A Mayhem Wedding

by Brook Greene

  ~~~~~~

  Roman

  It’s a little after nine on Wednesday morning, and I’m sitting at my desk when Eno strides through my door, holding his hands up with a disgusted look on his face. “On paper, the man is a fucking saint,” he huffs as he falls into one of the chairs across the desk from me. I lean back in my chair, throwing the pen I’d been working on a new client’s blueprint with. He shakes his head and takes out a bundle of folded papers he has shoved in his back pocket, throwing them across the desk to me. “All the boring shit is there,” he says, pointing at the papers that I lean in to pick up. “I couldn’t even find the money trail leading to Cruz’s aunt, he’s that damn good.”

  “Thanks, man.” I sigh as I open the papers, scanning over them. “I guess we’ll just have to keep him in check the old fashion way,” I mumble.

  “Sounds good to me. I’m always down for some violence.” He smiles, popping his knuckles as he stands. “Later.” He smacks the doorframe as he leaves my office.

  With Eno gone, I devote my full attention to the information he’s compiled, nearly choking on my tongue when my eyes catch on a name. Reaching for my phone, I find his number.

  He answers almost immediately. “Hey man, what’s up?”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me?” I bark.

  ~~~~~~

  I’m thankful I’d been able to convince Hollis to wait a few days on the premise I couldn’t get away from the office until the middle of next week. Unable to concentrate anymore, I head to the clubhouse to make myself some lunch. Taking out my phone, I shoot Hollis a text.

  Me: Hey, baby. How’s your day going?

  I don’t have to wait long for an answer.

  Hollis: Oh, you know, the glamorous life of a housekeeper, just hanging out with the toilets.

  Me: Emily is a slave driver.

  I smile when I hit send, knowing she’ll tell Emily what I wrote.

  Hollis: She flipped you off.

  I let out a full belly laugh.

  Me: She knows I love her.

  Hollis: Gotta get back to work. Love you.

  Me: Love you too.

  I shove my phone into my pocket as I walk through the clubhouse. Pushing through the saloon style doors into the kitchen, I come to a dead stop.

  “What the fuck?”

  Emily turns and smiles at me. “Well hello to you too, dickhead.”

  Dread twists my gut. “No, I mean, what the hell are you doing here?” My feet are frozen to the floor and I barley register the door hitting me in the shoulder when it swings closed.

  “Well, I thought I would make you guys some lunch today.” She knows me well enough to see the panic that’s taking over me. “What is it?”

  “You didn’t work today?” Fear grips me around the throat and begins to squeeze as my mind goes back over the morning I’d had with Hollis, and then the text messages we’d just exchanged. Nothing was ever said about her having the day off, and it never crossed my mind that she might.

  “No, today’s our monthly day off.” She props herself against the island, eyeing me. “You know that.”

  “Oh, fuck.” I turn and she’s close on my heels as I run through the clubhouse to my truck.

  “Why, what is it?” she yells after me.

  “Hollis went to meet him by herself,” I say as I climb into my truck, squealing the tires as I speed out of the parking lot.

  ~~~~~~

  Hollis

  I toss my phone onto the passenger side seat, fighting back the tears that are burning the back of my eyes. Lying to Roman leaves the worst kind of taste in my mouth, but I’d made up my mind, and there wasn’t anything he could say to make me change it. I’m risking everything I have in my life for this one chance to have a glimpse of my past. For some reason, I don’t know why I need this, but I feel it down in my soul that I have to do this to move on to the next chapter in my life.

  The consequences of what I’m doing are something I can’t think of or be sorry about right now. The knot in the pit of my stomach grows as I pass each sign telling me how much closer I’m getting to the closure I’ve yearned for all my life.

  I knew if I’d waited on Roman to do this with me, he would always find an excuse as to why us coming this day or that was no good and prolong it for as long as he could. It’s no secret he would prefer I let this go, and I know it would be best for everyone if I could, but I can’t. He’s going to be furious with me on so many levels, and those are amends I’m prepared to make as soon as I made my mind up to come today. I can only hope he loves me enough to forgive me.

  ~~~~~~

  Roman

  The fiery onset of anger has now been devoured by desperation to get to her, protect her from the monster she’s going to face alone. The panic of what will happen engulfs me. Where it will send her is a haunting voice in the back of my head. This is what I’ve feared since she came back to me, the event that will tip her back over the edge. How could she do this knowing sobriety, no matter how deep she is into it, is fragile and a very sharp cliff?

  My phone rings. “What?”

  “What the fuck is going on? She went by herself?” Leo asks.

  “Yeah, I didn’t know she had the day off.” I feel like an idiot, not knowing her work schedule.

  “Didn’t you have someone on her?” he asks me in a tone a father would have with his son, asking something so obvious it makes you feel like a dumbass.

  “No, she was with Emily. I didn’t think I needed to watch her that close.” Worry and anger fight for purchase in my chest. I can’t believe she’s done this. She hadn’t listened to a word I’d said or heeded one warning I’d given her about what he’s capable of. “Stay near the phone, I might need you,” I tell him before hanging up. The unknowns of the situation are fueling the fire, and I press the gas nearly to the floor as I speed out of town, breaking every road law there is.

