CHAPTER 3

NAVY

The hotel ballroom was teeming with the rich and wealthy. Supper was over and now everyone was mingling. I’d found a corner to prop myself up in and was casually observing all the fakeness and backstabbing that was going on in the room with some amusement.

It was only the brothers that had Old Ladies here tonight. The single brothers and Bull had opted to stay home with the children. Our table was the most colourful when it came to dresses, and I couldn’t help but smile. The women of the MC had had a ball, pun intended, finding dresses that suited them all. It had made me happy to spoil them and like I’d anticipated; they’d loved Hope just like I knew they would. Seeing them smiling and having a good time was a bonus.

My brothers, on the other hand, were not so happy. I smirked at how uncomfortable they were looking, but I knew they’d suck it up for their ladies. I may have to do this yearly just to piss off the stuck-up toffs that came to these events. We’d raised a good amount of money for the chosen charity. The evening was now nearly over and for that I was thankful.

A flash of gold caught my attention and then it disappeared again. Standing up straight from where I’d been leaning against the wall, I searched for the flash of gold again. Just when I thought I’d imagined it, I caught sight of it again.

That feeling you get when you get hit in the solar plexus and it takes your breath away? That’s how I felt when my gaze caught and held the eyes of the dark-haired beauty in the gold dress. Not that she held my eyes for long before her gaze skittered away, and her eyes darted around the room as if looking for an escape. That, I did not like.

Paying closer attention to who she was with, my mouth tightened when I noticed the tight hold the tall arsehole with her had on her arm. He was holding her so tight his fingers were white. She tugged her arm slightly and his grip tightened even more. He bent his head and said something to her, and I had to grin at the glare she aimed at him.

It seemed whoever he was, she wasn’t afraid to show her dislike for him. Standing on her other side was another guy, looking disinterested with everything. Straight away, he put my back up. He was short with a gut that his jacket barely did up over and a slicked back comb-over and thin moustache. His gaze flittered to the woman beside him, and he licked his lips. I didn’t like any of what I was seeing.

The smell of Hope’s perfume tickled my nose as she threaded her arm through mine and looked towards where my gaze was held by the beauty in gold.

“Do you know them?” I asked softly.

Hope tilted her head back to look at me with curious blue eyes before they shifted back to the crowd.

“Mmh, he’s Julian Wallingsworth, the Second,” at the tone of Hope’s voice, I looked down to see her nose wrinkled in disgust before her face cleared and her society mask was back in place. “I don’t know the other man, but the woman is Wallingsworth’s stepsister, Gianna Abate. I’m surprised to see her here. I thought she was on a cruise with her grandmother.”

“What do you know about them?” I queried.

“Not much,” Hope answered, moving closer to me as Sebastian stepped up and stood on her other side.

“Who are we talking about?” Bas asked, wrapping an arm around Hope’s waist.

“Julian Wallingsworth,” Hope answered.

“Fucker,” Bas muttered. I snorted out a laugh as Hope clapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold her laughter in.

“Tell it like it is, Bas,” I grinned at my cousin. It’s only when you saw us together that people realised who I was. We looked a lot alike. Both of us dark-haired, blue eyed, with the family trademark dimples. The only differences were that he was clean shaven while I had a beard, and I was a little taller than Bas but otherwise we could have been full brothers.

“He’s a fucking prick,” Bas continued. “There are rumours about him and his family. They’re not good and if Gianna’s here then I can only assume they’re true.”

“What are the rumours?” I asked with interest.

Bas hesitated, looking at me then he suddenly grinned, “Rumour has it that his father left nothing to him except the house and a monthly stipend. The company and all its shares are being run by a board of directors to be held until Tristan, the youngest son, turns twenty-one or his sister, Gianna, gets married. Once she gets married, then she will hold Tristan’s shares until he comes of age, but she needs to be married within a year of the will being read. If she’s not, then everything goes to Julian, and he’ll run it all into the ground within a few years. He’s a waste of space. The father knew that, and he also knew that Gia would do anything for her younger brother. Julian, the First, was an arsehole, too.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that it would be in his best interest if Gia didn’t get married?”

“Yep, although whoever marries her comes into a lot of money as he left her quite a bit in the will. The type of prick that Julian is, he’d marry her off and take half the money. He doesn’t give a shit about the company.”

“How much are you talking?”

“Not a hundred percent sure, but the rumour is she’s worth ten million.”

“Fuck’s sake,” I muttered. “What the fuck is wrong with men putting the women in their families in danger?”

Sighing, I straightened my jacket, pulled my cuffs straight. I had a mission to complete.

“Um, Alan, what are you doing?” Hope asked, looking worried.

“I’m going to go and get my wife,” I declared with determination as I walked off.

“Oh, fuck,” Bas whistled, “I better go and inform Reaper that the soft and smelly is about to hit the fan.”

Ignoring both of them, I forged my way through everyone, not stopping even when people hailed my name. I had my woman in sight, and nothing was stopping me from claiming her.

Gianna’s eyes widened as they caught sight of me. Nervously, she licked her lips. Instantly, my cock perked up and hardened at the innocent gesture. Sending her a wicked grin and a wink, making her eyes widen even more, if that was possible. When she realised I wasn’t stopping, she gave me a hesitant smile, and that was me done for. In that second, I knew she was the one I’d been waiting for.

