by Linde, K. A.
“I love it,” Reyna gushed. “When is the wedding? Next year?”
She turned from Brian to Laura and back. Brian opened his mouth and then closed it. It wasn’t often that he seemed flustered. And he was never out of words.
Laura’s cheeks heated. “Well, actually, we were just discussing moving it up.”
“Oh yeah? To when?”
“Christmas,” Laura said with a small giggle.
“Christmas!” Reyna cried. “I’m not crazy, right? That’s two weeks away?”
“When did this happen?” Drew asked with wide eyes. Apparently, even he wasn’t aware of it.
“We decided yesterday,” Brian said.
“That’s so soon!” Reyna said. “Oh my God, do you have everything planned? Do you need help with anything? I can help!”
“We don’t have anything planned,” Laura said. “It’s all happening so suddenly. I don’t even know who to ask to get the things we need for a wedding or if we can legally do that here or what.”
“I can figure that all out,” Reyna told her. “Don’t worry. We’ll make it a day to remember.”
“Thank you, Reyna,” Laura said, beaming.
“But why are you moving it up?” Drew asked in confusion.
Brian and Laura exchanged a look and her cheeks turned rosy again.
“Oh my God,” Reyna whispered. “Are you…?”
Laura bit her lip and nodded. “Found out yesterday!”
Reyna squealed, drawing the attention of half of the cafeteria with her excitement. Screw everything else in life. This was too incredible not to celebrate.
“A wedding and a baby,” Reyna said, clasping Laura’s hand.
“Congrats, bro!” Drew said. He slapped a sheepish Brian on the back. “Guess this is my cue to move out of the room.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Laura protested.
“Well, actually,” Brian said with a laugh.
“It’s cool. I think Gregory has extra room,” Drew told them.
“Well, I’m so excited. I can’t believe this. Good things do come out of horrible circumstances, huh?” Reyna said with a wink.
Laura laughed. “Can’t say I don’t agree.”
Reyna felt a rightness settle over her as she grilled Laura on all the details about the baby and the future wedding. Hanging out with her brothers and her future sister-in-law and just being totally normal reminded her of everything she had been missing since she left home to work for Visage. Brian and Drew were the reason she had gotten the job in the first place. She loved them so fiercely that she wanted to give them a better life. And now they were all having it.
Chapter 19
Jodie still hadn’t surfaced the next day or the day after that. Her hangover had to be long gone. Reyna didn’t know why she wouldn’t come out of her room. Or, rather, Meghan’s room.
Reyna banged on the door. “Jodie, open up! I know you’re in there.”
She was still banging on the door when it abruptly opened in her face. She tilted forward and had to catch the doorframe to keep from falling over. Jodie stood there looking like a hot mess in baggy gym clothes, her hair even more unruly than normal.
“What do you want, Reyna?” she asked.
“I came to check on you. It’s been days since the club. Why are you still in here?”
“I don’t want to be here at all.” She started to close the door to emphasize her point, but Reyna threw her hand out to stop her.
“What happened to make you feel like this about Elle?”
“Are you serious?” she asked. “I was the one urging you to break us out. I always wanted to get out. I mean, did you ever think about whether I had someone else out there?”
Reyna swallowed and considered the pain on her friend’s face. She had considered a lot about what Jodie must have gone through and how long she had endured it. But she hadn’t wondered about her life before Visage. And she should have.
“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry. I didn’t think that you wanted to talk. But if you have people out there that you want to see, I’d help you get them here,” Reyna told her calmly and confidently. “Elle went out of the way to get my brothers and soon-to-be sister-in-law here. I’m sure they’d do the same for you.”
Jodie shrugged and then gestured for Reyna to come inside. Reyna slipped the door closed behind her and took a seat on a chair as Jodie dropped onto the bed.
“So…who is it that you want to find?”
Jodie shrugged and glanced away.
“Come on. You started this. Who is it?”
“My cousin and best friend, June. She lived in the capital. I have to find her. I was living with her after the economic collapse. Visage had just taken over and her neighborhood was a test area for blood type testing before it went nationwide. When my blood type came back abnormal, June and I overheard them tell her parents that I was going to have to leave with them. That they had a special program for us. They made it sound like a great opportunity, but we could tell right away it wasn’t.” Jodie glanced off as she fought back tears. “June tried to get me out of there. She promised she’d keep me safe. We didn’t even make it across the county line before we were picked up. June was taken from me and I was taken to Visage. I’d been there ever since.”
Reyna’s hand moved to her mouth. “Oh my God, Jodie. How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
Reyna had no words. No words for the life that had been stolen from Jodie. It proved that Visage was the villain of this world. One that she was more determined than ever to take down.
“I think we can find June,” Reyna told her.
“No one is going to help me.”
Reyna walked over to the bed and sat down. She placed her hand on Jodie’s. “I’ll help you.”
