Chapter 26
OLIVIA
The first week in Munich wasn’t so bad, and once I started flying co-pilot for Osterh?gen’s secondary crew, I was too busy to think about Ethan.
Well, too busy to spend every moment thinking about him.
Osterh?gen supplied me with a flat, a nice one-bedroom loft over a bakery that smelled amazing and threatened to make my clothes not fit.
I hadn’t heard a word from Ethan since he’d fled my hotel room. His radio silence had an unwanted magnifying effect on my thoughts about him. Even though he seemed able to handle himself with the Abramos, I worried.
I had avoided it long enough. One evening on my U-Bahn ride back to my loft, I called my father and told him I’d taken a new job with Osterh?gen. It sounded like a promotion to be working for a huge name brand, even though I was no longer captain.
My father spent the majority of the conversation talking about Rob anyway. My older brother had just made Staff Sergeant, and my father’s pride overflowed in his words. Good for him, I thought. Rob was an aggressive pain in the ass, but he was a born leader.
After the call was over, I stared at the phone. Soon, Ethan had said. It had been eons since, and no communication. When would whatever he was doing with the Abramos be over?
Then the phone rang. Unfinished Business.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes. Everything’s fine. But I need a favor.”
I closed my eyes so I could concentrate on his voice. “What do you need?”
“I’m sending you a picture. Can you confirm this is the man Vitale met with? The one you overheard talking about shipments and containers? The picture should come through any second. It’s not great, but it’s all we’ve got right now.”
There was a chime on the phone, and I pulled it away from my ear. On the screen was a black and white shot, like surveillance. “Yes,” I said. “That looks like him.”
“Good.” There was a pause, and I swore I heard his breathing pick up. “Now I need another favor.”
“Okay, but you don’t need to ask. I’m all for helping you with—”
“Go to Shawn and Kara’s wedding.”
The train rocked, and I latched a hand onto one of the hanging straps. “What? You told me to stay away from them.”
“The Abramos aren’t interested in the Dunns anymore, and by this time tomorrow, they’ll have their hands full anyway. Trust me, it’s safe.”
My brain spun. Go to their wedding? I didn’t even know them. These were Ethan’s friends, not mine, plus Shawn was my employer. “I’m not invited.”
“I’ll call Jason and get him to give you my invitation.”
“Why?”
He sighed. “Because I can’t go. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to tie everything up here, but honestly, I wish I could. I’d like them to know that. And I was hoping you could tell me about it, next time we see each other.”
“Which is when, exactly?”
I pictured his intense gaze and shivered with anticipation. “Soon.”
It was early evening when the town car carried me and my invitation away from the city, delving into the dense forest that surrounded Munich.
The phone in my matching red clutch teased me, but I resisted.
Instead, my busy hands worried the edge of the invitation that would give me access to the ceremony.
I wanted to know everything about Ethan, and since he was no help, I decided I would glean whatever information I could from his friends.
The town car dropped me off at a farm field that had become a parking lot of luxury automobiles.
Boards, covered with black carpet, formed a path up to the security checkpoint, probably done so the ladies wearing heels wouldn’t sink into the mud.
The checkpoint was staffed with four serious-looking men, all wearing suits and earpieces, and there were probably guns tucked beneath their jackets.
It was cold outside, and as I waited my turn, I pulled my long jacket tighter around my body.
My invitation was scanned, my purse checked, and then I was wanded with a handheld metal detector. The group of people in line in front of me didn’t seem to think anything of it. The brewery had been bombed and tonight’s bride kidnapped at the last major event Shawn had held.
Once I was through security, I was ushered onto an awaiting shuttle with the other guests, and it was a short ride across the grassy field toward a sprawling, wood-timbered mansion in the distance.
Jason’s home was a gorgeous, Bavarian chalet nestled between ancient trees. The shuttle drove around the side of the home, passing another shuttle headed back out, and then pulled to a stop in front of a woman in a black business suit who stood on a stone patio.
She gave a warm smile then directed us to follow the path to the entrance to the tent.
First in German, then English, then other languages Ethan would probably know but I did not.
The red heels Kara’s assistant had sent over last minute carried my unsure feet across the stones and into the enormous white tent that had been set up in the back yard.
The interior was draped in layers of white fabric, and an enormous chandelier hung in the center, but it wasn’t the only light.
Tall candelabras lined the aisle and were decorated with flowers, their greenery spilling down the sides.