  My phone rings again, this time with a text message from Cruz. “She’s here.” I take a moment to let relief roll through me. He hadn’t hurt her—well physically anyway, but what had he said? And what the fuck was she thinking? Knowing she’s okay, the anger once again blazes through me. The complete disregard this woman has for her own safety and my fucking sanity is pushing at my limits of reason.

  ~~~~~~

  Hollis

  I drive slowly through town, finding the office I’m looking for thanks to my GPS. It wasn’t hard to find in this little town, but I wanted to make sure where I was going, and that I didn’t have to ask around town and make a scene or be remembered for the inquiry.

  Pulling into an empty space, I shut off the engine of my SUV and feel as the butterflies in my stomach take flight, the flutters growing with each passing second.

  I step out into the warm sun and feel as sweat begins to prickle the back of my neck under my hair. I check my reflection in the glass window before stepping through the door into the cool air of the office.

  I take another deep breath as the ding above the door signals my entrance, making a woman at an extravagant desk look up and smile.

  “Hello. Welcome to Mayor Campbell’s office, how can I help you?”

  “Hello. I’m Hollis Keaton, I’m here to see the mayor.”

  ~~~~~~

  Roman

  I make the almost two-hour trip in record time, my anger only growing as the miles pass. She’d made me a promise, lying to me the whole time, then went behind my back and did the one thing I asked her not to do. She didn’t need to face him alone, I didn’t want her to have to go through it without me by her side. I had more than willing to do what she’d asked me too, but she couldn’t find it in her to return the favor. And it’s that betrayal that has me worked up more than her stupidity of making this journey alone.

  I hammer my fist into the center of the stirring wheel, needing the pain in my hand to release some of the overwhelming anger my body is vibrating with.

  This is the same idiocy she suffered from the night she’d st
olen my truck and went to the strip joint, and just like then, here I am, rushing to fucking save her from herself, again.

  I pull up to the gate, and the prospect moves at a snail’s pace opening it for me. Racing through once there’s enough space to push my truck through, I barely get the truck in park before I’m out and at the door of the Bastards clubhouse. I rest my hand on the handle and suck in a deep breath, trying to get my shit under control. “Get it together, Roman. This is Hollis, for God’s sake,” I say under my breath, trying to talk to the part of myself she seems to bring out of me.

  Throwing the door open, I find Cruz pacing the floor, his head jerking up when I walk through the door. “Where the fuck is she?” A pained look comes over his face when he sees the mood I’m in.

  He tilts his head in the direction of the set of stairs that lead up to the second floor. “She’s in my room. At the top, first door to the left.” I nod and brush past him, but he grabs me by the arm, stopping me. I raise an eyebrow, looking at his fingers, then at him, making him drop his hand from me.

  “I know she ain’t my woman, but,” he takes a step back from me and shoves his hands down into his pockets.

  “You’re right, she’s not.” I quickly cut him off before he oversteps. He throws up his hands in surrender. “What the fuck do you think I’m gonna do? Go up there and spank her with a belt?” Even though that’s what she fucking needs is a good old-fashion ass whipping. “Stay out of it, Cruz,” I bite off as I turn for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

  I throw open the door and find her body curled into the fetal position, her back to me, on the full bed across the room. She sniffs but doesn’t turn to me. “I don’t need to hear it.” Her voice is slightly muffled by the pillow she has her face buried in.

  “You don’t need to hear what, Hollis?” My words are harsh with the rage roaring through my body. She slowly rolls to me and I wince a little at her appearance. The makeup I’d watched her carefully apply this morning is melting down her red swollen face.

  “How you were right and that you told me so.” She sniffles again, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

  I sigh, pressing my lips into a thin line. She recoils at the look I’m giving her. “You think I drove a hundred miles an hour to get here just to tell you I told you so? Is that the kind of man you think I am? I mean, fucking look at you, Hollis.” I throw my hand her way, taking her appearance in again. “You’re a fucking emotional mess and I’m pissed, just not about that.”

  She sits up on her knees, wiping her face now, trying to rub the black streaks of mascara off her cheeks. “No, that’s not at all how I think about you. But you did tell me.” She actually looks regretful. She’s kicking herself enough, and she doesn’t need me to add anything to the mix.

  “Yes I did, but you’re an adult, old enough to take responsibility for your actions.”

  She rights her spine, and her lips form a thin line. “Then why the hell are you so pissed?”

  I take a step toward her, making her recoil. I grit my teeth. “I’m pissed because you broke a promise and lied to me while doing it.” I watch her slump again. I cross over to the dresser on the other side of the room. Leaning against it, I cross my arms over my chest. “Now tell me what he said.”

  “Roman, I’m sorry.” She looks at me, her eyes getting glassy again. Normally that would work in a heartbeat on me, but not today, not after what she’s done.

  “I don’t want to talk about that right now. What I do want is for you to tell me what he said to you, word for word.”

  She casts her sad eyes down, looking at her hands she has laid on her thighs. She drags in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, obviously reliving the painful meeting with Keaton.

