Page 35 of The Bikers Redemption

“I shocked you, didn’t I? Don’t worry, Serena, you were worth it.” He kneels in front of me, places the contract on the side of the bed, and holds my hands in his.

“How could you?” I cry. “How could my father?”

“Shush… your father lost a lot of money to mine when he showed up with nothing after a deal. It was your dad who offered you up.” He smiles. “At first, I was outraged. I didn’t want my wife to be chosen for me, but then I remembered you and thought, what was the harm? She is a beautiful and sexy woman, comes from a Portuguese family, and will do well to bear my children.”

He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “My father insisted you were checked by a doctor to ensure you are fertile. It was I who said I didn’t need it. I knew you would give me children, and I can’t wait to start trying.”

I stiffen. Not only was I sold in payment for my father’s debt, but they even discussed plans for me having children.

What life am I living?

This can’t be happening.

“No,” I cry out. “No, this can’t be true. My father wouldneverdo this.”

Luca’s face straightens, and his eyes narrow at me. He snatches the paper again and places it up to my face, pointing at my father’s signature. “Here, Serena, look. This is proof that your father sold you. I wouldn’t lie, not about this anyway. Your father would have done anything to get you away from that biker trash.”

I still and look into his eyes, “What do you mean? He did this so I wouldn’t stay with Harley? But why?”

He shakes his head. “You really are blind, aren’t you? Do you know the night he came here to offer you to me in payment for his debt, he asked my father for one more favor?”

I swallow, not liking where this is going.

With a smile on his face, he says, “It may have been my father’s men who pulled the trigger, but it was your father who gave the order. It’s just a pity they didn’t get Harley too. You would have forgotten all about him, but that pissant got away. It’s okay because his day will come. I know he’s the man who’s responsible for my father’s death, and I will seek my revenge by dismantling his entire club.”

Shocked and confused, I sit there in silence, trying to get my head around what I’ve just heard.

My father wanted Jim killed and Harley too. He came to Javier to do the work for him. But why? Why did he want him dead? My God, if Harley found out my father was behind all this, he would kill him too. In fact,Iwant to kill him.

All those years, my father saw me crying over Harley, and he was the cause of him leaving me. He also was the one who organized the holiday for Rachel and me to go to Mexico.Was that a setup as well?

“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?” Luca asks, his eyes boring into mine. “I bet you didn’t expect your father to be able to manage such a thing.”

I don’t reply. I sit there, shocked, not knowing what to say, but somehow, with all this information, I want to know more. Breaking the silence, I ask, “Was coming to Mexico while I was on holiday all part of the plan?”

Smiling, he sits beside me and holds my hand. I try to pull it free, but he doesn’t allow me. “Yes, it was… but when I saw you, I knew we had made the right decision. I’ve grown to love you, Serena,” he says, running his free hand up my arm. “None of that matters.”

“It matters tome!” I shout, standing and pacing the floor. He stands too, and holds me from behind. I want to crawl into my skin.

This has all been make-believe—none of this is real.

I feel stupid and naïve to ever think Luca truly loved me and that it was a coincidence for him to be in Mexico while Rachel and I were.

Rachel?Was she in on this, too?

I feel a headache coming on, and I place my face in my hands. “I want to be alone, Luca.”

He turns me to face him and tilts my chin so I can look into his eyes. “I’ll give you some time. This must have all come as a shock to you. Just know that all of this is in the past now. We’re married and going to have a family together.” He looks around the room. “This is all ours.”

“Luca, I…” I say, trying to think of how to get myself out of this situation, but words fail me.

“Shush,” he says, pecking me on my lips. “You finish getting ready.” His eyes move to the bed. “That dress will look stunning on you.” He drops his hands from my shoulders, picks up the dress from the bed, and holds it up to my body.

“Wear red lipstick. You know what that color does to me.”

My stomach turns, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. This is all too much. I need to get my thoughts together and be alone, but with a fake smile, I reply, “Yes, I do.”

He kisses me deeply before turning around and leaving the room.

---