Black Wedding by Emma Luna
After spending what feels like forever on the phone with Kellan, my tech expert and best friend, he reassures me that he has assessed and upgraded Paddy O’Keenan house, so that it now runs on his security, not theirs. He did confirm that there was nothing he found suspicious, and it did look like the old man was honest when he said he had no intention of hurting us. He clearly idolises Bree, and it’s hard not to.
We have been in my hidden apartment for over twenty-four hours, and I have mostly just been leaving her to herself. I gave her the bedroom, after tying her up I figured it was time to at least show her a little kindness. She comes out to eat with me, or to chill out and watch a movie, but we never really talk. I keep finding myself staring at this beautiful woman walking around in my t-shirts, and wondering what the hell is going on in her brain.
As she walks she carries herself with this easy confidence, and she looks like the ruler she wants to be. Then she catches me looking and she quickly lowers her eyes and blushes, almost like she is embarrassed. Maybe she is. Either way, if I am going to marry this girl, and be involved with this crazy family, then I need to get to know her a hell of a lot better first. I need to make sure she is worth swapping one ridiculous family for another.
Once I had word from Kellan that I was free to move into the old man’s estate, I shouted to Bree to let her know we could leave.
“Oh, before I forget, do you need us to go home so you can pick anything up?” I ask her as we are getting ready to leave. I have a large bag full of my clothes and other things, then I have a bag for any work I may need to do.
“No chance. My father will shoot you on sight, whether Gramps has rescinded his kill order or not. I have some clothes at Gramps’ house, and I texted asking him to arrange a credit card and new phone for me. So, I should have everything I need waiting for me, but thanks,” she said, that slight blush tinting her pale, red cheeks.
“Did you really just say you texted your grandfather and asked for a new credit card and he just sent you one?” I scoff. I knew there were people who lived like that, I just didn’t think Bree would be like that. I mean, when I first kidnapped her, I saw her as a little mafia princess, but now I know she is so much more than that.
“It’s just for things like food. If I access the money in my bank, my father will trace it. Yet, if I spend Gramps’ money he will have the records protected. I always keep a record and pay him back. He goes mad about it, says it’s normal for a grandfather to spoil his favourite grandchild.” She laughs and it literally tingles through my ears right down to my cock. How does the sound of just her laughing do that to me?
“I hadn’t expected you to say you pay him back,” I answer honestly and she shrugs her shoulders, almost like she hears that answer all the time.
“I said I will try, he doesn’t always accept. Don’t judge me before you get to know me because if you do this thing will never work. How about we make a deal? For the next two months, we just get to know each other, like we would do if we were dating almost. Then a week before we are due to meet with Gramps and make the final decision, we will talk about if we are capable of doing this. So no hard stuff until then. Just the ‘getting to know you’ bit?” she asks, looking up at me through her long lashes. It’s not a bad idea.
“So, nothing you wouldn’t talk about for the first month of dating. That kind of thing?” I reply.
“Exactly.” A smile creeps across her gorgeous face as I start to nervously chuckle. She looks confused by my anxiety and her eyebrows raise in question.
“I would find it easier to tell you that I kill people for a living and come from a messed up Irish crime Family, rather than tell you about some of the girls I’ve seen in the past.” Now her smile returns and as she lightly giggles along with me, I realise her laughter is exactly what I want to hear.
“Well, I’m keen to hear about all the ways you met your past women. I’m hoping kidnap and ransom isn’t something you use for everyone,” she jokes, and honestly, I’m not sure she really wants to know the answer. I cock my eyebrow, silently asking if this is really where we are starting with the hard topics.
“Maybe we should at least get unpacked first?” I ask and this time she full-on laughs and agrees. She looks so much younger and freer when she laughs. She doesn’t appear as serious as I have come to expect from her in just the last day or so. I know she is trying to make it in a very male dominated world which is not going to be an easy feat, she is going to have to come across as a hard faced bitch. But I’m really pleased to know she can turn that persona on and off.
Before I even realise what she is doing, she drops the bag she is carrying. It’s only got some random bits of food and household things we decided to bring until we could shop for the rest. She insisted on carrying something and moaned like crazy when I gave her the lightest item. I couldn’t exactly give her the case full of weapons that weighed a tonne. As soon as the bag hits the floor she takes the weapons bag off me and places it on the floor, and takes hold of my hand. She starts walking into the main area of the house, pulling me along after her, our fingers laced together and I have no choice but to drop the rest of the suitcases to follow her.
