“It would make it a problem that the club puts to a vote, but I’m not risking my guys just so you can get revenge on Thaddeus.” Grit shook his head back and forth. “If Thaddeus fucks with us, we’ll handle business, but we don’t start fights—we finish them.”
“It’s inevitable, isn’t it?” I tilted my head to the side with a scowl on my face. “You’re already recruiting soldiers and preparing for war. Why wait? You know he’s going to come for your club eventually.”
“He might, or he might leave us alone. We don’t know the answer to that question. If it was my decision, I’d probably go to war now, but that’s not how the club operates.” Grit shrugged and shook his head. “Things have to be put to a vote.”
“Then put it to a vote and let me talk to your guys.” I put my hands back on my hips. “Please, Grit. You know this is for the best. This city will be a nightmare if Thaddeus takes over.”
“You’ve never given a shit about this city. You’re just happy making pennies and keeping your head above water. You’re really want to go to war and possibly get a bullet in your head because he tried to kill Ryker?” Grit shook his head. “That’s a dumb move, and I’ve seen you play cards—you don’t make dumb moves unless you’re trying to lose.”
“Fine.” I nodded and sighed. “It’s not just about Ryker. Thaddeus took someone—a woman. Someone I care about. I have to get her back.”
“Of course this is about a fucking woman.” Grit exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes. “If you want me to call a meeting, I will. But you can’t address the table if you aren’t wearing a Vegas Scourge cut.”
“I hope you have one in my size.” I narrowed my eyes and nodded.
Wearing the Vegas Scourge’s cut was the price I would have to pay to save Aurora. There was no other way to get the men I needed to take down Thaddeus. War required an army. Thaddeus had one, and after a passionate speech to the Vegas Scourge MC, I had one too. Taking down Thaddeus was in everyone’s best interest. Doing it before he had absolute control of Las Vegas was the best chance anyone would ever have. Once he had power and more soldiers for his army, he could massacre the Vegas Scourge MC if he wanted. At the very least, they would have to do his bidding for survival.
“How does it feel to the be on the right side of the fight for a change?” I walked up to the bar and sat down beside Grit.
“We were always on the right side. At the end of the day, we do what is best for the club. Carlos didn’t fuck with us, so we didn’t have a reason to go after him.” Grit shrugged and sipped the beer in front of him. “You’re right, though, this move is best for Las Vegas and for the club.”
“Here’s to mutual interests.” I took a beer from the bartender and raised it.
“I hope you understand that putting on that jacket isn’t a one time thing. You don’t get to take it off once the fight is over. You might not agree with what we do, but you’re a member of the Vegas Scourge now, and that’s a lifetime commitment. If one of us falls, all of us fall.” Grit raised his beer and sipped it again.
“I know.” I nodded and sipped my beer.
I know exactly what I’m getting myself into, but Aurora’s freedom is worth more than anything else in the world.
It took time for Grit to figure out where Thaddeus was staying, but his sources came through. Thaddeus had turned an old mansion in the desert into his base of operations. That was the most likely place for him to be holding Aurora. I thought the guns I kept in my safe were impressive, but the Vegas Scourge MC had an arsenal. They were certainly prepared for battle, even if they weren’t planning to pick a fight. We drove out to the desert under the cover of darkness and found a decent position on a hill overlooking Thaddeus’ house. I couldn’t even count the number of guys he had walking around the perimeter carrying M16s. We were definitely outmanned. I just hoped we would have the element of surprise.
“How would you do this, Cole?” Grit dropped down on the ground beside me and took my binoculars. “Our normal strategy is to just go in guns blazing.”
“A small group—guys that know how to fight with their hands and use a knife. Back them up with a sniper. Do as much damage as possible before they realize we’re there, then it’s guns blazing.” I looked over at him and nodded.
“See, that’s why I wanted you in the Vegas Scourge. You understand strategy.” Grit patted me on my back.
