Chapter 34
Aro
I barely make it down the hall before I break.
The sobs are quiet—tight in my throat—but I don’t let them out. Not yet. Not until I push into my room and find Sean sitting on the edge of the bed, barefoot, scrolling on his phone like the world isn’t unraveling three doors down.
He looks up immediately.
“Aro?”
I don’t speak. Just walk to him, slow and deliberate, until my knees hit the bed and I collapse into his chest.
His arms wrap around me without questions. Without conditions.
He holds me while I fall apart. One hand cradles the back of my head. The other rubs slow, steady circles along my lower back like he’s trying to calm a storm he doesn’t even understand yet.
After a long minute, he murmurs, “What happened?”
I force myself to pull back, eyes wet but jaw tight. “He’s getting married.”
Sean goes still. The air shifts.
“Who?”
“Johnny.”
His face hardens. “Johnny—”
“Yes,” I snap. “Our Johnny. Our emotionally stunted, chaos-loving, passive-aggressive psychopath. May he rot in hell.”
Sean stares like I just slapped him. “Jesus Christ. I didn’t know. No one told me.”
“He said it’s for leverage. Politics. Her dad’s funding Joe. This is all part of some giant takedown scheme.”
Sean’s jaw tenses. “So, he’s playing fake husband for the cause.”
“He says it’s not real. That it means nothing.”
Sean’s mouth twitches with anger. “Sure. That’s what men say when they’re booking florists.”
I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. Just something hollow and bruised.
“He told me I’m the one he wants.”
Sean doesn’t respond. He just cups my cheek again, thumb grazing the damp skin beneath my eye.
“Do you believe him?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “I want to. And that’s the part that scares the shit out of me.”
He pulls me in again. Firmer this time. “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, I think he does care. Deeply. Messily. The only way he’s able.”
I revel in the feel of his arms, his patience, his quiet.
Until my phone buzzes with a single text.
Johnny: Family meeting. Living room. Now.
I show it to Sean. He sighs like the weight of this circus is already getting old.
“Of course.”
∞∞∞
The tension in the living room is thick. Nik and Axel are already there, sprawled on opposite ends of the couch.
Johnny stands in front of the fireplace, not quite pacing, but close. That same glass of scotch from earlier is in his hand. I notice it still looks untouched.
Sean and I take the loveseat. He waits for me to sit, then rests his hand on my thigh. A clear sign of claiming that Johnny notices. His eyes narrow.
Good.
“Let’s get this over with,” Johnny says. “You deserve the truth, and I’m done keeping it.”
“How generous of you,” Axel mutters.
Johnny ignores him. “I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want any of you involved. It was supposed to be clean and quiet. Just me, Rachel, and a web of polished bullshit.”
“Sounds romantic,” Nik says dryly.
Johnny finally sets the glass down and faces us. “You know the wedding’s happening in three weeks. There’s a big guest list, a minister, a cake…but I never intended for it to be real. No vows. No prenup. No honeymoon. Just a show.”
“A show for what?” Sean asks.
Johnny hesitates. “To catch Joe. He shows up, I detain him. Then I dismantle Rachel’s father’s entire network—offshore accounts, flights, trafficking routes. Joe’s the handler. Rachel’s dad is the bank. I’m taking them both down.”
The room is silent as we process his words.
Nik leans forward. “And what about Rachel?”
“She’s a casualty,” Johnny says bluntly. “Or a useful idiot. Either way, when it’s over, I walk away.”
I blink. “So, she doesn’t know the wedding is a setup?”
He nods. “No, and I don’t intend for her to find out beforehand.”
“That’s cruel, even for you,” I argue.
“Please.” He rolls his eyes. “Rachel doesn’t love me. She loves my money. She’ll be fine.”
I want to disagree, but I hold my tongue. As much as I loathe her, Rachel doesn’t deserve this.
Johnny continues, “It’s a trap. Joe will be flushed out of hiding. Surveillance will be tight. We’ll catch everything.”
Sean whistles. “So, you’re staging a full-on sting operation?”
Johnny shrugs again. “It’s the only way to dismantle it.”
“I still don’t understand,” Nik says, “Why go through all this trouble? Why a wedding? Why not just shoot him at that trafficking house we uncovered?”
“If I take him out at one of their locations, it could spook Walter and he could relocate the whole operation,” Johnny answers. “Joe and Walter are close, at least, professionally. I needed an event that Joe would be invited to where I could make him disappear without raising any red flags.”
I lift my eyes. “And me? What’s my part in this?”
Johnny doesn’t look at me. “You’re the bait. I made sure Joe knows you’re attending. He RSVP’d yes.”
Axel growls. Sean’s grip on my leg tightens.
My heart twists. “And after? What happens to him then?”
He finally looks at me. “He gets what he deserves.”
I don’t answer. I’m not sure I can. At this point, my feelings are all over the place.
Sean leans back, arms folded. “So, you want us to what? Go along with this? Pretend this isn’t completely fucked?”
Johnny meets his stare head-on. “No. I want you to be ready. Because if this works, Joe goes down and Walter’s empire takes a hefty strike. But if it doesn’t…” He pauses. “Everyone in this room becomes a target.”
Silence folds over us again. He lets it stretch.
Axel cracks his knuckles. “Well. If we’re on the hit list either way, let’s make it count.”
Nik exhales through his nose, tired but resolute. “You’re a dumbass for trying to do this alone.”
“I’m not alone anymore,” Johnny says, voice low. “Not if you’re with me.”
He looks at each of us like he’s asking, not ordering. It’s the first time I’ve seen him ask for anything.
I look at Sean’s hand on my knee. Then at Axel, who gives me a lazy wink like he’s already in. Nik’s watching me, too, but there’s no pressure. Only a silent promise: this is your call.
And Johnny… Johnny stands there like a man trying to rebuild a bridge while it’s still on fire.
I breathe deep. It’s not forgiveness. It’s not surrender. But maybe it’s a beginning.
“We’ll do it,” I say quietly. “For the outcome. Certainly not for you.”
Johnny nods. “Fair enough.”
“But,” I continue, “I have one condition.”
I pause, making sure I have his attention.
“I want to be there when Joe is… finished.”
“You sure?” Axel asks.
“Positive.” I look at Johnny. “I have a few things to say. I’m owed at least that.”
“Alright,” Johnny agrees, way easier than I anticipated.
He turns for his suite, the weight of everything already settling on his shoulders.
Axel tosses a pillow at his back. “Try not to fall in love with your fake bride.”
I wince.
Johnny disappears through the door without looking back.
Nik elbows Axel in the ribs.
“What? Too soon?”
And just like that, we’re all in it.
Whether we’re ready or not.