“He’s perfect,” I said.
“Isn’t he?” He smiled and my heart grew even larger. Everything I needed was right there. Riggs and Pea.
This was where I was supposed to be.
This was the plan.
And such a sweet plan it was.
Thank you, God.
Thank you, Bones.
I nuzzled my baby, brought him as close as I could, careful of the incision on my chest, and kissed the top of his head as I looked back at Riggs.
“Thank you for telling me to take the detour, getting here, it was a wild ride but the best one,” I whispered.
He opened his mouth to say something but I shook my head silencing him.
“I know his name,” I said, diverting my eyes back to our baby for a moment, fitting his name to his face…a perfect match. I lifted my eyes back to Riggs.
“What do you think about Eric?”
He stared at me for a moment, realization settling across his features.
“That’s Bones’ real name,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
“I know, he told me the day I bumped into him at the hospital,” I said, looking back at my son. “Eric Robert Montgomery, after his uncle and his dad, the two men I hope he grows up to be just like.”
“Eric,” he whispered, kneeling down before me, reaching out to take Eric’s hand. “It’s perfect,” he agreed.
I smiled up at the nurse, tipping my chin toward the name on his incubator “Baby Boy Bianci.”
“Can we change that?”
“Absolutely,” she said.
“Kitten,” Riggs called, forcing me to turn and watch as he went from kneeling on both knees to one.
No.
Please.
Yes.
God, is this a dream.
“Count his toes,” he said, nodding toward the baby.
“What?”
He grinned, winking at me before he unraveled the blue blanket from the baby.
“Count his toes,” he repeated.
I looked at the nurse and noticed she wasn’t the only one staring, but all of the NICU nurses had gathered around and were watching us. I looked back at Riggs and saw my mother and brother standing behind the glass window witnessing this moment.
“Go ahead,” he urged.
I unwrapped the blanket from Eric’s feet, blinded by tears that I tried to blink away before setting my eyes on the ring that dangled from my son’s big toe.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, looking back to Riggs. “Is this what I think it is?”
“I’m going to make a hundred mistakes, but I promise I’ll fix them. I’ll always fix them. I know I’m not your plan, but I’ll make the detour worth it. We’ll make new plans, and you’ll dream…please keep dreaming. I want to make all your dreams come true, starting with a family. We already are a family but I want to make it official,” he insisted.
“You want to make an honest woman out of me?” I joked through my tears.
“I want to make you my woman,” he corrected. “Marry me, Kitten, be Mrs. Tiger.” I laughed, earning another smile, the kind that reached his eyes…my favorite one.
“I love you, Lauren Bianci, so goddamn much,” he added.
“I love you too,” I replied, watching as he gently lifted the ring from Eric’s toe, laughing when the baby curled his toe and held the ring hostage for a second. He slipped the ring onto my left hand before he looked back at me.
“Tell me it’s a yes.”
“Yes! Of course,” I exclaimed.
“I knew you’d say yes,” he grinned, pointing his thumbs toward himself. “How could you say no? This is all yours now.”
“I got news for you, Tiger. It was always mine and it would still be mine with or without the ring.” It was my turn to wink and grin back at him. “But the ring is a nice touch and the baby? Is the best bonus.”
“Good, glad you feel that way. I want more.” He said seriously, as he rose to his full height. “I’m thinking five or six.”
“Five or six kids?” I questioned. My eyes widening in disbelief—I’m pretty sure my uterus twitched violently at the thought.
“Yeah,” he tipped his head over his shoulder toward my mother. “Think she’ll move in and watch them when we need alone time? You know, when we feel like playing drop the pencil or just the tip?”
“You want my mother to move in?”
He waved at my mother and brother through the glass, giving them a thumbs up.
“Shit, Kitten, I’m joking. You Bianci’s are a shitload of fun to fuck with,” he said with a chuckle, turning back to me and kissing me softly. “Who would’ve thought I’d be marrying a Bianci?” He whispered against my mouth, pulling back to kiss Eric’s head.
“I bet Bones did,” I whispered.
“He’d be so fucking proud right now,” he said, as he looked down at our son. “Best thing I ever did was listen to him.”
Thank you, Bones.
The End.
Epilogue
The thing about finding your heart is knowing that you now have something valuable, something worth more than any dollar in a trust fund, and with that knowledge comes the urgent need to always protect your heart.
One month ago Sun Wu tried to take my heart from me.
Stupid fucker.
But tonight he’d be a dead fucker because tomorrow my family was coming home and before they step foot outside that hospital it’s my job to ensure their safety.
To settle the score once and for all.
For the first time since the shooting, I parked my bike in front of the Dog Pound and killed the engine before removing my helmet. I glanced over to the spot where both Bones and Lauren had been shot and the memories came rushing back. Her frightened eyes as she begged me to choose Pea, and Bones’ short breaths as he bled out beside her.
