by Mia Carson
Izzy met her gaze in the mirror and smiled. “Maybe. At least you’ll be happy.”
Johanna turned around and hugged her little sister close. “I never thought I’d run away with a Marquette,” she whispered. “You sure you’ll be alright until we can come back for you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Tonight is about you and the man you love, and it’s so damn romantic,” she said, hugging Johanna tighter for a second until she let her go to finish getting them both ready. “Everything’s ready to go?”
She nodded, thinking about the last few days of preparation for their leaving. She had taken all the cash she’d stashed over the years and packed it with a few clothes and the bare essentials she needed for the trip. Reider had done the same, and their bags waited with James in his office at the college. Izzy would keep everyone busy during the party while Johanna and Reider snuck out the back, drove to the campus, picked up their things, and got away. Their first stop was a motel near the border of Nebraska and South Dakota. In the morning, they’d drive straight through to Montana and start their new lives together. It was a simple enough plan, but Johanna’s hands hadn’t stopped twitching all day. Every time she was near her brothers, anxiety threatened to scare her out of running.
She’d dreamt that they ran away and almost made it, but her brothers caught up and nearly killed Reider. Johanna woke with a scream and covered in cold sweat. It took a few moments for her racing heart to calm down and for her to realize it was nothing more than a dream.
As the time drew closer to run away with Reider, the possibility of that nightmare coming true hovered over her like a dismal cloud, ready to suffocate her with fear. It didn’t help that her brothers had invited Brandon. She would have to entertain him for a few minutes here and there or her brothers would get suspicious—Frank would anyway. Fredrick hadn’t spoken to her for the past two days, and she wondered what he was hiding from everyone.
“There, you’re ready to go,” Izzy said, clapping her hands together, and stepped back.
Johanna observed her perfectly done up face, and the curls tamed and pulled away from her face so they trailed down her back in little ringlets while the rest piled on her head. “You were always better at this than I was.”
“I picked up a few things here and there,” Izzy said. “Ready to go downstairs?”
“We don’t have a choice,” she said and took Izzy’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’re sure you’re okay with doing this?”
“Causing mass panic at one of these things? Hell yes, I’m sure,” she said with a laugh.
“Don’t get yourself into too much trouble,” Johanna warned. “And as soon as we’ve got a place, we’ll come back for you.”
Izzy and Johanna walked out of the bedroom to the hall and spotted Frank and Fredrick leaning over the railing, looking down at the foyer. Their tuxes fit them perfectly, as always, but their smiles didn’t reach their eyes. Johanna sighed inwardly. Her brothers could’ve been great guys, but they chose to flash their wealth and act the part of rich snobs, turning nearly everyone against them. Frank nudged Fredrick, and the brothers moved to stand by their sisters, ready to escort them down the steps. Fredrick held out his arm for Johanna, and reluctantly, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow while Izzy and Frank lined up behind them.
“Later, can we talk?” Fredrick whispered, leaning closer to Johanna’s ear.
She frowned as they walked slowly down the grand staircase. “About what? The thing you’re hiding?”
His face paled, and he tugged at his bow-tie. “Yes, actually. Please, it’s important. I don’t think Frank will understand, and, well… look, we really need to talk, alright?”
Johanna rolled her eyes, debating what to tell him, but finally nodded. “We will, after the party,” she told him, knowing she would be long gone. He smiled, but it trembled on his lips before disappearing altogether.
They reached the main floor, and she stayed with him for a moment longer as he led her to Brandon, who was currently speaking with their parents. “Johanna,” Brandon said, and with a flourish, he took her hand from Fredrick’s arm so he could kiss the back of it. “You look marvelous in that gown.”
She smiled while reminding herself not to yank her hand away in disgust. “Thank you, Brandon.” He grinned and offered to fetch her a drink. “Yes, please,” she said. “I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind.”
