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“Sophie?” I ask, something inside me churning.
“Your mom has her.” There is not a hitch in her tone, not a sign of upset. It’s like she and I are the only two people in the room.
As she leaves, she lingers at the door, turning to meet my steady gaze. “How long do you think you’ll be? The ceremony is going to start in half hour.”
I nod.
She leaves quietly.
When I turn my head, I see Leon wincing but his eyes are fixed on the door through which Elise has just exited. “That goes for her too,” I snarl, something about that crafty look in his eyes, makes me uneasy.
I toss him on the floor. “Get up and get out.”
Leon stands up and glares at me. “This isn’t over, boy.”
When I move, he immediately flinches and backs away.
A coward at heart.
A knock on the door and two policemen enter. They see me standing there and their eyes shift to a battered Leon.
Their eyes narrow and Leon immediately uses that as an excuse to get back at me, “This man just assaulted me!”
His cry might sound genuine but when one of the officers steps forward I shake my head. “He assaulted my mother and my sister. Who called you?”
“A Miss Elise Smith,” one of the officers says, glaring at his partner. “She said that the bride was injured by this stranger who broke in. One of our team members is taking a statement from the three women involved. Two of them are pressing charges.”
I feel disappointed.
I know who it is who isn’t pressing charges.
“They’re all lying! Fucking whores! They attacked me and they brought this man in to-“
But nobody is listening to Leon’s screams as his hands are forced behind his back and he looks frightened for the first time.
As he is led away, I feel a niggling in the back of my mind.
Something isn’t right.
Leon is vindictive but he isn’t smart enough to do all this. He may be a smooth talker but that’s only when he feels he’s in charge of a situation or if he can bully the other person. His brains are useless otherwise for scheming, his plans having no strong foundation. He’s impulsive, violent, and quick to anger.
So, why do I feel so uneasy?
A rap on the door has me looking up.
Elise peeks in, her cheeks a little wan. “You all right?”
And suddenly, I realize I’m not. Like a child, I open my arms to her and she rushes in.
She lets me hold her, her own arms wrapped around me so tightly as if she wants to draw me into herself. I breathe in the light peachy scent that she’s doused herself in and that scent so unique to her, grounds me.
I pull away from her lightly, my arms loosely around her waist, my eyes seeking hers for answers. “You weren’t scared of me?”
The strength in her eyes is one that has slowly been growing over these past few months and she shakes her head. “You were protecting your family. I’ve learned a thing or two about how far I would be willing to go to protect Sophie.”
It’s true.
When I first met Elise, she’d been a gentle soul with a carefree manner and a laughing persona. She’s still gentle, but there is a sturdiness to her now, her eyes are fierce. And if I had been attracted to her before, I am head over heels in love with her now.
