What had she agreed to? And what choice did she have? Raphael was right. They had to fight with everything they had. If they weren’t able to get anyone to believe them about the murder, then they would have to go against the Fletchers in court to regain custody of her son. Having Gio’s real parents demanding their son back would be so much more convincing.
The other part of it—the part where she knew he didn’t love her—she would deal with later. It wouldn’t be the first time she was in a loveless marriage. Only this time, it wouldn’t be totally loveless. She had never stopped loving Raphael.
Sweeping a strand of hair from her face, she looked around. “So, where do we go from here?”
“We should be—” He grabbed her shoulder, pushing her back a little, and then she heard what he must have heard. A car engine. Had they been found?
“Hold on,” Raphael said.
Standing behind him, she did as he asked, trusting him as she hadn’t trusted anyone in a very long time.
Car lights raced toward them, and a vehicle stopped. Her heart thudding in her chest, she stopped breathing.
“Heard you might need a ride.”
The gruff voice held mild amusement and sounded vaguely familiar. Giselle stuck her head out from behind Raphael. Brennan Sinclair, one of Raphael’s LCR Elite partners, sat behind the wheel.
“Good timing.”
Raphael opened the back door of the SUV, gently pushed Giselle forward, and followed her. The instant he was inside, the vehicle took off.
A huge, relieved sigh escaped her. They were safe.
“You guys okay?”
Startled, she leaned forward in her seat. “Noah?”
Turning, he smiled at her. “Been a rough few hours, but you’re safe now.”
“Anything happen?” Raphael asked.
“We can talk about that later, after we get things settled.”
“I didn’t expect to see you.”
“You didn’t think I’d miss your wedding, did you?”
“How did…” She turned to Raphael. “How did he know about that?”
“I texted him last night, after you agreed. Guess he flew down here in the LCR plane.”
Feeling overwhelmed, Giselle settled back into the seat. This was moving faster than she had anticipated. She had agreed to the marriage, but having Noah and Brennan here made it seem more real—more authentic.
She wouldn’t go back on her word, though. Showing a united front like this should only work in their favor.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled in front of a large hotel. “We already have rooms here. I figure both of you will want to clean up before we head to the chapel.”
She sent a questioning look to Raphael, who appeared to be just as surprised as she was. It was happening today? He shrugged, grinned.
They got out of the vehicle, and with all three men surrounding her, they walked into the giant foyer of the hotel. Noah handed Raphael a keycard. “Top floor. Honeymoon Suite. We’re set for two o’clock. I’ll come by at one thirty.” Giving her a wink and nod, he and Brennan disappeared down a corridor.
Taking her hand, Raphael led her to a bank of elevators. “Guess we’d better get ready.”
He knew he was pushing her. The confusion and worry in her eyes had only deepened since they’d gotten in the car. He had to admit he was surprised at all the things that McCall had already done, but he shouldn’t be. When he’d texted Noah last night that he and Giselle wanted to get married today, he should have expected this. Coordinating a small wedding within hours should be no problem for LCR. They coordinated major rescue operations in much less time.
Giselle wouldn’t back out of this. She knew the importance of showing a united front.
The minute they walked into the suite, she turned to him. “Raphael, they know this isn’t a real marriage, right?”
The question infuriated him, hitting him in a spot he hadn’t known could still be hurt. “Yes, it is a real marriage, Giselle. That’s the whole point.”
“Yes, I know it’s real in that sense, but Noah is acting as if—” She stumbled over her words, most likely seeing the anger in his eyes.
“How about we take one step at a time? We get married, we get Giovanni back. Then we’ll figure out the rest of our lives. Okay?”
“It’s not that I’m not grateful. I am. I just wanted to make sure that—”
“Yeah. I get it. You’re marrying me for convenience. No need to say any more.” He jerked his head toward the bedroom. “Why don’t you shower first?”
He turned away from her, well aware that she stood there for several seconds. His coldness had likely hurt her, but right now it was the best he could offer. The only reason she had agreed to marry him was because of their son. He got that. Didn’t mean he had to like it, but he got it.
Finally hearing her move and the shower start, Raphael grabbed his cellphone and pressed a key for Noah.
“You guys getting settled in?”
“More or less. Any news?”
“Some. We can go over it now or wait until later.”
“If there’s no good news, let’s wait. I think she’s about reached her saturation limit.”
“I think you both have.”
“You got that right. We need something good to happen.”
“You’re about to get married to the girl you’ve loved for almost ten years. That’s something good.”
There was no point in arguing with Noah. The man knew everything about him, including the gut-wrenching pain he’d felt when Giselle had left him.
“Thanks for putting everything together so fast.”
“It was a team effort.” There was amusement in his voice.
He could only imagine. The instant Noah gave the word, he figured LCR people had started coordinating.
“You’re standing up with me, right?”
“It would be my honor.”
Emotion clogged Raphael’s throat, so he cleared it and then said gruffly, “Thanks.”
Clearly understanding the emotion, Noah said, “Get cleaned up and dressed. You’ve got wedding clothes in the bedroom closet and there are some sandwiches and snacks in the fridge. The limo will pick you up at one thirty sharp.”