His face fell, put off by her words, but he nodded and said he’d return. Frank and Fredrick went with him, the first telling Izzy they would come back with Brandon’s cousin who was dying to meet the other Chadwick woman in the family. Izzy made a face behind her brothers’ backs, and Johanna covered her laughter with a hasty cough.
Their parents shot her a glare until her mom turned to the front door and grimaced before plastering a smile on her face. “Ah, the Marquettes have arrived.”
Johanna’s heart skipped in her chest, but she forced herself not to look for Reider. They agreed that, during the party, they would avoid each other completely until the time came to leave. She knew he’d parked his Wrangler farther down the street, out of sight of the mansion, and the gate in the garden wall towards the very back was unlocked. She had unlocked it earlier that morning before anyone was awake.
Izzy brushed by her sister, saying she was going to hide before they returned with Brandon and the cousin, leaving Johanna to smile and greet the other guests. When Reider spoke close by, the caress of his voice sent a wave of heat through her body, but she didn’t turn. Didn’t look. Frank and Brandon returned a moment later, a young man with them looking as annoyed to be there as Johanna was.
“This is my cousin, Phil,” Brandon said as he handed a glass of champagne to Johanna. “Where’s your sister? He’s dying to meet her.”
“No, actually, I’m not,” Phil snapped and tugged harshly at his collar. “I’d rather be at home.”
“You can leave your paints behind for a few hours and be civilized,” Brandon muttered darkly.
“Paints?” Johanna chipped in. “You paint?”
Phil glanced at her quickly then away. “Try to, if I could be left in peace.”
“You, like me, need to branch out within the elite of our circle and find yourself a woman of the same status,” Brandon said sternly. “Go and find Isabel.”
Phil opened his mouth, but Johanna moved closer and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Phil? Izzy shares some of the same interests as you,” she told him quietly so Brandon and her brother couldn’t hear. “She’s an artist, too. You might actually have something in common.”
“You approve of them setting us up like this? You can’t tell me you like my cousin.”
“No. No, I don’t,” she said, hating the way Brandon’s laugh sounded so smug behind her as he spoke with Frank. “Neither does Izzy, but sometimes, it’s better to play along for a few hours. Izzy’s probably by the food table.”
Phil eyed her curiously but nodded and told Brandon he was going to find Izzy. Brandon frowned and mouthed ‘Izzy’ before his cousin wandered off.
“Did he call her Izzy?”
“Yes, it’s what I call her,” Johanna said with a smirk. “Just like she calls me Jo.”
Frank sputtered on his drink as he glared at his sister while Brandon stared at her, dumbfounded. “That doesn’t seem very ladylike,” he commented. “I believe I would much rather call you Johanna.”
“By all means, call me whatever you like,” she muttered. “If I answer, that is a different story.”
“Johanna,” Frank snapped when Brandon sniffed hard and looked dejectedly towards the floor. “She’s had a rough week of classes. I apologize for her bad attitude. I’m sure a dance around the ballroom might knock it out of her.”
“A dance, I think, would do us both good,” Brandon said and set his glass down on the tray of a passing butler. “Johanna?”
He emphasized every syllable of her name. His face lacked a smile as he held out his hand for hers. For a
second, she debated not taking it, but Frank’s eye twitched and his face was a dangerous shade of red. She handed her drink to her brother and let her hand slide into Brandon’s, but unlike the heat that always came with a touch from Reider, all she felt was a chill. Even his eyes were a cold shade of blue, and when he swung her around to place his hand on her waist, the look turned icier.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand your hesitation,” he said as they moved with the other couples around the dance floor.
“Hesitation over what?”
“Why you won’t simply date me and marry me as your brothers wish,” he said intently. “As I wish for us.”
“You don’t even know me,” she argued. “Why the hell would you want to marry me?”
“I know your last name and the family business,” he said with a shrug. “In our world, that’s enough. What you do in your spare time does not interest me in the least. You must understand, I am in the market for a wife to display on my arm and be my partner.”
