by Kells, India
Epilogue
Kingsley paced the beach suddenly unsure if he had done the right thing.
Shane chuckled at his side. “Will you calm down?”
“What if she doesn’t want this? What was I thinking?” Kingsley straightened his tie again.
“She’s going to love it, and she loves you.” Shane waved his hand at the rows of chairs, the flowered arch, and tiki lights that twinkled. “You know chicks dig this shit.”
Emme glared at him from the other side of the altar. “Nice, Shane. Very romantic.”
Shane looked at Emme his gaze full of love and with a slight begging tone to his voice said, “Baby, you know what I mean.”
The idea had come to Kingsley about two months ago. He and Sydney had never had a wedding, and he wanted to make it official, but every time he’d mentioned it to her, she’d insisted she didn’t need the fancy stuff, just him. He loved her for it, but most women wanted a romantic wedding, and he knew she was no different. He had enlisted Cleo, Caitlin, Emme, and Mercy’s help and they had been thrilled with the plan to have a surprise beach wedding on the first anniversary of their meeting. He wanted all her old hurts and bad memories to be replaced with happy ones.
His phone pinged with a text, and he looked at it with nerves he had never felt before, but nothing had meant so much before.
Caitlin: On our way.
“She’s on her way,” he called to their assembled friends and family. His mom, some of his friends from the UK, including Zack Cunningham, his wife Ava, and their two children, and his mates Dolph and Teddy from the Navy were all there. He was sad there was nobody from Sydney’s past, but she was so tight with the girls now, no one would know they weren’t lifelong friends.
He saw a car pull up to the road behind the beachside restaurant he had hired for the after-party, and his heart jumped to his throat. Dropping out of planes was less nerve-wracking than this.
He watched in awe as Sydney stepped from the car. The plan was that she and Caitlin would go shopping for dresses for another wedding they were all attending and then Caitlin would insist they get hair and make-up done for fun.
Sydney had started to embrace her inner girl with the security of his love and her friends behind her. Of course, he thought she looked stunning all the time, but she enjoyed the girlie stuff, and he loved that she did.
Her eyes searched for his, and she took in the people and the setting. The smile and love he saw on her face settled every last doubt he had. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he watched Malco walk toward her and offer his arm. He didn’t hear the words said between them but saw her kiss his friend’s cheek and take his arm.
The music began as he turned to Shane with a grin, which his best man returned. He and Shane had gotten tight over the last year, and he figured without him and Emme believing in him and giving him the opportunity, he never would have met the woman who owned his heart and soul.
Sydney walked with Malco down the sandy aisle and stopped beside him before handing the bouquet Caitlin had thrust at her back and kissing Malco on the cheek.
She looked at him with a quirk to her lips. “So this is what you’ve been up to.”
“Guilty,” he replied.
Sydney stepped closer and tugged on the lapel of his jacket. He had opted for navy jackets, white shirts, and beige trousers for the men. He’d wanted to be relaxed but look good for his wife.
He lifted his hand and rested it against her hip as his other hand cupped her cheek. “Will you do me the greatest honor of my life and marry me?” he asked as he watched her face go soft and felt his belly flip.
She covered his hand with hers. “I would love nothing more.”
Dipping his head, he kissed her then and it was soft and sweet and full of love and promise. He heard the clearing of throats and pulled himself back before touching his nose to hers. “Let’s do this, Syd.”
Hand in hand they turned to the officiant and officially became husband and wife.
* * *
Five years later
The call came in the middle of the night, waking her from a dead sleep. She moved to grab the phone and saw the text come through. Stepping out of bed silently, she yelped when a hand snaked around her waist and pulled her back into a hard, warm chest.
“Is it time?” Kingsley’s voice was deep and gruff from sleep. The sound always made her want to crawl back into bed and run her hands all over his body.
“Yes, honey, it is. The puppies are coming,” she replied, knowing she was needed elsewhere and crawling back into bed with Kingsley would have to wait.
“Want me to come with you?” he mumbled sleepily, his dark eyes on her.
“No, go back to sleep. Jamie can go to your mom’s in the morning.” She knew their son loved spending time with his grandmother.
“I’ll bring him to the office with me, he’ll want to see you anyway.”
Sydney grinned. Their son was the image of Kingsley. Dark hair, dark eyes, relaxed nature, but to her delight he was a complete mama’s boy. He loved his father too, but she was his world, and he was hers.
She had worried when she fell pregnant she wouldn’t have enough love to go around. She adored Kingsley, and they were so good together, barely fighting, and even when they did, the making up was something else. But what she felt for Jamie was on another level. It couldn’t be explained, and it only made her love Kingsley more for giving her all that joy in her life.
