He took my hand, but instead of shaking it, he set his free one on top of mine. “I consider Cashel Fallon and Killian Patrick as close as blood.” He paused. “Are you in some kind of trouble, Keely?”
“Trouble.” I shook my head. It would do no good to tell this man about the kind of trouble Cash Kelly was, because he probably already knew. “No, that’s not the right word for it. But I am glad you consider Cashel Fallon family. Does the branch extend to me? Since he’s chosen me for his bride?” I smiled—a cunning smile, as my Mam called it.
Father Flanagan’s eyes drifted from mine to the bag hanging over the chair, and then back to mine again. They were bright blue to go with what was probably once a head full of red hair. “Have a seat.” He nodded to the chair I’d been sitting in. “Let’s hear your plans.”
The grin he gave me matched Raff’s, and the smile that came from me this time was true.
The emerald surrounded by diamonds on my left finger reacted to the soft lights in the office. Even though it had sat on my finger since Kelly had put it there, I never took the time to admire how beautiful it was.
Maybe because admitting that to myself felt like giving in a bit.
I was having a hard time doing that on principal.
What I was about to do, though? Felt liberating.
An ounce of control made my life feel a little less chaotic, and so I gave myself permission to admire the ring for what it was. Just a ring that looked exceptionally beautiful in this light and on my finger. It was a piece of jewelry that made me feel feminine. I really hated to admit that anything Kelly did had worth, but the ring was stunning and proved that if he had actually picked it out, he had good taste.
“Of course,” I whispered to myself. “He chose you, didn’t he?”
Then I laughed at myself, because I wasn’t his choice at all. Fate. Fate riding on the wings of vengeance had chosen me to be his bride. I should’ve ended up with a man who was the opposite of Cashel Fallon Kelly. A man who worked hard to earn an honest dime. A man who was predictable and reliable. A man whose touch didn’t burn me to my core and put me at ease at the same time. A man who brought me peace, not chaos.
Even the role on Broadway shouldn’t have been mine.
Those things—the man who seemed larger than life and the role on stage—should’ve belonged to my sister. She was destined for big things. Things that Mam had said come with being a star.
So the life I was living? It felt like a big lie.
Before I could get too carried away with the poor-me line of thinking, voices met me from outside of Father Flanagan’s office. I didn’t bother getting up from my seat this time because I was already standing. I refused to wrinkle anything.
The door opened and Raff walked in first, but he stopped on a dime. Kelly, who had his head turned back toward Father Flanagan, shoved him further into the office, not realizing that I stood there.
Maybe it was the silence from the other two men, but whatever it was, Kelly finally found me in the room.
“We need to talk,” I said, not giving him a chance to recover. This was my moment. I’d be damned if he stole that, too.
He said nothing, but his eyes were steady on mine. They were, until light laughter came from Father Flanagan, who was stepping out of the room, Raff following. Kelly narrowed his eyes at me, but a second later, they found the priest and his cousin. His ire was aimed at them, not me.
“Ah, but what a tangled web we weave, Cashel Fallon Kelly,” Father Flanagan said before he shut the door behind him and left us alone. Laughter echoed down the hall until it was completely quiet, leaving the two of us to face each other.
When his attention was mine again, his eyes took in the veil on my head and the wedding dress on my body.
I’d gone with Mari to one of her fittings—she was getting married in Italy in June—and while she did whatever she had to do, I had started looking around the shop. Mari was working with a well-known designer, but I decided to scan the shelves. A salesgirl popped up out of nowhere and told me she had the perfect dress for me. It was meant for someone with my statuesque build.
Mari came out as the girl argued with me about trying it on. Together they persuaded me to do it. But I only did it because the dress wasn’t frilly, and I knew at some point, I was going to have to meet that fate—be it by myself, or with my Mam and aunts.
I’d decided to share the moment with Mari since I hadn’t shared with her what was going on. In a secret way, I was able to enjoy the experience with her, even if my circumstances and hers were beyond comparison. Mari was marrying for love. My brother, who happened to be in love with her, had a bullet hovering over his chest if I didn’t marry out of revenge.
The dress turned out to be a winner. It was sensual, what the bridal attendant called a sheath, and hugged me in all of the right places. It had a crew neckline, long-sleeves, and the intricate details on the side were made from crepe, lace appliqués, and thread-embroidered tulle with beading. The patterns reminded me of the swirls inside of peacock feathers. The patterns were strictly on the sides, and the back dipped into a V. It didn’t have much of a train, but the veil made up for it.
The day after Mari’s appointment, I went back and put a deposit down on the dress, veil, and a pair of heels the bridal attendant talked me into. I demanded secrecy from the bubbly girl who had helped me, telling her I was inviting family to a party, but I was going to surprise them with our secret wedding.
If she only knew…
Turned out, it was the partial truth. Instead of inviting family to our secret wedding, I was inviting the groom. He stood across the room from me. Staring. I had no doubt that he would be in a suit—he always wore one when he “worked”— such a gentleman gangster—and he didn’t disappoint.
One thing had stayed consistent with Kelly since the first day we met: He was as handsome as he was ruthless. I knew he’d always be.