“Yeah, that’s just the Marine in me. We don’t like to waste men if we don’t have to.” I nodded to him.
The plan was set. I was in the group that approached the house on foot with a knife in my hand and a gun in my belt. I would have preferred to have something with more firepower, but it was too bulky. I just hoped we weren’t too late—I hoped Aurora hadn’t been harmed. If Thaddeus laid a hand on her, his death would be slow and painful instead of quick. We started with two guys walking by themselves, and quickly took them out. Two of the Vegas Scourge MC members dragged their bodies into the darkness while the man with me approached our next target. Another one down. Then another one after him. We weren’t going to have the element of surprise for long, especially when someone noticed that the perimeter patrol had gotten quite thin.
“Hello? Charlie? Why aren’t you answering?” The radio on the ground started to crackle.
“That’s our cue.” I motioned to the guys with me.
It didn’t take long for the men that were closer to the house to get word that something was wrong. Once they started approaching the perimeter, the sniper let bullets fly. Bodies dropped, and I started weaving between them as I rushed towards the house. Once our cover was blown and bullets started echoing in the night air, chaos erupted. The two sides traded fire, and I kept pushing forward towards the house. If I could get inside, I would be able to save Aurora—at least, I hoped that was the case. I sincerely hoped Thaddeus wouldn’t hurt her once he realized she was the reason he was under attack. The best way to prevent that was to get into the house as soon as possible. I had one guy by my side once we made it to the back door. I splintered it with my boot, and then we were inside.
“Fuck!” The guy beside me raised his weapon but a bullet tore through his shoulder before he could fire.
I fired, dropping the guy that took out the Vegas Scourge MC member beside me. He wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t going to be able to keep going. I carried him back outside and dropped him in the bushes near the house. It was good enough to keep anyone from seeing him unless they were looking. Once he had his gun firmly in his hand in case it was needed, I rushed back into the house with my finger on the trigger. A couple of shots nearly grazed my skull, and I returned fire, dropping the men that fired. I ran into the living room and looked around. It was empty. I had no idea where Aurora was. I decided to start checking upstairs first. As soon as my foot hit the bottom step, I saw a large, hulking shadow at the top of the stairs holding a gun.
“Well, this is a surprise.” Thaddeus shook his head and started walking down the stairs. “I didn’t think you would give your life for her—she must have a damn good pussy. I’m going to have to see what all the fuss is about once we exterminate all of you fucking rats.”
“You won’t have a chance!” I lifted my gun and started firing, sending several into Thaddeus’ chest, but he didn’t stop walking.
“That was your one chance.” Thaddeus fired at me, and a bullet ripped through my left arm, causing me to drop my gun. “You blew it.”
Fuck! He’s wearing a bullet proof vest!
“It’s not over yet.” I dove for my gun with my right hand, but before I could grab it, Thaddeus pressed his boot on my knuckles.
“Yes, it is.” Thaddeus nodded and pointed the gun at my skull. “Tell Ryker I said hello.”
The end had come. I survived Afghanistan just to be killed by some scumbag Mafia idolizer in fucking Las Vegas. I wasn’t going to be able to save Aurora. I couldn’t even save myself. I stared at the gun and let my wounded arm fall to my side—then I felt my knife in my belt. I had on
e more chance, and I couldn’t blow it. I pulled my knife, ignoring the pain and jammed it into Thaddeus’ hamstring. A howl of pain followed and he took a step back. He pointed the gun at me and fired, but I rolled out of the way. I came to my feet and charged him, slamming all of my weight into his muscular frame. We both hit the railing on the side of the stairs and it cracked. I was falling. I braced for impact with Thaddeus underneath me and landed directly on his chest.
“Get off me, you fucking bastard!” Thaddeus was so strong that he nearly sent me flying when he pushed me off his chest. “Forget fucking that bitch—I’m going to carve her into pieces and tell her every second of her agony is your fault.”
