by L. Wilder
“Wow, oh my God, you really thought this whole thing out.”
“I did.” I slipped my arms around her, pulling her close. “I wanted it to be perfect for you.”
“We’re really getting married?”
“Yeah, babe. We’re really getting married.”
I lowered my mouth to hers, kissing her with all the love and passion I had for her. It was a kiss filled with the promise of what was to come. We were still kissing when I heard Rafe shout, “Are you two gonna stay out there putting on a show, or are you gonna get in here and get married?”
I pulled back, breaking our embrace as I looked down at Aubrey and asked, “You ready to do this?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Aubrey and I walked up the front steps, and after Rafe and Marlowe gave us their congratulations, we all headed inside the chapel. Rafe and I waited in the congregational hall while Marlowe helped Aubrey get changed. I was feeling a little eager to get the ball rolling when Rafe looked over to me and asked, “You sure about this, brother?”
“Never been more sure about anything.”
“I gotta say, I had my doubts in the beginning, especially with all the secrets and shit, but I like Aubrey. I think she’s good for you.”
“I think she’s good for me too.”
“You think the whole Rossi thing is behind ya?”
“Yeah, I think he’s done looking for Aubrey, but I’m not sure how the whole trial thing is gonna play out.”
Before I could say anything more, Marlowe popped her head into the room and asked, “You two ready?”
I nodded, then waited for Aubrey to step into view. Just as I knew she would, Aubrey looked absolutely breathtaking in her short white wedding dress. It had a plunging neckline with delicate lace sleeves, and the satin fabric clung to her curves in all the right ways. The way it showed off her long, lean legs looked like it was made just for her. I loved the way her long white-blonde hair was pulled back. It let me see those gorgeous baby blues as they locked on mine. She started down the aisle, and I found it hard to believe that the woman of my dreams was about to be mine. When she finally made her way over to me, she smiled and did a quick twirl. “What do you think?”
“Stunning. You’re absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you.”
When she eased up on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss, Rafe fussed, “Hey, none of that shit until you say ‘I do.’”
“Shut it, brother.”
I leaned down and kissed her long and hard, and I didn’t stop until the minister appeared before us. I forced myself to take a step back and gave the man my not-so-sincere apology for getting ahead of myself. Then, with Rafe standing as my best man and Marlowe as Aubrey’s maid of honor, we exchanged our vows, and Aubrey and I became man and wife. It was a simple ceremony, just the five of us in that small chapel on the hill, but it was something neither of us would soon forget.
When it was over, Aubrey and I headed out to my Harley. In true Aubrey fashion, she didn’t skip a beat as she hiked up her already short dress and got on behind me. Once she had on her helmet, we followed Rafe and Marlowe out of the parking lot and started towards the clubhouse. We hadn’t gotten far when I reached back and placed my hand on Aubrey’s thigh. As I ran my hand across her bare skin, I was tempted to bypass the clubhouse and carry her home so I could begin the process of consummating our wedding vows. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. All the brothers and their ol’ ladies were there waiting on us to celebrate our big day, so I had to put those thoughts on the back burner—at least for a little while.
When we finally pulled through the gate, they all greeted us and tossed rice into the air as we got off my bike and raced inside. It meant a lot to me that they’d gone to so much trouble to show us both how happy they were for us. There was food and an enormous wedding cake with all the extras one would expect at a wedding reception. Aubrey was practically beaming as she said, “I can’t believe you did all this without me knowing.”
“Like I said,” I glanced over at Marlowe and smiled, “I had a little help.”
“Well, this is incredible.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I gave her a kiss, then a quick slap on the ass. “Now, let’s get this party started.”
I went over and grabbed us a couple of drinks, and we spent the next couple of hours celebrating. After Aubrey and I cut the cake, Viper came over and gave me a huge hug. From the start, Viper had been more of a father to me than Dad ever was, so it meant a great deal to me when he said, “Congratulations, brother.”
“Thanks, Prez.” I chuckled as I said, “I’m sure you’re thinking I moved pretty fast with all this?”
“No, son. I knew the minute you walked in and asked for our help with Aubrey that she’d gotten to you. Just took you some time to catch up to the fact.” He gave me one of his brotherly pats on the shoulder then said, “I gotta say, the girl was smart. She claimed a good one.”
It was usually the brothers who claimed their women, but Viper was right. Aubrey had claimed my heart long before I even realized it had happened. I gave him a nod as I turned and looked around the room. It was a hell of a party. Not because of the booze or the food, but because we were celebrating with the people we cared about most. My brothers and their ol’ ladies were our family. They were always there to have my back, and I had theirs. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing better than that. While both Aubrey and I were having a great time, I was ready to take our celebration home, so I went over to her and asked, “You ready to call it a night?”
“That depends on what you have planned for when we get home.”
“I think you know exactly what I have planned.”
“Then, yes.” A mischievous smile crossed her face. “I’m definitely ready to call it a night.”
“What?” Marlowe fussed. “Y’all are leaving so soon?”
“You’re gonna have to continue on without us.” I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for everything, Marlowe. I owe you one.”
