Chapter 9
Riptide
My eyes scanned the crowd, noting any male of fighting age and his physical conditioning.
The good thing for us was most of these men looked more like other Derek, scrawny and unlikely to be much of a fight when the time came.
That didn’t mean they couldn’t be dangerous.
All zealots were. But there were only about twenty men who seemed to be in the rotation guarding the compound.
Jacob and Bruce were notable exceptions.
They looked like they came straight from ‘Goons R Us’, equipped with a shared brain, limited vocabulary, and ill-fitting suits.
They were the security detail. I tucked all this information away.
Everyone was gathering for my wedding. My.
Wedding. Jesus. My mouth was as dry as the desert surrounding the village.
Nerves tightened my muscles, preparing me if I chose to run.
Not that it was an option. It wasn’t time yet.
It’d only been a few days and I still had so much to learn before we could launch our attack.
Going back to studying the surrounding faces, I tried to ignore the nervous sweat rolling down my spine.
There were plenty of men who got married long before twenty-eight, but it hadn’t ever been something I thought about.
It’d been easy to enjoy the company of women over the years, but one had never caught my eye enough to want to keep her.
Now barely seventy-two hours after getting here I was being assigned one.
I placed my finger between my collar and my neck and pulled. The suit fit perfectly. No one would be able to explain why this damn button down felt like a noose. I glanced around again, looking for the somehow familiar flash of blue. My eyes narrowed when I didn’t find her.
“Make yourself ready, Brother Derek.”
The look I shot at Ethan was probably less than friendly.
I’d never thought of myself as someone who gave away their emotions easily.
There were times I wondered if I had more than one or two, usually happy and relaxed.
But in this situation, I found myself having to force a neutral expression more often than not.
I wasn’t like Hush and Hellfire, the strong, silent, usually grumpy type. Believe it or not, I was more like Butcher and Toxic—though no one wanted to compare themselves to those two assholes—quick to smile and joke around. Not here, though.
Granted I’d only been here for a few days, but damn was I turning into a sullen, pissed off dick in this place. Being myself could get me killed. Not to mention fuck up any opportunity for those who were stuck here.
I hadn’t even gotten started on my true reason for being here since I had a deadline for those finances and my back was fucked up. Music from a stereo nearby started up and everyone in the bleachers stood up.
Steeling myself, I faced the aisle they’d made with some kind of runner placed in the dirt and met the eyes of my bride as she slowly walked toward me. My jaw clenched as I bit back the shock pounding through me. It couldn’t be.
Blazing blue all but spat at me from twenty feet away as Sloane walked herself down the aisle. It took everything in me to keep my jaw from dropping. I glanced over at Ethan, but he was giving Sloane a warning look.
Holy shit. Sloane was the trouble maker.
She was going to be my wife. I probably should have guessed, but I’d just assumed that she was already married.
I thought back to the first time I saw her, when she had stopped a child from getting beaten.
The pieces started to come together, and for a moment I had a glimmer of hope about her.
Relief hit me like a ton of bricks and I quit sweating like a holy man outside of a brothel. Suddenly, this didn’t seem like it was going to be so bad. I still didn’t know if I could trust her, but at least I wasn’t being saddled with some woman I wasn’t interested in.
Hopefully she doesn’t earn you too many beatings.
She marched up to my side and as one we both faced Ethan. Fury was pulsing off her in waves. Her hands were strangling the stems of the bouquet she was holding and I had a feeling she was wishing they were wrapped around my throat.
Ethan started shouting to the crowd. It didn’t seem to matter to him that he was mic’d up this time. Feedback from the speakers nearby blared and he lowered his volume a bit as we all winced.
“You could have warned me last night,” Sloane hissed at me, still looking straight forward.
Turning my head slightly, I studied her angry pinched face.
“I had no idea.” Guilt mixed with the relief as I tried to sort through my emotions.
I couldn’t force myself to feel too badly about this situation because in the end…
I got her. She was my prize. Was it fucked up?
Probably. But I was hoping I could win her over.
“He didn’t tell you that you were getting married?”
“Well, yeah, he did. But not to who.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed on us, a warning to shut up, as he continued talking to the crowd.
