“Martin’s dead. We killed him. And you’re next if you don’t play your cards right, Barber.” Gavin’s voice has suddenly grown stronger as he pushes himself against a wall for support. “The whole club knows about your plans with the Senators and their coming. Even if you kill us three, you’ll be chased and hunted down and given a traitor’s goodbye. You surrender now, and maybe I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“You’re bluffing.” My father replies as he looks back to me. “You set him to say this shit, didn’t you? You were always the smart little girl, my perfect angel. I should have known that one day you would turn on me like this. But at least I know you’re not going to get that happily ever after with a bastard of your own.”
He pulls the gun back up to his eyes again and places his finger on the trigger. The gun aims at Gavin as he laughs, “Say goodbye Vanessa! Can’t say I’ll miss him!”
They say that a mother has this innate power to protect its family when in danger. You hear these stories about women who move cars off of their babies that have been run over or mothers who walk thousands of miles in the desert for water during famines. For me, it’s shooting my father.
As he cocks the gun back to his shoulder, I move in speeds I’ve never thought possible. The gun I set on the counter of the bathroom finds its way to my hand and, unlike when I had to use it with Martin, the trigger pulls back. The force of the gun sends me back up against the side of the wall to where Gavin is standing, but I don’t stop. I fire it again. And again. And again. Three bullets each hitting their mark directly into the center of my father’s chest. They make bulletholes he’ll never recover from as his body falls to the ground in a loud, unearthly thud that seems to shake the entire home.
So many things happen in the moments that follow. My mother cries out as if something is being physically released from her body. It’s not sorrow, pain, or guilt. It’s a release that takes all of her remaining energy from her. As I look towards her, I feel Gavin’s weight press down on me, his body giving in finally. He falls ontop of me, giving me just enough time to set the still warm gun down on the ground next to where I lay him, in a puddle of my mom or dad’s blood. I don’t even know now.
And as I think there could be possibly no way out of it, as I look to that gun for some relief, Gavin’s threat to my father comes true. The front door slams open followed by the sound of boots -- Bloody Pagan boots. At least 15 or 20 men I don’t instantly recognize outside their club color jackets storm into the kitchen, each stopping in their tracks as they spot the carnage. They look to me kneeling with Gavin’s head in my lap for how to approach.
And I can only cry, “Help. Please help.”
Epilogue: Together
I stand up, wedging my feet into my new pair of heels. The leather backs rubs up against my skin, and I wonder why I didn’t take all that advice about breaking them in before wearing them. No one wants to be in pain on their wedding day, especially while walking down the aisle to the man of their dreams.
“Are you ready?” Alice asks as she holds my white gown up above her head. “We’re already running late.”
“I know, I know. I just want to hold my baby one last time before I get in there. I’d really like to avoid messy fingerprints all over my gown.” I walk over to my mom who has been sitting quietly in her wheelchair, my baby girl in her arms. She smiles down at her as she hands her back to me.
When Hazel was born, I was a mess, a total wreck. It had been seven months since the night my entire life changed, and I was still feeling the weight of it on me almost every day and night. My life was full of nightmares and daydreams of bodies on the ground, Gavin falling into my arms, the sound of my mother’s scream. But as soon as I heard Hazel’s cry, I knew that my life would never be the same. It would be more than my past or who I was brought up to be. It would be about her, about our family.
And now, it’s going to become official: Mrs. Gavin Wren. We could all three have the same name. I could burst just thinking about it as I stare down at my tiny redheaded baby with those almond eyes that belong to me and the rest that was all her daddy. With those eyes, she would get to witness her parents finally becoming one. What more could a girl like me ask for?
After a few kisses and hugs, I place my baby back in my mother’s arms and allow Alice to slip my dress over my head. It’s nothing too formal. Just a lacey white dress with cap sleeves. Everyone was telling me to go for something beaded and bedazzled, but that’s just not my style. I also couldn’t imagine Gavin looking at me covered in fake jewels and sparkles. I instead got something timeless, practical, simple.
When I spin around to face my friend and mom, I know I’ve made the right choice in dresses. Their eyes light up when they see me with my veil in place. “You look amazing -- everything I dreamed you would look like on this day, Vanessa.” My mom wheels herself to my side and takes my hand in hers. Even though it’s been nearly a year since I found her cut up in the bathroom, she’s still much weaker than I could remember. Still, her hand presses into mine as she adds. “I couldn’t be more proud of you than I am right now.”
I choke back the tears that are forming in my eyes as I look over towards the large clock in Gavin’s and my new house. We just closed the deal on it last month, and I’ve already spent countless hours painting and priming everything, including overseeing him build the in-law suite for my mother to be as close to us as possible. It was the least I could do given all that she sacrificed for me.
“Oh man,” I say, overwhelmed by my own thoughts, “It’s time to go. The guys are waiting for us.”
Alice walks outside, baby in her arms, and flags down the limo driver. He helps my mother into the car while Alice puts Hazel into a car seat. I hang out in the back. I wasn’t going to be riding with them. I had other plans today -- a surprise fit for Gavin. I watch as the limo turns off our road and down towards the wedding chapel.
