“I have a few ideas,” Serenity said on a snarl. “That is, if someone’s willing to give me a lead pipe and some privacy for a few minutes.”
Trick and Hayes started to back away toward the exit they’d just slammed through a minute ago. “On that,” Trick started, “We’re just gonna wait outside while you figure out how you want to handle the situation.”
The door shutting behind them was punctuated by the sound of O’Brien screaming, and when I looked back over, Serenity was leaning over him, ripping at his eyebrow hairs. “Bet you regret ruining my date now, don’t you?” She yanked again, one eyebrow nearly gone.
“Rip out his armpit hairs next,” I shouted, feeling all kinds of vindictive. “Does anyone have tweezers?” I asked, looking around the warehouse full of badasses. It wasn’t likely they carried any on them, but it was worth asking. “If we have tweezers, we can get his nose hairs.” I wanted this man to suffer, and I could think of no better way than having his nose hairs ripped the fuck out.
“Christ man,” Lincoln grunted. “Your woman’s brutal. Think we might need to bring her on at Alpha Omega.”
“At least that’ll keep her on our side,” Bryce agreed.
“Tie him up,” West growled, his murderous gaze pinned on the wailing O’Brien. “Want him delivered to his uncle with a message.”
My brows furrowed as I looked up at him. “Are you sure that’s smart, letting him go like that?”
His lips curved in a sinister smile. “Oh, absolutely. Pretty sure Seamus Byrne’ll make this asshole suffer even worse than what Serenity’s putting him through.
Well, all right then.
“Come on, baby. What do you say we get you home, huh? Your mom promised me pot roast for dinner.”
At the sound of that, my stomach let out a loud groan. My mom’s pot roast was the best. “I can do that. Just as long as you know I’m never moving out. Oh, and I’m officially adopting Rollie as my own. Sorry, not sorry.”
West rose to his feet with me in his arms. “Stella, baby, haven’t you figured it out by now? I’ll give you anything you want. Just name it.”
Oh my God, I was going to cry again. “Good, because I want to marry you. Not any time soon or anything like that; we haven’t even had our first date yet. But just a heads up, I want a future with you.”
He grinned down at me. “I think I can work with that.”
Oh, I bet he could.
Epilogue
West
Two days later
I flipped my phone over, looking at the text that had just come through.
Unknown Number: It’s been handled. Our agreement still stands.
That last knot in my stomach finally unraveled.
After we found Stella and Serenity in that warehouse and made sure they were okay, Linc and a few of the other guys had personally delivered O’Brien to his uncle under strict orders that Byrne handle his business in a way that it never, ever darkened my woman’s doorstep again.
Stella and her family could officially rest easy for the rest of their lives, and tonight was just the start of that. The Tap Room was bustling, the band was playing a loud, fast-paced number and the air was electric with energy and excitement. Stella and I were surrounded by her family, and all our friends, and my woman got to experience what it was like to come to a bar for no reason but to kick back, have a few drinks, and enjoy herself. There was no hunting for marks or planning a lift, whatsoever. Just good times, surrounded by good people.
Which was exactly what she was doing at that moment.
“Eyes on the queen. Eyes on the queen. Think you can keep up ladies and gentlemen?”
She sat on one side of our line of tables, shuffling three cards in rapid succession while our whole crew stood on the other, their gazes riveted on the cards.
Finally, she stopped and lifted her hands. “All right, where is she?”
Hayes point at the card on the left. Stella flipped it over to reveal the two of clubs. “Oh, that’s too bad,” she said with fake sympathy as she pocketed the cash bet Hayes had placed. “Maybe next time, Detective, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
Our entire group burst into laughter, and the rest of the Ryans were a part of every second of it.
Lifting my beer to my lips, I took a pull and caught Joe’s eye from the other end of the table.
He stood up and headed my way, taking a vacant seat next to me. “Looks like you did it, son.”
“Did what?”
He turned to me and smiled. “Made all my little girl’s wishes come true.” Then he extended his hand to me. “Welcome to the family.”
I gave it to him straight. “There isn’t a family out there I’d want to be a part of more than this one.”
And that was the God’s honest truth.
I hadn’t been expecting Stella when she came crashing head first into my world, but that’s usually when the best things happened. When you least expected it.
And I was determined to spend every day of the rest of my life taking care of my queen.
Stella
Two weeks later
I couldn’t remember ever being so nervous before. My belly was full of butterflies, my blood pumped full of adrenaline as West pulled his truck into a parking stop and killed the engine.
“You ready, grift?”
I turned to look at the man who held my heart in his hands and treated it like the most precious gift he’d ever received. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but you didn’t have to drive me to work. I could have done it.” After all, I had a shiny, brand new Explorer parked in what was now designated as my space in the garage back at home. It was no Gertrude, but it was more than good enough.
“You kidding? No way in hell I was letting you drive yourself. This is a big day. I wanted to be here for it.”
It was a big day. My first day at my brand new job, and I was excited and anxious at the same time. One second I thought I might puke, and the next I was downright giddy. “I really hope I can do this job well,” I said quietly, turning back to face the building. For thirty-three years, I hadn’t had a clue what I’d wanted to do with my life, then this job fell into my lap, and just like West, it was a dream come true. I couldn’t possibly imagine doing anything else.
Taking my chin in his hand, West twisted my head back around to face him and leaned over the center console to press a kiss to my lips. “You’re going to be great. I know it. And they know it too, or they wouldn’t have hired you. You’ve already proven yourself to them, baby.”
My chest expanded and my shoulders rose on a large inhale. “Okay,” I breathed out. “I’m ready.”
West climbed out of the driver’s side and rounded the hood, determined to walk me all the way in, hand in hand, for my first day.
He paused at the door just long enough to smile down at me and say, “Love you, grift.”
Man, I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of hearing that. “I love you too.”
With those declarations spoken, he pushed the door open and stepped aside so I could go through first. The moment I entered the sleek lobby, I was greeted with a loud round of cheers from the entire Alpha Omega team. Sage stood front and center, holding a massive sheet cake with the words Welcome to the Crew piped across the top in pink frosting.