by M. Malone
“He’s definitely not all talk,” I mumbled. I ignored their knowing smiles. “Anyway, I know we haven’t known each other that long but you guys have known Oskar for a long time. Will you help me plan a small wedding? I really want us to have one that we actually remember.”
Lucia squealed with delight. “We get to plan a wedding? Yes! Don’t worry about a thing. We’ve got this. And my grandmother can even do the cake. Nonna has a bit of a soft spot for Oskar. Well, she likes anyone who loves to eat.”
I hugged them both. “Thank you. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. Because I have no idea what I’m doing, and I want this to be special. Things are crappy with my family right now so I need something good to look forward to.”
Lucia put an arm around my shoulders. “We understand about family drama. One day when we have more time, I’ll tell you the story about how I thought my brother was dead for ages.”
I blinked at her and then shook my head. “Okay, you win. Family drama sounds like an understatement in that case.”
Lucia grinned. “It’s complicated. It always is around here. But we get things done.”
JJ had already pulled out her phone. “We have so many contacts in the fashion world. Despite what people think, fashion assistants are the ones who truly run the world. We can probably get you a bunch of dresses and accessories lined up pretty fast. How quickly are we talking?”
I thought about everything that Oskar and I had already been through. Tomorrow was never promised and if I had my way, I’d marry him that night. I wasn’t giving him the chance to get away from me again.
“Yesterday.”
JJ put the phone to her ear. “We’re going to need to call in reinforcements.”
“Who are you calling?” Lucia asked.
“Gemma and Diana. We need everyone’s help if we’re going to pull off an overnight wedding!”
Oskar
As the meeting wound to an end, Noah shuffled the stack of papers in front of him. He had been less than pleased when Jonas reported on our conversation with Evan’s bookie, and I figured he would be having his own conversation with Elijah soon. It was better if it came from him.
Hailey’s father already hated me, and it wasn’t like I could blame him. I did marry his daughter in secret, abandon her for years, and then proceeded to debauch her every chance I could. What could I say? I loved every minute of helping Hailey discover her naughty side.
But it’s probably not something my new father in-law will forgive me for anytime soon.
“Next item on the agenda is congratulations. To Oskar.” Noah’s grin was so wide I was surprised I couldn’t see his tonsils. Which meant that Hailey must have told the girls about my proposal.
Either that or they’d caught sight of the ridiculously big candy ring on her finger. It was campy and crazy and exactly the kind of thing that we’d one day tell our kids about. It hit me right then just how much I was looking forward to all of that. The possibilities of an entire future with Hailey. How the hell had I gotten so lucky?
“Thank you. I just hope that I can make her happy before she figures out she can do much better than me.”
Jonas clapped me on the back. “Excellent news, man. Hailey is perfect for you. I wish you guys all the happiness in the world.”
I glanced over at Rafe, who was smirking from across the conference table. “Come on. Hit me with it. After all the shit I’ve given you over the years, I’m sure you’ve got something to say. No ball and chain jokes?”
Rafe shrugged. “I like her for you. Love is a rare and wonderful thing. Few find it, and even fewer manage to keep it. I hope your union is blessed.”
All of us around the table gaped at him.
“Did he bump his head?” Matthias muttered.
“Maybe they finally replaced him with a robot,” Dylan whispered from somewhere behind me.
Even Noah looked like he wasn’t sure what to make of his brother-in-law’s sudden good wishes. And they had been best friends since Lucia was a kid.
If Noah was the strong and silent type, Rafe was the invisible and deadly type. Seriously I don’t think the guy had said this many words to me before. Ever. Usually he just glared at me with menace in his eyes until I backed down and left him alone.
Now I felt like shit for giving him such a hard time over the years.
“Thank you.”
Suddenly Rafe’s lips twitched. “Besides, I have a feeling Hailey is going to kick you in the ball and chain often enough that I won’t have to.”
The room erupted into laughter and good-natured jeers.
“There it is! Was worried about you for a minute there, mate.” Matthias gave him a mock salute.
“Annnnnnd he’s back,” Dylan drawled.
I pressed my hand to my heart. “Coming from you, Rafe, that’s better than a Hallmark card. I’ll take it.” I glanced over at Noah. “How did you know? Lucia?”
He nodded. “You realize what you've started right?”
“What? I just proposed last night, how could I have messed up already? It’s not a big deal, we’re just going to do something small.”
“Something you’ll remember this time?” Rafe asked innocently.
I put both of my middle fingers up and stood. “Fuck this. I’m going to find my bride. She’ll be nice to me.”
Noah looked like he was trying to cover a smile. “Okay but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Ignoring all of them, I escaped the conference room while I still could. Hailey had some work with her that she’d planned to complete over the weekend, but we were both determined to carve out more time to spend together. Maybe I’d take her out to look for a dress later. It shouldn’t be that hard to find a wedding dress in the greatest city on earth, right? I might not have been born a New Yorker, but I had as much passion and zeal for my adopted hometown as anyone born there.
“Hailey, did you want… What the hell happened?”
I skirted around the racks of clothes in the hallway that were blocking the entrance to the kitchen. “Hailey!”
“In here!”
