Girth (Marked Skulls MC Book 1)

by Savannah Rylan

  Nico promised that it would only be a matter of time before we could visit Seattle often, before my parents could come to Rome!

  I looked up now when Nico opened the door and stepped in. I beamed at him, unable to hide how happy I was feeling.

  “You okay, beautiful?” he asked and I nodded my head.

  Nico remained by the door, watching me and Avery in my arms.

  “Come here, sit with me,” I asked and a grin started spreading on Nico’s face.

  “I want to, but I think you’re ready for your surprise now,” he said and I crossed my brows.

  “You have a surprise for me?”

  Nico held the door open and Ava walked in.

  My jaw dropped and I squealed. Ava squealed too and she came running to me. Avery giggled in my arms and Ava lifted her up, kissing the baby’s cheeks and cuddling her.

  “Oh my God, Kenni, she’s absolutely adorable! She looks so much like you,” Ava said. Nico came over to take his daughter, so that Ava could sit with me.

  We were both crying. This was the longest we’d been apart since we first became friends. I’d missed her every day and now she was finally here.

  “What are you doing here? What’s going on?” I asked, gasping for breath. I watched as Ava and Nico exchanged pleased looks.

  “It was Nico’s idea. He wanted me to be here for Avery’s birth but I missed the flight. I took the next one, no worries,” she explained and threw her arms around me. We were hugging and laughing and wiping the tears off each other’s cheeks.

  “I can’t believe you’re here…I didn’t think it would be safe?” I looked at Nico now, while he rocked Avery in his arms.

  “Things are getting better, besides Ava said you and the baby were worth the risk,” Nico replied.

  I shook my head in disbelief while Ava sat on the bed beside me.

  “How long are you here?” I asked and Ava smiled.

  “A few weeks. I wanted to help out with the baby. But I have to go back for work of course,” she said and I nodded my head.

  “I would have been just as happy even if you came for a few hours,” I told her and we were hugging again.

  Over Ava’s shoulder, I smiled at the man…the father of my child…who had stuck to his word. He was fixing this. He was going to make sure that I was always happy.

  ***

  One Year Later

  It was our wedding day, and I was blessed to be surrounded by all the people I most loved. My friends, Carly, Sarah, Silvia and Mona were there with their husbands and their respective kids. My parents were flown in by Nico too and Ava was of course, fussing around me as she helped me with my veil.

  I hadn’t seen Nico for an entire day, according to custom and our baby girl was now beginning to wonder where her daddy was.

  “Where is Avery?” I asked Ava as she touched up my makeup. I was sitting in front of the mirror.

  Nico and I had selected a beautiful Tuscan villa for the wedding. Ava and Carly had helped with the decorations and the food. This day was turning out to be perfect.

  “She’s with your mom outside,” Ava told me.

  Once she was satisfied with my makeup, she stood behind me and we looked at each other in the mirror.

  “You look beautiful, Kenni,” she said and kissed the top of my head. As I held her hand, I saw the diamond glitter on my ring finger.

  Nico had fallen on his knee one night, only four months ago. It had seemed like a regular night-in for us. Avery was there, we’d ordered pizza and we were just about to settle in for a movie. Instead, Nico had turned off the TV, put Avery in her cradle and got down on his knee.

  When he asked me to marry him, I’d burst into tears.

  I’d pictured myself spending the rest of my life with this man…but marriage hadn’t crossed my mind. I wasn’t one of those girls who dreamed about her wedding. And yet, I was the one having one of the dreamiest weddings!

  We had four months to plan everything and Nico said he was going to make sure I had all my friends and family in attendance. Things were better with the Rossi family in Seattle now and he said it was safe for everyone to travel.

  So, now they were all here. On my special day to witness the union of Nico and me. I was happy and content. I couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be in Seattle anymore.

  There was a knock on the door and we turned to see an older man walk in.

  “Excuse me, my apologies. They told me you were ready,” he said.

  I recognized him from the one old family picture that Nico had. It was Fabio Rossi, his father.