Finally, after I realized he wasn’t going to respond until I continued, I cleared my throat. “You marry me here and now.” I lifted a finger. “I’m saving my parents from this sham of a wedding. I’m their only living daughter, so it’s important to me that what they witness is true. I’ll tell them that we’re so crazy in love I couldn’t wait another day.” I rolled my eyes. “And Mari. I don’t want to tell her yet. I want to keep her out of this, for now.”
Kelly said nothing as he stood there, still staring at me. It was making me uncomfortable. I set my cool hand against my neck, to ease some of the burn. A minute or two went by before he moved toward me. I went to take a step back, because he always seemed to cramp my space, but I hit the desk. Even though I demanded this be mine, he was still backing me into a corner.
“You’re not saving your parents from anythin’, darlin’,” he said, his voice cool and confident. “We both know it. And we both know it’s not wise to lie in a church.” He looked up for a second before his fierce green eyes slammed into mine. “Speaking lies here is the equivalent of lying to yourself. Nothin’ but a waste of time.”
“I’m not lying,” I said through clenched teeth.
“You’d cut off your nose to spite your face.” He studied my face for a second before he set a hand on each side of me, leaning in. His head tilted before he moved in even closer, his nose touching my neck before it skimmed up to my ear. His warm breath fanned over my skin, and the smell of his rich, expensive cologne lingered in the air. It smelled so good, I wished it had a flavor so I could taste it. Lick it right off his body.
“You’re doing this for control, which is fine by me, darlin’. You’re owed that. It’ll happen today. Now. You in that dress and me standing here almost tongued-tied because of it. But I won’t accept lies. Not here. Not now. So let's be truthful. You don’t want to take vows in front of your family and friends because this is no sham to you. You’re going to make this as real as I am. Because you’re trying to get even with me.” He became still, and my skin ached for his lips to close the gap between us
and make the connection.
“If I don’t take this seriously, you will. To make me suffer. To make me fall for you as hard as you’re falling for me. You don’t want anyone that knows you to see it—to feel it. The truth you’ll give me in front of that altar.” He sniffed at my neck. “I can smell the fear on you, archer. Fear that you’ll speak those vows with truth and I won’t do the same.”
Every word was breathed in my ear with that soft lilt of his, and despite all my best efforts, a chill shook my body.
Kelly had shaken the snow globe that was my life, rearranging all of the pieces, and I wasn’t sure how they were going to settle around me.
“You’re not,” I said, closing my eyes. I was a strong woman, and I knew it, but I was also human. And this situation had thrown me inside of a place I’d never been before. Marriage was a serious commitment, one that I’d always expected to honor and respect. “Going to do the same.”
“Ah,” he breathed out softly. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
“This is not real for you. How can it be? This is out of vengeance.” I wasn’t sure why it was so important for me to find out his feelings on this, but it was.
He might’ve been using me as a pawn, and I was still determined to give him hell for it, but I wouldn’t accept lies at the altar. He’d either say his vows with meaning, or…
What could I do?
Nothing.
My palms felt damp all of a sudden, like I was looking down from a sky-high building on a world full of chaos, about to jump into it. I rubbed my hands against my dress, hoping to find a safety net there.
“This is real for you?” He moved back so that he looked me in the eyes again.
“Yeah,” I said. “You wanted this. So now it’s going to get real. Is that fine—” I copied his tone “—with you, Marauder?”
He looked down at me for so long that I wondered if he was ever going to speak. Then he smiled, and I hoped he couldn’t hear my knees knocking together. “Grand,” he said, his voice a bit raspy. “Just. Grand.”
“Wait!” I held out a hand when he went to walk away. “Where are you going?”
“My bride wants to get married.” He shrugged, all la de daaa. “I’m going to wait at the altar. I’ll be there when you’re ready.”
I’d never be ready for this.
For him.
Ready or not, though, twenty minutes later, I opened the door to the office, taking one last look in the mirror Father Flanagan had brought in for me to use. One last look at the single woman who was leaving this room. Whenever I walked back in, I’d be married to the man known as the marauder.
The thief of hearts.
I took one step out of the door and ran into a solid chest. When I looked up, my mouth fell open. Then it snapped shut. “What are you doing here?” I hiss-whispered at Harrison.
“What am I doing here?” He matched my tone. “I should be asking you the same thing! Have you lost your mind? You’re choosing to do this, Kee?”
“Wow,” I said, drawing the word out. “Kelly has a big mouth.”
He shook his head. “We were in the middle of a business meeting when Raff called and told Kelly he had to get here right away. Kelly had me walk with him so we could finish talking. He told me a minute ago to come and check on you. Now I see this. You. Dressed like that. And since we’re standing in a church—not hard to figure out.”
Oh. I had a big mouth then. I should’ve felt Harrison out more before I spilled my secret.
I narrowed my eyes at my brother. “You don’t get to judge me on this, Harrison! You don’t. I’ll do whatever I have to do to survive this.” I went to walk away, but he grabbed my arm.
“Kee,” he said. “I’m not judging you. But listen—just listen! For once!”
I took a deep breath before I turned to face him.
