27. Seek Forgiveness, Not Permission
27
Seek Forgiveness, Not Permission
Matt
We manage to have the shortest, most basic honeymoon in the history of honeymoons. Food is delivered to our door, courtesy of Kaian, and fresh clothes for Jessica are delivered to the door, courtesy of Marieka.
But just as suspected, not even twenty-four hours later, there’s a louder knock on the door, this one much more authoritative and foreboding.
I open the door to find Seamus on the other side, and though I’m a bit relieved to have it be him instead of any number of the other assholes who it could have been, I’m still annoyed he showed up so soon.
He steps inside the room, closing the door behind him. He makes no move to sit or get comfortable. He just looks at me, then at Jessica, and then back at me and says, “Time’s up.”
Jessica interjects from across the room, “Surely, there’s another way.”
He raises his brows at her and says, “Come now, daughter. I know you’re smarter than that.”
She rolls her eyes and snorts as she says a touch belligerently, “Like you fucking know anything about me.”
His lips twitch, and for a moment, I wonder if he’s going to smile. But then his lips turn down, and he frowns at her as he says, “Regardless, you know certain restitutions will need to be made.”
She glares back at him but says nothing, so I cross the room, grab onto her biceps and pull her close as I say, “It’ll be fine, Jess. You’ll see.”
She raises her chin at me obstinately, and I sigh. Knowing there’s nothing I can say to make her feel better about the situation, I release her, turning back to Seamus and asking, “How many?”
“I haven’t the foggiest.”
“Not even a guesstimate?”
He shakes his head, his hands coming out and waving around as he replies, “I attempted to count at first, but then there were just too many people, and I couldn’t figure out who was regular pissed at you and who was pissed at you enough to kill you. So, I gave up.”
“That’s fair,” I reply seriously. After a couple of decades working with the likes of Darius and Tony, I’m sure the list of people out for my blood is rather extensive.
“Is everything in place?” I ask.
“Yes,” he answers, his arms crossing over his chest as he adds, “Good luck recognizing anyone.”
I walk toward the dresser, rummaging through the drawers and pulling out clothes to dress appropriately as I ask, “What do you mean?”
“I had an associate of mine pay your friends a visit.”
“Yes, I remember that,” I answer with a nod.
“Well, let’s just say she’s a master of disguises.”
I pause with one leg in my pants and look over at him with my eyebrows raised as I say, “Then how the fuck am I supposed to know who I’m not supposed to kill?”
He smiles at me broadly and shrugs, and I shake my head, cursing under my breath as I finish putting my pants on.
My boots appear in front of my face as Jessica hands them to me. I take them with a smile and sit in the chair to pull my socks on. Then, she says, “Is it safe for me to assume that these friends are my ticket out of here?” Seamus nods, and then she asks, “And how am I supposed to know that I’m leaving with the right person?”
Seamus smiles even more broadly as he says, “Oh, they have a password.”
She quirks a brow at him, her lips twisting as she asks exasperatedly, “A password?”
He nods, looking quite proud of himself, and finally, I ask, “And what might the password be?”
He laughs and then says, “Fucklicker.”
I chuckle, nodding appreciatively at one of Tony’s clever insults. And then Jessica parrots, “Fucklicker?”
I laugh again, tying my boots and then rising to my feet. I walk over to her, stooping down to look her in the face when I say, “That’s right. Fucklicker.”
Seamus laughs again, and then she looks between us and says, “You all keep proving the rumors about you to be true.”
I incline my head at her and ask rhetorically because it amuses me, “And which rumor might that be?”
“Your penchant for acting inappropriately in high-stress situations.”
“Oh, yeah,” I reply. “That’s definitely true.”
Seamus speaks up. “Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. And frankly, oftentimes, a few misplaced jokes can flip a situation back into your favor.”
I look over at him and nod in agreement. “It’s actually happened quite a few times for me.”
“You two are impossible,” Jessica sighs.
I smile and respond, “As you have reminded me many times.”
She smiles at me fondly and then sits on the side of the bed to tend to her own shoes, and I turn back to Seamus and ask, “Am I going to get any talking time, or is it going to be right to the fights?”
“I think some of them are intent on skipping any kind of discussion. Especially since those men are dead dead, and you obviously killed them.”
“And Kaian?” I ask worriedly.
“They’ve accepted that he was working for me. And that if it hadn’t been for your interference, none of that would have happened.”
“Good,” I reply with relief. “The last thing we need is two of us in trouble.”
I turn to Jessica, now standing beside me, her hands fidgeting in front of her nervously. I hold my hand out to her and ask, “Are you ready?”
She eyes my hand warily before finally placing her hand in mine, and she whispers, “Yes. As ready as I’m going to be.”
I step in closer to her, leaning in, pressing my lips softly against hers before pulling back and looking in her eyes. “Don’t forget your promise.”
She frowns, glaring at me, and for a moment, I think she’s going to tell me to go fuck myself. But instead, she swallows and then answers, “I’ll remember.”
I walk toward the door, pulling her along with me, and then motion for Seamus to go ahead of us. He opens the door, exiting out into the hallway, and I push Jessica out in front of me as I shut the door behind me.
Seamus leads the way, and the closer we get to the great hall, the louder the ruckus becomes. There’s shouting and some laughter, and general chaotic din of people intent on bloodshed.
Once we reach the doorway, the sound is almost deafening, but we only make it a few steps into the room before everything goes quiet, and then all we hear are whispers and the tittering of expectation.
I walk further into the room, but Seamus stops in front of me and says, “She should stay over here.”
I nod and turn to Jessica, who is already shaking her head. When she opens her mouth to argue, I interrupt, “Yes, sugar. This is the safest place for you. If somehow things go to complete shit before my friends have come for you, find Kaian or Seamus.”
She’s still shaking her head, and I see the panic in her eyes as she glances around the crowded room. I grip her face between my palms, forcing her to look at me as I say fervently, “You’re my answer. Don’t forget.”
She stares back at me, and I see that she’s fighting the panic, so I yank her closer, pressing my lips against hers firmly and then pulling back and saying, “Forgive me.”
Now, she frowns, continuing to shake her head as she processes my words, but I don’t give her time to ask any questions.
I turn, walking into the crowd, ready to fight.