Lady Luck - Ashby Crime Family

We ended a perfect day with rounds of champagne helping Maisie and her bridal consultant pick out her perfect wedding gown.

After Maisie picked her dream dress that made her look like a fucking princess, she turned to me and said, “So, Nessa, since we’re friends and you’re helping me plan my wedding, I have another favor to ask.”

I looked into her wide blue eyes and didn’t crack a smile. “Not a threesome, I hope?” Kat cracked herself up and fell back against the plush sofa, clutching her gut with laughter.

“A what?” Maisie’s, black brows dipped in a scowl. “Why would I…never mind. I don’t wanna know.”

“You really don’t,” I assured her.

“What’s the favor?” I said.

“I need another bridesmaid. I asked Bonnie, and she turned me down. My best friend, and she said no, can you fucking believe it?”

“I can,” Kat grumbled, looking angry as hell even as she shrugged off my shocked look.

“I’m so sorry she did that, Maisie.” I didn’t have many friends because Lance and I moved around so much, but I knew Maisie and Bonnie’d been friends since they were freshmen in college. She had to be hurting.

What could I say? “I would love to share this day with you and Virgil.”

“Really, ‘Nessa? That’s so great! Thank you, you’re the best.” She flashed a bright white smile and ducked back into the dressing room. “The absolute best!”

It wasn’t until I got home that I wondered what I’d gotten myself into.

Chapter Five

Emmett

“Want to spot me, fucker?”

I looked up at Mace’s reflection in the mirrors on the wall in front of the free weights and the weight machines. He’d pulled me out of my memories of my evening with Vanessa. My very short evening. I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind since I’d driven her home from Kat’s that night, but shit if I could think of a way to run into her. Best I just forget about the beautiful, mesmerizing widow and focus on my job, my crew. Right now, on Mace.

Mostly the Ashby fighters used the facility to train, but all Ashby Organization employees, like Mace and the other security guys, could use it too. I flashed an amused grin and shook my head. “You’re so big and strong, spot yourself fucker.”

Mace tossed his head back, long black ponytail hanging damn near to his waist, and let out a loud guffaw that drew eyes from around the entire gym. “Funny. Get your scrawny ass over here and spot me, man. I might even give you a few pointers.

I shook my head and took my time finishing my own bicep curls. I had no problem helping Mace. He was good people with a crazy ass sense of humor, but he wouldn’t hesitate to do anything necessary to protect Ashby interests. And I mean anything. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t make him wait.

“Just a minute,” I said, groaning as I strained against the last inch of the curl.

Mace laughed again, his brown eyes full of amusement as he watched me in the mirror, silently counting my reps.

“Your form is shit bro, better do those last three reps again.”

When I finished my set, I flipped Mace off as swiped my face and neck with my towel and then took my time walking to the bench press he favored.

“You wish. My form is flawless, but since you clearly don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, it’s a good thing Coach is here to help.”

Mace moaned in mock disgust and leaned back, getting himself ready to lift. “Where are the rest of those fuckers?”

I snickered and took my place on the other side of the weight bar. “You should hurry, and we can tell them you lifted way more than this.”

Those dark brown eyes glared at me so hard they would’ve stopped my heart if Mace wasn’t such a good dude.

He said, “Fuck you, man,” before his arms started to bulge from the weight of the bar rising over his head.

My lips curled into a smile because shooting the shit with the guys reminded me of my days in the Army. During downtime, we’d sit around talking shit, razzing each other while keeping fit and waiting for orders. Made plans for all the things we would do when we got to leave the fucking desert behind. The guys that would never leave the desert, losing them, was what got me honorably discharged. In a way.

“Yo, Em! Man you hear me?” Mace had turned on the bench, his dark brows dipped in worry and confusion as he stared at me. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” I shrugged. “Just got lost in the past for a minute. No big deal.” That was what I always told myself, war and death was no big deal. You had to expect nightmares after the shit I’d seen, the people I’d lost. Hell, even before enlisting, there was enough fucking trauma in my life that they probably should have never let me in. Between a mostly absent father, if you could even call him that, and my mom who enjoyed drinking and drugging more than she enjoyed being a mom, I’d basically been raised on the streets of Glitz.