I scope the room.
I’m not stupid enough to allow myself to relax completely.
Sure, this is supposed to be a joyous occasion, but my cousin—a biker—is marrying into a mob family.
Without their knowledge.
Without them being here.
I imagine anyone could show up at any minute.
The Caparellis, the Andrettis, hell, even the real Elvis could show up at this point, and I wouldn’t be fucking surprised. I’m ready for anything. Hence, why Trick and a few of the Vegas Defiance are here with my guys. For added support if needed.
The music starts, we all turn toward the doors as they open, and Sparx walks out. She’s gorgeous as she walks down toward her son. It’s a nice touch that her kids were in her wedding, now she’s a part of her son’s. Sparx strides down the aisle as Grace enters next. She’s wearing a red dress. I have to admit, even though she’s my cousin, she’s absolutely stunning tonight. I smile at her as she walks past me and down the aisle. Then Izzy enters with Trax. He might not be her father, but he’ll be her father-in-law in a few minutes. The sentiment is clear as they walk past me.
I turn toward Vex, the adoration in his eyes is beyond anything I’ve seen from him before. Highway slaps Vex on the back.
I lean back against the wall folding my arms over my chest as Trax hands Izzy to Vex. I can’t hear what they whisper to each other, but Izzy giggles when Trax hands her over.
“We are gathered here tonight for the union of Patrick ‘Vex’ O’Shea and Isabella Caparelli. If anyone here objects to this union, speak now.”
I stand a little taller, my heart rate spiking while we all wait for anything or anyone to make their intentions clear, but silence falls over the chapel. We all let out a collective exhale.
The minister smiles. “Well then, let’s get you two married.”
Suddenly, the chapel doors swing open next to me as well as the two doors on either side. Andrettis flock in at every angle, and I tense, yanking my gun out the back of my jeans and aiming. The problem is there are so fucking many of them, I have no idea where to aim. There’s not enough of us, even with Vegas Defiance here. They swarm inside the little chapel as my brothers all stand, drawing their weapons, but I shake my head at them. The Andrettis saunter over to my men and don’t hesitate in throwing punches. I grit my teeth, rushing forward, pushing my way through to reach my guys as Izzy screams.
Nio’s walking in, his eyes firmly locked on Izzy as a fist lands straight into the side of my head. I stumble into a pew, and as I right myself, I turn and glare at the dick who just hit me. I rush forward, tackling him, pushing him backward, knocking over another two Andrettis as I go. I slam him into a pew laying a fist right into his eye socket. Another grabs a Bible, slamming it into my side. I furrow my brows at him as he drops it, then turns to run.
Fucking wimp!
His eyes are so focused on me as he runs away, that he doesn’t notice Trick holding his arm out in a clothesline. The wimp slams straight into Trick’s arm and crashes straight back onto the floor. Trick kicks him in the balls, then nods at me. I dip my head at him, letting him know I’m okay as he spins, slamming his fist into another Andretti.
As I turn back, Nio’s stalking toward Vex, venom oozing from every pore in his skin. I grit my teeth fumbling my way through the brawling bodies to reach them.
Vex pulls out his gun aiming it at Nio.
Nio directs his gun at Vex.
I aim my gun behind Nio pointing it at the back of his head.
It’s a three-way standoff.
Grace screams at the top of her lungs, “Stop it!” from behind a pew where Sparx and her are hiding with the minister. She stands taller, grabbing Nio’s attention. He turns, his eyes widening when he spots her. He raises his hand in a stop motion. The Andrettis halt their attack like some well-oiled machines. I raise mine to stop Defiance as well.
“Nio, stop this,” Grace reiterates, her voice wavering.
He lowers his gun, confusion written all over his face. Nio takes a step toward her, his chest heaving like he’s having trouble holding his shit together. “Grace, what the hell are you doing here?”
I jerk my head back.
Fuck me!
How the hell does he know Grace?
She exhales, taking in everyone watching her, but she steps forward toward Nio.
