Tori tapped her pen on the table. “From what we know about the man, he was probably not ready for all this to happen. That tells me that he wasn’t planning on murdering Tawny. This was done in a hurry. When he killed her, he panicked and needed a place to dump her body. Maybe he pulled her into the woods, planning on hiding her there and saw the opportunity. It was late, dark, and the stars were out. The lay of the land wouldn’t be easy to navigate, so he stuck to the path and that’s where it led.”
Julian grinned. “Well shit, it’s like you got into my head and decided to play tracker. That’s exactly what I think happened.”
Tori crossed her arms. “I learned from the best, babe.”
“So, we wait until he goes for another woman?” Justin stated. “Is that all we can really do?”
Vivian’s body tensed at his words. There was nothing more terrifying to her than the prospect that she was going to be living another nightmare. It made her gut twist.
Fear was just waiting for her once more.
Justin could tell what she was thinking. Even though he had only been with her a little while, he could read her. “I’m with you, and I won’t be leaving your side,” he promised.
“Plus,” Tori stated. “you have us.”
Vivian smiled at her. “I know, and that’s making it far more tolerable.”
When Justin leaned over and kissed her in front of everyone, Christina giggled, Tori tried not to laugh, and Julian was proud of his younger brother.
When he pulled away, Vivian was mortified.
Tori reassured her. “The boss man is pretty laid back about office policy. Making out is allowed, unless a client is here.”
Julian took that moment to prove her statement correct and help Vivian relax around them. If she married his brother, then she was part of their family. In the Littlemoon clan, family mattered more than anything else. They stuck like glue and became a way to strengthen the backbone of their tribe.
“I better get back to work,” she stated, as she stood from her seat.
Immediately, Justin was standing too and helping her back into her coat. As far as he was concerned, he never wanted to kiss another woman in his life, but Vivian.
God, he hoped that he could pull tonight off.
“I’ll walk you out,” he stated. There was a little bit of fear brewing over Tom Lester. Justin was praying that her trip back to the office would help soothe her partner’s ruffled feathers. Justin didn't want her under any extra pressure.
Not because of them.
When the two were gone, Kane grinned. “He’s got it really bad. I almost wanted to bust his ass, just because of the look on his face when he stares at her.”
Didn't they know it?
Julian told them his brother’s plans to propose.
“It looks like marriage is going around,” Tori stated, winking at Christina.
The woman actually looked confused.
Tori was entertained that the little brunette was oblivious to what was on the horizon between herself and Kane. All of them could see it coming. Just watching the man, it was clear as day.
Yeah, the next couple of months were going to be fun.
Justin watched her leave in her car. He was about to head out and go pick up the ring, when it occurred to him that he had no freaking clue.
Rushing back in, he found his brother and Tori standing by the coffee maker and whispering lovingly to each other.
“I need your help,” he blurted.
Both of them turned quickly at the panic in his voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to buy a ring, and I don’t know what size she is. Plus, this whole thing is new for me.” Justin stared at his brother desperately. “You picked out Tori’s rings, how did you do it?”
She looked down at her wedding set. It was sparkly and one of her favorite possessions in her life. Julian had nailed it when he selected it. It was square cut and simple. Just like her.
“I watched her and took subtle clues. Tori wouldn’t have wanted some monstrosity. She would wear something that was effective and to the point, and since they don’t make a camouflage diamond, I had to go with the basic.”
She stared at him and was entertained by the notion. “Really? Are you saying that I’m boring?”
He grinned. “No, but you’re a soldier to the core. You wouldn’t want anything the enemy could spot a mile away.”
She pondered it. “Good save on that one.”
“Yeah, I know,” he replied, as he dropped his arm around his wife’s waist. When in doubt, fall back on the military.
Justin got it. “Okay, so I need to pick out something that would suit Vivian.” Then, he stared at them. “It’s been two days. A little help would be welcomed and greatly appreciated.”
Tori volunteered, “She isn’t going to want something that looks like an engagement ring, so you need to get something that will do the job, but not scream ‘I’m married’ either. It will bring up a lot of questions that she can’t answer at work.”
“I didn't think about that.”
Julian had a solution. “Take Tori with you. That way if you screw it up, you can pass the blame onto her.”
He laughed, but Tori didn't. She simply punched him in the side.
“Honey, that was a hard one,” he muttered, rubbing his ribs.
“Yeah, they get progressively worse,” she teased.
“Will you come with me, Tor?” Justin asked, hopefully. “Then you can try them on, because your hands are about the same size.”
“Sure, if the boss can live without me for a little while. My schedule is pretty clear.” Tori may be a soldier to the core, but she was a romantic at heart and loved seeing Justin so giddy with love.
Julian didn't even have to think about it. “I can’t live without you, but I can spare you for a little while. Go, honey, and help my brother before he messes this up.”
