CHAPTER 42
JAGGER
The ceremony lasted maybe three minutes. Four if you counted the part where Elvis cleared his throat dramatically and made us repeat vows that were clearly written on the back of a cocktail napkin.
But somewhere in the middle of it—Eden’s hand had tightened around mine. Her eyes were on me the whole time, like she couldn’t quite look away. Like she was still trying to figure out how she’d ended up here.
Standing in a pink chapel.
Handcuffed to a man covered in blood.
Marrying him.
“Elvis has performed a lot of ceremonies in this chapel,” the man said solemnly. “But tonight we celebrate a love that clearly cannot be stopped.”
Maddox made a quiet choking noise behind us, which I ignored, of course.
Elvis looked at Eden. “Do you take this man,” he said, gesturing vaguely at me, “to love, honor, and cherish . . . until death do you part?”
Eden blinked at him. Then she looked at me.
For a second her face crumpled, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
My chest tightened. I had no idea if she was crying because she was happy .
. . or because she couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
Either way, I was confident I could work with it.
“Yes,” she finally whispered.
Elvis nodded approvingly, definitely thinking he’d cleared a big hurdle. I exchanged a look with him that said You and me both, bud.
“And do you—” he began.
“Yes,” I said immediately.
He blinked. “Well . . . all right, then.”
Elvis lifted his hands. “By the power vested in me by the great state of Nevada and the spirit of rock and roll”—he grinned—“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
I didn’t wait for anything else. I pulled Eden against me and kissed her. Her fingers clutched my shirt as I did it, and when her mouth opened against mine, something inside my chest finally unclenched. Like a pressure valve releasing. For the first time all night—I felt calmer.
Maybe it was the fact that she’d chosen me.
Maybe it was the fact that even after finding out about the Syndicate, she was still here.
Or maybe it was just the simple reality that she was my wife now.
She might not understand everything about what I did.
She certainly didn’t know about Ryan yet or any of the other things I’d done to get us here.
But somehow—standing here with her in my arms—that made the whole situation feel a lot more manageable.
Behind us, Elvis clapped enthusiastically. He reached into a plastic bucket and tossed something into the air. Birdseed rained down over us like festive gravel. “Congratulations!” he said proudly.
Eden burst out laughing into my shoulder.
I scooped her back into my arms and carried her down the aisle while birdseed fell off my jacket onto the pink carpet.
“Best wedding ever,” Maddox muttered.
Lawson nodded solemnly. “Very tasteful. I’m an excellent wedding planner.”
“You are,” I told him over my shoulder as I carried Eden back to the car. I slid us into the back seat while Maddox and Lawson climbed into the front.
Maddox started the engine as I pulled out my phone and hit Jace’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Please tell me you’re calling because you murdered someone,” Jace said cheerfully. “I’m bored because Riley decided she needed sleep.”
“I got married,” I said.
There was silence for a second. Then, “You what?”
“I got married.”
“To Eden?” he demanded.
I angled the phone so he could see that Eden was leaning against me in the back seat. Her hair was wild. We were both covered in blood, and birdseed was still stuck in my collar.
Jace stared for a second . . . then he started laughing. “Fucking hell,” he said. “The life of crime is really not agreeing with you two.”
Eden laughed beside me. “Hi, Jace.”
“Sweet merciful fuck,” he said delightedly. “She sounds alive. That’s a promising start. Congratulations,” he added. “I assume there were several felonies involved.”
“Probably,” I said.
“Perfect,” Jace replied.
I shook my head, still smiling. “We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Go enjoy your . . . extremely concerning honeymoon.”
I hung up, and Eden leaned her head against my shoulder as the car pulled away from the chapel.
Maddox caught my eye in the rearview mirror. “So,” he said, “since Gage and Cruz didn’t pick up, are we telling them you just eloped in blood-soaked clothes in a Pepto-Bismol-colored Elvis chapel, or should we let them find out when they see the wedding photos Lawson’s definitely already leaking?”
Lawson snorted from the passenger seat. “I’ve already sent the group chat a blurry screenshot. Caption says, ‘Jagger finally made an honest woman out of her.’”
Eden let out a tired laugh against my neck.
I sighed. “You two are assholes.”
“Yeah,” Maddox said cheerfully. “But we saved your life, so you have to accept it.”
The cuff between our wrists shifted softly as the car moved, and I turned it once with my thumb, feeling the solid weight of the lock still holding it closed. I glanced down at Eden.
“Can we unlock this?” she murmured sleepily.
I thought about it for a moment, then tightened my fingers around hers. “Not yet.”
She smiled against my shoulder, and neither of us let go.
Maddox glanced back again in the mirror a couple of minutes later. “You really think this is over?” he asked quietly.
I looked down at Eden, who was now sleeping, a temporary ill-fitting ring glinting on her finger that Lawson had gotten from who knows where.
“No,” I said as I kissed her temple. “But tonight, it is.”
The SUV merged onto the highway. Around us, Vegas glittered, beautiful and ruthless. And somewhere out there, the Irish were already planning their next move.
Let them come. I had a wife now.
And I’d burn the whole city down before I let anyone touch her again.