  “He thought I was lying to begin with.” She looks at me with the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. “Then when I told him my mother’s name, he thought I was there to blackmail him.” She’s radiating disappointment, and now my rage is redirected to where it should’ve been all day. She stops talking and stifles a sob.

  “What else did he say?” I push off the dresser and cross the room to her, unable to stay away from her any longer. I lay my palm on her cheek and stroke her soft skin with my thumb, catching a tear as it escapes. “What else did he say to you, baby?” She slowly lifts her head, and this time, her eyes are filled with tears, melting away any anger for her and making me forget her betrayal.

  She pinches her lips together, giving her head a slight shake. “Things.” Her voice is soft, and the one word is broken.

  I watch her past rush over her, and this is why I needed to be with her for this. The past she’s worked so hard to get away from, and the person she no longer is, slams back into us both. I know I don’t possess a super power to make her forget, or to scrub memories from her thoughts, but fuck, I want to believe she’s stronger with me at her back.

  She wraps her fingers around my wrist. “It never crossed my mind to use.” And there it is, what I needed to hear. I feel the weight of that worry lift off of me. “I would never do that to you again, Roman, even though sometimes I make some of the dumbest decisions, that’s one promise I will never break.” I duck my head and take her lips with mine, a silent thank you to her for being the strong woman I always knew she could be.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Roman

  I sit and listen to the things he said to her and what he called her. The first whore pissed me off, the fifth time made my mind up.

  “You up for a round of golf?” I ask Leo, pacing the floor, feeling a different kind of anger than I’d felt for Hollis. This is murderous, the kind used to kill in a blind rage without seeing faces or concerning yourself with humanity.

  “Always. Everybody needed?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me when I get there?” He laughs, sounding almost excited.

  “Definitely.” I add a few more requests before hanging up and turning back to Hollis.

  She’s laid back down, but her now worried eyes are on me. “What are you going to do?”

  I lean down, placing my hand on her reddened cheek. “Don’t you worry about it, baby.”

  She covers my hand with hers. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  I wink at her. “Who, me? And besides, that’s the pot making a request from the kettle, isn’t it?” I get a smile from her and it warms my heart.

  “Speaking of,” she pushes up to a sitting position. “Can’t get away from the office until next week, huh?” She narrows her eyes at me. And just like that, she’s turned this around on me.

  I try to look innocent but fail miserably, so I just shrug my shoulders. She playfully slaps my chest and rolls her eyes. “Oh no, mister, you’re not getting off that easy.”

  “My lie didn’t put anybody, mainly you, in danger. Yours, on the other hand, did.” It seems so simple to me, but she’s looking at me like I have three heads.

  “A lie is a lie is a lie, Roman,” she declares, pushing away from me and getting off the bed. “You men think you can set a double standard for us, but you can’t. They all carry the same weight.” She crosses her arms over her chest and begins to tap her bare foot on the ratty carpet, looking at me expectantly.

  I know what she’s waiting for, and I’m not getting out of here until I concede. But for some reason, I feel the need to argue my point. “No, I don’t believe they do.” I hear an audible scoff.

  “Of course you don’t,” she mutters.

  I stand from the bed, getting aggravated at her again. “Listen, Hollis, I don’t wanna get into this.” I point at her scar, knowing I’m crossing a line, but I’m trying to drive home a point. “You, more than anyone, know the different weight a lie carries.” Her hand flies up to cover her cheek. “So you mean to tell me that me saying I have to work and can’t get away has the same consequences as the lie you told when you got that?” I walk to the door, needing to separate myself from her. We’re both being childish, and I need to l
eave before things are said we can’t come back from. Yes, what I’d just said was low, but it had just the right amount of impact I needed to get my point across.

  I turn to her when I reach the door. “I didn’t think so. I’m going to go downstairs and get you some water and a couple of aspirins. You’re going to need them.” She nods but stays silent. Unable to tear myself away, I walk back to her and wrap my arms around her. She sinks into me as I run my hand up and down her back, letting her release the events of the day. “I love you, Hollis. You’re my world, and when you put yourself in danger, I lose it a little.” I tilt her head back, bringing her watery eyes up to mine. “Okay, don’t do it again, please?”

  She pinches her lips together into a thin line and nods her acceptance. I lean in and kiss her. “I’ll be right back, baby.”

  I close the door on the conversation that took a wrong turn about five minutes ago, but other than ripping what’s left of her heart out, I’m not sure how to get how bad she’d fucked up today across.

  ~~~~~~

  Hollis

  I spin around, catching my reflection in the mirror setting on the dresser. Roman’s right, I am a mess. Dark black streaks of mascara run down my face, and my eyes are red and puffy.

  I go into the en-suite bathroom, shocked to find it somewhat clean because I don’t ever remember Cruz being a neat freak. I retrieve a cloth from the neat pile on the shelf over the toilet and run it under cold water. I lift my head and begin to clean the remnants of the day away. I lightly drift the cloth over my scar. Roman’s words stung but rang true. He’s right, there are different weights to a lie, and the ones I tell are tons heavier than the one he’d told me. He hadn’t hurt anyone, but mine had sent him into a panic and quite possibly put me on the radar of a man who’s already paid once to make me disappear.