Chapter 46
Shivana
I’d left my bag in the limo as instructed on purpose, but my phone was in my pocket. Dresses with pockets were the best. I also had a small pocketknife that Jackal told me to hold onto, and a very small gun, I think he said a .22, in the other pocket. It had been a while, but I had taken classes at a shooting range back home when I was an undergrad, and again before going to medical school. I never did buy a gun, but it was nice to know how to use one, should I ever decide to make a purchase. I always dreamt of getting my own place away from my parents, but I assumed it would be near them. The thought of living alone in a city like Chicago was exciting and scary at the same time. A girl could never be too prepared.
Now I was living in a building full of armed men in a small-town hundreds of miles from my parents. The idea that I would need to recall my firearm training, and of all times, now, was practically comical.
I grabbed one of the paper fans that had a cute little embossed eagle on it with Eagle , Lacy , and the date on them to cool my face. The air conditioning was crisp inside, but knowing what was to come kept my face heated. It may be difficult to find the right shade of foundation for my skin, but at least I could hide when I was flushed.
Glancing around, my breath hitched. The room was all adorned in pink, teal, a touch of pale yellow, and white. A beautiful archway was centered against one of the walls with different white flowers and ivy woven through it. The chairs were basic foldable chairs, but each one was covered with a white seat-cover and the aisles all had bundles of teal, pink, and yellow flowers fixed to the end. It was all so beautiful, but we weren’t going to get to enjoy it.
“Hey,” Lacy called as she nearly bounced inside, coming closer. “Whew, it was hot out. Those fans are handy, right?” She was beaming but had a tinge of pink on her neck, even with all the makeup.
“They’re so cute. And yeah, the air feels great, but I love the little fans. Nice touch,” I said.
Daisy and the others filed in, with Mama Hen escorted by Hawk. Looking around, most of the guys were not inside. A few of the members I knew had shown up, but they passed through and went outside.
“The guys are doing guys shit,” Daisy said, grabbing a fan for herself. “Here.” She opened it and fanned Lacy a few times before turning it on herself, then back again. “It’s so pretty in here.”
“Right? I love it. Oh, that feels good,” she said as Daisy turned the fan back on her. “So I guess we hang out here for a few?” Lacy asked with a shrug.
Still fanning my face, I looked over and noticed Hawk lean into Mama Hen’s ear. His arm was around her shoulder, the other holding her hand. She nodded, then turned and hugged him tightly, her head buried into his chest.
“Aw, for such a serious guy, he sure loves his mama,” Daisy said.
Jackal came in, followed by Eagle and Falcon. They went to the edge of the room and grabbed some of the long tables that were setup for gifts, linens and all. Jackal gave a nod of his head, and I knew it was time.
“Hey, I can’t find my bag. I think it left it outside. Come with me,” I said, folding the fan and putting it in my pocket before reaching my hands out for Daisy and Lacy.
Mama Hen was wrangling Katie, Penny, and Jeannie. I wasn’t sure of her plan but hopefully my assigned ladies didn’t second guess me.
Luckily, they didn’t seem to wonder why I needed assistance. It was the girl-code. We traveled in packs, like wolves. Or in this case, a flock of birds. One needs to go to the bathroom? We all go to the bathroom. One needs to check the car for something? We all go to the car.
Hawk ran ahead. “Let me get that door. Ladies, hold one second for these tables, okay?”
I halted our progress, waiting for them to carry the tables outside, then pulled Daisy and Lacy out once Hawk waved me through.
“You look dashing, Mr. President,” I said, trying to keep the vibe light.
“You ladies look elegant. Especially the bride,” Hawk said with a wink.
“Hey,” Eagle barked. “You may be the president, but it’s my special fucking day and she’s mine.”
We all giggled as we headed toward the car. I had a moment of panic when I saw three limos. Which one do I climb in?
The guys were carrying the tables like they needed to move them, but didn’t know where. They were shielding us.
My eyes darted from windshield to windshield, but I couldn’t see inside any of them. I looked up and Jackal tipped his chin at one of them, so I nodded and pulled my friends that way.
Opening the door, I looked around, then said, “Weird. It was right here.”
“Is this the right one?” Daisy asked.
I climbed inside then called out, “Hey, come here. They left champagne in here.”
Suddenly, Lacy, then Daisy, followed by Penny, Katie, Jeannie, and Mama Hen all climbed inside.
Mama Hen pulled the door closed. “Champagne, you say?”
Trying to force a mischievous smile, I pulled the bottle out of the ice. “These are some nice limos,” I said. Everyone grabbed the plastic flutes, and I filled them halfway, then dropped the empty bottle in the ice bucket.
Mama Hen held up her drink. “To Lacy. For being such an amazing young lady, a fighter, and for knowing when to be flexible.”
Jeannie and Penny looked at each other with furrowed brows, but everyone else clinked their faux glasses then took a sip.
I was still sipping when the engine started.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
“They know we’re in here, right?” Katie asked.
Mama Hen and I locked eyes, and I assumed she would take over. But the window separating the front from the extended back lowered and a man spoke.
“Ladies, we just have to take a little ride.” Petrov’s light but unmistakable accent rolled through the car. “There’s another bottle in the console. Have a drink and enjoy.”
Jeannie, Penny, and Katie looked like deer in headlights, but Lacy and Daisy were oddly calm. I reached a hand over and squeezed Lacy’s knee. “You okay?”
She nodded, knocking back the rest of her drink. “Yeah, but grab that other bottle, please.”
My brow cocked, but I opened the console and found the chilled bottle. Once I opened it, I poured everyone except Mama Hen a little more.
As we slowly exited the long driveway back to the main road, I stared curiously at my friends.
Daisy seemed nervous, but not because we left. Her eyes went everywhere but on me.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
She nodded, still looking away.
“They told you, didn’t they?”
Lacy looked at Daisy, then they both looked at me and Daisy said, “Wait, you knew?”
My eyes shot to the front where Petrov was keeping the driver company.
We started mouthing to each other and making hand gestures. It appeared the three of us knew, but kept it from each other. Our wild hands and sounds of clicks filled the cabin when a whirring sound filled the space.
Jeannie rolled her eyes. “Okay, now that the window is up, what the fuck is happening?”
Penny’s arms crossed and she glared at her mother. “Yeah, what is happening?”
Mama Hen told her, “What’s necessary. Try to just enjoy the ride.”
Katie was white as a ghost.
“You okay?” Daisy asked her.
“Um. Are we…are we safe?”
“Safe, for now,” Penny said as she leaned back, arms still crossed.
“We are safe. Just a little detour, hon. Try to relax. Drink your champagne,” Mama Hen answered and apparently that’s all we were sharing. It made sense that if Jackal cracked and told me, Eagle and Falcon wouldn’t be able to keep their women in the dark. But I didn’t know what they knew, and the others didn’t need details. We just had to keep them calm for a while.
“It’s hot in here,” I said, a flush washing over me.
Jeannie found the controls for the AC and turned it up for me. Besides the light hum of the engine and the gentle breeze from the air vents, it was quiet and tense.
My mind raced as I wondered what was happening back at the venue. Jackal still didn’t tell me the master plan, so I had no real idea what they were doing, how long this would take, or what to expect.
Even with the air blowing, I was still hot. Pulling my fan out of my pocket, I waved it furiously as I stared out the window. A hand grabbed mine and I looked over at Lacy, threading my fingers into hers. Daisy took her other hand, and we all gave each other a knowing look.
I could only hope that Jackal kept his promise to not get killed.