‘Fuck me, she’s gorgeous, and she’s going to be mine.’

Opening my arms, I knocked the bellend who had hold of her arm hand away from her and swept her up and into my arms. Not taking the time to think about what I was doing and if it was the right thing, I went on instinct that it would all work out as it should.

In the next moment, my mouth was on hers. She gave a small squeak of surprise, but then her lips softened under mine as she melted against me. Lifting my head, I smiled into her stunned brown eyes and hoped like hell she’d follow my lead. “Gia, sweetheart, sorry I’m late. I went by the flat, but you weren’t there. Then Hope said you’d be here.”

“Gia, who is this?” Julian interrupted angrily.

Standing tall, I pulled Gianna into my side, where she fitted like she’d been made for me.

“I’m her husband.”

You could have heard a pin drop. “You said she wasn’t seeing anyone,” the prick with them sputtered.

“She wasn’t. I don’t know who this guy is. It’s impossible that you’re her husband,” Julian sputtered, his face growing red with anger that I’d somehow completely scuppered his plans with just a few words.

“That’s where you’re wrong. We got married a year ago, but I’ve been away for work, and I’ve been out of communication for a while. When Hope got word to me that she hadn’t been able to get hold of Gia for months and she was worried, I wrapped up my project as quickly as I could and came back home. Then I got worried when there was no-one at our flat. I was just about to raise the alarm and file a missing person’s report with the police when Hope called to say Gia’s name was on the guest list. You can imagine my relief to see her here. Fine and healthy.”

Gia had been silent through all this, but she’d relaxed, trembling against me like she was exhausted. And I had a feeling that whatever fuckery was going on here had her in this condition and I wasn’t having it. It was like waving a red flag at a bull when I felt a woman was being threatened. There was no mistake about it. Gia was somehow being threatened. I’d seen it from across the room and I saw it now. She didn’t realise it yet, but she was mine now and I protected what was mine in any way that I could. I knew the brotherhood would be behind me in this as soon as they caught wind that something was going down. And I was right because I felt them at my back before they’d even said anything.

And with Reaper’s next words, I knew that Bas and Hope had come through for me and had updated them with as much information as possible.

“Gia, love, it’s so good to see you. You had all of us worried about you. We were about to post a missing person’s report.” While he was talking, he gently removed Gia from my arms and passed her to Hope who had walked up with them.

I’d be forever grateful for my family, both blood and not, when Hope pulled Gia into a hug, further cementing the ruse we were playing when she gushed, “Gia, it’s so good to see you. How’s your grandmother and Tristan? Come on, the family table is over here. It’s great that Julian could bring you. You must tell me what you’ve been up to. You’ve had us so worried about you.”

Hope’s voice trailed off the further away they walked from us. Dragon peeled off from our group and followed them, leaving us to deal with the dicks in front of us.

Smiling coldly at Gia’s stepbrother, I grabbed him by the arm right about where I’d noticed his fingers leaving indents in her soft flesh and walked him out of the ballroom. Hawk and Onyx had the other wanker between them, and he was escorted out, squawking all the time. I don’t know what Onyx said to him, but he immediately shut up and meekly followed along.

All I wanted to do was bash their brains in so that I could be assured they’d never try anything like this again. Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t, not tonight anyway. There were too many eyes on us, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t at a later date.

For now, a warning would have to do.

Escorting them around the corner and down an alleyway, far away from prying eyes. I pushed Julian up against the wall, my arm tight against his throat, cutting off his air.

“Listen to me, you demented fuckhead, and listen good. Tonight is the last night you come anywhere near Gia. One hair on her head is harmed and I’ll make sure nobody finds your body. Nod if you understand.”

Moving my arm from his neck a little so he could take a breath, he nodded.

“Good, she’s married, and we’ll get to the lawyers on Monday to prove it. Anything happens to her or Tristan and you will be the first person I come looking for. Do you understand?”

By now I knew that Skinny would have already been notified and would be working his magic, getting the right paperwork where it should be.

Julian nodded again, his face starting to turn purple. Removing my arm from his neck, I allowed him to draw a deep breath.

Pulling him away from the wall, I straightened his jacket and tie, making sure he looked back to normal. All the time I did this, I made sure to look him threateningly in the eye. Like all bullies when they are confronted with someone stronger and bigger than them, he caved. He didn’t like that I eyed him the whole time. His eyes were all over the place as if he was waiting to see if someone would rescue him, but I knew that my brothers wouldn’t allow anyone in the alley. Plus, we were in London, nobody gave a shit about what happened down alleys here.

Letting him go, I shoved him towards the entrance of the alley. My brothers parted to let him through, and just as he was near the mouth of the alley, I called out, “Julian!” He turned to look at me.

“We’ll be watching you.”

He didn’t say anything, just hightailed it out of the alley towards the parking area. I don’t know what happened to the guy he was with and didn’t much care, either.

“You good, Navy?” Reaper asked.

Grinning wide, I answered, “I’m fucking fantastic, Pres, I’ve just found my one.”

With those words I swaggered back to the entrance of the hotel. I had a woman to claim.

Chuckles followed me as we headed back to the ballroom.