Page 95 of Operation Annulment
“I’m not much of a comic guy, but I know the movies. Shouldn’t you be in a skintight black suit?”
Kate clicks her tongue against her teeth, our bodies swaying in time to the song. “Keep it up, and you’ll need a metal arm, buddy.”
She playfully swats me on the ass before her eyes widen. “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! I did something a little risky while we were apart. I went to the Christmas Festival of Lights, and guess what? I rode the Ferris wheel! I’m trying to be an adrenaline junkie, just like you.”
I almost crack up, but the smile on her face is so earnest, and it’s pretty damn obvious she’s proud of herself. “You know what, babe? It’s a start.”
Then, without another thought, I lean down and press my lips lightly against hers. Our relationship began under less-than-ideal circumstances, but I don’t regret a second of it.
We’re two people with a lot of baggage, but marrying her in Vegas was the best decision of my life. The odds were stacked against us initially, but we’re still here—still fighting.
I know we’re both still afraid of being hurt and that there will be times when either one or both of us wants to call it quits. But I’ll cling to the memory of tonight, holding her in my arms and feeling as if all is right in the world.
And if that doesn’t work?
Well, I guess I’ll just have to break out the tequila shots.
epilogue
THE NIGHT OF DAKOTA’S WEDDING
Grey
Goblin paced the sidewalk just outside the event center, nostrils flaring wildly.
“Did we get somethin’?”
He loosened his collar and rolled up his sleeves before shaking his head. “Jarvis texted, said he hacked our mole’s computer and was going through his messages.El cabrónnever came tonight. Someone tipped him off we were gonna be lookin’ for him.”
“Fuck,” I growled, catching the kid as he stumbled forward. “You drunk, kid?”
He held his thumb and forefinger a few inches apart with a nod. “Sí, because I’m so happy forCaparina.”
I made sure he stayed on his feet before taking off toward the parking lot. He bounced along behind me, making small talk about Dakota’s wedding. I grinned at the appropriate times and responded as if nothing was wrong, but my head was spinning.
The mole had known not to show up because someone in my clubhouse had gotten to him first. I glanced back at Goblinas he patted at the air in front of him like it was a dog. He was out, for obvious reasons.
No, the guy who’d rolled over was someone with a motive.
I’d taken the club back from Bear after Celia’s attack, but never once gotten the impression he held it against me. Plus, he’d been a patch longer than I had. If anyone knew what our colors meant, it was him. He might have had the motive, but wouldn’t have destroyed the club from within to take it back.
If love was a motive, then Jarvis should’ve been a suspect, but turning on the club wouldn’t guarantee him Kate. Not only that, he’d been giving me solid intel and stood to lose his entire career if the club went down.
It had to be someone who would benefit if Silent Phoenix fell.
I quickly ruled out Angel and Wolverine. The two had been riding since God was a boy and had made more than enough money for several lifetimes. One by one, I went down the roster, ruling out members.
When I got to Mikey, I paused. He’d been forced into club life by a man who’d lied about being his father. His motive for taking down the club was stronger than anybody else’s. And if my club disappeared, so did the crimes of his youth.
It wasn’t him, though.
I didn’t know how I knew it. But I did.
Convinced I’d gone through every member, I stumbled when it hit me.
The one man with the motive and means. I knew who my rat was. It had been right in front of my face all along. The biker who should’ve been a brother but had always been an enemy.
Comedian.
