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“We don’t want to keep anyone from the lovely dessert that Amara and her crew made, but we just wanted to thank you all for being here today.” Ash’s eyes gleamed, her mask perfect. “Especially Mari, for hosting not just the rehearsal dinner tonight, but the wedding. We wouldn’t be here without you, and we both appreciate you so much.”
This time, I knew the joy was manufactured. It was pure mischief, and I loved it. Especially when I realized Cameron shared it.
“To the O’Bannons, especially Aislynn’s father. Thank you for giving us the best gift we ever could have asked for. Ash is everything we wanted for this family. Kind, smart, and beautiful. An asset we’ll never take for granted.”
Sean was seething mad, red rising up his face until I thought his head would explode at the table. His chair screeched across the floor, and heads turned toward the angry father of the bride.
“For now, we’ll have dessert in the living room. Cigars will be available for anyone who wants them as well.” Greyson stood, smoothly intercepting everyone’s attention before O’Bannon could even open his mouth. All the guests looked between us, the tension crackling in the air at our unspoken conversation.
You won’t get away with this, O’Bannon said.
Submit or die, I replied.
Because that was the truth. O’Bannon would either fall in line, or I would not only take his territory, I’d take his life too. He wanted an alliance with the queen; he got one.
His hand twitched, reaching for his side, and the tension ratcheted higher. Under the table, I slid my hand into the slit of my dress, palming my knife. If he moved, I’d hurl it through his throat and end the problem for good. Dominic, Greyson, and Nate were stiff next to me. Hell, even Joaquin was ready to throw down.
In the end, Ash was the one to defuse the tension. “I’d prefer if this marriage weren’t sealed in blood, Father.”
O’Bannon didn’t back down for a heartbeat, two, three. Then he dropped his hand and stormed out of the room.
“What a fucking child,” Ash muttered. Cameron and Nate grunted, making me laugh.
I threaded my arm through hers, leading our group to the other room. “Let him have his tantrum. We’ll win in the end.”
For the next hour, O’Bannon kept his distance. Oh, he seethed, snarled, and snapped at everyone who came within ten feet, but he stayed the fuck away from us. Considering my men were ready to skin him alive, it was the right choice. My cousin stayed close to Ash the entire time.
Until he didn’t.
Cameron left the room after whispering in his bride’s ear, and the second she was alone, O’Bannon took advantage. He moved toward his daughter with a head of steam. Nate and Grey tensed at my side, while Dominic’s sharp eye watched from the other side of the room. Greyson stepped forward to intercept, only for Sean to stop short. He yanked his phone out of his pocket with frustrated motions, but whatever stopped him also seemed to help. The relaxation of his shoulders made mine tense.
Something wasn’t right.
Sean threw a scathing glare at his daughter, nodded to his sons, and then all the men of the O’Bannon empire left without saying a word to their bride. It was beyond rude—it was unheard of.
What the fuck was going on?
“Because that wasn’t suspicious at all,” I said under my breath. Nate’s laugh eased some of the paranoia. Though, it ratcheted back up when I found Joaquin similarly glued to his phone.
“What are the chances they got separate text messages?” I asked as Joaquin left in the same direction as O’Bannon.
“Slim to none,” Cameron said as he threw an arm over my shoulder. I hadn’t realized he’d come back in. “He’s been sneakier than usual. Don’t worry, though. I’ve got someone else tailing him tonight.”
It seemed to be the theme of my empire lately. Nate’s phone chirped once, twice, then three times. He frowned, pulling it out and frowning even harder. I peered over his shoulder to see MOM’S NURSE flashing on the screen with a text that read, Call me when you can. I have news.
“Call them back,” I said. Nate leaned down, ghosting his lips over my cheek with a grateful smile before heading out the door with his phone to his ear.
“His mom’s sick, so he’s in constant contact with her caregiver.” I answered my cousin’s obvious confusion.
Cameron hummed, eyes brushing over Nate before resting back on Ash. “I like him. He seems like a good guy. The others too.”
“They are.”
Cameron’s smile was contagious, and I found my own echoing it. “Good for you. The last thing you need is mediocre dick for the rest of your life. You’ve earned better than that.”
I laughed, because even though it felt crude to say it, I agreed. I’d been through enough. Maybe I really did deserve something easy, something long-lasting. Something stable.
Maybe those men were exactly the future I’d earned.
