Full download test bank at ebookmeta.

com

Bride for the Bikers: An MC Reverse Harem Romance

(Screaming Eagles MC Book 7) Stephanie Brother

For dowload this book click LINK or Button below

https://ebookmeta.com/product/bride-for-the-
bikers-an-mc-reverse-harem-romance-screaming-
eagles-mc-book-7-stephanie-brother/

OR CLICK BUTTON

DOWLOAD EBOOK

Download More ebooks from https://ebookmeta.com

More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Mafia Bosses A Dark Mafia Reverse Harem Romance Mafia

Devils Book 2 1st Edition Stephanie Brother

https://ebookmeta.com/product/mafia-bosses-a-dark-mafia-reverse-
harem-romance-mafia-devils-book-2-1st-edition-stephanie-brother/

Riot High Heat Dirty Bikers The Black Devils MC Book 2

1st Edition Kelsie Calloway

https://ebookmeta.com/product/riot-high-heat-dirty-bikers-the-
black-devils-mc-book-2-1st-edition-kelsie-calloway-2/

Riot High Heat Dirty Bikers The Black Devils MC Book 2

1st Edition Kelsie Calloway

https://ebookmeta.com/product/riot-high-heat-dirty-bikers-the-
black-devils-mc-book-2-1st-edition-kelsie-calloway/

Asher s Agony An MC Romance Trent Jordan

https://ebookmeta.com/product/asher-s-agony-an-mc-romance-trent-
jordan/
Battery Operated Roommates 7 1st Edition Stephanie
Brother

https://ebookmeta.com/product/battery-operated-roommates-7-1st-
edition-stephanie-brother/

Savage Daddy (MC Daddies Book 7) 1st Edition Laylah

Roberts

https://ebookmeta.com/product/savage-daddy-mc-daddies-book-7-1st-
edition-laylah-roberts/

Graveyard An MC Romance 1st Edition K L Savage

https://ebookmeta.com/product/graveyard-an-mc-romance-1st-
edition-k-l-savage/

Tempted by a King The Cruz Kings MC Book 1 A dark MC

romance B Lybaek Sarah Jd

https://ebookmeta.com/product/tempted-by-a-king-the-cruz-kings-
mc-book-1-a-dark-mc-romance-b-lybaek-sarah-jd/

Caged an Omegaverse Reverse Harem Romance Golden Cage

Omegas Book 1 1st Edition Mona Black

https://ebookmeta.com/product/caged-an-omegaverse-reverse-harem-
romance-golden-cage-omegas-book-1-1st-edition-mona-black/
 BRIDE FOR THE BIKERS

AN MC REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE

STEPHANIE BROTHER
Copyright © 2024 by Stephanie Brother
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for
the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the
author's imagination.
Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

Keep up to date with new releases.

Mailing list | Website | Facebook
Facebook Group | Instagram | Email
 CONTENTS
Bride for the Bikers
About the Author
 BRIDE FOR THE BIKERS

AN MC REVERSE HAREM ROMANCE

 1

LI G HT N I N G

IT ' S AN UGLY WORLD WE LIVE IN , AND GOD SURE AS FUCK DIDN ' T PUT THE FOUR OF US IN IT TO MAKE IT ANY PRETTIER .

The Diamond Oasis, a towering casino hotel made of glass, steel and white marble, looms over us like a monument to some
rich asshole’s dick envy. Which, if you ask me, is exactly what it is.
From the front, it gleams like Vincent Mesner’s got people fucking handwashing the thing every night. The alley behind it,
however, is another story. I kick my heel into the dumpster I’m leaning against, and the dull, metallic rattle is immediately
followed by surprised squeaks and rustling. I wonder if Mesner’s guests know all this fancy shit is just a paper thin veneer on
top of the same rat filled world the rest of us live in.
“Relax. Always in such a fucking hurry,” Thunder grumbles, glaring at me. “Right from your first breath.”
I grin. “You were right behind me, dickhead.” I’m the older brother, but only by minutes.
Shadow checks his phone. “Shut up, both of you. The door should unlock in three, two…”
The latch clicks right on time. “Fuck yeah, let’s do this. Mesner’s lucky Indie’s not dead or we’d be doing a lot more than just
crashing his fucking party.”
Outlaw nods, murder in his black eyes. On the surface, Mesner keeps his hands clean. Hotels, the casino, some kinda crypto
shit, but underneath, he’s got his fingers in all sorts of pots he wouldn’t want the public to know about. Like the dirty fucking
drugs that hit South Side—our turf—last month, killing two people and putting a dozen more in the hospital. Indie, one of the
regular sluts, who should’ve fucking been safe at the club party, was one of them, though she’s recovering.
When we first noticed something was up, Eagle-eye—the president of our club, the Screaming Eagles MC—sent a warning that
should’ve had Mesner backing up, but apparently he didn’t take it seriously.
He will after we’re done.
“Good to know the info’s solid,” growls Shadow, as he follows Thunder through the open backdoor. He loosens his shoulders
with a shake, like he's prepping to jump into a fighting ring. Then Outlaw, making sure his piece sits easy in his belt. The goal
isn't to get to shooting tonight, but if it comes down to it, we're fucking ready. I'm the last man in, closing the door behind us and
hiding that anyone ever passed through.
“That's the trouble with fancy-ass security,” says Thunder. “Only takes a greedy person or two, and it all fucking falls apart.”
“Or it’s a setup,” notes Outlaw, glancing up at the little black camera dome in the ceiling over us.
“Well, it either is, or it isn’t,” I say with a grin and a shrug. “Nothing we can do about it now. Let’s get in, fuck shit up, and get
the hell back out.”
Thunder gives the stairs a look. “How many floors did you say?”
“The whole building? Forty-two.” Shadow takes the lead up the first flight.
“Jesus fuck. You sure there isn’t a service elevator or something?” Even bitching, Outlaw doesn't hesitate to follow.
“We're only doing seven,” I say with a laugh, giving him a nudge right in the center of his Screaming Eagles back patch.
“You’re the fucking youngest. You should be running up these stairs.”
“Only by two years, asshole.”
“Shut it,” says Thunder from above, always business. We might be twins, but I'm the one who got the fun gene.
A door slams open a floor ahead, and a hotel staffer rushes down the stairs, pausing when he sees us coming up from below.
Obviously, a bunch of MC members isn't what he expected to run into. We step to the side and I put on my prettiest smile. From
the terrified look on the guy's face, my dashing good looks are wasted on him. “Come on, hop to it. Time's wasting.”
He skitters by, more worried about his job than whatever we’re doing in the stairwell, but only barely. I twitch my leg and he
jumps about a foot, rushing down to the next floor and escaping into wherever the door goes.
“Was that necessary?” asks Thunder, rolling his eyes at me.
“Oh come on, it was funny. It’s not like I actually tripped him.” The other guys chuckle, but Thunder just shakes his head.
“You’re the one who told me to relax, remember? If that stick was any further up your ass, you’d be spitting toothpicks.”
He flips me off without a word.
Finally, we get to the door to the seventh floor. The sign says “Staff only,” but we push through. I half expect cops to be waiting
on the other side, but it's empty, just as promised. So far, so good.
“Over here.” Shadow motions to a door labeled “Dome Maintenance”. We slip through, closing it behind us.
It’s a good thing I’m not scared of heights, because the door puts us right on a platform overlooking the casino seven floors
below. The building’s designed around a central column, like a straw standing on its end, with the hotel rooms wrapped around
a large central column that extends up from the casino on the first three floors. Filling the base is a huge ballroom, with black
and white checkered tile floor, burgundy walls, and a gigantic gold-plated white marble fountain in the middle of it. Fat baby
angels spurt water outta their mouths into a pool filled with the biggest fucking koi fish I've seen in my life.
And right in front of us hangs the crowning glory of the whole fucking palace, Mesner’s pride and joy. The largest chandelier in
the world, tens of tons of crystal, diamonds and steel. It stretches from where it's anchored on thick steel girders on our level,
down past the next few floors. I can’t even guess how much this shit cost him, but it’s his baby. The thing that put him on the
cover of architecture magazines, and what he uses as the logo on everything from the website to the fucking napkins. The lights
inside pulse like candles, making the whole thing shimmer.
I point. “Should we get something like that installed in the clubhouse?”
“Nah,” says Outlaw, grinning through his beard. “We got class.”
Thunder snorts.
Fucking it up is a perfect metaphor for what we'll do to him if causes trouble in South Side again.
There's a wedding about to start, and in about ten minutes the space will be packed with guests in tuxes and fancy dresses. We
knew that, of course. It's the whole fucking point. Mesner's daughter's getting hitched, and we're gonna make sure it's a day he
never fucking forgets.
Nitro, one of the boys back home, gave us a little package designed to go boom, and Shadow pulls it from his jacket. It's
compact, wrapped in brown paper and looks completely fucking harmless. You'd never think something that small could do the
kinda damage it's designed to.
I gesture at him. “Toss it here. I'll go place it.”
Shadow looks at me like I'm a fucking idiot. “I’m not tossing shit. If any of us are going to do it, it’s me. I don’t want the
supports to give out under you.”
“If the dome can handle the fucking chandelier, it can handle me. I'm not gonna make a fuck of a difference.” If anyone's the
actual wrecking balls in team Wrecking Ball, it's Thunder and me, but it’s not like I’m Godzilla, for fuck’s sake.
I snag the package before he can open his trap again and step onto the metal catwalk that provides access to the top of the
chandelier. My first steps are cautious, testing its strength. In theory, I have no fucking doubt it's strong enough, but the lizard
brain wants to know.
“If you’re going to talk the talk, then walk the fucking walk,” Thunder says in a low growl.
“I'm going, I'm going. Jesus.”
From up here, the ground floor feels a mile away. If I look down, I can see straight to the fountain below, and while I don't have
a fear of heights, there’s a damn surge in my gut like I'm coming down on a roller coaster. Still, I keep going. We need to time
this so it makes a huge, expensive fucking mess and scares the shit out of people, instead of tearing the wedding guests to
shreds.
At the center of the catwalk, there's a round metal platform, and a maintenance ladder that descends into the core of the
chandelier. It's so fucking monstrous that it's got the room for it. I slip the explosives into my vest and climb down so I'm outta
sight.
With all the bulbs on, it's like being inside the fucking sun. I unwrap Nitro's little package, then start attaching the C4 exactly
like he showed me. If I do this right, the whole fucking thing's gonna come crashing down when we hit the button. I want a good
view when it happens, because it's gonna be fucking glorious.
Music starts up below. The wedding’s about to start. I find a space between the bulbs to peek down into the foyer.
There's the man himself, Vincent Mesner, and on his arm… holy shit.
We knew this was his daughter’s wedding, but he must’ve had her hidden away because nobody knows who the fuck she is. I
figured she’d be hot, but I thought it would be in an artificial boob and nose job for her sixteenth birthday kind of way. I wasn't
expecting to see a gorgeous girl next door with the kind of figure that makes you want to sin, over and fucking over. Cleavage I
want to slide my dick through, and the kind of hips I’d dig my fingers into as I slam my cock into her. I bet that ass would jiggle
just right as I put her on all fours in front of me and showed her exactly what I'm fucking good for.
She looks up, and if I didn't fucking know better, I'd think she could see me, like she just heard my thoughts. For a moment, I
swear we lock eyes, before she looks away.
Never mind her figure, her face…
Big eyes, cute nose, rosy lips and artfully styled blonde curls pouring down over her shoulders from under a crown of
diamonds. Fuck, I know she's all done up for a wedding, but you can't fucking paint that beauty onto a face if it's not there to
start. I shouldn't be distracted by this shit while I'm busy planting a fucking bomb, but here we are. Jesus fucking Christ. Her
man's gonna be lucky. I'm jealous of that fucker already. I almost feel bad for what we’re about to do.
But that's not the face of a woman on the happiest day of her life. Fucking wedding day, she should be beaming, but she looks
miserable. Her expression is blank and fragile, like one wrong move and it could shatter just like this chandelier is about to.
What the fuck kind of wedding has the bride looking like she'd rather be anywhere else but here?
Whatever. It's none of my fucking business. And I can't make it my business. I've got a fucking job to do.
Still, it makes me wanna smooth her hair back and kiss her senseless until she forgets all about what's bothering her. And from
how tight my jeans feel, I'd be happy to comfort her in some other ways too.
With a resigned sigh, I give the explosives a last check. Need to get this over with so I can have one of the sluts take care of
business and clear my fucking mind. I can’t be letting some crooked billionaire’s brat get to me so much that I can’t do my
fucking job. I shimmy back up to the ramp and across back to the guys. “Job's done.”
Shadow pulls out his phone and flips up an app with a big button on it. “Time for the fireworks?”
I throw a last glance over my shoulder. We’re out of time. In a minute, the doors are going to open and Mesner and his hot as
fuck daughter will start the walk. I nod. “Start the timer.”
 2

