immense responsibility of proving ourselves to the city. I need the community to accept us, to come to us when we need help, and most importantly, I don’t want them to fear us. But it isn’t going to be easy. Nothing worth it ever is. With a winter storm brewing off the coast, this is our chance to open the clubhouse for people who need shelter. It’s the perfect opportunity to show who we are. Protectors. Enforcers. Loyalists. We have nothing but heart. The heart? My Scarlett Rose. Her support pushes me to be my best. And right when I think my best is enough, the world falls out from under our feet. Hell is hot and the flames aren’t forgiving during this journey. To gain something good, we lose something better. And we have to rise from the ashes all over again

Instincts are all we have to rely on. And mine were spot on. There are a few things I don’t like to talk about in life. My father. And Kansas. I hate him, and I hate that godforsaken state. To this day, I haven’t loved because there’s a fear. An inkling. An instinct that I will be just like him. I convinced myself our blood was rotten, tainted, and sour. I believe I didn’t have the ability to be faithful or loyal. But then after a blizzard, a sailboat washed to shore. And she was there. She’s here at the clubhouse now. Violet Winston. A name that matches the fields of lavender of her eyes. I have no right to want her. I can’t love her. I’ll ruin her. The more I get to know her, the harder I fall. Usually, there’s a calm after the storm. But not this time...Between her father being a drug dealer. The drugs hidden in the boat. And the man that wants his drugs. We are about to feel the havoc of a hurricane. Truths hit us out of nowhere and they hurt worse than a lie ever did. Love tests us and rips us open. Friendships are lost. Loyalty is damned. I’m not in Kansas anymore. But Jersey hurts just the same.

I had her and I lost her. That’s what pain and fear does to someone; they make someone run. And Alicia ran far... Taking my heart with her. We agreed we both had things to work on, but to be honest, I didn’t know how to improve. She did. She fought for us. She got stronger. She did what she said. I lied. The truth is... I’m not the man she needs me to be. And I don’t know how to be it. I’m hideous. I’m a monster. My face is abnormal. Who could love a man with one eye? Who could love a man that’s... bad on the inside? I’m a rotten soul. But she turns this rotten soul into something more. She gives me hope. Until she dares to move on from me. And then all hell breaks loose. Make no mistake, she’s mine. And she’s about to learn what happens when someone pisses off a beast. They become the monster they were born to be. But just as I have her, someone from her past comes looking for something that no longer exists. Wedding bells ring in the distance. And they aren’t mine. No one marries her, but me. I, object.