28. Ronan
RONAN
“ W here is the wedding?”
I grabbed the first person I could find and pressed her against the wall, holding her by the neck.
“I don’t know. What wedding?”
Talon held up his phone.
“She’s here, I just can’t get a better idea of where.”
I grabbed his phone and shoved it at the girl.
“This tells me my wife is here,” I said the words to make a point.
“But you said wedding. Is she a guest? Maybe we can find her name at the front desk?” the girl said.
I growled and let her go.
“Show us where the banquet hall is. This hotel isn’t that big.”
I wanted to scream. There were only so many places a wedding could be, but this hotel was old and had a few too many badly designed additions.
The hotel was a winding mess of a maze.
“This way.”
She walked, and we followed, but Jett’s patience was thinner than ice in spring.
“If you walk any slower, lady, you’re going to be finding a funeral, and you’ll be the guest of honor.”
Her pace picked up. One turn then another, and then a hallway with several doors.
“What are these rooms?”
There weren’t any normal room numbers, just room A and B.
“Uh. Dressing rooms, I think. I don’t know. I don’t work the events.”
I reached for a door while Knox went for the other. Talon continued down toward the actual hall. What the fuck?
Jett took out his gun and watched all three of us the best he could.
I tested the knob and so did Knox, both were locked. Behind door number one though, my door, I could hear muffled sounds, and one I swore was our girl.
I nodded to Knox. It was best that we left no door unopened. One look later and Knox and I slammed our bodies into the doors, and they opened with a splinter and crack. I’d add cheap and old to the Yelp review later.
I didn’t hesitate. Hesitating meant doubt, and I had none.
Seconds and I was in, and the scene before me? Fuck no.
I cocked the gun at the same time I pressed the barrel to Carrow’s temple.
My vision tinted red the more I took in the view.
Her wedding dress tossed aside and her nearly naked body under his.
“You had better be checking her pulse and getting the fuck off her,” was all I said.
Carrow didn’t get much of a chance to answer because Jett came in ready for a fight.
“I’m going to shoot and ask questions later, okay, babe?”
Margaux couldn’t move, not enough to see Jett, but she didn’t need to.
“Get him off me,” was all she said.
A knife went flying through the air, stabbing Carrow between his shoulder blades and possibly missing his spinal cord with the way he jerked backward.
“A knife is quieter, Jett. Now go get her,” Knox said.
The door slammed and bounced back open and closed again in a tight, splintered way as Talon came in.
“The wedding isn’t huge, but big names for sure. I think this is uncle's last-minute planning with Barone, who is indeed inside.”
I looked at Carrow, realizing he was still screaming. Strange how after a while you just didn’t care about their cries anymore.
“Carrow, Carrow, Carrow. Tell me what you think you know,” Jett said, grabbing a chair and sitting next to where Carrow was breathing heavily attempting to feel for the knife. It was a pretty good hit and a pretty small knife.
“I wouldn’t pull that out or Knox will replace it with a bigger one,” I said.
Talon grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped it around Margaux.
“Are you hurt, little bird?” I asked.
She shook her head, and I don’t know if it was to prove a point to me or Carrow or anyone else that she was fine, but she leaned against Talon and kissed him. Slowly, she moved toward Knox and hugged him, kissing his cheek before moving to Jett and I, who were the closest to Carrow.
She sat on Jett’s lap, still able to see Carrow, and kissed him while Carrow’s brow broke out in a sweat.
“What the fuck?”
His eyes were wide, and as much as I thought shock could have been kicking in, I didn’t think that’s what he was referring to.
“Carrow, what is your question?” I asked, like I fucking cared.
“She… Margaux, all of them?”
We let her handle this because something in the way she held herself said it was clear she wasn’t the scared little girl anymore. Her hand reached for me while she stayed on Jett’s lap.
“Carrow, meet my legal husband that I was telling you about, oh and my men that I choose to spend the rest of my life with.”
Calling us her men was hot. But seeing the light fade out of Carrow’s eyes at the mention of legal husband?
“Something tells me you just realized this is game over, didn’t you, sweetheart?” Jett asked Carrow.
“Margaux, give us a list of those that have hurt you today,” I said.
Knox flipped a much larger knife in his hand, skilled enough to not cut himself, but even if he had, I swear the bastard liked the pain.
“Yeah, angel. Wedding presents like this? It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Knox said.
Talon stood by the door.
“Text me as she names them off, and I’ll make sure they make it in here.”
He stepped out the door, whistling as he went back down the hall.