I walked toward the sound of her voice and paused at the entrance to the family room. Every possible surface was covered with flowers, lace or fabric. An extremely sexy negligee was laid across the back of the couch next to JJ, who was talking a mile a minute into her phone. On the other side of the room, Lucia scribbled furiously on a clipboard while listening to Gemma. Diana stood right behind her, one hand on her pregnant belly looking like a general waiting to go into battle.
“Where is my wife?” I finally asked, exasperated.
JJ pointed to the center of the room vaguely. I peered closer. There was a bundle of fabric that finally shifted and turned.
“Holy shit. Butterfly, you look like you’ve been attacked by a disgruntled evening gown.”
Hailey bit her lip, and I could see by the look in her eyes that she was trying not to laugh. “It turns out your friends take wedding planning really seriously. They called all their friends in fashion who then delivered all this stuff. I’m supposed to be trying on dresses, but I lost hope after this one. Plus, I think I’m stuck.”
I tugged at the top of the dress, giving up when I heard something rip. “Oops, okay so that didn’t work.”
Hailey had tears in her eyes at that point from laughing so hard. “I really hope this isn’t a bad omen.”
“No way. If anything, this is a sign that asking the terrible twosome over there to help with the wedding was a bad idea.”
JJ stepped between us. “Oskar, you guys need to pick up flowers and tuxedos. I found a shop that can rent them immediately, and we already had all of your measurements from Lucia’s wedding. Hope you haven’t gained weight!”
From behind her, Hailey mouthed, Help me!
I smothered a laugh. Normally I would love to be her knight in shining armor, but there was a really important errand that couldn’t wait any longer. JJ had just given me the perfect excuse to leave witho
ut raising any suspicion.
“Flowers and tuxes. Right. We’ll get on that.” I leaned past her to kiss Hailey on the forehead. “Hang in there.”
19
Oskar
“Noah, do you mind if you guys head out and get your tuxes? Can you pick mine up too? There’s an errand I want to run.”
Noah lifted a brow. “Where are you going?”
I tried to hide my smile, but I couldn’t. “Well, when we got married the first time, I didn’t exactly have the kind of ring that I wanted to give her. So, I’m going to go to the jeweler and pick it up. I already called. It’s ready now, so…”
Noah clapped me on the back. “Got to say, it’s nice seeing you put down some roots.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on, do you think I didn’t notice that while you’ve been here, a part of you always had one foot out the door?”
I shifted on my feet. “Ah, been that apparent, huh?”
“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I mean, I can tell you guys that we are family, but ultimately you guys decide. You have to choose whether you’re here for good or going to up and bounce one day. So, I’m glad you decided.”
“Yeah well, once you went to bat for me it wasn’t like I was ever going to leave. You basically saved my life. I believe in repaying debts.”
He shrugged. “Yeah well, that too.”
We engaged in an awkward bro-hug scenario, and then he headed out with the rest of the waiting crew to get their tuxes fitted. Matthias and Jonas both gave me a questioning look before heading off with Noah, but I gave them a brief nod letting them know I’d be right there.
Rafe, surprisingly, didn’t seem at all concerned I wasn’t going with them to get my tux fitted. But then that motherfucker knew everything, so he probably knew what I was up to, already. Which was annoying, to say the least.
I popped into the jewelry store with a smile on my face. Helmer Monat was one of the best jewelers in the city. We’d helped him out with a spot of trouble a few years back when a family heirloom went missing. It had been in his family since, well, for centuries. When we’d helped him recover it, he said he owed us a favor, so I’d called mine in.
“Mr. Mueller, I was very excited to create this ring for you.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I’m really excited to give it to her. I’m sort of doing this the backward way since we’re already married. This time I’m doing it the right way.”
“This is a special ring.”
“Well, this is special woman.”
He presented me with a jewelry box. When I opened it, encased in velvet was a ring in the shape of a butterfly. Maybe it was a little cheesy, but we were both kind of cheesy, and I hoped she would love it.
I left the jeweler’s and checked the to-do list. I tried to finish off two more items on the list. JJ would be happier, which meant she’d get off our case.
And I could have one last night with all the guys. This would be one hell of a bachelor party. I hoped. I mean, they should at least have planned for strippers.
Like you want strippers when you have the real thing at home.
Yeah, not really my thing. When the hell had that happened? I was a guy. I could pretty much always go for naked women.
But the moment I’d found Hailey again, it had been all Hailey all the time. I honestly couldn’t think about a moment without her.
You’ve got it bad.
Yes. Yes, I did.
I hopped in the car just as my phone chimed, just one beep, and then three seconds later another beep. Oh shit. Frantically, I called the penthouse. I tried to get a hold of Tyse, but instead it was Gemma who answered. “Blake Security.”
“Gemma, I just got a distress signal from Matthias.”
“Shit, where are you guys?”
“I sent them to get the tuxes, while I picked up something for Hailey, so I’m about ten blocks away at Helmer’s Jewelers.”
“Okay, we’ll meet you there.”
Her? Matthias would kill me. “No, send Tyse.”
“And I told you, we’re on our way.” She hung up without much preamble, and I honestly didn’t have time to argue. My team was in trouble. And I needed to get there fast.
