by Rebel Adams
Trevor groaned and scrubbed his face. “I’m marrying Shanice tomorrow, whether you like it or not. Philip is a shifty bastard. He may get me to transfer that money and put a bullet in my head before you and your entourage get a chance to storm the room.”
“You should have more faith in me, Trevor. Have I ever been bested by anyone other than you?”
Trevor knew Hemphill’s record. He was good at catching the bad guys, which is why Trevor put his trust in the guy in the first place.
“Isn’t there a first time for everything?” Trevor asked.
“Maybe a better question right now, is why are you drinking on what should be the happiest day of your life? From every indication, this is the girl who’s stuck by you like Tammy Wynette. What gives?”
Either Hemphill was asking the right questions, or Trevor was ripe for spilling his guts. “Shanice has a nursing degree and a promising career ahead of her. What have I got? A felony charge and nothing substantive to offer her in the way of a secure future.”
“Apparently, you didn’t read the fine print, my friend. If we get enough to convict Philip, not only will we protect you and yours from any retaliation on his part, the federal government is prepared to offer you a job in our cybercrimes division once he’s safely put away,” Hemphill said.
“Will I have to move to Quantico?”
“Not necessarily. You can work mostly from home. We might need you to come in every once in a while and train the other agents in the division from time to time, but you and the new Mrs. can live wherever you want.”
“That would be somewhere in Florida.”
“So, you’re going back home,” Hemphill’s tone indicated it was a statement, not a question.
“Yeah, I don’t want to take Shanice far away from her parents, if I don’t have to.”
“Look at you. Already thinking like a husband and believing you’ll survive your Uncle Philip.”
“Just wait till I tell you what else I want.”
“Okay, keep it down to something doable. Even I can’t work miracles.”
“I’m sure you can do this, even if you have to spot me until Uncle Sam gives my request a green light.”
“You want an advance,” Hemphill stated.
“It’s not unreasonable. I have a wedding and a honeymoon to bankroll all of a sudden.”
“This is true. You’ve likely earned every cent, given the help you’ve provided us the last seven years. I can go up to five figures without having to fleece my superiors.”
“Cool. How soon can you get it?” Trevor asked.
“Give me a couple of hours.”
“Banks are open here on the weekends?”
“Trevor, this is Sin City. Everything’s open on the weekend.”
“Please recite the vows you have prepared for one another,” the slight, balding minister said. Lisa, the maid of honor, wedding planner, and self-appointed amateur photographer, snapped pictures, while Donald, who’d been wrangled by Trevor into being the best man out of necessity, played videographer. He’d been worried about Lisa and Shanice catching on to who he was, but in the tux, he didn’t look like a federal agent.
The Burning Love Wedding Chapel was the first one they found that resembled her father’s church. If they were going to do the Vegas thing, they’d wanted it to look more like a sacred ceremony than the cheesy “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” clichés. The minister’s wife played the organ. Rather than the overused Elvis hits, she’d actually played classical music. Of course, it was a far cry from the hymns that would’ve been played in her father’s church, but Shanice seemed okay with it.
Decked out in a white, silk tea-length dress that looked enough like a wedding dress, Shanice sighed as if she were willing herself not to cry and said the words without reading them. “Trevor, even when we were children and you became my best friend, my protector, and my champion, I remember thinking that one day, you would be my everything. You are the manifestation of what God desired for me, even when I didn’t know what to ask Him for. You loved me when I didn’t know how to love myself. We’ve gone through some dark times, but as we join together today, I promise we only have to look forward to living in the light. I will love you until death parts us, and I can no longer say the words.”
It was Trevor’s turn, and he hoped his voice wouldn’t shake. “Shanice, my heart is so full today, because it feels like we’ve always been joined together. Biological parents may have forsaken us, but we each were blessed with mothers and fathers who loved us more than blood, and they are with us in spirit today. When I look at you, I see the faith you’ve always had in me and realize only God could have put there. You have always been my friend, but as I take you as my wife and the future mother of my children, please know I will love you all the days I have on this earth and beyond, if possible.”
The minster looked to Donald, “Do you have the rings?”
Donald did an elaborate patting of his pockets before he came up with the rings. Everyone took a collected sigh of relief when he grinned and held them out to the minister.
“Please repeat after me, Shanice. ‘With this Ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ ”
Once they’d each repeated the only phrase they chose to keep from the traditional vows, the minister declared. “By the power vested in me by God, the State of Nevada, and the city of Las Vegas, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Trevor, you may kiss your bride.
The minister’s wife began a rousing rendition of Palchebel’s Canon in D as Trevor kissed Shanice so thoroughly, she seemed to go weak in the knees.
“You two are married now, you don’t have to keep making out like a couple of teenagers,” Lisa said as she snapped several more shots of them in a lip lock.
“Yeah, last I checked your honeymoon suite was waiting for you on the strip,” Donald said.
The minister said, “Mr. and Mrs. Kyle, we’d love to watch you two revel in your marital bliss, but I’ve got another couple getting married in ten minutes.”
