Page 45 of Ruthless Reign

No.

Could Gabriella have done something to her? Could she have learned that Hannah was still leaking information to me for the Roses? I tried texting Hannah again, but this time, the message was undeliverable.

Della:Gabriella is planning an arms pickup from the Hell’s Knights in three days.

It bothered me that the Hell’s Knights were so close to Rose territory. Had they already come through? Were they still here?

Me:Do you know how big?

Della:Big. When are you coming home? When can Chesco and I see you?

Me:Soon. I want you both at my wedding.

Della:What about the Roses? What are their plans for Gabriella?

“Are you coming to the party at the Beacon next month?” Alba’s question brought me back to reality, so I put the phone down without answering Della.

“I think so,” I said, putting it on my mental list to ask Roman when he got home. Between that and the wedding, I had a lot going on.

“It’ll be fun,” Alba said as she stacked dishes in the dishwasher and wiped her hands on a rag. “You and Bear will enjoy yourselves…if you go in with an open mind.”

“I’ve never been to a…uh…club like that before,” I admitted. I’d certainly seen my fill of naked women. The Caputis owned several strip clubs in various parts of DC, but none that catered to the kink community. Outside of Roman, no one had ever asked me what sort of things I might want to try.

“Are you nervous?” Alba asked. But she didn’t seem judgmental; more like she wanted to help alleviate any fears I might have.

“A little,” I said, deciding I might as well ask her about it. Della would be outraged if I ever brought any of this up, and Chesco would kill Roman for even considering half of it. “Are you and KC kinky?”

She laughed, and the sound made me wonder if I’d overstepped a line. “We run a camsite. So yes, we’ve done just about everything there is to do.”

“Roman made me fill out a list,” I said. “He wants to make sure I’m comfortable, that he doesn’t do anything that would harm me or overstep a boundary.”

Her features softened and sincerity echoed out of her ice-blue gaze. “That’s a good thing, Julia.”

“I’m afraid I might enjoy it too much,” I said. “I mean, what does it say about me that I like when he takes control? He’s a Rose. I’m a Caputi. It should be abhorrent.”

She snorted and shook her head. “You’re a Montgomery now. Same as me.”

That got my attention, and I thought about the last few nights, when I’d slept in his bed wearing his shirts, smelling like him from head to toe. I realized I had started to refer to myself with that name now, and I wondered when that shift happened.

Julia Montgomery.

“I think it means you’re human,” she said. “Being scared. Liking sex. Enjoying your husband. These are all normal things.”

“We’ve only been married two months.”

“So?” She grabbed the wine from the counter and put the automatic corkscrew on top before pressing the button to activate it. “KC and I were together less than that when I realized I was in love with him. We got married just over a year into our relationship. When it’s right, it’s right.”

I mulled over a response when the explosive sound of motorcycles rumbled down the street. My ears perked up, and I immediately thought Roman had arrived home.

“That’s my cue,” Alba said, winking. “If it’s any consolation, I think you two are great together. He needs someone who can go toe to toe with him, and even if you like to submit in the bedroom, you have a lot of spine outside of it.”

“Thanks, Alba,” I said. “For all of this.”

“You’re welcome.” She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug, which I was grateful to return. I didn’t have much family on this side of Virginia, and as much as I missed my closest relatives, at least I had her.

Another wave of obnoxious engines echoed through the house, sending shivers down my spine. When I pulled back from Alba, I narrowed my gaze at her.

“Is KC coming to pick you up?” I asked.

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