by James Tate
"Babe, you good?" Kody demanded, appearing beside me as he ejected the magazine of his gun and slammed a fresh one in. How had he already used an entire fucking magazine? Boy was a machine.
"Yep," I replied. "Go. I'm fine."
He jerked a nod, then rose to his knees and squeezed off at least five shots before reaching his feet. I had no doubt they’d all hit their intended targets too. Steele really had trained him well.
Gripping the long silk skirt of my gown, I quickly hitched it up and retrieved my own gun. No way in hell was I going down without a fight. No. Fucking. Way.
Still using the celebrant as a shield, I rose up enough to get a look at what was going on. Not that it helped, much. There was almost a wall of suited guys shielding me, so I couldn't see much of anything. That didn't stop a sneaky fuck from creeping up on me from the opposite direction, though. Only the flash of his movement in the corner of my eye tipped me off, and I reacted quickly, doing exactly as Steele had trained me.
Shoot first. Ask questions never.
The man dropped to the floor, my shot finding its mark as my heart raced.
Fuck. Fuck. We hadn't expected an attack like this, but luckily we'd planned for all circumstances.
"Hellcat!" Steele roared from somewhere past the line of suits protecting me. "Plan C, gorgeous!"
"Got it!" I shouted back, already having guessed that's what we'd do.
"Count of three, babe!" Kody shouted from somewhere else. Then, "Three!"
I surged out of my protected spot and dove through the gap between two of the suited soldiers, tucking and rolling in a snowball of lilac wedding gown. As I found my feet—totally blinded by dress and pink hair—I leaped straight into Kody's arms. Together we bolted down the short aisle and barreled straight into the waiting SUV at the front door.
"Go!" Kody shouted at Sampson behind the wheel, but he didn't need to be told twice. He was already thumping back down the short stairs, with the heavy-duty, off-road tires of our SUV handling it like a walk in the park. Kody yanked the door closed as we peeled into the street and left the shootout in our dust.
"Are you okay?" he asked, turning to me in concern as he tucked his gun away and grabbed the back of my neck. "Are you hurt? Fucking hell, I never would have expected them to blow the fucking church up; that was nuts!"
"I'm fine," I assured him, "not even a scratch. That was a hell of a lot more than four assassins, though, Kody. And they were working together?"
He grimaced but nodded. "They must have recruited help. We'll know more when we get to Club 22." His thumb stroked across my cheek. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Positive," I promised him. "Even though that wasn't what we’d expected, Plan C worked flawlessly. Right?"
"How many back-up plans were there?" Sampson asked from the driver's seat, looking at us in the mirror.
Kody just shot him a smirk. "Enough."
Sampson inclined his head. "Fair enough. Club 22, yeah?"
"Yep," Kody replied, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him. "Hades thought it'd be entertaining to throw a reception, banking on us all coming out of the wedding alive, I guess."
Sampson grunted. "Safe bet. I spotted plenty of armed Timberwolves fighting on our side there."
Kody gave a short laugh. "Yeah, we over-gunned this one. Better safe than sorry." His arm was tight around my waist, but I was still nervously sweating that I didn't have a seat belt on.
Before I could free myself from his grip to reach for it, Kody snagged my belt with his other hand and clicked it securely over me. My held breath rushed out in instant relief, and he kissed my forehead.
"I've got you, babe," he murmured. "You're safe with me. Always."
I didn't doubt that statement for even a second. But what about Archer and Steele?
33
The club was quiet when we arrived, most of the "guests" still back at the ruined chapel with my attackers. Not to mention the fact that it was only midday, and I doubted Club 22 was much of a day-drinking venue.
I hated running away from that fight, hated it, but it was a topic that had been thoroughly debated over the past few weeks. Even I couldn't deny the logic in getting me out of there as fast as possible. Not only was I the number one target, I was also exposed without Kevlar and the least experienced soldier. Yeah, I hated running from that fight, but I got it.
One of the gorgeous dancers greeted us as we entered the club and told me she had a change of clothes ready for me in the backstage area. I hesitated, wanting to keep my lilac wedding gown on, but a quick glance down my front made me grimace. At some point, maybe while I was using a dead celebrant as a shield, I'd soaked up a decent amount of someone else's blood. Not the best look.
