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Carmelo flicked his eyebrows up and nodded to himself. Didn’t he know it.
“Ardian and Kavan and all the other guard dogs not out tonight?” Colt asked, looking over his shoulder. The guy never stopped looking over his shoulder, no matter how confident and ballsy he appeared on the outside, Colt would often let his vulnerable side slip out in front of those he trusted.
“No, they stood down, because it was supposed to be her bachelorette party-”
But there was no time for further talking. With Lena now wearing a bright, glossy lipstick and smokey, darker eyeshadow, Colt thrust a ring box into his hand, thwacked him on the back, spun him around and propelled him towards Lena.
She reached out her hand to him, and he took it, gladly, willingly.
Then they walked up the aisle together, towards the altar, while the MC all took their seats and the wedding march was played jauntily on an electric organ.
“Dearly Beloved,” a minister said, in a loud, booming voice.
“Skip to the good part!” One of the MC members heckled jovially from the crowd.
Carmelo turned back and stuck his middle finger up at them, to a riot of giggles and whoops.
The minister chuckled, “Do you want to just skip to say your vows?”
Lena tugged on his hand. “I can’t wait to skip ahead to the good part with you, Sergeant,” she said.
Carmelo felt his heart explode as she smiled almost coyly up at him. “Til death do us fucking part, Princess,” he said.
She nodded, pursed her lips determinedly, and nodded once. “Til death, Carmelo.”
And just like that, the minister was declaring them husband and wife. They signed some papers, then smirked at the MC members who were all rowdily heckling still from the dark pink fur covered pews, and then, it was done. They were married.
He’d gone and married a twenty-one year old mafia heiress who he’d known for a few months. He’d gone and fucked his career over but he felt no regret, he felt a sense of freedom, of something new, the start of something good. Wild, rocky, fiery, yes, but something good.
The next hours were a blurry, euphoric haze of tripping around the Vegas Strip, going into bars, holding Lena’s hand, laughing with the MC. It was the best night of his life. Hands down.
They settled into a bar where they were able to get a booth for the girls, and a booth for the boys, bottle service, good music and good times.
Carmelo found himself with an ice cold whiskey in front of him, Colt next to him, and an overwhelming sense of sheer happiness and gratitude for the man next to him. Carmelo didn’t know what to say. He sheepishly toed the floor and muttered, “thanks buddy.”
Colt shrugged. “Sure, it’s what we’d do for any brother,” Colt said casually.
Carmelo bit his lip and peered sideways at Colt. Taller than him, slightly older than him. His shadow opposite in terms of upbringing and outlook on life. Carmelo liked the structure and rigor of the police force. Colt preferred a more relaxed approach. Carmelo liked being in charge. Colt didn’t. Carmelo liked law and order, he liked bringing the bad guys to justice. Colt believed a man made his own law and order, and justice was a myth. They both liked nineties action movies though.
Carmelo looked around at the others then. Ash, who took great joy in teasing him and calling him pig… to Jared, the voice of reason in the group. Rafe, who he’d spent many a night of debauchery with, and Phantom, the guy he’d rescued and rehoused with great success at the MC. These were his brothers. These were his people. The Las Vegas branch of the Black Coyotes had turned up now, too, and were acting as bodyguards and an escort around the strip. He didn’t know them well, they had been another MC before Colt’s branch organized a patch-over, usurping the former Prez and taking the club, and their Las Vegas business for himself. It had been a bit of a rescue operation, too, as Lyle and Colt had been kidnapped at the time. That’s the operation he’d masterminded and had won him the commendation medal himself in the first place. The medal that had earned him his ‘golden boy’ local paper headlines that had tipped the balance in his favor of making him the preferred suitor for Lena. Carmelo laughed at the irony of it all.
Carmelo had asked the MC to come and they came. They were more his family than his actual family. He was pleased and proud they stood here beside him, showing up for him. The MC did because Colt did, and anyone who tried to put Carmelo down had to answer to Colt’s wrath. Carmelo thought of his father, constantly furious with him, and his brother, Mario, with a rod up his ass, forever scathing, forever putting him down. And he knew he didn’t mind that they weren’t here for this.
Maybe now was the time to talk to Colt. The bar wasn’t too loud, Colt sat right next to him, sprawled in the way he always did when sat down, back low, legs spread in front of him, big booted feet in the way of the thoroughfare. Colt was simply smiling and listening to the others chatting. Everyone was having a good time. Sophie, Lena and April went to the bar, giggling. Phantom was smiling, listening to Ash and Rafe telling some anecdote about one of the cleaners who worked at the MC and what she’d walked in on. Colt was listening and chuckling and looked happy.
Carmelo cleared his throat. “Colt, I, um..”
Colt turned his head slightly to glance at Carmelo. “Yeah, buddy?”
But Carmelo’s throat seized up. What if Carmelo ruined it, by telling Colt this thing that he knew he really needed to tell him? He remembered when he told Colt about Max on the highway. About how Colt had gotten in a pretty sharp downward spiral. Colt wasn’t a ‘steady Eddie’, his temper was fiery, his moods were instant and impulsive. What if Colt was angry, sad, disbelieving? Carmelo didn’t want to ruin a good night, his own wedding night in fact, with this. He didn’t want to ruin the friendship he had with Colt, his place at the MC. He didn’t want things to change.
One more night, his own wedding night, then he’d talk to Colt. He’d talk to him the next time he saw him, when they were back in the clubhouse, at a better time of day, not like 2am or whatever time it was now. Not in a bar in Vegas, this wasn’t the time or place.
Carmelo licked his lips. “Thanks. For the ring.”
Colt smiled and frowned. “Like I already said, no problem, brother.”
Carmelo was going to say more but at that moment the MC guys surged in and grabbed him, each taking a limb of his and Carmelo felt himself being hoisted up into the air by them all and carried off toward the bar.