Before he knew what was happening, his brother was hugging him. In his ear, he whispered, “I love you, Jules.”
He patted him on the back. “I know, and I love you too, Justin. Good luck,” he stated, as the man pulled away.
“Thanks, Jules,” he answered, dropping his arm over Tori’s shoulder and leading her away. When he glanced back and winked, it had the desired effect.
“Justin!” he stated.
The man laughed all the way out to the main waiting area.
“You just love riling him up, don’t you?” Tori asked.
He grinned. “Yeah, I really do. It’s so damn easy.”
Julian took a seat at the table and began making his list. There was no way in hell that his brother was doing this alone. He may think that he was going to show up at the city hall and get married without his twin at his side, but that just wasn’t happening.
When he married Tori, Justin was his best man. So, he was going to reciprocate. If his brother wanted a fast wedding, so be it, but he was going to be there and so was Tori. There was no way in hell that he was missing his brother’s moment.
Scribbling down things, that he knew they would need to pull it off, he got to work. When his wife was planning their wedding, he watched Elizabeth and Tori make detailed lists. How hard could it be?
They’d need flowers for the bride and boutonnieres for the men. They also would need to have a little surprise for their wedding night. Maybe there should be some champagne and candles in a basket. If his brother was taking her to the Rez, he knew they’d be staying at Justin’s place.
That meant calling in backup and doing it up big time.
Back home, they were both friends with the Chief of Police, Rick Longtree. Tori had saved his life, and the man owed him a favor. If possible, he was going to have the man’s wife go and prep Justin’s place for a romantic wedding night. If Vivian said no, then they would be able to take it apart and his brother would be none the wiser.
Then, there was the big part- a wedding dress. That was something every bride needed, and he w
as clueless. So, he pulled out his phone and texted his wife. He explained what he was planning and waited for her reply.
When it came, he smiled.
‘You can count me in for this one.
I have this mission under control.’
Now that he had delegated everything, he got to work on the flowers, and then the case. It looked like tonight they were going to all be taking a little road trip to the see a wedding, and then a very irate Native woman.
Clarissa was going to be pissed, and Tori and he were going to have to run interference. It’s what brothers did and if that didn't work, that left only one option.
A hasty retreat…
The ride there in the car was a chatty one. Obviously, Justin was incredibly excited and nervous. She had known him a short while, but she could tell that the man was wound tight and ready to break apart. At the chime on her phone, she read the message and replied to her husband.
It was going to be fun as they worked this side covert mission. Justin and Vivian were going to be so surprised, and this made her love her husband even more. She knew he was a romantic, but this just proved that he also was a family man.
Julian had always taken care of his brother, and that didn't appear to be stopping any time soon.
“You’re going to get the girl,” she stated, reassuringly.
He glanced over at her. Out of all the people in the world, only Tori and his brother ever saw through the exterior. He knew his brother did because they were twins, but Tori and his relationship was something so completely different.
What they had was special.
They had seen the same horrors and survived as they stood at the gates of hell. That gave them a bond that no one else would ever fathom. It was the same with his sister Claire. Together, the three just knew and understood what was living inside of them.
“I hope so,” he answered. “I never wanted anything more in my life.”
She smiled, recalling how she felt before she even considered the possibility of a happy life outside of being a shell of a human being.
“What if she says no?” he asked, pulling into the parking lot of the jewelers. When Tori didn't answer him, he turned off the truck and faced her. “I’m going to die more inside if she does.”
“She won’t,” Tori replied. “I’ve seen the look on her face when she stares at you. You can tell that she’s madly in love too.”
“It’s just that it’s been only a couple of days.”
Tori placed her hand on his arm. “Wait, are you saying you have doubts about how you feel? If you do, then don’t do this.”
He glanced up fast. “No, I know what I feel. It pushes back this overwhelming emptiness and makes me feel alive. I haven’t felt this happy in so damn long.”
She smiled gently. “Then don’t worry about the time frame. Worry about what your heart and gut are telling you.”
“They say ‘go buy a ring’, and I want to listen. For the first time in my life, I want something for me. I served, I sacrificed, and now I want my happily ever after, Tor. I want to believe that I’ve earned it.”
She understood what he was saying. Before she married Julian, she never believed that she was worthy of this kind of love and redemption. Tori didn't think that she could be this happy. Pushing open the truck door, she stared into his face. “You’ve earned it, Marine. Now, let’s go pick out a ring.”
He wordlessly followed her, knowing that if he was making a mistake, she would have told him and so would Julian. He trusted his family. They were his lifeline back to a civilian life that he didn't always understand.
As they entered the store, everyone glanced up. Immediately, a sales person was in front of them. “Can I help you today?”
Justin moved towards the case with all the engagement rings in it. “I need to find a ring to propose to my girl.”
