Chapter 2
Rebel
“Any chance you two will turn this epic Maddox wedding into the wedding event of a lifetime?” Kelsey leans between the front seats while we enter through the Heart Ranch gates. “You know, with a double wedding?”
I wave to the guard on duty as we pass the metal shipping container that has been set up as a base for external security. The taillights of Owen’s truck bounce over the cattle guard a few yards in front of us.
“Let’s focus on getting Rogue and Ivy married, shall we?” Since nothing has gone smoothly since we arrived at Heart Ranch, it’s going to take a miracle to pull just one wedding off without any more drama.
“It would be cute though. Two of the most notorious bachelors in Hollywood taken off the market at the same time.” Kelsey’s lips twist into a smirk. “You identical twins are supposed to like doing everything together, aren’t you?”
“Ha. Funny.” Unless... is Kelsey pushing it because that’s what Summer wants? I’ve missed too many signals lately to brush it off without checking in first.
“I don’t think so,” Summer says.
I meet her sideways gaze as we follow her brothers to the top of the driveway. Was she slow to answer, or am I seeing things? I grumble, but the truth is I’d do it if that’s what she wanted. If she wanted to get married tonight, I would make it happen.
Rogue would get over it. Probably.
Hearing her say no... I need to hear the why. After the last few weeks, it’s important to me that we’re on the same page.
I pull in next to Owen’s truck. He, Storm, and Jett all get out. Turning off the engine, I teasingly ask, “No?”
“It will be fun to be engaged for a while.” She covers my hand with her own, the heavy rock sitting snugly atop her finger.
“And I want to get ridiculously, and gloriously round with these babies. I want to plan a nursery before I stress about wedding details. I want to worry about birthing classes and epidurals before I have to decide on flowers and seating arrangements.”
“There will be plenty of time once they’re here.” I lift her knuckles and brush my lips over them. She deserves to have the wedding of her dreams. I’m going to make sure that happens.
“You two are adorable. Truly.” Kelsey opens the back door and leaves us as Owen heads toward our vehicle.
“Are you ready for this?” Summer asks, her gaze tracking her brother.
“Sure. They already tried to kill me today. It can’t get worse than that.” I grin at her while I tuck a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. My fingers graze the pulse point at the base of her jaw, and I lean in to plant a kiss on her mouth in front of him.
If he squirms, he doesn’t let on. Which is good, because they’re all going to have to get used to these public displays of my affection for their sister. This relationship is on our terms, not theirs.
He bangs his fist on my window before opening the door and leaning into the opening. “Hollywood, I don’t need to witness what you do with my sister in private. Get out. Let’s go. We need to celebrate.”
Summer’s door is pulled open, and Storm fills the space with a mischievous grin and a brightness to his eyes. He wraps both arms around Summer and hauls her out of the car before she can do anything more than yelp at him.
“Come on then, Hollywood. Let’s get ’r done.
” Owen claps me on the shoulder once I’m out of the car.
He squeezes until my bones creak then lets off some of the pressure.
It’s his way of telling me that he can and will keep his promise to fuck me up if I hurt his sister, but for now at least, I’m one of them.
That gives us two reasons to pop corks.
Ahead of us, Summer grins at me over Storm’s shoulder. It’s not the first time one of her brothers has carried her around like a sack of feed. In fact, Burke had done just that the very first time we met.
This time my yet to be born twins are part of the package though. And I’m aware Storm is crazier than I thought after this evening. “Careful.”
“My nieces are fine,” Owen says. “And my sister is too. He’s not being rough with your woman. Relax.”
“Our little sister is getting hitched.” Jett falls into step, but only long enough to announce, “I’m gonna round up the boys and steal a few bottles of champagne from the barn. Won’t be long.”
He hums something up tempo to himself as he leaves us.
“You got Owen to like you.” Summer twines her hands around my neck when we get to the base of the steps where Storm put her down. She rises on tiptoe for a kiss. “I was starting to think that was never going to happen.”
“I told you I could handle your brothers.” I hold her hips in my hands, the swell of her belly pressed against my abdomen. I will never get enough of touching her. “I have a couple of brothers of my own to tell.”
The screen door bangs and Summer’s nephew races out ahead of Riot, who strides onto the porch and waits for us there.
Ernie bolts down the steps and wraps his arms around Owen’s middle.
Kale chases after him, huffing. “Jeez, kid. I thought we had a deal. You’re gonna get me in trouble.”
Owen ruffles the boy’s hair. “Your Aunt Summer is engaged. So, I’m gonna let you both off the hook tonight. As long as you go get in your pajamas right now.”
“Come on, Ernie.” Kale shepherds him along. “Tell Aunt Summer congratulations.”
“Congratulations, Aunt Summer.” He grins up at her as they pass.
“Night, Ernie.” She smiles at him affectionately as Kale leads him inside.
Guitar in hand, a mulish expression on his mug, Riot has narrowed in on Kelsey who must have hung back when the Heart brothers jumped in. “Where have you been?”
“Congratulations again.” She hugs us both before marching past him like she doesn’t see him there, even when they brush arms. I can almost see the wall building between them.
His gaze follows her into the house before his jaw releases. His eyes light up when he latches onto the congratulations she directed at us. He looks at me expectantly. “You finally did it? You asked?”
Summer thrusts her arm out straight, pointing the rock in his direction. Her giddy expression is accompanied by a whole-body bounce. “He did.”
Whatever is going on with him and Kelsey in the rearview, he hurries down the steps and engulfs Summer in a giant bear hug. “Fuck, yes. It’s about time.”
She laughs when he lifts her off her feet.
Spinning her around he chants “one of us, one of us” while she hollers at him to put her down. But she’s laughing the whole time.
