Page 66 of Bullet

After talking with Ford, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. We were on the same page about our relationship, and even though I hadn't planned on telling him about Matteo, I was happy that I had someone to confide in after dealing with it on my own for so long. The only problem was that I was worried he'd seek vengeance for me.

And even though I didn't really show it, the fact that Matteo's men were looking for me terrified me. I didn't want to go back to him, and if they took me to him, I'd probably never see my family or friends again.

Or Ford.

Since my dad and brothers were gone, I didn't want to be at home by myself, especially if the cartel were looking for me, so I went to Nina's after I left Ford's. We needed to plan Meghan and Hannah's bachelorette party, anyway.

The wedding was still a few months away, but we wanted to plan an amazing party in Las Vegas and needed to make sure we booked everything in advance.

“I think we should definitely book XS at the Wynn. That place is amazing, and they have night pool parties,” Nina suggested.

“Ooh, that sounds fun,” I agreed.

Nina nodded. “So that could be where we end the night. And during the day, we can go to the spa and have dinner at the Grand Lux in the Venetian.”

I snapped my fingers as an idea popped in my head. “And we have to see a show. We should definitely take them to one of those burlesque shows. I think the one at the Flamingo is highly rated.”

“Yes, girl, yes. They are going to love it.” Nina squealed with glee. “I'm so excited.”

“Me too.” The last time I went to Vegas was with Matteo, and I'd had a blast. That had been in the beginning of our relationship before he started getting abusive and controlling. “I think we should go up for a whole weekend. Book a suite for the four of us and make a whole girls' weekend out of it.”

“I'm down. Let's do it! I'm sure Meghan and Hannah will love the idea.”

I clapped excitedly. “I can't wait. We can hang out at the pool, go to shows, have fancy dinners. We have to do the best of the best that Vegas has to offer.”

Nina and I planned out the weekend with activities for each day, including what restaurants to eat at and what clubs we'd party at each night.

After jotting down most of the details, we decided to grab some lunch. I was a little shaken about Matteo sending his men after me, so I was on high alert. I knew what to look for when being tailed since Matteo had men following me whenever he wasn’t around back in LA.

I didn’t notice anything off as we ate or when I drove back to my dad’s. And just to be on the safe side, I grabbed one of my dad’s handguns that he’d left behind so that I could keep it with me.

I didn’t have to work that afternoon, so I just hung out and relaxed, watching Netflix as I looked over more of my college application paperwork.

A few hours into a new series binge, my phone rang, and my stomach knotted in fear when my dad's number popped up on my phone. He never called me, so something bad must have happened if he was. “Hello?”

“Dixie! We need your help!” My father’s voice was panicked. “Jameson took a bullet to the leg and can't ride. We need you to come pick him up.”

My heart was pounding as fear for my brother took over. “Oh my God, is he going to be okay?”

“Not if you don't hurry up. I'll send you our location.”

Then he hung up. My hands were shaking as I got in my car and waited for my dad to text me their location. When it finally came through, I put it in my GPS and took off like a bat out of hell.

They were about an hour outside of Laughlin, and I prayed I would get there in time. My anxiety was eating away at me as I drove alone, especially since my dad didn't give me any details.

My destination was a deserted gas station in the desert. I saw three motorcycles parked haphazardly near the storefront and my brothers and dad on the ground. Jameson was leaning back against the dirty glass of the door.

Quickly parking, I threw open the door and rushed to my brother’s side. A bandana was wrapped around his thigh, which was drenched in blood. “What the hell happened?” I exclaimed, fearing for my brother’s life.

“Fucking Kings ambushed us,” my dad grunted as he and Raleigh hoisted Jameson up, draping his arms around each of their shoulders.

My stomach dropped. Ford wouldn’t do that to me, would he? “Are you sure?”

My dad’s brows furrowed in anger. “What the fuck you mean am I sure? Yes, I’m fucking sure, now open the car so I can put your brother inside!”

The concern for my brother trumped everything else I was feeling so I did as I was told. I opened the door to the back seat and my dad and Raleigh deposited James inside. “My bike,” Jameson gritted out, wincing in pain.

Shaking my head, I hopped in the driver’s seat. I knew a biker’s motorcycle was sacred, but my brother needed to worry about not bleeding to death in the back of my car.

---