“Glad I could help.” Marlowe gave Aubrey a wink as she said, “You two have fun!”
“Oh, we will.”
When we pulled up to the house, Aubrey got off my Harley and started up to the front door. Before she headed inside, I shouted, “Hey, hold up!”
“What?”
“There are traditions to be upheld here.”
I leaned down and lifted her into my arms, then opened the door and carried her inside the house. I kicked the door closed and continued carrying her as I headed up the stairs and to our bedroom. When I lowered her to the floor, she smiled and said, “Aren’t you the romantic?”
“I do what I can.”
I slipped my arms behind her and slowly unzipped her dress, then slowly eased the straps down her delicate shoulders. As soon as it hit the floor, I lowered her onto the bed and knelt down in front of her. I pulled her to the edge, and her eyes locked on mine as my rough hands traced along her legs, gliding tenderly over her calves to her knees until I reached between her thighs. My thumb brushed back and forth across her clit, tormenting her through the thin layer of her white satin panties. She lifted her hips, pushing against my hand to increase the pressure of my touch.
“Easy, angel. I’ll give you what you need,” I assured her.
With one quick tug, I tore the delicate fabric from her waist, then lowered my mouth between her legs. She gasped when my tongue skimmed across her clit. I teased back and forth in a relaxed rhythm against her sensitive flesh. Her fingers dove into my hair, gripping me tightly as her breaths became ragged. She was already close to the edge, but I was just getting started. I planned on spending the entire night making my new wife come over and over again, and that’s exactly what I did.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Aubrey started looking for a job in marketing while I spent a little more time training Marlowe to take over
more of my duties at the club, which meant I was able to get home a little earlier. Without even trying, we’d slipped into the role of married life like it was made for us. There was just one hitch—Milo. While I was intent on getting a dog for added safety, our new Malamute puppy had made our busy lives even busier, especially when it came time to go to work.
I was putting on my boots when Aubrey slipped into the bedroom carrying Milo in her arms. He was only a couple of months old but was already enormous and looked like a big fluff of black and white. The poor guy could barely fit in her arms as she brought him over to the bed and sat down next to me. Milo’s big blue eyes were looking up at her like she hung the fucking moon as I said, “You know, he’s more than capable of getting around on his own.”
“I know, but I like holding him.” She leaned down and gave him several kisses on the tip his nose. “What are we going to do with him while we’re gone?”
“We’ll put him in the kennel like we always do.”
Aubrey clearly wasn’t keen about the idea. “But we’re both working tonight. Are you sure he’ll be okay that long?”
“He’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Besides, it’s something he’s gonna have to get used to.”
“But he’s just a baby.”
“He’s a dog. He’ll survive.”
“Fine,” she huffed. She gave him one last kiss on the top of his head, then carried him over to his cage. Once she’d secured the lock, she turned back to me and said, “But he’s sleeping with us tonight.”
“You really want to get a dog the size of a Malamute used to sleeping in the bed with ya?”
“You are such a big meanie.”
“Just tellin’ it like it is, babe.”
“Next, you’ll be telling me there’s no Santa Claus.”
“Well, now that you mention it.”
“Just stop, and let’s get to work before you dash all my hopes and dreams.”
When she stormed out of the room, I shouted, “Love ya, babe!”
“Love you too.”
When we got to the club, it was still pretty early. The girls were prepping for the night ahead, and Lynch was sitting at the bar talking with Hawk and Country. I’d just gone over and sat down when I got a message from Daughtry—a brother from the Ruthless Sinners’ California chapter. He’d been keeping me updated on Rossi’s case and had messaged to say that the jury was ready to present their verdict. Knowing it would be on the news, I motioned over to Marlowe. “You mind handing me the TV remote?”
“Sure thing.”
She grabbed it off the counter and gave it to me. I quickly started flipping through the different channels until I found what I was looking for. Sensing something was wrong, Lynch leaned over to me and asked, “What’s going on?”
“The jury’s in on Rossi’s trial.”
“What?” Aubrey gasped from behind me. “When?”
Having no clue what was going on, Marlowe’s brows furrowed as she asked, “Who’s Rossi?”
“No one.”
“No one? Then, why do you care about his trial?”
“Leave it, Marlowe,” I snapped before turning my attention to Aubrey. “I just got word that they’re about to announce the verdict.”
“But it’s only been a couple of days since they were sequestered.”
“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve come to a decision.”
I could see the fear in Aubrey’s eyes as she asked, “So, this is it?”
“Yeah, babe. This is it.”
The bar fell silent as we all turned our attention to the TV screen. Aubrey reached for my hand as we listened to the reporter say, “Lorenzo Rossi has been on trial for three counts of first-degree murder. A great deal of attention has been brought to this particular case because of the apparent suicide of the prosecution’s key witness, Parker Weston.”
Aubrey’s entire body tensed when an old photograph of her flashed across the screen. Those fears of being recognized had taken their hold on her but quickly faded when Marlowe didn’t say a word. In fact, she didn’t even flinch as the photograph disappeared from the screen. Relieved, Aubrey leaned into me as the reporter continued, “Her testimony from Mr. Rossi’s first trial was declared admissible, but it’s unclear if the testimony was enough to sway the jury to keep Mr. Rossi behind bars.”