A temporary floor had been put down, making the large space feel like a room, and it was so stunningly beautiful, it stole my breath.
It was warm inside the tent, and I was grateful for the coat check they’d offered.
There were space heaters, but also quite a crowd had already gathered, and the buzz of conversation was loud and jovial.
Part of that could have been due to the silver trays of Osterh?gen beer and flutes of champagne that were circulating.
It was ridiculous, but I scanned the crowd for a certain six-and-a-half-foot tall man. But he wasn’t there, and I knew that. Was he thinking about me as often as I was thinking about him?
I’d finished my first glass of champagne when Jason appeared from inside the house, and the crowd of two hundred or so began to quiet and take their seats.
The younger Dunn brother wore a tuxedo, and once again, the clothing fit him perfectly—but looked wrong.
Like polished leather shoes with workout clothes.
Behind him, the groom seemed the opposite.
Like he’d been born in a tuxedo. He wore black tie with the same ease as one of his custom-made suits.
Some of the women around me straightened at the mere sight of Shawn.
He was attractive on a normal day, but tonight he was made even more attractive for what he was about to do.
A commitment to the woman he loved. There was a power in the air, clinging all around. Power and love.
My gaze, along with everyone else’s, followed the groom as he went to stand at the front, nodding hello to guests as he trailed behind Jason.
The string quartet in the corner began to play, and at the back of the aisle, a woman in a black dress stepped forward, clutching a bouquet of red roses.
Light brown hair was pulled up and set at the crown of her head, so her big, blue eyes were striking.
The ballerina from the picture, although now she was a brunette.
Laurel was girl-next-door-pretty, and she moved with a dancer’s grace down the aisle toward her husband and brother-in-law. When she reached the end of the aisle, she turned and looked back, waiting for her sister to make an entrance.
Which Kara did.
The white dress was elegant and sophisticated, finding that perfect balance between classy and sexy.
The lace on the bodice parted so it could plunge deep in the front, revealing her slender neck and just the right amount of cleavage.
Then, the lace gave way at the waist to silk that looked like liquid, pouring over her curves.
While everyone was focused on Kara, I snuck a glance back at Shawn. Seeing his reaction to his bride made my goddamn knees weak.
For a moment, his eyes clouded, and then it was blinked away, but the emotion remained on his face. Unabashed love.
Uncomfortable feelings welled up in my chest. Coming to this wedding had been a really bad idea. This evening would have side effects. Was this part of Ethan’s plan?
The ceremony was short, but Shawn’s kiss at the conclusion was less so. A few people chuckled while others raised eyebrows, and when he finally let his new wife come up for air, her face flushed to match the flowers she carried.
I had to get out of there. Halfway through dinner, seated at a table with everyone twice my age, I began to plot how I was going to escape. The other guests were family, friends, or business connections, and although they were welcoming to me, it was lonely.
I needed to offer my congratulations to the newlyweds and slip away as soon as dinner was over. I’d rather be lonely at my apartment in pajamas, instead of dressed up and lonely around all these people who were in love.
Once I’d finished my slice of cake, I rose from my seat and worked my way closer to the bride and groom to position myself for the goodbye. But a wall of a man stepped in front of me. Jason. His pretty wife was at his side, her blue eyes curious as she gazed at me, and a baby in her arms.
“Thanks for coming,” Jason said. “This is my wife, L, and our son, William.”
L looked even more like her sister when she smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” I glanced at the baby, who slept blissfully unaware of the party going on around him. Most babies were cute, and this one was no exception.
Music filled the tent—a slow, sultry song about love. Shawn led his new wife onto the dance floor and couples began to pair up, drifting to join them. My stomach bottomed out.
“You can’t dance with me,” L said to her husband. “It’s almost time for me to feed him.”
Jason looked relieved at the idea of not having to dance, until she gestured to me.
“Uh . . .” we both said.
I was about as thrilled with this idea as he was. The tables around us emptied. He didn’t look like dancing was his thing, and I was sure it wasn’t personal when he appeared to search for a way out.
“Dance with her,” she commanded. “She came by herself.”
His anxious gaze settled on something and stilled, and his anxiety seeped away. “I only dance when I have a professional helping me,” he said. “And I see someone else who came alone, too.”
I turned, and the crowd parted at that moment, not that it mattered. He was a head taller than most people.
Soon finally became now.