Chapter 44
Shivana
“It’s gonna rain,” Daisy said as she stared at her phone.
We had set up camp in the rec room to do our hair and makeup and it was getting close to time to head to the venue.
Pulling out my own phone to check the weather app, I shrugged. “It’s fine. They said they could set up indoors and it’s plenty big enough. Maybe by the time the ceremony is over we can still mingle outside for some extra space.”
Lacy fanned her face as crimson splotches ran up her neck.
“No, no, no. You can’t cry. Your makeup is done,” I said as I ran over, shaking her shoulders. She needed to be jostled, not hugged. Hugging would just release the dam. “Deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth,” I said in a soothing tone.
She took a deep breath in, then blew it out slowly. She repeated a few times until the red began to subside. “Isn’t rain on your wedding day bad luck?”
“Only if we let it. Seriously, the venue said they are ready for plan B because, let’s face it, we’re in Georgia. Has there been a day we didn’t have a thunderstorm since it got hot? But they move out fast. Maybe it won’t even be raining for the ceremony. But either way, it’s fine.”
Even on the hottest and sunniest of days, a shower would pop up seemingly out of nowhere, drop a monsoon, then be done in ten minutes. The only problem with that was if we did try to have the ceremony outside once it passed, it would be so humid that no amount of hair spray or setting spray could save our hair and makeup.
“Inside sounds better to me, anyway. It’s hotter than Satan’s taint outside,” Daisy said.
“My hair will never last,” Jeannie said as she checked herself in the mirror.
The room was so girly and bright with all of us buzzing around in our teal dresses and makeup palettes being passed around. It was like a middle school sleepover.
Katie was quiet, but she helped with most of our makeup. Lacy did mine because, besides a little gloss, I was clueless.
“You look so beautiful. Katie did great on the makeup,” I told Lacy. “Maybe inside is best. I wonder if we can still tell her that?”
Pulling my phone out, I shot a text off to Angie.
Me : Hey, is it too late to just move it inside? The weather is iffy and the humidity could be an issue.
Angie : Already set up indoors due to weather. I messaged the bride and groom about an hour ago. Hope that’s okay?
Me : Perfect. See you soon for pictures!
After the initial miscommunication over canceling, Angie proved to be very helpful, attentive, and kind. It still seemed odd how she reacted, but she was probably having a bad day.
In my experience, most people don’t lash out at the person who upset them. Instead, it’s whomever happens to be in the line of fire and pushes them over the edge. Could be the drive-thru got your drink wrong and bam! You explode over something small and silly. And even if it wasn’t that, she showed she deserved a second chance. The priority was to be sure Lacy had her special day.
“Great news! We’ll be indoors. Where’s your phone, Lacy? She said she messaged you a while ago.”
“Oh, I left it upstairs. I am a mess today.” She looked like a deer in headlights.
“It’s okay. I’ll go grab it. I need to get my clutch from upstairs, anyway,” I said before heading out the door.
We had a few minutes before the car was arriving. I also wanted to check the kitchen to see if there was anything we could use to protect our hair from the elements in transit.
After running to our room to grab my small purse, I went to Eagle and Lacy’s and grabbed her phone, shoving it into my clutch. It was quiet, and Eagle wasn’t in his room, but I noticed the tux was already gone from ours. They must have been in their special man cave, AKA Church.
A few guys were loitering around the bar, but none of the officers. I headed to the kitchen and started poking around for makeshift hair shields. I had just discovered a huge roll of saran wrap when the door popped open.
“Damn, Lil Bird.”
Twirling around, I wanted to grin but my jaw fell open, and my nipples hardened. “My God, you are wearing that suit. You clean up nice,” I said, ogling Jackal.
He wore his hair back all the time, but it was carefully brushed back into the perfect low ponytail and seemed extra shiny. One of his tattoos peeked just from under the collar of the crisp, white dress shirt.
Walking closer, I wrapped my arms around him, still holding the plastic wrap. A familiar bulge was under his tuxedo jacket. “Are we having a James Bond-style shootout today?” He carried most of the time, but he had two on him now, which was unusual. And it seemed he either had on a bullet-proof vest, or he had entirely too many layers for a summer wedding.
