Chapter 58
PIERCE
Madison picked up the skirts of her wedding dress and launched herself down the carpeted corridor into the arms of another woman.
They hugged and clasped hands as they talked over one another.
Greyson approached.
We stood shoulder to shoulder as we watched the girls for a moment.
Without looking at him, I asked, “Are we all set?”
He nodded. “He is waiting in the East Wing. I’m to lure you there under some bullshit pretense.”
“Does he suspect?”
“He’s too drunk and hopped up on rage to be thinking clearly right now.”
“Sounds like my brother.”
Greyson glanced at me. “You’re going to keep your word on this, right? The merger?”
The corner of my mouth lifted as I crossed my arms over my chest. “You fucked my ex-fiancée and conspired with my brother to murder me, and you’re worried about me keeping my word?”
Greyson matched my stance. “For starters it was just a blow job. Besides, she wasn’t right for you.”
“I know.”
“I did you a favor.”
“I know.”
“You could almost say you owe me one.”
I shot him a dirty look.
Undeterred, he continued. “In fact, someone might go so far as to say I was being a true friend.”
“It was a blow job not a bullet.”
Madison and Hailey hugged again. The impact knocked Hailey back a step and she tripped over her long gown. Greyson, who had been watching her closely, launched forward to catch her.
She cast him a shy smile as he kissed the top of her head. His hand lingered, caressing her back for a moment, before he returned to stand by me.
I raised an eyebrow. “So it’s like that?”
He crossed his arms again. “Shut up.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I’m just saying…I never thought…”
He nodded toward Madison. “You’re one to talk.”
“She’s part of the plan.”
“So it’s part of the plan to watch her like she’s your last meal?”
I tilted my head to the side as my gaze traveled over Madison.
Fuck, she looked stunning. It had been a chaotic two days to say nothing of the last few weeks.
She was standing there in a borrowed dress ready to take part in a shotgun wedding and she was still easily the most beautiful woman in the room.
I sighed. “No. You’re right. Nothing about her was part of the plan. ”
Both women laughed.
It was such a pure sound. I’d never get tired of hearing it.
“So it’s like that,” he said.
“It’s like that.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
“If she’s anything like Hailey, she is precisely what you deserved.”
As if on cue, Hailey turned toward us.
The laughter stopped.
She lowered her head and gathered her skirt in her hands like a bull ready to charge. “You entitled piece of shit, twatwaffle, asshat, dumbass, twatwaffle…” Sweeping her arm out she snatched one of a pair of Murano glass bowls from a side table and raised it over her head as she stormed toward me.
Greyson swooped in. Arm around her waist, he wrenched the priceless piece of art from her hand. “I forgot to warn you. She likes to throw shit.” He pressed Hailey closer to his front as he nuzzled her ear. “You said twatwaffle twice, sweetheart.”
“He deserves it. How dare you!”
I glanced at Madison who stood behind her friend. “I know.”
“How dare you fuck with my friend’s life and now you’re using her as fucking bait? How dare you!”
“I know.”
Madison stepped forward and stroked Hailey’s arm. “Hailey, it’s all right.”
Hailey shrugged her off. “It’s not all right and it won’t be all right until I get you away from this dipshit, assgoblin, dickhead.”
I mouthed “assgoblin” to Madison.
She smiled and shrugged.
“Are you done? Because we’re late to start the wedding that will trap my dear brother who is at this moment actively trying to kill us all.”
Hailey swiped the matching Murano bowl and raised it high. “I swear to God, I’m going to save him the trouble and kill you myself.”
“Just make sure you don’t get blood splatter on that wedding dress. I haven’t given up hope of wearing it one day.”
We all turned to see Skylar standing at the end of the corridor.