by A. J. Macey
“It’s over,” I noted unhelpfully, somewhat surprised it was finally done.
“You’re officially free, baby. How’s it feel?” Theo’s arm curled over my shoulders, pulling me flush against him in a warm embrace.
“Unbelievable, to be honest,” I murmured, resting my head on his shoulder as we exited. None of us paid any mind to the press, too focused that we had somewhere more important to be that evening that required punctuality.
“Not surprising, but we can celebrate now!” Hunter exclaimed happily from behind Theo and me.
“After Liam and Harper’s wedding,” Sam reminded, the statement only adding to the excitement that buzzed between the five of us. In a few hours, the youngest of the King’s brothers would walk down the aisle. My father and the utter bullshit I’d dealt with my entire life was finally forgotten.
Two hours later, I eyed myself in the mirror as I put on the last touch of my outfit. The sparkly dangling earrings glimmered in the soft light of the master bathroom in Theo’s home. My gown was floor-length, a soft, slinky material in rich emerald green. I smirked as I twisted and turned, taking in my reflection.
Oh yes, Theo is going to love this.
“Mila! Almost ready, baby?” he hollered from downstairs, his loud words echoing in the lavish house.
“Coming!” I snorted when I thought I heard him say, ‘not yet, you’re not.’ Grabbing my clutch from the freshly made bed, I made my way out of the master suite and down the stairs. As I turned the corner to step into the open kitchen and living space, I felt Theo’s intense gaze sweep over me. Desire sparked within the deep depths of his eyes, and his jaw dropped.
“Mm, speechless,” I teased softly, strutting over. I didn’t hide the fact I preen under his heated attention.
“Think we can manage a quickie before leaving?” he bit out, his tanned cheeks tinting a soft pink as he pried his eyes away from my body.
Smiling, I shook my head. “Unfortunately, no. We’d be late, and our attire would be messed up.”
“Pity,” he muttered with a sigh. “It’s going to be a long day, seeing you in this gorgeous gown.”
“I agree,” I echoed, stepping up to run my palms over the soft lapel of his tuxedo jacket. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my hands off you in this sexy tux. You should wear dress clothes more often.”
“Where?” He laughed, the sound rich and husky as he wrapped me in a soft embrace.
“Dates and shit, of course,” I said as if it was obvious.
“We wouldn’t actually make it out of the house if that was the case.”
“We can make that work.” Popping up on my toes, I kissed him.
“You have a deal, but unfortunately, we need to head out. I’d like to keep my cock and balls attached to my body, and if we’re late, Harper and Liam will be out for blood.”
Stepping apart, we headed to the wedding hand in hand, my engagement ring sparkling in the overhead sun.
Theo
“How’s it feel?” I asked Liam, glancing at him. Sam, Hunter, he, and I were leaning against one of the bars scattered on the outskirts of the reception space. It was an extravagant affair. My father was traipsing through the crowd, personally greeting and thanking everyone. I held back my chuckle, knowing how much Harper was enjoying the slight reprieve from their guests’ attention.
“Pretty damn good,” he told me with a small smile, his eyes never leaving his new wife.
I followed his gaze, my own lips turning up into a grin when I saw Harper, Hunter’s girlfriend, Chloe, and Mila talking and laughing. It was a wondrous sight that filled my chest with a warmth I’d slowly grown accustomed to over the months since that fateful day Mila and I got stuck in the elevator together. At first, I’d been worried how Mila would hit it off with my brother’s girls, with her being a mob boss’s daughter, but they’d been thick as thieves as soon as they met. At times, it was exhausting. The three of them were forces to be reckoned with, but it was worth it to see how happy they and my brothers were.
“You excited about your own wedding?” Liam asked me, his gaze finally shifting away from the gaggle of women.
Smirking, I nodded. “Yes, though we’re not the focus of today, that’s you, Mr. Husband.”
Liam just gave me a dismissive wave with a ‘psh,’ his eyes looking around me to Hunter.
“What about you? Proposing soon?”
Our middle brother was quiet for a long moment, Sam’s brow cocking at the pause as we waited for his answer.
“Yeah, I think I am,” he finally muttered. Out of the three of us, Hunter was the most secretive with his relationship, though that may have been because of how rocky their relationship had started compared to the rest of us.
“I think the three of you found some mighty fine women,” Sam spoke, his tone full of emotion and caring. “You deserve it.”
We beamed at my father’s right-hand man, but I couldn’t hold my tongue or laughter any longer.
“And you deserve it to be easier. If anything else went wrong, that last bit of blond hair you have would be completely grey,” I teased.
“That I would, Theo, that I would,” Sam agreed with a smile. “But I wouldn’t change any of what happened the last year. It ended perfectly,” he said quietly.
I couldn’t help but agree.
It was perfect.
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Rival
Book 1 of The Aces Trilogy
Want to know what a girl’s best friend is? Revenge.
Hey b*tches, my name’s Kiera. You might know me as The Cat, famous cat burglar/thief.
No? Well, let me give you a little insight into my life as of late.