“Whatever you’re thinking, forget it,” he said. “Whatever you’re planning, forget it. It’s not going to make a difference. Not with him. It’s too late.”
“What do you mean?” I said slowly. “Too late?”
“Kee.” He shook his head. “The entire family believes you’ve fallen for Kelly.”
“So? Isn’t that what they’re supposed to believe?”
“We grew up with you, Kee.”
“And…?”
“And—how much clearer do you need me to be? You are falling for him. That’s why you hate him. You know you are, and you don’t want to. So you’re fighting him because it’s the only choice you have. If I know it, Kelly knows it.”
“What kind of woman does that make me, Harrison?” I whispered, gripping the sides of the dress so tightly that my knuckles strained. “That my heart…it’s…not at war with this. It’s at war with the idea of this. Him bullying me into it.”
“Maybe it’s just attraction. Just physical. It’ll pass. And…” Harrison shook his head, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up. “I don’t know, Kee. I have no clue.” Then my brother pulled me in, and my head fell against his chest. He kissed me on the forehead. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t. He got his revenge. It’s enough.”
“It’s not,” I whispered. “We both know it.”
“I do, but my life is not worth this. You paying for my sins.”
I stood, steadying myself. I had my pity party moment. It was time to move forward. “Your life is worth suffering for, Harrison. Because I’m not doing this to pay for your sins. I’m doing this to give value to your love. Mari’s truth was a blow, but we both know she’s not the type of person to hurt anyone on purpose. So you know what that tells me? Your great love is still out there. You’ve just been too focused on Mari to see it.”
Harrison lifted his hand, fixing my veil. “You’re my little sister, and I’ve never said anything like this to you before. You’ve always been as rough as one of the boys, if not tougher.” He grinned, but it was for memories only. “So maybe this isn’t enough, but you’re beautiful, Kee. Cash Kelly deserves to have his heart stop when he sees you. He doesn’t deserve you.”
I smiled. “That’s enough, Harry Boy.” I gave him my arm and he took it. “So you’re going to walk me?”
“Right out the door,” he said underneath his breath. “Because if Kelly doesn’t kill me, Mam will.”
“I’ll leave you out of it,” I said. “Sister’s honor.”
“Nah,” he set his hand over mine. “Let me take this one.”
“Honestly? I’d rather marry Kelly a hundred times then have to face Mam once.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t see this in her tea leaves—the treachery!”
We both grinned—and then our feet stopped. The entire church had been filled with candles, all lit and burning, making the man waiting at the end of the aisle glow. I couldn’t tell whether I was in heaven or hell.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I whispered.
“No, Kelly did,” my brother answered.
I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
My brother set his hand over mine as he walked me down the aisle. The green in Kelly’s eyes seemed unreal as I moved closer to him, and like the ring on my finger, I wished I could appreciate the color without feeling like I was double-crossing my principals. I wanted to admire his eyes, to get lost in them, to believe that the look he was giving me—all serious and scorching—was true.
I wanted him to want me, and not just out of vengeance.
If that was the case, though, we wouldn’t be standing where we were, about to make promises that were built on something brutal and bloodthirsty.
My brother kissed me on the cheek before he handed me over to Kelly. Harrison and Raff were standing as witnesses. I didn’t have a bridesmaid, and it didn’t really matter. My sister was dead, and my soul sister didn’t need to be involved in this. She deserved to believe that all was right in the world and that I wasn’t selling out love to save my brother’s life.
Kelly’s hand was warm on mine as we stood before Father Flana
gan and turned toward one another. I repeated the vows I was supposed to, but I couldn’t really hear my words, not like I could feel them: heavy, with a lifelong commitment. Once Cash Kelly said his vows to me, that was it. We were both locked in.
Forever was only a few short words from that moment.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” Father Flanagan said, after Kelly had made his promises.
My brother made a low, desperate noise in his throat, but it didn’t matter. There was no use in protesting. It was done.
“You may kiss your bride, Cashel Fallon Kelly.”
Kelly stared at me a moment before he set my veil aside. I lifted my eyes in challenge, daring him to kiss me again. The look on his face after our kiss in Harrison’s kitchen would forever be burned into my memory. He was a pawn to it, to whatever attraction existed between us, just like I was.
As if he could read my thoughts, he grinned at me, and then his hand slid into my hair and he pulled my face closer to his. “That’s a real daring face, darlin’, and somethin’ you should know about me—I never pick truth.”
Then he kissed me.
I didn’t even realize that someone had busted through the doors of the church. That he was screaming. That I had a trembling hand pressed against my lips. That my heart felt utterly wild, my soul completely lost, my mind locked in battle with the rest of me. Not until Kelly turned away from me, a grin on his face, to face an enraged Scott Stone, who, a second later, had my new husband in handcuffs.
13
Keely
Cashel Kelly was a fucking masochist if I’d ever met one.
He didn’t fight the handcuffs. He didn’t even stop smiling as Scott read him his rights. All the while I stood there next to Father Flanagan, while my brother demanded to know the charges against his client, wondering if this was going to be my life.
Reality check. It is.
I should’ve known that our first meeting directed our relationship. How many people meet in a cemetery?
Marauder (Gangsters of New York Book 2) Page 13