Johanna’s feet stumbled at the bluntness of his words, but his grip tightened and he prevented her from falling. “And you expect me to go along with it?”
“What else are you going to do with your life?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused. “You, my dear, are a Chadwick, and there is nothing else for you to worry about but the family business. I assumed your mother taught you that.”
“I must’ve missed that day,” she spat and tried to pull away, but Brandon didn’t release her. “Get your hands off me, you asshole. I don’t want to date you, and I’m sure as hell not going to marry your ass.”
He chuckled darkly. “Oh no? Are you holding out for that one special person?”
She straightened and glared at him. “So what if I am? Don't you believe in love?”
“I believe in power. Everything else is pointless,” he said simply. “It makes life so much easier.”
Johanna forced him to a stop when she purposely moved the wrong way and stomped hard on his foot. He cursed, hopping up and down and shooting her a glare. “And that makes you a cold-hearted bastard who will be lonely for the rest of his life. If you’ll excuse me, I need another drink.”
Hoisting up her green dress, she hurried away before Brandon managed to recover and snatch her arm. That was the man her brothers wanted her to marry? He was beyond horrid, and if she had any doubts about running away before, those few moments giving her a glimpse of her possible future solidified her plans with Reider. She would leave her family tonight and start a new one.
“What the hell was that about?” Frank snapped, grabbing her arm as she passed.
“We had a misunderstanding,” she said and yanked her arm free. “Your friend is a jackass who wants a trophy wife. Do you realize that’s who you’re trying to set me up with?”
“He’d give you a good life,” he argued.
“No, that’s not a life, that’s a form of prison. God, you and Fredrick—what happened to you?”
Frank stepped back as if her question shoved him. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“The hell you don’t. Before you left for college, the two of you acted like my brothers. You cared about your little sisters, but now… now you’re using us as pawns!” She shook her head, saddened by the man standing before her. “I used to look up to you both.”
His face fell, and for a second, Johanna thought she had busted through the wall he put up, but he straightened his collar and stood to his full height. “We haven’t changed. You have.”
“Right, it's all my fault. Excuse me,” she whispered and pushed through the people around them.
Soon, it would all be over, and all she’d have to worry about was her future with Reider and coming back for Izzy.
***
His fists clenched at his side, Reider almost blew the plan when he spotted Johanna dancing with Brandon. Worse, when the man clearly snapped something at her and wouldn’t let her leave the dance floor. A moment later he winced and wobbled in pain. She stormed off, and Reider nodded in approval. He would’ve loved decking the guy, but stomping on his foot was good enough for now.
“Watching your lover?” Micah spat beside him.
“I’m not watching anyone,” Reider said stiffly. “What do you want?”
“I’m waiting patiently for my payment,” he said. “Can’t move forward without it.”
“I said you would get it in a week. Hasn’t been a week yet,” Reider reminded him and forced his gaze away from Johanna after she’d stopped and argued with her brother. “I told you the money wouldn’t be that easy to get.”
Micah shoved one hand deep into his pocket as he swirled the whiskey in his glass. “That is not my problem. Soon, Reider, or everyone will know what’s happening between you and that woman.” He shot back the whiskey and handed the glass to Reider. “Cheers.” He strolled away, leaving Reider holding the tumbler.
He lifted his hand as if to throw it then lowered it, seething. Another hour, and he and Johanna would be out of here. He checked his watch and grimaced. An hour was too damn long, but they didn’t have a choice. Everything was timed perfectly, and there was no chance to disappear until Izzy caused a distraction. He had asked Johanna what her little sister planned on doing, and she shrugged. Her little sister was the creative one and simply said no one would forget it anytime soon. Reider worried for her, but though Johanna said her sister might be a hopeless romantic, she was like her big sister. She’d get through whatever happened until they came back for her.
Reider went over the plan again in his thoughts as he chatted mindlessly with the very people he hated being around. They would leave through the back gate and drive to the campus. James was already there waiting with their bags. They had everything they needed; all that was left to do was drive out of Nebraska for good.
