Black Wedding by Emma Luna
The evening passes by in a blur, and I am on edge the entire time. My muscles are coiled tight, my posture rigid, and my face is constantly an emotionless mask. I feel the darkness of the past creeping into every corner of my brain. I am reminded of why it was crucial to get out of this place before I lost myself.
Now I have a new plan that involves getting Finn the fuck out with me. Hearing him talk last night reminded me of how much I used to protect him when I was here. He may be my big brother, but our relationship has never worked that way. Finn isn’t built to withstand pain the way I am, and despite a lot of attempts on my father’s part, he can’t get him to turn off his emotions, which means he will never be any good at this business. This is something I am fucking pleased about. The longer I sat at dinner last night and watched Evan interacting with my father, the more I realised I had already lost one brother. But, you can be fucking sure I’m not losing another.
Every time I thought the darkness of this place was going to consume me all over again, Bree was there. A touch of her hand against my skin, a squeeze of my hand, or a chaste kiss. Not to mention the fucking tremendous blow job last night. It’s like for every piece of darkness that comes with this house and this family, she shines an even brighter light and reminds me of my new life. It may be full of fucking unknown enemies that want to take it from us, but being here just reaffirms precisely what I already knew. Nobody is taking Bree and our life from us.
Morning arrives far too quickly, and I am filled with a fresh dread; my sisters will be home any minute. Just as I am thinking of that my phone vibrates.
Ryleigh: We are nearly there. Remind me again why the hell we have to be here?
Freya: Don’t listen to her. She’s just grumpy because she was out last night and has a hangover.
Ryleigh: Fuck you.
Freya: Despite the fact that I know you will have already read the above message, eejit here wants me to erase it and tell you she is so pure and well-behaved that she doesn’t even know what alcohol is.
Ryleigh: Fuck you. I am a fucking angel compared to you. Or do you wanna tell him about the blow you did and Big G?
Freya: I’m going to fucking kill you.
Liam: GIRLS!!!
Liam: Please, just chill the fuck out. When will you be here?
Liam: And what the hell is Big G?
Freya: About five minutes, I can see that ugly ass gate.
Ryleigh: It’s not a what; it’s a who.
Liam: I will meet you at the door, do not get out of the car until I am there.
Liam: And we will talk about the drinking, drugs, and Big fucking G when you get here.
“Fuck!”I shout as I spring out of bed, pulling on some nearby boxers and sweatpants.
As soon as she hears my desperate yell, Bree comes charging out of the bathroom. She holds her toothbrush like she might be able to use it as a weapon while wearing only a sexy purple and black lace panty and bra set.
“What is it? Are we in danger?” she asks, scanning our surroundings.
“No, my sisters are at the gate. I need to get down to the entrance before my dad or Evan does. Also, it turns out my teenage sisters have discovered alcohol and drugs in the three months since I last saw them…And someone called Big G,” I say incredulously, hating the idea that my sisters are growing up. It was hard enough to prepare them for puberty or when Finn and I had to go and buy them their first bras, but this is something completely new. I thought they were good girls.
While I have a meltdown trying to find a t-shirt in the bag I bought, Bree runs back into the bathroom and finishes whatever she was doing. She walks back out looking as gorgeous as always. Only now, she is rocking the tightest pair of leggings and a baggy t-shirt that hangs off one shoulder, giving me a little peek of the fantastic push-up bra she has on under there. She strides over to me, pulls my hand out of the bag before instantly handing me a white t-shirt to go with the grey sweats. I don’t miss the way her eyes appraise my body as she watches me pull the t-shirt on.
“Don’t look at me like that, or I won’t be able to make it downstairs in time,” I threaten with that knowing cocky smirk I know she loves.
“You know, I think any guy looks hot in sweats, but right now, you look good enough to eat,” she purrs as she slides up to me.
