Chapter 64
Gabriella
“I thought we were having a party?” I asked, not even ten minutes later.
Everyone had grabbed a quick pint, downing it at record speed, and then they’d all raced for the front door as though the place was on fire.
Probably the wrong thing to say considering where I was and everything this club had been through, but that’s what it felt like.
“What? You didn’t think we were going to get all dressed up in our riding gear for nothing, did you?” Vienna smirked at me.
“I—”
“Gabriella,” Dante interrupted, his voice firm.
I stiffened at the tone.
“I have something to say to you, now, in front of the entire club. And I want to do it before we all get riding.”
I swallowed heavily. “Okay?”
“I know things haven’t always been the easiest for you two.
And I know things happened in the past that we all regret.
But as president of this club, I want to make it abundantly clear, for all who are listening, that you are welcome here.
From this moment on, the past will stay where it belongs.
Whatever happened, whatever you did, it’s forgotten.
If Vienna can find it in himself to forgive and forget, it’s the least we can do. Isn’t that right, brothers?”
The crowd called out its response.
All of it a yes.
Dante must have read the hesitation on my face.
“We’ve all made mistakes, darling. Each and every one of us has blood on our hands. Being a part of this club isn’t about being judged for the mistakes. It’s embracing the changes you make going forward.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder then—which was about the closest to a hug I’d ever get from him.
“From this moment on, you are under my protection. For the love of God, please don’t abuse it and turn out like Rachel.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and went to his bike.
My mouth remained open with shock.
In fact, I was that stunned, I didn’t even feel Vienna moving until his arms wrapped around me from behind, and his lips kissed the top of my head.
“How do you feel?” he asked me.
“Honestly?” I said, clearing my throat as the tears burned it. “I’m just… I don’t even know. I feel chosen. Is that silly?”
“Not silly at all. You belong here, princess. You always did.”
“I belong with you.”
“I’m not about to argue with that,” he said, spinning me around in his arms. His hands cupped my cheeks, and he placed a tender kiss to my lips.
“Should we take that ride now, old lady?”
So this is why everyone was in their riding gear.
My hair streamed out behind me as Vienna thundered down the motorway.
My arms wrapped tightly around his waist, my hand pushed down the folds of his cut, resting over his steady heartbeat.
Beneath my palm, I felt the steady rise and fall of his breathing, the occasional vibration of a laugh rumbling through his chest whenever one of the brothers blasted their horn behind us.
It struck me then just how relaxed he felt.
Every ride we’d ever shared had carried urgency, danger or secrecy.
We’d always been racing towards something—or away from it.
Not today.
Today there was nowhere else we needed to be.
Rachel and Dante were slightly in front of us, leading the pack as the president and his old lady. The rest of the club was behind us, beeping their horns non-stop and hollering their praise.
The deafening rumble of dozens of engines echoed through the streets, drawing people’s attention wherever we went.
Shopkeepers stepped into their doorways to watch us pass. Children pointed excitedly from the pavement, waving as though we were some sort of parade, while a few people lifted their phones, filming the procession as we thundered through the city.
For the first time in my life, I wasn’t hiding.
I wasn’t sneaking around back streets or stealing moments with Vienna behind closed doors. I wasn’t worried about who might recognise me or what punishment might follow if they did.
People could look.
They could stare all they wanted.
I was exactly where I wanted to be.
We went through almost every street of Leeds, staying in our formation, showing everyone that we had a new member. When I looked behind me, I saw Pivot and Darwin holding a sign up that said, “newly married,” which made everyone coo and aww as we passed them.
I laughed, squeezing Vienna even tighter. He covered my hand with his own for a second, his thumb brushing softly across my knuckles before revving his bike and picking up the speed. The simple touch said everything words couldn’t. He didn’t need to look back to know I was smiling.
Our speed climbed higher and higher, and ordinarily, I would have loved it.
But today?
Today I didn’t want to miss a single thing.
I wanted to remember every second.
The roar of the engines beneath us. The smell of petrol lingering in the air. The warm leather of my brand-new cut hugging my shoulders. The wind whipping around us. The way Vienna instinctively rested one hand over mine every chance he got, as though reminding himself that I really was there.
I cherished riding through the streets, clinging to his back with my own cut. I adored that people could see me with him—that I was free to be seen with him.
As we passed a row of shop windows, I caught our reflection for the briefest of moments.
There we were.
Vienna at the front of our bike, his cut stretched across his broad shoulders.
Me behind him, wearing colours that finally belonged to me.
For a split second, I barely recognised the woman looking back.
She looked happy.
Dante even directed us through Rider territory, letting everyone know that I was now claimed.
The atmosphere changed almost instantly.
People stopped talking as we rode through.
Curtains twitched. Faces appeared in upstairs windows before disappearing again just as quickly.
A handful of Riders stood outside one of the buildings, watching us pass in complete silence.
Nobody moved. Nobody challenged us. They simply watched as the Devils Disciples rolled straight through their territory with me proudly sitting behind Vienna.
The Rider feud wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. They’d come back with a new president and strike again. And we’d be ready for them.
But my chapter with them was over.
And that was the most freeing thing of all.
“You ready for this?” Vienna called to me over the wind.
“Ready for what?”
“Hold on tight.”
I did as he instructed, removing my hand from his chest and linking my fingers around his waist, squeezing him tightly enough that he laughed.
He picked up the speed, going onto just the back wheel as he stormed down the long stretch of road, overtaking Dante and Rachel.
My stomach swooped as the front wheel lifted from the ground, a startled laugh bursting from my lips before I buried my face briefly between his shoulder blades.
The rest of the club followed suit, revving their engines and picking up their speed, racing with us.
I should have been terrified.
Instead, I trusted him completely.
And then Vienna spun around, making me howl with delight and close my eyes as the wheels of his bike screeched against the road. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs, somewhere between fear and exhilaration, but I couldn’t stop laughing.
I opened my eyes just in time to see us flying through the middle of the Devils, with them parked up on either side of us.
Engines thundered around us as they cheered and clapped, some revving their bikes so loudly I felt the vibration through my chest. Helmets were raised into the air.
A few of the old ladies wolf-whistled, while Bee bounced excitedly in the sidecar of Ant’s bike, waving both arms as though we were performing just for her.
At the very end, Vienna lifted us back onto one wheel once more to a chorus of cheers before the entire club roared after us, racing together into the night.
I laughed so hard my cheeks ached.
This wasn’t just a ride.
It wasn’t just a celebration.
It was the first day of the rest of my life.
And life was fucking good.