She squeezed him a bit tighter because he knew she heard the man yell "There they are," just like he did. They had the benefit of being on a motorcycle, and he used his skills and the ability to get through tight spaces to his advantage.
He could hear them as they started to follow them, and he wondered how many of them were on their way up to his apartment. This was the closest call he'd ever had, but he was thankful her father got mad and told her he was coming to get her because it gave them time to make a plan and get out of there. Her father must have been heated when he figured out he'd been duped by his daughter, but Aidan knew that he would be the one that would get the burn for it.
Aidan knew his way around the city, and that was a bonus. The men must have split up and tried to get him from different sides. The only thing that was saving him from being blown off this bike was the precious cargo he was carrying on the back. He turned the corner a bit quickly, and she held on for dear life. He wished he had time to comfort her, but he was trying to save both of their lives. His was more literal, but she was in danger as well. They weren't far from the check point where he was supposed to meet the guys, but the car was closing in on them. The red light would put them right next to them, so he moved all the way over to the right lane so he could go through the light.
The loud honking behind him made him almost smug … almost, but it was when he saw the motorcycles coming toward him the other way, he got a bit shaken. These weren't the guys he was waiting for; they were not known to him. He'd surrender if they were going to do something to hurt Lorna. Aidan could have pulled out his weapon, but that would only have led to there being more weapons aimed at them.
Slowing before he got to the next intersection, he took a turn down an alley that was a cross street to the bar he was attempting to make it to. He could see his boys on the ready when he came out of the alley. He got a call in his head set from Mav on their helmet walkie talkies. Aidan thought it was the dumbest thing to invest money in at the time, but now he wanted to award the genius of whoever created and implemented the use of such a helpful item.
"We got a lock on a warehouse a few blocks from here on Hepburn Way. You know where that is?"
He pushed the button on the side of his helmet. "I do. Follow me." Aidan really never thought past finding his guys to help out, but now that he thought about it, there was going to have to be some sort of face off, and he didn't even want to think about how that would play out.
Looking into his mirror, Aidan could see that the whole group had joined together and there were Devil's Stepbrothers mixed in with the friends of Giovanni and huge cars that were probably filled with gun-toting men who were ready to battle. When he turned the corner closest to the warehouse, he kicked in the turbo boost on his bike because he wanted Lorna to be somewhere safe when the shit hit the fan because it was looking like it was going to be one hell of a mess.
"Where the fuck are you?" Maverick yelled in his ears.
"I'm going to put Lorna somewhere so she doesn't get hurt."
"We're too close. Don't take off running with her or you'll get shot. Just stand there. I think her being with you is safer for all of us than putting her somewhere."
Aidan thought that on the drive over, but the hostility in the air wasn't going to be healthy for anyone, and he'd hate for the peace loving woman she wanted to be deep in her heart damaged from all the violence. He had time to put his bike against the wall and then secure their helmets. She grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it.
"I can tell that you wanted me to be somewhere safe, but I'm staying with you. All these people are coming together because of us, and no one is going to get hurt if I can help it." She looked so determined, he hoped her father didn't disappoint her any more than he has been.
"Just stand behind me. There are a lot of people behind out there I don't know."
The smile she gave him matched that billion dollar bracelet, and as much as he'd like the kiss that he knew would accompany that, it wasn't the time or the place. The gangsters were lined up against the bikers, and Aidan moved to stand in front of his men while Lorna's father got out of the car with the tinted windows. It was difficult to make Lorna stand back, but she hung on to his hand with both of hers not letting him go.
"This is a fine mess you've gotten us all into, Lorna. How about you come back home and everyone can go home?" Antonio stood there like he was over this whole situation, and he was calling back his child like she was a runaway teenager that had gone astray.
"I'm not coming home, Papa. There are things you kept from me. That's why you were being blackmailed." Her voice was loud and carried to everyone who was listening.
"Did he tell you that?" The man walked a few steps toward the imaginary line that their divide had made between the two groups, and then his people all drew their weapons, making the biker side do the same.
"No. The person who gave me the DVD told me that. How would he know about all the horrible things you've told me about him?" She held up her arm and waved her sparkly bracelet in the air. "Looks like he didn't sell it after all. Did he tell you he wanted to return it to me personally?"
"I want to talk to both of you privately. Everyone put your guns away. My daughter is out here." Antonio said as he walked back to the car. His second in command followed him, and when Aidan went to follow him, Maverick stepped behind him. "Where do you think you're going?"
"My guy isn't going to be the only non-Giovanni in the conversation. I'm the president of this organization, and we take care of our own." Maverick waited to see if there was going to be a problem. Since the guns had already been drawn and put away, there was no telling what was going to happen.
Antonio didn't say anything; he just got in the limousine and waited for everyone to follow suit. Aidan got in before Lorna just in case this was some ploy. Then came Maverick and the guy who was now second in command since Lucca died.
"I'm going to address you first, Lorna, because I'm tired of all your dramatics. You shack up with this guy who planned to kill your cousin." Antonio, who was looking at Lorna, turned to Aidan. "That's a fact, isn't it?"
"I told your daughter about that and was trying to get the situation resolved when Lucca was shot."
"By your own man? Sounds like a set up to me." The man sat back in the seat like he was on the king's throne with his arms crossed as if he was waiting for an answer. Aidan didn't have one for him because he wasn't involved with that.
"With all due respect, sir. We are independent contractors, for lack of a better name, that handle the dirty work for people who don't want to get their hands dirty. Aidan was trying to do something that we weren't aware of, and honestly if he'd have told me what he was doing, I probably would have handled it the same way. I'm sorry for your loss, but it was business. You can understand that."
"Well aren't you a piece of work? Sitting there all high and mighty when a man I considered like my son is dead and gone, and it's just all in a day's work to you?" The red of the mob boss's face looked like he was going to stroke over any minute.
"There have been many families that have come to you to ask for mercy when a loved one had done something they couldn't repay, and how did you treat them, Papa? I know for a fact it has happened at least 4 times because I've seen all the family members beg you, and that's before you took the person's life." Lorna's small voice of reason had the effect that she probably wanted. He was listening and considering what she was saying.
"We're talking about Lucca." The gruff man didn't seem like the drug lord now but more like a hurt man who lost someone close to him.
"I know, but you've always told me that when you live by the sword, you'll die by the sword. I've never wanted that for any of us, but I can only make the decision for myself." Lorna and her father were talking like they were the only two in the car, and Aidan didn't know about everyone else, but for him that was just fine.
A big, deep sigh filled the car, and Aidan hoped that meant the Giovanni's were going to let all this go and let Lorna go with it. He was taking his woman home whether that be her bedroom in his house, his apartment, or if they had to run off somewhere.
"Aidan came to me requesting a few moments to speak to you. He said he had your bracelet, but I wasn't shown the item. I believe he said it wasn't with him. I was a very distraught man that day, but I didn't kill your friend, sweetheart. I should get some credit for that."