From the second our hands touched, I felt almost like the opposite of an electric shock, and I say opposite because rather than me wanting to recoil and pull away from the sensation her hand causes against mine, I want to pull it close. The tingle against my palm spreads over my entire body and I feel it in my nerve endings, heat chasing through my veins. It also seems to have a direct line with my cock because I feel myself straining against my jeans, begging to be freed. If she wasn’t pulling me to follow her, I think my cock would be leading the way and ensuring we follow wherever she wants to go.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been with girls in the past. In fact, I’ve been with a few more than I should have, but it comes along with the lifestyle. I travelled to different cities, scoping out my targets, sometimes for months at a time. In that time, I was able to become whoever I wanted to be and fuck wherever I wanted, to detract from the job I was there to do. I don’t say that because I don’t like my job as I do. What I hate is that I was never given a choice. Most kids are encouraged to experiment, think about all the different avenues they could explore and all the different things they could become. Not me. I was raised to be an assassin. I was forced into this world. My family decided what skills they needed and I had no choice but to become what they needed. I may work for myself now, but for years I was given no choice. I had to work for my father, until I was brave enough to risk everything and leave.
I was eight when I saw my first kill, and I learnt to turn off my emotions pretty quickly after that. I’m not your typical hitman who is usually sadistic, who doesn’t have any idea about emotions, and lives for the kill. That’s not me. I kill because it’s what I’m good at, and it’s all I know, but I have morals. I choose which jobs I take on, and I never kill anyone that I don’t think deserves it. I make it quick, never one to torture. I am not someone who typically likes to cause pain in any aspect of my life. Yet, if the need called for it, to protect what is important to me, I would stop at nothing to bring the person responsible down, painfully. My mind instantly flashes to this alluring girl in front of me who is leading me into the biggest kitchen I have ever seen with the most dazzling smile on her face. I would burn the world down to destroy anyone who hurts her.
As she takes me on a tour of the house, I am in awe of the amazing place. I expect to see her grandfather’s things everywhere, but there is nothing. Every room we go to seems to be even bigger and better than the last.
“Where are all your grandfather’s things?” I enquire.
“Oh, this is just one of his many holiday homes. I can’t actually remember the last time he used it. With Gran being unwell, they don’t travel much. I was here a lot as a kid, but it has been years. I forgot how beautiful this place is,” she muses before continuing to answer my initial question. “He will have sent someone to collect what little things he does keep here when they brought the stuff for me. He told me they left it in the living room, so I will grab it after the tour,” Bree replies as she pulls me up the stairs.
There are six bedrooms in total and, feeling gentlemanly, I offer her the large master bedroom. In true Bree style, she laughs. “It’s not your bedroom to give away. You didn’t think I was going to let you take that massive bed, did you?” she jokes as she points to the large bed in the middle of the room. My mind goes to some very sexy places that include me, Bree, and that bed. I open the en-suite door to continue my tour and try to get my cock to calm down.
The master bedroom has a giant en-suite with a shower big enough to fit about six people. Not to mention the massive walk-in closet that I am sure she will love. I mention this and she scoffs, saying she would prefer the weapons room to that. Fuck, she really might be my perfect girl.
I choose the bedroom right next door to hers and make all sorts of bullshit about it being for security, even going as far as saying that the view and balcony drew me in. It’s all lies. I just wanted to be close to her. The desire to get to know her, spend time with her, and protect her echoes through every fibre of my being. Every time she smiles at me, cracks a joke that makes her laugh, or even when she gets snarky with me, I want to fall at her knees and worship her. I have been attracted to women before, but the way I feel about my little firecracker could be my downfall.
Thankfully, we part after the tour so we can both get settled in. We agreed to meet up in a couple of hours for a pizza. I stayed in my room getting unpacked. As I am getting settled in, my tablet starts making a tingling sound letting me know I am getting a video call, and that can only be from one person. Settling on the bed, sitting up with my back against the headrest, I open my tablet and accept the call. I am greeted by the sight of my best friend, looking extremely exhausted, holding onto the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen. She is only two months old, but she looks so much smaller compared to her daddy’s large, bulky frame. Her normally wide, piercing blue eyes are closed and her cute little mouth is sitting open in the shape of an O. She is wearing the cutest pink dress and has a pink bow on the top of her head. She doesn’t have much hair yet, and those she does have are so light they almost appear white, which makes it look like she is bald. Even if she was bald, I would still adore this little girl with all my heart.
“Alright, Brother. You are looking exhausted. How’s my baby girl doing?” I ask Kellan. He may not be my real blood brother, but I am closer to him than I have ever been to any of my real asshole brothers.
Kellan and I grew up together. His father worked with mine, and after his father was killed working for our Family, he came to stay with us. My father wanted Kellan to join our Family business, but I made it very clear he was to be kept out of it. Kel wears his heart on his sleeve, and it would eat him alive if he had to live my life. Luckily, my father has no idea that Kel is a world class hacker. He is probably the best in the business, but he keeps his talents hidden. He pushes himself, simply because he wants to. Once, he hacked into New Scotland Yard and gave the people who arrested his father’s killer a raise. He then wrote to them, anonymously of course, telling them about the back door access he had found, and the code he had written to fix it for them. Obviously, he left a little hole that only he could find. You never know when someone in our business might need to get in.
