Chapter 77 The confrontation
Sage's POV
Diego stood in the clubhouse parking lot looking around like he owned the place, and the smug expression on his face made me want to throw something at him.
Elena was beside him with her arms crossed and that same calculating look she always wore when she was about to make someone's life difficult. Behind them, six Blood Sisters members flanked their bikes in formation like they were ready for war.
"This is a pleasant surprise." Diego's voice carried across the parking lot with false warmth. "I wasn't expecting to see my beautiful bride-to-be quite so soon."
"I'm not your bride." The words came out sharper than I intended but I was done playing nice with men who thought they could control me. "And you weren't supposed to be here for another two weeks, so what the hell are you doing at my family's clubhouse?"
"Checking on my investment and making sure you haven't forgotten about our agreement." He started walking toward us and Ryder immediately moved to stand between me and Diego. "I heard some interesting rumors about a visitor that has eyes on my bride and wanted to address that situation before it becomes a problem."
My blood ran cold because there was no way Diego should have known about Dante's agreement and visit unless someone had told him, which meant we had a leak in the club or Dante was playing both sides against each other.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I kept my voice steady even though my heart was racing. "There's only one contract and it's the one my father signed with you."
"Really? Because Dante Moretti contacted me yesterday with a very interesting story about how Vincent promised you to him three years ago as payment for saving his life." Diego stopped a few feet away from Ryder and smiled like a shark circling prey. "He even offered to step down for me for the right price."
"That lying piece of shit." Ryder's hands clenched into fists and I could feel the violence radiating off him in waves. "He's playing us against each other and trying to start a bidding war over Sage like she's some kind of commodity to be auctioned off."
"Isn't that exactly what she is in this situation?" Elena spoke up for the first time with amusement in her voice. "Vincent treated her that way when he made these contracts and now we're all just fighting over who gets to claim the prize. It's almost poetic in how fucked up it is."
"Shut your mouth about my father." I stepped around Ryder before he could stop me and got right in Elena's face. "You didn't know him and you don't get to talk about him like he was some kind of monster."
"I don't have to know him to understand what he did to you, sweetheart. The evidence is right there in black and white with his signature at the bottom." She didn't back down even when I moved closer. "But I'm not here to debate Vincent's parenting choices. I'm here to make sure you understand that the Diego contract takes precedence over whatever deal Dante thinks he has."
"Actually, the first agreement was three years ago while your contract was only signed eighteen months ago." Jaxon appeared beside us with his arms crossed and his expression hard. "Which means if we're going by honour, Dante's claim is stronger than yours."
Diego's smile disappeared and his eyes went cold in a way that made my skin crawl. "Are you really going to hide behind technicalities and old agreements to avoid honoring the contract your father made with my family?"
"I'm going to use every tool at my disposal to protect my sister from being forced into a marriage she doesn't want." Jaxon moved closer to Diego. "And if that means invoking the Dante agreement to invalidate yours, then that's exactly what I'll do."
"Then we'll go to war and you'll lose everything including your precious sister." Elena's voice was quiet but deadly serious. "The Blood Sisters don't take kindly to broken promises and we have the resources to make the Steel Wolves disappear if we decide you're more trouble than you're worth."
"Try it and see what happens. Challenge me and see!" Ryder's hand moved to his gun. "We might go down but we'll take half of you with us."
The tension in the parking lot was thick enough to cut with a knife and I could see brothers starting to gather near the clubhouse entrance with their hands on their weapons. This was about to turn into a bloodbath if someone didn't de-escalate the situation fast.
"Everyone just calm down." I walked in between Diego and Jaxon before shots could be fired and everything would just become much worse than it already was. "There's no reason for this to turn violent when we can solve it with a conversation."
"What's there to talk about? You're marrying me in less than three weeks or your family faces the consequences." Diego looked at me like I was a particularly stupid child. "Those are your options and nothing Dante says or does is going to change that."
My phone buzzed in my pocket before I could respond and I pulled it out to see a message from an unknown number. I opened the text message and felt my stomach drop as I read the words that were written.
"Forty-eight hours to decide, Sage. Marry me and I'll give you your father's killer's name plus protection from Diego and the Blood Sisters. Or you can marry Diego and spend the rest of your life wondering who pulled the trigger that killed your father and why. Or refuse both of us and I'll expose every secret Vincent ever kept, including his cooperation with federal agents. The choice is yours but the clock is ticking."
I looked up from my phone to find everyone staring at me with varying expressions of concern and curiosity.
"What is it?" Ryder asked quietly.