Reckless Temptations (The Tempted Series Book 4) (48 page)

“I’m sorry, Riggs. I’m so sorry. I know how close you were,” I cried, reaching up and wrapping my arm around his wrist.

“Bones will always live here,” he said, as he took his hand and beat it against the center of his chest. “And here,” he added, taking that same hand and lifting it to my face before he leaned into me and pressed his lips gently against mine.

The elevator doors opened and he pulled away from me, glancing over my shoulder at the empty elevator before his eyes found mine again.

“You know how we can honor his life? By giving our son the best life we can. Let’s go hold our boy and make losing him mean something,” he said huskily.

I nodded and he rose to his feet before he wheeled me into the elevator. I’d never get to thank him or say goodbye. Riggs was right though, the best way to honor him was by giving Pea a great life, a life where he grew up to know the uncle he missed out on knowing.

I was still reeling from the blow of losing the unexpected friend I found in Bones as Riggs brought me into the NICU. The nurses smiled at us, and the one specifically appointed to take care of Pea introduced herself to me as she led us to our baby. He was still in the incubator but didn’t need the ventilator anymore.

“Someone is anxious to meet his mommy,” the nurse enthused, as she opened the incubator.

Riggs helped me stand up, moving the wheelchair out of the way as he laced his arm through mine and brought me to the chair next to the incubator.

“Are you good? Comfortable?” Riggs asked, as he eased me into the chair.

“I’m fine,” I assured him, turning my eyes to the little bundle the nurse was holding and felt my breath catch as I positioned myself and waited for her to place him into my arms and reunite me with Pea.

“Oh, my,” I whispered, as I held him for the first time, staring down at his face, memorizing all his features. “Hi, my angel, I’ve been waiting for this moment since I found out about you.” I bent my head and kissed the tip of his tiny nose. “I love you so much,” I whispered to him.

I’ve experienced love. I love my family. I love Riggs. But I never knew the true extent of my love and how much someone could mean to me until that very moment. I glanced at Riggs as he took photo after photo with his phone.

“He’s perfect,” I said.

“Isn’t he?” He smiled and my heart grew even larger. Everything I needed was right there. Riggs and Pea.

This was where I was supposed to be.

This was the plan.

And such a sweet plan it was.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, Bones.

I nuzzled my baby, brought him as close as I could, careful of the incision on my chest, and kissed the top of his head as I looked back at Riggs.

“Thank you for telling me to take the detour, getting here, it was a wild ride but the best one,” I whispered.

He opened his mouth to say something but I shook my head silencing him.

“I know his name,” I said, diverting my eyes back to our baby for a moment, fitting his name to his face…a perfect match. I lifted my eyes back to Riggs.

“What do you think about Eric?”

He stared at me for a moment, realization settling across his features.

“That’s Bones’ real name,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“I know, he told me the day I bumped into him at the hospital,” I said, looking back at my son. “Eric Robert Montgomery, after his uncle and his dad, the two men I hope he grows up to be just like.”

“Eric,” he whispered, kneeling down before me, reaching out to take Eric’s hand. “It’s perfect,” he agreed.

I smiled up at the nurse, tipping my chin toward the name on his incubator “Baby Boy Bianci.”

“Can we change that?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

“Kitten,” Riggs called, forcing me to turn and watch as he went from kneeling on both knees to one.

No.

Please.

Yes.

God, is this a dream.

“Count his toes,” he said, nodding toward the baby.

“What?”

He grinned, winking at me before he unraveled the blue blanket from the baby.

“Count his toes,” he repeated.

I looked at the nurse and noticed she wasn’t the only one staring, but all of the NICU nurses had gathered around and were watching us. I looked back at Riggs and saw my mother and brother standing behind the glass window witnessing this moment.

“Go ahead,” he urged.

I unwrapped the blanket from Eric’s feet, blinded by tears that I tried to blink away before setting my eyes on the ring that dangled from my son’s big toe.

“Oh, my God,” I whispered, looking back to Riggs. “Is this what I think it is?”

“I’m going to make a hundred mistakes, but I promise I’ll fix them. I’ll always fix them. I know I’m not your plan, but I’ll make the detour worth it. We’ll make new plans, and you’ll dream…please keep dreaming. I want to make all your dreams come true, starting with a family. We already are a family but I want to make it official,” he insisted.

“You want to make an honest woman out of me?” I joked through my tears.

“I want to make you
my
woman,” he corrected. “Marry me, Kitten, be Mrs. Tiger.” I laughed, earning another smile, the kind that reached his eyes…my favorite one.

“I love you, Lauren Bianci, so goddamn much,” he added.

“I love you too,” I replied, watching as he gently lifted the ring from Eric’s toe, laughing when the baby curled his toe and held the ring hostage for a second. He slipped the ring onto my left hand before he looked back at me.

“Tell me it’s a yes.”

“Yes! Of course,” I exclaimed.

“I knew you’d say yes,” he grinned, pointing his thumbs toward himself. “How could you say no? This is all yours now.”

“I got news for you, Tiger. It was always mine and it would still be mine with or without the ring.” It was my turn to wink and grin back at him. “But the ring is a nice touch and the baby? Is the best bonus.”

“Good, glad you feel that way. I want more.” He said seriously, as he rose to his full height. “I’m thinking five or six.”

“Five or six kids?” I questioned. My eyes widening in disbelief—I’m pretty sure my uterus twitched violently at the thought.

“Yeah,” he tipped his head over his shoulder toward my mother. “Think she’ll move in and watch them when we need alone time? You know, when we feel like playing drop the pencil or just the tip?”

“You want my mother to move in?”

He waved at my mother and brother through the glass, giving them a thumbs up.

