Page 135 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

Shannon slowly nods just as Mitch sidles up beside her. “What’s the verdict?” he whispers low, his eyes briefly scanning over each of us.

She leans back into his chest, her head turning up to meet his gaze. “They’re telling me we’re fine.”

My hand reaches up to my head, fingers gripping a handful of hair as I attempt to slow the spinning sensation at the realization they know. That they’re more than aware of what we’ve been up to. A slew of questions flood my mind, though when I part my lips to speak, Shannon effectively silences me with a simple flick of her wrist.

“Maverick, trust me. Mitch and I have more than our fair share of questions and we will expect both of you to answer each and every one. However, maybe this is a conversation better reserved for when we don’t have the FBI surrounding us?” Her brow arches, her stare momentarily holding mine before turning to face her son. “Now, while I am thrilled at the possibility of this—” her finger shifts between him and Daphne once more “—Daphne, where is your husband?”

“Right here,” Nicky speaks up, his posture straightening as he wraps a possessive arm around Daph’s waist, pulling her into him.

Shannon and Mitch’s eyes go wide, exchanging curious glances.

I fucking knew it.

Glancing down, I see it. There, on the ring finger of Daphne’s left hand, in elaborate script but still clear as day, is the letter “N.”

Nicky takes note of his parents’ confused expressions, seizing their silence as an opportunity to explain. “Daph and I got married a few days ago. This entire thing was bullshit. None of it counts. The feds just needed it to happen so they could orchestrate the setup.”

“What about her marriage certificate she filed with Lucian?” Shannon presses.

“It’s been handled. I took care of everything. There is only one person Daphne is legally married to,” Nicky’s jaw tightens, his palm possessively splaying out across her stomach, “and it’s me.”

J leaps forward, pulling Daph from her brother’s grasp and drawing her in for a hug. “Now we really are sisters.”

Daph scoffs, wrapping her arms around J, returning her embrace. “We’ve always been sisters. We didn’t need this dipshit to make it official for us.” They share a chuckle as they tighten their grip on one another.

“Looks like we’ve got more to cover than we originally thought.” Mitch’s hand scrubs over his face, though his expression warms as he looks upon his new daughter-in-law. “Welcome to the family, honey.” His arms extend out to the side as J releases her. Daph smiles, happily stepping into his embrace as Shannon closes her in from the other side.

“Thank you. I love you guys, but—” she glances up, her gaze alternating between the two of them “—Nicky and I have a lot to talk about. This was done to keep me out of a very bad situation. We still need to figure out what it all means.”

“It means you’re my wife.” His expression softens. “You and me, ‘til death do us part.” Nicky snatches her wrist, dragging her back to him where he gently cradles her face. Pressing his forehead to hers, I hear him whisper something that sounds a lot like, “I less than three you,” and while that makes no fucking sense to me, it gives pause to Jones who stills at my side in response, her fingers digging into my arm as she continues to eye them curiously.

Shannon’s mouth opens to say something, though she promptly closes it when she catches sight of Kellerman approaching, looking very official in his DEA jacket.

“Mr. Conners. Mr. Bishop,” Alec addresses us each formally, keeping up appearances for any prying eyes. “A word, if you’d be so kind.” He turns his attention to the girls, nodding in acknowledgment with a smile. “Miss Hunter. Mrs. Devoreaux.” Alec greets them.

“It’s Mrs. Conners,” Nicky snaps, his grip on Daphne’s hand tightening in response.

“It’s Ms. Burke, actually.” Daph shoots Nick a look, removing her hand from his. “I haven’t changed anything.”

Nicky needs to curb that alpha shit. I get it, trust me. I look at J and one word flashes front and center in my mind—MINE. But he can’t go from acting like Daph ain’t shit for years to suddenly introducing her as the Mrs. and expect her to just fall in line like she should thank her lucky stars he’s bestowed her the title. Nicky’s trying to skip the groveling stage. And he’s in for a rude awakening if he thinks that shit’s gonna fly.

Alec’s head briefly swivels between the two of them before redirecting the conversation. “Gentlemen?” He gestures out toward the hall, motioning for us to accompany him. Offering him a quick nod, I lean down to plant a kiss to J’s lips before Nicky and I fall in line with one another, following Alec out.

We exit the room, making our way down the hall to give us some privacy before Alec turns toward Nicky, his brow arching high as he eyes him incredulously. “Mrs. Conners?”

Nicky stares at him, his face void of any humor. “You got your wedding, didn’t you? What’s it matter if it counted or not?”

“Had someone found out about your little secret elopement prior to this, it would have been a very big problem, Nick. You could have fucked everything up.”

“But I didn’t.” Nicky crosses his arms, his gaze fiercer than ever. “Everything turned out fine. I have my wife. You have Yuri.”

Alec’s expression momentarily falters. He recovers quickly, but I catch it.

“You did get what you needed, right?” I ask, gripping his arm as I turn him to face me.

“Yes.” He offers a reassuring nod. “The recordings picked up enough incriminating evidence to put Yuri away for life. He’s trafficking minors. Even without the drug charges, he’s done. We have the location of where he’s storing his most recent shipment. Agents are on the way there now. From what he indicated on tape, we expect to recover around twenty-five girls from this sting alone.” Alec stares at me, a slow sigh escaping him.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re about to give me fucked up news, Alec?”

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