Throwing her arms around my neck, her fingers work their way into my hair as she pulls my head down so our lips can touch. Like normal, the kiss starts off sweet, but as soon as our lips touch, it’s as though all thought is erased from my mind and all I want to do is consume her. Her tongue demands access, and obviously, I oblige, but the resulting moan that escapes from us both as our tongues meet brings me to my knees.
A vibration noise comes from the surface next to us and pulls us both out of the little bubble we get into when we are around each other. Like the whole world falls apart, and all I see is Bree. I reluctantly pull away and read my phone before cursing loudly once more.
“What’s wrong?” Bree asks.
“Evan is on his way to the door. Finn is with him and doing his best to put him off. But if Evan knows, then that means so does my father. I need to get down there. But don’t think I will let you get away with getting me all excited with no time to act on it,” I tease. She bites on her lower lip while trying her best to look innocent. It doesn’t help my growing hard-on in the slightest.
“Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to get you all worked up. Oops.” She torments me as she deliberately bends over in front of me to tie her laces.
Her gorgeous, round ass is pushed up in front of me and fuck, it does nothing to help my now very strained cock. She knows she is teasing me when I have no time to give her what she knows we both need, but I can give her a little taster. As soon as my hand connects with the plumpest section of her ass cheek, she releases a little yelp before jumping up and turning to face me. Her hand tries to touch the sore area on her ass, but my hand beats her to it, and I gently caress the place I just spanked.
“What the fuck, Liam?!” she shouts, and I can’t help but laugh.
She may sound annoyed, but I can see the flush in her cheeks and the fire in her eyes. There’s no denying she enjoyed it. “Don’t pretend you didn’t like that, Princess. We both know that if I was to touch you right now, your pussy would be dripping wet. But don’t worry, that spank was just a taster of what is to come later. You have been a naughty girl trying to get me all hot and bothered when you can’t do anything about it. So, later, I will make you so desperate to come you will be begging me. If you are a good girl, I might even let you. Now, come on,” I say before taking hold of her hand and dragging her out of the bedroom, ensuring I close and lock the door behind me.
Kellan has the security cameras hacked, and I have my own sensor that I hooked up above the door as soon as I got here. So I get a notification to my phone every time the door is open, and it immediately activates the cameras we have in the room. They don’t record until they are activated, and I can deactivate them. You can’t be too careful around here. I wouldn’t put it past Desmond to have cameras or recording devices set up in the room so he can monitor us. He may not have looked like it, but he showed me just how scared of Bree he really was yesterday. Now I just need to find out if he is responsible for taking the AK47s, where he is keeping them, and what exactly he is planning. Something tells me straight up asking him will not work, which is why I have my own bugs supplied by Kellan. I just need to work out how to get them into his office.
Bree and I run through the house as I pull her behind me until we reach the front door. We get there just in time because things are starting to kick off. Finn is blocking the front door while Evan attempts to get past him to open it. My mother is standing nearby, just watching the boys fumble and argue like they are teenagers. I am actually impressed with Finn’s strength. He appears to be holding his own against Evan, which definitely would not have been the case before I left. From the way he is ducking and diving before getting the odd push in and blocking everything Evan throws his way, it looks like he has been training in some form of martial arts.
Luckily, we arrive just in time as a booming voice fills the hallway and brings everyone to a standstill. “Stop!” My father’s thundering voice ripples around us, and it’s like he has a controller and presses pause because every one of us stops mid-motion. “Stop fucking about and open that door. I want to see my girls,” he taunts, looking directly at me with a smirk.
After all this time, that fucker still hasn’t realised that he will not be able to touch a single hair on their head for as long as I am breathing. Finn stands out of the way, but looking at me, he makes no move to open the door. He is looking for my confirmation, I give him a slight nod, and he allows Evan to get to the door handle. Evan holds the door open, and my father walks out first. Evan follows him out, as does Finn. My mother remains frozen in place. Bree and I walk over to her.
“Why did you bring them here, Liam? They were safe,” she softly cries, and it breaks my heart.