After ending the call, Raphael went to the bedroom closet. Sure enough, he found a white dress for Giselle and a black suit for him hanging inside. He also spotted a suitcase that he imagined held other things that might be important for a woman when she’s getting dressed for her wedding. He didn’t know what those things were, but he trusted the women of LCR to provide everything a bride would need.
Taking the dress and suitcase, he placed them on the bed so she would see them when she came out of the bathroom. He hoped she liked what she saw. Her first wedding had been a cold, emotionless affair, one she barely remembered. He wanted the second one to wipe even the vaguest of those memories from her mind.
Cautiously optimistic, he headed to a second, smaller bathroom to shower. Noah was right. He was finally marrying the girl he’d been obsessed with for years. The circumstances weren’t exactly fairy-tale perfect, but that was okay. Fairy tales rarely started out good. The way they ended was all that mattered.
***
Giselle stood at the entrance to the chapel, feeling as though she were in a surreal, alternate universe. Last night she had been running from evil men, while battling mosquitoes and looking out for snakes. Today she was about to marry the man of her dreams. Life could not get any weirder.
This had once been a recurring dream of hers. She used to fantasize that Raphael would somehow find her, sweep her off her feet, and whisk her away somewhere exotic where they would spend the rest of their days in bliss. He would also, of course, forgive her for not telling him about Giovanni and totally understand why she had left him all those years ago.
She had eventually stopped having that dream, as it was just too unrealistic even for a fantasy. But today she could almost imagine it had come true.
; The ivory lace wedding dress she wore had been lying on the bed when she’d finished showering. She had lost her breath at its loveliness. It was a Montague, one of the most famous and popular designers in the world. She remembered Raphael mentioning that Brennan Sinclair’s wife, Kacie Dane, was a model who worked with Montague. For her to arrange such an amazing gown was a delightful surprise. The princess design, beautiful in its simplicity, was exactly what she would have chosen for herself.
Everything had been provided for her. From makeup to lingerie, she’d had everything a bride needed. Now if only she had the love of her groom.
She forced that thought away. No, she couldn’t expect more from Raphael than he was already giving. This marriage was part of the plan to regain custody of her son. Pretending it was for anything else would only bring heartache later on.
As she began her walk down the aisle, she smiled nervously at the man beside her. Having Dylan Savage escort her seemed entirely appropriate. In large part, she owed her life to him, as he’d been instrumental in bringing Stanford Reddington to justice.
She was shocked to see so many people in the audience. For a rushed marriage of convenience, it was surprisingly well attended. As she recognized a few of them, she knew they were likely all LCR operatives or employees. But she knew, to Raphael, they were his family.
Her gaze went to the man waiting for her at the altar. Determination was stamped on his handsome face, and something glittered in his dark eyes she’d never seen before. Whatever it was sent anticipation zipping up her spine. Raphael wore an elegant, dark suit that emphasized his broad shoulders and muscular physique. He looked both powerful and confident. It suddenly hit her, and she stumbled a little. This was really going to happen. She was going to marry Raphael Sanchez!
Dylan must have felt her sudden panic, as he squeezed her arm gently while he moved with her to the altar. The instant they stopped, he whispered in her ear, “Be happy, Giselle. You both deserve it.”
She gave Dylan a nervous smile and then stepped forward, taking the hand that Raphael held out for her. She looked down at their joined hands, his large one engulfing hers but holding it so very gently, and felt an amazing sense of rightness. Whatever they had to face to get their son back, they would face together.
Chapter Thirty-three
In a day that had already been filled with surprises, the wedding reception was one more. Raphael couldn’t believe all the people who’d made the trip for the wedding and then stayed for the reception. They were all LCR, of course, and he knew they had jobs going on and responsibilities. For them to take the time to come for his wedding was more than he could have ever expected. When he’d said as much to Noah, the LCR leader had just shrugged and said, “We’re family.”
And for McCall, that’s all that needed to be said. Not for the first time, he wondered at the turn of events that had led him to LCR. He’d never wish his experience on anyone, but if that was the only way to get him to these people, then he couldn’t regret the experience.
And in their own way, LCR had led him to Giselle. When she’d walked down the aisle toward him tonight, he had literally lost his breath. He didn’t think he’d started breathing again until she’d reached him and taken his hand. At her touch, he had felt as if every step in his life had led him to that one moment. From then on, all uncertainty and anger had washed away. This was right. And when they got their son back, it would be even better. The fact that she wasn’t looking at this as a real marriage—that she didn’t love him? Well, he’d deal with that later. For now, he would concentrate on what was going right.
Hearing a light, musical laugh, he turned to see Giselle talking with Seth Cavanaugh and Honor Stone. Their year-long deep-cover mission had ended last month with the successful rescue of a child who’d been abducted by a cult. One of Honor and Seth’s specialties was infiltrating cults and organizations that preyed on children and shutting them down.
Heading over to join his bride, he stopped along the way for hugs and back slaps. LCR employees didn’t gather in one place very often. Not only were they usually spread out all over the world, but it also wasn’t a good idea. LCR had way too many enemies to make themselves easy targets.
