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This wedding needs witnesses, and Maxen knows to bring several of the others who have been instrumental in the preparations I’ve been making for so long. The timeline may have changed thanks to Glory’s courage, but the end result was always going to be the marriage taking place here today.
“We’re ready, Williams. Begin.” I wish this could be a romantic wedding worthy of Glory. One where Snow is here with her and she’s in an angelic cloud of white lace. That’s not our life, though, and I refuse to dwell on the ways things could be different if we weren’t who we are.
As we repeat our vows, her slender hands swallowed in my rough ones, I make my own, silent vows. I promise to repair the damage Xavier wrought. To cherish her in all the ways my queen deserves to be adored. To win her love and change the stars for her. I push back the longing to have her look at me with love today. She’s agreed to my terms, and that has to be enough until I earn more.
I will. No other outcome is acceptable. (TK GO BACK AND ADD SOMETHING EXPLAINING WHY HE LEAVES W/O CONSUMMATING THE MARRIAGE)
Nine
Glory
Eight weeks ago, Xavier beat me half to death, and it was Hunter who ensured I received medical treatment. It was the first time he ever acknowledged I was a real person, or so I thought, even though not a single word was exchanged between us. In the week since he blackmailed me into marrying him, I’ve started to see signs he may actually be telling me the truth when he says this union is about more than securing his ascent to kingpin status. That doesn’t mean I trust him. Not yet, and not when there are things yet to resolve between us.
I’m not even certain I trust that our marriage is valid. After all, Hunter left immediately after the ceremony to deal with a crisis Maxen swore was immediate and high priority. The both of them have been completely absent from the compound for days now, and though I get messages from Hunter constantly, messages do not a consummation equal.
Yes, I realize how contradictory it is to be worrying over the legality of a wedding I didn’t ask for. The lack of consummation should please me. Instead I’m battling with myself to stop wallowing in the self-pity of having a new husband who is conspicuous in his absence. Instead of tackling the growing pile of reports on my desk in the office and attempting to figure out how to run an enormous mostly criminal enterprise when I haven’t the slightest training, I’m laying in my bed moping.
Mom, something’s going on here. Strange men are at the door. There’s shouting and Henry told me to hide. Are you there mom? What should I do?
Snow’s text has me jumping from the bed and running to the closet to throw clothes on as though I can magic myself a thousand miles from here to be at her side. My thumb hovers over the icon to call Hunter without any conscious direction from my brain.
Maybe when I know Snow’s safe I’ll take time to figure out why he’s the first person I think of running to when I’m in trouble. Right now I only hate him for not being here when I need him.
Listen to Henry, baby. Hide. You have the knife I gave you, yes? Keep it close. I’m coming as fast as I can.
There’s a safe room in the beachhouse, as ironic as that sounds. It’s one of the first things I made sure of when Henry got Snow there. As long as she can get to it, she’ll be safe there for days. Hopefully Henry can handle whatever’s going on, but I’m not leaving it to chance.
Outside my bedroom door the two guards Hunter left to provide my security stand ready for whatever I might ask of them. Trusting anyone right now feels almost too big to manage, but I’m smart enough to know I lack the experience to do this alone. Hunter’s absence is a prickly reminder that his priority is the organization. Not me and not Snow.
I made Henry come in here with me. We’re safe, but there’s still a lot of shouting outside.
Hang in there, Snow. Three hours and I’ll be at your side. I promise.
From the moment I met the girl, she’s been the daughter of my heart. There’s nothing I won’t do for her. Even fly in Xavier’s pride and joy, the Global 6000 long range jet he loved to brag about. Flying has terrified me since the first time he forced me to travel with him. Being thousands of feet in the air with only his pilot and crew to keep him occupied, tormenting me had been one of his favorite pastimes.
I instruct the men to ready the jet and log a flight plan, and steel myself to do what must be done. Snow needs me, Xavier is dead, and Hunter is nowhere to be found. I’ll fly the damn plane myself if I must. Nothing will stop me from getting to Snow.
The flight is uneventful, if of course, I pretend none of the men I’ve tasked with accompanying me can tell how terrified I am. In reality, by the time the jet touches down, only a half hour’s drive from where Snow should safely be tucked away in the safe room with Henry, I’m drenched in flop sweat and shaking worse than the night I carved open my first husband’s throat.
No lie, I’ve sent so many unanswered texts to Hunter, begging for his help, that at this point I’m furious enough to want to slice his throat open, too. He promised me,promised me,that if I married him he’d ensure Snow’s protection. The bastard couldn’t even keep her safe an entire week. Resolve settles like an anchor in my gut. When I return to St. Louis, I’m going to annul this farce of a marriage and Hunter can stay fucked off to wherever it is he’s been at all week.
The stairs to the jet are barely locked in place before I’m dashing down them to the car waiting on the tarmac. The two men I’ve brought with me, I think their names are Foster and Shane, follow at my heels. I’m glad they understood how seriously I meant it when I vowed to leave their asses behind if they can’t keep up.
I’m armed, but inexperienced. Their dedication to keeping up with me settles my nerves the slightest bit. I’m not so foolish that I’d walk into a gunfight with only my hopes and dreams to wage war with. I am foolish enough to go in blind when it’s to protect my stepdaughter though, and I’ll make no excuses for it. Still, I’m relieved to have at least a little bit of support.
“Ma’am, do you want to go directly to the site? Or would you prefer a more stealthy approach? We could park a few streets away and get a lay of the land before whoever is there discovers our presence.” Foster, I think he’s the one with the darker hair, makes a good point. I pull out my phone and send Henry a message. I trust him to be more cognizant of what’s going on.
Snow is a brilliant and loving young woman, but I’ve spent a decade shielding her from the harsh realities of this life. The girl is so tender-hearted, she sings back to the birds outside our windows every morning. No, I need Henry’s rational head if I’m hoping to gain any status updates.
Henry, I’m on the ground and on the way there. I want a status update. What do you know?
At twenty-five to her eighteen, perhaps I should object to their age difference, to say nothing of the gap in their experiences. In a normal world, maybe I would. This isn’t a world where a woman’s age protects her from the attention of older, dangerous, men. Dating boys her age, falling in love and having her heart broken a time or two before meeting her soulmate isn’t in the cards for Snow any more than it ever has been for me.
Henry loves her though, and she’s been crushing on him since he joined her security detail a few months ago. He’s proven his devotion in ways I can’t deny and no, I’m not envious of my stepdaughter for finding a good man who stands by her side. Not envious at all.
I’m happy for Snow. It doesn’t matter that my life is no fairy tale, so long as I’m able to give her the best one possible.
Ten