“I promise you, I will keep them safe,” I explain vehemently as my eyes scan between my crumpling mother and the car outside. My father is currently threatening the driver, telling him to open the doors for him, but this driver doesn’t work for him. I paid for the ride and paid him a fuck tonne of money to only open the car doors to me. But my father’s already nonexistent patience looks to be wearing thin.
“Go. I will stay with your mum,” Bree whispers before pushing me towards the door. I smile gratefully at her before running out the door.
BANG!!
The gunshot rings out loud, and chaos ensues. I turn back to check on Bree to see her push my mother around a corner. She takes out the gun she must have stashed in her leggings and takes position around the corner. Ready for any danger, but also protecting my mother.
Luckily, I remembered to pick up my gun as we left the room, so I slid it out of my ankle holster before looking at where the danger came from. Finn has hit the floor but doesn’t look injured. Instead, he is keeping himself safe as he’s obviously unarmed. Rookie mistake in this fucking house.
Evan stands next to my father with his gun out, pointed straight at me. On the other hand, my father is leaning in through the now broken window, so he can open the car door. I quickly realised that my psychotic excuse for a father got so impatient waiting for the driver to open the door that he actually shot him. The young man I had hired to drive my sisters is slumped over the steering wheel, blood running through his bleach blonde hair and down his face. Given the amount of blood and brain matter splattered across the passenger side window, there is no question that he is dead.
High-pitched screams from the car’s back seat pull me out of the haze I am in, and I propel myself to the passenger side back door. My father has the doors unlocked, but I need to get there first. I pull the passenger side back door open before my father has a chance at the other side. Having already worked out who is opening which side, both girls are huddled against my door. From the second I open it, they practically fall out. I help Ryleigh out first and then Freya, making sure I put them both behind me, keeping my gun aimed at my father. That’s when I see Evan.
Unfortunately, it is two against one. My father approaches from the rear side of the car, his gun aimed at me, as Evan comes from the opposite side with his weapon also pointed at me. Knowing my father is much more of a threat, I keep my gun aimed at him, but I know I’m in the shit here.
Before I can think of a plan, I see Bree come flying down the stairs, her gun firmly trained on Evan, and she plasters herself against my side. Then, using her free hand, she curves it behind her to ensure my sisters are firmly tucked between the two of us. Part of me wants to kill her for putting herself in danger, but the other part of me wants to fucking kiss her. Not only did she put herself between me and Evan’s shot, but she also ensured my sisters were firmly hidden and protected. Fuck, I love this girl.
Wait, what? I love her? Fuck, I mentally chastise myself. I need to get my head back into the game. I will come back to this another time, when I am not being led by adrenaline and how hot she looks holding a gun.
“What the fuck? You did not have to shoot him!” I shout at my father, who simply curls his lip up in a sneer.
“I gave him an instruction, and he refused. I will not accept any disrespect in my own home, boy. You may think you have big bollocks over in London, but this is Limerick. This is my territory, my rules. Now, step down. I will not ask again,” he spits out.
I feel my hand almost start to lower out of instinct alone until I hear the soft cries from behind me. My terrified sisters remind me of why I am standing up to this asshole.
“Why don’t we all lower our weapons? The girls are scared, and I don’t think this is quite the welcome they were expecting,” states Bree from behind me.
My father and Evan both growl at the same time. They are not used to having a woman who is willing to stand up to them. But they are very much mistaken if they expected Bree to stand in the corner cowering like my mother currently is. Bree is someone who loves with all her heart, and if she cares for you, she will think nothing of risking her life for yours. She shows no fear and will throw herself into anything. Basically, the opposite of how every mafia princess is raised. Girls in our world are taught to remain silent and scared. Not to defend themselves or speak their mind. So Bree is precisely the type of girl my father hates, which is a good thing because he is a fucking pervert. He won’t be interested in a girl who can fight him.