The memories gave me a burst of adrenaline, making me even more certain that tonight was the night I’d live up to the promise I made to Bones.
I shook my head, trying to shake the memories as I pulled opened the door and heard the boisterous sounds of my brothers as they prepared for war.
I missed that fucking sound.
“Get your dick out of your ass, boy, and suit up,” Wolf told Stryker, slapping him upside the head before dropping a bullet-proof vest on his lap.
“Well, look who it is,” Pipe shouted over their voices as his eyes met mine.
The room grew silent as they all turned around and looked at me as I walked further into the clubhouse, my eyes catching the cut that hung behind the bar in a frame.
I didn’t have to look at the patch to know it was Bones’—the blood still stained parts of the patches. I locked eyes with Jack, who stood behind the bar, lining up a row of shot glasses.
“Nice to see your pretty face,” Pipe said, breaking the tension that filled the room.
I tore my eyes away from Jack and looked back at the rest of my brothers.
“I know you bitches missed me,” I said, grinning.
“Pipe cries himself to sleep night after night. Keeps a photo of your naked ass under his pillow,” Wolf chimed in, walking over to me and patting me on the back. “Glad you’re back, kid. You ready to hunt, motherfucker?”
“That depends what’s on the menu,” I said, looking back at Jack.
“Peking-fucking-duck,” he growled.
“With a side of Wu,” Wolf added.
Jack walked out from behind the bar, stood in front of me as he crossed his arms and assessed me.
“Only going to ask you once—” he started.
“You don’t have to ask at all,” I interrupted. “Let’s do this.”
Jack remained quiet for a moment before he bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. He knew all about revenge, got his and now it was fucking time for me to get mine.
“One thing before we hit the road,” Jack said, turning back toward the bar.
We all followed and took the glasses he offered us before lifting them to his.
“To Bones,” Jack cheered.
“To Bones,” we all said in unison before shooting back the liquid fire.
Time to make it right.
We slammed our empty glasses down onto the wooden bar and started marching for the door like the devil’s soldiers that we are. Jack grabbed my arm and slapped a vest against my chest.
“Don’t be reckless,” he ordered. “Stick to the fucking plan, you hear me?”
Plans.
I wasn’t big on plans.
“Right,” I agreed. “Stick to the plan,” I said, bringing my fingers to my forehead and saluting my president.
We walked outside, mounted our bikes and the roar of our bikes was deafening throughout the lot. Jack peeled out first, followed by Wolf and then Pipe. Bones would’ve been next but his bike remained parked across the lot. I glanced over at it before gripping the throttle on my bike and tearing out of the lot taking his spot in our line-up. The nomads came up behind me and then the prospects were last to take to the rode as our pack rode against the wind on a mission to take back life lost from our club.
This will always be a part of my life but it wasn’t what gave me purpose anymore. I’ll always be a man who loves the road, his bike and the wrong side of the law. But, I ride second, and love first. I owned my place in the world.
I sped up, whipping around Pipe’s bike and made my way next to Jack.
“What are you doing?” He shouted against the engines of our bikes and the sounds of the city.
“Taking a detour,” I hollered back, turning right as they turned left and pushed my bike full speed ahead.
They had a plan.
They were going to raid the Red Dragons’ clubhouse on a night they planned a patch party. It was a very well executed plan and I had no doubt that my brothers would take out every motherfucking Dragon and whore that populated that party.
But I had a plan too.
And my shit was personal.
Wu killed my brother.
He put a bullet it my woman.
He forced my son to be born before his time.
It didn’t get more personal than that.
I pulled up to my destination, my boots chomping at the wooden planks as I made my way to the warehouse on the pier overlooking the Hudson River. The same pier Sun Wu used to transport his shit to Beijing. I came up to the door and greeted Michael Valente, Anthony’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. When I had first decided on how all this would go down, Anthony suggested Michael as the man for the job, the job being kidnapping Wu on his way home from the Red Dragons clubhouse.
“Thanks for doing this,” I said.
“It’s all good, man,” he replied, opening the door to the warehouse. “He’s all yours,” he said, as he moved aside and allowed me room to step inside. “I’ll be right here,” he added, before stepping back out into the night and closing the door behind him.
I turned around, flicked the lights on and spotted Sun Wu on the floor with his ankles tied together and his hands handcuffed behind his back. He was gagged with a....pink dildo?
Jesus Christ.
Then it occurred to me he wasn’t even gagging—this motherfucker must’ve sucked a lot of dick. The Red Dragons’ own personal club whore was none other than their president.
I laughed.
That would explain the sex toys.
And the fake dick he had in his mouth now.
Good job, Mikey.
I stepped closer to him, pinning him with my eyes as I pressed the steep tip of my boot between his legs.
“Hey motherfucker, remember me?”
I pressed harder as I crouched down and pulled the duct tape that kept the dildo lodged in his mouth.