“My uncle.”
“Mr. Thorne.”
“Angelino Barone.”
“Oh, Miss Schmidt, my dear, dear nanny.”
Carrow seemed to relax even as he watched her crouch down in front of him. She ran her finger down the bridge of his nose and then flicked the tip of it with her finger.
“I think I have one more name. Can you guess who that is, ex?”
The fucker actually whimpered.
“That’s right. You. Carrow Thorne.”
I grabbed my phone and started to text Talon. Barone would know who Talon was, but none of the others would, and even with that, my father thought he couldn’t be touched.
“Move Carrow to the bathroom, just until we get everyone else seated. Also, Knox, contact our guy about cameras,” I said.
“Pretty girl, do my dick a solid and put on that ugly-ass dress the Thornes picked for you. Maybe we shouldn’t have been so worried. With taste like that, I don’t think he can get it up,” Jett said.
Carrow grunted in pain as Jett grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Come on, limp dick. You don’t want the party to be ruined just yet, do you?”
Carrow’s face had grown pale, and the blood soaking his shirt might have been half the reason.
“If I follow you, you won’t kill me?” Carrow asked.
Margaux was already shimmying her ass into the dress that I suddenly agreed with Jett on. It was ugly and not our girl at all.
“What do you think, Margaux? Are we sparing this good little old floppy dick if he goes peacefully?” Jett asked.
She paused, her arms struggling to reach the zipper.
“Do we have to?” she asked.
I moved toward her.
“Let me, beautiful.”
I couldn’t stop myself from kissing down that smooth, soft skin of hers. I kissed down her neck to her collar bone to her shoulder. I kept kissing down her back realizing it wasn’t even just her body that would do anymore, it was the pure presence of her.
I got to the zipper, and god help me, I pulled the damn thing up inch by inch with my mouth until it stopped just above her ass.
“There you go, little bird. The cut is all wrong, but at least poor Jett can focus now.”
Who was I kidding? Margaux turned around, and I nearly jumped out of my skin when her finger ran along the bulge in my pants.
“Just Jett?”
My phone buzzed and I opened the text from Talon.
Talon: Little pigs on their way
“Show time, little bird. Get them to sit down.”
Knox and Jett both took to the bathroom, and I moved behind a curtain.
The door opened and Mr. Thorne was the only one to give the door a second glance.
“What happened? Where’s Carrow?” he demanded.
Margaux lifted the stupid skirt of the dress to walk closer.
“He’s getting me some help. Didn’t he come to you first?”
The men now in the room looked between each other.
“Help? Margaux what in the hell do you need help with? All you have to do is walk that ass of yours down the aisle, say I do, and sign the marriage certificate,” the senator said.
Margaux batted her eyes, and I had a perfect view.
“But you see, uncle, there’s the problem. It turns out I already have a husband.”
I watched Talon get the door closed and move a chair in front of it. It wasn’t going to hold for long, but then again, it didn’t matter.
“When the hell did you and Carrow sneak off to do that?” asked Mr. Thorne.
This time Margaux moved closer. She was braver than I would have expected. The three men in question had made plenty of grown men cry, and she was sauntering up to Barone like he was a kitten.
“Not Carrow. He lacks the ability to commit, if you know what I mean.”
Margaux had lost her damn mind. She reached for the collar of Barone’s shirt, and I made sure my gun was raised and ready. I saw Talon shift and knew he was doing the same.
“It’s funny how my uncle killed my parents to keep me away from your son, just for Ronan and the rest of my men to find me anyway. And Mr. Barone, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but those boys are men of action.”
Barone watched her. He didn’t trust anyone, but he might underestimate her.
She shifted herself closer to her uncle.
“Let’s revisit this ‘walk my ass down the aisle’ thing. Oh and,” she said and paused, turning to Talon, “maybe get our guests something to drink. Something strong that might help ease their nerves.”
The three bigger-than-life men dwarfed our girl, but she was giving Talon an opportunity.
“Of course, Margaux. Gentleman, please have a seat for our girl.”
My spot in the curtains was more useful than I would have thought. Perfect distance to hear everything. I tried to keep my movements still, but I texted all my boys, including the two stuck with Carrow in the bathroom.
Me: Talon, have a plan?
I waited in silence and listened to the three assholes that had hurt Margaux and would continue to do so. They would assume she was alone now.
“This wedding is happening regardless of what you want. When Carrow gets back, I expect you two to play nice and smile,” the senator said. The pretentious prick crossed his legs as he acted like he owned the chair.