DEAN (Noir MC Book 3)

by Celia Crown

The designer smiles understandingly, pressing down on the ribbon to clear of any unwelcomed debris. “All love is complicated, it’s just the matter of the strength to fight for your love and the trust between lovers to walk into a future of surprises.”

  She swallows, chills pricking her skin under the thick coat.

  “You seem to know a lot about love.”

  “Speaking from personal experience.” Henry pats his creation adoringly, eyes curving into a warm gaze down at the beautiful pieces.

  “My husband and I wanted different things; I love him, no doubt, but I wasn’t ready and with bad communication, we lost each other.”

  A narration of a story that perfectly describes her lost love, and she wonders if he’s really good at reading people or he’s telling the truth. She’s inkling to the truth because the genuine affection in his eyes and warm voice shows her how his love for his husband transcends his business façade.

  “We weren’t ready for the first time, but we held onto our second chance because he’s my everything. Without him, I’d be lost.”

  Laura blinks, eyes clouding with moisture as Dean flashes in her head. No matter how much she tries, she can’t stop the flowing memories.

  “When we look back, we realize how much time we could’ve had together if we just talked. This was a lesson I treasured and learned from.” Henry presents the two boxes with his palms underneath the wedding dress box since it’s larger in size.

  “It’s not my place to say,” he begins, setting the weight on her own open palms. “And this is our first meeting, but I can tell that you’re hurting, and you want to have that happy ending.”

  Henry squeezes her hand beneath the box, a comforting gesture that has her muscles shaking.

  “Talk to them, they deserve to know your reasons.”

  If Laura ever needs a therapist, she’d ask him to listen to her because he seems to know what he’s saying and the impact that’s coming down on her.

  “I don’t know what to say to him. He doesn’t remember me, and I can’t—I don’t—he deserves better,” she whispers the last part.

  Henry gives her two taps on the back of her fingers before pulling his hands back from beneath the boxes.

  “That’s for him to decide, sweetheart. Talk to him and who knows, maybe a miracle would happen.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dean

  She’s avoiding him.

  Leaving Nevada to pick up a wedding dress that’s custom made for Brenda, and it needed to be picked up in person was the shittiest excuse he’s heard. Other than the twin sisters’ excuse of pizza having all the proper nutrition as dinner. Vlad and Kane shot them down so quick that they sulked for hours, but the girls are addicted to his brothers so, they gave up the ‘silent treatment’ ten minutes later.

  Laura is still not back yet, and it’s been hours, given the distance covered between the two locations, he estimates it shouldn’t take more than six hours. He had to wring the location out of Mavis’ reluctant mouth.

  The dark-haired woman has a lot of guts to tell him no with a straight face; anyone who knows his reputation for spilling blood on his fists would also know that he doesn’t take no for an answer.

  Due to the fact that he likes Laura and that he would never intentionally hurt her, he bargained with the smaller girl. She tells him where Laura is, and he’ll tell her something about Vlad that she doesn’t know.

  She’s skeptical and that’s good, he gives her that. Mavis has a strong sense of protectiveness that rivals his when it comes to Laura, which is why she rejects his offer immediately without hesitation.

  Dean should’ve taken her love for Laura into his plan before going to one of the most guarded women in the group. His respect for her increases as she lists the things she can do to him; from poisoning him to chemical peeling on his skin, the defensiveness in her words pleases him. Her threats let him know that she’ll boil him alive with her industrial-sized water tank if he hurts Laura, which he will want her to do if he ever so much as to make her shed a tear.

  “Just tell me where she is.”

  “How’re you going to get there? Walk? Hitchhike? Steal a car?”

  She’s poking the dormant berserker, testing his boundaries and control over his irritation. Laura is so important to her that she’s willing to face the monster that everyone fears.

  There’s not a speck of fear or doubt in her blue eyes as Mavis challenge the depths of his scorching rage that’s subdued at the moment. Dean keeps his eyes on her, she’s frighteningly calm when it comes to addressing his past mistakes. Each jab is accompanied with a knife twist in his gut, bringing down his worthiness to be with Laura when he can’t even guarantee he’ll be here and not in prison or lying dead in a ditch somewhere.

  “Can you promise me that you won’t hurt Laura?” she asks, her tone cools to nonchalant.

  “You can’t even take care of yourself,” Mavis gestures to the old scars on his hands, “How can you take care of her?”

  The other sister slips into the conversation, “You’re being unreasonable, Mavis.”

  “Quiet, go back to your fragolina. Mr. Dean and I have much to talk about.” Mavis shoos with her hands.

  The blonde-haired girl rolls her eyes and clicks her tongue, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.

  “You can’t intimidate someone twice your size.” Honey quips, “Laura really likes him, let them be.”

  “It’s precisely the reason I’m doing this!” Mavis raises her voice softly, mindful to not let others eavesdrop in their conversation.

  Honey sighs, a little defeated from what Dean can see. “Metaphorically threatening him with a shotgun won’t scare him away, dad.”

  “Well, someone has to be the responsible one here.” Mavis huffs with bloated cheeks, turning her head away from the blonde-haired girl to narrow her clear blue eyes into a mean glare.