The woman smiled and stared at Tori. “Oh, congratulations!”
She shook her head. “I’m already married. My brother-in-law needed a little help, and I came along.”
“Oh, then let’s begin, shall we?” the perky older woman asked. She began pulling out lots of different rings. “What do you think she’d like?”
Tori spoke for him. “She wouldn’t want the customary ring. Do you have anything that could be a wedding set but not look like one?”
She thought about it. “We have some vintage rings that don’t look like engagement rings, but are you sure you don’t want a more traditional choice for her?”
Justin shook his head. If it was up to him, he’d tattoo her name on his forehead. Tori was right, they needed to be low key on this.
Staring into the case, he looked down at the different shapes and colors. “Tor, how about this one?” he said, pointing at it.
“Marine, I do believe that this mission is accomplished,” she replied. Tori was impressed that Justin had picked the perfect one, right out of the gate.
He didn't need her help after all. Gently, she reassuringly rubbed her hand up and down the small of his back. “Good job, Justin.”
“Can I see that one?” he asked. It was hard to wait patiently as the woman removed it from the case. There was a center diamond with flower petals surrounding it. On each petal were tiny purple amethysts covering them.
“It’s a cocktail ring,” the woman began. “I don’t know if it’s suitable for a wedding.”
Tori knew it was perfect and so did Justin.
“Try it on, Tor,” Justin said, wanting to see it on a hand. If it looked pretty on Tori, it would be amazing on Vivian.
As she slipped it on, she grinned. “You should ask your brother.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone to snap a picture. He sent it to Julian and waited for his reply. When he got it, he grinned. “I’ll take it, but I also want two more wedding bands. One simple one for me, and one like Tori’s,” he stated, pointing at his sister-in-law. He had noticed that on days where she didn't wear her engagement ring, she just wore the band.
“We have it with diamond and amethysts if you like,” she stated.
“Yeah, that would be perfect.”
She pulled out the white gold band, and he fell in love with it. There was no doubt that it would look beautiful on her finger.
“I’ll take them all.” He handed the woman his credit card. When she handed him the slip to sign, his heart was pounding fast. Justin was now one step closer to his goal.
As the woman placed the rings in little black velvet boxes, he couldn’t help but smile like an idiot.
Outside in the parking lot, he helped Tori up into the truck, and when he looked over at her, he was overwhelmed with emotion. “I’m glad my brother married you. It gave me the chance to see what happiness is, and it has given me hope.”
“The journey is just beginning, Justin. You’re going to have an amazing life,” she promised.
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I can’t wait.”
She grinned. “Drop me at work. I have to help your brother for a while.”
“Want me to stay?”
She shook her head, implementing ‘operation wedding day’. “No, why don’t you head back to your place, pack your overnight bag and get ready? Today’s your day. We have work under control.”
“Thank you for everything, Tori,” he said, grinning.
“It’s my pleasure.” She couldn’t wait to see his face later.
It was going to be priceless.
* * *
He was excited.
Tonight was the night.
As he stood in the trees, outside her house, he was careful to not be seen by any of the neighbors. Tonight, he was going to add her to his collection.
He already knew what her plans would be. She was going to get a shower, get dressed, and head out for the evening.
He’d heard her talking about it.
Now, he knew how he would take her.
The minute he saw her, he just knew that she was the one. Later, when she was done on her
night out, he was going to take her. No one would suspect him, as he stole away his raven haired vixen.
Tonight, she was going to be in a cage, where he could enjoy her for a very long time.
In fact, she would be his forever.
* * *
Late Afternoon
Vivian stood in her closet, unsure what to wear for the evening. When Justin called earlier, he told her to dress up but wouldn’t tell her anything more.
As she stared at all the different dresses, she wondered if any of them would be appropriate for what he had planned. It was all hush hush. God, she wished that he would give her a clue.
Part of her was nervous and excited. Never in her life did she believe that she would be this happy. When she saw him, something inside her fell into place, and she began to live.
He made her smile and feel light.
She couldn’t wait until he arrived. Pulling a black dress out of her closet, she held it in front of her body.
It would definitely work.
It screamed sexy and seductive, and that’s how she wanted to spend her evening. Tonight, she wanted to have his full attention. When he looked at her, Vivian wanted him to be madly in love with her.
She needed him to feel what she was experiencing.
Slipping into it, she picked a pair of low heels. Since they were about the same height, she didn't want to tower over him. These shoes would put them lip to lip, and that worked with what she had planned for the evening.
Vivian spritzed on some perfume and slipped into the dress. Gazing at herself in the mirror, she shook out her hair and let it cascade to her shoulders. The black dress and black hair framing her face only made her eyes stand out even more.
All that she needed was some lipstick, and she was done.
Blood Red Rage (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 1) Page 25