I got to my feet before Thaddeus and saw him reaching for the gun that had fallen on the ground beside him. I launched myself into the air and crashed into him with all of my weight again. My fists started flying, each one landing directly in the center of the hulking bastard’s face. The pain in my arm wasn’t enough to stop me from turning his face into a blood stain. He tried to get his massive arms up to block, but I was faster than him. I bounced his head against the wooden floor until he wasn’t moving and then I heard someone coming through the door. I reached for the gun beside me out of instinct, but when I raised it, I saw Grit’s face.
“Easy.” Grit held up his hand. “It’s over. Thaddeus’ men are retreating into the desert. I guess they weren’t all willing to die for that sack of shit.”
“It’s not over.” I dropped my hand and put the barrel of the gun against Thaddeus’ head. “Not until this motherfucker is dead.”
One bullet between the eyes ended his life. He was too dangerous to leave alive. He had crawled from nothingness before, and he would spend his life rebuilding his army just so he could come for me again. I stood to my feet and clenched my arm, but I couldn’t focus on my wound. I had to find Aurora. I ran to the stairs and took them two at a time, grimacing as the pain swept through my body. I checked each room until I found one that was locked. She had to be on the other side of the door. I took a step back and hit it as hard as I could with my boot.
“Aurora, are you in here?” I pushed against the wood and stepped into the room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Aurora
I didn’t know what happened once the gunfire started. I started walking towards the window to look outside, but a bullet shattered the glass, so I scurried to the corner and curled up in a ball. It sounded like a war. For a brief moment, I thought perhaps Cole had come for me, but when I heard the sound of violence and carnage, I was certain it wasn’t him—until the door to my room was splintered off the hinges. Cole looked like a beast that had been through hell when he pushed through the broken wood, but the rage in his eyes softened when he saw me. I jumped to my feet and ran to him. Tears streamed down my face as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Oh my god! You came for me!” I hugged Cole as tight as I could.
“I would have burned Las Vegas to the ground to get you back.” Cole put his arm around me.
“You’re hurt.” My eyes were drawn to the arm that was hanging at his side with a large chunk of tattooed flesh ripped apart.
“They can put me in a bed next to Ryker now that you’re safe.” Cole looked down at me and smiled.
“What? Ryker’s alive?” I felt joy—pure happiness.
“You think a knife would slow down that tough son of a bitch?” Cole chuckled and motioned towards the door. “Come on, let’s go see him and get me a few stitches.”
Cole filled me in on what transpired after I was taken by Thaddeus. Ryker was in bad shape, but he was alive. I was able to go see him while Cole was getting stitched up, but it wasn’t much of a reunion. He was on morphine to dull the pain and barely conscious. After I spent a few minutes with him, I found a phone and called my parents. I decided to simply tell them I missed my flight and lost my phone. That part was true. I just left out the gory details. I called my sister as soon as I was done talking to my parents and gave her the same spiel. I got a lecture about going to Vegas alone, similar to the one she gave me when I first decided to take the trip. By the time I was done talking to my family, Cole had been stitched up and was walking down the hallway towards me.
“Ryker’s probably going to be out all night, but I want to stay with him.” I looked towards his room.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Cole put his hand on my shoulder. “Hopefully they have a comfortable chair to sleep in.”
“I need to call the Bellagio and make sure they didn’t throw my stuff out. I was supposed to check out this morning.” I swallowed hard and sighed. “Did you happen to get my purse after Thaddeus took me? All my credit cards and stuff were in there.”
“Yeah.” Cole nodded quickly. “It’s in my truck at the bar.”
“So, that jacket you were wearing—that’s a permanent thing? You joined the Vegas Scourge MC?” I tilted my head to the side.
“I had to.” Cole took my hand and we walked towards Ryker’s room. “But don’t tell Ryker—not yet. He’ll be pissed.”
“I’m sorry you had to do that to save me. I should have just went to my room like you asked.” I sat down next to Ryker and sighed.
