“I don’t think so. He’s originally from the Vegas area. Moved here with his job.”
I can’t let him ask me what I’m doing here. “Is he a pilot?”
“Yeah. With Delta.”
“Nice.”
I’m racking my brain for what I’ll say next when Sin completely blows it for me, offering his hand to Cody. “Sinclair Breckenridge. I’m Bleu’s husband.” A devilish grin spreads. “Or at least I will be this Friday.”
Well, fuck me running.
Cody looks from Sin to me. “You didn’t mention a fiancé when we were together the other night.”
I’m under the impression Cody could be trying to provoke Sin. If so, he shouldn’t. Sin doesn’t play fair. My old friend is in a whole other league he can’t begin to understand.
Sin has created a situation I can’t explain away. That’s a problem for me. Cody will tell his mother and then she’ll tell… everyone.
Sin can be such a bastard. He’s fixed this so I have to admit I’m marrying him.
“We had a terrible lovers’ spat the night I ran into you at the bar and I called off the wedding. That’s what I meant when I said I had just gotten out of an intense situation.” I look at Sin, giving him my best stink eye. “But we’ve ironed everything out now and the wedding’s back on.” I lean into Sin and pinch the skin on the back of his arm. “Isn’t that right, honey?”
“Aye! Aye!” he yelps. “It certainly is.” He yanks his arm free, wrapping it around my shoulder so I can no longer pinch him. “I can’t wait to make this sweet lass my wife.”
Cody puts his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Your family must be very pleased.”
I’m not going there and I won’t let Sin, either.
“We’re actually in a hurry to make an appointment with our florist so we need to run,” I lie.
“Oh, sure. Wouldn’t want you to be late.” He shakes Sin’s hand again. “Congratulations. You’re getting a fine wife.”
“Thank you.” He takes my hand possessively. “Ready, love?”
I nod. “It was good seeing you again, Cody.”
I don’t say a word as we walk to the car. Once we’re inside, I’m tempted to beat the hell out of Sin. “I can not believe you just did that.”
“He tried to kiss you.”
“Unsuccessfully.”
“He’s been to the hospice center since your little reunion. I think we both know it wasn’t your father he came to see. He wants what’s mine. I had no choice but to let him know you weren’t his for the taking.”
“It doesn’t matter if he wants me.”
“I did what a husband does for his wife. I let him know you are mine. I don’t understand why you’re upset.”
“One: what you just did was unnecessary. We’ll likely never see Cody again so it doesn’t matter if he wants me or not. Two: this makes a huge problem for me. He’s going to tell his mom and then she’ll tell everyone. Word is bound to get back to my Dad and Ellison.”
“You’re going to be my wife in two days and I’m fucking thrilled about it. Forgive me if I want someone besides us to know.”
“I don’t care if the world knows—as long as Dad and Ellison don’t find out.”
“I’m sorry. I’m possessive of you and I allowed it to get the better of me. I wasn’t thinking of what you’d want.” He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me, Bonny?”
It’s hard to not forgive a man whose pet name for you means beautiful. “Maybe this time.”
I understand Sin’s drive to have Cody know I belong to him. It’s testosterone. Or nature. Call it what you like but it’s the only reason I’m able to overlook him going against my wishes.
“I’ve never allowed another man to touch me. Only you. Don’t forget it.”
Chapter 6
Sinclair Breckenridge
I’m marrying my Bonny Bleu tomorrow—without her family’s knowledge or her father’s approval. I’m not all right with that. It feels dirty—like committing a betrayal against a weak, dying man. There’s very little I find more lowdown than dishonoring a man under these conditions.
I won’t enter our marriage this way.
Harold MacAllister won’t be around to watch over and protect Bleu. I believe he’ll find comfort in knowing I’m pledging my life to her safety and happiness. Wouldn’t every father want a man to take that vow for his daughter?
The hall smells of that all-too-familiar odor common to medical facilities. The chemical smell of medications. Shit. Piss. Vomit. Bleach to mask the odor of the three. I remember it well. But there’s another smell here, different from what I grew accustomed to during my own recovery period.
It’s the stench of death.
I swore I’d never enter a hospital again after my amputation. I had to when I nearly died of sepsis several months ago. Now, here I am inside a hospice care center because I want to speak to the man who, in twenty-four hours, will be my father-in-law.
I stand outside Harold MacAllister’s door and catch my breath as I prepare to knock. I’m apprehensive. Nerves aren’t something I experience often and I’m a little surprised by my anxiety.
I’m confident about everything I plan to tell Bleu’s father. I practiced it in my head all night. I’m just not sure how well it will be received.
I knock and a woman’s voice tells me to enter. I open the door and find Ellison standing on one side of Harold MacAllister’s bed, a nurse on the other. “Good morning. We’re helping Mr. Mac get a little more comfortable.” They’re using a sheet to move him up toward the head of his bed. “I don’t know how you worm your way down so quickly. Seems like we just pulled you up an hour ago.”
They finish and lift the head of the bed so Harold is almost in a sitting position. “Here’s your call light. Buzz me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Marge,” Ellison says.
