“Where to?” Reid asked, jumping into the driver's seat.
“Penelope's office. Graham is waiting there.”
Reid stomped on the gas and off they sped. Damien was out of the car once they neared Penelope's office. He burst into the office and Graham whirled round to yell at him, “What took you so long? I've been...”
Damien wasn't hearing a word Graham said, even though the guy was hollering at the top of his lungs. He looked around swiftly, trying to look for clues. His bear rose and detected the lingering scent of three human males. His bear growled as it latched on to Penelope's scent.
Damien stared at the files and papers scattered all over the floor. Drawers and chairs had been overturned and kicked aside. With a stab of rage and fear, Damien followed Penelope's scent out the back door and his bear rammed against his human skin, wanting out.
His bear could clearly sense its mate's despair and panic, and it wanted to track her attackers down and tear them from limb to limb.
“I tried calling her but her phone is dead. Penelope doesn't have any enemies,” Graham said. “Who would...”
“Her ex. Ian Renshaw.”
“What about him? I never liked that guy,” Graham spat.
“He's the one who got Penelope into this mess.”
“I'll kill him,” Graham snarled. “Where is Penelope now?”
“My bear will find her,” Damien answered. He didn't shift out of his human form but he let his beast take over. His bear would be able to track down its mate in the shortest time.
“Let's go!” Graham and Damien ran back to the car where Reid was waiting anxiously.
Reid followed Damien's directions and drove at full speed towards their destination.
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town within a few minutes. Graham's eyes bulged when he saw what they had in the trunk.
“I'll finish him off,” he growled, grabbing Ian by the throat. His claws slashed down but Damien stopped him.
“We need them alive, for now.”
Damien simply gestured for Graham and Reid to carry the two human men out of the car and follow him. His bear led them deep into the warehouse and through a door at the back.
The door opened easily. Three men stood facing them, guns drawn. Damien hadn't made any effort to move silently. He wanted the men to know that they had company.
One of the men had his hand around Penelope's neck. The leader of the gang stepped forward. He was the only one in a pristine white jacket.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Damien Ken, and I've come for my mate. Let her go.” Damien jerked his head at Penelope. “And who are you?”
“I'm John. And I'm sorry to inform you that your mate has committed an unpardonable offense against my boss. I can't let her go.” He raised his gun to aim it at Damien's heart.
“She didn't do it,” Damien said, stepping aside slowly. “Look, as a token of goodwill, I've brought you a little something. I believe you're looking for these men.”
Reid and Graham dumped the two unconscious human males on the floor and kicked them forward.
“Ian Renshaw and accomplice,” Damien announced with a flourish.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Penelope stared at Damien in amazement and relief. She was so happy to see him, and so amazed at how calm he was. He even smiled and winked at her.
“Ian Renshaw,” John said. “We've been looking for him.”
“I'll wake him up for you, if you like,” Graham offered.
John nodded and stepped back. Graham crouched down and slapped Ian resoundingly on both cheeks. “Wakey, wakey, you fuckhead!” Graham bellowed and slapped Ian one last time. But this time his claws were out.
Ian screamed in pain and opened his eyes with a jolt. Graham smirked and shoved him towards John. “He's all yours.”
Ian blinked up at John and began to sputter, “No, no, it wasn't me...I'll never betray Mr Fronzo...it's her!” He pointed at Penelope. “She downloaded Mr Fronzo's accounts from my computer when we were together. I trusted her, and she betrayed me. She betrayed all of us! I'm innocent, John. You know that, right? I've been working for Mr Fronzo for years...”
“And he trusted you,” John said. “You said you're innocent?”
Ian nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, I would never lie to you, John.”
“Let's ask your accomplice, shall we? I see he's just waking up. Let's hear what he has to say.” John went over to Ben and tapped his face with his gun. Ben was clutching his head in his hands and groaning in pain.
Shakily, Ben pushed himself up and found himself staring down the barrel of John's gun. His eyes focused immediately and became huge as saucers.
