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Prologue
Bachelorettes on the Loose
Priest
Being dragged out by my brothers isn’t the worst thing that could happen to me, so why am I sitting in the corner of the bar racking my brain trying to think of a plausible excuse to leave? Most of the core Pride are here at Joe’s Pub, laughing, some drinking, and their women dancing.
The place is packed, the dance floor full of women swinging their hips in time with the music. They have a feature band. This month, it’s one of Demon’s latest finds. He runs a record label as well as being an artist himself, as well as being a key member of the brotherhood. The band Diesel Fumes and Demon have been collaborating on an album for months, and the release date is set for early next week. They’ll be the opening act for the Smoking Guns, Maddie’s band, on a month-long tour. There’s no way that War, our Pride brother, and their little girl, Amelia, will be with Maddie all the way through. Demon, known to the music world as Lucien Bardon, but another Satan’s Pride member and brother to me, will meet them in different cities throughout the tour. He’s even talking about leaving Dean, his baby boy, with his parents and taking Sofia, his savvy and sassy wife, with him on the weekends.
That’s the beauty of the Pride. Guard will make it work to ensure all the brothers are following their dreams. Ghost and Guard are more alike than I thought. I swear they can read each other’s minds. I find their connection fascinating. What’s worse is that both of them are usually able to read mine. That, I’m not so crazy about.
Most of the time, I don’t want to deal with the shit in my head. I have my demons. I’m dealing with the noise in my head, pushing past the crap that my parents rattled off my entire life. As I scan the room, I see Camille, my beautiful sister, with her girly crew, smiling and joking, I’m in awe of all she’s accomplished. She put herself through school with no help from me or our family. She battled poverty, thanks to my parents and brother. And I was in my own fucking, little, peon world thinking that I was the only one who mattered, living my boo-hoo life, making excuses instead of being the brother I should have been and having her back. I failed her, yet, when she could have stepped away from me, she pulled me in closer, loving me despite my shortcomings.
I’ve given everything I have to the Pride. I choose to be a better man, and they’ve let me grow with them. Steady, Camille’s husband, was wary at first, not that I blame him, but he took me in and has been a great friend when I needed him the most. The biggest surprise was Wildcard. I thought for sure he’d have a hate on for me, especially when my brother John stuck him with a knife and punctured his lung. John turned down the dark road, and I was on the same path. When I figured out what our family was doing to Camille, I was disgusted, including with myself for being so self-absorbed that I didn’t see it.
Christ, I was a fucking mess. Then Steady’s brother hooked me up with the youth center, and now I see that telling my story is helping other kids to find their way. It’s cathartic. Almost like a cleansing of the soul to start fresh. So here I am, finally getting it together, then a blast from the past rocks my world again.
Even from the dead, John causes havoc. He almost got me killed. I owe a lot to these men, my brothers. So why am I so determined to find an excuse to head home, to a hardly furnished room in the compound, alone?
I could get myself a biker bunny for the night. That’ll pass the time and give me a way to expel this uneasy energy. Problem with that is, they always want more. I’m not ready for that, and even though I make it clear from the start that I’m not interested in long term, they hang on, waiting for another ride.
I hear my name being called and jerk my head up from the glass I’ve been staring into for the last twenty minutes. “Only you can be this miserable in a bar filled with gorgeous women and family having a great time,” Wildcard says to me. “This is Charlotte’s bachelorette. Can’t you pretend to be even a little enthused?”
“If it’s a bachelorette, why are any of us here? Isn’t this supposed to be a girl thing? In case you didn’t notice, I got a dick, brother,” I counter with a smirk.
“It’s a Satan’s Pride celebration. Demon is knocking out another winner, Maddie’s doing one last special appearance before she pops out a brother or sister for Amelia, and Charlotte is loving her Pride family. Come join us instead of being the creepy old man in the corner.” Wildcard punches me in the shoulder.