“You do not get to make demands in my house. Do you want to end up like him?!” my father shouts, pointing over at the man behind the wheel with a hole running through his head.
My sisters began to cry again at the mention of the body nearby, as did my mother. I look over at her and see Finn has crawled over and is standing in front of her. He might not be armed, but he will protect our mother if things start to go to shit.
“We both know you can’t kill me. If you do, the entire O’Keenan Family will rain holy hell down on you and will wipe out any trace of your existence. And before you say anything, that is not a threat, it’s a certainty. So, unless you want to curse everyone who has ever come into contact with you, then I suggest we all lower our weapons, and we can welcome the girls peacefully,” Bree states.
There is no threat in her voice, nor does it shake. She simply affirms precisely what would happen. She is the apple of Patrick’s eye, and even Vernon would want to get revenge for Bree. My father knows it would start a war, but he is still determined to save face in front of all the employees gathered around the grounds. They obviously heard the gunshot, and it got their attention, but they are not stupid enough to get too close. They have seen my father lose his shit before, and everyone is in danger until he drops the damn gun.
“Look, I will put mine away first, then Evan. We go one at a time, so you know we are serious,” I say as I put the gun into the waist of my sweats. I will put it in my holster when shit has calmed down more, but I know one of the girls can get it if they need it. Both girls have been trained to shoot with me. Freya is a damn good shot too. The problem is that even though they can shoot if needed, they don’t want to. I have sheltered them from this shit for so long, it’s like they aren’t used to it happening anymore. Which is why they are so upset. I should be pleased that the loss of a human life still gets to them, but I do need them to toughen up just a little, at least around Desmond. He will tear strips off them if not.
Once the gun is away, I look over at Evan, waiting for him to lower his weapon, which he doesn’t. Instead, he looks over at my father for his permission. With a slight nod of the head, Evan follows the instructions like a good little lapdog and puts away his gun. My father then looks towards Bree.
“Your turn, Pox. Gun away...but don’t think I will forget this,” he threatens, and Bree just laughs.
“You forget, I may have been born in England, but my family is Irish, and I spent every summer in Cork. I know what Pox means, and I may be a nuisance, but you need to take what I say seriously. I am not kidding around when I say I want to rule the Family, and I am not afraid of you. At some point, we will have to discuss whether you want to be my enemy, or see if we can work together, but now is not the time for that. So, I will put the gun away, and I hope you have the balls to stand by your word and do the same.” Bree stands firm as she tells my father exactly how she plans to handle their business relationship. I had no idea she planned to talk to him about an alliance, if he turns out not to be the enemy we are looking for, of course. I would have told her she was fucking crazy.
Desmond looks like he is physically shaking with rage, but I know he will put the gun down. Bree called his word into question, and although my father is a psychopath, he is very strict about promises. If you commit, there is no backing out. He puts the gun into his holster, and as the final threat is removed, I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding.
“Get your sisters settled in. We will meet for breakfast in twenty minutes. And Bree...we will have that meeting after. Understood?” he asks, and Bree is quick to confirm.
Before I have time to object, Bree takes hold of my arm and indicates we should take the girls inside. I am pulled out of my anger by the silent sobs coming from my sisters, and the overwhelming need to protect them forces me to push them into the house. Finn already has mum in the house, and the girls are quick to run as far away from Desmond as they can.
I take them up to the room next to us, as I instruct Finn to help Mum calm down. Once the girls, Bree, and I are in their room, I close and lock the door. My fingerprint lets the sensor know it’s me and that there is no danger yet. As soon as the lock turns, my sisters crumble. Freya falls to the floor in front of the bed, her head against her knees as she folds herself, making herself as small as possible. Her tears flow freely.
Ryleigh, on the other hand, throws her arms around my neck, gripping onto me like I am her final lifeline. Her sobs echo around the room, and I wrap my arms tightly around her, stroking her back and whispering reassurances into her ear.