“Does your wife know you can deep throat a cock like that? Or just your brothers?” I questioned, as I pulled the cock from his mouth and threw it to the side.
“Fuck you, Mr. Riggs. You’re a dead man,” he hissed.
“I wouldn’t be making threats, “Jackie Chan.” You, motherfucker, you’re in my fucking house now and I’m the one cracking the whip,” I ground out, digging the tip of my boot into his crotch just to hear him wail like a bitch.
I pulled out my phone from the back of my pants and started swiping my fingers across the screen until I pulled up exactly what I needed.
“You couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you? You got your money for the drugs, you shot up Pops warehouse and took our guns and still it wasn’t enough,” I reminded him, still toying with my phone.
“You killed my men! Money can’t replace lives, you know that now don’t you? You were particularly close to the Knight that died, weren’t you?”
He tried to taunt me but it wouldn’t work. I remained in control. I stuck to my plan and I did what I came here to do.
“How’s the surveillance on your house these days, Wu?”
“What the fuck do you care?”
“I don’t care,” I said, as I looked him in the eye. “But I feel it necessary to tell you it’s pretty shitty and your alarm system is bootleg. Maybe I should thank you for that, you made this so much easier,” I pointed out, as I sat down beside him.
“What are you talking about?”
“You see a funny thing happened when you and your club shot up the Dog Pound. Yes, you killed my best friend but only because you almost killed the mother of my child and my child. If Bones didn’t die, they would’ve. They almost did die. You have a daughter and a son, not to mention the “Yoko Ono” wanna be wife of yours.”
I felt his gaze wander to me but chose to ignore it as I brought the phone between us, so we both could see the screen when I pressed play.
“Imagine not knowing if they are going to live or die. Imagine knowing they may die and there isn’t a fucking thing you can do about it.”
I turned and met his eyes.
“Ever feel so helpless in your life?”
“Keep my family off your tongue,” he seethed.
“Or what? You’ll kill me or maybe you’ll have your club kill me?” I shook my head. “That’s not going to happen, Wu because right now my club is desecrating the Red Dragons, right now your brothers are dying and mine are the ones taking their lives.” I cocked my head as I studied him.
That’s right, my house, motherfucker.
My rules.
“How about a little entertainment? Get your mind off the bloodshed?” I nodded. “Sorry I forgot the popcorn,” I added, as I brought up the surveillance footage of his house. Anthony was dressed in black, with a ski mask covering his face and shielding his identity as he stared into the camera, reaching up and turning the lens toward the three people tied to chairs in the center of Wu’s living room.
His wife.
His daughter.
His son.
They were gagged and bound.
Helpless.
Just like Lauren and our son were.
I turned back to Wu as he shouted something in Chinese, turning to me with desperate eyes, or maybe they were vengeful. I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t give a fuck either.
“Let them go. Now! Please, don’t hurt them. They’re innocent,” he pleaded.
“You’re right, they are, just like mine were. So now here’s the part where you become me. Where you have to sit there and know there is nothing you can do to save them but there is one difference,” I stated, handing him the phone as I stood up. “I wondered for nearly three days if my family was going to live or die, you’ll wonder for eternity.”
Anthony stepped into the view of the camera and slowly pulled a gun from his back pocket just as I drew mine and aimed it at Sun Wu.
He screamed as he watched Anthony lift the gun and aim it at his wife just as I aimed mine at his chest.
Bang!
One shot to the heart.
That’s for Lauren and Eric.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots between the eyes.
That’s for Bones.
My phone dropped from his hand as Satan came and claimed his soul.
See ya motherfucker!
This shit was personal.
I glanced down at my phone and watched as Anthony cut the wires to the feed, killing the image on my screen.
It was all part of the plan.
I took the burner phone out of my cut and called 911. They would send the cops over to Wu’s house and cut his family loose and find the ransom note that we left behind, staging this whole thing to look like he pissed one of his trade partners off. Eventually, they’ll find his body in this empty warehouse where he conducted business overseas and the story will all match up.
Plans.
They don’t always go astray.
Some things are just meant to be.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“I’m calling to report a home invasion at two-thirty-six Cromwell Ave,” I said, before disconnecting the call and stepping outside to meet Mike.
“We all good?” He asked.
“Yeah, we’re good,” I confirmed.
Revenge was sweet.
--- Coming Soon ----
Lethal Temptations by Janine Infante Bosco
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Leather.
Lace.
Me.
Her.
A temptation so lethal neither of us may survive.
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Lethal Temptations Prologue
“I’m getting out of here,” Riggs said, throwing some money on the bar. I nodded, a delayed reaction to his departure, and lifted the shot glass to my lips, welcoming the smooth poison down my throat. Unsatisfied and insatiable I flicked the empty glass across the bar.
“Another, boss?” the bartender asked.
Reckless Temptations (The Tempted Series Book 4) Page 35