Bleu’s sister waits until the nurse is gone to address me. “You’re him.”
She recognizes me? How? I was under the impression Ellison knew nothing of me.
“You need to go, Elli,” Harold tells his daughter. Apparently, he recognizes me as well.
“Hello, Mr. MacAllister.” I nod in Ellison’s direction. “Miss MacAllister.”
“Don’t be rude, Dad. This is Bleu’s friend she met while she was in Scotland on assignment.” Oh. She knows more than I expected.
“Leave now, Ellison.”
Bleu’s sister is clearly shocked by her father’s reaction. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
I wait until Ellison is gone to introduce myself. “I’m Sinclair Breckenridge. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“You’ve come for her.” He puts his hand to his chest and is gasping for air.
I’m scaring the shit out of the poor man. “I have but not for the reason you think.” I pass him the cup of water from his bedside table. “Have a drink.”
He does as I suggest but he’s working hard to catch his breath. “Slow your breathing. You’re working yourself into being short of air.” Bleu will be very displeased with me if I send her father into some sort of attack.
“Why have you come?”
I gesture toward the bedside chair. “May I?”
He nods and appears to be calming a little. Maybe.
Everything I rehearsed in my head is a blur. “Please, bear with me. I had all of this planned out—everything I wanted to say to you—but I’m suddenly at a loss.” This doesn’t happen to me. I never lose control. I’m a total mess.
“Mr. MacAllister. I’m not sure what Bleu has told you. I’m probably rewinding a little too far but I’m doing so because I don’t want there to be any confusion.”
“Go ahead,” he says.
“You’re aware Bonny infiltrated The Fellowship through me with the goal of killing my father?” Dammit. That sounded horrid, as though I’ve come to avenge him. “I’m sorry. That came out all wrong.” I’m
doing a terrible job.
“Please don’t hurt my daughter,” Harold pleas.
“I’m not here to harm Bonny.”
“Bonny?”
I laugh. “That’s my special name for Bleu.”
I get up to pace the room as I talk. Walking always seems to calm me. “Anyway, she wasn’t successful. But I’m sure you know this already.”
“She decided she couldn’t go through with it.” Okay. We may be getting closer to being on the same page.
“Aye. But do you know why she couldn’t go through with it?”
“Her conscience got the better of her.” That’s a half-truth.
“That much is true but what she hasn’t told you is why she developed a conscience about killing my father.”
His brow wrinkles, his eyes squinted, as though he’s trying to put the pieces together. “What are you saying?”
“She couldn’t go through with it because we fell in love.”
He’s shaking his head in denial. “No.”
“Trust me. I didn’t want to love her, but I do—with all my heart. It’s not what she wanted or planned, either, but still, she loves me all the same.”
“I don’t believe you.” Harold raises his voice as much as he’s able. “This is one of your crafty tricks.”
“My uncle discovered Bleu’s deception. I was supposed to kill her but I couldn’t do it because I love her. I let her escape with a promise—I’d find a way to erase her grievance with The Fellowship.”
“Let’s assume I believe you’re in love with one another. How do you suppose you’re going to fix a problem of this magnitude? The Fellowship doesn’t forgive and forget.”
“Abram’s men are in the US right now. They’re on a mission to hunt and execute Bleu. She could probably run and avoid them but she refuses to leave you. Even if she did, it puts Ellison at risk. My uncle wouldn’t hesitate in using your other daughter as a way to draw Bleu out.”
I see the terror in his eyes. “No. Not both of my daughters.”
“Mr. MacAllister. I can protect Bleu. And Ellison.”
“In exchange for what?” He’s suspicious of my motives, as he should be.
“Bleu’s hand in marriage.”
“Never!”
“I’m pledging my life to your daughter’s safety and happiness. You know who I am so I’m certain you understand that as my wife, no one can harm Bleu. It’s Fellowship code—something none of us dare violate. That grace of safety our marriage will bring will blanket Ellison because she’s Bleu’s family. My uncle will be forced to call off his order to execute Bleu the moment I tell him we’ve married.”
“Are you here to ask for my blessing?”
“Yes, sir. That’s exactly why I’ve come.”
“You’re asking me to be okay with my daughter marrying the leader of a criminal organization. How does a father give his blessing for something like that?” he asks.
“You give it because you love your daughter and want her to be safe and happy.”
“And you believe being married to you will make her happy?”
He’s not convinced so I need to change his mind. “I proposed to Bleu two days ago and she said yes. We spent all day yesterday preparing for our wedding tomorrow.”
He’s hurt. I see it in his eyes. “She’s going to marry you tomorrow without telling me?”
“Yes. But only because she believes you won’t approve. She doesn’t want you to be disappointed with her for marrying me.”
“I will never be all right with her marrying into a family of criminals.”
I must make him understand how things will be for Bleu as my wife. “Bleu will never be tainted by my business or The Fellowship. I swear this to you.”
“She’ll live among you. It’s not possible for her to not be touched by your criminal activities.”
He may need reminding that Bleu isn’t coming into our marriage untainted. She’s no angel. “Bleu came into my life because she had made the decision to commit murder. She came to kill my dad for a crime he didn’t commit.”