  “I am, Ava would you excuse us please?”

  I watched as my friend left and Fabio stepped closer to me.

  “No, no don’t get up,” he said when I was about to stand.

  “I wasn’t aware that you were coming,” I told him and he nodded his head. I could see the similarities between father and son now. He must have been very handsome when he was young.

  “You’re right, I wasn’t invited. I think I’ve done enough to deserve my son’s hatred. But I believed this would be my only opportunity to meet my daughter-in-law and my grandchild. I wanted to see you both. The woman who stole my son away from me,” he continued.

  I gulped, a sudden fear had gripped my heart. Was he threatening me? Was he going to do something? Based on all the stories I’d heard about him, I knew that he was not a man to be trusted.

  I stood up from the ottoman this time and turned to face him.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked, trying to be as firm as possible.

  Fabio breathed in deeply, squaring his shoulders the way Nico always did.

  “Nothing, my dear. I just wanted to see you and wish you the best of happiness. I know my son is happy and that should satisfy me,” he replied.

  I was confused now. Was he here to threaten me or was he genuinely being nice?

  He must have seen the confusion on my face because he smiled now. It was a weak and sad smile.

  “You remind me of my late wife. She looked just as beautiful on our wedding day. The truth is that she was a remarkable woman, but she died of sadness,” Fabio stated.

  “Nico’s mother had cancer,” I said and he nodded his head.

  “But she gave up too easily. She had no interest in fighting the disease. She had no interest in this life that I’d built for her. She was sad. She still loved me but she knew I was a monster. She didn’t want to see her son grow up to become one as well,” Fabio continued.

  “He is not,” I remarked and he nodded his head.

  “I know that, and I have you to thank for the peaceful life he leads now,” he said and reached for my hand.

  I allowed him to take my hand in his. I could sense he wasn’t a threat to me anymore.

  “Will you stay for the wedding?” I asked softly. His eyes were bloodshot now, he was brimming with emotion. This should have been just as much a happy day for him as it was for my parents.

  “I don’t think my son would want that,” he said and I patted his hand.

  “I think he would. I don’t think you know your son at all,” I replied and Fabio smiled.

  “I’ll stay,” he said and I smiled at him too.

  He left soon after and my father came in to walk me down the aisle. Then, when I walked down towards Nico, who looked so handsome standing there at the alter in his tuxedo, I knew I was truly happy.

  We may have left Seattle but there was nothing missing from our lives. We were happy here. We led a peaceful life together, and now we were surrounded by our family and friends too.

  Nico blew me a kiss as I walked towards him. We couldn’t wait to be married to each other.

  ***

  One Year Later

  It was Avery’s second birthday and we’d organized a huge party for her at our home in Rome. Our friends from the neighborhood and Nico’s work friends were invited as well as their large families. Avery’s playgroup friends were there of course and I’d baked her a big zo
o themed birthday cake.

  After everyone left and Avery was tucked into bed, surrounded by all the gifts and toys she’d received—Nico and I finally had a chance to breathe.

  “She looks happy, doesn’t she?” I said as we stood at her bedroom door, watching her breathe peacefully. Nico wrapped an arm around me and kissed me.

  “Yes, she does. She’s our happy little princess,” he declared.

  Holding hands we walked back to the living room. We’d tried to clear up the traces of the party but there was still a lot to do. The next day being a Sunday, we decided to leave it till then.

  Nico poured us wine into two glasses and we walked out to the back garden. Porch chairs were set up under an umbrella and the solar powered fairy lights had come on in the garden.

  It was a beautiful summer’s day and the sky looked a perfect shade of purplish-orange while the sun set. Nico and I sat together, drinking our wine and talking.

  We still couldn’t get over how happy Avery looked and how much of a success the party had been. We’d come a long way from that night in Seattle when we’d made our escape in the wee hours of the morning.

  Now, Nico’s construction business had successfully kicked off and he had several lucrative projects in hand. We’d saved enough money to buy ourselves a beautiful villa in a fancy suburb in Rome. Avery had many friends and so did I.

