Page 8 of Wicked Devotion

“Why?” Faith whispered.

“Because they know where we are. They’re not sure yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

The sisters glanced at each other with fear in their eyes before they nodded at him.

Rafael nodded. “Good. It will be okay.”

He walked out, grabbed a plate, and pretended with the other two. He caught a shadow stop in front of their door a few times but then moved on.

“I wanted you guys to be aware that I’m carrying, so if things get bad, I will shoot to protect the girls,” Rafael said.

Casen nodded at Rafael and pulled his jacket away from his back to show he also had a gun. They looked at Rowan and saw him pull the legs of his pants up to show them a holster. Rafael nodded, relieved. They were much better off and ready to protect the women than he first thought.

The men continued to talk, checking on the women a few times to make sure they were okay.

The men stiffened when another knock came at the door. Casen looked through the peephole and turned back to the guys. “It’s an older man,” he mouthed to them.

Rafael took his gun out and held it by his side. “Open it.”

The man hustled in the second the door opened. “Close it.”

Casen closed it and locked it again.

The older man put a finger up to his mouth to indicate they had not said anything. A minute after the man had come in, the shadow was back.

Rafael started talking about the football game he’d watched the night before until the shadow moved on.

“My name is Russel Bowman. Let’s get this going. I have a bad feeling things are going to happen fast. I want to get you all to the room I have under a different name now, but I grabbed a universal key so we can get into any room, and we can have the marriage there. It’s across the hallway, so we can watch and see who’s checking on us. Turn the TV on in here, so there is sound.”

The men nodded.

Rafael got the girls and had them grab their bags. The judge and Rowan checked the hallway and then rushed everyone into the other room. They kept the lights off and didn’t dare say anything for several minutes.

Rowan was standing at the door and waved them over. He pointed out the peephole. Rafael and Casen peeked out to see the man who had delivered the food standing there with his ear to the door. Russell waved them over as far from the door as they could get.

“All of you stand with your women. We’re going to do this quickly and then sign the license. I’ve got two to sign, so if one gets taken, we have the other.”

“You’ve thought of everything,” Rafael said.

“Frankin and I tried to think of everything that could go wrong.”

Russel pulled a paper out of his pocket and had them recite their vows in very low tones together, so it went faster. Hethen had them all sign the papers. He kept one copy and gave the guys the other.

“You guys stay in this room tonight. I’m going to head to the room I got. That way, they’ll hear me in there. I’ll leave separately, but later tonight.”

The guys shook his hand and thanked him. They waited until the guy came back and then left again before Russel slipped out.

The guys pulled their wives aside to make plans.

Rafael gripped Faith’s cold, shaky fingers. “Hey, Baby, we’re going to be fine.”

“I’m just so scared.”

“I know, but I’ll protect you. I’m going to call in a few of my security team to have a car ready for us, and they’ll get us home safe. When we’re in our home, I’ll increase the security. I’m planning on bringing in a few guys from one of my buildings. I know and trust them, and no one will be able to come in.”

She nodded.

“Go ahead and sit down while I talk to the guys.”

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