“Are you sure?” she asked bringing herself back to the present.
“Yeah. Hopefully he won’t want to bring another one home.”
She laughed at that as she kissed his shoulder and moved from the bed, almost tripping over Kimba who was asleep beside the bed. “Sorry, girl,” she said patting the beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback dog on the head.
Kimba was their first dog and had come from the litter she had seen with Caitlin when she was going through everything with her uncle. They also, thanks to Jamie, had Benny and Coco. Benny was a one-year-old German Shepherd, and Coco was an Australian Shepherd. They lived downstairs though, in the mudroom.
Sydney quickly got dressed and moved to kiss Kingsley. It was meant to be a quick kiss on the cheek, but he grabbed her and flipped her, so she was on the bed with his body over hers. She laughed low as she faced him, her hands resting on his chest.
“I want a proper kiss,” he growled, and she wondered if she would ever get sick of the sound of him wanting her.
“Yes, sir,” she murmured and lifted her head as his lips took hers in a firm, demanding but sweet kiss that had her rubbing her thighs together to ease the pressure in her pussy.
He pulled away and grinned a knowing smile. “Hold that thought, baby. I booked us a night away tonight. Mom has Jamie for the night, and Caitlin is watching the dogs. I’m going to worship this sexy body.”
He ran a hand down her softly rounded stomach despite the fact she was four months pregnant. His mom had moved to Miami not long after Jamie was born, wanting to be close to her family and they had been thrilled.
Sydney shivered at the thought, and her heart flipped. She had once thought her life was over. Empty and devoid of affection, she now had more love than she’d ever imagined and her heart just kept growing to accommodate it. She ran her hand along his stubbly cheek. “I love you so much, Kingsley.”
His eyes went soft, and he dipped his head. “I love you more than you’ll ever know,” he replied.
But she did know because he showed her every day.
The End
Deadly Alliance Sneak Peek
Want to read how the Alliance Agency began?
Check out the prequel ‘Deadly Alliance’ now.
mybook.to/fortispurgatory
“This means offering him fresh meat, aka me.”
The way the girl smiled as if it would be a walk in the park made Shane almost grind his teeth to dust. “This is no joking matter, Miss Wallace. Women are dying. And not taking this seriously could endanger you or me
mbers of your team and put civilians at risk.”
“He felt the Fortis team closing in even if nobody moved. Shane had to admit he may have gone a little far. But part of him couldn’t take the risk of letting that bastard go. The autopsy report came to mind, as well as the picture of Misty—pale, her beautiful hair in a mess and very dead on the slab.
Ignoring everybody in the room, Emme came to stand in front of him, and Shane stood in response. Barely reaching his shoulder, Shane had to admit that she had a significant dose of courage behind the fire in her eyes.
“Do you think I’m an incapable fool who would put my friends—my family—in danger? Do you think I’m incompetent or unskilled?”
“How many missions have you done? How often have you put your life on the line to save your teammates or an innocent’s life?”
“Oh, so you’re keeping count. Courage is defined by body count and the amount of blood you shed?”
“This is not a game!” His voice boomed way stronger than he’d intended, but the girl didn’t flinch, and even shouted back at him.
“No, it’s not a game. People are dying!”
Lance shuffled in his seat. “Well, they’ve got the lover part down perfectly. It’s like they’ve been together for the last fifty years. Your plan is doomed, Rhodes.”
Zack raked his blond hair in annoyance, his gaze went to Beatrice who shook her head. “Listen, Shane. You don’t know us. I get that. But I wouldn’t have suggested Emme if I didn’t believe in her skills and talent. You know my team’s reputation, and Beatrice is a friend. Like you, I’m one of the people who want this madman to be stopped quickly. I also know that it’s personal for you, so I will let that insult go. That is if you’re ready to give Emme a chance and she’s kind enough to forgive you your insult.”
The Fortis leader might have a point, but Shane still had serious doubts. However, he knew when he had been outnumbered and chastised. Sighing deeply, he uncrossed his arms and looked at the petite ball of anger simmering before him. “I’m sorry if I was out of line. I’m ready to give you a chance as Zack speaks so highly of you.”
Shane heard Lucy snort but didn’t look away from the fury in front of him. She looked like she debated whether to stomp her foot or punch him in the face.
“That doesn’t even qualify as an apology.”
“That’s the only one I can give you right now.”
Excerpt From: Maddie Wade & India Kells. Deadly Alliance: An Alliance Agency Prequel (A Fortis Security/Purgatory Crossover Novel)
Hidden Obsession Sneak Peek
Want to see what happens next?