  I even spoke Italian now…which meant that the city didn’t seem so strange to me anymore.

  “I think it’s time that Avery saw Seattle,” Nico said, when there was a lull in the conversation. My eyes perked up when I heard that and I looked at him with excitement. We’d been in Rome for more than two years now and hadn’t returned to America once.

  “I promised you Christmas and it’s Christmas when we’ll go for a visit,” Nico declared. I squealed and threw my arms around his neck while he laughed.

  “Christmas? Oh my God! My parents will be so happy to hear that! Avery will love Seattle in Christmas!” I couldn’t stop gushing with joy. It wasn’t until now that I realized how much I actually missed our old hometown. Even though Rome was home now and we were perfectly happy here.

  “Yes, I know. I’ve arranged it already. Just a few more months and we’ll be flying into Seattle,” Nico said and he kissed me.

  What started off as an innocent, excited kiss turned passionate. I leaned over him, making my chair nearly topple as I kissed him. Nico laughed and pulled me on to his lap. I was straddling him now as I kissed him. My tongue sliding in and out of his delicious mouth. His hands were on my waist and then traveled down to my butt.

  “We’ve never done it out here,” he murmured in my ear. His voice was drowsy and deep. I bit down on my lip.

  “We have neighbors!” I scolded him but he nibbled my earlobe in response.

  His kisses traveled down my chin, my neck…till finally he was nibbling on my breasts through the material of my blouse. I weaved my fingers in his hair, swaying backwards while he touched me.

  “Kennedy…” he said my name and scooped me back straight again. I stared at him with desire dripping from every pore of my skin. I was ready to strip right here, right in the garden…I didn’t care about the damn neighbors!

  “Nico!” I exclaimed, alarmed that he was stopping now.

  “I know Avery is happy, but are you happy here, beautiful?” he asked and stroked my hair.

  I sighed and smiled, before I nodded my head.

  I held his gaze strongly. I knew he still blamed himself for everything that happened. For us leaving Seattle. For how drastically my life had changed.

  “I am very happy here, Nico. This is our life, our home…I mean, look at it!” I replied and I tracked the cozy beauty of our back garden. “I wouldn’t even dream of a home like this in Seattle. Besides, we get to go to America now. Don’t blame yourself anymore, Nico,” I told him and he kissed me again.

  He caught my hand and gently tickled my arm. I could sense there was something on his mind.

  “Nico…what is it?” I asked him and he fixed his deep gray eyes on me again.

  “I was thinking that now since we’re settled here. And we’re married…maybe we could try for another baby?” he asked.

  My heart was racing in my chest. It was like he’d read my mind! I’d been thinking about another child for some time now. The more Avery grew up, the more I wished that she had a sibling.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed and we hugged.

  Nico stood up from the chair, lifting me up along with him. He was carrying me into the house, to our bedroom. I kissed him while he did. I was happy…I was in love. I had a baby with the man who was always meant to be mine. Even back in high school I’d known that Nico Rossi had the potential to change my life, and now he had.

  He shut the door behind us and dropped me on our king-sized bed. I laughed as he joined me on it.

  “I can’t wait to watch our family grow,” he said before he kissed me again.

  Hawk (The Road Rebels MC #1)

  by Savannah Rylan

  Chapter 1

  Hawk

  “I’m so sorry, Sydney.”

  “No… Hawk. It can’t be him. Please tell me it’s not him.”

  That night would forever sit in my memory as the night my entire life changed. The infamous shootout between The Devil Saints and The Road Rebels not only left multiple people dead but made the headlines and forced both clubs to go under the radar. I was in my twenties when I was a prospect for The Road Rebels. My father, Joe, was the Vice President of the motorcycle club. He was highly revered. A real chest puffer. He knocked up my mom at some motorcycle celebration at the beach on the West Coast, and she showed up at his doorstep nine months later with me.

  “Dad! No! Stop!”