When it’s all clear, I carefully hike the skirt of my dress up and exchange my heels for a pair of brown, dusty cowgirl boots. My bike, a vintage Harley painted in a flashy pearl white, is waiting for me all polished and ready to go. For the last few months, while Gavin’s overseeing official Bloody Pagans business and managing the merger between them and the Senators, I’ve been taking riding lessons with Thad, Alice’s new boyfriend. Once I was comfortable, I put in the order for two new matching bikes -- one in the black on black Gavin loved and this white one for me. A “bride and groom” pair, the dealer noted as I smiled happily.
I head out towards the chapel slowly, enjoying the ride and even the curious stares from the few gawkers out on the main roads. The California sun beats down on my skin and the wind whips through my curled hair, but I don’t mind it. I’ve never felt so alive in my entire life. This is what I have been missing out on for all those years locked up in my bedroom, dreaming of what life would be like when I was finally set free. Who knew my savior would have been a man on a motorcycle.
I turn into the church, parking just outside the doors. From just outside, I can hear the music starting and I get a glimpse of Alice carrying Hazel in her arms down the aisle. I put the bike in park and wait for Gavin to hear the engine rev over and over again. A few heads turn before the entire congregation is staring out at the woman on the bike. Thad grabs Gavin’s arm and drags him outdoors, pointing at me as I come into view.
“Vanessa?” He says as he places his hands over his mouth in complete shock. “What the hell is this?” His tuxedoed arms stretch out towards me as he gestures to the bike.
“You like it?” I smile over to the crowd of onlookers staring at me in total disbelief. Not many MC women ride bikes. Then again, most of them aren’t like me.
“I love it,” He stammers as he walks out towards me. I place the bike in park and dismount as he asks the million dollar question, “But how? How did you do this?”
“Well, it’s not just this bike… it’s that one too.” Thad reappears from around the chapel wheeling the matching bike t
owards him. I wait for him to speak, but Gavin just stares at me completely dumbfounded. I explain quickly, fearing the worst, “I just wanted you to know that I will always ride with you. No matter what life puts us through, no matter what roads it takes us down, you will always have me as your partner. Forever.”
Gavin takes one giant step towards me and scoops me up in his arms. Our bodies collide as our lips touch and part. We both melt into one another as we take in my words. Forever. We were in this together forever. Throughout the rest of the ceremony and dance, we held on to the other, our hands never leaving the other’s.
THE END
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Read on for your FREE bonus book – HITMAN’S SURPRISE BABY
HITMAN’S SURPRISE BABY: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance
By Kathryn Thomas
MY BLIND DATE IS A HITMAN. AND HE JUST PUT A BABY IN MY BELLY.
It all started with a lie.
I’m terrified of how it’s going to end.
Because I let myself fall for the hitman…
And now I’m pregnant with his baby.
LILY
He said he was my blind date.
I guess I just wanted to believe him.
He was tall, dark, handsome – and dangerous.
So I let him take me to bed.
But the best night of my life turned into the worst morning.
Because Roman is gone…
But he left his baby in my belly.
ROMAN
A gorgeous girl alone at a bar?
I’ll be whoever she wants me to be.
It’s not the first time I’ve lied.
And it sure as hell won’t be the last.
Because lies are my profession.
I hurt.
I torture.
I kill.
Compared to all that, lying is the nicest thing I do.
Lily doesn’t have to know all that, of course.
After all, she’ll only know me for a night.
I plan to disappear as soon as the sun’s up, never to be seen again.
But when I end up on her operating table a month later with a bullet in my shoulder,
I realize what I left behind with her.
From now on, I won’t let her out of my sight.
She belongs to me now.
Chapter One
Lily
I stand in the bathroom of the restaurant/bar, in front of the mirror, staring at myself and feeling very uncomfortable in this tight-fitting dress. I don’t usually wear makeup, and tonight I’ve made no exception. Never mind that Carol has gone out of her way to set this date up. I never asked her to. I would’ve pulled a double, a triple shift, knees-deep in the trenches of nursing, scrubs fitting snugly and comfortably around me. So my face is white tinged pink, with a youthful glow around it, but more like I’ve just walked in from the cold as opposed to any sort of sexy freshness. My eyes are huge, hazel, so big they seem to dominate my face. I have a cleft in my chin, which I’ve never been able to decide if I like or not. Hair flares from the top of my head in a strawberry-blonde high ponytail. I try grinning at myself. No, I’m not nervous, not one bit.
The grin falters, and then disappears. I mutter under my breath: “I wish I was cauterizing a wound right now.” And then I return to the restaurant.
I walk through the bar—a modern place, all sleek surfaces and sleek people and me feeling spectacularly unmodern and out of place—and sit in one of the modern, stylish, high stools, rest my elbows on the sleek bar, and wait for the cool-looking barwoman to come and serve me. The place is busy, so it takes a while. I think of Carol, my co-worker, my friend, and my doppelganger: Carol looks almost exactly like me, so that the inattentive doctors often get us mixed up. So when she stood over me in the breakroom and harangued me it felt almost as if I was being bullied by myself.