I’ve got to suck it up. Just as I’m ready to push out of my seat, the main door of the bar blows open with a forceful gust of air, and a beautiful woman catches the doorknob before it slams against the wall. Luscious windblown brown curls move over her face as she runs a hand through her hair to get it out of her eyes while she’s talking on the phone. You couldn’t miss her if you tried.
She’s wearing skinny, vibrant, pink, tailored dress pants with a tailored, form-fitting, short jacket that hits her tiny waist and accentuates her heart-shaped ass as she walks past me, but it’s the three-inch silver stilettos she’s balancing on that draw my eyes to her long, slender legs. I imagine those legs wrapped around my waist as I fuck her hard. When her hair is out of her face, I see her almond-shaped, violet eyes are completely focused on the conversation she’s having with whoever is on the other end of the call.
She takes her time moving toward her table and waves at her friends across the room, clearly trying to finish her call before getting to them. “Thank you again for your business, Mr. Holt. I’ve sent along the final documentation outlining the implementation process and the follow-up for future modifications that can be introduced. I hope we can work together again.” There’s a pause, then her face lights up with a brilliant smile that tells me the outcome of this call is exactly what she wants. “Wonderful. I’ll be on the lookout for your email, and I’ll get to work on that in the next few weeks. Have a wonderful weekend.”
She barely has the phone off when one of her cute friends rushes toward her, an adorable blonde with a pixie cut and bright blue eyes. The complete opposite of her friend. “Quinn, you promised no working tonight.”
Quinn. What an unusual name for such a beauty.
“See? Done,” Quinn answers, dropping her phone carelessly into her purse. “I’m all yours for the night.”
“How is it that my maid of honor is the last to arrive?” her friend says. You can tell that she’s only teasing by the way she hugs Quinn.
“I’ve got to make a living, Bethany. Bills don’t pay themselves.”
“My man is playing up there, and he’s been holding off on playing your favorite song until you got here,” Bethany responds. “I told Frankie he needs to add another member so we can all go on tour together. All the other girlfriends and wives get along so well, we have to find a way to have you with us.” She points to the table of women waving them over.
“No matchmaking!” Quinn says. “Holy cow! Is that Lucien Bardon? He’s fabulous.”
“Yes! He came to cheer them on. He’s going to play with them tonight. His wife and his friends are here too. They’re really sweet. They even came over to congratulate Frankie and me on our engagement.” Bethany points to Charlotte. “She got engaged too. It’s a double fun night.” Bethany takes Quinn by the hand to lead her to their table, but only to drop her purse and head to the dance floor. Diesel Fumes and their front man, Frankie, notice Quinn’s arrival, and Frankie invites Demon to the stage to join them. They break out with their new song called “Right or Wrong.” It’s a great song, and it gets people up and moving.
By this time, the other women in the bar have joined in with the Lady Pride and are dancing with them. Charlotte calls out to Wildcard, who doesn’t hesitate to join her, mainly to keep his hands on his woman. The man’s addicted. Roscoe loves to dance and has Willow in his arms, swaying back and forth.
The only person I have eyes for is the curvy, sexy Quinn. When the room heats up, she undoes the button on her hot-pink jacket, revealing a tiny sequined tube top that barely covers her full perky breasts. I’m not the only one noticing this gorgeous woman. Several men are gawking, and a pang hits my gut. I don’t like them staring at her. As a matter of fact, it’s pissing me off.
All thoughts of leaving are gone. I’m relieved when she sits back down with her friend, but when one of the men at the bar sends over a drink, I want to go over there and punch him in his smug face. I calm down when she sends it back with her apologies. I move closer to her table against the wall, close enough to hear but not get noticed.
“What the hell! He’s cute,” Bethany tells her.
“I’m here for you, not to latch on to some guy.” Even her sexy, smoky voice is a turn-on. She places a hand over her heart. “Totally dedicated to the bride,” she mocks.