“You look happy.”
Accepting a hug from Jamie Savage, he said, “Thank you. I am.”
“Dylan showed me photographs of Giovanni. He’s adorable.”
“I hope we’ll have more than photos of him soon.”
She rubbed his arm in comfort. “You will.”
A soft hand grabbed his arm. “Hey, no sad faces today.”
He turned to see a very pregnant Anna Thorne. The glow of happiness on Aidan’s wife’s face would have made a grizzly smile. Pulling her in for a hug, Raphael forced himself to push the sadness aside. He’d just married the girl of his dreams in the presence of his family and friends. For now…for this moment, life was good.
The fact that he had a wedding night to look forward to was also dancing around in his head. Giselle wasn’t looking at this as a real marriage, but Raphael was going to do everything he could to convince her she was wrong.
***
Hours later, when they were back in their suite, Giselle nibbled on a grape and watched Raphael out of the corner of her eye. He had offered her a sandwich before the wedding but she had been too nervous to eat. The food at the reception had looked delicious but she’d barely eaten a bite. And now, though she was famished, she still wasn’t sure she could eat. What would happen next? She and Raphael had rushed into this marriage for only one reason. Yet, here they were, alone and married, in the Honeymoon Suite.
The intimacy they’d shared the other night seemed like years ago. So much had happened since then. They had made love as lovers that night. If they did anything tonight, it would be as husband and wife. An even deeper commitment. How would he feel about that? How would she?
“Are you hungry?”
“A little. Are you?”
As he walked toward her, she couldn’t help but imagine him as a dangerous black panther, stalking toward her. He had taken off his coat and tie, along with his shoes. The white of his shirt contrasting with his olive skin tone made him look both sexy and exotic.
“Starved.” He took a grape from the tray, popped it into his mouth, and then followed it with a piece of cheese. “Want to order something besides this?”
A meal would be a good idea. Maybe it would help ease her nervousness and help her to think of something other than how very much she wished he would kiss her. The light, soft kiss they’d shared after their vows hadn’t been nearly enough.
“Yes. That sounds good.”
He grabbed a menu lying on the table. “You want anything in particular?”
“Nothing too heavy since it’s late. Maybe grilled salmon or something light?”
“You got it.” He nodded toward her bedroom door. “Why don’t you change into something comfortable? I’ll order.”
Relieved to have something to do other than just stand there and stare, Giselle headed to the bedroom. The instant she closed the door, a new dilemma hit her. What exactly did she have to change into? The wedding dress had been a delightful surprise, but that didn’t mean she had other clothes. She pulled opened a drawer and let out a sigh of gratitude. Bras, panties, and socks filled one drawer. In another drawer, she found jeans and tops. And in another drawer, she found three nightgowns—one extremely sheer and sexy, one a little less risqué but equally lovely, and then another that would cover her from her neck to her feet.
Closing the drawer quickly, she settled for a pair of jeans and a light blue long-sleeved T-shirt. Stripping off her wedding dress, she carefully hung it in the closet, noting there were also dresses, blouses, skirts, slacks, and shoes. When she was able to access her accounts again, she would need to reimburse whoever had provided the clothes.
Feeling more comfortable and considerably less nervous, Giselle walked into the living area, noting that room service had been delivered.
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br /> “Smells delicious.”
“Yeah, it does.” He slid a chair out for her. “Come eat.”
The nerves she’d been so successful at tamping down rose again. Raphael gave her an encouraging smile, and for the first time she saw that he was nervous, too. Oddly, that made her feel better. At least she wasn’t the only one.
Thanking him, she settled into the seat and politely waited until he was seated across from her before she attacked her meal.
Apparently as hungry as she was, Raphael went after his own meal like a starving man.
The food was delicious, and she was almost finished before she looked up and noted he’d already cleaned his plate. “This was wonderful. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“We haven’t had much to eat the last couple of days.”
“The wedding was lovely. I’m amazed at how everything was pulled together so quickly.”
“Coordinating is one of LCR’s strengths, but I have to say I was impressed, too.”
“I can’t believe so many of them came, especially since it’s not—” She broke off. She didn’t want to say the words, but they hung in the air.
Instead of commenting, Raphael stood and held out his hand. “I want to show you something.”
“What?”
Still holding her hand, he led her to the sofa in the middle of the room. “I didn’t get a chance to buy you a wedding present, but McCall gave me this a few hours ago.” He handed her a small, silver flash drive.
“What’s this?”
“Just plug it in and let’s watch together.”
Raphael didn’t know why he was so nervous, but as she inserted the flash drive into the television set, he was holding his breath.
When Giovanni’s little face appeared on the screen, Giselle gave a soft sob and whirled around to look at him. “How?”
“Olivia Gates, one of our operatives, got inside. She’s interviewing to be his teacher. The glasses she wore had a hidden camera. It’s a long story about how she got in. I’ll tell you about it later. For now…” He patted the seat beside him. “Let’s watch our son.”
Running Strong Page 25