“Grace, stop! He’s dangerous,” Vex warns.
Grace’s eyes droop. “Nio won’t hurt me…”
What the fuck?
Her eyes meet his. “You don’t have to marry for business. You can marry based on love like your parents did—”
Nio scoffs, waving his gun through the air. “Look how that turned out. My father died before I was born—”
“Yes, but a love like theirs was eternal. Your mother adored Enzo. She still does. You don’t have to stop Izzy from living a life she wants, to have a life neither of you want. Nio, what do you want?”
He hesitates, his nostrils flaring as he relaxes his shoulders. “You.”
My eyes widen as Trax, Sparx, and Vex all stand taller like they’re ready to pounce.
“Like hell,” Vex grunts.
Grace holds her hand up dismissively to Vex, halting his tirade. “Then date me. Don’t let our mutual attraction be over before its had a chance.”
I did not see this coming!
“No fucking way. I won’t allow this,” Vex calls out.
Nio turns glaring at Vex. “While I’m enraged you foiled the merger of Isabella’s family and my family, Grace is right. I don’t want to marry Isabella. I never wanted to. No offense, Isabella, you’re lovely, but I don’t care for you. I care about Grace. So, Vex, I will allow you to take this merger off the table if and only if you allow me to date your sister.”
Vex scoffs. “This is bullshit! You’re making me choose between the woman I love or the safety of my sister?”
Grace steps forward. “Nio’s done nothing but keep me safe and made me feel protected, Vex. I promise you, he’ll never hurt me.”
Trax steps forward. “Do I get a say in this?”
Sparx grabs his arm pulling him back. “Shh… honey, don’t do the overprotective-dad thing just yet.”
Grace steps forward into Nio’s arms, and he smiles wide. It’s the first time I’ve seen the guy look happy.
This is not how I saw this going down at all.
Nio presses a kiss to her temple. “I wanted to take my vengeance out on you both, turns out I just needed acceptance.” Nio waves his gun at the minister. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get these two married.”
I snort out a laugh while shaking my head.
Andrettis, you never can tell which side they’re going to be on.
One thing I do know for sure, they always manage to surprise you.
Chapter Seven
VIPER
Now the wedding is over, and the celebrations are underway, I find myself thinking about Ember. I sit back, everyone’s dancing and having a great time.
How did we get to this place?
A place where the Andrettis are on the dance floor with my cousins and brothers, and everyone’s drinking and being fucking merry.
The fact I’m not drinking is probably adding to my somber mood. Everyone else is completely wasted, while I sit here wallowing about how I wish I were drinking. But after last night’s episode, having any kind of alcohol would be a bad idea.
Trick steps up to my side and slaps me on the shoulder. “Turns out you guys know how to throw a killer party, Viper.”
I scoff. “Didn’t think for a second it was going to turn out this way, but thanks for having our backs in there, man. I know I’m new to the seat, but knowing we could call on you worked out well. Need the favor returned, I’m your man.”
His eyes shift to Nio and Grace who are slow dancing on the dance floor. “Don’t thank me, brother, I didn’t do shit. I came for the fireworks, but I have a feeling your family mixing with the Andr
ettis and the Caparellis, all the fireworks are going to happen back in Chicago. I’m gonna miss the whole damn thing. And I love fucking fireworks.”
Tension rolls over my shoulders. He’s right. Now Izzy Caparelli’s mob family is married into the family, and with Grace dating the opposition in Nio, we’re bound to have massive teething issues. I don’t know how the hell this is all going to work. Especially seeing as how the Caparellis and Andrettis were meant to be the ones to merge, and the one common denominator in stopping that merge was Defiance. I have a feeling we may have won a battle, but a war may be starting to bubble to the surface.
“You might be right, brother, you might be right.”
He nudges my shoulder with a smirk. “Thing is, though, Viper, you have presidential blood in your veins. If anyone can handle the brewing tension, you can.”
I needed to hear that.
“Thanks for having our back, man.”
