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Trying to mask my turmoil, I attempted to head back to my friends, but the crowd seemed to swallow me up, steering me toward the back of the bar instead. I needed a moment to collect myself, to steady the shaking in my hands and the racing of my heart. And I knew the back of Bootsie’s like the back of my hand.
But Hallow followed.
I realized he knew it, too. And I found I was cornered when I felt the wall of muscle against my back, the stark light of the back hallway casting shadows that felt too close. Turning, I caught a whiff of him first. Saw he was drunk, his movements unsteady, his eyes too bright with unshed emotions.
“Eve,” he slurred, his voice thick with alcohol and something unspoken. “I don’t want you back… I need you back. You and me, we’re meant to be.”
“Hallow, I’m getting married. I am married,” I stated the obvious.
“Eve, come away with me. Just like our song says. We’ll run away together. Just you and me.”
Chapter 11
Kingpin
I stood at the altar in the great hall of our new arena, decked out in a dark blue suit for the occasion. It wasn’t my usual style, but I’d made the concession for Eve, though I drew the line at a tie, leaving the collar of my black shirt open in protest against the formality she insisted the day demanded.
Suit or not, I was devilishly handsome, if I did say so myself, with my lined eyes, jewelry, and hair, styled yet wild all the same. As I scanned the room, a sense of pride swelled in me. The place was packed. Our brothers and sisters, Royal Bastards from every corner of our lives, had come together in a show of support and celebration.
Though most of my brothers had to be hung over. Our mother chapter’s Prez, Jameson was rubbin’ his head. He and his ol’ lady Sadie were in attendance, sitting beside my officers, who were all yawnin’. Behind them, old friends, like Capone had caught the yawn as well. He and Danyella, Blayze and Monica sat with Murder and Alexa and Viking and Andi were taking up a row. I watched all the men cover a yawn, one after another. Venom, too, stretched. He’d not gotten much sleep by the looks of him. He and Loralei, Voodoo and Kira, Angel and Korrie, Ghost and Laila, were all in another row, the men folk drowsy.
Then there were Nycto and his ol’ lady, Eva from Tampa, both looked exhausted. Areo and Lacey, Surge and his ol’ lady, Emery, Brick and his ol’ lady Ryleigh took up the next row. Grim and his ol’ lady Trish, Mammoth and Rowen, too, beside more local members like Reign and his ol’ lady Raven, Suede and Malice. I bet the fellas that partied last night were cursing being out of bed at noon. I hadn’t had much sleep myself and hoped Eve didn’t notice. Her party had been a lot smaller and not included all the womenfolk, all these ol’ ladies who’d stayed off sight last night.
Royal Road, our sanctuary, had been transformed into something out of a dream. My piano, usually a fixture in my music room, sat off to one side of the hall, ready to fill the space with music. Dimple, in Elvis’s dress blues, sat at the keys ready to play Eve down the aisle. White roses, trimmed in dark blue, adorned the room, making the place look like a goddamn garden.
It being Valentine’s Day, you’d think the place would be draped in Pepto, but thankfully, Eve had gone in the opposite direction. They rented royal blue velvet furniture and white chairs and tablecloths. Hung huge crystal chandeliers that sparkled and draped white lights from the ceiling to the floor. Anything Eve’s little heart desired, she got, even if it cost a small fortune. All worth it to make her happy.
Our reception would also be in this large hall, and I could see the monstrosity of a cake and all the fixings laid out in the distance. After all, we were feeding the small army I invited, Eve had reminded me.
Over my head were about a million flowers, creating an arch around and behind. In the background were neon lights that said our names in a heart, a nod to Royal Road and Nashville in general. Jesus, our chaplain, stood alongside me. He certainly hadn’t taken Eve’s dress code for the wedding party to heart. Or maybe he had? He had his black button up open, showing off his flaming heart tattoo.
My twin brother, Bubba, stood up with me like I hadn’t at his. Sucker was wearing his bowtie. It was just easier than singling out any of my crew as my best man. It’d be my second in command, Pagan, of course, if not for Bubba. Eve chose not to have a maid of honor, saying something about her friend, who had passed away, would be with us in spirit, but I had a surprise for her waiting in the other room.
Excitedly, I rubbed my hands together. Despite telling her I couldn’t, I’d pulled off a damn miracle. I had gotten her drunk and deadbeat dad, otherwise known as Fighting Cock of the Asphalt Gods MC, here to give her away. I’d pulled some major strings, called in a favor to make sure it wouldn’t cause a blip on anyone’s radar. Also, I had to make my own amends with the man to get him to come. He was never too happy she married the likes of me. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her pretty face.
As I stood there, waiting for my bride, yawning, my mind wandered back to the night before. My wild as hell bachelor party had been cut short when Haven came to the clubhouse panicking. Our little one had come down with a doozy of a fever. While the rest of my crew lived it up, celebrating into the wee hours, I found myself at home, tending to a sick child. Prince had started shitting like a crippled coon.
Little guy had eaten something off. Haven had no idea what to do with him. And with most of the ol’ ladies gone with Eve, I wasn’t about to leave him to a sweetbutt while he was sick. Eve would really have my balls if I had. And I wasn’t about to call her back from her party.
Hell, my brothers were having such a crazy time, no one probably noticed I stepped out and if they did, they sure as hell just assumed I’d taken one of them whores with me. Little did they know my red eyes were because I spent the night cleaning up explosive diarrhea and getting our little guy’s fever down.
Prince was fine now, racing towards the altar with the ring pillow not much better than he had at Bubba’s wedding. Maddie had Angel in the front row, and I waved at her as I waited for her mama to appear.
There was movement at the back of the hall where Eve was to come out. Dimple started the procession. I straightened my spine and felt for the paper in my jacket. My song for her I was willing to sing in front of all these rough and tumble bikers was scribbled on it, but I had memorized it. The paper was nothing but a red heron.
Suddenly, I felt a shift. Something in the atmosphere changed. A subtle tension prickled the back of my neck. The moment stretched on, becoming a chasm of silence until Eve’s dad, alone, started walking down the aisle towards me. His expression was grave, squashing the joy and celebration that had filled the room just moments before.
“There’s a ruckus outside,” he said, his voice low, carrying a weight that immediately set my heart racing for all the wrong reasons. Confusion spread through the great hall like wildfire, a shared uncertainty that prompted half the room of bikers to spill out into the daylight to see what was amiss.
Outside, the scene was chaotic. Gunn and Cricket, our guards, were tangled up with a figure that took me a moment to recognize through the surge of adrenaline and concern that flooded my veins. It was Hallow, Eve’s ex. He was drunk, his actions fueled by alcohol and, I feared, a desperation that could only spell trouble.
“She’s gone, and it’s all your fault,” he slurred, shouting at me, his words cutting through the confusion and planting a seed of dread in my stomach. The accusation, so vague yet loaded with implication, sent a sickness down to the pit of my stomach.
“She ran off,” he went on. “It’s all your fault.”
My mind spun, piecing together the worst scenarios, each more harrowing than the last. Eve’s gone?
In the midst of the turmoil, a hollow feeling took root in my chest. The thought that Eve might’ve left, that she chose this moment of all moments to turn her back on me, on us, was more than I could bear. Without a word, I turned back to the now-quiet hall, the joyous decorations mocking me with their cheerfulness.
