Imperfectly (Dante’s Nine MC #2)(54)
Author: Colleen Masters

I drop to my hands and knees in the dampening dust, reaching up to help Kelly climb down from her tower. She leaps down to join me, and we take off at a dead run together, throwing ourselves into the gathering fray.

“Leo!” I scream, charging toward the men, “Leo, wait!”

“Declan! Dec!” Kassie cries, racing along beside me, “I’m here! I’m OK!”

As one, the burly bikers snap their heads around toward us. Their jaws fall open as we run straight into their midst. The two MCs back away from each other as Kassie goes flying toward Declan. He rushes to meet her, throwing open his arms as she takes a running leap. Declan catches Kassie up in his leather-clad arms, hugging her fiercely to his chest. Their lips meet at once, making up for lost time. For a moment, it’s all any of us can do to stare at the reunited lovers.

“Kassie…” Declan breathes, taking her face in his hands, “Baby, you’re alright—”

“I’m fine Dec,” she beams, “But you’ve got to listen to us right now, before anything else happens.”

“Get behind me,” Declan insists, placing himself in front of his old lady, “I don’t want these animals coming anywhere near you—”

“You don’t understand Declan,” I say, stepping up beside Leo, “If you’d just listen—”

“What, have you sided with them now?” he asks meanly, “I should have known. You’ve got ‘traitor’ written all over you.”

“There is a traitor here today,” I snap, taking a step toward the Nine, “But it’s not me.”

“What are you talking about?” Declan spits.

I scan the faces of Dante’s Nine, the club I’ve been trusting my best friend in the world to. Finally, my gaze falls upon the newest prospect of the Nine, the source of all this trouble. I raise a trembling hand and point straight at Tot. The boy’s eyes go wide with terror as the rest of the men turn to stare at him.

“This one,” I say slowly, “Is behind everything.”

“What do you mean, Kelly?” Leo asks, “How—?”

“Tot, or Matthew DeVito, as he’s been calling himself, is the one who’s been sending out all of those emails to you and Declan,” I say to Leo, my eyes still fixed on the prospect’s face.

“You’ve been getting emails too?” Declan asks Leo.

“Tons,” Leo replies, golden eyes heavy on Tot’s baby face.

“How could you possibly know who’s been sending those messages?” asks John Baxter from Declan’s side, “And why would Tot do something like that?”

“I hacked into Leo’s email account and found out that every message was being sent from the same computer. Sorry babe,” I add for Leo’s benefit, “The computer that all of the emails are coming from belongs to this man. Only, Matthew DeVito isn’t the name attached to it.”

“Then what the hell are you talking about?” the wiry Chuck snarls.

“His name isn’t Matthew DeVito,” I press on, as Tot’s chin begins to quiver, “It’s really Michael Lorenzo.”

In the blink of an eye, the eight patched members of Dante’s Nine have Tot surrounded. The mere mention of the name “Lorenzo” is enough to put them on high alert. The doe-eyed prospect whips around wildly, searching futilely for some way out of the Nine’s grasp. But there’s no use. He’s not going anywhere.

“Your name is Michael Lorenzo?” Declan growls, as the Nine advance on the younger man, caging him in.

“I…Dec…” Tot whispers frantically, “Please…”

“Is your name Michael Lorenzo?” Declan roars, grabbing onto the front of Tot’s cut.

“Look at his face,” Mac puts in, “You’ve got your answer.”

“You weren’t supposed to find out,” Tot blabbers, terrified.

“Then it’s true?” Declan raves, “You thought you could fool use, you piece of shit?”

“I—” Tot cries.

“Except we do know,” John Baxter says, standing beside Declan, “You’ve been trying to ruin us, Tot.”

“I never wanted to do this,” Tot says, his voice cracking, “You’ve got to believe me, I didn’t want to—”

“Do you honestly think that matters?” Declan scoffs.

“Bring him into the Playpen,” Mac says, leading the way toward the strip club, “I think we all deserve some answers.”

“Come on,” Declan growls, dragging Tot away, “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

Kassie trails after Declan as all the men file off to find someplace dry for their inquisition. Only Leo stays behind, his golden eyes heavy on my face. I turn to look up at him through the pouring rain, searching his face for understanding, maybe even forgiveness.

“Leo…” I begin, taking a tentative step toward him.

“Don’t,” he cuts me off, laying his hands on my hips, “Don’t speak. Not yet. This whole thing is far from over. We’ll get to us later.”

“Us?” I breathe, resting my hands on his chest, “There’s still an ‘us’, then?”

“Babe,” Leo says, slipping his arms around my waist, “There will always be an ‘us’.”

I throw my arms around his neck, jubilant relief pouring down like the wild rain. He brings his lips swiftly to mine, and I can taste the relief in his kiss, too. Our passion sweeps us away as we embrace in the pouring rain. We’ll be soaked to the bone in no time at all, but neither of us could give a damn about that.

“Before,” Leo says, pulling away just an inch, “In the RV, right as the Nine showed up…I think you were saying something?”

“Oh,” I gasp, blushing red in the grey afternoon. I’d almost slipped in that moment and told Leo that I’m falling for him, hard.

“You don’t have to say anything now,” Leo tells me, holding my face in his strong hands, “There’s something I have to get off my chest.”

“W-what is it?” I ask, mesmerized by his golden gaze.

“You’re mine, Kelly Rodgers,” he breathes, “I knew I wanted you since the moment you showed up here. And whatever happens now between the Wraiths and the Nine—and hell, even the Lorenzo family—that’s never going to change.”

“Leo!” Mac bellows from over my shoulder