“D-don't shoot...”
“Start talking,” John said. “Who are you? And what are you doing with Ian Renshaw?”
“I...” Ben tried to jerk away from the gun but John's finger twitched on the trigger in warning. Ben's wide, panicked eyes flew around the room. With a cry, he raised a shaking finger and pointed at Ian. “He said he'd pay me a million bucks if I loaded a file onto the lady's computer. So I did. It took me just a minute. A million dollars for a minute's work. Who wouldn't do it? I needed the money. I never hurt anyone! Please...”
John straightened up. He turned to Damien and said, “You can leave now. We have no quarrel with you.”
“Let Penelope go and we'll leave,” Damien said, holding up his hands. “We're not interested in your business, your accounts and your money. You do what you want with these two men. It's none of our business. We won't tell anyone what happened here and I hope we never meet again.”
John stared at him for a long moment, trying to judge if he was telling the truth. Finally John nodded and said, “Miss Hatfield is free to go. We'll take Ian and his friend to see Mr Frank Fronzo. But if we find out that Miss Hatfield is in receipt of Mr Fronzo's money, we'll know where to find her.”
“She doesn't have your money,” Damien snapped.
Ian began to struggle and beg for mercy as John's henchmen dragged him away. His fate was sealed. And it was a fate worse than death. Mr Frank Fronzo certainly didn't get to where he was by being soft on his enemies. And Ian Renshaw was worse than the worst enemy. He had bitten the hand that fed him.
If Frank Fronzo respected his foe, he usually allowed the bugger a quick death. But a traitor deserved no such dignity and mercy.
Penelope rushed into Damien's arms and clung to him. “How did you find me?” she sobbed.
“You're my mate,” he said. “You're a part of me. Forever,” he whispered.
“Come on, let's go,” Reid said, putting his arms protectively around the two of them.
Reid could see that his cousin was about to collapse. Damien had held it together very well, but now that he had his mate safe in his arms, his nerves and emotions were beginning to fray.
He had been terrified that he would be too late, that he would lose her forever.
If anything had gone wrong, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He wouldn't be able to live, period.
“Let's get the hell out of here before they change their minds,” Graham mumbled, hurrying all of them towards the door. “Those humans are even more slimy and cold-blooded than reptiles.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Penelope giggled as her bridesmaids fussed over her and recounted some funny and embarrassing stories about their first dates. But those hilarious stories all had a happy ending. Her bridesmaids were all clients of Miss Hatfield's Dating Agency. They were the first ten women who had signed up with her. She had found each of them their perfect match and most of them were now married or engaged to be married.
Scarlett Washington, her maid of honor, sported a dazzling engagement ring on her finger.
“Have you thought of changing the name of your dating agency, Penelope?” Weiling, one of her bridesmaids, asked.
“Why? What's wrong with the
present name?” Penelope's eyes rounded in surprise.
“Well, you're not going to be Miss Hatfield anymore, are you?”
Penelope nodded and tapped her chin. “I hadn't thought about that.”
“Don't chew your lip, Penelope,” Scarlett tut-tutted. “You're ruining your lipstick!”
Penelope stopped gnawing on her lower lip and peered at herself in the mirror. Her blurry reflection squinted back at her. “Ah, I need my glasses,” she muttered, fumbling around for her trusty, chunky glasses. She had taken them off so the girls could apply the layers of makeup on her face. Scarlett put her glasses in her hand and Penelope snapped them on happily. “So much better,” she beamed.
“Why won't you wear contacts?” Vimala asked. “It's your wedding day.”
“I like my glasses,” Penelope said simply. “I wear my glasses every day, so why shouldn't I wear them on my wedding day?”
Penelope spread out her arms and spun round. “How do I look?” She had opted for a more casual wedding dress instead of the traditional long wedding gown. Her knee-length dress had beautiful lace trimmings and a sequined bodice. She thought the design was both elegant and chic.