I glanced over at Aubrey and seeing the turmoil in her eyes gutted me. I wanted to protect her from shit like this, but it was out of my control. All I could do was sit there and hold her hand as we listened to the reporter say, “We just received word that the verdict has been announced, and Lorenzo Rossi has been found innocent on all three counts of murder. He and his lawyer will make a statement shortly.”
I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as I mumbled, “I’ll be damned. The sonofabitch actually got off.”
Aubrey
I felt like my entire world was crashing down around me as I listened to the reporter announce that Lorenzo Rossi had been found innocent of all his crimes. I just couldn’t believe it. After everything he’d done, he was actually going to walk free while my poor parents and sister lay buried beneath the earth. It was so unfair. Lorenzo Rossi was a monster, and he got to live and continue on with his corrupt way of life. I’d tried so hard to make sure that didn’t happen, but I hadn’t tried hard enough. It was stupid to think that my previous testimony would’ve been enough to keep him behind bars, and because of that stupidity, my parents and sister’s murderer, not to mention the Brants, was sauntering across the television screen with a sinister smile on his stupid face.
Sensing how upset I was, Jared slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close as we watched Rossi’s lawyer speak to him before he made his statement. My stomach turned as I sat there staring at the smug look on Rossi’s face. I couldn’t imagine hating another human being like I hated him at that moment. He talked with his lawyer for a moment longer, then smiled as he started over to the podium where all the reporters were hovering around, waiting for Mr. Wonderful to make his precious statement.
Jared took my hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze as we watched Rossi lean into the microphone. He was just about to speak when chaos erupted. People started screaming and fleeing from the courthouse steps, and I had no idea why until I spotted Rossi’s body lying lifeless next to the podium. “Oh my God! Is he really dead?”
“Looks that way,” Country answered, sounding just as surprised as I was.
“But how? Who?”
I immediately turned to Jared only to find him exchanging an odd expression with Lynch. I stood there studying them for moment, and something about the way they were looking at one another made me ask, “Did you know this was going to happen? Did you have something to do with this?”
When he didn’t answer, I pushed, “Jared.”
“I don’t know what to tell ya. The man had a lot of enemies.” He glanced back over at Lynch as he said, “Looks like he finally got what was coming to him.”
“That’s it? That’s all you have to say about this?”
“That’s all there is to say, babe.” He gave my hand a squeeze. “It’s over. It’s finally over.”
I turned my attention back to the news and watched as police swarmed the courthouse steps. Like me, none of them seemed to have any idea who had shot Lorenzo Rossi, and something told me we never would. When they finally went to commercial, Country motioned his hand over to Marlowe and said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think a round of drinks is in order.”
“What do you say?” Marlowe asked Menace. “You up for a round?”
“Make it two.” The tension in Jared’s face faded as he said, “Country’s right. We have some celebrating to do.”
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve never dreamed of celebrating someone being killed in cold blood, but these weren’t normal circumstances. Lorenzo Rossi was a heartless killer who’d taken my family from me, so I didn’t hesitate taking that shot of tequila
and tossing it back. Country gave me a wink as he said, “That a girl! Get ya another. You deserve it.”
I took the second shot, and everyone at the bar followed suit. Marlowe poured another round, and we were all just starting to feel the effects of the alcohol when Viper stormed into Stilettos, and if his expression was any indication, the man was not happy. He stormed over to the bar and glared at Jared and Lynch. “Something you boys need to tell me?”
When neither of them spoke, Viper motioned his head down the hall. “Office. Now!”
Lynch and Jared stood, then followed him down the hall to Menace’s office. When the door slammed, I turned to Marlowe and asked, “Is it just me, or is he pissed?”
“Oh, he’s definitely pissed.”
“You think it has something to do with the shooting?”
“Got no idea.”
When Marlowe looked over to Country, he held up his hands and said, “Don’t know. Don’t wanna know.”
“You’re no help.”
“That’s Country for ya.” Marlowe teased.
“Hey,” he said with a huff. “I’ve got feelings over here.”
Marlowe was about to respond but clamped her mouth closed when she spotted Viper storming out of the office. He didn’t say a word as he walked past us and out the front door. When I looked back over to Marlowe, she just shook her head and shrugged. Moments later, Lynch came out of the office and back over to the bar. He didn’t say a word, and I got the feeling he wanted to keep it that way. I was tempted to go back to the office and check on Menace, but knowing he’d never discuss club business with me, I figured it was best to leave it alone—at least for the time being.
After exchanging an awkward look with Marlowe, I went back to the locker room, and as I put on my uniform, I thought back to what all had taken place. It was bittersweet. While there were still many unanswered questions, his death closed the chapter on that part of my life. I could finally put it all behind me. As I looked in the mirror, I wondered how long it would be before I’d be able to close that chapter on my job here at Stilettos. I’d applied for several jobs and had finally gotten a bite from a place in town. I was hopeful that I’d get it and could finally put my marketing degree to use.