They finally pulled apart and joined hands before they walked quickly out of the chapel. Lisa, the minister’s wife, and Donald threw rice at them as they exited.
Then they had dinner at a supper club, where they danced the night away. At one point, Trevor could see Donald and Lisa involved in a serious conversation. Lisa seemed to be on the attack, but Donald looked like he was holding his own.
“I’m going to take things slow,” Trevor said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Shanice nodded. “Okay.”
As Trevor removed his clothes, he alternated by removing some of hers until they were both undressed. When they had their fill of looking at one another, he picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he lay her down. Shanice averted her eyes shyly and closed her legs.
He laid down next to her then leaned over and caressed her face. “I love you, Shanice. Don’t ever forget that.”
Trevor was more alive in this moment than he had ever been. He knew this wouldn’t be the greatest lovemaking session of all time, but he’d try to make it special for her. He also had to make sure it wasn’t over before it began. He first had to concentrate on making her relaxed and comfortable.
“Okay, just relax. Close your eyes.” Shanice did as she was told. Then he brought his hand down and touched her. She jumped and opened her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m just trying to get you ready.” Shanice closed her eyes, and he began again. He slowly ran his finger up and down and could feel her getting wetter. This was good. That meant less pain for her. “How does that feel?”
“Mmmm…good,” she said.
“Great. Now I’m going to slowly insert my finger. It may hurt a bit, but it’ll help for what’s to come.”
Shanice nodded, and he carefully slid his finger inside her. She tensed for a moment then seemed to relax. He moved in and out of her and watched her face. She was so beautiful
.
“Now I’m going to add another finger.”
He hated to see the look of pain on her face, but it was about to get a lot worse. As he slowly worked his fingers in and out of her, the pain seemed to go away and turn to pleasure. Then she moaned and shook, and he felt her orgasm. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
When she seemed to come down, he said, “Shanice, could you open your eyes and look at me?” When she did, he said, “Look, I’ve been in prison for seven years. I’ve been dreaming of this day for a long time, and now that it’s finally here, I don’t want to mess it up.”
Shanice put her hand on his cheek. “You can’t.”
He smiled. “Well, we’ll see about that. I don’t really have a lot of experience in this area. I’ll try to hold on as long as I can, but after so long, this can go pretty fast. If it does, I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“Trevor,” Shanice said, “no matter what happens, this will be amazing, because I’m with you. I’ve been wanting this for a long time, too. We’re going to be fine.”
Trevor was relieved. This took a lot of the pressure off. He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom from the pack he’d bought earlier that day. He was so nervous, his hands shook.
Shanice held out her hand. “I can do that for you, if you want.”
Trevor almost came right there. At a loss for words, he just handed her the package. She ripped it open and slowly slid it onto him. This was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen.
He got on top of her, and they looked into each other’s eyes. “I’m going to slide in slowly. If it gets to be too much, just tell me to stop, and I’ll wait.”
She nodded and looked as scared as he probably did. He guided himself into her and his eyes rolled back when he did. When he was able to focus on her beautiful face again, all he could think was how good she felt.
“Stop,” she said with her eyes clenched shut.
Trevor froze.
Shanice breathed in and out a couple of times. “Okay,” she said.
He went in deeper, and a couple of times he thought for sure she’d tell him to stop, but she didn’t, until at last he was all the way inside her. He gave them both a few moments to get used to the sensation.
“Oh, Trevor,” she said as she looked into his eyes.
He didn’t think it was possible to feel more connected with Shanice than he already was, but the realization that this was really happening, after all the years of pushing her away and the trials with his uncle, made him nearly weep from joy. If everything he’d gone through meant he was leading up to this moment, he’d do it all again.
“I love you, Shanice.”
“I love you, too.”
He slid out, then in again, as he tried to keep his mind on anything other than what he was doing. It was difficult, but he wanted to make this good for Shanice. He wanted her to remember this. She wrapped her legs around him, which helped both of them. When he couldn’t contain himself any more, he let go before he collapsed lightly on top of her and nestled his face in the crook of her neck. Then he proceeded to sob like a child.
Shanice comforted him until he composed himself. “I hope those were tears of joy and not grief that I was a lousy lay.”
“You are insane,” Trevor said as he sobbed a laugh and wiping away the remnants of his tears. “I was overcome by the idea of you waiting for me.” He felt honored she had forsaken all other men to wait for him.
“You didn’t think I was going to give it up to any old character, because you had a measly seven years in prison, did you?”
“College is a huge rite of passage. I couldn’t be selfish enough to ask you to wait, but I’d hoped you would.”
“Why did you never ask me if I’d had sex before?”
“I didn’t want to know if you had, and I didn’t have the right to ask you not to, considering how I’d pushed you away so much.”
“I knew you never meant it.”
“You had epic faith in me, baby, and I love you for it.”
“Have,” she said.
“This hotel reminds me of growing up in Orlando,” Shanice said. ‘It’s so festive here.”