HARPER

“YOU' RE SO BEAUTIFUL!” THE STYLIST EXCLAIMS AS SHE PUTS THE FINAL TOUCHES ON MY HAIR AND MAKEUP , SHAPING MY
eyebrows like Michelangelo finishing the Sistine Chapel.
Am I?
The face staring back at me from the mirror is a shell shocked stranger. A week ago I was so excited to meet my father for the
first time. A man who hardly seemed real after a lifetime of imagining who he could be, and then building him up in my head as
some kind of big hero for accepting me as his own and literally saving Mom’s life by paying for the experimental gene
treatment that was our only shot at keeping her alive.
One moment, I was barely making ends meet while watching Mom fade before my eyes, and the next, I’m in a designer
wedding dress about to get married to a man I’ve seen twice.
Like… what?
I smile at… Cate? Christy? No, Cassandra. “Thank you.” She's just doing her job. I bet my father paid her a lot to be here, but I
just feel numb.
In the mirror, the door opens behind me and the man himself comes in, dressed in a perfectly fitting black tuxedo that I bet
never saw a rack. “You look beautiful, darling.”
“Doesn’t she? Your daughter is a little nervous I think,” Cassandra says with a satisfied grin, spinning my chair around.
“Could you give us a minute before we go out there?” he asks her.
The stylist nods. “Sure, I’m all done anyway. Congratulations, Harper. I hope you have a wonderful wedding.”
I stand, the heavy silk wedding dress swirling around my legs. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and
probably cost enough to pay off the college debt that’s still hanging over my head from my two years of studying before I had to
drop out to take care of Mom. But I don’t want it. I don’t want any of this.
Vincent—I can’t bring myself to think of him as Dad—smiles. I hate it. The familiar way he treats me feels disingenuous. As
much as I want a relationship with him, we just met. I barely know him any better than the man he wants me to marry for
reasons of his own. I'm a convenient pawn in whatever game he's playing.
And I can’t help the small niggling doubts about why Mom always refused to tell me anything about my father or her life before
I was born. I always thought she was disowned and embarrassed about getting pregnant or something, but what if it was more
serious than that?
I wish I could talk to her, but the pain medications she was on when I found the old picture that brought me here made it
impossible to ask. She’s improving now at the rehabilitation facility, but the doctors told me any stress could jeopardize her
recovery.
“Mr. Mesner—” I start, but he cuts me off.
“Please. I’m your father. That sounds so formal.” His smile widens, and his bright white incisors look uncomfortably sharp.
“Um… yeah. Listen, I know I agreed to this, but does it have to happen today? It’s not like Devin will be heartbroken or
anything. He doesn’t even know me. I’m so grateful for everything you've done for Mom, for us, but I need more time.” I look
up at him hopefully. Maybe we just met, but I’m his daughter, right?
I search desperately for a glimpse of myself in his face. His hair is closer to brown while mine is light, but that’s not unusual.
But Mom’s a brunette too, though I’ve definitely got her jawline and nose, so I was hoping to see something. Like where I got
my blonde locks from. Maybe it’s from a grandparent.
His smile doesn’t budge. “We discussed this, Harper. I’ve done so much for you, haven’t I? Eileen's treatment, her
rehabilitation. You more than anyone knows how much of an investment that is. I’ve asked for nothing in return but your trust.
This is all a legal formality, something that will help make sure my business runs smoothly. I hate to seem like the bad guy here,
but delaying could mean my money is tied up and it would be difficult to continue—”
“Right, right. I know. I’m just nervous.” Two years. He told me I only had to stay married to Devin for two years and then
whatever legal tax game they’re playing would be done.
Two years in exchange for my mother’s life. Not that he’s been crude enough to phrase it exactly like that, but it doesn’t take a
genius to understand what he’s implying.
“Harper. You’re a sweet young woman. This isn’t the end of the world. I’m looking forward to taking this time to get to know
you. I don’t know why your mother left without telling me she was pregnant, but I assure you, if I’d known then things would
have been very different. You coming into my life at a time where we can both be there for each other is nothing short of a
miracle.” He straightens his cuffs. “And you never know. Devin is an attractive, well off man. Maybe sparks will fly.”
I seriously doubt that, but he's right. There's no way I could ever pay him back for everything he's done. He's saved Mom from
at worst death, and at best a lifetime of debt. I couldn't even pretend to afford the place she’s staying at now, even for just a few
months. What are a few years compared to that? All I have to do is sign some papers and pretend to be a happy wife to a man I
barely know.
Many women have done worse for less. It seems like such a dumb little thing in the big scheme of things, but at the same time
it's big for me. Not that I've had much time for dating lately, but it’s strange knowing that for at least the next couple years, I’m
giving up on finding the man of my dreams.
Mom is going to kill me when she finds out about this, but she’ll be alive to do it.
Steeling myself with determination, I put my hand on Vincent’s arm. He’s my father. The DNA test he’d insisted on said so. I
have to trust that even if he’s not what I imagined, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. “You’re right. It’s just so sudden. I’m
sure this will all work out.”
Gentle piano music swells as we emerge into the antechamber to the ballroom. In my stomach, a swarm of butterflies threaten
to burst right out like the scene from Alien. Not exactly the fluttery feeling I expected to have at my own wedding.
We step onto the red runner that leads into the gaudy entranceway and then to the ballroom where the guests are waiting. I never
imagined my wedding needing security, but guards stand at every door, looking exactly like what they are, with shades, suits
and curled wires sticking out of their ear pieces. They could be taken straight out of any movie that involves the line, “Get
down, Mr. President!”
My father raises his hand. “Go guard the front. No one goes in or out until this is done.” They nod and slip away. Then he looks
at me. “Smile.”
I do, even if I’m sure it isn’t fooling anyone.
Not for the first time, I wonder what my father really does to live this kind of lifestyle. Internet searches just told me he’s a
businessman, but does a casino owner really need this much security?
We pause at the doors, waiting for the wedding march to start. Right ahead is the ballroom antechamber, with a marble fountain
in the center. It would be centerpiece enough, but it’s almost an afterthought underneath the massive chandelier hanging above it
that stretches multiple floors upwards.
Movement near the top catches my eye. It could be a trick of the light, but is there someone up there? I peer harder, but I don't
see anything now. Just my imagination. What am I expecting? A masked crusader to come swinging in on a rope to pull me out
of this mess?
The doors on the other side of the chamber open and the crowd turns to watch. I don’t know a single one of the faces staring
back at me. “Why are they all here?” I whisper.
“They know what’s good for them,” he says in a self-satisfied growl. “Now let them see how beautiful you are. Look at the
photographer and smile like you mean it.”
I do my best. I really do, but the idea that there are going to be pictures to commemorate this moment makes me feel a little
queasy.
I can do this.
The first notes of the Wedding March start up, but just as we start to move, a massive explosion shakes the whole building.
Smoke and bits of debris billow down from above, but more terrifying than that is the painfully loud scream of twisting metal
right before the glass of the chandelier starts clinking together like an enormous wind chime.
We stare up in horror as it swings to one side, crashing into the wall. Metal shrieks again, and the entire glistening structure
plummets from above.
“Fuck,” Vincent swears, diving away and leaving me standing there alone in my wedding dress, watching what’s
simultaneously the most beautiful and terrifying thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
 3

HARPER

THE CHANDELIER HITS WITH A CRASH THAT ONLY THE SHATTERING OF TONS OF CRYSTAL, DIAMOND AND STEEL CAN MAKE. THE
floor shakes under my feet. I throw my arms up in front of my face and close my eyes as I turn away, trying to get back behind
the cover of the entryway. I can feel that I'm screaming, but can't hear it over the thundering of each tier of the chandelier
landing one after another.
Tiny slivers of glass tear over my skin like a blizzard of razor sharp ice crystals. Something lands over me. A blanket? No, a
jacket that smells like leather, cloves and motor oil.
“Move!” a deep voice yells. One of the guards?
Everything happens so quickly. Whoever helped me shoves me out of the way and back into the antechamber. The jacket is
ripped away, and I see two men, but they’re definitely not guards. Not unless some of them are undercover in leather, denim
and motorcycle boots.
“This is fucked,” growls the first one, his voice raspy and as hard and dark as his expression.
He's built like a brick wall—tall, broad and unbreakable. His black T-shirt struggles to keep his massive physique contained.
His jeans struggle too, stretched tight over his powerful thighs and—oh God, I rip my eyes away but the information that he
hangs to the right is seared forever into my brain. His dark brown hair is cut short, and so's his beard, clinging to a strong jaw.
The big muscly type was never my thing, but I’m willing to reconsider.
And apparently they come in twos, because the other man looks just like him, and by that I mean almost exactly like him. But
his expression is lighter, more playful. He’s looking me over in a way that has nothing to do with checking to make sure I’m
okay. On a man like him, it's the kind of look that makes a girl’s ovaries go wheeee!
“I don't know,” he says. The smirk on his short-bearded face is roguish and confident. He winks. His eyes are deep brown
chocolate pools I could go skinny dipping in. “It could be worse.”
“Keep it in your fucking pants. She’s getting married and we don’t have fucking time,” the first man snaps as he shakes out his
jacket and puts it back on.
The words snap me out of my daydreams. This wedding might be a sham, but other people aren’t supposed to know that, and
these aren’t the kind of thoughts a bride-to-be should have about two random guys, even if they happen to be ridiculously hot in
a screw you within an inch of your life, then gone in the morning kind of way.
God, what am I even thinking? There might be people hurt in there! “Someone go check on the photographer. He was right on
the other side!”
“Security!” roars Vincent, right behind me. Apparently he didn’t go far. He puts a possessive hand on my shoulder and glares at
the new arrivals. “Who the fuck are you? Are you responsible for this?” His voice is tight with barely controlled fury.
The expression on the playful one’s face goes stone hard in an instant. “Yeah, and you’re fucking lucky we weren’t here to do
worse. Next time the Screaming Eagles want to talk, pick up your fucking phone.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” my father growls, but the brief pause before he answers makes me certain he’s lying.
“The fuck you don’t,” growls the serious twin. The sharp glare he levels at Vincent would slice him in half if it could. “Your
business is no longer welcome in our territory. Next time we even get a fucking sniff that you’re supplying to our people, that’s
it, Mesner.”
A door on the opposite side of the room slams open, spitting out one of Vincent's black-clad security guys. He tumbles limply,
landing in a heap. Two more guys in leather jackets and motorcycle boots pop out. This time I double check, but at least they're
not twins.
The one in front stops so suddenly the man following close behind almost runs into him. His sharp jaw is covered in a ten
o'clock shadow. A vicious scar leaves a pale line slashing through it on the left side of his face, making him look dangerous.
Unlike the twins, he’s built like an endurance athlete. Muscular, but in a sleeker, more deadly way. The twins could break down
a wall, but he's the death lurking in the shadows of your house without you even knowing he's there. Deep hazel eyes under
dark brows widen when he sees me. If our eyes weren't so closely locked that there's no doubt who he's looking at, I'd think
there was something going on behind me.
The last of the four has a thick, auburn beard. He might be the last one in, but he’s not the least by any means. His jacket is
ripped off at the shoulders, baring muscular arms covered in black ink that stretches up and over his neck. A blood red t-shirt is
underneath his jacket vest, pulled tight over the kind of V-shaped torso a boxer might have. His black eyes scan over me
quickly then case the room. There’s already a gun in his hand.
Oh my God, it's a gun.
Everything goes crazy all at once as more of Vincent’s guards come piling in from the main hall with weapons drawn. “Get
them!” my father yells, his voice shrill with fury.
Fast as lightning, the biker with the scar—the one who seemed so deadly—wraps his thick arm around my throat as he presses
something hard against the side of my head. I don't need more than one guess to realize what it is. I try to scream, but his arm is
too tight.
“One step closer, and the bride fucking gets it,” he snaps.
Oh shit.
 4

HARPER

“WHAT ’ S THE FUCKING PLAN ?” GROWLS THE SERIOUS TWIN AS THEY PULL ME BACKWARDS .

