by Harley Stone
“The social dictator gig?” he asked.
“Yes. And my marriage to Wesley strengthened both of our families as well as the business. We joined the game and began to create alliances and cut down enemies. We were virtually untouchable.”
“What happened?”
“Several of my old friends got jealous and decided to team up and take us down. But not with well-placed rumors, back-handed compliments, or stolen investment leads like civilized people. They went for the weak link in our relationship. Wesley. And his ego is so enormous that he believed they all wanted to fuck him. After they were done, they convinced him that Laura wanted his body as well.”
“Your sister?”
“The one and only.”
“You’re shittin’ me?”
“Nope. It’s the absolute truth. He propositioned her, and she turned him down and called me to break the news. He must have found someone else to dip into that night, because he was late coming home. When he finally arrived, I was waiting with the hunting rifle Dad had bought him for a wedding present.”
Havoc pulled into the parking lot for the ferry, parked, and then turned his full attention onto me.
“I tried to kill him, but the chickenshit hit the ground. I’d never shot a rifle before and wasn’t expecting the kick, but I still clipped him in the ass. Holy crap, my shoulder was sore for days. Pretty much annihilated our front door, which was convenient, since the last of my bags were packed and at my feet. I picked them up, walked over his bleeding ass, got in my car, and left.”
Havoc stared at me in open-mouthed awe, and I got the feeling I should have left out this story time detail until he was captive on the ferry and couldn’t bail on me. “You shot him?”
“Look, I’m trying really hard to be honest with you, so I need you not to give me the judgy eyes. It was a flesh wound. He lived, unfortunately. Trust me, he needed it to toughen him up a bit. Also, you must understand that I was faithful from the beginning. I knew from the time we were kids that I was going to marry him, and my mom convinced me that nobody else would be good enough for me. My family groomed me for Wesley. I never dated anyone else, never kissed anyone else, never…” My throat tightened. I swallowed and gave myself a moment before continuing, “He promised me that our marriage would be different. That it would mean something more than a solid business deal. I made a vow to him, and I stayed true. Not only did that asshole break his vow, but he still doesn’t even realize that those bitches played him. And I was played by my own parents! They made him out to be this perfect catch, but he was the fish I should have gutted and then thrown back into the pond. If my shoulder hadn’t been so damn sore from the kickback of the first shot, I would have tried again.”
Havoc was still staring at me, making my stomach clench in fear that I’d scared him off. I opened my mouth to continue my defense, but he held up a hand.
“I get it. You had a partner you planned to take over the world with. Then your partner follows a trail of bread crumbs and ends up in a trap while you find out that the world is nothing but a ball of shit wrapped in shiny paper.”
The absurdity of it all made me giggle. “Yes. Exactly.”
“You don’t want that world anymore, do you?”
I shook my head. “No. I want my bookstore and my little apartment. I don’t want to fight over a shiny ball of shit anymore.”
“Good. We’re gonna get you through this wedding just fine. Now, since I don’t want to beat the shit out of some horny-ass men checking you out in that dress, I need you to stay here while I go get us tickets for the ferry.”
“You’re coming back, right?” I asked. “Please tell me this isn’t the part where you realize this is entirely too much crazy for you, abandon your truck, and head for the hills.”
He climbed out of the truck and turned to look at me. “Babe. I’d never abandon my truck.” Then he gave me another sexy smirk, closed the door and walked off.
I admired the view that his incredible backside presented until he stepped out of sight. Then I took my first relaxed breath of the day. Possibly of the month. For the first time ever, I’d told someone about my ex without wanting to drive to Wesley’s house and set it on fire. The anger and pain were gone. Maybe Havoc was right, and we could get me through this wedding after all.
Havoc
“WELL AREN’T YOU a sight for sore eyes?” Julia’s great aunt asked, wrapping the bony fingers of one hand around my bicep and giving it a little squeeze. “Oh, that’s nice. That’s really nice.”
Her other hand held a glass of champagne. She tipped it to her lips and took a sip, batting her thin old lady eyelashes at me. We were less than a half hour into the wedding reception and this was the third time she’d approached. When she wasn’t blatantly hitting on me, she was canvassing a circle around the table, eyeballing me as she closed in for the kill. I hadn’t felt this vulnerable since I was with my team and we were sneaking over the streets of Kobani. This woman was like a drone, powered on Geritol and lust.
“Aunt Martha,” Julia said, once again loosening the old lady’s hands and extracting her from me. “Havoc’s a guest, and you’re making him uncomfortable.”
Uncomfortable, my ass. She was making me down right anxious. My head was on a swivel, trying to keep her in sight so she didn’t take me by surprise. It wasn’t wise to sneak up on a vet. We startled easily, and I didn’t want to react and accidentally lay the old woman out. And every time she reached me, she turned into a goddamn octopus, which was why I kept my ass seated as Julia handled her. Last time, I stood like a gentleman should only to have my ass grabbed and squeezed by those bony fingers. Too far. Appalled, I looked around for witnesses who would call her out for groping me, but the sneaky old bat did it on the down-low so nobody else saw. I sure as hell wasn’t going to draw attention to the situation. I already felt out of place enough.