“Really? And what do you want in return?” Jodie asked in the most jaded way possible.
“Nothing.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“Well, one thing,” Reyna said with a small smile.
“Oh, here we go.”
“I need help planning a wedding.”
Jodie’s eyes rounded. “Bitch, you’re getting married and you’re just now telling me? Damn, that vamp moves fast. When did he ask you?”
Reyna laughed and shook her head, fending her off. “Dear God, no. Not me. Though Beckham and I did get back together. But we’re not getting married. My brother is getting married on Christmas.”
“Like in two weeks?”
Reyna nodded. “Bun in the oven. And I promised I’d help. I thought some normal would do me good. Maybe it’ll do you good too?”
“All right. If you help me find June, then I’ll help your crazy ass brother get married in two weeks.”
Reyna held out her hand. “Deal?”
“Deal,” Jodie said, shaking her hand. “Now, tell me all about you and Beckham getting back together!”
* * *
—
A few days later, the girls had had wrangled Meghan into trying to help them get the supplies they needed and a facility for Brian and Laura’s wedding. She was still pissed with both Reyna and Jodie for going with Gabe that night, but she didn’t take it out on Laura. She just sent silent reprimands with her eyes.
“But the dress,” Reyna said.
“Seriously, the dress is the last thing on my mind,” Laura insisted. “If we can pull this all off by Christmas, I’ll be over the moon.”
“No, you need a freaking dress,” Jodie told her.
“You do,” Meghan agreed.
“Where am I going to find a wedding dress?” Laura asked. “I can’t go try stuff on anywhere.”
“Maybe you could!” Reyna said, jumping up and looking around the small office space they’d commandeered for planning purposes.
“What
do you mean?” Laura asked.
“Just think about it. We have connections. We could get her somewhere discreet to try on a dress!”
Meghan’s withering look was enough to say that it was a bad idea. “I don’t think so.”
“Don’t be a party pooper, Meghan,” Jodie teased.
“I don’t want to cause anyone trouble,” Laura said. She scooted back in her chair. “We can make do with what we already have.”
“If I could get you out and to a wedding dress shop without anyone the wiser, I would do it. But it’s a risk. Visage saw Laura when we got her out with Brian and Drew. Do you really want to risk her being on their radar?” Meghan asked.
“Seriously, don’t even worry about it.” Laura stood and pushed the notebook she had been writing in away. “I have a dress with me. It’s not like I would have been able to afford a fancy dress in the warehouses anyway. No one needs to go out of their way for this.”
Laura scurried out of the room and to the bathroom. They could hear her heaving into the toilet. She had the worst morning sickness already. Well, more like all day sickness. She was throwing up constantly, but Meghan said everything seemed normal.
“It’s late,” Meghan said. “I’m going to check on Laura again and then head out. We can brainstorm the dress again tomorrow.”
As soon as she left, Jodie tilted the front two legs of her chair off the ground and leaned backward. “I hate being so confined.”
“Run it off in the gym.”
“I hate running.”
“Well, you need to find something to let off steam.”
Jodie kicked her feet up on the table. “Maybe I just need to get laid.”
Reyna laughed. “Maybe you do.”
“Maybe I’ll see if Tye is interested.”
She jumped up from her chair and Reyna reached out and touched her arm. “Hey, you don’t have to do that just because you missed those ten years. It could be with someone you…you care about.”
“There’s only one person I care about and I was taken from her. Sex is a release, Reyna. Doesn’t have to mean anything. If Meghan didn’t have such a stick up her ass about this whole Elle thing, I’d see if she’d be down. I don’t discriminate.”
Reyna grinned. “I kind of love you.”
“You though,” Jodie said, tapping Reyna’s nose once, “are not my type.”
“Well, thank God.”
“No hard feelings.”
Jodie winked and then sauntered from the room. Reyna could do nothing but laugh. At least the wedding planning seemed to have lifted her spirits.
Reyna stretched her arms over her head, releasing the tension in her back and shoulders. Meghan reappeared from the bathroom looking pale.
“Reyna, have you thought any more about working in the lab with myself and Washington?” Meghan asked warily. “I know you got upset when he asked, but your blood could save lives. And we can always use an extra pair of hands.”
Reyna sighed and chewed on her lips. “I want to be useful, Meghan, but does it have to be in that way?”
“No. I suppose you could work in the cafeteria or clean or something. But it seems like a waste.”
“You understand why I have an issue with donating my blood and seeing it used in any way?”
“Yes, but this could be for the greater good. You know what…don’t make a decision today, just think about it.”
Reyna glanced away and then back. She had an idea. “Look, I can’t guarantee that I’ll help. The thought makes me sick. And I’m not sure I’m ready yet. But I’ll think about it if you help Jodie.”
Meghan groaned. “I’ve been trying to help Jodie. She’s even less receptive than you are.”