I'm so screwed.
Vincent and his men watch us angrily, but they keep their distance. As long as there's a gun to my head, I'm guessing they won't
try anything. I hope so, at least.
“Your message has been delivered. Let her go,” my father snarls from safely behind his guards.
“Please,” I whimper. “I don’t know anything about what’s going on. I don’t want to die.”
The biker's hard, chiseled body is flush with mine, and his grip is like iron. He's not choking me hard enough to keep me from
breathing, but with his arm wrapped tight over my throat and his gun at my temple, I'm not going anywhere. I have no chance
against strength like his.
“Behave yourself, and you'll be back to saying ‘I do’ soon enough, got it?” His low, gravelly voice in my ear might be
comforting in another situation, but right now it sends terrified shivers racing down my spine. This is the kind of man who does
what he wants and takes what he wants, and right now, that means me. “We don't wanna hurt you, but we're not gonna let your
Daddy's goons use us for target practice either.”
My throat works against his tattooed arm as I swallow hard. I shouldn’t trust him, but what choice do I have? “Okay,” I
whisper shakily. God, I sound so helpless. If I get out of this, I’m signing up for self-defense classes.
“That’s right, be a good girl,” he whispers, and my stupid body melts.
There must be something wrong with me that the first people I’ve reacted to on this sort of level are criminals. This man has a
gun to my head and hearing him call me a good girl is making me all warm and fuzzy.
“You’ll never get away with this.” Vincent is furious, his voice wound tighter than a hangman's noose. “Your dirty fucking biker
gang just destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of my property. If you shoot her. What’s stopping me from utterly destroying
you?”
The serious twin growls, like a freaking animal, a gun in his hand, aimed right at Vincent. “You don’t want to fuck with us,
Mesner. Tell your guys to stand down and she’ll walk away safe and sound. But if anything happens to us, the Eagles won’t
stop until this whole fucking place is a pile of rubble. Now, back the fuck off, we're leaving.”
My dress makes it hard to keep up as they drag me down sweeping marble steps towards the lobby. Last week I stepped
through those doors for the first time, in awe of the fact that Vincent—my father—owns this whole place. The white marble
steps, the glass and chrome railings, and everything plated with gold. Gaudy, sure, but no more so than any of the other temples
to greed and vice that this city is based on. Nobody would be impressed by a modest, tasteful casino. I thought all my problems
would be solved, and maybe, just maybe, I would finally have a complete family.
I was angry and a little tipsy when I sent a note to the email address scribbled on the back of Mom’s old photo. A part of me
had been ready to blame him if he was really my father, but when I realized that Vincent never even knew about me until I
contacted him, I didn’t know what to think.
I obviously don’t know everything about him. Hearing him smoothly threaten bikers who have a gun to my head just confirms
what I was already starting to believe. Vincent Mesner isn’t just a businessman and investor. There’s something dirty about
him, and there is probably a reason Mom made the choice she did.
Vincent watches us from the top of the stairs as we reach the bottom. He's furious, but keeping his distance. One of his security
guards starts to lift his gun, and Vincent stops him with a curt gesture. Devin finally appears, rushing to my father’s side, face
dark with rage.
The staff are all pressed against the walls and taking cover behind whatever they can find. Nobody here is going to risk their
own neck to save me, and I don’t blame them. Even if they wanted to, the chance of getting to me before at least one of the
bikers starts shooting is miniscule.
“You're doing good,” the biker whispers harshly in my ear. “Just fucking perfect. Keep it up, and you'll be back to loverboy in
no time.”
“I don’t care about him. Just don’t shoot me,” I whisper honestly.
I don't want to be a hostage, and I really don’t want this gun pointed at my head. I'm terrified to imagine what they might do to
me, but… being returned to Vincent so I can marry Devin doesn't exactly fill me with any kind of joy, either.
“Everyone just keep your fucking distance!” the playful twin shouts, his voice echoing off the cavernous room. “We don't need
any fucking heroes.” He and the bearded guy with the vest and tattoos pan their guns around the room, while the serious twin
covers Vincent. They work together seamlessly, like they've done this a million times.
A moment later, we're outside in the crippling summer heat under the carport where the limo waits to whisk me and Devin off
to our honeymoon. The shocked expression on the driver's face is almost comical, even in my position. She takes one look at
us, decides she’s not getting paid nearly enough to be a hero and runs, leaving the car door open.
“The cops are already on their way,” Vincent yells, him and his men coming down the stairs, but slowly and keeping away.
“Let her go.”
“Please,” I say, even though a small, guilty part of me feels relief at the idea of being stolen away from my own wedding. How
messed up is that?
“You'll be fine. Just a little further,” the biker holding me says.
“Bikes are too far,” growls the serious twin. “We can't drag her through the whole damn city.”
The man holding me barks out a laugh. “We'll take the limo.”
“You fucking kidding me?” the serious twin groans.
“Do it.” And I guess if this guy says so, then they're all in.
I expected to leave the wedding in the limo, but this wasn't how I pictured it—at gunpoint with three violent bikers in the back
and the fourth one behind the wheel. They push me in first, putting me in the seat that faces backwards. I reach for the door
handle, but the serious twin grabs me before I can even try it, squeezing in next to me. The one with the scar that was holding
me sits across from me, with the auburn-bearded biker next to him. The playful twin gets behind the wheel and floors it. The
limo shoots out with surprising power.
The sudden lurch throws me right out of my seat and into the lap of the biker who dragged me here in the first place. He catches
me with a laugh and holds me.
“You so eager to get your wedding night started that you don’t even wanna wait for the groom? What's your future husband
gonna think?”
I try to push away, but he's too strong. “Let go of me.”
The limo corners hard, and only his grip keeps me from rolling right over into the other biker's lap. “Gonna keep you safe right
here, babe.”
I dig my nails into his thighs, holding on for dear life as we careen through the city streets. Sirens sound in the distance, but are
they close enough to follow? What happens if they catch up? What happens if they don't? When the bikers don't have any reason
to keep me alive anymore? I shut my eyes hard and squeeze as a wave of panic comes over me, making me shiver like I've got
some kind of fever.
“Shh. You're gonna be fine,” says the guy under me, pulling me closer against him. He puts my back flush against his broad
chest and his arms close around me, comforting instead of constricting. Powerful. Warm. “Easy, easy. I swear it. Hey, what's
your name?”
“Huh?” The unexpected question distracts me, if only for a moment.
“I’m Shadow. What's your name?”
“Ha—Harper,” I get out through my chattering teeth.
“Nice. It's a pretty name. Pretty name for a pretty bride.” I shudder against him. Pretty bride? I'm still not ready for that,
kidnapping or not. “Hey, we're not gonna hurt you, okay. Now, the big bruiser over there is Thunder, and the asshole driving the
car that looks just like him, but without the common sense, is Lightning.”
“Fuck you,” snaps Lightning.
Then he gestures next to us. “And pretty boy over there is Outlaw.”
Outlaw smiles, and in spite of how terrifying he looks with all those tattoos, it's one heck of a smile, I'll give him that. He flicks
his tongue, and a piercing sparkles at me.
“Um… nice to meet you?”
“Honey, we know you don't mean that,” Shadow says. “But we didn't have much choice. This wasn’t exactly the plan, but the
timing got fucked up and we couldn’t exactly let you get fucking crushed on your wedding day, right? We'll let you off as soon
as we're clear so you call your Daddy and get a cab back.”
We corner again, the wheels screaming, and Shadow's arms tighten. Why is it that a man like him makes me feel safe, when a
hug from my father does the opposite? What if… what if I didn’t call Vincent? What if I just went home and put all of this
behind me? It's a stupid fantasy, because they could still execute me and leave me in the desert somewhere, but… maybe not?
They’re obviously dangerous, but they don’t seem like monsters.
We leave the Strip behind, along with its fancy hotels and casinos, and head into much rougher looking neighborhoods. You
don't think about stuff like that when you think about Vegas, but I guess every city has them, even the ones famous for their glitz
and glamor. This feels much more like where Mom and I live, to be honest, a bit more like home. Poor neighborhoods, full of
ordinary people, who don't have billions of dollars to spend on a chandelier that literally no one other than Vincent cares
about.
I don't hear sirens anymore, so does that mean that we got away? Relief floods me at that for some reason. The sensible thing
would be to actually want the cops here.
“We need to ditch this thing. A limo sticks out like sore fucking thumb,” growls Thunder. I'm not sure he communicates in any
other way.
“Pull over there,” says Outlaw, pointing at a strip mall that looks like it's been closed for years. “Around the back.”
We come to a stop behind the building. Thick strips of paint are peeling off the walls and the asphalt is pocked with wispy,
brown weeds growing through it. Outlaw pops open the door and a dry, hot gust of wind rushes into the car, making the AC
kick into overdrive. “C'mon.”
A moment later, it's me and four giant bikers in an abandoned loading zone, and I'm hugging myself despite the heat. “What
happens now?” I ask nervously.
Lightning stretches, showing off not just his powerful chest and arms, but also the grip of his gun sticking out of his belt. “You
got a phone?”
“Yeah,” I admit reluctantly. What if they take it? “If my luggage is in the trunk like it’s supposed to be. We were supposed to go
straight to the airport and fly to Hawaii for the honeymoon.”
“Lucky you. Nothing that fancy waiting for us,” says Outlaw. “But with a daddy like that, I'm guessing there aren't many places
you haven't been.”
I snort. “This is the first time I’ve even been on this side of the country.” I shake my head. “I haven't been… been anywhere!
Just home with Mom and—”
“This isn’t a fucking tell us your life podcast,” interrupts Thunder. “Get your phone, call yourself an Uber or something and go
home to Daddy. We're getting the fuck outta here.” In spite of his growly demeanor, I swear he’s giving my cleavage just as
much attention as his twin.
“You're seriously going to leave me here? A single woman alone wearing… this?” I gesture up and down my dress, where my
little train has taken on a distinctly gravelly tinge, even if the rest is still beautiful. “I'm going to get mugged or worse before
anyone gets here.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have drawn their attention to the dress that shows off my breasts and snatches my waist perfectly, since the
way all four pairs of eyes follow my hands up and down makes me wonder if I might be in trouble faster than I thought. The
thought doesn’t scare me as much as it probably should.
“Sorry, babe,” Lightning says, sounding almost like he means it. Like he regrets giving me back. “We can't stick around. We got
some things to figure out, a limo to ditch, and I'm pretty sure that when your ride comes, there's gonna be a fuckload of the city’s
finest coming with it. I don’t really want to be here when that happens, you know?” He adjusts the gun in his belt.
With a thick swallow, I glance down, then yank my gaze right back up, since I don't want him getting the wrong idea. From the
way he smirks, I wasn’t nearly fast enough.
I was ready to marry Devin for Vincent’s sake in spite of not knowing him, but now that I’m not there, under their control,
what’s stopping me from just leaving? Mom’s treatment is done. They can’t undo it. Sure the rehab place is nice, but I’m used
to caring for her myself, and I already owe an impossible amount to my student loans, what’s more after a certain point? Just
bigger numbers.
On the other hand, my father might not be the white knight I imagined him to be, but I don’t know if I’m ready to completely
give up on ever having a relationship with him. But if I'm someone's captive, it's not my fault that I'm not at the wedding. He
can't fault me for that, right?
I lick my lips and draw my fingers across my breasts, giving them the biggest, most innocent, pleading eyes I can. “Take me
with you.”
All four of their gazes snap up from my boobs to my face, where they look at me with confused expressions. It'd be funny if my
situation wasn't so serious. “What?”
“Don't give me back. Take me with you.” They look between each other, confused. “Please. I’ll do whatever you want. Just
don’t take me back. Not yet.”
Shadow cocks his head. “The fuck?”
 5

THUNDER

I FUCKING HATE COMPLICATIONS .

Taking a hostage was fucked up enough in the first place, but now we’re the fucking hostages until we can get clear of this girl.
She might not have a gun to our heads, but those big blue eyes are nearly as bad. There’s a knot in my gut telling me we need to
cut ties fast or we’re going to find ourselves balls deep in trouble.
“We should leave her here, go get our bikes and get the fuck out of town.” I feel like an asshole saying it, but it’s the fucking
truth. This shithole hotel isn’t gonna hide us for long, but it gives us a few moments to figure out what the fuck to do next.
Shadow nods. “No shit, but at this point cops are going to be crawling all over town. We might as well lay low until morning.”
The door slams open and there’s three guns pointed before we register it’s Outlaw. “Fuck, man. Ever heard of knocking? I’d
hate to put a bullet through a brother.”
He rolls his eyes. “Who the fuck else would it be? Everything’s good. I ditched the limo on the highway. Hopefully it looks like
we got picked up and we’re already long gone.”
“Which leaves us with one major problem,” Lightning says, gesturing to the second bed with the butt of his gun as he slips it
back under his vest.
Harper.
She’s sitting there with her legs hugged against her, looking like we just stole her off the cover of a bridal magazine. She hasn’t
said a fucking word since begging to not get left behind, just stares at us like we’re the fucking bad guys and she’s
reconsidering how good an idea it was to hitch her train to the four of us.
Don’t fucking blame her. We did blow up her wedding.
Shadow crosses his arms over his chest. As the officer in our group, he’s the one that has to report back to Prez, and his word’s
final. “What do you say, babe? The door’s right there. Don’t suppose you want to use it. Because I’m gonna be real fucking
honest here, you’re a big fucking liability and I don’t see what the fuck we’re getting out of this arrangement.”
“Yeah. Ass, grass or gas, sweetheart. Pick your poison,” Outlaw says with a grin.
Harper’s eyes turn into big fucking saucers and her knuckles go white as her delicate hands clench her dress like a safety
blanket. “I know—Oh, God. I… I did say I’d do whatever you want, but…”
I know exactly what they’re doing, trying to scare her into getting the fuck out of our hair, but I gotta admit, I’m no boy scout, so
I’m not sure what I’d do if she said yes. She looks fucking amazing in that dress, all done up like a princess with those perfect
pink lips just made to wrap around my cock. I have to adjust myself at the thought, and of course she fucking notices, looking
even more terrified.
“Drop the act. An hour ago you were about to say ‘I do’ to some fucking goon in a suit, then you were begging to go with us and
now you’re thinking about fucking the four of us?” my twin asks with a snort. “Damn, girl. That’s cold. I mean, you’re fucking
gorgeous and we’d make it real good for you, but I’m glad I’m not the one marrying you.”
“Give her a break, Lightning—”
Shadow holds up a hand. “No, let her answer. If the cops come busting through the door, she’s not the one whose pretty ass is
on the line. I want to know exactly what pile of shit I’ve stuck my boot in.”
“Like I would marry you, anyway” she snaps, blue eyes sparking with the first real sign of spirit since she begged to come with
us. Nice. Hot. “I didn’t want any of this. Not that any of you care, but marrying Devin wasn’t my idea. I barely know him.”
“Then why the hell were you?” I ask. “Don’t listen to these assholes. Nobody’s going to make you do shit, but we’re not
running a fucking charity here. From where I’m sitting you look like a grown ass woman who can make her own fucking
decisions. Last I checked, it’s still a free country.”
Her face falls. “I know, but… it’s complicated.”
“Girl, if you were trying to make it less complicated, this wasn’t the way to do it,” Outlaw says, shaking his head.
She stares down at her pink, manicured fingers, fidgeting with her dress and looking so lost it makes me want to fix whatever
the fuck is going on in her life that made us seem like a good option. “I know. What am I doing? I should go back. I just needed
to get away from there so I could breathe again. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I didn’t know what else to do. I swear I’m not
usually this useless. I keep waiting for my alarm to go off so I can wake up.”
Lightning has the decency to look a little guilty. “So what’s your deal? Is someone forcing you to marry that guy? Mesner?”
She licks her lips, and trust me, we’re all fucking watching. “Yes… No… Not exactly, but I owe him a lot. It all made sense
when he explained it, but there hasn’t been time to think, you know?”
“Fucking rich girl problems.” Outlaw sits down at the desk in the corner, and pulls out his gun to check it over. He might not
have used it today, but he takes his gear seriously. He gestures at her. “Look at you. If you don’t wanna fucking marry someone,
then don’t. It’s not like you don’t got options.”
Harper blinks at him like she can’t quite tell if that was an insult or a compliment. Knowing Outlaw, it was both. He’s a touchy
jackass, but not a bad guy at heart.
Shadow nods. “Your luggage is right there. Change clothes, get on a fucking plane and don’t look back.”
Her whole body slumps until her chin is resting on her knees. “I wish it was that easy. Even without Devin or my father, there
are other people I can’t walk away from.”
“Look. As far as anyone knows, we’re still holding you hostage right now,” I say. “I’m not going to pretend to know your life. I
don’t understand why you’d agree to marry someone you don’t seem to give a shit about, or why you got cold feet, but we’re
not going anywhere tonight. It’s not much, but you said you need time to think. Stay here and figure your shit out.”
“Really?”
Shadow runs a hand over his short, cropped hair and sighs. “In for a penny, in for a pound, right? Go change into something that
makes this look a little less like the start to a porno and give us a minute to talk.”
Harper’s face flushes bright red and her jaw drops before she scrambles off the bed and rummages through the honeymoon
luggage she hauled outta the limo, grabbing a bunch of shit and escaping to the bathroom. Damn she’s cute when she blushes.
“This is a bad fucking idea,” Outlaw says in a low, serious tone once she’s out of the way. “She’s Mesner’s daughter. We’re
here to hit him in the wallet and go home, not start a fucking blood feud.”
“No shit, Sherlock, but what is it we shoulda done exactly? Dumped her out of the fucking limo?” I drop my ass onto the bed
she was sitting on. “She fucking begged us to take her. I thought she’d be gone the second she got the chance.”
“Same,” Shadow says with a nod. “We keep our heads down tonight, get our bikes back before the city wakes up and get the
fuck out of this town. I don’t care how good her tits look in that dress. Harper isn’t our fucking problem. Agreed?”
The shower turns on in the bathroom, and it’s impossible not to imagine her in there. Naked with wet, silky rivers of water
running down those tits we aren’t supposed to think about, dripping off her ass and sliding between her legs.
“What about out of the dress? Lightning asks with a shit eating grin.
“A-fucking-greed?” Shadow bites out.
“Yeah, yeah…”
“If I hear any of you fuckers jerking off tonight, I’m going to fucking lose it,” Outlaw growls. “Girls like her are traps. She
looks all sweet and innocent, but she was wearing a dress paid for with Daddy’s dirty drug money and, last minute jitters or no,
she was all ready to marry whoever the fuck he pointed at until we gave her an easy out.”
I wanna jump to her defense, but fight the urge. Lightning’s my kin by blood, but every man in here is my brother, and Outlaw
ain’t wrong. My gut’s telling me she’s not fucking with us on purpose, but that doesn’t mean getting messed up with her shit
won’t drown us all the same.
 6

HARPER

I’ M IN SOOOO MUCH TROUBLE.