He lowers her to the ground before releasing her. His fist connects with my shoulder before I see it coming. “This is awesome news. How’d Rogue take it? With you stealing the show during his special week? We all know how much he hates sharing his spotlight.”
I get an itch at the base of my jaw and rub it away with two fingers.
He seemed thrilled. He’d been the first one to call Summer family.
Taunted me with marrying her if I didn’t long before I’d secured the perfect ring.
Although that stopped when he met Ivy. But I haven’t had a chance to speak to him yet, and with the way this itch is niggling I need to.
“Where is he anyway?” Riot asks.
“He should be here soon.” I survey the long driveway, expecting to see their car, but they must have been a little further behind us.
“I’ll be stealing my sister a moment.” Owen catches Summer’s neck in the crook of his elbow. “The others are on their way.”
“Anyone told West yet?” Riot asks as they disappear into the house.
“I haven’t had a chance. We only just told you.” And West will probably be irritated and uninterested, his default settings outside of anything to do with Dizzy. “I’m going to do that now.”
“I’ll come with you,” Riot says.
Good. That will give me a chance to suss out this mess he’s making with Kelsey.
He falls into step with me. The lights from the house fade when we leave the driveway for the path to the cabins. It doesn’t matter though. Not out here where the moon is big and bright and the stars are a glittering blanket.
“Seems like you should be handling your business,” I say once we’re out of earshot of the house. Still, I glance over my shoulder to check. “You and Kelsey—”
Frustration crosses his features. “It will keep.”
If I’ve been reminded of anything this weekend it’s that miscommunication doesn’t keep well at all. The unwanted divide between Summer and I these last few months wouldn’t have grown without it. A problem we’ve rectified and will keep working on daily. “Take it from me—”
I bump into the arm he’s lifted in front of my chest. He peers ahead. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
Adira stands with his back to us. In front of him another man—this one wearing an ornate purple, blue, and gold mask—steps quickly out of the queen’s personal space. His hands linger on Adira’s waist though. His chest rises and falls rapidly. They continue to stare at each other.
“This feels personal,” Riot says low, making sure his voice doesn’t carry.
“Intimate.” Like we’ve walked in on the end of something we weren’t supposed to.
“We should make some noise.” Riot raises his fist to his mouth, likely about to make the situation more awkward.
My phone cuts the silence before he can. Fuck.
Attention caught, the masked man freezes. Adira half-turns toward us as I answer the video call while scrubbing a hand along the underside of my damn jaw. “Where are you?”
“It’s not as bad as you think it is.” Rogue sounds out of breath. His hair stands up in tufts and his eyes dart to something or someone out of view. Behind him dark trees fill my view. A single source of light highlights him like a spotlight. “No one was hurt.”
“What the hell do you mean no one was hurt?” I demand. The fact that’s what he opens with immediately puts me at alert.
“What is going on?” Adira demands. His masked companion has vanished.
“What happened?” Riot asks.
Rogue’s quiet. Too quiet. Not himself at all.
“If you don’t tell us right now,” Adira starts.
“We were run off the road.” Rogue twists around and the camera pans over the car. Its roof is on the road, and the tires are pointed to the sky.
“Fuck,” Riot says as the three of us share a look. First the goat. Now this.
“No one is injured,” Rogue is quick to repeat. “A little shaken up, but Ivy and Dizzy are fine. I’m fine. Security is fine. It’s just—”
“Where the hell are you?” He was supposed to be right behind us. How could this happen without any of us realizing?
“About halfway between Devil’s Bend and the ranch.”
“We’ll come—”
“Our ride is already on its way. Davis organized a new one.”
“Did you call it in?” Shouldn’t there be flashing lights or a cop asking questions in the background by now. Even that prick who was at Violet’s earlier wouldn’t ignore the reporting of a hit and run surely.
“Not yet.” He’s off-handed, and his gaze slides to the sky. Pained tension makes his lip curl up.
I know that expression. “What?”
“Nicole sent roses. There was a whole back room full of them at the florist. And then this. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“That bitch,” Adira says.
Rogue glances at someone off screen. He speaks but no sound comes through. He must have muted us. A second later he speaks again, and this time it’s as clear as the hopelessness on his face. “Ivy wants to get out of here. Go to Vegas. Find a little chapel in the desert.”
Double fuck. Swapping intimate and special for casinos and public spectacle... without friends and family to celebrate with them. That’s not what they want. If it was, they’d have gone to Vegas in the first place, not spent months planning their perfect day.
“Look, I know it’s not ideal, but I don’t know what else to do at this point.” Rogue exhales heavily. “Vegas is beside the point. I want her to feel safe. That’s no longer possible here.”
“I can’t believe none of you told me we have a problem.” Adira snatches the device from my hand. “We need a plan. A real plan. That’s not Vegas.”
“I just want Ivy to be happy,” Rogue says. “And safe. We’re not coming back to the ranch. At least not tonight. Not when we don’t know what else Nicole has in store. Or if Alec is involved. Or who they’re scheming with.”
“He’s right. They aren’t coming back here.” I take my phone from Adira. “So where are you going to go?”
“The airport,” he says. “As soon as our ride gets here. We’ll leave a bodyguard behind to call in the hit and run and speak to the cops.”
“Riot’s jet is still there. Get on it. But don’t go to Vegas.” Because there’s no way in hell this best man is letting the bride and groom down. “We’re going to fix this.”
“Rebel…” Rogue says. I’m counting on you.
I know, bro. “Keep in contact.”
He hangs up. Well, I didn’t see this night turning out like it has. With Summer and I engaged and a runaway bride and groom.
“We can’t let them get married in Vegas,” Adira says.
“We’re not going to.” I pocket my phone. “We’re going to flush out whoever is behind what’s going on here and get our bride and groom back to the ranch in time for the ceremony.”