Chapter 1
“I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your absolutely gorgeous bride!” Reaper snickered as he clapped Prez on the shoulder and received a drop-dead side eye for his efforts.
Prez stepped closer to Kate and his hand lifted to caress her cheek gently, his eyes shining with love for the woman who had tamed him, loved him, given him a son and supported him in every decision he made for his club. She was his everything, and now she was his wife and he couldn’t be happier.
His mouth dropped to hers, their eyes drifting closed as she returned the gentle pressure before parting her lips and allowing his tongue to dip into the honeyed secrets of her mouth.
“Get a room!” someone yelled from the guest seating and Prez smiled against her lips, reluctantly pulling away from his bride to warm her with a dazzling smile.
“You look radiant,” he whispered against her cheek. “This is the happiest day of my life,” he added as his hand drifted up to the tiny swell of her belly and he caressed the place where his new baby was growing.
Her hand covered his and she gazed lovingly into his eyes, so hopelessly in love with this man that sometimes she wondered how she hadn’t simply overdosed on dopamine. He was her own personal drug, the man who had saved her life and then given it the meaning which had always been absent. She loved him with every fiber of her being and she laid her head to rest each night knowing he felt exactly the same way.
A wedding beside the river that meandered through his father’s valley property had always been Gabriel’s dream, and now it had come true. He cast a grateful glance at the wedding planners, Cheyenne and Daisy, who stood side-by-side in the first row of seating, grinning from ear to ear. Daisy bounced her son in her arms while Cheyenne rested her head on Dagger’s chest, his arm firmly around her shoulders. They were so in love, it was almost nauseating, but he wasn’t one to judge. Kate had had him whipped from day one.
Dagger had taken a little longer to bring Cheyenne under his spell, although truth be told, she fell for him before he reciprocated the feelings. Cheyenne would deny it to the death, but Dagger’s club brothers knew he would never lie about something like that. He was still planning the best way to murder her when she fell in love with him, catching him completely off guard. Being married to her late sister had meant she was a no fly zone, but love had other ideas, it seems. Now he was just as pussy-whipped as the Prez.
Reaper joined Daisy and took the baby from her arms and cheers erupted from all sides when the bride and groom stepped from the platform and strolled hand-in-hand down the aisle. The reception would take place in front of the house, in the gardens which the prospects had worked their asses off to landscape for the wedding, under the watchful eye of Vicky. Turns out the sweetheart bartender had many talents and a green thumb was one of them. The result was a stunning rose garden, fruit trees and a gorgeous wooden gazebo, which was adorned with Egyptian style draping and fairy lights for the occasion.
Two equally long wooden tables filled with flowers, and matching cross back chairs decorated with white lace tiebacks filled the paved area beneath the gazebo, ready for the guests. Soft rock music filtered through the speakers courtesy of Tex. He had kindly offered to DJ for the night, having no interest in partaking in the ridiculous celebration of marriage, an institution he had never believed in. His own parents had spent his entire young life stuck in a loveless marriage, having affairs left, right and center whilst ignoring each other most of the time. And him, as it turned out. Thankfully his father was a wealthy man and they substituted their affection with computer equipment, which kept Tex busy.
Over time, he became a master hacker, so good in fact that he had yet to be caught. He had hacked almost every un-hackable firewall just for shits and giggles, never causing any malicious damage. He just wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. Meeting Prez was purely by accident but it brought him to where he was, a patched in brother at the Kings of Mayhem Motorcycle club and one of the most sought after hackers in the United States. He may fall under Prez’s rule, but he was his own person and he answered to no-one. Aside from computers, he loved three things in life: Sex, weed and tattoos and he was unapologetic about it.
As the guests slowly made their way across the valley toward the house, Elijah fell into step beside his brother and clapped Prez on the back before flashing a smile at Kate. They had always been close, ever since Kate took shelter with Elijah while Gabriel plotted to bring down her crime lord husband. But she only ever had eyes for Gabriel.
“Congrats, Brother. I’m so happy for you both,” he said sincerely, thrilled that his brother had finally found the happiness he deserved.