I pull my phone out from under my boobs, where I shoved it earlier for safekeeping and turn on the shower to cover any noise.
Can someone trace my location if I make a call? Or is that just a movie thing? Maybe I shouldn’t risk it, but after the day I’ve
had, I need to hear that Mom is okay. I hit the contact number for the rehab center and someone answers after a few rings.
“Lillyglade Medical Center, Penny speaking. How can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m calling to check on Eileen Simmons? This is her daughter.”
“Oh! Harper! How are you, hun? How is your trip going?”
I look down at myself and a slightly manic giggle slips out. “Fine. It’s great. Everything’s fine.”
“Good! Your mom’s in great hands so take this time to recharge your batteries. Her recovery is right on schedule. We’re dialing
back the medications so she’s starting to be more alert, but still sleeping most of the time. Her friends come to visit every day
and talk to her. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
Something inside unwinds a tiny bit. Everything else might be messed up in my life right now, but Mom’s safe. No matter what
happens, all this has been worth it. She took care of me by herself my whole life and I didn’t appreciate how hard that must’ve
been until I had to do the same for her. “You’ll tell her I called if she asks for me, right? Tell her I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Of course, honey.”
I finish the call and glance at the mirror over the sink. The woman that looks back isn’t me. I don’t even recognize her.
I’ve got to get out of this dress. No matter how beautiful it is, it doesn’t feel like mine.
I nearly fall into the tub as I dance around contorting my arms to get at the hook between my shoulder blades. Once the hook is
off and I’m working the zipper down, I’m nearly frantic as I pull it off, and rip out the bobby pins holding my hair in place,
desperate to be free. I throw them aside, not caring where they go and ignoring the clatter of them bouncing around. The hotel
bathroom looks like it hasn’t seen an update since the nineties, but as soon as the hot water hits my face, I let out a breath I feel
like I’ve been holding since I first laid eyes on Vincent Mesner and got a sinking, sour feeling in my stomach.
After scrubbing until my skin is flushed pink and my fingers wrinkly, I put on the silk pajamas that my father’s stylist bought for
me, along with all the other fancy clothes I was supposed to wear on my “honeymoon” with Devin. A guy I don’t even know
well enough to hate. If the criminals—hot criminals, but come on, let’s be real—in the other room hadn’t shown up when they
did, we’d be finishing the reception and heading to the airport for our flight to Hawaii right now, probably.
What happened after they drove me away? Is my face all over the news? Are the police looking for me?
I could check my phone and answer that question myself, but I don’t really want to know. I want to live in this bubble for just a
little bit longer.
Someone bangs on the door. “Yo! Harper! Everything good in there?”
“I’ll be out in a sec!” I give myself another pass in the mirror. I’d throw away the pajamas too if I could, but it’s the only
nightwear I’ve got. Other than that, I’m already feeling a lot more like myself. The eyes looking back at me are bloodshot and
strained, but with the war paint scrubbed off and my hair down, I suddenly see me again.
With my massive wedding dress in my arms like a shield, I leave the bathroom and meet four very curious stares. Someone
must have gone out to a gas station or a convenience store, because there’s a couple six packs of beer and bags of snacks
spread out over the dresser.
“Fuck,” the one called Shadow, who seems to be in charge, whispers under his breath. Mossy eyes with flecks of gold and
green rake over me.
I thought feeling more like myself was a good thing, but I hadn’t considered that without the makeup and dress, they are seeing
me. Just me. Not Mesner’s daughter, the kidnapped bride, but a twenty-one year old college drop-out, who’s now very trapped
in a hotel room with four very dangerous men.
They are all so different. Lightning is rougher than my usual type, but seems like the kind of guy I could meet at a bar, while his
identical twin Thunder seems way more serious and intimidating. Outlaw, with his hard, black eyes and tousled red-brown
curls, stares at me for a long moment before shaking his head and taking a swig out of the bottle in his hand. He’s the one that
makes me the most nervous. If all four were like him, I would’ve hopped out of the car at the first opportunity and never looked
back.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to take so long,” I mumble.
“We talked about it while you were in the shower. You take the bed by the wall and we’ll rotate using the other one tonight,”
Shadow says, nodding towards the bed I was sitting on earlier.
“Are you sure? It’s a double,” I volunteer out of politeness before thinking about what that would mean. “Just to sleep. I didn’t
mean—”
“If you wanna share, ain’t nobody here going to argue,” Lightning says with a sparkle in his warm chocolate eyes. “One at a
time or you think you can handle us all?”
“Why would you want to? I thought I was a cold bitch who left her fiancé at the altar. Maybe I’ll stab you in your sleep or
something,” I grumble as I climb onto the bed.
Before I know it, my back is pressed into the mattress and there’s a whole lot of man staring straight down at me, Lightning’s
face is close enough that I can smell the sweet, hoppy scent of beer on his breath. The lighthearted joker is nowhere to be
found. “Was that a threat?”
“Search her,” Shadow snaps.
“I was joking!”
Thunder pulls the dress out of my arms and tosses it in the corner. Stone faced, he and the others watch as Lightning’s hands
skim my body, not leaving an inch untouched. He’s fast and professional. In spite of the crude jokes, there’s nothing sexual
about the way he pats me down. Obviously there’s no knife, but he does find the phone I have tucked into the waistband of the
pajama pants. He hands it over to Shadow.
I curl up, shrinking away from Lightning. “It’s just a phone. There’s nothing to find there.”
Shadow holds it out. “Unlock it then.”
“Fine.” I’m telling the truth, but my hands still shake as I punch in my code and hand it back.
He frowns and puts the phone up to his ear. I hear Penny’s voice answer again, but he hangs up quickly without saying anything.
“Why did you make that call?”
“None of your business. It had nothing to do with this.”
“Wake up! Everything you fucking do right now is our business. We aren’t playing a fucking game,” Outlaw snaps. He shakes
his head with an angry growl. “She’s gonna get us killed with this bullshit and then go right back to her cushy little life.”
“You don’t know anything about me! That’s the place taking care of my mom! I check on her every day and I hadn’t called yet
today. Are you happy? Keep the phone if it makes you feel better. I might owe you a lot, but I don’t owe you my life story.”
“Harper, you have to see this from our side,” Thunder starts.
“No, she’s right. Leave her alone. We’ll split up in the morning anyway,” Shadow says, interrupting him. “The sooner we can
all get the fuck out of here the better.”
 7

HARPER

THE ROOM IS PITCH BLACK, BUT SOMETHING WAKES ME UP . MAYBE IT ’ S JUST BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I’ M PRESSED UNDER A
weighted electric blanket, solid and close against my back. It's holding me close, and it's such a nice way to slowly wake up.
Warm breath skates over my neck in time with the sound of slow, deep breathing.
Sometime during the night one of them must have taken me up on the offer to share the bed. I don’t know which of us snuggled
up to the other, but as nice as it feels, I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. I slide my hand between us, trying to make a
little room. It’s not until my fingers hit bare, warm skin that I realize exactly how much trouble I’m in. That I don’t snatch my
hand back right away must be because I’m still half asleep. It’s definitely not because there is just no way that what’s pressing
against my palm could be what I think it is. Do they even come that big?
The few fumbling experiments I’ve done with boyfriends in the past did not prepare me for this.
His breath hitches, and I've never pulled my hand back as quickly as I do just now.
Oh.
My.
God.
I just touched…
“Well, that's one way to say good morning,” comes Thunder’s voice from behind me, rough with sleepiness.
Oh no. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to turn back time. He's going to think that… that I… “I didn't mean to!”
“Didn't realize what?” Lightning asks from across the room. He shines his phone flashlight our way.
“Some of us are fucking sleeping,” groans Outlaw.
It’s a good thing we’re going our separate ways today, because I don’t know if I can look any of them in the eyes after this.
Especially Thunder.
He laughs behind me, a low sleepy chuckle that makes me flutter in places it probably shouldn’t. His hand comes to rest on my
hip, but outside the covers. “As flattered as I am that you can't keep your hands off me, I don’t think we have time for that kind
of shit. What time is it?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”
My face burns like it's on fire. A little hotter, and maybe it'll just melt me away so I don't have to face him. The bed next to us
creaks and the overhead light flickers on.
“Time to move,” Shadow says, voice still rough. “According to the girl at the desk last night, their laundry service should show
up in about a half an hour.”
“Why would she tell you that?”
He looks at me with the kind of smirk that tells me the answer without words. All he’s wearing are boxer briefs, and the view
has me swallowing hard. These guys might be bad news, but that doesn’t change the fact that he looks sculpted for pleasure.
His broad chest tapering to a tight V, covered in scars and tattoos, with long, strong legs. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
It’s impossible not to watch as he pads with panther-like grace to the bathroom.
Lightning laughs out loud. “Guess one cock’s not enough.”
Thunder chuckles, and even Outlaw snorts in spite of clearly hating me.
“Don’t be gross,” I grumble.
“Nothing gross about being human,” says Thunder, not hiding the amusement in his tone. “Look all you want. Shit, I’d let you do
more than that if we had the fucking time. I gotta ask, Harper. Tell me to fuck off if it’s none of my business, but we gotta wait
for Shadow to get outta the shower and you don’t seem like the kind of pushover that would just do whatever the fuck she was
told. What the fuck is going on?”
Ugh. I sit up, running my finger through my hair to comb out the tangles from letting it dry overnight. Last night, I couldn't
imagine spilling all of this to my kidnappers. Maybe it’s having gotten some sleep, or just wanting someone to listen, but today
I suddenly have a hard time keeping it in. “It's a long story. I never knew my father. Vincent. No matter how many times I asked,
Mom wouldn’t say a word. All she ever told me was that it was another life, best forgotten. We didn’t have any other family
that I knew about, so I figured she must’ve been disowned when she got pregnant with me. She was young. I never wanted her
to feel sad about it, so I stopped asking eventually.”
“So Mesner was the one that tracked you down?” Lightning asks.
I shake my head. “No. A couple years ago Mom had a stroke. The doctors thought it was a random thing, but she kept having
these episodes, and they couldn’t figure out what was going on. She… she kept getting worse and the doctors ran out of ideas
that our crappy insurance would cover.” Even knowing she has a good chance at recovering now, it’s hard to talk about it.
About dropping out of school to take care of her and work longer hours when she couldn’t anymore. About knowing there were
potential treatments available but a computer somewhere didn’t think my mother was worth it. “A couple months ago, she was
in the hospital. I was scared she wasn’t going to make it, so I started going through her things and found an old box full of stuff
from when she was a teenager. There was a picture of her with this guy…”
“Mesner?”
“Yeah, but I had no idea who he was. There was just a V with a heart on the back, and an email. I wasn’t really expecting
anything, but I was sad and alone, and this was someone who—even if he wasn’t my father—was a part of Mom’s past. Maybe
it would at least be someone who could mourn with me after she was gone, you know?”
Shadow picks that moment to come back out, skin glistening and still only wearing his boxer briefs. “So you sent him an email
and he just claimed to be your father?”
“The fucker’s worth hundreds of millions, if not more. No fucking way,” Outlaw says dismissively. “I bet he’s used to bitches
claiming their kids are his.”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Lightning growls.
I shake my head. “It’s probably true. We wrote back and forth a couple times before I asked if he knew of anyone that could be
my father. He was the one that arranged for me to do a swab kit. A week later, the doctors were planning Mom’s new
treatments and he was arranging for me to come out here to meet him once she was out of the woods.”
Shadow looks disgusted. “Life doesn’t mean shit unless it’s worth cold, hard cash, apparently.”
“Wait. If your mom’s still recovering, how long have you been here?”
“A little over a week I guess?”
“So you’ve known this fucker for months, max. Only met him in person a fucking week ago and you were walking down the
aisle with some random asshole he wanted you to marry? What the ever-loving fuck is that about?” Thunder spits out. “This is
some daytime TV level shit.”
“I know! Why do you think I asked you to take me with you?” I throw my arms in the air, forgetting that I’m not wearing a bra,
and then slap my arms back over my chest. But not before they all get a good look at my girls swinging free with the headlights
clearly visible under the thin silk. They pretend it didn’t happen, but Lightning’s really bad at hiding his smirk. “Look, I came
out here thinking my father was just some rich business guy. Real estate, investments, I don’t know and so long as it paid for
Mom’s treatments and the fancy rehab place, I didn’t ask questions. The day after I got here he introduced me to Devin as his
second-in-command or whatever, and then the next thing I knew, he was talking about how it would be so much easier to make
sure Mom and I were taken care of if he could move money around. I’m not a lawyer, but he made it sound like if Devin was
family, then they could do taxes differently, or… I have no idea.”
“That sounds shady as fuck,” Thunder growls, so deeply I can feel the vibrations through the bed. “He's using you, Harper.”
It’s both hard and a little gratifying to hear someone else say what I’ve been feeling. “But he's my father, right? He said it
would only be for two years and it would just be for show. He saved my mother! Even if he’s a horrible person, isn’t putting
my life on hold for a couple years still worth it?”
“That's fucked up.” Thunder slips out of bed to pull on his clothes. It's like watching a mostly naked mountain move. He barely
seems real, and there are two of them! Lightning isn't any less impressive.
“I know…”
“I get it, though,” Shadow says softly. “My mother raised me by herself, and if she’d been fucking dying? I’d do a lot worse to
keep her breathing.”
Outlaw stands. His build is leaner than the others, but nobody would call him weak. His tattoos ripple and sway as his muscles
move, and they're everywhere. Almost everywhere below his chin has something inked on it, different colors, different styles,
different everything, like a living patchwork. And studs through his nipples, I realize when he turns my way before pulling on
his shirt. I'll freely admit it's really hard not to stare at so much masculine perfection, each mouthwatering in their own way.
“This is all touching and shit, but we’ve gotta move.”
“You’re coming back, right?” I know we can’t stay together forever, but the idea of being alone and having to decide what to do
terrifies me.
Shadow and Thunder exchange a serious look and Shadow shakes his head slightly. “We have to get out of town, Harper. Your
asshole father won’t cooperate too much with the cops, but we still did a lot of fucking damage yesterday and our pictures are
probably all over the fucking place. The longer we’re away from the club, the more dangerous it is for us.” His tone is gentle,
but crushing.
“Right. Of course.” They’re in a club, or a gang or whatever. They have somewhere to go that will protect them. People
waiting for them.
“Look, nobody knows you're here,” Lightning says. “You can take time to think and figure your shit out. Just go back and be
with your mom maybe. She’s already getting better, right? What’s Mesner going to do?”
Thunder sends a smile my way. “Unless you want to come with us? Find yourself a good biker or two and settle down.”
“More like three or four,” Lighting says with a laugh.
“I hate to interrupt the goodbyes, but the van just pulled up,” Outlaw says, pulling the curtain back just a tiny bit. “That’s our
ride.”
The room feels like a vacuum when they leave. The four of them took up so much space, both physically and with their sheer
presence. I flip the lock behind them and sit on the empty bed where the pillow is still dented from Thunder’s head. Shadow
turned my phone off last night, but he left it for me and I turn it back on. As soon as it starts up, a cascade of missed call and
message notifications scrolls across the lock screen. I swipe them all away. I'm not ready to face it. Not yet. So I turn on the TV
and start flipping channels instead.
“…is still missing after last night's shocking events at the Diamond Oasis Hotel and Casino. The LVMPD are on the case, with
checkpoints on all roads out of the city. The investigation is ongoing, and if you have any information, the contact information is
on the bottom of the screen. It’s hoped that the kidnappers are still within city limits, but no ransom demands have been made
public as of yet. Mr. Mesner is appealing to the public to help return his daughter, and is offering a million dollars to any tip
that results in her safe return. In other news—”
I turn the TV off.
A million dollars?
I don't know whether to be flattered that he’s willing to pay so much to get me back, or to be bitter that he's willing to throw
that much money at the problem while trying to manipulate me into a two year marriage contract for tax purposes.
A knock on the door sends my heart rate through the roof. Maybe the guys left something important behind? As quietly as I can,
I slip off the bed and sneak over to the door to peek through the little spy hole. There's a man out there, with a short wheat-
colored beard, wearing a dark trench coat.
And flanking him is a small army of police officers.
 8