Read on for an excerpt from Hidden Obsession, Alliance Agency book 2.
mybook.to/hiddenobsession
A metallic clink sounded behind her, and Cleo turned but didn’t see anything. The street looked empty, but instinct churned in her belly. Usually, her instincts were on point, but maybe she was just tired.
“Be careful on that bike at night. Cars can’t see you that well.”
“Well, even my bike is against me. Flat tire. I’m walking home. And if I’m lucky, the rain will hold off for a bit longer until I get home.”
A faint banging sound behind her made Cleo turn again, and this time, she noticed a fleeting shadow and cursed under her breath.
“What? What’s going on?”
Ignoring Emme’s outburst, Cleo reached into her bag to retrieve her mace. “I think I’m being followed.”
On the other end of the line, Cleo heard shuffling before her boss spoke again. “I’m sending you someone, leave your phone on, it helps with the tracker.”
“Emme, don’t. I’ll just wait until he gets closer and spray him.”
“Cleo, that won’t work if he has a gun. I’m sending someone. It’s not negotiable.”
The rain started to intensify and promised to be an intense downpour of biblical proportions. Accelerating, Cleo looked back and saw the person following her—a tall figure wearing a hoodie. That was so cliched, she would have laughed if she wasn’t so pissed. And more than a little scared. Keeping her head was her priority, so she crossed the empty street. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her. Perhaps he wouldn’t follow.
“Cleo, talk to me.”
She looked back again, and the hooded man was still following her. With the rain soaking through to her skin, her mace wouldn’t work. “I’m definitely being followed, and whoever it is, is getting closer. I may have to stop talking for a while. I’ll need my breath for running.”
Emme said something, but Cleo decided to pocket her phone and put her bag over her neck to free her hands. Whoever Emme had called may not arrive in time, so she was on her own. As always.
At this time, most of the stores and factories were closed, so she tried to bring up a map of the surroundings in her mind and debated whether to head toward a business that might still be open, or head toward the residential area.
A car passed by, but she didn’t have time to flag him down. She made another quick turn at the end of the street, and from the corner of her eyes, saw that the man had picked up the pace, now almost jogging. He was massive, and she wondered if she had any chance of defending herself if he were to attack.
She started to run hoping all those times she’d jogged in the last few years would now pay off. Grateful for her flats, Cleo started sprinting around the corner and darted between a couple of buildings hoping her memory served her well, and there was a bar and a convenience store a couple of streets down.
Lungs burning, she pushed her violet hair out of her face, trying to clear her vision from the rain. As she passed another building, Cleo caught sight of a bunch of metal rods beside a dumpster.
When she turned to head in that direction, a body rammed into her from behind, causing her to fly into the metal side of the dumpster.
Her shoulder and arm took the brunt of the impact, and her knees scraped along the pavement.
A shadow came over her and grabbed her by the vest, swinging her into the dumpster again.
Screaming even though nobody could hear her, Cleo tried to get her bearings, willing her body not to let fear consume her so she could reach the rods. Maybe then she’d have a chance to take the fucker down.
When her attacker reached down, she rolled out of his grasp managing to kick his chin in the process. The angry growl from her assailant was definitely male.
Her hands reached blindly for anything she could get to throw at him. A piece of brick at first, followed by several blocks of wood that were too light to do much damage.
A cold hand caught captured her ankle and pulled before she could react. Her fingers scraped the pavement, but there was nothing to hang on to.
As he picked her up with his hand around her throat, Cleo tried to kick and punch, not wanting to believe it was the end.
Excerpt From: Maddie Wade & India Kells. Hidden Obsession: An Alliance Agency Novel: Book 2
Thank You
Thank you for reading Knight Watch. If you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it, please consider leaving a review. Reviews can be as long or short as you wish and help other readers find new books.
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About The Authors
Maddie Wade
Maddie Wade is a married mum of three children. She was born and raised in Hereford. Maddie loves to spend time with her family and friends, eating out, going to the cinema and generally just enjoying life. She is an avid reader and is never found without her kindle, or smartphone. Maddie is a huge advocate of all things martial arts and got her black belt at age 14 years. She has also studied Jujitsu and has encouraged her children to do the same.
India Kells
India Kells is a romantic suspense and paranormal romance author from Montreal, Canada. Her idea of heaven is cozying up on her sofa during cold winter nights, reading lots and lots of books. Inside her wild imagination, she weaves stories filled with the adventures of kickass women and courageous alpha men. When India’s not writing about sexy thieves, dashing soldiers and cunning villains, she’s traveling the world to find inspiration for her next stories. Human nature is her greatest muse!