Kellan has been working with me since I branched off from my family, and started working independently. He hacks security feeds, helps me to assess my clients and targets. He also covers up my hits, making all traces of me even being in that city disappear within seconds. I would be lost or in prison without him. But since Hallie was born he has had a real struggle adapting. Being a single dad is hard, but I know he wouldn’t change it for the world. That little girl, my god-daughter, has him wrapped around her little finger without even trying.
“She’s a fucking angel when she is asleep. Sadly, this doesn’t last very long. The health visitor who came to weigh her and do all her checkups basically said she’s a little smaller than average, but that isn’t a bad thing. She is consistently growing, which is good. Apparently, this new sleep pattern where she wakes up every two hours to feed is normal. She may be having a growth spurt. It’s either that or she is becoming a vampire because the girl has no concept that you sleep at night, not during the day,” he says, almost like a whisper. He keeps casually casting his eyes down to check on Hallie, no doubt hoping she doesn’t wake up.
“She is not a vampire. If the professional says it’s normal then it is. I’m glad Hal’s going through a growth spurt, maybe I won’t feel like I’m going to break her every time I pick her up if she’s a bit bigger,” I joke, but it’s true. The first time I held her, she was five hours old and weighed just over six pounds. I was terrified, but never has someone captured my heart so quickly. Looking at her perfect, tiny face, with the same wide piercing blue eyes she still sees on me now, I knew she had me. It was almost like I realised for the first time in a long time that I was capable of loving someone. I had forgotten I had a heart until Hallie woke it up. Though now it might be beating for another girl in the room next door.
“I hope so too. Fuck, mate, I am dying here. I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” my best friend whispers, and I see his face crumpled as the words leave his mouth. I know just saying the words out loud will have slaughtered him, and I think the only other time I have seen his eyes fill with tears was when she was born. He looks at Hallie, like she may have heard him, and that causes him to fall further. I hate seeing him like this.
“Hey! Kellan, listen to me right now. That little girl isn’t looking for perfection. She knows you are going to fuck things up as you go. All she needs is for you to be there for her, take care of her, and show her the love she needs. No matter how tired you get, that’s not going to change. All she wants is to be loved and cared for. You not only can do that, you have to. She has nobody else,” I say firmly. I hate that I am playing the emotional manipulation card, but it’s true.
“My mum was here today,” he starts and I can’t help interrupting him.
“Fuck, I should have known as soon as I saw the bloody bow. If she voiced her opinion that Hallie looks too much like a boy to be beautiful again, I may have to reevaluate my no punching women stance,” I grind out, fury rippling over my body. His mother is a right piece of work, and I should have known she played a part in this depressive episode. When I spoke to him yesterday about the security on this place, he was fine. It never occurred to me that he would have had to ask his mum to babysit to do the job. I just had visions of him bringing her, attached to his chest with that sling she loves to be in so much, as he teaches her all about her daddy’s job. If I had known I would have taken her. My desire to keep her away from that witch runs deep. She was incapable of raising Kellan, so why the fuck she feels she can comment on how he raises his little girl is beyond me.
“She wants custody, Liam. She said she is going to go to court if I don’t sign the rights over. Asshole husband number five, with very deep pockets, has offered to buy the best lawyer in the country to help her fight. She says she is going to paint me as an unfit father. If I don’t want to drag Hallie through social service assessments, and court cases then I have to hand her over. I’m fucked,” he explains, the tears now falling free as he stares at the beauty in his arms.
“Fuck, I thought I hated that bitch before, but that’s nothing compared to what I am feeling now. Look, Kel, we fight this. You have raised that beautiful little girl that you are currently cradling, all by yourself since her piss poor excuse for a mother left her at just five hours old. You are the one that has been there night and day. You are her dad, she needs you. That bitch couldn’t even raise you, abandoning you at six years old. Is she going to do that with Hallie too? We are fighting this. I am going to find the best lawyer, and if I have to overpay to buy them out from under her husband then that is what we will do. But you have to fight this, Kellan. Look at Hallie. Could you really live without her?” I ask, already knowing the answer. He may be exhausted, stressed, and broken, but none of that matters when it comes to giving Hallie what she needs.
“You already know I can’t. The idea of that cunt raising my beautiful baby gets my blood boiling. But I just can’t see the court’s finding in my favour. She will find every skeleton I have and use it against me. I can’t lose her. Would you really help me? I can’t ask you to spend that much money, Liam.”
