81. Kiera
KIERA
Once I’d settled my nerves enough to move, everything moved quickly. Leo threw down a bag with a dress, heels, and fresh underwear for me while Spencer fetched paper towels and some water bottles. “Not the same as a shower, but at least you can clean off some of the blood.”
After washing off the blood, I threw my hair up in the golden clip Leo had provided. In a matter of minutes, they’d transformed me from a haggard captive to a presentable wedding guest.
Leo held her arm out for me with a smile. “Ready, Princess?”
Looping my arm through hers, I let my angels lead the way out of the factory and into the morning light. In the darkness, I never would have guessed that it was morning. But even without my captivity, the light was bright.
I shielded my eyes with my free hand as we strode through a parking lot toward the bikes. Dom was already outside, straightening out her own tux as she readied the motorcycles.
This time, when she saw me, there was no mistaking the admiration in her eyes. But we had a mission to carry out. Swinging her leg over her bike, Dom gestured for me to hop on the back, holding her shoulders steady as I slid in behind her.
“You clean up nice, Viper.”
“You don’t look half bad yourself.” Her tux was fitted perfectly over her broad shoulders: tight enough to hug the muscle without the fabric straining too much.
As I got my skirt arranged around my legs, Leo stepped forward with a helmet for me. “Be careful in there, okay?”
“I will,” I nodded, kissing her as I took the helmet from her hand.
Spencer sidled up to me next, her concern hidden beneath a mischievous smile. “You’d better come back to me in one piece, Bunny. We’ve got some serious cuddling to catch up on.”
“You too,” I teased, planting a sweet, quick kiss on her lips.
My stomach twisted as I slipped the helmet over my hair. I hated having to leave Spencer and Leo so soon after reuniting. But this was always the plan, and I would see them again soon enough. After all, they would be at the wedding too.
While Dom and I were arriving up through the front entrance, drawing security’s attention, Spencer and Leo would slip in through the back, felling as many of Isaac’s guards as possible.
An incursion, as Dom once put it. But I didn’t care what we called it. Reckoning, Justice, Redemption: all I knew was that after today, Isaac Dumont would never hurt another innocent person.
As Dom revved her engine, I wrapped my arms tight around her waist, surprised to find that under her tailored suit jacket was an arm holster with a glock.
“A gun?” I asked over the helmet comms. “What happened to keeping a low profile?”
I didn’t know how the fuck she planned on sneaking that into the wedding, but she just shrugged her shoulders. “Plans changed after they took you. I’m not walking into a gunfight without some heat of my own.”
I rolled my eyes, ready to fight back. Did she realize what a stupid fucking idea that was?
Clearly trying to avoid my argument, she kicked the bike into gear, tearing down the road at full speed. As we rode, the morning sun was blinding. My eyes ached, struggling to adjust after days and days of darkness.
Thank god for the tint on this fucking visor.
Riding felt amazing after days of captivity. The air caressing my skin, the motion of the trees, the rich sunlight dancing over every surface: it was a feast for the senses after endless deprivation.
But it didn’t last for long. Before I knew it, we were pulling up the winding driveway of a grotesque stucco mansion. The building rose like a small, pink castle from the surrounding hills, with a beautiful view of the Hudson River below.
God, Maura must love the fucking pink.
Past the decorative fountain, dozens of bougie cars crawled up the circular driveway, dropping off guests in ostentatious black-tie ensembles. Valets flitted about the entrance, shuffling around sportscars with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine.
But Dom drove past all of the hustle and bustle, parking her bike right in front of the entrance before hopping off to help me down.
I was shocked when she passed off her bike keys to one of the valets. But then I saw the slender sword-and-wing tattoo tracing up the back of their hand. Catching my eye, the valet winked before hopping onto the back of Dom’s bike.
“We’re everywhere, Viper.” Dom assured me, guiding me toward the stairs with a hand on the small of my back.
But so were Isaac’s men. As we reached the top of the stairs, I hoped we might slip in with the large group who’d arrived ahead of us. The burly guard held out a hand to stop us though, immediately narrowing his eyes at Dom. “Name?”
“Dom Dumont. As in ‘the groom’s daughter.’” She sneered right back at the man, already sick of his attitude.
He scanned the clipboard in his hand. “Only name I’ve got here is Madeline.”
“Call me that again, and it’ll be the last thing you say,” Dom growled.
The tension of the exchange instantly put me on edge — I couldn’t stop thinking about the gun under her jacket, how quickly things might escalate if the guard put his hands on it.
To my surprise though, he let the threat go. I guessed Isaac had already warned the guards about Dom’s short fuse, even if he didn’t bother to put her correct name on the list. “I don’t see any plus ones for you.”
His critical gaze turned my way, and I almost opened my mouth to offer my name. But then I remembered where I had been for the past few days and how I had probably ended up there.
It didn’t seem like Isaac had ordered for Gabe to hold me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d ordered my kidnapping. After all, Gabe was too stupid to pull off something like arson.
He wasn’t too loyal to go rogue, though. We’d seen as much with his little trophy vault in his apartment.
If I had to guess, Isaac probably wanted me dead. But Gabe liked playing with his food too much. He’d always been too greedy, too selfish, too proud. It was no surprise to me that his appetites eventually caught up with him.
“Don’t you think we can make an exception for the daughter of the groom?” I asked, trying to keep my nerve under the guard’s scrutinizing gaze.
But Dom just laughed. “Don’t worry, man. Trust me, my dad’s going to want to see this.”