The Biker King's Forbidden Bride

THE ENEMY'S PROTECTION

POV: Rhydian Voss

The black cars park outside our gate in a long line, Knox turns to me with a tense look on his face, and he says, "Boss, if we keep her here, the Russians are going to tear this whole place down, and we do not have enough ammo for a full war tonight."

"Knox is right, because keeping Dmitri's bride is a suicide mission for the club, so hand her over before they open fire on us," Carter says, stepping up to the porch railing and gripping his gun tight.

"Shut up, both of you," I say, turning to Knox, and I order, "Take Maeve inside the main room right now and put her behind the bar while I go talk to these men."

"No, please do not make me go, because if they see me, they will drag me back to that house," Maeve says, as she clings to my vest with both hands, and her eyes are wide with real fear.

"They are not stepping foot on my land, so get inside the building and stay out of sight," I tell her, looking down into her face, and I ask, "What exactly did Dmitri do to you back there?"

"My fiancé betrayed me with Odessa, and when I ran to my parents for help, they slapped me and locked me up, and they told me the wedding was happening anyway," she says, her voice breaking, but she does not tell me everything yet.

"Knox, get her inside right now," I order again, and Knox takes her arm gently and pulls her into the clubhouse while I step down off the porch and walk toward the gate alone.

The door of the lead car opens, and Dmitri Volkov steps out into the road, and Odessa is standing right beside him, and she is leaning on his arm while holding his jacket tight.

"Rhydian, you have something that belongs to the Volkov family, so open this gate and hand Maeve over right now before we turn your clubhouse into dust," Dmitri says, standing right in front of the metal fence with a sneer on his face.

"She drove onto my property, and she asked for my help, so she does not belong to you or your family anymore," I say, leaning my arms on the top of the fence, and I look at the two of them standing there together.

"She is my promised bride, and the contract between our families is already signed, so we are here to take her back so we can get married tonight," Dmitri says, pulling Odessa closer against his side.

"It looks like you already have your wife in your arms, Dmitri," I say, pointing my chin toward Odessa, and I add, "Because I will be marrying Maeve."

Dmitri freezes, and his face turns red with rage, and Odessa gasps and hides her face against his neck, and Dmitri says, "You cannot do that, because she is promised to me, and you are starting a war between the Bratva and the Devil Riders."

"You do not tell me what I can or cannot do on my own territory," I say, and I turn my back on him and walk straight back toward the front porch while his men shout through the metal fence.

I step into the clubhouse main room, and I find Maeve sitting alone on a chair in the corner, still wearing her torn dress, and she tries to look brave, but her hands are shaking in her lap.

"Are you really going to start a war with the Russians over a woman you just met tonight, boss?" Carter asks, stepping into the room right behind me, and he looks at me like I have lost my mind.

I look toward Maeve, and I see how small she looks sitting in that big chair, and I look back at Carter, and I say, "I am not starting a war."

I pause for a second, and I check the clip in my gun, and I add, "I am ending their access to her."

I walk across the room and stop right in front of Maeve, and I look down at her, and I say, "You are under my protection now, so nobody in this city is going to touch you."

Maeve looks up at me, and her jaw drops slightly, and she asks, "What happens if Dmitri and the Bratva come back for me with more men?"

I step closer to her chair, and I say, "Then they come through me."

Maeve looks at my face, and she looks at the leather cut on my shoulders, as she sees the emblem of the Devil Riders, she knows that the man standing over her leads the only crew that the Bratva fears in this city.

Outside the gate, the engines of the black cars roar to life, and the vehicles begin moving closer toward the building, their lights beam through the front windows.

I pull my gun from my belt, as I load a round into the chamber with a loud click, and then I look down at Maeve, and I say, "Stay behind me, sweetheart."

Maeve stands up from the chair and steps right behind my back, and Knox walks over to the window to keep watch while Carter hand-loads more magazines at the counter.

"They are bringing up three more cars from the back of the road, boss," Knox says, looking out through the glass, and he turns his head to add, "They brought heavy weapons this time."

"Let them bring whatever they want, because nobody leaves this room, and nobody hands this girl over," I say, keeping my eyes on the front door.

"Why are you doing this for me when you do not even know me?" Maeve asks, standing close behind my shoulder, and her hand touches the back of my leather vest.

"Because Dmitri Volkov thinks he can walk onto my land and order me around, and because nobody gets dragged out of my house against their will," I tell her without turning around.

"He will not stop until he gets what he wants, Rhydian," she says, her voice low and steady now, and she adds, "He cares more about his pride than his own men."

"Then he will lose his pride and his men on this driveway tonight," I say, and I look at Knox and order, "Tell the boys on the roof to hold their fire until I give the word."

"Got it, boss," Knox says, walking fast toward the back door to send the message up the stairs.

Dmitri's voice booms from a speaker outside the fence, and he yells, "This is your last chance, Rhydian, so send Maeve out now or we flatten the entire property."

I walk up to the front window, and I pull back the curtain, and I shout back, "You heard what I said out there, Volkov, so take your girl and get off my land before I fill your cars with lead."

Dmitri slams his fist on the hood of his car outside, and Odessa pulls on his arm to draw him back, but he shoves her hand away and glares at the building.

"You are making the biggest mistake of your life," Dmitri screams into the night, but his cars stop moving forward, and they idle at the gate line.

I turn back to Maeve, and I see her breath coming slower now, and I step close to her again, and I say, "You stay in this room until the road is clear."

She nods her head once, and she looks straight into my eyes, and she says, "I am not going back to him, no matter what happens."

"You are staying right here," I say, and I turn to face the front door with my gun ready in my hand.