“Yeah, the games are just little more adult-oriented,” Trevor said and smiled. He stopped their slow promenade through the hotel lobby, cupped her face, and kissed her tenderly. “Present company is also much better.”
Shanice beamed at him. “See, you’re better at playing the doting husband than you thought you’d be.”
“You make it easy,” he said.
They reached the windowed foyer where the roller coaster was whisking by and riders were throwing up their hands in wild abandon, while others had a look of sheer terror on their faces. Shanice tugged on his arm. “Can we ride after lunch?”
“Yes. But we should give our food a chance to digest. We wouldn’t want a Sand Lot moment happening on our honeymoon, now would we?”
“As long as we don’t chew any tobacco after our meal, we should be good.”
“You remember that much about that movie?”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “It was only your favorite movie of all time. You even layered your t-shirts with button-ups, just like Benny Rodriguez did.”
“That was a brilliant fashion statement.”
“Yeah, unique to you and millions of other boys who loved that movie.”
They reached the restaurant and were seated.
“I’m starved,” Shanice said.
Trevor laughed. “You’re about the size of a gnat, girl. Where do you put it all?”
“In my compact little thunder thighs, and this round little tush you like so much,” she said.
Trevor felt his face heat up. “Am I that obvious?”
She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his neck. “Only to me.” She patted his arm.
“I’ll have you know, I love all of you. Never doubt that.”
He was so wrapped up in the moment, Trevor almost forgot he needed to talk to Shanice about Philip. He hoped it would occur before they flew out to meet the Baileys on Friday. He didn’t want Philip to know about his marriage to Shanice until Special Agent Hemphill and his team were able to get enough on Phillip to take him down, once and for all. They would have to construct an elaborate ruse, especially to keep Shanice safe. There was no time like the present to bring her in on things. Well, at least the things he could share with her at the moment. Some of what was going down would have to be on a “need to know basis.”
“Babe?”
Shanice licked her lips in a way that made him want to run back to their room. “Yeah?”
Trevor mentally shook himself to clear all thoughts of a sexual nature from his mind. He had to be on his game. “Philip is likely to show up around here.”
“Really? You mean now? While we’re here?”
“Yeah. He wanted to pick me up from the facility, but I told him I’d made other plans. I’ll be hooking up with him tonight or tomorrow.” He said it fast, knowing she’d probably frown on him having anything further to do with his uncle.
“Trevor, do you really think that’s wise? He’s the reason you ended up in prison in the first place. Part of your rehabilitation is not having anything to do with the people you were in contact with before.”
Trevor put his arm around her and pulled her close. “How do you know that?”
“Your caseworker told me.”
“You become besties with my caseworker?”
“Stop trying to distract me.”
“Okay, then. Will you trust that I’m not trying to go down that path again? I’m only doing this to prove something to the only people who matter to me. You and your parents. That’s all I can tell you now, because keeping you away from Philip is the most important thing, and I need you to be as careful as possible moving around the city.”
“Avoiding him won’t be an issue for me. I never got the feeling he liked me very much.”
“Philip doesn’t l
ike himself very much. You’re right, though, he’s nothing like David, believe me. The best decision I ever made was to keep you away from him after David and Elena died.”
“Then why are you entertaining the idea of seeing him now, and on our honeymoon?”
Trevor had to be careful here. He didn’t want to flat out lie to his bride. He would tell her the whole story some other time, when he was up for sharing just how pathetic his life had been with good old Uncle Philip.
“This is the best opportunity I’ll ever get to take him down. If I don’t do it now, while he thinks he has me at a disadvantage, it won’t happen.”
“David Kyle was a saint compared to his brother. Isn’t it strange how two children who grew up in the same household can turn out so different?”
“Tell me about it. Hey, maybe you should stay at Lisa’s the next couple of days, so you can be completely out of harm’s way.”
She was shaking her head before he was finished speaking. “No way. Trevor, we’re on our honeymoon, and I’m not afraid of your uncle.”
“Maybe you should be.”
“And besides, you promised never to push me away again.”
Trevor wished he’d qualified that promise more. “This is an entirely different situation, baby.”
“Not on our honeymoon, it isn’t.”
He pulled her into his arms. “When did you become so stubborn? The little snaggle-toothed girl I remember used to always do what I said.”
“She grew up,” she replied and followed up with a kiss.
“Compromise,” he said. “How about you stay at Lisa’s just on the morning I’m working with the feds to catch Phil. We should have all that dirty business taken care of by noon.”
“I think I can deal with that,” she said.
He held his breath then blew it out and said, “Is your faith in me firmly intact?”
“Absolutely.”
He leaned in and kissed his wife’s delectable lips. “Good.”
The Las Vegas field office had an impressive array of computer gadgetry, the likes of which Trevor had never seen. What he’d done for the bureau while in the joint was small potatoes. With the equipment in this room, and a few other additions, Trevor could take down the computer systems of the entire world, if he were a “black hat hacker,” which he wasn’t.