Vicky met them at the entrance to the garden, dressed in a pretty pink, lace dress which fell to mid-calf and hugged her curves perfectly. Her dark blond hair was pulled up in a pretty style and she wore a pink rose tucked into her curls. When she saw Elijah with the bridal couple, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dropped to her feet. She had always harbored a secret crush for the Prez’s brother. He was a real looker, much like Prez, only without the bad boy biker style. He was as normal as they come, but he was also a cop and that was the reason why Vicky could never reveal how she felt about him.
Behind the crowd, Dagger took Cheyenne’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss across her knuckles.
“How is your mom doing?” he asked, genuinely concerned.
After everything Tracy Everley had risked to help bring down her husband, who had managed to get them all marked for death, he had reined in his contempt for her somewhat. She had suffered a terrible head injury that almost ended her life but after three months in a coma, she had finally woken up. That was eight weeks ago and she was still struggling through the healing process, though improving daily. Cheyenne was working on mending their strained relationship while her father, Ranger, Tracy’s ex-husband, had taken a hiatus from the club and disappeared on his bike the moment he knew Tracy was going to be okay. He only kept in touch with Cheyenne and she kept his whereabout close to her chest. Even Dagger didn’t know where he was.
“She’s doing well. The carer you hired is really helping,” she told him, offering his hand a squeeze. “That was so kind of you, Chase,” she said sweetly as she looped her free hand through his elbow and squeezed his arm against her ribs.
“I’m glad it’s working out,” he said honestly.
As they walked, he glanced around him curiously and Cheyenne watched him for a moment, wondering what he was looking for.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, concerned.
Dagger shrugged his shoulders and focused back on the black haired beauty at his side. “I haven’t seen Wrath around. He promised to be here, and with a plus-one too. We’re all beyond curious. Maybe he’s finally going to reveal the woman who has kept him religiously abstinent around the club whores."
“That’s exciting,” Cheyenne chirped, having often wondered who might have tamed the beast that was Wrath.
They took their seats at the club leaders' table with the bride and groom while the prospects and lower ranking members filled the other. Dagger glanced at the empty seats beside him and wondered if Wrath had changed his mind about revealing his secret lover. He was notoriously secretive about his life and Dagger never felt the need to interrogate him for information. He wasn’t exactly one to share himself, at least not until Cheyenne had burst back into his life.
As if by some divine intervention, his attention was drawn to three people making their way up from the driveway to the garden and Dagger arched one eyebrow when he noticed Wrath approaching the table, his hand firmly grasping that of a pretty brunette half his size and flanked by another man, tall with an athletic frame and a handsome face. His dark hair was tousled by the wind and his green eyes were nervous though also curious. All talking ceased as they neared the main table and Dagger’s eyes snapped to Prez, then Reaper, seeking clarification as to who these people were with Wrath. Their expressions were as blank as his and even Grease, who always delivered the perfect line, was speechless as he waited for introductions.
“Prez,” Wrath started, looking somewhat out of place in a dress shirt and smart pants, something he almost never wore. His dark blond hair had grown out some and was neatly combed and his beard was trimmed and waxed. “Sorry I’m late, Bro,” he added and Prez simply nodded his head, his eyes narrowed on Wrath’s guests.
“At least you made it,” Prez then said appreciatively and Wrath offered him an uneasy smile, which he then extended to Dagger, who was still watching him curiously.
“Are you going to introduce us to your guests?” Dagger eventually asked, dying of curiosity.
Wrath hesitated before pulling the brunette closer to him and placing his huge arm around her shoulders.
“Um, this is Nadia, my girlfriend,” he said, his eyes shifting uneasily between his brothers before he turned to look at the man on the other side of him. “And this is her husband, Caleb,” he added softly and the two men locked eyes for a moment. Caleb offered him what could only be described as a loving smile.
The silence was so thick, it could have been sliced with a knife as looks were exchanged between all the club brothers and their wives, girlfriends and dates, before Grease finally coughed behind his hand and his eyebrows took up residence on his hairline.
“Dude!” he exclaimed. “What the fuck?”