Kody tailed me through to the backstage area where a couple of dancers were getting done up for their sets on stage, but the pretty brunette—Venus—led me to a private dressing room where a dress bag was hung up on the rail and a brand new shoebox sat below it.
"The boss sorted out a backup outfit, in case your wedding dress didn't survive the day," Venus told me with a warm smile. "It should fit, but if it doesn't, just give me a yell. I can work wonders with a handful of safety pins."
I thanked her, and she ducked out of the room, closing the door softly behind herself. Kody stayed, his eyes intense on me as I reached for my zipper.
"You just gonna stare at me while I get changed?" I teased with a grin.
His eyes darkened, and he prowled closer to me. "Changed? Nah. I was hoping more for just undressing." He shot me a wink and smoothed his palms down my neck, then pushed my gown from my shoulders. It pooled around my ankles in a flutter of blood-soaked fabric, leaving me in nothing but a garter belt, empty gun holder, suspenders, and stockings. My panties were long gone, and the dress hadn't been suitable for a bra.
Kody sucked in a sharp breath, his gaze pleading as he cupped my breasts in his hands. "Babe, you blow my fucking mind," he whispered. His lips found mine when I tilted my head back. He kissed me tenderly, tracing the lines of my mouth like he was committing my kiss to memory.
I gasped as he gripped my waist and boosted me onto the low vanity behind me.
"Kody," I protested in a low chuckle as he pushed my legs apart and stepped closer to kiss me again. "I get the feeling we probably shouldn't fuck in one of Hades's dressing rooms. It feels a little too close to disrespectful after all the help we just got."
He groaned, kissing my neck, then sighed. "I guess you make a good point. Fuck, I want you, though. Seeing you walk down that aisle in your dress was like I was trapped in the most incredible dream." He grabbed my earlobe in his teeth and sucked on it, making me squirm.
"Kodiak Jones," I scolded with a laugh, "just help me get dressed. I need to get out there and make sure the boys made it back in one piece."
He sighed heavily, but backed off a step, catching my eyes. Then he gave me a knowing smirk and threaded his fingers into the tangle of my hair, tipping my head to the side so he could kiss the fresh tattoo below my ear. I shuddered at the slight ache of my fresh ink, but it was a good kind of shudder.
"I saw this when you were halfway through those fucking cardboard wedding vows to Arch," Kody murmured next to my ear, his lips brushing soft kisses over the little penguin design I'd had inked into my skin. "I almost shoved that fuck out of the way so I could kiss you right then. I fucking love you, MK."
I grinned, deliriously happy with his reaction to my tattoo for him. "I love you too, my penguin," I whispered back, then let him kiss me until I was lightheaded and aching for him.
"I better let you get dressed." He brushed his thumb over my lower lip like he badly wanted to do that with his dick. "I'll call Arch and make sure he and Steele are alive."
I winced at that flippant comment. It was still too fresh after Steele had nearly died from a shot to the chest. "Please do," I muttered. "I'll be quick."
Kody left the dressing room, only opening the door far enough to slip out,
then closing it firmly. I knew he would be right on the other side of the door while he made his calls. He wouldn't leave me alone right now; we were all too keyed up and paranoid to do dumb shit like that.
I hurried to unzip the dress bag left for me and found a gorgeous, floor-length ivory gown. It was almost entirely made up of intricate glass beads and soft fringing, with a silk slip underneath it all. Very on-theme for the Gatsby-era club and utterly stunning.
Grinning, I quickly stepped into it and pulled the zipper up at the back. It fit like a glove, and the shoes provided—champagne-glitter Jimmy Choo's—were exactly my size. There wasn't much I could do about my hair and makeup, so I just finger-combed the tangled pink curls and re-pinned a couple of the pins holding my braid secure.
With a shrug at my reflection, I decided I was done. Anxious nerves were already knotting my stomach, anyway. I needed to get out there and find out if my boys were okay. I needed to know everyone had made it out of that chapel safely.
