Against all odds, things are finally looking up for me. And all it took was a bad boy biker, a lucky Craigslist ad, and a fight to the death. It’s a crazy story, but it’s our story. And I wouldn’t rewrite it for the world.
EPILOGUE
September
The Forty-Five Club, Las Vegas NV
“To the end of a wild summer,” crows the grizzled Kip, raising his glass to the group.
The men and women of Dante’s Nine howl their agreement, drinking to a crazy season come and gone. It’s September now, and there’s work to be done. With the generous personal donations of Declan Tiberi, the club is back in the black. But now the real task of finding new, sustainable business begins. Luckily, Dante’s Nine has never been more flush with great minds, what with Kassenia Bennett around.
Kassie perches on her favorite barstool, whiskey in hand. She looks around at her newly adopted family: the nine men of Dante’s Nine, the quartet of biker babes that have become her sisters, the regular hang-arounds and familiar faces. Even her best friend of old, Kelly, makes the occasional visit to call on Kassie—and of course, Sam.
But most of all, Kassie lets her eyes rest on Declan Tiberi. He stands beside her, fully healed and as strong as ever. She tries to remember what it was like to set eyes on him for the first time, back in her college town of Berkeley. But these days, it’s hard to remember that old life, that time before they met. Now that she’s here with Declan, she can’t imagine being anywhere else. And that goes the same for him.
“Guess you’ve made up your mind then, huh?” asks Dani, the knockout bartender who’s become Kassie’s unlikely friend.
“What do you mean?” Kassie asks, savoring her smoky drink.
“Well, summer’s come and gone,” Dani says, “And you’re still by Declan’s side. Does that mean you’re aiming to become his old lady?”
Kassie considers the question, as she has many times. But as ever, there is only one truthful answer.
“We’ll see,” Kassie smiles, giving Dani a wink.
Two strong hands fall upon Kassie’s shoulders, and she turns to see Declan’s familiar blue eyes smiling down at her. She still feels a thrill skirt across her skin every time he touches her. His tall, broad form towers over her, protecting her from anything that might come to pass. But if there’s anything Kassie’s learned this summer, it’s that a solid wall is nothing without the beams that hold it up. And she plans to hold Declan up, to support him, as long as he’ll have her. They’re more than lovers now, after all—they’re a wonderful team.
“Care for a ride?” Declan asks now, running his hands down her lean, bare arms.
“You don’t want to stick around?” Kassie asks, spinning to face him on her barstool.
He plants his arms on either side of her, leans in close. A wicked grin twists the corner of his mouth as he lets his eyes trail down over her body. The cropped white halter and daisy dukes she’s rocking seem to be doing the trick for him. The look on his face is one she’s come to know quite well. It’s the one that says, in no uncertain terms, “I want you now”.
“Shipping off?” asks John Baxter, the president of Dante’s Nine.
“Yeah,” Declan says, laying an arm over Kassie’s shoulders as she stands beside him, “Thanks for the round.”
“You deserve it, after everything you’ve done for this club,” John says, “You’re certainly living up to your position here, Mr. Treasurer.”
“Fucking right,” laughs Chuck, the wiry vice president.
“Thanks, Dec,” say Frankie and Teddy, the club’s twin mountains of muscle.
“You guys are making me blush,” Declan laughs, “I can’t handle this touchy feely shit.”
“We’re just sayin’,” Sam shrugs, “Your loyalty means the world to this club.”
“I think we all know who our choice for president will be, when the time comes,” Kip says pointedly.
“It’s a no-brainer,” Ollie chimes in, nodding his inked-up head.
“Not that I’m planning on going anywhere anytime soon,” John laughs, “But when I do, my endorsement is already locked up.”
“Thank you guys,” Declan says, “Really, I’d do it all again. You’re my family.”
“Be that as it may,” Sam says, “If you could hold off on the whole sacrificing-your-life-thing for a while, that’d be just fine by the rest of us.”
“Duly noted,” Declan chuckles, “Catch you guys later.”
Kassie wraps her arm around Declan’s waist as they walk out into the gathering dusk. The raucous music and voices of the Forty-Five Club can barely be contained by the bar’s four walls. The sounds from within are only slightly muffled as the door swings shut. Kassie looks out over the Nevada landscape, the place that in a few short months has come to feel more like home than any other place she’s lived.
“Let’s go,” she says, wrapping her arms around Declan’s torso, “The sun’s just about to go—Hey!”
She cries out in pleased surprise as Declan spins her around, pressing her back up against the brick wall of the bar. He pins her there with his powerful hips as she runs her fingers through his dark brown curls.
“You just wanted to get me alone, Tiberi,” Kassie laughs, pretending to scold him as she lets her fingers trail across the hard panes of his chest, the defined, muscular ridges of his torso.
“Can you blame me?” he asks, his voice low and lusty, “You’re a goddamned vision, Kassie. I can’t get enough of you.”
“That goes for me too,” she replies, “But why don’t we test the theory?”
Declan leans into her, bringing his lips fiercely to hers. His familiar taste dances across her tongue as their mouths move together, hungry and searching. By now, they’ve discovered every inch of each other, but that will never mean that they stop exploring.
“Come on,” Declan growls, scooping Kassie up into his arms.
He carries her like a bride across the parking lot to where his Harley stands gleaming and ready. Her head falls back in laughter, the golden waves of her hair whipping in the breeze. Declan sets her down on the back of his bike and swings a sculpted leg over the seat. Kassie wraps her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against the back of his leather cut. The Dante’s Nine logo is emblazoned there, shining out like a beacon in the sunset light. Even with her gambling heart, she never could have guessed that a pair of dice could be so lucky.