“Well, she was gone a lot longer than I was and she was experimented on. Have you looked into if she has any family left?”
“We did when she first got here, but we couldn’t find anyone,” Meghan admitted. “I would love to bring more people into Elle if it helps Jodie. Loved ones always help.”
“She’s a cynic after what she went through. If you could help her find her family, I think it would go a long way.”
Meghan considered and then nodded. “All right. I’ll look into it, and you think about the medical wing.”
As if she had a choice about where she could be useful.
“I’ll think about it.”
Meghan tugged her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. You and Jodie both.”
“Me too,” Reyna whispered, finally feeling as if she was starting to have a place here. Maybe not the one she had wanted…but finally something.
Chapter 20
Reyna grabbed her planning materials and returned to her room. She hadn’t had dinner, just the snacks that the girls had smuggled into their planning session. But the thought of trekking back to the cafeteria made her head hurt.
And when she entered her room, she was glad that she hadn’t delayed.
“Becks,” she whispered.
He was silhouetted against the light from her closet. He was actually dressed down for once, in dark jeans and a button-down with a jacket. It seemed he hadn’t come straight from the office this time. Like he’d actually planned to be here all along.
“Little One,” he said, his voice deep and seductive.
The sound went straight to her core, igniting her body. She suddenly forgot all about the wedding planning and the fact that she hadn’t eaten.
“You’re here.”
“Yes. I worked it out so that I would have the night off.”
Reyna’s eyebrows rose as she shut the door behind her. “You got a night off?”
“It didn’t go over very well,” he said carefully. “I was supposed to be at an event with Penny.”
Reyna frowned. She knew it was a part of his cover, but she didn’t have to like it.
“And you chose to come here instead?”
He nodded. “I chose to see you. I would rather see you.”
“She didn’t like that?”
“You’ll probably see it on the news in the morning,” he said blandly.
Reyna’s eyebrows lifted. “That bad?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “It doesn’t matter.”
“But your cover…”
“Don’t worry about my cover.” He bridged the distance between them. “I’ve been investigated enough since your disappearance. My cover is solid.”
Beckham’s hand ran up her arm, over her shoulder, and came to rest on her neck. Her heart beat a tattoo where his thumb rested. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She breathed him in.
“Why don’t you bundle up and I’ll tell you all about it?”
“Bundle up?” she asked breathily. Her mind was on his hand on her neck and his lips so near hers…and the bed and the warmth of the room.
“I’m taking you out.”
Her eyes snapped up to his. They were dancing in the faint light. “What do you mean?”
He grinned a dark, mischievous smile. Then he planted an achingly soft but commanding kiss on her lips. “I’m breaking you out for the night. That is,” he said, offering her his hand, “if you’ll have me.”
With her heart in her throat, she placed her hand in his. “I’d love that.”
He brought her hand up to his lips and stared down at her the whole time. “Then you are going to need more clothes.”
Beckham retrieved a bag from the closet and passed it to her. After a few minutes, she was bedecked in winter clothes, including a super-warm and sleek peacoat. She wrapped a dark scarf around her neck and slipped a pair of gloves into her pockets.
Beckham held his hand back out to her. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she said, a thrill running through her as she put her hand in his. “Though I feel a bit o
verdressed.”
“You and your obsession with clothes,” he muttered under his breath.
Reyna laughed and followed him out of the room. Beckham clicked a new lock into place. They’d added security to her room since her breakout. That made her feel a little better that not just anyone could get in, but not so great that she couldn’t get out if she wanted to.
“They’re going to install a hand scanner after your little breakout,” he told her with a short laugh.
“Great,” she grumbled. Talk about overkill.
She followed Beckham down the hall and to the elevator. She paced the floor as they zipped up the five floors to the steel door. Beckham shot her an amused look. He reached for her and drew her closer again.
“You are full of unrelenting energy,” he breathed into her hair.
“I’m here with you and we’re leaving and going out together. I don’t know how you can expect me to be calm.”
“Calm is not your natural state of being.”
“Where are we going anyway?”
Beckham laced their fingers together and didn’t answer. Of course he didn’t answer. She knew asking was futile. Beckham wasn’t one for words. And when he wanted to keep a secret, well, he’d already proven he was plenty adept at it.
When they exited the elevator, Beckham went through all the motions to get them through the steel door, and then they were out! And she suddenly realized why he had forced her into as many layers as possible. It was fucking cold.
She scrambled into her gloves and buried her face into her scarf. Temperature shifts were hardly part of her repertoire after having been confined to a room for months on end. Her body had no idea what to do with the drastic change in temperature.
“It’s not far,” he told her, pulling her in close as they crossed a dark empty parking lot.
They went up a few flights of stairs, down another weird corridor, and then up another elevator before Beckham opened the door to the rooftop.
Her smile was magnetic. “I feel like we’ve been here before.”