“Don’t worry about it.” Cole shook his head back and forth. “Regardless of how it happened, some good came out of this. Thaddeus is dead, so he won’t be taking control of Las Vegas.”
“He said Vegas has to have a king. Does that mean someone else will try to step up and do what he was trying to do?” I reached out and took Ryker’s hand.
“Probably.” Cole shrugged and sighed. “Or maybe they’ll be a little hesitant when they hear what happened to Thaddeus. It’s a heavy crown when the last one to wear it is in prison and the one that tried to take it ended up with a bullet in his head.”
“This city is a lot more screwed up than I realized.” I shook my head and squeezed Ryker’s hand. “But regardless of what happens—it’ll always have the two of you.”
And as long as it has the two of you, it’s exactly where I want to be.
I called my parents the next day and told them that the Bellagio had decided to comp me a couple of extra days. It was an outright lie instead of a half-truth, but it was the only thing I could think of to buy myself a little time. The real news wouldn’t be easy for them to hear, but they were going to have to hear it soon.
I stayed at the hospital with Ryker until he woke up the next day. After a joyous reunion, I took my stuff to Cole’s apartment and started looking for a job. I wasn’t going to leave Las Vegas. The city was going to become my home. I had something truly special with Ryker and Cole. They fought for me. Cole killed Thaddeus to get me back after I was taken. That was more love than I had ever felt from anyone before, and I was going to sacrifice everything to keep the three of us together. They had, so it was my turn.
One month later
“Tourists fucking suck.” I walked into our apartment and sat down across from Ryker. “Some drunk asshole at the Bellagio asked me to recommend the best street corner for picking up prostitutes today!”
“Did you tell him he can just walk into a brothel and skip the hepatitis?” Cole walked into the room and chuckled as he sat down.
“You would think that if someone is coming to Vegas to get laid, they would know prostitution is legal!” I shook my head back and forth.
“Yeah.” Ryker nodded. “Hard to believe you were one of those naive tourists just a month ago, huh?”
“I did my research.” I folded my arms across my chest. “I wasn’t a typical tourist.”
“And you didn’t have to pay for sex—you just got swept off your feet by two former Marines.” A grin spread across Cole’s face.
“Speaking of feet.” I lifted up and stretched out my leg. “Which one of you is going to give a foot massage? I’ve been on them all day.”
“If you want a massage, cash in one of your chips. You cleaned our clock last night.” Ryker shook his head back and forth.
I got a job working at the Bellagio, which I learned was hiring when I returned to claim my stuff. The three of us combined our resources and got a decent apartment together. I was the only one with a steady income. Ryker still spent his days at the Bellagio, playing cards for money, which was fine with me since I got to stare at him all day from the front desk. Ryker didn’t take Cole’s membership to the Vegas Scourge MC very well, but it was a part of our lives. The sacrifice had to be made in order to rid Sin City of Thaddeus. Cole promised to stay safe, but I still worried when he was away on club business. Ryker and I didn’t ask many questions about it. There were things we really didn’t want to know. The important thing was that the three of us were together, and if I had anything to say about it, it was a union that would last forever.
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Also by Kelli Callahan:
Reverse Harem
Five Masks of Sin
Small Town Seven
Seven Roses
Seven Beasts
Seven Soulmates
Seven is my Lucky #
Club Infinite Fantasy
Mountain Man
Mr. Mountain
Mountain Rough
Dominant Alpha Males
Nevada Bad Boys: 4 Book Series
Mr. B.F.D (Best Friend’s Dad)
Mr. Dom
Bad Virgin
Mr. Teacher
Mr. Twang
About the Author
Kelli writes billionaires, bad boys, and alpha protectors that are hot-as-sin and filthy to the core. If you want to stay up to date with all things Kelli, sign up to her mailings list here.
Vegas Bets: A MFM Romance (Nevada Bad Boys Book 5) Page 12