“I bet I could make him really comfortable,” Aunt Martha said before taking another sip of her champagne. She swayed a little with the effort.
“Aunt Martha!” Julia grabbed her aunt’s arm, steadying the old lady.
Aunt Martha’s eyes were still raking over my body. “They don’t make men like this anymore, sweetheart. When you see one, you gotta grab him and hold on tight.” Her free hand made a move to do just that, but Julia angled her away.
“I’ll take that into consideration. Here, let me walk you back to your seat.” Julia plucked the sloshing glass out of her aunt’s hand, draped an arm around her, and walked her to the end of the table.
When Julia returned, I leaned closer and asked, “Who the fuck is giving her champagne?”
Julia shook her head. “Hard telling. It’s a lot more amusing when she’s not hitting on my date. Sorry about that.” That had to be at least her one hundredth apology since we’d arrived.
“It’s fine,” I said, but in truth, nothing was fine. We were sitting at a table with her parents who’d done their damnedest to ignore me during the meal while trying to bait Julia into giving a fuck about their little society. At least Wesley hadn’t approached. Julia had pointed him out to me the minute we walked in and so far, her ex seemed content to glower at us from the corner, surrounded by a bunch of his pussy friends with a skinny brunette on his arm.
“There’s so much that’s been neglected since you left,” her mom said. “Danella has taken over the Thompson Foundation and you know she can’t handle it. Not like you could. People aren’t donating like they used to, and the events are pitiful.”
Julia leaned closer to me until our legs were touching. “I’m sure Danella is doing her best, Mother. She probably needs time to get the hang of things.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed, and she switched tactics. “Well, Jozette’s doing a fantastic job with the club house fundraiser. I saw her on Wesley’s arm today. It looks like your old friend is trying to completely replace you. Are you going to sit back and allow that, Julia? Because the daughter that I raised—”
“Doesn’t
exist anymore. I’m sorry, but I have no interest in returning to my club duties. I’m happy where I am.”
Her mother frowned. “I just don’t see how running a bookstore could be all that rewarding. Especially not for someone as intelligent as you. I can understand why you don’t want to come back, but why don’t you do something with your degree? Not something too significant, because you don’t want to come off as bossy or controlling. But something that showcases your intelligence and makes you more attractive to possible suiters. I know things didn’t work out with Wesley, but your father and I have spoken to him and he’s willing to—”
I’d had enough. Not only was this bitch ripping apart her daughter’s livelihood, but she was disrespecting me by talking about suiters like I wasn’t there as Julia’s date. How the fuck did she know we weren’t serious? Julia had brought me to keep her from freaking out, and I was two seconds from flipping the table and punching Julia’s father in the face. He’d been on his phone the entire time, nodding or muttering his agreement whenever his wife requested it. Couldn’t he see what this bitch was doing to their daughter? Didn’t he care?
I needed to get out of there before I snapped. Pushing back my chair, I stood. “Where’s the restroom?”
A look of terror contorted Julia’s face as she joined me, straightening her dress before grabbing my hand. “I have to go as well. I’ll show you.”
Her mom’s gaze zeroed in on our intertwined hands and a look of disgust crossed her face before she pasted on her normal mask of neutrality.
I wanted to say something, but Julia tugged me away. As we wove through the tables toward the restrooms, I was met with a mix of scathing looks from the men and interested gazes from the women. On the ferry, Julia had told me that this was the country club the Kinlan’s frequented, and as I heard his name whispered, I knew damn well what people were saying about me and didn’t care. I could take it. I was worried about Julia. I squeezed her hand, reassuring her that I was still there.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling me away from the crowd.
“For what? You don’t need my permission or excuses to walk away from them.”
“No, but the power still appeals to me. Wesley was weak and got played, but I should have seen it coming. I slipped up. I got cocky and comfortable in my position and the bitches took me down. Mom is challenging me to come back and fix my mistake. To prove I still have what it takes. It’s hard to walk away from that.”
Probably felt like walking away from a fight while someone was talking shit. “How long’s it been since you’ve been back?”
“A little over a year ago. Since I tried to kill Wesley.”
She talked about it like it was nothing. Just an everyday occurrence. “Did you do any time for that?”
Her brows furrowed. “You mean like jail?”
“Yeah. That’s usually where people go for attempted murder.” I knew first hand.
A smile ghosted her lips. “Wesley would never turn me in. That would make him look even weaker. And if he tried, our parents would never go for it.”
Nothing like rich white privilege. Julia had probably never suffered a consequence in her life until her peers turned on her, but that one time had changed her. It made her turn her back on everything and everyone she knew. It made her want to be a better person.
And that made her even more beautiful.
Her gaze darted to the dance floor, landing on something, or someone, that made her lip curl. Before I could follow her line of sight and figure out what she’d seen, she pointed the opposite direction. “The bathroom’s there. I’m going to need a stiffer drink.”
She’d already had two glasses of champagne, but they didn’t seem to be affecting her. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s necessary. Want me to order you something?”
A drink sounded like a good idea, but none of that pink shit they were serving. “A beer. Something dark. A stout or a porter.”