“Shit, Kitten, I’m joking. You Bianci’s are a shitload of fun to fuck with,” he said with a chuckle, turning back to me and kissing me softly. “Who would’ve thought I’d be marrying a Bianci?” He whispered against my mouth, pulling back to kiss Eric’s head.

“I bet Bones did,” I whispered.

“He’d be so fucking proud right now,” he said, as he looked down at our son. “Best thing I ever did was listen to him.”

Thank you, Bones.

The End.

The thing about finding your heart is knowing that you now have something valuable, something worth more than any dollar in a trust fund, and with that knowledge comes the urgent need to always protect your heart.

One month ago Sun Wu tried to take my heart from me.

Stupid fucker.

But tonight he’d be a dead fucker because tomorrow my family was coming home and before they step foot outside that hospital it’s my job to ensure their safety.

To settle the score once and for all.

For the first time since the shooting, I parked my bike in front of the Dog Pound and killed the engine before removing my helmet. I glanced over to the spot where both Bones and Lauren had been shot and the memories came rushing back. Her frightened eyes as she begged me to choose Pea, and Bones’ short breaths as he bled out beside her.

The memories gave me a burst of adrenaline, making me even more certain that tonight was the night I’d live up to the promise I made to Bones.

I shook my head, trying to shake the memories as I pulled opened the door and heard the boisterous sounds of my brothers as they prepared for war.

I missed that fucking sound.

“Get your dick out of your ass, boy, and suit up,” Wolf told Stryker, slapping him upside the head before dropping a bullet-proof vest on his lap.

“Well, look who it is,” Pipe shouted over their voices as his eyes met mine.

The room grew silent as they all turned around and looked at me as I walked further into the clubhouse, my eyes catching the cut that hung behind the bar in a frame.

I didn’t have to look at the patch to know it was Bones’—the blood still stained parts of the patches. I locked eyes with Jack, who stood behind the bar, lining up a row of shot glasses.

“Nice to see your pretty face,” Pipe said, breaking the tension that filled the room.

I tore my eyes away from Jack and looked back at the rest of my brothers.

“I know you bitches missed me,” I said, grinning.

“Pipe cries himself to sleep night after night. Keeps a photo of your naked ass under his pillow,” Wolf chimed in, walking over to me and patting me on the back. “Glad you’re back, kid. You ready to hunt, motherfucker?”

“That depends what’s on the menu,” I said, looking back at Jack.

“Peking-fucking-duck,” he growled.

“With a side of Wu,” Wolf added.

Jack walked out from behind the bar, stood in front of me as he crossed his arms and assessed me.

“Only going to ask you once—” he started.

“You don’t have to ask at all,” I interrupted. “Let’s do this.”

Jack remained quiet for a moment before he bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. He knew all about revenge, got his and now it was fucking time for me to get mine.

“One thing before we hit the road,” Jack said, turning back toward the bar.

We all followed and took the glasses he offered us before lifting them to his.

“To Bones,” Jack cheered.

“To Bones,” we all said in unison before shooting back the liquid fire.

Time to make it right.

We slammed our empty glasses down onto the wooden bar and started marching for the door like the devil’s soldiers that we are. Jack grabbed my arm and slapped a vest against my chest.

“Don’t be reckless,” he ordered. “Stick to the fucking plan, you hear me?”

Plans.

I wasn’t big on plans.

“Right,” I agreed. “Stick to the plan,” I said, bringing my fingers to my forehead and saluting my president.

We walked outside, mounted our bikes and the roar of our bikes was deafening throughout the lot. Jack peeled out first, followed by Wolf and then Pipe. Bones would’ve been next but his bike remained parked across the lot. I glanced over at it before gripping the throttle on my bike and tearing out of the lot taking his spot in our line-up. The nomads came up behind me and then the prospects were last to take to the rode as our pack rode against the wind on a mission to take back life lost from our club.

This will always be a part of my life but it wasn’t what gave me purpose anymore. I’ll always be a man who loves the road, his bike and the wrong side of the law. But, I ride second, and love first. I owned my place in the world.

I sped up, whipping around Pipe’s bike and made my way next to Jack.

“What are you doing?” He shouted against the engines of our bikes and the sounds of the city.

“Taking a detour,” I hollered back, turning right as they turned left and pushed my bike full speed ahead.

They had a plan.

They were going to raid the Red Dragons’ clubhouse on a night they planned a patch party. It was a very well executed plan and I had no doubt that my brothers would take out every motherfucking Dragon and whore that populated that party.

But I had a plan too.

And my shit was personal.

Wu killed my brother.

He put a bullet it my woman.

He forced my son to be born before his time.

It didn’t get more personal than that.

I pulled up to my destination, my boots chomping at the wooden planks as I made my way to the warehouse on the pier overlooking the Hudson River. The same pier Sun Wu used to transport his shit to Beijing. I came up to the door and greeted Michael Valente, Anthony’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. When I had first decided on how all this would go down, Anthony suggested Michael as the man for the job, the job being kidnapping Wu on his way home from the Red Dragons clubhouse.

“Thanks for doing this,” I said.

“It’s all good, man,” he replied, opening the door to the warehouse. “He’s all yours,” he said, as he moved aside and allowed me room to step inside. “I’ll be right here,” he added, before stepping back out into the night and closing the door behind him.

I turned around, flicked the lights on and spotted Sun Wu on the floor with his ankles tied together and his hands handcuffed behind his back. He was gagged with a....pink dildo?

Jesus Christ.

Then it occurred to me he wasn’t even gagging—this motherfucker must’ve sucked a lot of dick. The Red Dragons’ own personal club whore was none other than their president.

I laughed.