I look over at Freya and watch as Bree sits down beside her, mimicking her position. Freya casts a glance at the stranger sitting next to her, and seeing the small smile Bree aims at her, Freya gently lays her head on Bree’s shoulder. Bree looks over at me with her smile, and I know for sure what I felt earlier wasn’t just an adrenaline rush, heat of the moment thing. I fucking love this girl, but I need to find the right time to tell her.
Eventually, I manage to get Ryleigh seated on the bed that Freya is leaning on, and their tears begin to dry up. Silence fills the room, but I just don’t know what to say. I’m the one that dragged them here and made them witness that horrific incident. If I hadn’t returned, they wouldn’t have had to either. It’s my job to protect them, and I failed. So how do I find the words to say I am sorry?
Before I get a chance to say anything, Freya lifts her head and addresses Bree. “You must be the bride-to-be?”
“Yeah...sorry it wasn’t a great first meeting. I’m Bree,” she mumbles, clearly not sure how to talk to my sisters right now.
I can tell by the slight shake of her hand that she is trying to hide, the pink tinge on her cheeks, and the way she is chewing on the inside of her lip that she is nervous. She knows how important my sisters are to me, and it’s obvious she is worried they won’t like her; she doesn’t have to be.
“You are kidding, right? Girl...you are a badass. The way you stood up to that asshole. We have been trying to learn how to do that for years. I’m Ryleigh, by the way.” Ryleigh states as she pulls herself away from my hold, looking embarrassed by the wet stain she left on my t-shirt.
“I’m Freya. I don’t know how you have the balls to do what you just did, but thank you,” my eldest sister says as she holds her arms out, asking permission to hug Bree. She quickly obliges, and it’s not long until my youngest sibling throws herself on the floor to get in on the group hug. Their joint laughter is like music to my ears.
As they pull away from the hug and start to giggle, I feel my heart starting to fill even more than before. How has a girl I never saw coming managed to fit into my life so perfectly?
“Before we go down for breakfast, can I ask something? Why does your father do this to you?” Bree asks, and both the girls look away as though they are embarrassed. They have no reason to be.
I start to answer, but Freya cuts me off. “When we were younger, we were literally both his favourites. He adored us and showered us with more love than he did all the boys, more than we thought he was capable of. Then one night, when I was about fourteen, Dad was drunk, ranting and shouting at Mammy. Normally, she just lets him get on with it, but she was equally as drunk this one night and couldn’t take any more. It turns out that night was the anniversary of the death of their child. She would have been born before me, after Liam. Evan was only four at the time, so none of them remembered there was a baby. Apparently, Mammy did not take the baby’s death well, and to cut a long story short, she had an affair. During this drunken argument, Mammy let slip that we are not really Desmond’s daughters. She has never revealed who our father is, which is a good decision because Desmond will have him slaughtered. But since that day, he stopped seeing us as his daughters, and we became a commodity. He has to benefit from our existence somehow, and he decided that sex is our only asset. He also knows that he can use us to get to Mammy, which is why he drops a lot of sexual innuendos when she is around. If Liam hadn’t gotten us out when he did, we would have ended up worse for wear as Desmond was planning to auction off our virginity,” Freya explains, and with every word she speaks, I watch as the girls change. Freya and Ryleigh look more embarrassed as they try to avert their gaze from her, but Bree, her face, morphs more and more with anger. I can almost feel the anger vibrating off her from here.
“Fuck, that’s so fucked up. Has he ever tried it on with you?” Bree asks sheepishly like she’s not sure if she should get that personal.
“No way. I think there is a part of him that still sees us as his daughters. But his pride is what’s controlling him now,” explains Ryleigh. “I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here.”
Finally, a statement we can all get behind. A knock on the door pulls us out of our moment, and Finn walks in, reminding us of our breakfast appointment. Then Bree and I need to find out exactly what my father is planning, and if he is the person responsible for the threats.