“You got it. I’ll meet you at the bar.”
The words had barely left her mouth before she walked past the ladies’ room and turned the corner. After I came out of the restroom, I found Julia sitting at the bar with her sexy back toward me. Damn, I loved that dress, and based on the way every man in the bar was checking her out, I wasn’t the only one. Before I could cross the room, Wesley took the stool beside her. Hair gelled, face clean-shaven, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket, he looked every bit the spoon-fed asshole she made him out to be. Her shoulders tensed at his proximity, but she did not back down.
Torn between the need to protect her, and the knowledge that she needed to handle this shit for herself, I got close enough to listen in on their conversation and jump in if I was needed.
“…good together. A power team. What we had was great. It’ll take some work, but we can get there again.”
“You mean that fantastic relationship where I’m at home playing wife, organizing your schmooze-fests, and destroying your enemies while you were sleeping with mine?” Julia asked. “Because that wasn’t all that rewarding for me.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket to stroke her bare arm with the back of his fingers. “We shared many good times.”
She shied away from his touch, leaning closer to the bar to take another drink.
“Yep. My favorite was that time I shot your cheating ass. Heard you needed stitches. That had to hurt.”
“I managed. And yes, I screwed around, but you always had my heart, Julia.”
She snorted. “What heart?”
He spread his hands out, nodding. “Exactly why we’re perfect together. None of those messy feelings to get in the way of what’s really important.”
“That’s where you’re losing me. We don’t value the same things anymore, Wesley. I value loyalty, and you… you value your penis.”
He closed the distance between them. “You used to value my penis, too, remember?”
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away. “I was young and naïve. You told me you were huge, and I believed you. I didn’t know what else was out there.”
“You still don’t.”
“Are you so certain?” She took another big gulp.
“I do keep tabs on you, Julia. I protect all of my investments.”
“Creepy. Perhaps you should focus less on me and more on stringing along your date and pretending you’re trying to replace me before she finds someone richer and hotter to bang?”
He glanced over his shoulder to the skinny brunette leaning against the wall like a puppy on a leash. “She knows her place. It’s your date I’m worried about.” Wesley’s gaze cut to me for a second before his attention returned to Julia. “You know he ruined the Kinlans, right?”
“I’m pretty sure the Kinlans ruined themselves when they decided to become underground crime lords.”
“He doesn’t belong like you do… like we do. I know you’ve fallen from grace, but if you insist on it being over between us, I’m sure I could find you a more suitable catch. Maybe not a club member, but at least a white guy.”
Julia straightened and raised her voice. “I don’t care what shade his skin is, Havoc is ten times the man you are. Better looking, more intelligent… I bet you haven’t even figured out that those sluts played you.”
“What?” he asked.
“Forget it. I don’t have the necessary time, desire, nor crayons to explain it to you. I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
A predatory smile stretched across his face as he lowered his voice. I had to strain my ears to hear him. “There you are, my beautiful, terrifying bride. I missed you. You think you have it all figured out, don’t you? Bet you never even considered the idea that I was the one who orchestrated your fall. But, my lovely, vicious bitch, who do you think told those whores what you were up to in the first place? Once they knew what you were doing, they were all too eager to spread their legs for me. Julia, I fucked every one of your fri
ends, and you had no idea what was going on.” He clicked his tongue. “Disappointing. Thought you were smarter than that. But, we all make mistakes and I’m in a forgiving mood, so I’ll give you another shot. Come home. We’ll get remarried and we can move on from your failure and start over.”
“You pompous bitchboy. You want to start over? I wish I’d never fucking met you.” Her voice started as a low growl, but grew louder as she added, “I will ruin you. I made you, and I will take your ass down. I will make sure that everyone knows what a spineless, pencil-dicked, festering anal scab you are.” She scanned her surroundings, likely searching for a weapon.
Shit! Time to move in.
She grabbed her glass. Liquid sloshed as she wound up as if to bash his head in with it. “Fuck that. I’m done with this game. I’ll just kill you myself!”
I moved to intercept her, positioning myself between them and settling my hands on her shoulders. “Julia, look at me.”
Her glass was still poised and ready to strike as she tried to get around me. “Let me go, Havoc,” she growled. “That crusty twat fucker needs to die.”
“You’re turning me on, my bride,” Wesley said, poking his head around me. “You know I love it when you lose your temper.”
“I am not your fucking bride.”
Needing her attention, I squeezed her shoulders. “Focus on my voice, babe. Look at me. Don’t let him do this to you. You’re no longer this person. Don’t let him take you there.”
Her gaze met mine. She blinked, and a look of total and complete devastation crossed her face as her chest rose and fell. She looked from me to the crowd that was gathering around us, and then back to me. “Dammit. Havoc, I—”
“I know. You’re fine. I got you now.” I plucked the glass from her hand and set it on the bar. “Let’s get you away from him. Dance with me.”
“I…” She looked so lost. So unsure of herself. “I got you a beer.”
“It’s fine. I’m not thirsty anymore. Come on.” I took her hand. Leaving our drinks on the bar, I led her through the gathering crowd, scowling at anyone who didn’t get the fuck out of my way, toward the door.