  The longer you spend time with someone, you pick up their habits. Mavis picked up on Vlad’s signature glare that’s meant to frighten the shit out the hardest criminals.

  Mavis doesn’t have full control of her face yet because she’s trying to glare, but her lips twist into a pout that ruins the whole intimidating aesthetic.

  “You can’t look responsible with tape in your hair,” Honey said, and unapologetically rips the adhesive out of her thick black hair with no remorse.

  “Ow!” the other girl whines in distress, catching the attention of the vigilant Vlad who’s at her side straightaway.

  Years ago, he would have made the two bantering girls stay in silence with a scowl. He hates noises and interruptions to his calm days, but people always seem to think they can handle taking him on, but they come out with broken bones and blacken skin.

  Now, he can’t find it in him to get exasperated at the girls for being themselves and bringing the best qualities out of his brothers.

  “Laura,” he reminds them, he needs to get to her before she decides to make an escape plan after the wedding. He’ll lose her forever if he doesn’t take this chance to do something, the feelings he has for her is stronger than he realizes throughout the two years of repetitive memories of the hospital scene and the assumption of her in his dreams.

  “No—”

  Vlad slaps his hand over Mavis’ mouth, muffling her words as she flashes discontentment at him. The president hardens his gaze and she shrivels in his arms like a submissive little kitten.

  “She’s not coming back.” Mavis wrestles her lips from Vlad’s palm and her words strike a chord in him and fear bursts from his chest.

  Sadness clouding her eyes quickly as she tilts her head down, biting her lips with a tremble in her voice.

  “Laura’s going to send the dress in through a courier. Seeing you again is too painful and it’s not worth the heartbreak later on.”

  His fingers curl into his palm, nails digging into his skin as the subtle pain etches in the back of his mind with the monster waking up from its slumber to create a cyclone
of chaos.

  “You should forget about her.”

  That sentence makes him see red; anger exploded into his expression as Vlad shields the young girl behind him. His shoulders tense with straining muscles that are ripping with the need to crush something with his shaking hands.

  Without a doubt in his mind that he had forgotten about Laura two years ago, but he’d rather die before he lets anything take what’s his away. His memories, Laura, and their love belong to him. Death will have to take them from his cold, dead fingers.

  It’s difficult to hear when the low humming in his ears take over, a snarl ripping out of his monster’s maw as it claws and tears the thin wall of his control. He knows better now, he’s a changed man. He can control himself a lot more than he can years ago, he’s learned to mellow out with the thoughts of his mysterious dream woman.

  Laura fills in the woman’s black misty appearance with her soft and delicate features. It’s clear to him that Laura is his and having her in his arms is the only way for the berserker to settle down in a purring mess.

  There’re many things he wants to do; find his past self again, retrieve Laura from her futile attempt to get away from him, and let her see the fury simmering beneath his dark eyes to prove that he’s serious about her.

  He lays his determined gaze on Mavis’ frightened face, she peeks from Vlad’s arm meekly.

  “I want Laura.”

  Honey hiccups in shock as Mavis squints in scrutiny at the confidence oozing from his form. Vlad and Kane doesn’t shy away from his resolve, they seem to approve of his ability to reel back the wild animal in him.

  “Mavis.” Vlad clears his throat, tipping his chin to Dean.

  She purses her lips, scanning his face for anything other than absolute determination.

  “I can’t stop you and it’s Laura’s choice at the end. You made her happy before, and I think you can do it again. I’m not against you, but a convicted felon and a lawyer will cause gossip.”

  Dean nods, he’s ready to take on the world if it means to have Laura in his arms. He’s wasted so much time being in denial for the past two years about a mysterious woman tearing him in different directions; his body wants to seek out her warmth and his mind clings onto the anger that comes with the inability to find answers.

  “I expect you to pave the road with annoying reporters. I’ll make sure you don’t do time.”

  Honey’s brows squish together with a snort, “Be classy. Throw a conspiracy out there and they’ll eat it up like vultures.”

  “Oh, really.” Mavis raises an eyebrow, “Like that one time you ate an entire sixteen inches pizza in front of a nutritionist who was berating you for your unhealthy influence on others.”

  “Apparently that’s how I stay young. I’m only twenty.” Honey shrugs casually.

  He has their approval to pursuit Laura, even if they deny the blessing he was searching for, he would have still looked for Laura and convince her to be with him. He’s always been good at taking what he wants, and he’s never wanted someone more than Laura in his life.

  “Just one question.” Mavis holds one little finger up, taking a look up at Vlad who nods his approval.

  “If Laura never came here, what would you have done?”

  Dean doesn’t know why his mouth answers before he can even think of a proper answer.

  Where the hell are these words coming from? It must be from the books he’s accumulated in his prison cell.

  “Brenda met Nate first, Honey and Kane come next, snowballing your chances of you meeting Vlad higher, and the wedding solidifies my odds of having Laura. Theoretically, the only way for Laura to not be here is for Brenda to never have met Nate.”

  “Oh.” Honey appraises his words with praising gleams in her blue eyes as she gives him complimentary nods.

  “An intellectual, I like it. He’s officially on the right track of winning me over.”