O U T L AW

“THANKS ,” S HADOW SAYS UNDER HIS BREATH, SLIPPING SEVERAL LARGE BILLS TO THE LAUNDRY SERVICE WORKER AS WE CLIMB
into the back of their van. The limo was a better way to travel than hiding out with dirty sheets, but about as subtle as a brick to
the face.
“You look like someone just shot your fucking dog,” Lightning says, giving me a nudge. It's tight quarters in the back of the
delivery van, especially for the four of us. “I thought you’d be glad to get out of there and leave Harper behind.”
“I am, but this whole situation's fucked. It’s not like I want her to go back to Mesner. I just didn’t want her to look at us like she
just fucking did. Like we can fix it. Her fucked up life isn’t our problem. Twenty-four hours ago we didn’t know she existed.”
“No shit.” Thunder's holding onto a bar half covered in clothes hangers for support. “But now we do. Doesn’t matter anyway.
We'll be back on our bikes soon.”
“She's Mesner's daughter, for Christ's sake. Stop feeling sorry for her.”
Shadow snorts. “Like fuck she is. He might be the man who contributed the DNA, but he had fuck-all to do with who she is
today. Trust me. My real father is the man who taught me how to be who I am and I’ve got exactly zero of his blood. Shit,
Eagle-eye is more my father than the asshole who knocked up my mother. Fuck him.”
I have no right to judge. Neither of my parents gave enough of a shit to stick around, but maybe that’s why I don’t trust Harper’s
sad act. Even if what she’s said is true, she’s a grown fucking woman and even if Mesner’s a human shit stain, he fucking
claimed her. “She’ll run right back to him. Mark my fucking words. You’re all just soft because you want to fuck her.”
“And you don’t?” Lightning grins my way. “Unless your dick fell off and you didn't tell us, I mean.”
Fuck. I give him the finger. Are we there yet? I fucking hate it, because of course I want her. She looked like something out of a
movie all fucking made up in that dress, and even better out of it. If sex was all it was, I'd be happy to have those legs wrapped
around me, but everything about her screams complicated. “Plenty of sluts to fuck at the club, without worrying about their drug
lord fathers.”
Shadow holds up a hand, cutting off our argument, while he puts the other one on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Shut it,
we're almost there. Keep your eyes open for trouble. We get our bikes and get the fuck outta here.”
The laundry van slows down and finally comes to a stop. Without looking, the driver bangs on the wall separating us from the
front. Lightning unlatches the back door and pushes it open. We’re right near the garage where we stashed our bikes.
As Shadow pushes past me, I give him a nudge. “I can fucking take care of myself.”
“I know,” he says, then jumps out.
I roll my eyes, but go after him, then slam the door behind me before giving the back of the car a couple of whacks with the flat
of my palm. The van takes off, leaving us alone in the city as it’s just starting to wake up.
The bikes are right where we left them, lined up in a single parking spot with a tarp thrown over them. The way we did it, it
could be anything under there. At least I don't think anyone's first guess would be four motorcycles, instead of someone taking
care of their sports car or some such shit. And no one's around. It’s almost too fucking quiet.
Thunder looks around, then nods. “Let's fucking do this.”
We get as far as pulling off the tarp when the door from the stairwell up to the higher floors slams open, revealing two cops in
full riot gear with barrels pointed our way. And then it's like they're coming out of the fucking walls, from behind parked cars,
behind the thick concrete posts that support the building, from fucking everywhere. We're surrounded.
“Freeze!” yells one of the closest ones, his assault rifle pointed right at us. “No sudden movements. Don't do anything stupid.”
We look at each other, slowly moving our hands so they are visible. “Easy,” whispers Shadow. “Not yet.”
Fuck.
The cop that seems to be in charge lowers his gun, trusting his people to keep us covered, then pulls up his mask. “We’re just
looking to talk. Don’t give us trouble and we won’t return the favor. Got it?”
“So talk,” growls Shadow.
“Not here. My boss is waiting back at your little hideout with the girl.”
God. Fucking. Dammit. I knew she would cause more trouble.
“We can’t fucking trust them,” I hiss between my teeth, and Lightning nods. I never met a cop I liked. The best I got to say about
them is that some of them are just uptight assholes, instead of complete fucking psychopaths.
“How do we know you’re not gonna lock us up or shoot as soon as we agree? Who’s your boss?”
“You don’t.” The cop's face is carved stone. “And if you don’t come with us, you’ll never find out, but you’ve got a chance to
come out on top here. We’ll get your bikes back to the hotel and if you don’t do anything stupid, everyone stays happy.”
Happy? Ain’t nobody here happy.
“Do what he says.” Shadow’s voice is low, tight and fucking dangerous. I know the look on that face. If anyone so much as
blinks, Shadow will break his fucking neck.
Riding back to the hotel in an unmarked car makes me miss the laundry van. He didn't lie about taking us back, at least. We pull
up near the room and get herded towards the door like sheep. Did she fucking sell us out?
The cop knocks a quick pattern, then pushes the door open. There’s a man waiting for us with Harper along with a few more
cops. He’s not wearing a uniform, but everything about him screams police. Harper's sitting on the bed she slept in, once again
curled up against the headboard with her legs pulled close.
She looks up when we come in. “Hey.”
 9

S H A D OW

“ARE YOU IN CHARGE? WHAT THE FUCK' S GOING ON ?” I DEMAND .

His eyes widen a little, like he was expecting us to walk in with our tails between our legs. Fuck that. We're here and not in
cuffs at a station, so he needs something from us. I’ll play ball if I have to, but I’m not going to whine or beg and he needs to
know that right from the fucking jump.
I don't know if Harper called the cops or not, but if she did, I'm pretty sure she's regretting it now because she’s looking about
as happy with them as she did with us when we first brought her here. I cross my arms over my chest and grab her attention.
“You okay?”
She nods, looking nervous as fuck.
“Nathan Carnell,” the plain clothes cop says as he takes a seat at the desk. He'd almost seem casual if there weren't two cops in
the room with us and more outside, all of them armed to the fucking teeth. “Special investigations unit. I hear you boys
redecorated the Diamond Oasis.” He doesn't sound sad about it.
Lightning shrugs. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. Do we fucking look like we’re into interior design?”
“Huh. Must have been four other Screaming Eagles then. What a coincidence.” Carnell scratches his short, blond beard. His
eyes are almost as richly blue as Harper's, but he’s a far sight from pretty. It looks like he ran into someone’s fist recently, with
a bruised ring around his eye and a bandage around his shoulder that's peeking out of his collar. Guess we aren’t the only ones
he’s pissed off recently. “Luckily, there was a lot of property damage but nobody got seriously hurt, or I’d have to look more
closely at the security tapes. But since they didn't, I’ll just take your word for it and not drag you in for attempted murder.”
“Oh, trust me, Nate. If we’d wanted to kill someone, this wouldn’t be the conversation we’d be having. It’s a good thing for all
of us that nobody here was involved, right?”
He laughs. Straight up laughs. “Exactly. And you just happened to run into Mesner’s daughter after she was publicly kidnapped
from her own wedding.”
“Enough bullshitting. What the fuck do you want?”
Carnell nods. “You’re right. Let’s get to the point. You and your friends here are nothing to me. It’s Mesner I’m interested in.”
He looks around the room. “If I had to guess, she was just a convenient way out, and you had no intention of hurting her or
holding her any longer than necessary, but good luck convincing a judge of that.”
“She’s fine. We didn’t fucking touch her,” says Thunder.
“I’m not the one you’d have to convince.” He holds up a hand just as Lightning's about to argue. “She told me the same, and for
what it’s worth I believe her, which is why I had you picked up and brought here instead of brought in. If she'd given me a
different story, this would all have played out very differently. So no, I'm not looking to pin kidnapping on you.”
“So what do you want?” snarls Outlaw.
“You’re going to help me nail Mesner’s ass to the wall. The Screaming Eagles seem to have a bone to pick with him, and so do
I, so think of it as a cooperative effort that will benefit us both.”
I look at the others, and a whole conversation passes without saying a word. This guy has us over a barrel, so we’re at least
going to have to hear him out. “What do you want us to do? Kill him?” Wouldn’t be the first time a law abiding citizen used us
to do their dirty work. Or at least tried.
Harper gasps, but Carnell lets just the hint of a smirk touch his lips. “Nothing nearly that violent. Give us a minute, will you?”
he asks his flunkies.
“You sure, sir?” the one that was in charge when they picked us up asks. He doesn't look thrilled at the idea.
“I'll be fine.”
“Yes, Sir. We’ll be right outside.”
And then it’s just the six of us. “Taking a chance aren’t you? We’ve already taken one hostage,” I note, working my shoulders to
loosen them.
“I've gotten to be a pretty good judge of character over the years. Are you going to give me trouble?” He raises a questioning
eyebrow. Fuck, this guy is annoying.
“Nah.” Thunder shakes his head. “Too much to lose, and you know it. If you don’t want him dead, what do you want us to do?”
“Wait.” Harper swallows nervously when we all turn to look at her, but she puts on a determined expression.
I don’t like that she’s here, listening to us ask if this cop wants us to ice her fucking father. She’s gotta be in her early twenties,
but she looks so fucking young and vulnerable right now. I'm not sure why I feel so damn protective. Probably because she's
gotten a raw fucking deal growing up, and fuck, I can appreciate that. And now she's right into the middle of this shitstorm
when all she wanted was someone to talk to about her mother.
“You’re all talking like I’m not even here. I know he isn’t the nicest guy in the world, but what has my father done to deserve
all this? Maybe he’s just misunderstood. I mean, he did step up and help make sure my mother was taken care of.”
“Harper,” I say, trying to keep my tone gentle. “Do you know how your dad makes his money?”
“Real estate? He owns the casino, right? I did some searching before I came out here to meet him. It seemed like pretty normal
business stuff.”
Thunder nods. “Oh, he does all that, but that’s not how he got started, and it’s not what keeps the money flowing. Your daddy’s
behind about a fifth of all the drugs distributed on this side of the country. His network is huge.”
Her eyes widen and her face goes pale. “Drugs? But… why would he need to… No. That doesn’t make sense. I thought he
might be doing some funny tax stuff, but he’s not some kind of crime boss.”
“It’s true.” Outlaw snaps. “Didn’t you wonder why guys like us were here to send him a message? Your daddy got greedy, even
for a drug lord. We usually ignore it, but his quality control has been slipping lately. People are fucking dying. He didn’t listen
when we warned him, so someone had to come make sure he knew we weren’t going to let it slide.”
“Outlaw…” Lightning warns.
“Doesn't matter. I'm done.”
I shake my head. “He’s right. Your father has a lot of lives on his conscience. He's not a good man, Harper.”
She looks at me, at Outlaw, at Thunder and Lightning, before she settles on Carnell, the cop in the room. “Are they telling the
truth?”
“I wish they weren't. I'm sorry you’re caught up in this, but I can't let this opportunity slip through my fingers.” Carnell pushes
off the desk to pace. “For the first time, I’ve got something that he truly wants and cares about, and that's you.”
“I don't know if I can be a part of this.” Harper looks away, obviously conflicted. I wish I knew what the fuck was going on in
that pretty head of hers. She's not stupid, but even if she hated his fucking guts, Mesner still has a grip on her through her
mother.
“You already are,” Carnell says with what sounds like honest sympathy. “As far as Mesner’s concerned, you were kidnapped
as part of a plot to hit him where it hurts. He’ll be waiting for someone to get in touch with a ransom message or some sort of
demand.”
“Which is where we come in,” Thunder says, nodding.
“Exactly. I've been after Mesner for years and years. “Carnell’s eyes turn fiery and his voice goes tight with sudden passion.
He fucking wants this. “But it stops here. So here's the deal. You contact him and set up a meeting. I’ll handle the details. What
I need is for you to get him talking so we have enough to bring him in and start taking him down. Do that and you're free to ride
home. But if you fuck with me, I'm going to bring down the full fury of the law. I have the resources to put all of you behind
bars for a long, long time. And don't think running away is going to save you. Is that clear?”
Lightning and I nod. “Crystal,” I say.
Carnell turns to Harper. “And Miss, I hate putting you in this position, but your father is a very dangerous man, who has more
lives than I can imagine on his conscience. I realize this might be hard for you, but he belongs in a cell. Is this going to be a
problem?”
“Was that a threat? Because I don’t like your fucking implication that she’s an issue to be taken care of.” We barely know her,
and she’s not my woman to defend, but Harper wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for us, and I’m not the kind of man who
can forget that.
Harper tucks her hair behind her ears, looking down at the comforter. “I don't know…”
I can't fucking imagine how it feels to think that she finally found the solution to everything wrong in her life, and then it just
turns to more and more shit for each day that passes. I cross over and crouch down next to the side of the bed, taking her hand.
Her fingers are so fucking small, with those perfect pink wedding nails. “Nobody’s going to force you to do anything. You got
me?”
Her fingers close around mine and squeeze.
Carnell sighs. “If she won’t play, maybe we can hook him with just the four of you, but we don’t have time to waste. It’s
already past when he’d be expecting contact. I need at least a couple of you to come with me, so we can plan this out.”
Thunder nods at me. “Me and Lightning will stick around and keep an eye on Harper, make sure she's okay.”
“Good. I’ll take Outlaw. We’ll be back ASAP.” I don’t like splitting up, but as team lead, I need to deal with Carnell and his
fucking plan. Outlaw will have my back, and I trust Thunder to keep things from going off the rails.
As we follow Carnell out, I wonder what the fuck we've gotten ourselves into. I trust Carnell about as far as I can fucking
throw him, and I have absolutely no fucking faith in his plan being able to draw Mesner out, but we don't have much fucking
choice.
If he betrays us, I'm gonna fucking make sure he goes down with us.
 10