  The gunshots called out like raging lightning strikes. They tore through the air, whizzing by our heads as motorcycles came rumbling down the road. The Devil Saints had been looking to stir up trouble with us ever since our treasurer had been found hooking up with The Devil Saint’s President’s wife.

  John had been an idiot. Why the fuck couldn’t he have just kept it in his pants? The Devil Saints had always been looking for trouble. Their club was conceived as a split faction from another major club out in the Grand Canyon valley, and they brought nothing but heartache and sorrow wherever they went. Their motorcycles were loud, their jackets and paint jobs were bright, and they had no issues unloading gun magazines into anyone that looked at them in a way they didn’t approve.

  Why the fuck did Sidney’s father, have to fuck the President’s wife?

  Bullets were flying as I raced to my father. He was taking fire as he ducked behind a car. People were screaming, and magazines were being reloaded. My father pressed a gun into my hand so I could fend for myself, then he went back to what he knew best.

  Shooting at those who shot at his loved ones.

  “Hawk! Help!”

  I took off running, hearing Sydney’s cries for help. My heart hammered in my chest. Was she hurt? Was she bleeding? Had she been taken? The Devil Saints were ruthless bastards and would stop at nothing to get the information they needed.

  Even if it was pouring from the scared lips of a 20-year old girl.

  I could still remember how petrified I was when I heard Sydney shriek like that. She had been raised by her father as well after her mother dumped her at the main lodge. That was common with women nowadays: take a wild vacation, have a tryst with a biker, then dump the child when they didn’t want to take responsibility for their actions. Sydney had grown up tough, and her father raised her to protect herself. She knew how to shoot a gun with accuracy by the age of twelve and could single-handedly take me down by the time we were teenagers.

  I fell in love with her on the spot the moment she pinned me to the ground the very first time we sparred.

  I slid towards Sydney as I saw her cradling someone’s head. Blood was leaking everywhere as it spurted onto her blue leather jacket. Tears were pouring down her face as I crawl
ed to her, shooting out to my side as someone attempted to charge us. I didn’t even look to see how long it took for the fucker to bleed out because I recognized who she was cradling the moment I saw his eyes.

  John.

  Her father had been shot.

  Raking my hands through my Mohawk, I stared out the window. Never in my life had I ever seen Sydney cry that way. She was tough. Tougher than any girl should’ve been for her age. She and I had seen things no child should be privy to, and it was another reason why we got along so well. Our fathers raised us, schooled us, and strapped us to their motorcycles when we took trips. We grew up on the road. We understood the in’s and out’s of how each other was being raised, and people actually took bets on when we’d finally tie the knot.

  But she left before we could.

  “Please Daddy,” Sydney begged. “Just hang on.”

  Blood was pouring from Joe’s mouth as I ripped my jacket off. I peeled my shirt off my back and pressed it to the gunshot wound in his chest, but his stomach was littered with iron. There wasn’t a chance in hell he would make it, and we both watched as the light slowly slipped from his eyes.

  “Hawk,” John choked out.

  “Yeah. Yeah, John. I’m right here. Just… conserve your energy.”

  A bullet whizzed by my head, and I got up. I shot the man who was aiming a gun at us right between the eyes, then ducked back down before his body hit the ground. I reloaded my gun without even thinking as Sydney’s eyes widened at me, and for the first time, I saw it.

  I saw Sydney fear me and what I had become.

  “Take care… of my… my baby,” he said.

  “That’s not gonna be necessary,” I said. “Because you’re gonna live to take care of her yourself.”

  “Promise me, boy. Pro-... promise…”

  “Daddy! No! Please!”

  My hands shook as I sat at her father’s desk. Joe and John were always made fun of because they wanted legitimate desks in the main lodge where we all congregated. Hell, they had been made fun of when they suggested building this fucking building in the first place. ‘Motorcycle clubs don’t have lodges’ the members had complained. But, Joe and my father were dead set on it. They thought we needed a safe place to meet up. A haven for us all to gather at. A place to hold our family dinners and return to after trips we all took together. They kept teasing our fathers about wanting ‘office spaces’ and shit like that, but I knew why they wanted this place.