“Reider Marquette,” a gruff voice said, and Reider turned. “Nice to see you’ve been keeping out of trouble these past few months.”
Reider took Sheriff Ted Princeton’s hand and smiled. “Of course, sir, do my best.” The man was usually called in to supervise these gatherings in case the two families got out of hand. Nothing had happened in years that Reider could remember, but if anyone found out about him and Johanna, shit would hit the fan.
“No run-ins with the Chadwick brothers,” he commented as he readjusted his utility belt beneath his stomach. His black hair grayed on the sides, but his face remained the same weathered and wrinkled one Reider remembered from when he was growing up. “Wish I could say Frank was following your example and keeping himself off my men’s radar.”
“That right? What’d he do this time?”
Part of Reider wondered if he should mention Micah’s investigation or that Johanna thought Fredrick was hiding something, but he reined himself in. Those were no longer his problems.
“Fist fight at the nightclub,” Sheriff Princeton said with a weary sigh. He scratched at the scruff on his chin. “Though I have to say, Fredrick hasn’t been around him as much anymore. Wonder why that is.”
“Wouldn’t know, sir. I stay away from them. You know that,” Reider lied.
Princeton studied him with a narrowed gaze. “Is that right? The rumor must be false then.”
Reider’s blood froze, and he tugged at the cuff of his jacket. “Rumor?”
“Probably nothing. Thought people around town were saying you had a class with the Chadwick girl, Johanna. Said the professor even partnered you two up together.”
“No, sir, I think you heard a false rumor,” Reider said and laughed it off.
“Must’ve,” he agreed, but the gleam in his eyes said he wasn’t buying it. Reider held his breath, waiting for Princeton to oust him and Johanna, but the older man shrugged and said he needed to mosey around the rest of the house and make sure everyone was behaving.
The second he was out of range, Reider rushed for the bathroom and locked himself in. He leaned heavily on the sink and took several deep breaths through his nose to calm the painful t
hudding in his chest. If rumors were being spread around town, surely they would’ve heard by now, or his parents—someone—would confront them, but so far, there was no one besides Micah. Was he spreading rumors in case Reider failed to pay?
Reider splashed water on his face, fixed his hair, and told himself they would get through tonight without any problems. He left the bathroom and returned to the party as if he wasn’t walking on pins and needles, waiting for Micah to decide he couldn’t keep the secret to himself anymore.
Less than an hour later, Reider saw Johanna in her tight-fitting green dress disappear out the back doors. He sidled slowly after her, and before he slipped out the door, Izzy yelled for everyone’s attention and moved to the middle of the grand staircase. Reider waited, watching everyone turn to stare at the young Chadwick, but none of them caught the mischievous glint in her eyes.
“I would like to make an announcement,” Izzy said loudly.
Reider watched her parents move to the bottom of the steps but couldn’t see their faces.
“I know my parents want many things for me, but I can’t take the lying anymore.” Izzy paused and sucked in a deep breath. “I am a lesbian, I’m an artist, and as of this coming weekend, I’ll be boarding a plane to France!”
Smirking at the gasp of astonishment running through the gathered crowd and the shriek from Mrs. Chadwick, Reider stepped outside into the dim path lights. He walked straight through the garden, and when he turned past the tall hedges, he came face to face with Johanna.
“Jo,” he whispered and wrapped her tightly in his arms, kissing her fiercely. She tugged on his jacket, melting against his chest.
“Later,” she whispered against his lips. “We have to move.”
He nodded, and she took his hand, leading him out the opened garden gate to the side street by the mansion. Reider’s Wrangler was right where he’d left it, and after he helped her inside, he rushed around the other side and dove in. As quietly as he could, he pulled away from the curb and drove towards the campus.
“I can’t believe it,” she said laughing. “We’re actually going to do make it! It’s going to work.”