Sloane’s head snapped in my direction and she glared. Her eyes sparked, bright and beautiful, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t need to. Her eyes were saying all she needed to. She was hoping I’d drop dead. Too bad for her I was feeling healthy as a horse, though still sore from the whipping.
“...The love that these two share is blessed by your Earth God…”
Sloane’s lip curled up in disgust at Ethan’s words, but then she went back to berating me, just at a lower pitch so Ethan wouldn’t notice.
My lips twitched. I would be as pissed as her at being forced into this if I wasn’t here for another reason entirely.
Her anger was justified. That didn’t mean that I didn’t find her completely gorgeous.
Relief once again flooded me. At least it was her.
She might not want me, but that would be temporary. I’d change her mind.
We repeated the vows that Ethan forced on us.
Exchanged the rings that The Order bought.
Everything here came from him. He didn’t allow for any form of self-expression.
By the time the ceremony was over, Sloane’s hand was in mine and I’d given her a peck on the cheek.
I’d wanted to kiss her properly, but I was still playing a role.
I’d wait until we had some privacy to show Sloane the man she’d agreed, well technically been forced, to marry.
We were whisked off to a bigger building that served as a hall.
People must have been busy all day preparing for this while I’d been neck deep in numbers.
There was food, a large cake, dancing, singing, and it seemed that most of the people living here used this as an opportunity to cut loose and have a good time.
It made me wonder if they did this often or if their lives were filled with long stretches of boredom interrupted only by fear or the occasional happy moment.
The women and children all approached our table and while I was treated with nothing but respect it was easy to see that Sloane was dearly loved. It eased something within my chest to see the others hugging and whispering with her. They looked genuinely pleased for her.
She was a de facto leader of the women and children. No wonder Ethan needed to keep her under control. They all admired her. Beat her too often and you alienate your own people. Let her defy you…you lose credibility. What a predicament we had here.
It’d taken about an hour, but she finally relaxed next to me. She leaned against me as though she was too exhausted to keep the ramrod straight positioning she’d held until then.
I picked up the wine glass someone kept topping off.
I’d have given my left nut for an ice cold beer, but made do with the wine.
Still, I didn’t drink much of it. I noticed my wife, my wife!
, had hardly touched the dinner set before her, but I didn’t insist she eat.
The last thing I wanted was for her to shut down again.
Her slim fingers shook as she picked up her own glass and took a small sip. I wasn’t sure if it was fear, anger, or nerves.
Reaching over, I placed my hand on her thigh. “Want to get out of here?”
Her eyes widened as she looked over at me. “We haven’t even had cake yet.”
“Do you want cake?” I asked her, searching her eyes.
“Not really.” There was a spark of relief there.
“Let’s go.”
I rose and held out my hand for her. My fingers wrapped around hers and I pulled her to her feet. We began walking toward the door.
“Brother Derek. A moment.”
There I went, grinding my teeth again. I leaned in close and whispered to her.
“Wait here.” Turning, I put a smile on my face and walked over to where Ethan and Jacob were speaking with Bruce.
The huge man watched me with suspicion. He’d be one I’d need to keep an eye on and clearly he thought the same as me.
“Thank you for everything tonight, My Lord.” It fucking stung to have to thank him for shit, but I did it.
“You’re welcome. Since tomorrow is technically your honeymoon, I’ll give you one extra day on the finances. We’ll meet Friday morning at eight a.m.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Sign this.”
Taking the paper he handed me, I read it with a frown.
It was a legitimate marriage license. Jacob must have somehow gotten it from Tucson.
How he’d managed to bribe someone there to give over this form without me or Sloane present was a mystery.
I signed the bottom, noting that Sloane’s signature was already there. “When did she sign?”
“When I told her this morning that today was her wedding day.” The smile that spread over his face was smug. “Oh, and Brother Derek.”
I arched a brow in question, pausing as I’d been about to leave.
“I expect to see evidence of the consummation tomorrow.”
My brain stuttered as I tried to figure out what the fuck he meant by that. “What?”
“The sheets,” Jacob added, that ever present glower on his face. “I’ll be over in the morning to collect them.”