Page 128 of Queen of Anarchy (Dirty Broken Savages 2)

Gage presides, as usual.

The blueprints are spread over the kitchen table, and Knox’s little pieces of random things that stand in for the major players and the guests are in their places. If Ash cares about the big man appropriating his dice for the demonstrations, he hasn’t said anything, but he has one of them in his hand, rolling it between his fingers and making it travel the length of his hand over and over again.

Knox wraps his arms around me from behind while Gage talks. He keeps nuzzling my ear while we go over it, playing with my hair or nipping at my neck.

Gage looks over a few times, and the line between his eyebrows grows more and more pronounced until he cuts himself off with a growl and glares at Knox.

“Could you pay attention for five minutes?” he snaps. “Or did you forget this is going down today? In a couple of hours?”

Knox just laughs in his usual Knox way. He’s unbothered by so much in life, and I’ve come to realize that it’s not because he doesn’t care or doesn’t take things seriously when the chips are down. It’s because he doesn’t hold on to shit the way the rest of us do.

That’s probably for the best, honestly. I know I can get lost in my own head sometimes, and Gage can be over-analytical to a fault. We need someone to counterbalance those traits, and Knox definitely has that covered.

“Hey, I’m walking down the aisle today,” he jokes. “I gotta get my kicks while I can.”

I narrow my eyes at the thought of him marrying that bitch. Every time it gets brought up, even though I know it’s not really happening, I get a little flare of anger in my chest, followed by a rush of possessiveness. I think about Knox writing ‘mine’ on my chest in our blood, and I wish there was some way I could mark him back, so it would be clear that he doesn’t belong to that frigid cow.

Running on instinct, I turn in his arms and kiss him possessively, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning up onto my toes so I can really get into it.

Knox puts his hands on my hips and hauls me in closer with a low, deep groan. I can feel his cock stirring, and I grind my hips against his a little.

“For fuck’s sake!” Gage curses and slams his hand down on the kitchen table. “Once this is over, you two can fuck on the goddamn kitchen counter if you want to. But for now, I need you to focus so we can go over this again.”

He’s still irritated, and it’s written all over his face. Ash and Priest don’t seem as pissed about the interruption, but their tension is evident in the way they’re holding themselves.

We’re all on edge. We all want to get this over with.

Knox and I separate, and we run through it all one more time. The timing, waiting for the right moment to simulate the attack. Moving through the chaos of people panicking to get to Hannah and Cody. Grabbing them and leading them out and around the church to where the car will be waiting to take them away.

It’s a simple plan, really. Not many places for things to go wrong or for anyone to fuck it up. But there’s still a tingle of anxiety in me that goes back to the very first time I ever hunted anyone down.

I won’t be able to relax until it’s done.

But we’re close now.

When it’s finally close enough to the time the wedding is supposed to start that we won’t be obscenely early, we all head to the church. We’re dressed up as if we’re all just here to witness our friend getting married, and we mingle in with the other guests that are starting to arrive. Some of them I recognize by face, some by reputation.

Julian wasn’t kidding about inviting the important families. He wants to make a spectacle of this, but he has no idea how literally he’s going to get his wish.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hannah enter the church with Cody.

The little boy looks uncomfortable in a tiny suit, but he clutches at my sister’s hand as she leads him in. Hannah looks beautiful in a black dress with her hair pinned back. Glancing around to make sure there aren’t too many eyes on us, I walk over to her.

“Ready to get divorced?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

“So ready.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She’s nervous. This has always been more my area than hers, the crazy plans where a lot of things hang in the balance.

There’s so much I want to say to her, but we don’t really have the time to find a place to be alone. And I don’t want to act suspicious.

“Trust me,” I murmur quietly, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. I lean in like I’m going to kiss her cheek in greeting and whisper in her ear instead. “Be ready to run. Both of you.”

I pull back and glance down at the kid, who’s staring off at some of the flowers that decorate the church, his wide eyes taking in everything around him.

“We’ll be ready,” Hannah whispers back.

I nod at her and move away, letting her and Cody move out of the sanctuary and into the main part of the church to find their seats in the pews.

More guests arrive, trickling into the church bit by bit. The guys move through the growing clusters of people, going through the motions of schmoozing, shaking hands and the like, but I know they’re really making sure everything is set.

---