“And what has become of that? Your father—the leader of The Fellowship—couldn’t have possibly forgotten her motive for infiltrating your organization. He must be as eager as your uncle to get rid of her.”
He’s wrong. “Not at all. Bleu was mistaken about Dad being her mother’s killer. He loved Amanda Lawrence very much so Bleu holds a dear place in his heart. He wants to protect her. She’s in good standing with my father.”
“She would have Thane’s protection as well?”
“Yes. My parents are quite fond of Bleu, as are the other members of The Fellowship.” With the exception of Abram. “She was initiated into the brotherhood months ago. They welcomed her with open arms. None of the members, not even my uncle, know about her plot to kill my father. I’ve told no one.”
“You would keep that secret from your family and the people you are most loyal to so she would remain safe?”
“Absolutely. I’ll always do what I must to protect her.”
“Do you know who killed Amanda?”
“Not yet. But I promised Bleu I would help her find out.” It’s a promise she’ll hold me to.
“There’s no way it wasn’t one of your people or someone tied to you.”
I don’t like his theory but it holds water. “I agree.”
“She’s a good detective. She isn’t going to stop until she finds out who he is.”
“Aye. You’re right.”
“I know my daughter well. When she figures out which Fellowship member is her mother’s killer, she’ll go after him. She won’t stop until he’s dead. That puts her in danger, regardless of her position as your wife.” Again, he’s right. The Fellowship won’t let the death of one of our own go unpunished.
“They won’t hesitate to kill her.” He stares at me intently. “But they’d never consider killing you—their leader.”
I understand where he’s going with this.
“You’re asking me to approve of your union with my daughter. There’s only one way that’ll happen. Give me your word as a Fellowship member that you’ll be the one to take out the man who killed her mother. I’ll give you my blessing to marry my daughter, that is if marriage is what she wants.”
This is a good move for Harold MacAllister. He sees my marriage to Bleu for what it is—something completely out of his control. It’s going to happen with or without his approval so he’s making the most of it. He’s a dying man preying upon my code of honor to ensure his daughter’s safety. I respect that.
“I swear on my honor that I will be the one to carry out penance against Amanda Lawrence’s killer. Bleu won’t have a part in it.”
“You should expect that to be a fight. She’ll want to be the one to do it.”
“I expect nothing less than a battle out of her, but you have my word.”
“I believe you. But I need to talk to my daughter before I give you my blessing. And judging by the number of times your phone has buzzed, she should be arriving any minute.”
He’s right. It’s been a near constant vibration against my chest since the moment Ellison walked out the door. That means she called Bleu immediately.
I’m imagining her in the car freaking out on the drive here.
I hope she doesn’t have one of her fits. She thinks she lied her way out of it but that was no dream I witnessed in Edinburgh. I know a PTSD attack when I see one. They aren’t pretty. And that’s something we’ll need to get out in the open soon.
“Maybe you should call her to say all is well so she isn’t distracted on the drive here.” He’s her father so naturally he’s concerned for her safety.
“She won’t be behind the wheel. My men will drive her. She’s never out of our sight.”
The door bursts open a few minutes later. Bleu is breathless and pale. She looks back and forth between her father and me. “Someone tell me what’s happening here.”
Harold lifts his hand and motions fo
r Bleu to sit on his bed. “Come here, girlie girl.”
Bleu shoots daggers in my direction as she crosses the floor. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t just drop dead, I’d be six feet under.
“Mr. Breckenridge. I need a moment alone with my daughter, please.”
“Of course.”
I open the door and come face to face with Ellison doing her best to eavesdrop—apparently unsuccessful since she didn’t hear her father’s request for me to step out. “Hello again.”
“Hello.”
I lean against the wall. “I’m Sinclair Breckenridge.”
“I gathered as much.” She offers her hand. “I suppose it’s safe to assume you know who I am.”
“Aye, I do.”
She leans against the opposite wall, arms crossed. She’s staring me down. “You have my sister flipping the fuck out.”
“I gathered as much.”
“What the hell have you done?” She’s wearing a huge grin. “I’ve never seen my sister so out of control. She’s acting like a lunatic.”
I don’t want to say anything I shouldn’t. “Long story. Probably best for you to ask her.”
“Maybe so, but I’m asking you instead. Bleu isn’t exactly forthcoming. Especially when it comes to her emotions.”
“I’m fairly certain her feelings are ones of anger right now, based on the look she was giving me as I left the room.”
“Good. Bleu needs someone to piss her off. At least it’s a reaction.”
I think she may be suggesting Bleu is unfeeling but I don’t see her in that light at all.
“You came all the way from Scotland to see her?”
“Aye.”
“Is that because you love her?”
“I do. Very much.” I’m not in a place where I want to discuss my relationship with Ellison. That’s for Bleu to explain so I decide it’s best to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Bonny tells me you’re a nurse?”
“Bonny?”
I laugh. “It means beautiful.”
“Shit! I may swoon.” She shakes her head and laughs. “Sorry. Yes, I am a nurse.”
“Your medical knowledge must be an asset with your father being ill.”
Complete Sin Box Set Page 29