“Lil Bird...” His dark eyes seemed to penetrate right into my mind, but not in a sultry way. His brow furrowed and the edges of his lips turned down.
“What’s wrong?” A small knot formed in my stomach.
He looked over my face, then pressed his lips to my forehead. It was incredibly tender, yet I knew something was off.
Trying to keep my composure since the girls could be wandering around and I didn’t want to upset anyone or anything on this day, I pressed my hands to his chest and said, “Jackal, you have to talk to me. What’s happening?”
His hand came to my face, tracing my eyebrow, down my cheek, then over my lips. Something about it, about him, sent a tightening to my chest, and the knot grew.
“Jackal, why are you looking at me like,” I swallowed, trying to control the quiver in my voice, “like it’s the last time you’ll see me?”
He sighed heavily. “Lil Bird. Something is coming. I need you to promise me that if we tell you something, you need to just do it, okay? No questions, no stalling, just go.”
“What do you mean? What’s happening? You mean today? At Lacy’s wedding?” my voice trembled.
“I don’t know for sure. But we’re making contingency plans. I need you to promise. I love you too much to lose you, Lil Bird.”
“Are we in danger?” I asked, fanning at my face just like Lacy when she got teary eyed. “Shit, Jackal. My makeup is done. They’re all dressed. We’re supposed to go get pictures made and you’re telling me something’s about to go down? We have to tell–”
I turned, but he grabbed me, yanking me back to him. “No, Shivana. I need you to trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you, but I can only promise that if you listen. Please.”
Tears welled up, so I leaned forward, hoping they would just hit the floor and not roll down my face. Jackal ran his hand over my back and passed me a paper towel. Snatching it from his hand, I moved away from his touch and dabbed at my eyes.
“I can’t believe this. How am I supposed to not say anything? How can you put me in this position?”
He crowded me against the huge built-in fridge. “Lil Bird, if this wasn’t necessary it wouldn’t be happening. But if we don’t do this, innocent people will be hurt, and this nightmare won’t end.”
Goddammit . “Like me? Like Lacy? We are innocent. What is happening? You can’t keep this from me. You want me to play along? Then fucking tell me what’s happening,” I whisper-yelled.
Jackal looked at the floor, his jaw ticking as he grinded his teeth. “Shivana, I–”
I smacked his side with the plastic wrap. “No. You don’t get to pull this club business shit when my friends are in danger. When you are putting me in danger.”
“You won’t be in danger.” He finally looked up. “It’s a setup. It’s only gonna look like you are there. I’ll tell you if you promise to help us make sure you and the others get out of there when it’s time.”
Holy shit . He was telling me club business. I shouldn’t have reveled in that realization, but I was shocked. I didn’t know what I was going to do, and I argued with him, but I honestly didn’t think he’d actually tell me anything.
“Does this mean you can get Butch?”
“If today goes as planned, yes. But I won’t lie to you. We still may not get him today. He could be sending his pawns and stay clear of the action. But we’ll get his crew and people like Butch don’t get loyalty. They’ll crack. We’ll make them crack.”
“Okay, tell me the plan.” He licked his lips, about to speak, but I stopped him. “But first, tell me you love me.”
He gripped my cheeks, staring into my eyes. “I worship you, Shivana. I want you at my side forever. And I won’t let anything happen to you. I love you, Lil Bird. I love you.”
I dropped the box of plastic wrap, and let the tears roll down my cheeks as he kissed me. The knot in my stomach twisted, but my desire for him overrode it. I melted into him, into the kiss, hoping it wasn’t the last good one I ever got from him.
When he finally stopped, he pressed his forehead to mine.
Looking into his eyes, even though they were so close I had to look at one then the other, I said, “I love you, Jacob.”
His breath hitched, and his hold on my cheeks tightened. “Goddamn, Lil Bird. Nothing has ever sounded so sweet,” he said with a deep timbre. He pulled me in again for another deep kiss, and when he stopped he said, “I love you, Shivana.”
This man wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I had to trust that it was the same for my friends. I’ve known all this time what kind of life I was leading, falling for him. This was a test. The test. But I wasn’t a quitter. In fact, I was an overachiever. So, releasing a deep sigh, I asked, “What’s the plan?”