Page 129 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“Go home, Joanna,” Daph demands, making it clear there’s no room for argument. “You too, Mav. I will see you at the wedding. Caleb!” she shouts to the piece of shit regaining his footing behind me. “Stay the fuck away from her or next time I let her shoot you!”

Daph spins, disappearing through the door which she entered, leaving me tightening my grip on J’s arm to prevent her from following.

Cabir pushes up, stalking past us in the same direction as Daphne. “This isn’t over yet.”

“Gimme a reason, bitch.” My eyes narrow as I instinctively pull J tighter against me.

He exits the room following a final glance, eyes burning with rage. I’m half a second away from saying ‘fuck it’ and finishing what I started when my phone vibrates, breaking through my homicidal thoughts. Glancing down, the corners of my mouth turn up as I read the incoming text message.

Nicky: I got it.

“What is it?” J asks, peering down at the screen.

I tilt the phone toward her so she can read her brother’s text. “Jackpot, baby,” I say with a smile. “Let’s get outta here.”

CHAPTER 54

JONSIE

I stand in the obnoxiously large bathroom in Daphne’s bridal suite trying to figure out how we got here. How my best friend is actually going to walk down the aisle and marry a man she doesn’t love… a man that is not my brother. Not to mention, a man who has been actively helping others try to destroy us from the inside. My stomach knots as the seconds tick down, catapulting us closer to the dreaded moment.

On the outside, everything seems perfect. A two-hundred-thousand-dollar event would never seem anything but. Yet, it’s all a façade. Complete and utter bullshit. And I can’t even call her on it because I can’t get a fucking moment alone with her. And if my stress over Daphne isn’t enough, then there’s all the shit with the Russians.

While we were busy at the rehearsal dinner, Nicky was scrambling to find the meeting location between Luc’s father and Yuri. We had absolutely nothing to go on, so Nicky had Rico hack the security feed for the hotel and look for blind spots. Nicky insists there’s no way Yuri would be caught on camera, and after reviewing all the angles the only chance Yuri has getting in undetected is through the back loading dock where a busted camera hasn’t been replaced yet – probably not a coincidence.

Once in, if Yuri wishes to remain undetected, he will have to use the service stairwell. From there, Nicky went floor by floor while Rico scanned the feed. Turns out, there are two floors that when you exit the stairwell, the first room is not in view of any cameras.

One is reserved by a young couple visiting from Iowa who have yet to check in. The other was reserved by a single individual that checked in the same day as the rehearsal dinner but had yet to access the room. When Nicky had Rico backtrack through the security footage to the time of check in, Cabir can be seen retrieving the key under the alias. Lucky for us, he still has not been to the room—most likely only obtaining it early to avoid raising suspicions day of—which allowed Kellerman and his agents time to bug the whole thing ahead of the meet.

I lean forward, my hands gripping the marble countertop of the vanity as I struggle to steady my breathing. There’s so much riding on today. So many things that could go wrong. The fate of so many people I love hanging in the balance.

I glance down at the lace covered bodice of my dress and can’t help but think at least Daph picked an appropriate color for today—black, the color of mourning. Because this day has me feeling anything but celebratory. Standing tall, I smooth out the fabric of my floor length gown, the sliver of skin peeking out on the right side where a high slit travels up to the top of my thigh. I fidget with the thick scraps of fabric hanging off my shoulders before finally accepting that no matter how long I stay in here and stall, this wedding is happening. I groan, reaching for my bouquet when I hear Daphne’s mother shriek from the other room.

“Daphne! Good God, were you really out walking the hallways in your dress?! What were you thinking?! And you’ve messed up your hair! Oh my,” she sputters, tripping over her words, her tone thick with disappointment. “We need to get this fixed right now.”

“I’ll be fine, Mom. I just need to use the bathroom,” she replies. I rush to the door, popping the lock open just as she tries the handle and shoves inside.

“Daphne!” her mother shouts, only to be cut off when Daph pushes it shut, separating us from them.

She spins on a sigh, jumping slightly when she notices me in the space. “Jesus, J. Give me a heart attack, why don’t ya?”

I want to be mad. I want to yell and scream and tell her she’s being a fucking idiot. But I’m rendered utterly speechless by her beauty as I take in the sight of her wearing her dress. I’ve seen her in it before, but not like this. Not all done up. She looks like she belongs on the cover of a magazine. “You’re beautiful,” I manage to force out, my eyes welling with tears.

She smiles, rushing forward to embrace me in a hug. “You ain’t so bad yourself, girlie.”

I’ve missed her so much. We’ve been in one another’s presence a lot these last few days, but we haven’t had the opportunity to do this, just be us, and I’m suddenly painfully aware how bad I needed it… her.

“What’s your mother bitching about?” I laugh, swiping at my eyes.

“What isn’t Mom bitching about?” Daph snorts. “However, she’s currently pissed that I fucked up my up-do.”

Gripping her upper arm, I turn her so I can assess the damage. “It’s salvageable. I can fix it if you want.”

“Nah,” she waves me off, “fuck that. I wanted to wear it down anyway.” Daph approaches the oversized mirror as her fingers make quick use in removing the various bobby pins from her hair. Once she’s confident she’s gotten them all, she shakes out her wild auburn mane, the end result nothing short of raw uninhibited beauty. Staring at Daph is like looking at a work of abstract art, her chaos only adding to her perfection.

“Where’d you go?” I ask, reaching out to gently smooth a few stray strands from her face.

“First look.” She smiles as she absentmindedly spins her engagement ring on her finger.

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