“Look, I get it . . . you’re a darned good nurse, the best nurse in Vegas, okay? Is that what you want to hear? Well, you’ve got it. You are. No question.” Then she held her hands up, as though I was forcing her into this, when in fact she’d charged at me from across the room like a frantic bull. “But you can’t be married to your job, Lily. You just can’t. There are other things in this world. So I’ve set you up on a date.” I sighed, but she swooped in before the sigh could turn into anything more threatening. “Yes, yes, I know. But I want to get you out—yes, out, there is such a thing as out—really, I want to get you laid. And I know! Don’t look at me like that!” and with that, and a theatrical flourish of her hand, the deal was made.
Finally the barwoman reaches me. I order a vodka and coke and go and find a seat. Apparently, this Sam guy will find me. Twenty-three years old, and here I sit like a nervous twelve year old, knee jumping, foot tapping. I note that my drink has somehow halved since I bought it. Carol wouldn’t tell me what this Sam guy looked like, or much about him, apart from his gender and his occupation. She said the surprise will heighten the frisson, and when I asked what frisson meant, she giggled and told me I was a sweet child.
After around twenty additional minutes—which means Sam is twenty-five minutes late—a man approaches me from across the bar, pushing through the dance floor. At first, I’m not sure that he’s approaching me, but as he gets closer I see that his steps are aimed directly at me. I lean back in my chair, observing him, heart beating like a hectic drum in my chest.
The man is older than me, I think, but not by much. Perhaps around thirty. He is tall, and his muscles are well-defined and tight. He wears a short T-shirt, so I can see the flaming yin-and-yang he has tattooed on his bicep, which shifts with each movement of his massive muscle. His nose is strong, slightly crooked, and his close-cropped hair is golden-brown. He looks rugged, but also as though he takes some pride in his appearance. Carol mentioned that Sam was a realtor. I’m surprised. This man does not look the least bit like a realtor.
When he reaches me, I find myself jumping to my feet and thrusting my hand out at him. I regret this immediately. Not only is my hand shaking, but it’s also coated in a fine layer of sweat. It’s strange how you can be covered in blood in some grisly nursing scenario and not tremble or sweat like this, and yet something as simple as introducing yourself can have this bizarre effect.
“I’m Lily,” I blurt. “You must be Sam.”
He cocks his head at me, a small smile on his lips. His face is clean-shaven. For a moment I wonder what it would be like to run my hand across his strong jaw. I push that thought far down. What’s come over me?
“Uh, sure,” he says. “But my friends normally call me Roman.”
I return to my seat and after a moment of standing there and watching me, he takes the seat opposite me. From the other side of the restaurant, music plays, and the small dancefloor that the staff has created by clearing tables and chairs is swiftly filled with drunken people, all falling on top of each other, all writhing, as though caught up in some collective spell. Vegas, I reflect.
Sam—no, Roman, I remind myself—raises his hand and beckons over a waitress. He orders a beer, and raises his eyebrow at me. Before I even give it any thought, I’ve tossed back the rest of the vodka and coke and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “And another for the lady,” Roman grins and orders for me. He also asks for some food menus, which the waitress promises to bring. The waitress’ eyes linger on Roman’s arms. I feel a completely inappropriate pang of jealously. After all, I’ve just met this man. But I’m glad when she leaves.
“So, Lily, what do you do?”
“Carol really told you nothing?”
We have to raise our voices to be heard over the music, but we are far enough away so it’s not obnoxious.
Roman grins like this is the funniest thing in the world. “Carol? No, Carol didn’t tell me a thing.”
I give him a brief rundown: I’m a nurse at a busy hospital; some of th
e girls call me Nurse Sherlock because I always seem to know what’s going on with my patients; and I always know when someone is lying to me.
Roman squints, and then chuckles. “Shit, then I guess I better be on my guard, eh?”
“That won’t make any difference,” I say, smiling. The smile is almost against my will. My cheeks tighten, my lips raise, and all without my say-so.
“Maybe I’ve got some skills of my own,” Roman says.
“Oh yeah?” I sit up in my chair, lean closer to the table, place my sweaty hands flat on the cool surface. “So what is it you do?”
Roman waves a dismissive hand. “Lots of things,” he says vaguely.
“Carol says you’re a realtor.”
“I was, for a while,” he replies, without missing a beat. I look into his face for any sign of deceit. When I was a girl, I got good at this. I saw that people, normal people, usually look away, or fidget, or blink too much, or over-embellish when they lie—or a dozen other methods I’ve picked up over the years. But Roman seems to be telling the truth. At least, I don’t notice any sign of deceit. After a moment, he says: “Lily, would you stop lookin’ at me like that? You’re making me nervous.”
BAD BOY’S SURPRISE BABY Page 46