Vegas Revenge Wedding (Nevada Bad Boys 2)

“You better believe it.” He kissed my neck and then pulled me closer.

We lay there together as the sun started to set. I had never felt that close to anyone before and I didn’t want the moment to end. There was safety in Grady’s arms, even if I was worried about my father. I hoped he would make it to safety on Grady’s motorcycle. The idea of him riding at night frightened me a little bit, but the threat looming over our lives was large enough that the risk had to be taken. Grady’s grasp started to weaken and I heard a light snore coming from him. I felt safe enough to close my eyes, even if I wasn’t as tired as I was earlier in the day. Our passion seemed to exhaust us both.

I dozed off and when I finally woke up, it was darker. Grady was still asleep and his snores were a little louder. I slid out of his embrace and peeked out the window, seeing the black sedan still parked outside. The curtains were closed tight after the visit we got the night before, so there was no way they could see inside, and the fact they were still there meant they thought my father hadn’t left. I put my clothes back on and went to the kitchen, searching in the fridge for something to eat. I had been too worried to eat earlier in the day, but I was feeling very famished after our encounter.

Chapter 8: Grady

There was solace in knowing Mr. Adamson was out of the picture for the moment. I would have to deal with Walter at some point, but time was finally on our side. The Devil Knights MC would make sure nobody came looking for him and they had a lot more power in Indian Springs than Walter did. Even if he found out where Monica’s father was, he wouldn’t be able to send anyone there to get him that he wanted to see alive again.

I woke up to find Monica no longer in my arms. The glass that had been shattered and covering the floor was cleaned up. I could smell something cooking and rubbed my eyes as I sat up. The black sedan was still parked outside, so I felt like the plan was a success. I put my jeans back on and walked into the kitchen where I found Monica standing over the stove.

I stared at her for a moment, watching just watching her cook. It was a strange feeling knowing that the woman I was staring at was my wife and while I originally expected that to end as soon as she got out the front door of the hotel room, I wasn’t sure I could ever let her go. The wedding vows were originally meant to keep her from marrying my brother, but they were starting to have actual meaning.

“What’s for dinner?” I opened the fridge and got a beer.

“Shit, you startled me. I didn’t hear you get up.” She turned to me and smiled after she nearly jumped out of her skin. “I hope you like Hamburger Helper. That is about the extent of my cooking abilities.”

“You’re definitely getting a cookbook for Christmas.” I took a seat at the table and watched her as she continued cooking.

“I guess that means you’re sticking around until Christmas instead of just coming back tomorrow?” She turned off the stove and carefully carried the skillet over to the table.

“Well I can’t really go anywhere—your father stole my motorcycle.” I chuckled and sipped my beer.

“That’s true.” She put two plates down and then took a seat next to me. “You’re my prisoner right now.”

“Throw away the key, warden.” I grinned at her and started scooping food onto my plate.

“I guess if we’re going to be married, we should at least know something about each other...” She looked at me and stuffed a forkful of food between her lips.

“What do you want to know? Surely my brother told you all the awful things about me since his life isn’t very interesting to talk about.” I sipped my beer and loaded my fork up with Hamburger Helper.

“Not much. Believe it or not, he had other things to talk about—like Jesus.” She rolled her eyes.

“His favorite subject.” I shook my head back and forth.

“How did you end up being owed a favor by The Devil Knights? Surely that’s an interesting story.” She looked over at me and drowned her latest bite in water before swallowing.

“Probably not as interesting as you think.” I shrugged. “My father passed away when Dane and I were kids. Dane doesn’t really remember him much, but after he was gone, I became the man of the house before I was even a teenager. My father left a little money behind, but we went through it quick. My mother worked when she could, but I felt like I needed to help out. The Devil Knights were trying to expand into Las Vegas at the time, and their main source of revenue was drugs. One of my friends was already selling for them, and after he went to high school, he knew I needed some cash, so he hooked me up with them. Middle school kids love drugs—weed at least.”

“You were selling drugs in middle school?” Monica’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

“That’s how it started.” I chuckled and shook my head. “I didn’t make much money because I didn’t know any better. They gave me a small percentage of what I earned, which was usually enough to pay the rent. They kind of adopted me and they became my second family for a while.”

“What happened? I don’t remember them ever being in Las Vegas.” Monica sipped her water again.

“Too much competition. They couldn’t recruit fast enough to grow their Las Vegas chapter. They ended up abandoning it and taking their operations back to Indian Springs. The offer to join them was on the table if I wanted to move there, and I seriously considered it a few times, but Dane was already making a name for himself playing football in high school and the college recruiters were sending more money than I could ever earn just to keep us interested. I decided to keep selling drugs and started making my own money until I ran into Walter Grant.” I shook my head and sighed. “He was much different back then. I guess he liked me—I don’t know. He got me out of the drug trade and helped me earn some legit money—as legit as a loan shark can be.”

“Clearly he’s not that man anymore.” She shook her head angrily and dug her fork into the Hamburger Helper again.

“Clearly not.” I sighed.

I KNEW I WAS GOING to have to let Walter’s guy know Mr. Adamson was gone at some point. I couldn’t stay holed up in her house forever. I made a call to the MC and confirmed he was safe. The next morning, I poured a cup of coffee and walked outside, waving at the man in the car. He looked at me in shock, did a double take, and then started calling someone on his cell phone. A few minutes later, he was speeding down the street. It certainly didn’t take him long to put the pieces together.

I sent Monica to pick up some groceries and told her not to come back until I called her. She was worried, but the last thing I wanted was for her to be there when Ray Stone showed up. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be the next face I saw. I didn’t need to be psychic to expect his visit. His black SUV came rolling down the street about an hour after Monica left and I stood up as he came to a stop.

“Where’s Mr. Adamson?” He slammed the door and started walking towards me.

“He’s gone.” I shrugged. “Who knows, he could be in Mexico by now.”