HARPER

“YOU OKAY?” LIGHTNING SETTLES ON THE SAME BED AS ME.

I don’t know when I stopped being scared and started to think of them as being almost on my side, but having him here is
actually comforting. Which is stupid, right? I heard Shadow ask that guy if he wanted them to kill Vincent with the kind of tone
someone else might ask if they should be the one to order pizza. But if my father is really some kind of dangerous drug lord…
maybe it’s best to have guys like these bikers on my side.
“I don't know. Not really, but it's a lot to take in.” I draw a deep breath, and let it out slowly. In, and out. “Up until a few
months ago, my life was working at a nursing home and taking care of Mom. There was literally nothing special about me. I got
average grades, shared a middle of the road apartment with my mother and got my drama from TV like everyone else. Now I’m
hiding out in a motel while a cop and a bunch of bikers plot to bring down my father who is apparently a horrible drug
kingpin.”
“Laid out like that, it is pretty fucked up.” Thunder drops on the other bed, but close enough that he could reach out and touch
me if he wanted to.
I shake my head in disbelief. “For just a little while, I thought something had finally gone right, you know? Vincent seemed so
happy when he found out I was his daughter, and he was the answer to all my prayers. Everyone who says money doesn't buy
happiness has never had to sit and watch someone they love die because they didn’t have it. When Mom couldn’t work
anymore, we only had what I was making, and I had to always balance getting as many hours as I could with needing to take
care of her. We were lucky enough to have some good neighbors and she has friends, but they all have their own lives too. I had
to start going to the food pantry just to be able to stretch the budget between paychecks.”
Ugh, I don't want to cry in front of these guys, but the corners of my eyes are stinging, and I can't help it.
“Fuck,” Lightning breathes out. “I hear ya.”
I shake my head. “Do you? I’ve always thought I was a good person, but when you were all telling me about what my father
was like, all I could think was maybe it wasn’t that bad. Want to know the truth? I already figured he was into something shady.
I never thought drugs or anything like that, but at least sketchy business stuff. Rich people crime, you know? If it meant my
mother got better and I didn’t have to worry about where the food was coming from, I was willing to look the other way. I ran
because the idea of marrying a stranger freaked me out, not because he was using me for some kind of tax scheme. Oh God. I’m
a horrible person.” Hot, frustrated tears slide down my cheeks.
Thunder shakes his head and cups my chin in one of his big, rough hands. His thumb strokes away a tear. “Nah, you’re just
fucking human. The world isn’t black and white, baby. It just takes some people longer to learn that lesson than others.”
“Yeah, look at us. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we aren’t exactly fine upstanding citizens,” Lightning says with a
mischievous grin.
“I guess so.”
Thunder lets out a deep, belly laugh. “Baby, we were sent here to drop millions of dollars of glass to send a fucking message.
You said you were going to look the other way about white collar shit? We don’t give a fuck that your daddy is into drugs. The
problem was that he got sloppy and it was putting our people in danger. More importantly, our people. Not a single one of us
will fucking judge you for taking what you were offered.”
Lightning nods. “Gotta say, though. I’m glad you aren’t married to that other fucker. Means I still have a shot.”
His teasing puts a little smile on my face. “But I'd be in Hawaii right now, so I don't know. It sounds a lot more fun than this.”
“Dunno about that.” Lightning leans a little closer. My heart skips a beat, but unlike last time, when he was checking me for
weapons, it’s not fear that causes it. “There's a lot of ways of keeping entertained if you're creative.”
I'm pretty sure he's not talking about board games. “That’s probably not a good idea.”
Lightning laughs. “Oh, it’s a great fucking idea. But I get it. Finding out your daddy's a fuckstain is probably a mood killer.”
Right. That.
I don’t correct him, because there’s been enough honesty. They don’t need to hear about how I didn’t have much time for dating
the past few years and haven’t made it past third base. If everything had gone to plan, I’d be on my “honeymoon” right now,
getting used to the idea of at least two more years of membership in the V-club. It definitely wasn’t going to happen with Devin.
We had about as much chemistry as flat soda.
I must have a thing for bad boys, because I’ve had more dirty thoughts since ending up with these men than I’ve had in ages.
Even now, with Thunder and Lightning next to me, their T-shirts clinging so hard to their bodies, I can't help but wonder if
Lightning’s as big as Thunder? They're twins, right? Wouldn’t everything be identical?
Am I blushing? I feel like I might be. When I look up, I find Thunder watching me with one eyebrow raised.
Steering the conversation back before I say something stupid, I latch onto what Lightning said. “What about you guys? I bet your
dad wasn’t a drug lord.”
He shrugs. “Nah, he wasn't so bad, to be honest. He did his best, but our parents were better at making babies than they were
taking care of them. Living was always tight. Too little room, too little food. We’ve seen our share of charity.”
“Yeah. Too fucking much.” Thunder grimaces at the memory. “We took off as soon as we could.”
“Ran away?” I look back and forth between them. They don't seem like the type who would run away from anything.
Thunder laughs without a lot of humor. “That makes it sound like we were angsty kids. We just got to the point where we knew
we had each other, and we could make our own way. Take the load off our parents. We didn’t know shit, of course. It was a
rough learning curve, but we never went back.”
“Wow. How old were you?”
“Thirteen,” Lightning says. “We were always big, though. Everyone thought we were older, and it made it easier to get work
and defend ourselves. We worked and fought and fucked our way around town until we were grown. We got into motorcycles
along the way. Kept us from getting into too much trouble.”
“Not everyone would agree,” Thunder adds with a chuckle.
“Anyway, one of the guys we did work for was a member of the Eagles. Sponsored us as prospects, and in spite of being
know-it-all little shits when we started, Eagle-eye must’ve seen something there he could work with. We've calmed down a
little. Right?” He glances over at Thunder with an amused smirk.
“One of us has, at any rate,” he says with a snort.
Thirteen? I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to be on my own that young. The way they talk about it now makes
it sound like no big deal. Like an adventure, but I bet they’re leaving out a lot. “Wow. That's… I could never have done that.”
“You didn’t have to. I don’t know your Mom, but you wouldn’t have done all this for her if she wasn’t pretty fucking great.”
“Haven’t even seen our parents in years,” says Lightning. “Last time I saw our father, he walked right by me on the street. I
don’t think he even fucking recognized me. Looked about eighty even though he’s not even sixty.”
His words hit me hard. I never knew my father, but I grew up with so much love. It makes me want to go back in time and hug
both of them so hard. “That’s horrible!”
Lightning looks a little taken aback. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is! Oh God, I’m c—crying again,” I stammer out around a sob.
“Shut the fuck up and come here.” His voice isn't angry, but it’s not a question. It’s an order.
Would a hug be so bad? I think I could use one just now. So I swallow my protest and do as he says, pushing off the headboard
and basically crawling into his lap.
“That's more like it.” Lightning envelops me in his powerful arms and pulls me tightly against him. He's so big and warm, it's
like I'm in a cocoon. I tense at first, but then I relax against him, resting my head on his broad chest. His heart thumps steadily
through his shirt, a calming rhythm in my ear.
“You still crying, baby?”
I shake my head, rubbing against him like I'm trying to get his scent. “N—no.”
His strong fingers slide into my hair, combing slowly through it until the ends of it slips from between them. Then he does it
again, and it feels nice.
Strong fingers start to massage my legs, and it takes longer than I want to admit to realize that it can't possibly be Lightning,
since he's still holding me and running his fingers through my hair. Okay, so having more than one guy around might have some
benefits, I can't deny that. The way they were talking before, it sounded like they were no strangers to sharing, as wild as that
sounds. I don’t even know what sex with one guy is like, what would I even do with two?
“That feels nice.” I sigh against Lightning's chest, while I wiggle my toes, stretching the tense muscles that Thunder is
massaging loose.
“All part of the honeymoon service.” Thunder chuckles softly. “You looked so fucking beautiful in that dress. If I’d been the one
waiting for you to walk down the aisle, I would’ve torn apart the fucking city before I let anyone take you away.”
I shake my head a little. “It wasn’t me in that dress.”
“It woulda been if you wanted the man you dressed up in it for.”
Thunder slides his hands further up my legs until he's rubbing my thighs. I should be stopping this, right? But I don't. I have no
idea how far I'll let them go, but we’re not there yet.
I've been alone for so long.
“Just relax, Harper,” murmurs Lightning and presses his lips against the top of my head. It's a soft kiss, testing my reaction, but
to me it's like a… well, a lightning bolt that fires up every single nerve ending that I have. I let out a little contented hum, and
he takes it as permission to do it again.
“I'm not sure I should—”
“Then let's find out for sure.” Thunder moves past my thighs and up to my hips, where his fingertips slip underneath the hem of
my shirt. The touch of his rough fingers against my bare stomach is indescribable.
Lightning hooks a finger under my chin and makes me look up at him. His eyes are smoldering dark chocolate pools, drawing
me in. So much that it's not until his lips touch mine that I realize exactly how close we’ve gotten.
It's not my first kiss, but it might as well be, because no one's ever kissed me like this. He tightens his grip in my hair until it
pulls at the roots, and holds me in place as he kisses me senseless, his thick tongue playing with mine, claiming with an
intensity that I can feel all the way down in my toes. My core just went from pretty hot, straight to being a soaking molten mess.
There's a sudden release at my waist, and I realize Thunder just popped open my jeans.
Oh wow, but…
It's like a warning shot, because he slides his hand up over my stomach instead of moving further down. He caresses me, his
fingertips playing along my sides and just skirting the sensitive skin below my breasts. Teasing me, testing me. Daring me to
react.
Lightning pulls away, though he doesn't relax his grip. I don't have a choice but to look up at him, not that it's a hardship. My
eyes go right to those full lips that I want right back on mine. I'm breathing hard, and they haven't even done anything to me yet.
Not really.
But I think they're going to.
And I think I want it.
 11