  Mavis rolls her eyes hard and groans loudly, “A horse can win you over with a neigh.”

  “At least animals like me.” Honey counters back with a toothy grin.

  Blonde hair falling on her back as Honey links her hands with Kane, “You have my full support.”

  “It’s a good thing I’m very proficient at sabotage.” Mavis challenges, cocking one dark brow to her sister who playfully inquires with her own eyebrow lift.

  “Yeah?” a silly smirk shows up quickly on Honey’s lips.

  Mavis’ enigmatic smile blends well with her secretive blue eyes, “I’ve already started my sabotage.”

  Vlad taps his knuckle on Mavis’ temple with a scowl which she returns with a sheepish laugh that makes the corner of his lips quirk in fondness.

  “So, future brother-in-law. What’s your plan?” Honey questions, twirling her fingers through her silky golden locks.

  His boots make turning his full body towards the door less messy as he stalks out the bar door without another word. His leather jacket protects his body from the chills as he jogs down the streets. The sun is not yet setting but it’s getting there so he sprints down the streets with his lungs shuddering to inhale the crisp air.

  Freshly shoveled snow crunches under his shoes with the grainy salts. Buildings and dark tree branches blur in his peripheral vision as he stops in front of the largest building in the town.

  The courthouse.

  He didn’t past any pedestrian when he was running to the building, but that’s better for him because nosy townspeople would probably call the cops on him for running.

  The beginning of the truth is in that building and he needs it.

  It’s a building he’s acquainted with, he had seen it on multiple occasions and is more familiar with the structure and paths than the people who work there.

  He walks up the stairs, into the large double doors, and straight pass the metal detector without a single distraction as the guard stationed at the machine blinks in surprise because he’s usually escorted in handcuff into the building and uses a special path to get him searched without taking the cuffs off a dangerous man.

  Dean could take the spineless guard easily.

  The man is all talk and no action when Dean was in handcuffs, escorted by a pair of officers from the sheriff department.

  Dean takes turns and long steps to get to his destination quicker. The door labeling Clerk’s Office is on the door and he pushes the door open with so much force that it catches everyone’s attention in the room.

  “I want my trial record.”

  If he’s picked up anything from his sorry of an excuse lawyer, it’s the right to see his trial records and transcripts as they are public records.

  This time, he’s going to Laura prepared.

  No matter what lame excuse she throws at him, he’ll counter everything he finds.

  For every reason she thinks they can’t be together, he can give her one.

  Chapter Eight

  Laura

  Something is wrong by the time she parks her car.

  Bars are usually full of life after the sun sets, it’s when people get off from work and drink their stress away.

  Often times, there’s fights and criminal activities happening in shady corners. Bouncers throwing unwelcomed customers out with their brute strength, intoxicated morons grinding and exchanging nasty saliva from one person to another.

  It’s why she likes her mother’s bar the best. It’s clean, quiet, and secure. It opens late and it’s a safe haven for those who just want to drink in peace even though its occupied by men who would put a disrespectful customer in their place with words, a crushing choke hold, and a firm beating if it gets there.

  Laura surveys the bar. It’s completely dark which tells her that everyone has gone home for the night. It’s a bar so one would assume that it’s open at least till early morning.

  Apparently, mom’s bar has different hours depending on the day.

  Tomorrow’s wedding day is a strong motivator to close early and get all the beauty sleep in before
a hectic day of preparation.

  Wedding gown adjustments, finishing touches of the cake, and any last touches before the big day.

  Her sisters had tried to convince mom that telling them a week in advance doesn’t allow much time to have a beautiful wedding. Mom is stubborn, she wants a little wedding with her close families and no fancy parties.

  Brenda thought they couldn’t give her a perfect wedding, but she was so wrong. Despite their mother’s protest, the three sisters went to work. The twins focus on the actual wedding itself while Laura file legal paper works for marriage.

  Mom regretfully apologized for the short notice, but she just wanted to get married to Nate as soon as possible and she didn’t want to waste any more time.

  Laura was offended that her mom thought a little paperwork was going to stop her. She’s a lawyer, filing papers is a breeze.

  A gust of wind gliding over legal red tapes and anal-retentive bureaucrats.

  Everything is going smoothly, which is why at nine o’clock at night and the man standing ominously under the dim streetlight scared her into accidentally honking her car.

  Her cheeks had been flushing with embarrassment for the last five minutes when she sees that it’s Dean standing there with a glare and defensiveness in his posture.

  She debates in her head and in her heated car if she should get out the vehicle, pretend she didn’t see him under the pretense that it was too dark for her to see.

  Too late now, he’s stalking up to her with a predatory gaze and clenched jaw. Laura stays in her car and swallows, eyeing the unlocked door handle before seeing him right at the window.

  He swings the door open, allowing the cold air to smack into her face and taking over the toasty compartment.

  “Is everything okay?” she asks.

  Her ass is not going to give up its right to the driver seat, it’s permanently fixtured on the cushion with warming technology.

  “Passenger seat now.”

  Her heart ignites into a quick tempo that has her losing her breath to his command. It’s been a while she’s heard his demanding voice, the baritone sends delightful chills down her toes.