I was going about, minding my own damn business when the mob boss who runs most of the Reno underground sent an assassin after me. Crazy, yeah? Anyway, six months later the previously mentioned assassin is now my partner in crime when we get a job from the local motorcycle club, The Aces. All good and dandy, right? Wrong. They’re 1%ers, all three officers unbelievably attractive. Oh, yeah, the Vice President of the MC? That’s my asshole step-brother and let’s not even get started on the club’s suspicious Enforcer or the President who’s dripping in sexual swagger.
With four sexy as f*ck men at my back, can I get the job done or will our explosive personalities cause us to be at each other’s throats? Oh, damn! Almost forgot in the thought of all the ruggedly attractive men, muscles, and tattoos that the rival MC, The Alloy Kings are moving in and seem intent to take me down with the Aces. F*cking bastards.
But I’m not the thief who became famous at 15 years old and survived the mob’s hell in my past just to lay down and take that, they won’t know what hit them.
I’m The Cat, and soon enough, they’ll learn that I’ve got claws.
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Chapter 1
April 19th
Friday Morning
Kiera
“Fuck!” With quick movements, I rolled out of bed and stepped into the god-awful jeans I’d picked for my cover. My hair was swiftly thrown into what my best bitch coined as my ‘rat’s nest’ bun. I was running late. Again. After pulling a black turtleneck over my head, I swigged some mouthwash while I situated the itchy fabric around my neck.
I would have been out the door in less than five minutes if the damn door hadn’t been so slow to open. Need to get that fixed. I made a mental note about the door in the fourth bay of the garage as I hopped into the used piece of junk I utilized as my job car. Shooting a text to Abby, I let her know I was on my way. With the windows rolled down, the quickly warming weather of the Nevada desert brushe
d against my face as I made my way to downtown Reno. The coffee shop’s parking lot was partially filled with others who needed their fix before going on with the monotony of their daily life. I spotted Abby’s dusty truck off to the side of the large lot. Hustling, I ordered a black coffee and went out to the side patio where my best bitch was seated.
“Hey,” I greeted breathlessly, flopping ungracefully into the warm metal chair. I angled the chair slightly so I could keep an eye on Abby as well as discreetly watch the whole reason for being here, Harbold Law Office. The building was a tan, smooth stone with a grey shingled roof. The large windows and front door glimmered in the quickly rising sun. The tint of the glass was nearly black, hiding everything that happened within the building.
“You’re late,” she chastised, her rough voice low to not catch the attention of those around us. Her blue eyes situated on my face and a dark brown brow lifted in her usual judgmental facial expression. If I didn’t give a shit about her, I’d have smacked that look off her face long ago. “Honestly, I don’t know how you’re able to do your jobs with your shitty time management skills.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I shrugged and took a small sip of my drink pushing past the bitter taste.
“You do know they make coffee that actually tastes good, right? You don’t have to power through straight black.” Abby nodded her head toward the cup in my hand, her own cup marked with different symbols signifying she had some girly frou-frou drink.
“I wouldn’t drink it if I didn’t have to,” I muttered, taking another sip. “Besides, I can’t handle all that shit you have loaded up in there. Is it even still coffee or is it just a giant cup of sugar?”
“Oh, shut up, bitch. If you weren’t so damn stubborn...” she mumbled the rest of her statement incoherently into her coffee cup.
I chuckled, my gaze following the large man who had just stepped out of his fire red Lamborghini. He even had the balls to park perpendicular to the lines on the asphalt taking up over three slots of his own parking lot.
“How the fuck does he even fit in that?” I whispered to Abby, who choked on some of her sugar concoction when she tried to laugh at me. “I mean seriously, look at him. He’s bigger than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.” Cory Harbold’s custom Italian suit strained against his large belly, the man’s meat mitts clutching his briefcase close to his side. Waddling across the pavement of his firm’s parking lot, he finally reached the front door that had been unlocked ten minutes earlier by his front desk secretary.
“How much longer until your job’s done?” Her rough voice finally evened out after the bout of coughing.
“Tomorrow night.” I leaned forward on my forearms. “There’s some snazzy party over at the Solace.” My voice wavered at the mere mention of that wretched casino and resort, and I ground my teeth to keep my mouth shut while I centered myself. “How’s Nate?” When in doubt, reroute the conversation.
“He’s good, they’re coming back from their ride this morning. Going to meet him at the compound.” Her face changed into a dreamy expression at the thought of her husband.
Gross. I contained the grimace that tried to break through, but barely. A ding from my phone saved me from having to continue talking about the fiasco that was the concept of marriage.
Dipshit: Got it.
I tucked my phone back into my pocket, focusing on leisurely drinking the last of my coffee. I made sure to give it five minutes before I would head out with Abby.
“Ready to go?” My tone remained at a normal volume, my husky voice abnormally cheerful. Nothing to see here folks, just two normal friends getting coffee like normal people. She nodded and rose from her seat. In the twenty minutes we were at the shop, the parking lot had mostly emptied. “You still need to hit up the store?” I asked as I climbed into Rocky, Abby’s red Chevy Colorado truck.
