Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Don’t throw our wedding vows at me.”
I tilted my head. “You were so beautiful.”
We’d jetted off to Vegas, got married, spent the night, and came home the next day. I had tried to make it romantic for her. She wore a pretty blue dress, and I donned a dark gray suit. I made sure she had flowers, got spoiled at a spa before the service, and her wedding band fit perfectly. When she had walked into the room, looking nervous, I’d lifted her hand to my mouth and pressed a kiss to it.
“You are the most beautiful bride ever,” I promised her. “I’m the luckiest man in the world today.”
“I feel the same about you,” she replied, straightening my tie. “You always look so good in a suit.”
I crooked my arm. “Shall we?” I winked. “The honeymoon can start right away.”
“Let’s go, then,” she said with a laugh.
The ceremony was simple, fast, and perfect. The night we spent celebrating it was long, loud, and intense. We both slept on the plane on the trip home. I carried her over the threshold of the condo when we arrived. She laughed and cupped my cheek.
“I love you,” she murmured.
It was one of the happiest days of my life.
She was now my wife and, therefore, protected in many ways. Ways she never thought of. She was the beneficiary of my will, my life insurance, and on record at Hidden Justice as my spouse. If anything untoward happened, she would be contacted and looked after. It gave me great peace of mind.
But tomorrow, I was going after her brother. Damien and I were meeting with the team there in the morning, finalizing all the strategies, and moving in that night. They’d scheduled a meeting of the top members. Dean was intent on moving into the next level of crime. That included illegal weapons and underage prostitution. Pornography. He was no longer satisfied with small-time crime. He wanted the big money, and he didn’t care who he hurt to get it. Listening to the conversations, watching the videos, I’d been ill at the level of coldness he portrayed. Every bug and camera we’d managed to plant showed how far off the deep end he had gone.
His plans and his gang were going to end now.
“Stop it,” Tally said, smacking my chest and bringing me out of my thoughts. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“It’s only one night, Tally.” I had told them I was stepping back from the missions. The feeling that I was running out of time had taken hold, and I needed to heed that sensation. I had Tally now, and she was more important. I would work behind the desk now the way I had intended until the day I walked away entirely.
“You’ve been so busy,” she said, worrying her lip. “I feel as if you’re gone all the time.”
I had been away frequently since we got married. I knew I’d been preoccupied and living in my head a lot. Making up pretend meetings, overnight trips, wanting to be sure we had everything nailed down. This mission—she—was too important to me to leave anything to chance. I would make it up to her once this was over.
“It’s the last one for a long time.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. You stay home tomorrow and be here when I get back the next day. Relax. Go get a massage or something. You look a little tired, so you should pamper yourself. When I get home, we’ll plan our trip.”
I had video-called Matteo, telling him I was married. He got Evie on-screen with him, and she had spoken to Tally, excited and filled with happiness for us.
“You’ll have such a good time here, you’ll never want to leave,” she had exclaimed. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful!”
“I look forward to meeting you,” Tally assured her. “Julian has such lovely things to say about you.”
“Give Matteo your contact info, and I’ll be in touch.”
I nodded at Tally. I knew I could trust Evie.
“Okay,” she replied. “I look forward to it.”
She slipped from my lap and left the room, and I turned back to the screen, meeting Matteo’s amused expression.
“Missy and Marcus will be delighted as well,” Matteo stated. “Marcus won the bet.”
I lifted an eyebrow at Matteo. “You bet on me getting married?”
He chuckled, his gaze focused on Evie as she left the room. “He called it. He said you were more like me than he was and you wouldn’t wait.”
“I waited a few weeks, unlike you. You married Evie in a few hours.”
He shrugged. “Best decision of my life. And I know yours will be as well. Finish your business and come here. That will be your second smartest decision.” He paused. “And, Julian?”
I waited.
“Be honest with her. Nothing destroys love more than loss of trust.”
“I am. I’m going to tell her everything once this is done. Then we’ll figure out our future.”