HARPER

LIGHTNING TEARS OFF MY SHIRT , PULLING IT OVER MY HEAD AND THROWING IT ACROSS THE ROOM. WE CRASH BACK TOGETHER,
breathing hard as he presses his lips against mine with so much ferocity it stings. But I’m right there with him, my tongue
demanding that he help me forget everything. Thunder slides into position behind me, trapping me between their two powerful
bodies.
“Is this what you need, honey?” Thunder rumbles in my ear, his hands sliding up my ribs to cover my breasts. My moan is all
the answer he needs.
My bra offers no protection from his clever fingers, and he easily finds my hard nipples through the soft fabric, rolling them
between his thumbs and index fingers. Sparks light a trail of fire from the tips of my breasts straight to between my legs.
Lightning pulls away, but only to turn me towards his brother, whose mouth eagerly takes his place. Their mouths and bodies
feel identical, but their techniques aren't. Lightning kissed me like the world was ending and we had to make every second
count. Thunder takes his time. He’s demanding and in control. As he makes me his own, he pulls the cups of my bra down,
freeing my breasts for them both to see and touch. Skin on skin, every touch is intoxicating.
Tangled together on the bed, the three of us move together in sync. I feel the button on my jeans come loose, and then Lightning
is tugging them down over my hips. I gasp into Thunder’s mouth, when I realize my panties are coming with them.
What am I doing? This is about as far as I’ve ever gone before, and now I’m about to do it with two guys I just met? And
they're twins!
I force my head back. “Wait, maybe—”
“Shh.” Thunder puts a finger on my lips. “This is just a little taste to take the edge off. You deserve to have a little fun before
the shit hits the fan again.”
Screw it. So much has gone wrong the last few days. Weeks. Years, even. He’s right. Why shouldn't I let myself be a little
wild?
So when my jeans slip over my feet, I don't fight it. Lightning presses a kiss to my thigh, following it up with a gentle nip of his
teeth. They position me so my butt's right on the edge of the bed. The only things I’m left wearing are my socks and my bra,
which isn't hiding anything with the cups pulled down.
Thunder leans in and latches his lips around my nipple.
Oh my God.
His hair is short, but I grip what I can with both hands and hold on tight. The hot swirl of his dexterous tongue around my
sensitive bud has my breath coming in moaning gasps. I arch my back, pressing my breast up into his hungry mouth. My grip on
his hair tightens, but if it hurts, he doesn't show it. If anything, he kisses and nibbles my skin even harder.
I lose track of Lightning for a minute, but there's no mistaking his big strong hands as he grabs the backs of my thighs and pushes
my legs back. My first reaction is to resist, but maybe that's just years of always making the sensible choice. And look what that
got me. Nothing! Right now, all I want is to let him do whatever he pleases. I relax and he opens me to him.
“Fuck, you're beautiful,” he says reverently.
Maybe it's just as well that Thunder's head is in the way, because I'm pretty sure I'm blushing like a tomato. Lightning's right
there. What if I look weird? Or he doesn't—
My train of thought completely derails when Lightning's tongue slides right through my slickness like he wants to taste all of me
at once. I've never felt anything like it, thick, wide and devilishly talented. Outlaw’s tongue piercing flashes through my mind
for a second, but I shove the thought away as fast as I can. Aren’t two guys enough?
It’s a good thing Lightning has a strong grip on my thighs, or I’d worry about how hard I’m squeezing. His powerful fingers dig
into my flesh as he holds me open and paints my pussy with his tongue. I’m locked between them, and with every tug of
Thunder’s mouth around my nipples and the way his twin is working me over, it's not going to be long before I lose it. I'm
already breathing hard and getting goosebumps as the heat inside me grows warmer and warmer.
My virginity is hanging by a thread. No one's ever made me come before. I thought I was pretty good with my fingers, but twin
tongues are a kind of magic I could never have imagined.
Muscles tight and my body quivering beneath them, I press my ass into the bed as I arch into their touch. I squeeze my eyes
tight, drowning in the sensation of soft, insistent, wet tongues against my skin. Lightning finds my clit, circling his tongue around
it in a steady, swirling pattern that inches me closer and closer to exploding.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I chant.
Thunder lets my nipple go. He stretches out beside me and turns my head to face him, his lips rough against mine as his tongue
demands to be let in. His strong hand covers my throat, holding me gently but firmly in place as he kisses me crazy. I grip his
shirt frantically for something to hold on to, just as Lightning slips a thick finger inside me.
“She’s so fucking wet for us,” he says with a smug chuckle.
I can’t even be mad because he’s right. I squeeze tight as the orgasm builds deep in my core. Even just his finger is a stretch.
Their cocks might kill me!
Thunder's grip on my throat tightens, or maybe it's just me pressing myself harder against him. I don't have a lot of control over
my reactions right now, just doing my best to kiss him back as Lightning’s tongue dances over my clit while his finger slowly
works me open, stoking the fire blazing inside me.
I scream as I come, right into Thunder's mouth. His fingers roll my nipples while his twin works me through an orgasm that’s so
intense I don’t know if I’ll ever come down. It’s the first time I’ve ever had someone else in control of my pleasure like this,
and it’s a totally different experience. Usually my finish passes quickly, but with Lightning in charge, I have no choice but to
ride the waves. My heart thunders and I gasp for breath. I'm either dying or going to Heaven.
Or both.
I float, hovering between the two of them for what seems like an eternity. I can't even sense the bed beneath me, though I know
on some level it’s there. When I come down, it’s like a ragdoll, all my muscles lax after the intense surge of pleasure finally
runs its course, leaving me limp and satisfied. If I knew it could be like this, I might've been a little more adventurous in the
past. But then I wouldn't have this moment, and I don't think I'd want to give that up for anything in the world.
My eyes flutter open, finding two nearly identical faces looking down at me, both with the same smug grin. They know what
they did, and God are they pleased with themselves.
“Carry me out, I'm dead,” I whisper, barely raising one hand before it seems like too much effort and it flops back to the bed.
Lightning laughs. “Fuck no. I’m willing to try most things once, but even I’ve got limits, and alive is definitely a requirement.”
I wet my lips nervously. “Listen, guys, I need to be honest with you. I don't exactly have a ton of experience, but if you want me
to… um…” I’m a grown woman and they literally just had their hands and mouths all over me. Pull it together, Harper. “…help
you out. I'll do my best.”
“I thought you'd never fucking ask,” says Thunder, tearing open his fly and sliding his jeans down his hips. A moment later, the
monster I got a handful of this morning is free and standing proud, thick, hard and glistening at the tip. Holy crap. On the other
side, Lightning does the same.
Turns out, the twins really are identical… everywhere.
Tentatively, I reach out, and this time there’s no doubt about what I'm gripping. Thunder's pulse presses against my palm and he
groans at my touch. I have no hope of getting my fingers all around him, he's too thick. They both are.
What are they expecting me to do? I mean, I’ve read plenty of steamy books, but real life is different… I lean forwards,
opening my mouth and tentatively sticking my tongue out. If they can lick me, the least I can do is return the favor.
I can almost taste Thunder’s satiny smooth skin, when the hotel room door slams open.
I scream, grabbing the bed covers and yanking them around me even though it’s probably way too late. Shadow and Outlaw are
in the door, taking all of us in.
“For fuck’s sake. Couldn’t you have waited just a little longer?” snaps Lightning, pulling his pants back up.
“Like I wanted to look at your hairy ass,” comments Shadow and laughs harshly.
Outlaw shakes his head and closes the door. “Can’t say I’m surprised. You’ve only got so many ways to calm a woman down.”
“Oh fuck off,” says Thunder, zipping his jeans. “Did you bring food? I’m fucking starving.”
How can these guys just stand there like nothing happened? I scramble to grab my clothes and slide down the far side of the
bed. My heart is beating a mile a minute and I make a break for the bathroom to get dressed without putting on any more of a
show than I already have. My legs still feel like jello after my orgasm. I barely make it without going flat on my face.
Once I'm fully dressed, I quickly wash my face over the sink, staring at the girl in the mirror. A little crooked smile paints the
lips of the woman looking back at me. Oh my God. I can’t believe I just did that. I take a deep, steadying breath. If they can be
calm about this, I can too. Maybe. Besides, it’s not like I can hide in the bathroom forever.
I walk out to them sitting like a war council, two on each bed. They all turn towards me. Something has shifted between me and
the twins. Thunder and Lightning know me on a different level now, and there’s something subtly different about how they look
at me. I wet my lips nervously while turning my attention to the others.
Shadow seems thoughtful, and his eyes follow me like he would strip me right back out of my clothes if he had the chance. Like
he would’ve happily made it three on one, if the opportunity arose. Now that’s a thought that has me tingling, wondering if I
would do it. God, one or two sexy experiences, and…
Outlaw, on the other hand, looks skeptical, even a little hostile. He doesn’t trust me, and he’s not bothering to hide it.
I crawl onto the bed, settling between Thunder and Lightning, feeling just a little safer with both of them at my side.
“I think we need to do it,” says Outlaw. Shocking me for a second until I realize what the topic is. Vincent Mesner.
My father.
Shadow nods, but he doesn’t look happy about it. “Carnell is fucking drooling at the chance to nail this guy. The plan is held
together with string and a prayer, but it could work.”
“What does he want?” I ask.
“We contact your father, making him promise to stay out of our territory in exchange for you. Carnell is gonna slip one of his
guys in with us. He’ll be wearing a wire so if we can get Mesner talking, he’s hoping he’ll get enough to pull him in. It's hairy
as fuck, but if we wanna get out of town without a national APB, then we don't have much fucking choice.”
“I don’t like any of this,” Thunder grumbles. “Working with cops feels like tying a noose around my own neck.”
“No fucking kidding. Still, while I don’t trust Carnell, I believe him when he says he doesn’t really give a shit about us so long
as we cooperate. If we were home safe at the clubhouse, I’d tell them all to go fuck themselves, but we gotta play the hand
we’re dealt. I hate to fucking say it, but there's not a lot roads outta this city. What are we gonna do? Fly home and leave our
bikes here? No fucking way. We’ve pulled off crazier shit than this, and if everything works out, we can put all this behind us.”
Outlaw nods, his dark eyes fixed on me. “There’s only one hitch. He’s gonna want proof of life. He’s not gonna accept a
fucking picture, so he’s gonna want to hear and see Harper.”
Which means they have to trust me to play along. The unspoken question is, can they?
Begging them to take me with them was a split second decision. I just wanted to buy myself time and I didn’t think about what it
meant for them. If I could go back in time… I don’t know what I’d do. But I can’t. So whose side do I take?
My father runs a drug empire. One that’s killing people. I wish I could talk to Mom, find out why she really ran away and never
contacted him about me. But even if I could, I wouldn’t risk scaring her while she’s recovering. My gut says these guys are the
only ones that don’t have a reason to lie to me, but at the same time, Vincent is my own flesh and blood. That counts for
something—doesn't it?
“He might be an asshole, but I don’t like asking her to turn on her own father,” Lighting says, mirroring my own thoughts.
Thunder nods. “Me either.”
Outlaw's expression is grim. “But what’s the alternative? Hoping he doesn’t ask to talk to her?”
“I'll do it.” I force it out before I change my mind. “I won’t set him up myself, but I’ll pretend to be a good little hostage.”
Shadow's deep hazel eyes feel like they're staring right into my soul, and he looks like he wants to say something, but then he
just nods. “Good. No point in putting this off. Harper, call your father and hand me the phone.”
I hope I don’t regret this.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 CAPITULO II

Como el Gallo da a entender a su

amo Micyllo quel es Pitagoras
y como fue trasformado en
gallo y Mycillo dize vna fabula
de quien fue el gallo.

Pues oyeme, Micyllo, que tú oyras

de mi vn quento muy nuevo e
incleyble; que te ago saber queste
que agora te parezco gallo no a
mucho tienpo que fue onbre.
Mycillo.—En verdad yo he oydo
ser esto ansi quel gallo fue vn
paje muy privado del dios Mares
que sienpre le aconpannó en los
plazeres y deleytes e que vna
noche le llevó consigo quando
yba a dormir con Venus, y que
porque tenia gran temor del sol y
que no los viese y lo parlase a
Vulcano, dexóle en su guarda,
requeriendole que no se durmiese
porque si el sol salia y los bia que
lo parlarya a Bulcano, y dizen que
tú te dormiste y el sol salio y que
como los vido fuelo a dezir a su
marido de Venus, y asi Bulcano
con gran enojo vino y prendiolos
en vna rez que fabrycó y presos
llevolos ante los dioses, y que
Mares con el gran enojo que hubo
te bolbió en gallo y que agora por
satisfazer a Mares quando no
haces otro provecho alguno
manifiestas la salida del sol con
grandes clamores y cantos.
Gallo.—Es la verdad todo eso
que se cuenta, mas lo que yo
agora quiero dezir otra cosa es;
muy poco tienpo ha que yo fuy
trasformado en gallo.
Mycillo.—¿Deque manera es
eso ansi; porque lo deseo mucho
saber?
Gallo.—Dime, Micyllo, ¿oyste
algun tienpo de vn Pitagoras
sabio?
Mycillo.—¿Acaso dizes por vn
sofista encantador el qual
constituyó que no se comiesen
carnes ny abas, manjar muy
suabe, para la despedida de la
mesa, y aquel que presvadio a los
onbres que no ablasen por cynco
años?
Gallo.—Pues sabes tanbien
como Pitágoras abia sido
Eufurbio?
Mycillo.—Yo no sé mas sino que
dizen queste Pitagoras abia sido
vn honbre enbaydor que azia
prodigios y encantamientos.
Gallo.—Pues yo soy Pitagoras,
por lo qual te ruego que no me
maltrates con esas enjuryas, pues
no conoscyste mis costumbres.
Mycillo.—Por cierto esto es mas
milagroso ver vn gallo filosofo;
pues declaranos, buen yjo de
Menesarca, qué causa fue la que
te mudó de onbre en ave, porque
ny este acontecimiento es
verisimile ni razonable creer, e
ademas por aver visto en ti dos
cosas muy ajenas de Pitagoras.
Gallo.—Dime quales son.
Mycillo.—Lo vno es verte que
eres parlero y bullicyoso,
mandando el que por cynco años
enteros no ablasen los onbres; lo
otro contradize a su ley porque
como yo no tubiese ayer que te
dar de comer te eché vnas abas y
tú las comiste con muy buena
boluntad, por lo qual es muy mas
necesario que mientas tu en dezir
que seas Pitagoras; que si eres
Pitagoras tú le has contradezido
pues mandaste que se abya de
huyr de comer las habas como la
misma cabeça del padre.
Gallo.—¿No has conoscido ¡oh
Micillo! qué sea la causa de
aqueste acaescimiento que
qunple para qualquier género de
bida? entonces quando era
filosofo desechaba las habas;
mas agora que soy gallo no las
desecho, por serme agradable
manjar; mas si no te fuere
molesto, oyeme e dezirte he
cómo de Pitagoras comence a ser
esto que agora soy, anque hasta
agora he sido transformado en
otras muchas diversas figuras de
animales; dezirtelo he lo que me
acaescyo en cada vna por si.
Mycillo.—Yo te ruego me lo
quentes porque a mi me será muy
sabroso oyrte e tanto que si
alguno me preguntare quál queria
mas, oyrte a ti o bolver aquel
dichoso suenno que sonnava
astaqui, juzgarya ser yguales los
tus sabrosos quentos con aquella
sabrosa posesion de riquezas en
que yo me sonnava estar.
Gallo.—Tú tanbien me traes a la
memoria lo que en el suenno
biste como quien guarda vnas
vanas ymajinaciones, tu fantasia
te regozijas de vna vana
felicydad.
Mycillo.—Mas sé cyerto que
m'es tan dulce este suenno que
nunca del me olvydaré ni de otra
cosa más me quiero acordar.
Gallo.—Por cierto que me
muestras ser tan dulce este
suenno que deseo saber qué fue.
 CAPITULO III

Que quenta Mycyllo lo que le

sucedio en el conbite del rico
Everates.