My laughter echoes through the speaker and Hallie must have heard because she starts wiggling in her dad’s arms. We both freeze, like she is a bomb that is about to explode. If we stay silent and still, maybe she won’t wake up. I can see the plea in Kel’s eyes, like he is mentally willing her to stay asleep. She stops wiggling, almost like she had only moved to make herself look comfortable, before letting out the cutest little baby snore. We both stare at her in awe. How this tiny little girl manages to manipulate two guys like us, is amazing. I just know we will be fucked when she grows up.
“Kel, I would throw money at any plan that involved destroying that bitch of a mother of yours. But I would give everything I owned to you and that little angel. So, don’t even bother asking. I am telling you, I’m doing it. Why don’t you come to the house one day this week and we can brainstorm? I will do some research and speak to some lawyers in the meantime. That sound okay? And if all else fails, I can always kill her,” I joke. I should be offended that he doesn’t already know I would move heaven and Earth for him, let alone her. I think he is just so scared and tired that he isn’t thinking clearly, but I am here to remind him. No matter how despondent he gets, I will be here.
“Thanks, mate. I may take you up on the killing part if things don’t go my way. Do I get to meet this new girl? Are you ever going to tell me what is going on? I know you are lying to me. There is no way you are working security and protecting some mafia princess. I know you, there’s no way you would take a job like that,” he says, his molten grey eyes staring straight at me. No longer filled with tears, they now look suspiciously at me.
I knew he wouldn’t have condoned me taking Bree hostage and using her for the ransom. Kellan offered on more than one occasion to simply hack into Vernon’s accounts and take what is mine, but I didn’t want that. I needed Vernon to give it to me, I was owed it. I shouldn’t have to steal what is mine. I would have told Kellan what happened straight after, but things escalated beyond what I had planned. How do I tell him that not only did I kidnap her, despite him telling me not to, but I also agreed to marry Bree?
He will tell me the millions of reasons I should have said no, and honestly, I already know all of those excuses. They streamed through my brain on repeat from the minute the idea was proposed. It may have been in the contract, but Bree was the one who rolled with it. For some reason, I couldn’t say no. I wanted to help Bree. I knew she was fierce and determined enough to succeed in this world. She has what it takes to be the queen of our world. Maybe I wanted to make sure I was standing by her side as she breaks down every wall that stands in her way. Or maybe it’s just her. Her smile, her snarky responses, her sexy curves, or the blush that spreads across her cheeks when I catch her staring at me. I know the minute Kellen finds out he will accuse me of thinking with my cock instead of my head, hence why I am stalling that conversation for another day.
“I will tell you everything when I see you. Send me a text letting me know when you wanna come over, but give me a couple of days to do my research. Oh, and don’t even think about not bringing Hallie. I am missing her already and I only saw her three days ago. If she is having a growth spurt, I might not recognise her,” I say, in mock fear. Kellan chuckles, before stopping himself and staring at Hallie again, hoping she doesn’t wake up from the movement. She continues to lay there peacefully.
“She will look exactly the same, minus this fucking bow. Besides, now I know her intentions, there’s no way I am leaving her with my mother ever again. I hated the idea of her even being in our lives to start with, but I needed the help. Plus, I wanted Hallie to have a female in her life. Too bad all the women we know are massive twats,” he ground out. I instantly think of Bree and want to defend her sex, but sadly, Kellan doesn’t exactly have a track record when it comes to the women in his life. They all abandon him and leave him lost and lonely. After Hallie’s mother, I don’t think I will ever get him to take a chance on a woman again.
Kellan must see this flash across my face, a knowing smirk replaces the anger that had been burning bright in his eyes.
“You like this girl,” he states, not even a question.
“Fuck off. I will see you in a couple of days. I will tell you everything that is going on then, but if you need me before just shout. Even if you wanna come and stay with me for a couple of days to help with Hal, Bree won’t mind.” I don’t know why I say that final part with such conviction. I don’t know anything about Bree really, or if she would be pissed if I invited a single dad and his little baby to stay with us. But there’s a part of me that is very sure. I really do need to get to know her properly.
Kellan and I say our goodbyes once Hallie starts to wake up and demands food. I have a lot of respect for my friend, stepping up and caring for a baby on his own. He didn’t even want to be a dad. Hallie wasn’t exactly planned, but from the second she entered his world, he changed. He became her dad and everything else came second. Sadly, that wasn’t what happened with her mother.
Kellan kept dropping hints that he suspected there was more to mine and Bree’s story and that he knew I liked this girl. The more he spoke, the more I realised that I don’t really know Bree, but I want to. So, let’s do this whole dating thing and find out if we are capable of at least becoming friends before we take on all the gangs, and mob bosses that will come for us when they find out a woman is running the O’Keenan London branch. I hope Bree knows that we are in for one hell of a battle, but like she said, that’s a discussion for another day.