“Yeah, just need to pick up a few things for the guys.” She started the vehicle and we made our way to the grocery store near the edge of town.
Neutral colored businesses slowly transitioned into the residential neighborhoods and homes. The store’s exterior matched the continual pattern of greys, beiges, and tans that littered the rest of the streets. We walked the empty aisles grabbing items for Abby’s signature pasta dish before checking out. It was an oddly normal trip compared to what I was used to when I went out.
The grocery store parking lot was nearly barren in the mid-morning sun. The weather had transitioned from warm to hot, making the stupid outfit I was wearing even more uncomfortable. A tug at the neck of my sweater wasn’t nearly enough to cool me down, so I abandoned that idea and helped load the last of the groceries into the open space of the cab. Taking the cart, I walked over to the return stall.
I mean, I am an asshole, but I’m not that much of an asshole to leave the cart in the middle of the lot. My name being shouted by a distraught Abby caught my attention. Whipping my head around, I noticed three men attempting to shove Abby into an unlabeled van.
Oh, hell no.
Game on, fuckers!
Sprinting, I tackled Bastard #1, a muscular guy holding on to Abby’s boots. We made contact with the cement, the burning of the rough surface cutting through my shirt barely noticeable due to my pumping adrenaline. Abby had wiggled a thin arm free and had scratched up Bastard #2’s face, blood welling up at the large, red welts. Arms clamped around my chest holding my elbows to my sides as Bastard #3 lifted me off his buddy’s groaning, barely conscious body.
“We were only tasked with bringing the Aces’ bitch, but a two-for-one deal I’m sure will be appreciated.” Bastard #3’s voice was harsh and taunting as he lifted me further off the ground and toward the van. Kicking back, my geriatric-style tennis shoe made solid contact with his knee. As he screamed I was able to maneuver myself slightly from his ironclad grip, noting the patch on his vest.
Prospect. Alloy Kings Motorcycle Club.
Fucking 1%ers. I growled, kicking my heel back and up, hitting him squarely where the sun doesn’t shine. He lurched forward and released me so he could tend to his family jewels. He won’t be having kids for a while. I mentally applauded my efforts at the sound of his cries. I stumbled forward a bit but regained my composure right in time to see Bastard #1 get up and scurry like the bitch he was back into the van. Abby, who was fighting for all she was worth in Bastard #2’s arms, was being hauled over to the open van door. I threw myself at his back and latched on, distracting him enough to let go of Abby. She dropped and rolled out of his way like a pro and soon it was just me and Bastard #2. He attempted to grab me, but his large calloused hands missed as I jumped off. Several well-delivered punches later and Bastard #2 had retreated to their van with Bastard #3 hot on his heels, but before I could grab Abby and leave, Bastard #3 sucker punched me in the side of the head. Stars burst in front of my eyes as the van squealed its tires out of the parking lot.
“Kiera!” Abby’s voice was the last thing I heard before slipping to the ground.
Brooks
“What the fuck do you mean our shipment was taken?” I snapped. My Road Captain, Nate, stood before me, his face taut with irritation.
“Meaning exactly what I said, Boss.” Nate’s voice trembled harshly as he ground out the statement between clenched teeth. His anger radiating off him in waves as one of his hands curled and uncurled. “Our contact wasn’t at the drop, only this.” He held out the small piece of paper. Snatching it from him, I studied the crumpled page. A crown stared back at me.
“God fucking damn it!” I kicked out, putting a hole in the plaster of the office. “Fucking Alloy Kings. These fuckers are really starting to piss me off.” Before Nate could respond, his phone rang loudly.
“Not a good time, babe…” His bearded face paled significantly. “You almost here?” More silence rang out as he waited for an answer. “Good, we’ll meet you out front.”
“What?” I scoffed. I had more important shit to take care of than whatever his Old Lady needed. Like these fucki
ng bastards who think they can take our damned shipments out from under our nose.
“Abby and her friend were nearly kidnapped at the store this morning,” he filled me in as we headed toward the front of the main compound building. The bar was empty and clean as Cheryl wiped down the lacquered surface erasing the last bit of evidence of the guys’ party last night.
“And?” I knew there was more to it than what he had revealed. His lip twitched, his large beard shifting with the movement, before continuing.
“She’ll explain, they’re almost here.”
“They? We don’t need outsiders here.” Shooting a glare at Nate, I stepped outside into the hot spring weather, the desert dust glaringly bright in the overhead sun. I had to squint until my eyes adjusted from the stark change, the bar seemingly pitch black compared to the sunniness of Nevada’s outdoors.
“Kiera’s good, Boss. I’ve known her as long as I’ve known Abby.”
Swallowing my retort I focused on the familiar red truck as Abby pulled up. Her thin face was set in a scowl as she climbed out and headed toward us, her dark brown hair starting to fall out of her ponytail. There was a darkening bruise on her arms and a swatch of blood dried on her fingers.
“What happened?” Nate immediately questioned his wife who stormed around the front of the truck, her boots pounding loudly against the pavement.