I pulled the door open and found Kody leaning against the wall directly opposite, his phone to his ear and his eyes meeting mine. My brows shot up in question, and his lips curved in a half smile.
"Alright, no worries, bro," he said into the phone. "Get cleaned up, but take your time. I'm more than happy to entertain our bride alone for a while." He snickered a laugh at whatever the response was to that, then ended the call.
I let out a long breath in relief at the relaxed expression on his face. "Everything's okay?"
He nodded. "Everyone's alive that should be alive."
"Thank fuck." I closed the gap between us and threw my arms around his neck. "Fucking hell, I don't think I could handle it if one of you got shot again. We should make Kevlar part of your everyday wardrobe or something."
Kody laughed, but his arms stiffened slightly.
A cold wash of dread rolled through me. "Kodiak?" I prompted, pulling away far enough to glare at him. "No one was shot, were they?"
He winced.
"Everyone's alive," he evaded, and my panic ratcheted up even higher.
"Kody! I snapped. "Who got shot? Was it Steele? Did Steele get shot again? Oh my god, I'm gonna—"
"Steele's fine," Kody cut me off with a grin. "It was Arch." He actually started laughing. How the hell this situation was funny, I had no clue.
"Kodiak Jones, explain that in more detail, or I'm castrating you with my knife."
He cringed and cupped his junk. "I don't believe you. You enjoy my dick too much to mutilate it. But seriously, he's fine. That was him on the phone being all surly and shit about it."
I bit my lip, waves on waves of concern crashing over me. But if he was well enough to be talking to Kody on the phone...
"I promise, babe." Kody brought his hands to my face and kissed my lips gently. "Arch is fine. It was just a flesh wound on his arm. He's just pissed because it messed up one of his favorite tatts."
I rolled my eyes. "Really?" My tone was drier than a nun's nasty. "He said that?"
Kody snickered. "Not in words, but I know that's what he meant. So precious. Anyway, he and Steele are swinging past home to get patched up by James before they come here. Hades isn't super appreciative of people showing up with bleeding bullet wounds. That sort of thing attracts all the wrong attention for a legitimate business."
The way he stressed legitimate made me pretty confident the clubs were just the tip of Hades's empire. Not that it was any of my business. Regardless of the deals and connections between my boys and the criminals of Shadow Grove, none of us were interested in running our own crime syndicate.
"You're sure he's okay?" I pressed, still worried as hell about the fact that Archer had gotten shot. These guys were going to kill me with sheer stress before my assassins could get me.
Kody nodded. "Do you want to call him back and check?" He held his phone out to me, but I shook my head.
"No, it's fine. If you say he's okay, then he's okay." I still bit at my lip, though. "Okay, maybe I'll just text him?" I grabbed the phone from Kody's hand as he gave a chuckle.
I jabbed him playfully with my elbow and spun around to lean my back against his chest as I typed out my message to Archer.
Kodiak Jones: Sunshine! You got SHOT? WTF?!
I didn't think I needed to elaborate on the fact that it was me messaging him. The idea of Kody ever calling Archer Sunshine was enough to make me laugh.
There was a pause before the message was marked as read. Kody hugged me against his body, his arms around my waist and his lips finding the penguin tattoo behind my ear again.
Archer D'Ath: Blame Steele. Dickhead.
I frowned in confusion at the message, but before I could reply, another came through.
Archer D'Ath: I'm fine, Princess. Just a graze, I promise.
He ended the message with a heart emoji, and the tension seeped out of my bones. He was okay. He wasn't dying. I couldn't handle another life-or-death race to an emergency room.
Kodiak Jones: Good. Just... get here. I need to see you both alive with my own eyes.
Archer D'Ath: Yes ma'am.
He followed that one with a winking face, and I grinned. Yeah, he was fine.
Before I handed the phone back to Kody, it buzzed again.
Archer D'Ath: I love you, Kate
Oh fuck. That was a whole different thing to see in writing.
I only hesitated a second, glancing up at Kody, before I wrote my reply knowing full well he could see the screen.