“You look beautiful!”
“And radiant...”
“And totally ready to be married!”
Penelope gave her bridesmaids a big group hug and said, “Thank you! All of you! I could never have done this without you. You helped me choose my dress, my shoes, reminded me to get my nails done and dragged me to my hairdresser's appointments. Look at me! You transformed your prim, workaholic matchmaker into a ravishing bride!”
“Yeah, if we didn't cart you off to your beauty appointments, you'll be in your office poring over all your client's profiles and matching them up!” Weiling shook her head.
“But we're really glad you matched us up with our mates,” Vimala said, squeezing her shoulder.
“She tried to match me up with her mate,” Scarlett quipped with a wink.
The girls burst out laughing. They'd all heard about how Penelope had arranged that first date for Scarlett and Damien.
“Oh, Penelope!” Vimala chuckled. “I wish I was there to see Damien's face!”
“You should have seen Penelope's face,” Scarlett said fondly, patting Penelope's hand. “I have to tell you girls, I seriously feared for my life that night!”
The girls laughed and teased Penelope. “We've never seen that side of you, Penelope!”
“But she got it right the second time.” Scarlett smiled. Christopher and I hit it off right away.” Scarlett fingered her engagement ring and sighed. “I can't wait to marry him.”
Penelope grinned. “I want to be your matron of honor at your wedding.”
“You got the job, Miss Hatfield! Or should I say, Mrs Ken,” Scarlett grinned back.
The door opened with a bang and one of her bridesmaids, Brenda, came rushing into the room. “The guys are here,” Brenda panted. “Graham said we have to blindfold the bride!”
“Don't listen to my brother,” Penelope huffed. “He's trying to pull a prank on me on my wedding day.”
“No, no, it's not a prank,” Brenda said earnestly. “Come on girls. Do your job!”
To Penelope's shock, her traitorous bridesmaids pounced on her and someone pulled off her glasses and slipped a blindfold over her eyes.
“Relax, Penelope, we got your back,” Scarlett whispered, giggling.
“Hmph! At this moment, I doubt that very much,” Penelope sniffed, folding her arms haughtily. She grumbled as her bridesmaids hustled her out of the room and into a car. She knew her brother was at the wheel because she heard Graham's voice and guffaw.
“Kidnapping the bride, Graham?” she said archly. “I should have known better than to let two pranksters plan my wedding,” she huffed. “What mischief are you and Damien up to?”
“No mischief. I'm just doing my job. Hey, no peeking. Keep your blindfold on! You're supposed to be watching her, Scarlett,” Graham admonished.
“Just drive,” Scarlett said, laughing as she tugged Penelope's blindfold back into place. “Don't be late. I want to try my hand at all the games!”
“Games? What games? Aren't we going to a wedding?” When nobody answered her, Penelope groused loudly. “Don't tell me I got all dressed up for nothing! Am I getting married today or not?”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Damien rushed around doing last-minute checks to make sure everything was perfect.
“Hey, relax,” Reid said, catching him before he could go running off again. “We're ready. You—” Reid jabbed a finger into his chest. “—are ready.”
“I am,” Damien said, straightening his tuxedo smartly.
“Your bride and her girls should be here any minute now,” Reid said, glancing at his watch.
“Do you think she'll like this?” Damien asked, looking anxiously over his shoulder. He received numerous thumbs-up and a-ok signs.
Reid chuckled. “You'll find out soon enough. They're here!”
Damien sucked in a breath as he watched the cars approach. Graham tooted the horn as he pulled his car to a stop. He was ferrying the bride and the maid of honor. His bosses, Nick and Marcus, had volunteered to drive the rest of the bridesmaids to the wedding venue.
The bridesmaids began to stream out of the cars, giggling and chattering excitedly. Graham opened the door and Damien helped his blindfolded bride out carefully.
“Damien?” Penelope said sharply. “What's going on? What is this all about?”
