Chapter Six
Roarke
“I think those people are staring at us.”
Elena leans into my side, fear in her voice.
My head whips around, and I place a hand around her shoulders and pull her to my chest, scanning for danger.
Damnit, I didn’t bring my gun—wouldn’t have gotten it through security anyway.
My first thought is that Yuri Balshov or Elena’s father has somehow tracked us to the courthouse, but when I look around, I am met by two familiar faces.
“Christ,” I mutter under my breath, my hand tightening around my soon-to-be wife. “How the hell did they find us?”
“Who are they?”
“The bane of my existence,” I say, but some of the affection I carry for the two interlopers bleeds through in my voice as they approach us.
“Wait, they kind of look like you,” Elena muses, pushing back to study the two men walking toward us, huge grins on their faces. “Are they your siblings?”
“Unfortunately,” I mutter as they stop next to us.
Conor and I favor our father—his large frame and dark hair—while Fiona takes after our mother with her red hair.
But certain O’Shea features, like our blue eyes, are dominant in all three of us.
One look and anyone would pin us for siblings. “What the hell are you two doing here?”
Fiona speaks first, a great choice of a spokesperson, as she knows that I have a soft spot for her. “That’s no way to speak to your siblings,” she says, her eyes shifting from mine to Elena. “Hi, my name is Fiona. This Neanderthal’s little sister.”
Elena laughs, putting out a hand to shake Fiona’s. “I’m Elena, his…”
“Bride?” Fiona teases, earning a blush from Elena. “Sorry, I just assumed seeing that both of you are at a courthouse, holding a marriage license, and queued up to see the judge.”
“Enough, Fiona,” Conor laughs, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her to the side before taking her spot. “My name is Conor, the Neanderthal’s brother.”
Elena takes his hand too, offering him a smile in turn.
“We figured you guys would need witnesses for this marriage deal.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and beg for patience. “I’ll ask again, in case no one heard me the first time. What are you two doing here? How did you find us?”
“We heard you the first time,” Fiona snarks and doesn’t seem one bit fazed when I turn to glare at her.
“Fine, alright. Jesus.” She brushes her hair off her shoulder before shoving Conor from her original spot.
“So, you know how I’m O’Shea Protection Services’s official hacker?
So it’s kind of my job to know what everyone is doing.
And also as your little sister, it’s my role to stick my nose in all of your business. ”
“Fiona, what did you do?”
“Nothing illegal,” she says out loud before leaning in.
“So, I may or may not have placed a line of code in the city records system and set up alerts for anything that involves our name. Of course, I would never admit to such a thing without my lawyer present.” She laughs at her own joke.
“Anyway, it’s there so I’ll know if any of you ever get in trouble with the police or a warrant is issued for any of us.
I’ll add your name to the system, Elena,” she tells the girl standing next to me.
“Um…thanks?”
“You’re welcome,” she beams. “So, anyway, imagine my shock this morning when I got an alert. My fragile little heart was worried that one of you was in trouble, but imagine my surprise when I realized that the alert was because a marriage license in my brother’s name had been issued.
And that you’d made a same-day appointment to get married.
” She slaps a hand to her heart dramatically.
“And you didn’t even tell me you were getting married.
I expected this from Conor, but not you, Roarke. ”
I sigh, already exhausted—and it’s only eleven. “Fiona—”
“She called me, distraught,” Conor adds, fueling the fire. “She had to hack into your phone to find you.”
Why the hell is the line taking so long? “I don’t have time to explain,” I start.
“Yes, you do,” Fiona points out. “There are like five more couples in the line ahead of you.”
Goddamnit!
“Look, guys—”
“He’s doing it for me,” Elena, who’s been mostly silent during my exchange with my annoying siblings, cuts in. All focus shifts to her. “I…I’m sorry that he didn’t tell you about this. I begged him not to in case it got back to my father.”
“What do you mean?” Fiona asks. “Is this some kind rebellion because I have to say, as someone who finds joy in causing a little mayhem at home, marriage is not the answer.”
“My father wants me to marry Yuri Balshov.”
All conversation stops.. I have to say, I’ve never seen my siblings stunned into silence for this long.
Still, I read the horror on Fiona’s face and the rage on my brother’s.
We all know about Yuri and the kind of man he is.
There have been rumors for a long time that the man has been involved in human trafficking, and everyone does their best to avoid dealing with him.
The man has a mean streak and can hold a grudge.
“You can’t be serious,” Fiona gasps, finally finding her voice. “What kind of father would do that to his daughter?”
“Mine,” Elena says. “He already had the marriage license on hand and was waiting for Yuri and the officiant to arrive before Roarke helped me escape.”
“Fuck!” Conor curses, running a hand through his hair. “Yuri is like a manic when he sets his eyes on a woman.”
Don’t I know it. Still, I toss a warning look to Conor.
I’ll worry about Yuri after Elena becomes my wife; it’s not necessary to add to her nerves.
She is convinced Yuri will leave her alone if she gets married, and I can’t have her worrying about that now.
Once she’s my bride, Yuri becomes my problem to deal with.
“You have to promise me not to tell Da and Mum about this.”
“You’re getting married, Roarke, they’re going to find out,” he points out.
“Not until I get this sorted out.”
“Oh, Mum is going to skin your hide when she finds out her oldest son got married behind her back,” Fiona chirps, suspiciously excited by the prospect.
Fuck, she’s right. As a seasoned military veteran, one who has faced more blood and horror than any man should in his lifetime, nothing scares me more than my Irish mother’s temper.
She is indeed going to skin my hide for keeping this from them, but I’ll deal with the consequences when the time comes.
“I’ll tell her myself. You two are going to keep this from them until I’m ready.”
“Fine,” Fiona says with an eyeroll, stepping forward and sliding her arm into Elena’s before tugging her to her side. “Semantics aside, I’m really happy to meet you, Elena. I can already tell we’re going to be best friends.”
There is a sweet smile on Elena’s face as she turns to Fiona, and the heart I didn’t think I had tugs as I watch my siblings with my bride.
The same heart clenches with affection when we say our vows. Moments later, I find myself wishing that this were a real wedding with our families present to witness the event. We haven’t had time to talk about what this could mean outside of keeping Yuri away.
How long will we last once Yuri is no longer a threat?
I have questions, ones I should have asked before purchasing a marriage license. What happens after this? Do we live as a married couple, or will she insist on moving back home?
I want everything, I realize. Her heart, body, and soul.
After the sex last night, I got the best night’s sleep in…
I can’t remember. Six full hours of nothing but blissful rest, and I’m selfish enough to want more nights like those.
More mornings when I wake up to her beautiful face.
More days when I get to call her mine, both on paper and in reality.
A chroí.
She keeps the demons and the darkness they bring at bay with her light. I can’t lose her. I won’t! Even if I have to fight Yuri to the death, Elena stays with me.
Mine!