Page 85 of May 11

Cora tipped back the beer and smiled at him. He'd been the first one to get her drunk after realizing that her twenty-first birthday was ruined by Havlin Motorcycle Club business. It was the first of many things he'd shown her over the last year.

Dio leaned toward him. "There's a chick asking to see Cora."

"Who?"

Dio shrugged. "Never seen her before."

"Where is she?"

"Outside." Dio motioned. "Brett stopped her from coming in."

Cora knew all the women associated with the club. Unless it was a customer from Whale's Tail that wanted to wish her congratulations. Their wedding wasn't a secret. Cora had talked about it from the moment he'd asked her to be his wife.

But nobody else knew they were going to jump over to the courthouse a month early and elope.

"Escort her in. Whoever she is isn't going to see anything here except a wedding party." He waited until Dio headed toward the door before he pulled Cora to him.

He put his mouth on her ear. "Someone's here, asking to speak with you."

"Who is it?" she yelled over the music.

He shook his head and led her through the crowd, accepting the slaps of congratulations on his shoulders as he passed by his MC brothers.

Cora put her arm around his back and hugged his side. "Can we step outside? It's getting hot in here."

Seeing Dio standing next to a woman, Wire patted Cora's ass and motioned with his chin. Cora leaned closer. "I don't know her."

His body tensed and he stopped. "I'll get rid of her."

There was no reason for an unknown woman to ask after his wife. He put his body in front of her.

He looked above her head, searching for Jagger.

The president of Havlin Motorcycle Club stood ten feet away from the door, staring at the woman. Going by the fierce expression on Jagger's face, Prez knew who it was, and her arrival wasn't welcome.

"Wait." Cora grabbed Wire's vest. "Let's ask her what she wants."

"Cora?" shouted the woman, waving her arm above her head.

She leaned to the side, looking around Wire. "She must know me."

Before he could stop her, Cora stepped out from behind him.

"Cora." The woman's shoulders sagged with relief. "I tried to get here earlier but my fucking car got a God damn flat, and I had to stop at the only rinky-dink tire place open, and it took forever." The woman reached out with both hands. "I sure hope this is a Havlin party and I didn't crash someone's celebration."

Wire pulled Cora back. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Chill out, big guy." The woman laughed, unfazed by Wire. "I'm Katrina Albright. I'm Cora's niece. She's part of our damn family."

Cora stepped around Wire. "My niece?"

The woman was older than Cora. Wire glanced between the two girls. The family dynamics were all over the place with spouses a generation apart and brothers old enough to be their sister's father. Now, Cora's niece was older than her.

"Oh, my God." Cora hugged the woman. "You're Katrina."

"You didn't know about me, did you?" Katrina laughed. "That's so like my dad not to say anything."

"I knew Ruger had a daughter, but he never told me your name." Cora looked around. "Where is your dad? Did he come with you?"

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