Kodiak Jones: I love you too
I added a heart emoji, then quickly spun around to hand Kody his phone back with my cheeks warm. For whatever reason, I was a hundred times more awkward about saying the L-word in front of the other guys than having sex in front of them. Truly a testament to how broken I was.
Kody wasn't judging me, though. He just took his phone and tucked it back in his pocket, then cupped my cheek in his palm.
"I also love you, babe," he whispered before kissing me softly. "Let's go get some champagne. It's a party, after all."
"Is it weird to be partying at midday when a whole freaking chapel just got blown up and countless people killed this morning?" I pondered my thoughts aloud as we linked our fingers together and made our way back out to the main bar area. It had filled up more since we'd arrived, and I spotted a whole bunch of barely concealed weapons on the patrons who were drinking and laughing already.
Kody shot me a grin. "Nah. This is mostly a reward for Hades’s guys who helped us out this morning. Plus, they've opened to VIP guests as well so it'll be a proper party and not just a sausage fest. Any excuse for a good party when your business relies on liquor sales, babe."
That seemed like good enough reasoning, and certainly everyone seemed to be having a good time already. A pretty waitress in a sequined flapper dress approached and invited us to follow her to a reserved table, where she had set up several champagne flutes and an ice bucket holding a still-sealed bottle of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque rosé.
Kody thanked her but waved her off when she offered to open and pour the Champagne for us. Apparently, I wasn't the only one still feeling all kinds of paranoid, because he carefully checked each of the flutes to ensure they were, in fact, empty. When he was satisfied, he popped the cork from the Champagne and poured for both of us.
"You think someone would try to drug us here?" I asked quietly as I accepted my drink from him.
He just shrugged. "I think there's no harm in being cautious. It wouldn't be the first time, babe."
I wrinkled my nose, remembering all too clearly how I'd almost died of a fentanyl overdose not that long ago. "Fair call."
Taking a sip of my drink, I caught sight of a familiar face across the room. He spotted us a moment later and headed over to our booth with a look of determination.
"Zed." Kody greeted the sharply-suited guy with a nod. "Everything pan out as planned?"
Zed sat down with a sigh and accepted the glass of Champagne Kody poured for him. "As much as it ev
er can, yes. Twenty-three assailants was definitely on the upper end of all the scenarios we'd run, but nothing we couldn't handle."
"Thank you for your help on this," I told him seriously. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it."
Zed stared back at me a moment, then jerked a nod. "I can imagine. It was a solid plan; I'd do the same if I were in Archer's shoes. If anyone put a hit out on the woman I love..." He trailed off with a shake of his head, but Kody snorted a laugh. Zed shot him a sharp glare before anything else was said, but I filed that away to ask Kody later.
"You invited the Reapers?" Kody asked, changing the subject and nodding toward the bar. I couldn't see who he was talking about but sincerely hoped it wasn't Zane. Our last interaction had left me feeling all kinds of slimy, and I was starting to question just how much he'd truly cared for my mom.
Zed took a gulp of his drink and shrugged. "Reapers are good for business. But only Cass was extended an invitation to this party. No one wants a D'Ath family reunion here today, thanks."
I perked up at the information that Cass was here. I liked that grumpy bastard.
"Ah shit, trouble's here," Zed groaned. A moment later, a beautiful girl with silky copper hair came bouncing over to us with a wide, somewhat innocent smile plastered across her face. She was dressed casually in jeans and a tank top, so she looked out of place with all the suits and glittering dresses of the club patrons.
"Kody!" she squealed, basically leaping into my man's arms as he stood up to greet her. "Oh my god, it's been ages! I’ve missed you! What happened this morning? No one will tell me anything, again." She shot a pointed glare at Zed, who just sipped his drink. "But I heard you and Arch and Steele were going to be here with—" She broke off with a gasp, releasing Kody and locking eyes with me. "You! Oh wow, you're Madison Kate Danvers! Holy shit. Oh my god, didn't you and Arch just get married? I can't believe he didn't invite me, but whatever, I'm so excited to meet you!" She all but shoved Kody aside so she could sit in his place and hug me.
I stiffened up in her embrace, and she quickly released me with a blush rising in her cheeks.