Hailey
“What was that?”
Gemma’s lips were pressed into a thin line. “That was Oskar. They have trouble. We’ve got to go.”
The bottom fell out of my stomach. “I’m going too.”
Gemma looked like she wanted to tell me I couldn’t, but then she asked me, “Can you shoot?”
“Yes. It was part of the anti-kidnap training my father sent us on. I was sixteen or somewhere around that age, I think. It’s been a while, but I do know how to take a safety off.”
“Fine. Come here. Diana, JJ, Lucia, let’s go.”
I trailed her as the rest of the women throughout the penthouse followed the sound of her voice into the weapons room. Tyse and Dylan were quick on our heels.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Tyse’s voice was terse. And he looked none too pleased with Gemma as she opened up a drawer full of handguns. “What I’m doing is going to save my man. We got a distress call. Matthias and the others are pinned down at Han’s Tuxedo, the tailor. Oskar is on his way.”
I breathed deep. “Oskar wasn’t with them?”
She shook her head. “He had another errand. He’s only got one weapon. I don’t know how armed the other guys are.”
“Okay, give me a gun.”
Gemma smirked and handed me a small handgun. But when I checked the clip, made sure the safety worked, weighed it in my hand, then pointed it at the bull’s eye, she stepped back and gave me a little nod of appreciation. “Okay then, you were serious about having fired before.”
“Yeah. My father was really serious about safety. I’m not sure why, but whatever.”
JJ shrugged. “Well, as for me, I always have my piece on.” She opened her purse and pulled out a sparkly gun.
Lucia snorted. “You bedazzled your gun? What the hell?”
JJ grinned. “I gave it some pizzazz. Just because I’m carrying doesn’t mean I can’t be stylish.”
Diana just chuckled. Gemma rolled her eyes but laughed quietly. From the door, Tyse was shaking his head. “There is no way. You guys are going to have to go through me if you think you’re getting out of here.”
Gemma strapped guns to her body and a couple of knives. Then she turned to face Tyse with a smile. “Now Tyse, you really don’t want me to have to go through you. The others, they’ll play nice. But don’t forget, I’m also ORUS.”
His gaze narrowed then, and he crossed his arms. “And I was ORUS, so we can do this all day. But you’re not getting past me.”
“Are you sure about that?” She strapped more knives to her, and he frowned. She grinned. “And do I have to remind you who my fiancé is? You have heard the stories, right? I fought Matthias and lived to tell the tale.”
Tyse swallowed hard. I still didn’t know what the deal was with Matthias. The guy seemed perfectly nice to me. A little intense maybe, but was he some extra level of badass? I’d make it a point to ask Oskar later.
“Gemma, don’t do this. I don’t want to fight with you. I certainly don’t want to fight with Matthias later. But they’re going to fire me if I let you guys go.”
“Think of it like this, you can go down there and do what you can, but they’re going to need more than one set of hands, right? So, you might as well stay here and provide extra protection for the Lucia and the kids, and let me, Diana, JJ, and Hailey go.”
He shifted on his feet as he glanced around all of us carrying weapons. Gemma, obviously, was the most comfortable, Diana after her. JJ slammed her cross body on, like she was going on a shopping trip, but something about her gaze and the determination in her eyes told me she knew exactly what she was doing. And then there was me, with nowhere to put my gun. JJ gave me a smile, opened a bottom drawer, and pulled out a cross body. “Here you go. This will
hold your gun, your keys, your wallet too, and plenty of room for lipstick.”
I nodded my thanks and then slipped the bag on. I was officially a badass. Hardly, but close.
Tyse rolled his eyes. “Okay, but I’m coming with you guys.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what we’re facing. If it’s an attack on Blake Security, you and Dylan are the last lines of defense For Lucia and Izzy. Well technically, Lucia is the last line.”
Lucia grinned and hopped down from the counter. “Yup, I’m strapped with knives.” She opened the cardigan she was wearing, and sure enough, she had some kind of belt thing with knives. What the hell was she going to do with knives?
“If anyone comes for the baby, I’ll be in the panic room, and I’ve got them.”
Tyse shuddered. JJ grinned appreciatively at her best friend. “Yeah, Matthias has been training her. It turns out Lucia is kind of a badass with those knives.”
Lucia agreed. “Yup, but it’s better to have two body guards with guns. I’m not great with guns. But knives, I can do.”
Tyse groaned. “You know those are close combat.”
“Let me be clear, if anyone makes it through you and Dylan, it’s going to be close combat. No one’s touching my baby.”
He sighed. And the moment he did, we knew we were golden.
In a matter of minutes, we were down in the car and flying like a bat out of hell. JJ drove like an insane person. Like a drunken insane person wearing a blindfold. But when we arrived in the alley two blocks over from the tailor, she drove in and parked with a screech. “Everybody out.”
I inhaled deeply. Oskar had been saving me for weeks. It was time I help save him.
20
Oskar
I made my way around the back of the tuxedo shop. Most of the exterior was concrete, but there was one large bay window. A quick peek around a pillar told me someone had my whole crew tied with zip ties. Mother. Fucker.