He chuckles. “Right, I need booze, women, and sex. Maybe not in that order. Let’s get this party started!” he yells the last part rushing off into the middle of the room making everyone cheer.
Everyone is in fine party form having a great time and letting off steam. I can’t help but feel drained from last night, from today, and from feeling like crap about Ember. A party is not where I want to be right now, even if as president, I know I need to be here.
With the immediate threat to Defiance gone, and everyone having a good time, I think it’s okay for me to make my escape. I slowly edge out of the thumping room making my way down the hall. I exhale feeling like an ass for leaving, but sometimes too much watching other people having fun can be fucking shit, especially when I keep replaying last night over and over in my mind.
I want to see Ember.
I want to make this right with her.
Bates told her to come back to work today, so I’m hoping maybe she’ll be back at her blackjack table. I make my way to the casino to go in search of my fiery phoenix. I wander into the noisy room, searching each table for my bombshell, but I keep coming up empty. Not able to find her, I think what I can do to make my search easier.
So I make my way to Bates.
I don’t want to see the fucker again, but honestly, I’m going to be working with him anyway. I may as well call in a favor when the need arises. I walk down the halls to his office. Entering his hall, a silhouette walks from his office in a huff. As I walk closer, the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention, and the corner of my lips turn up knowing she’s near.
Ember’s eyes catch sight of me when I approach. She rolls her eyes moving to push past me.
I grab her arm, halting her. “Ember, wait!”
“For what, so you can actually puke on me this time?”
“I’m fucking sorry about last night. Please, let me explain?”
Ember yanks her arm free while glaring at me with nothing but disdain. “What? That you’re a junkie? Yeah, no explanation needed, commando.”
I flare my nostrils in anger.
Why the fuck won’t she listen?
“Stop being a pig-headed selfish brat, and let me show you what happened. I’m not a junkie, Ember.”
Her eyes widen as she sinks in on herself a little. “You swear?”
“Yes!”
“Fine! Show me what you need to.”
Ah-huh, some progress!
I reach out taking her hand in mine. She doesn’t fight me as I lead her to the elevator. The same one when I first saw her. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I ask, “Hey, why were you in with Bates?”
She shrugs. “I quit.”
“You quit? I thought you needed this job?”
She winces. “I do, like really bad, but Bates just makes it far too hard to work for him.”
“I know the feeling.”
The doors open, and we step inside, then they close leaving us alone. I turn to her, bringing my hand up to her face and caressing her cheek. “I’m truly sorry about last night. You’ll never know how bad I feel about my actions.”
Ember chews on her bottom lip, shrugging. “I guess when you tell me what’s going on, I’ll tell you whether I forgive you or not.”
She’s always so feisty.
I stare in her eyes, her beautiful brown orbs not showing as much gold as normal. She’s sadder, and that’s partly my fault. Even so, I can’t deny that pull, the magnetism that draws me in to her. With every second ticking by, I want to kiss her so badly, but now isn’t that time. I have to tell her what happened. I need to own my truth before she decides if I’m worth it or not.
The elevator dings, and the doors open. I drop my hand from her face, leading her out. As we walk down the long hall, the tension grows thicker and thicker. The last time we came down this hall, we were like giggling fucking teenagers. I’m glad none of my brothers saw any of that shit go down.
This time we’re far more subdued and serious. Once we reach my door, I open it, and we walk inside. When we step over to the bed, I gesture for her to sit. I can’t stop the flood of images of her naked and me fucking her swarming my mind. But I blink them away, moving over to the fridge. She widens her eyes, taking in a deep breath.
My brothers know about this, but it doesn’t stop the fact that it makes me feel like less of a man. I grit my teeth, opening the door, and pull out the black bag. I step back over to the bed and sit down next to her.
Ember’s eyes are wide as she studies the bag. I turn it over, unzipping the top pulling out the blood glucose monitor and prick tester. Her eyes widen. She’s starting to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I position my finger and prick it with the lancet. She jumps even though it doesn’t do anything dramatic. Ember sits on the edge of the bed staring. I pull it back, placing the small white strip onto the tiny dot of blood.
