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Her eyes were so wide that they looked freaky.
I straightened my cuff links as I said, “Good day to you both.”
Then I was walking out the door.
I heard arguing behind me, causing a smile to form on my face.
I found Keene and Hades waiting for me near the back exit.
We were nearly there when someone tried to stop and detain us.
The bride’s father.
His name was Shute. Literally. Shute.
Pronounced like shoot.
He stepped in front of us, his big body blocking the way.
“I know who you are,” he said.
Hades went slightly behind me without me having to ask.
Keene caught her and pulled her a little farther back.
Albert and Gustavo moved closer. Not close enough to be seen, but close enough to react if needed.
“Okay,” I said.
“I heard what you said, too,” he continued.
“Yeah?” I waited.
“Yeah,” he said. “And I’ve been telling my daughter that there was something wrong with her man since the very beginning. But she wouldn’t see reason.”
I relaxed slightly.
Not all the way, but enough to really listen to what he had to say.
“I want everything you have on him,” he said, his eyes flicking backwards. “I’m gonna send that sick fuck down.”
That was what I’d been hoping for.
Though I didn’t expect to make the initial contact while at the wedding.
“I can have it sent to you in an hour,” I said. “But if you don’t mind, we’d like to leave before he realizes how fucked he really is.”
Shute nodded. “Then by all means.”
We didn’t make it out the door.
A shout from the bride had Shute looking up.
Albert and Gustavo reacted fast, pushing the door open and all but shoving Hades outside.
Keene went with her, and I was just about to follow when something black appeared in Benji’s hand.
I saw what was going to happen before it happened.
Joan moved, placing herself in front of the gun and holding up her hand for him to give it to her. But Benji pulled the trigger anyway, shooting his bride in the heart.
The crowd reacted.
Shute’s bellow of outrage followed us all out the door.
We didn’t leave, though.
We stayed in the back and waited for the police to arrive.
They did in full force.
But by the time they arrived, everything was well in hand.
That was what happened when you had hundreds of law enforcement in the same room.
There were plenty of eyewitness testimonies.
We gave our statements, and then we left.
Keene kissed his sister and said, “Don’t be a stranger, Hades. You’re welcome home. Anytime. But I’d understand if you needed a break.”
Hades threw her arms around him and said, “I’ll come. Eventually. But until then…”
Until then, no one knew what she was doing.
Living life free to do whatever the hell she wanted.
We got in the truck and left.
Gustavo and Albert followed us all the way home.
The next day, as I read the morning paper at the continental breakfast that Hades was stuffing her face at, I was shocked.
Last night, they’d thought the bride was going to make it.
But this morning, the paper said differently.
“What’s wrong?” Hades asked as she put her plate containing two waffles on the table.
I looked at her and said, “Benji killed her.”
Hades winced.
“Shute’s going to fuck him up,” she guessed.
I agreed.
Shute was definitely going to fuck him up.
And he did.
It wasn’t two nights later that they found Benji dead in his cell.
There was no evidence of who’d done it. But we didn’t need evidence.
There was a heartbroken dad somewhere out there that had nothing left to lose.
CHAPTER 25
My joints go out more than I do.
-Hannibal to Hades
HANNIBAL
Finding him was easy.
Getting through his gate proved to be a bit tougher, especially with the hired muscle guarding the area.
“Boss.”
I grinned at Leo.
Did I mention that I had a crew of bodyguards that used to be old teammates with me in the SEALS that worked for me?
Years ago, when I’d decided to go into protection and security, initially bodyguarding had been my main goal.
Leo, also known as Leonardo Sands, was one of my first hires.
“Hey,” I said as I walked up the walkway to Slone’s front door. “What are you doing here?”
I thought he had the day off?
“Figured I’d offer you backup,” he answered. “Knew that you were coming because of the flight logs.”
Leo had access to company documents because he was who ran the business when I was away for extended periods of time.
“He’s not gonna be mad that you just let me in?” I wondered.
Leo shrugged. “He’s a pretty cool guy. At least until it comes to his girls.”
His girls being his daughter, Briley, and his new girlfriend/fake wife, Caristonia. Though he called her Ari.
Ari/Tony/Caristonia was Hades’ twin sister.
And when she answered the door after I knocked on it, I wondered if she’d recognize me.
“Can I help you?” she frowned, looking around as if to ascertain how I got in.
She didn’t look scared, though.