Mycillo.—Yo te [lo de]seo contar

porque me es muy sabroso
dezirlo y acordarme dél; mas
dime tú, Pitagoras, ¿quando me
contarás estas tus
transformacyones?
Gallo.—Quando tú, Micyllo,
acabares de contarme lo que te
acontecyo en la cena y me
dixeres tu suenno, porque te lo
deseo saber.
Mycillo.—Bien te acordarás que
no comi ayer ninguna vez en
casa, porque topandome ayer
aquel rico Eberates en la plaça
me dixo que labado y polido me
fuese con él a comer.
Gallo.—Bien me aquerdo,
porque yo en todo el dia no comi,
asta que viniendo tu a la noche
bien arto, me distes vnas cynco
abas, por cyerto esplendida cena
para gallo el qual en otro tiempo
fue rey y poderoso peleador.
Mycillo.—Pues entonces yo me
eché a dormir quando te di las
abas; luego me dormi e comence
a sonnar en la noche vn suenno
mas sabroso quel vyno, netar ny
anbrosia.
Gallo.—Pues antes que me
quentes el suenno ¡oh Mycyllo!
me quenta todo lo que paso en la
cena de Eberates, porque me
plazerá ny tanpoco te pesará a ti
si agora quisieres, contandome
todo lo que comiste, rumiarlo
como entre suennos.
Mycillo.—Yo pienso serte
enojoso si lo que alli pasó te
contase, mas pues tú lo deseas
saber, yo huelgo de te lo dezir
porque nunca asta agora he sido
conbidado de algun ryco, ¡o
Pitagora! e sabras que ayer rejido
con buena fortuna me topé con
Eutratas[291] y saludandole como
yo lo tenia en costunbre,
encobryame quanto podia por
verguença que no byese my capa
despedaçada, y dizeme el:
Mycyllo, oy celebro el nascimiento
de vna hija mia, he conbidado a
muchas personas para comer e
cenar; e porque me dizen que vno
de los conbidados está enfermo e
no puede venir, vente tú en su
lugar y haz de manera que por
ser festibal el conbite vayas polido
e ataviado lo mejor que pudieres
e comeras allá si acaso si aquel
faltare, porque avn lo pone en
duda. E como yo oí a Hencrates
adorele y fume (sic) rogando a
Dios todopoderoso, porque
tubiese hefeto my felicedad, diese
aquel henfermo en quyo lugar yo
habia de oqupar la silla en el
conbite algun frenesi o modorylla
o dolor de costado o gotata (sic)
de tal manera que le yziese
quedar en su casa y no fuese allá.
Pues myentras llegaba la ora de
la cena yo me fui al baño y me
labé y este tienpo se me yzo vn
siglo o vna gran edad, mas
quando fue el tienpo llegado
voyme solycy[to] lo mejor que yo
pude atabiado, puesta mi pobre
capa de la parte más linpia y que
sus agujeros menos se
parescyesen; allegando a las
puertas hallo otros muchos
onbres, entre los quales veo que
cuatro moços traen sentado en
una silla aquel enfermo en quyo
lugar yo era combidado e benia el
mismo manifestando traer gran
enfermedad, porque jemia muy
doloroso y tosia y escopia muy
asquerosamente; venia amaryllo
e ynchado; era viejo de más de
setenta años y dezian ser vn
filosofo que lee en esquelas y aze
cancyones en publyco; traya vnas
vistiduras muy yploclitas, y como
Archebio el medico le vio y qu'era
alli conbidado le dixo: señor,
mejor fuera que os quedarades
en vuestra casa estando tan
enfermo que salir agora acá; el
qual respondio: no es razon que
Daron filosofo quebrante a su
amigo la palabra avnque esté
enfermo de qualquiera
enfermedad. E dixe yo: mas veo,
sennor Tromopol, que ansi se
llamava el filosofo, que olgara
Ancrates que os muryerades en
vuestra casa y cama en el
servicyo de vuestros qryados que
no venirle a ocupar el conbyte con
hambrientos, y que si acierta aqui
a salirseos el anima, que le
paresce segun venis que no
podeys mucho durar. El filosofo,
como su yntencyon era padescer
qualquiera muerte o ynjuria por
comer de fiesta para satisfazer a
su glotonia, disimuló el donayre
que le dyxe con mucha gravedad,
y estando en esto vino a nosotros
Encrates y mirando por el filosofo
podrydo dixo: buen Temospol,
muchas gracias te doy por aver
venido con esta tu enfermedad al
conbite, puesto caso que aunque
no binieras no se te dexara de
enbiar todo el conbite por orden a
tu posada; sientate e comeras; e
como yo oi que los moços le
metian adentro para le asentar a
comer, muy triste comienzo a
maldezir su flaca enfermedad,
pues no le bastó a destruyr, y muy
amarillo de afrenta de mi
desventura, pues pense cenar
mejor, dispuseme para salir de la
sala del conbite para conplir la
condicyon con que Encrates me
abia conbidado, e comenceme a
deleznar con alguna pesadunbre,
mostrandome al vespede cada
vez que bolbia la cara a mi, y casi
con my rostro amaryllo le dezia:
voyme a mi pesar. Tambien me
enojaba más ver que en toda la
mesa no avia sylla vazia para mí,
porque estaban puestas en
derredor en numero ygual con los
conbidados; en fin como Eucrates
me bio tan triste y me yva,
alcançóme casi a la puerta y
dixome: tu, Mycyllo, buelbe acá e
cenarás con nosotros, y mandó a
vn yjo suyo que se entrase a
cenar con las mujeres y me
dexase aquel lugar. Pues como
poco antes me yva triste y
desventurado, buelbo luego muy
alegre con mi prospero suceso;
como ninguno se quiso sentar
junto al hanbriento filosofo por no
le ver toser, viendo aquella sylla
va[cia] que estava enfrente dél
fuime ally asentar de lo qual
mucho me pesó; luego començo
la cena; ¡oh Pitagoras! qué
opulento comer, qué fertylidad de
manjares, qué diversidad de
vinos, qué copiosidad de
guisados, de salsas y especya, e
quién te lo bastase a contar;
quánto vaso de oro; plateles,
copas y jarros eran todos de oro;
los pajes muy dispuestos y muy
bien atabyados; abia cantores
que nunca dexaban de cantar;
abia dibersos ynstrumentos de
musica que azian muy diversos
instrumentos de melodia y
muchos que dançavan y bailavan
muy gracyosamente; en suma
toda la fiesta pasó en mucha
curyosidad, sino que tenia yo vn
contrapeso que me tercyaba el
plazer, y era que aquel maldito
viejo de Tresuropoles el qual con
su tos y esqupir me ynchia tanto
de asco que yo no podia comer si
la anbre no me ayudara, y por
otra parte no me dexaba tener
atencyon a la musica porque me
fatigava con disputar comigo
quistiones de filosofia,
preguntandome qué sentia de
Juan de voto a Dios con que
espantan los ninnos las amas que
los qrian; afirmome con grandes
juramentos que abia sido su
conbidado y que le diera vna
blanca de aquellas cynco que
consygo suele traer, la qual dixo
que tenia en gran veneracyon y
despues quisome matar sobre
presbadirme con mucha
ynstancya que quando era de dia
no era de noche y cuando era
noche no era de dia. En estas y
en otras vanidades me molia,
hasta que llegado el fin de la
cena, que quisiera yo ver antes su
fin de aquel traidor por que el
gozo de tanto bien me estorbaba.
Ya as oido ¡oh Pitágoras! lo que
en la cena pasó.
Gallo.—Mucho me ha parescido
bien tu buena fortuna; mas no
puedo estar en mi, de enojado de
aquel malaventurado filosofo e
con quantas importunaciones
estorbaba placer tan sabroso.
 NOTAS:
[291] En Luciano el nombre del rico es Eucrates. Su imitador lo
escribe con la diversidad que se verá en el texto, si ya esta
variedad de formas no es descuido del copista.
 CAPITULO IV

Que pone lo que soñaba Micillo y

lo que da a entender del
sueño; cosa de gran
sentencia.

Micillo.—Pues oye agora, que

no me seria menos gracioso
contartelo. Soñaba yo quel rico
Everates era muerto y sin hijo
alguno que le heredase y que me
dejaba en su testamento como
hijo que le hubiese de heredar; y
asi yo aceté la herencia y fui allá y
comence a tomar de aquella plata
y oro aquellas ollas que se
acababan de sacar debajo de
tierra; tenia alrededor de mí tanto
de tesoro que no pensaba ser yo
el que antes solia coser zapatos;
ya cabalgaba en muy poderosos
caballos y mulas de muy ricos
jaeces y muy acompañado de
gente me iba a pasear; todos me
hacian gran veneracion; hacia
muy esplendidos convites a todos
mis amigos y deleitabame mucho
en ver aquel servicio con vasos
de oro y plata; y estando en estas
prosperidades veniste con tu voz
a mí despertar, que me fue mas
enojoso que si verdaderamente
todo lo perdiera, y deseaba soñar
veinte noches a reo sueño tan
deleitoso para mi.
Gallo.—Deja ya, mi buen Mida,
de más tabular del oro con esa tu
insaciable avaricia; ciego estás,
pues solamente pones tu
bienaventuranza en la posesion
de mucho oro y plata.
Micillo.—¡Oh mi buen Pitagoras!
paréscete que seré yo solo el que
lo suele afirmar; pues aun creo yo
que si verdad es lo que dices que
te has transformado en todos los
estados de los hombres, que
podrias decir quanto más deleite
rescebias cuando del mendigar
descapado, ó cuando poseias
grandes riquezas y andabas
vestido de oro y te preciabas de
hacer grandes prodigalidades
distribuyendo tu posicion y no es
ahora nuevo consentir en el oro
nuestra felicidad, pues abasta la
esperanza de lo haber para dar
animo al cobarde, salud al
enfermo.
 CAPITULO V

Pone á quantos peligros se ponen

las personas por adquirir
riquezas y lo que dello les
sucede y si es lícito o no.

Micillo.—Dime agora quantos

son los que menos preciada su
vida y pospuesta la seguridad de
vivir se disponen a salir de sus
propias tierras donde son nacidos
y criados, y desamparados sus
padres y parientes, no estimando
el sosiego de su anima, se ponen
en el mar de las tempestades
ciertas a mal comer y mal beber,
a peligro de morir cada hora en
manos de sus enemigos, para
pasar a las Indias por adquerir las
inciertas riquezas del oro, por
gozar de la felicidad de lo poseer,
y después de pasados diez años
en las Indias o en otros
semejantes lugares a quántos
peligros se disponen por lo ganar
de aquella gente barbara y sin fe
ni sin ley, quanto animó con arte
uno solo a docientos de aquellos
solo por ver entre las piedras el
oro relucir; y aun despues de
haber pasados todos estos
peligros plugiese a Dios fuese
licita su posesion porque no sé yo
con qué color pueden ellos tomar
aquella gente el oro que poseen;
y a fin si fuesen a lo cavar de las
venas de la tierra y con su propio
trabajo y sudor lo procurasen
adquerir descubriendo las minas
donde está, aun con justo título lo
podrían tomar, no haciendo
cuenta si era nescesario de lo
tomar a su rey por estar en su
territorio y juridicion, porque no
quiero agora dudar si posean los
reinos con razon ni los extraños
se los puedan tomar; bien sé yo
que por vedar ellos que se les
predique el Evangelio de Dios les
podemos hacer guerras y todo lo
demas; en suma todo lo puede el
dinero; las peñas quebranta, los
rios pasan en seco; no hay lugar
tan alto que un asno cargado de
oro no lo suba; ¡oh, qué
bienaventuranza es el tener que
dar; qué miseria es el contino
rescebir!; las riquezas conservan
los amigos, allegan los parientes,
adquieren quien de vos diga bien;
todos le saludan, todos le llaman
al rico señor, y si pobre es, de
todos es desechado y aborrescido
de contino; quel pobre os hable,
ois pensando qué os quiere pedir;
en conclusion siempre oi decir
quel oro mandaba todas las cosas
criadas; mas dime, Gallo, porqué
te ries.
Gallo.—Riome porque tú
tambien, Micillo, estás en la
misma necedad que'stá el
inorante vulgo en la opinion que
tienen los ricos; pues creeme a
mi, que muy más trabajada y
desventurada vida pasan ellos
que vosotros, y hablo esto por
saberlo como lo sé muy bien
porque yo soy inspirimentado en
todas las vidas de los hombres;
en un tiempo fui rico y en otro
pobre como ago agora; si esperas
lo oirás.
Micillo.—Pues, por Dios, que es
razon que tú nos cuentes como
fueste transformado y qué has
pasado en cualquier estado de tu
vida.
Gallo.—Pues oyeme y ten por
prosupuesto que en toda mi vida
nunca yo vi estado de hombre
mas bienaventurado quel tuyo.
Micillo.—Yo te ruego que me
enseñes mi bienaventuranza y
cuenta desde qué fueste nascido
hasta ahora que eres gallo y
como fueste en cada uno
transformado y qué te acaesció
en cada una de tus
transformaciones, porque
necesariamente paresce que han
de ser cosas diversas y notabres.
 CAPITULO VI

Como cuenta que fue Euforbio y

da a entender a su amo quél
habia sido hormiga.

Gallo.—No es necesidad que te

diga agora cómo Apolo trujo mi
ánima á la tierra y la invistio de
cuerpo humano porque seria muy
prolijo al contar, ni debes tú saber
mas de que al prencipio vine á ser
Euforbio y vine á defender los
muros de Troya contra los
griegos.
Micillo.—Dime ¡oh preclaro
varon Pitagoras! qué fuí yo antes
que fuese Micillo y si hubo en mi
la misma conversion?
Gallo.—Sabras que tú fueste
una hormiga de las Indias de las
que cavan oro para comer.
Micillo.—¡Oh, desdichado de mi!
¿por qué no traje yo acá un poco
de lo que me sobraba allá, para