Her eyes flood with tears as she stares at me. “You’re diabetic?”
I stare into her eyes—she’s coming back to me, the gold’s twinkling again. “Type one. I felt the blood sugar high coming on last night during… Damn! I didn’t want to stop to explain, so I kept going and well…” I pause, letting her remember what happened.
She rests her head in her hands as she lets out a loud exhale. “Oh God, I called you a junkie.”
“I feel like one most of the time, needing a fix when I get the urge.”
Her head snaps back up at me. “But why? Shouldn’t you be testing like this all the time? Shouldn’t you be injecting regularly?”
I cringe. “Technically, yeah.”
Ember’s eyes widen as she turns, grabbing my hand. “Viper, that’s dangerous. Why the hell wouldn’t you keep it under control?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose letting out an exhale. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated? More complicated than the fact that diabetes can kill you?”
She’s got me there, I have no answer to that.
“Okay, harder to explain, then.”
Ember’s eyes soften as she tightens her hand in mine. “Try.”
Exhaling, I crack my neck to the side. “In the Army, I was somebody, and I was really good at what I did. A pilot. Top of my game… until I wasn’t. I started having these… episodes. I would crash, not my plane but my body giving out on me. Then it started happening in the air. I’d get shaky, nauseous, dizzy, and just fucking all over the place. I had no idea what was happening. My commander made me get some testing done. The results came back with diabetes, and it was completely out of control.” Ember’s eyes well as my chest constricts telling the story. “They medically discharged me. I felt like a fucking failure like I couldn’t even do my job. Like less of a man.”
Ember grips my hands tighter. “You know that’s not true. An illness doesn’t define the man, his actions do. His beliefs, his morals. You’re more of a man doing what you’re doing with this on your shoulders. You’re the bravest soldier I know.”
I weakly tilt my head. “Hence, why you call me commando?”
She bursts out laughing.
“Ahh… no, that was because every time I called you commando, I was picturing you naked. You know… as in commando.”
Raising my brow, I smirk at her. “Oh, really?”
She peeks down at my tester avoiding the subject. “So, you finally did a test. Tell me, do you need an injection?”
My blood sugars are still high from last night. “Yeah, I do.”
She grabs the bag from me unzipping the other side. “Well, then, let’s start from today. You’re going to test and inject like you should. The proper way to try and stop yourself from having those crashes like you had last night.”
I like this side of Ember. She might be bossy, but hell if it’s not attractive to me right now. I grab the needle, and my eyes meet hers. I lift my shirt. She nods, and I place the needle to my stomach and push it in.
Ember’s hand comes up to my face gently caressing. “I’m proud of you. Shit! I’m so sorry for judging you.”
I place the needle back in the bag and close it, then shift closer, placing my hand on her thigh. “I get it. What you saw would have freaked anyone out. I wasn’t taking care of myself. Seems I need a feisty phoenix to come in and light a fire up my ass.”
She giggles. “I’ll do that any time you need me to.”
I run my hand around the back of her head and pull her to me kissing her forcefully. My lips tingle. It’s the same feeling I get every time I touch her.
We’re leaving for Chicago tomorrow, and I’ll be leaving Ember behind, but I’m not sure if I can do that.
My tongue collides with hers. I kiss her letting her know how much she has done for me in the last few minutes we’ve been together.
She’s made me believe in myself again.
She’s convinced me I am worth more than a broken man.
My illness doesn’t define me. I can work around it if I can control it, and if I keep to the routine I’m supposed to. I need to stop being a martyr and accept the hand life has dealt me, live with what I’ve got. I’m the president of the Chicago Defiance MC. I’m strong, even with my faults.
It took a woman with a heart of fire to show me that. A woman I am kissing right now with everything I have in me. A woman I don’t ever want to let go.
Call My Bluff Page 12