Damien slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and guided her slowly forward. “This is all about us, and the people in our lives,” he whispered. “We're getting married, sweetheart.”
With that, he tugged the blindfold off and announced, “Welcome to our wedding!”
Penelope squinted, trying to see without her glasses. Thankfully, Scarlett stepped forward and gently placed her glasses back on her nose. Cheers and applause erupted all around her.
Penelope gasped as she took in the scene. She was standing at the entrance of a small carnival that had been set up in the town square. There were food stalls, booths, a carousel, and a grand bouncy castle. Balloons bobbing above the castle spelled their names: Damien and Penelope. There was even a pinata in the shape of a wedding cake hanging in front of the castle.
“Oh! Oh my! This...” she stammered.
“Your very own wedding carnival!” Damien declared. “Do you like it?”
“You...” Penelope turned to him, her eyes shimmering. “You did all this? For me?” she breathed.
“I didn't do it alone,” Damien said. “The guys helped a lot.” He gestured towards his grinning bosses and work mates. “And when we talked to the townspeople, everyone wanted to get involved as well. They thought a carnival was a great idea!”
“It is!” Penelope squealed and clapped. “It totally is!”
Damien blew out a breath in relief. “I'm so glad you like it.”
“Are you kidding? I love it! I love it, I love it, I love it!” She grabbed his face and kissed him hard.
With lipstick marks all over his face, Damien beamed proudly as he grabbed his bride's hand. “Let's get married!” Hand in hand, Damien and Penelope ran towards the bouncy castle as the jubilant townsfolk threw confetti and popcorn over their heads.
The affable Justice of the Peace was standing in front of the castle, waiting for them. He patted the wobbly wall of the castle and remarked, “I have to keep reminding myself not to lean against it.”
Once they said their vows, Graham, who was Damien's best man, handed them a colorful pinata stick and yelled, “Break the cake!”
There were cheers and hoots as Penelope and Damien stepped up to the wedding cake pinata. “Gosh, it's so pretty!” Penelope said, admiring the intricate pattern.
“Ready?” Damien closed his hands over hers and they shared a tender kiss as they got ready to hammer their wedding cake.
“Ready!”
Goodies exploded from the cake as they hit the pinata with gusto. Children started shrieking in delight as candies spilled out of the pinata.
Gramma and Ne-ma were the first to jump into the bouncy castle with the bride and groom. The two witches hollered and laughed as they literally bounced off the walls and high into the air.
Penelope looked adorably disheveled as she staggered out of the castle. Her glasses sat askew on her nose and her hair was a mess. But her eyes were glowing with pure happiness as she and Damien mingled with the crowd.
It felt as though the whole town had turned up for their wedding carnival. Damien's work mates were all here with their mates and families. Reid had his hands full with his nephew Eddie, and his little son, Matthew. The three of them were cheering Lauren on as she tried her hand at a carnival game. She was trying to win a big dinosaur for Eddie, who at age six, was already the town's resident dinosaur expert. No one in Shadow Point knew more about dinosaurs than Eddie.
Penelope's clients were here as well. Many of them came with their significant others, and Penelope was delighted to see how happy they were. Her dating agency was booming, and she had attended quite a number of her clients' weddings and baby showers.
“This carnival is a great idea,” Penelope said, planting a big kiss on Damien's cheek. “What made you think of it?”
“Well, I wanted a fun wedding, not just for us, but for everyone,” Damien said, looking on in amusement as his buddies fought over a big stuffed toy that one of them had won. “Graham was the one who suggested it, and I thought it was a fantastic idea.”
Damien grinned and gestured around. “Our wedding is just the beginning. We have a whole new life ahead of us. And all these wonderful people will be in our lives. My buddies, your clients, our friends and neighbors, our families—they're all a part of us. I want them to be part of our wedding. And I want everyone to say: Damien and Penelope, they had the most awesome wedding ever!” he crowed. “They had a carnival! Who can top that?”
Dating Agency Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 6) Page 7
