“What did they offer you?” I ask and his eyes focus on mine, a creepy smile lighting his eyes.

“You’re dead,” He licks his lips, and I notice blood coating his teeth. “I was going to make her my whore,” he whispers and my blood turns cold. “Take her from the club, say I dropped her at home, take her away, so you wouldn’t have been able to find her. She would have been mine.” He laughs. “I would have fucked her in every hole in her fucking body, and when I was finished, I would have passed her along to someone else to use,” he says and I search the walls of the room looking for something worthy of him. My eyes stop on a pair of lawn sheers with dark silver blades and long black handles.

“That was your plan when you drugged her?” I ask nodding to the wall. Kai’s eyes flare as he pulls the sheers down, passing them to Justin who hands them to me.

“I wouldn’t have taken her when she was drugged.” He smiles his creepy smile again as I test the weight of the sheers. “I would have waited until she knew it was me fucking her in the ass.”

Nodding, I flip the sheers over and use both hands to cut off his fingers one by one. Roaring in agony, his face pales as his blood drains onto the floor. Dipping my face closer to his, I mutter, “Now I’m gonna cut off your cock.” Seeing fear in his eyes, I smile. By the time I’m done with him, he’s unconscious and we’ve learned everything we could from him including who his contact with Paulie is.

*

“ARE YOU FUCKING shitting me?” Justin roars into his phone as he slams the door to the Suburban. Stepping around the back, I watch him pace then feel Kenton and Kai come up next to me.

“What’s going on?” Kenton asks, and I look at him and shrug then back at Justin when he pulls back his arm, tossing his phone off into the distance.

“His wife fucking killed him!” he roars, reaching his hand up and pulling his hair.

“What?” I ask, taking a step toward him.

“That was Aedan. Police swarmed Paulie’s house ten minutes after Aedan and his boys heard a shot. They just watched the police drag Paulie’s wife in a pair of cuffs to the back of a squad car. One of his boys was able to get close and heard the cops say she killed her husband—shot him in the fucking head at close range.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Kenton asks, and Justin’s swings around toward him.

“No,” he clips then closes his eyes. “What the fuck?”

“This is good,” Kai mutters, and Justin’s eyes open to meet his. “It’s done. We didn’t even have to get our hands dirty. I don’t know about you, but I have enough black on my soul.”

“All this shit was for nothing. I could have fucking sent her that shit weeks ago. I’ve been away from my wife for weeks dealing with this shit. You guys came out here to deal with it, and now—”

“It’s done,” I repeat Kai’s words, cutting him off. “Aedan gets what he wants, and we leave all this shit behind us. I got my vengeance, and now I’m going to get my girl, take her home, and then tell her in the morning that we’re getting married. At the end of the day, we all got what we wanted. None of the other shit matters.”

“Sven’s right, Justin,” Kenton says quietly. “Paulie and his son are both dead. You know where they were making the drugs thanks to Lane, and the cops are shutting the lab down, probably as we speak. It’s time to go home. You know Aubrey and Jenna need you there with them.”

Visibly swallowing, he fists his hands at his sides and I now understand what changed about him. It’s not that he suddenly became hard. He suddenly found himself caring for two people who he feels he needs to protect from the world. “Your girls are lucky to have you, man,” I whisper, meeting his gaze. “But I guarantee they just need you. Believe me when I say that.”

Nodding, his head drops forward and he pulls in a breath. “Do you want to help me find my phone?” he asks after a moment, and we all laugh, but then we spend the next forty minutes searching for his cell. Once we find it, the sun is starting to rise and we head back to Kai’s. All of the girls are awake, so we stay for breakfast then say our goodbyes and head home.

Chapter 13

Sven

True happiness

“I’M MARRYING MAGGIE. If you want to walk her down the aisle, you need to be at the Harmony Chapel in an hour,” I tell Maggie’s dad as soon as he picks up the phone.

“I’m guessing I can’t talk you into waiting a few months?”

“Nope,” I deny, smiling at the ground under my feet.

“Does my daughter even know she’s getting married?” he asks, and I laugh, looking toward the store I sent Maggie into after she told me there was no way she is getting married without at least wearing a dress.

“She knows,” I mumble, hearing him laugh.

“We’ll be there,” he replies, hanging up.

Shoving my cell into my pocket, I look through the window, seeing Maggie talking to one of the sales girls. Knowing she’s okay I walk to the building next-door and go inside to pick up one more item before we make our way to the chapel.

Watching Maggie walk toward me with her arm entwined with her father’s I feel my heart beat kick up. She looks more beautiful than I have ever seen her. Her strapless white dress hugs each of her curves perfectly; her eyes are shinning with love, and the smile on her face, fuck that smile is a smile I would kill for.

“You look beautiful,” I whisper, taking her from her father at the top of the aisle.

“You look very handsome yourself,” she whispers back.

Pressing a brief kiss to her lips, I nod at her dad then turn her toward the minister to make her my wife.

*

“WE COULD HAVE at least had dinner with my parents,” Maggie complains as I guide her into the private elevator blindfolded.

“We could have,” I agree picking her up when the elevator comes to a stop. “But then I would have sat with a hard on all through dinner, thinking of all the ways I want to remove this dress,” I explain, nibbling her ear as her arms wrap around my shoulders.

“Where are we?” she asks as I set her on her feet.

“We don’t have time to take a honeymoon right now.” I pull off her blindfold, watching her face light up. “I figured we could spend a few days here naked instead.”

Biting her lips she spins in a circle taking in the penthouse. “Oh my god,” she whispers in awe, walking to the swimming pool in the middle of the room.

“Naked in this place with you for a few days is better than any honeymoon I could have dreamt up.” She grins, walking backward and I start to prowl after her. Then I laugh when she takes off running, catching up with her when she traps herself in the bedroom, I push her down onto the bed. Lifting my weight off her, I search her eyes then lower my mouth over hers. I will never be worthy of the love I see in her eyes, but every fucking day I will try to earn it.

*

Maggie

HEADING TO THE bed from the bathroom, I stop in my tracks as my eyes land on my sleeping husband. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen him shirtless, but I know it’s more times than I can count. I’ve also memorized the way he looks naked, how he feels pressed against me, how he tastes, what it feels like when he holds me. I’ve memorized everything about him, but the visual I have now is one I want forever.