Page 28 of Her Reclusive Beast

“Agreed.” I mock sniff with my nose in the air, but I can’t keep the smile from breaking on my face.

Javier sighs. Again.

Outside, I’m surprised to see the steps of the courthouse transformed in our absence. There’s a podium with several microphones attached, along with a small milling crowd of journalists and camera people. Not a ton, maybe thirty or so altogether, but that’s way more than I thought a small rural town in Maine could produce. It all becomes clear when I notice the logo for a Boston TV station. They must have broken all sorts of speed limits to get up here so fast.

Javier delivers a prepared statement like he’s a top tier attorney. I’ve no idea what he does for an actual living, but I’m pretty sure this aspect is an act.

Then he gestures for Max to take his place. That’s when the crowd perks up with interest.

“Is this a ploy to stay in the country legally?” shouts one of the reporters. Similar questions start flying fast and thick.

Max’s jaw clenches and I stare up at him because I hadn’t even considered this angle. So why are these reporters doing that now? If he wasn’t legal, they had years to bring up the question. I glance over at Javier, but his frown is furrowed ever so slightly, like he hadn’t anticipated this direction either.

“My citizenship was confirmed more than ten years ago, ladies and gentlemen. Why the sudden interest?”

There’s some slight consternation in the crowd, as if they’re not quite sure where the question came from. But now I have questions. Max doesn’t like to travel because of his unique, whatever that is. So how did he get here from Europe? I bite my lip because asking those now would set off the powder keg in more ways than one.

The questions fizzle from there. I don’t think Max and Javier were expecting anything deep, this was always intended to be more of a photo op.

Just to annoy Javier, Max joins me in the backseat for the trip back. He’s too big to fit comfortably, but he holds my hand and periodically raises it to his lips for a soft kiss. All of this with his eyes laughing and trying to catch Javier’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. It’s not really anything to do with me, but I don’t mind because the muttered Portuguese curse words from up front are worth it.

“I’m going to leave you two to your honeymoon activities just as soon as we pull up to the front door. Be quick, because the car may not fully come to a stop,” Javier snarls.

I glance at Max for an explanation. “What’s got into him?”

Max shrugs. “He’s wishing it was him with his girl. The one he hasn’t even told he likes.” His voice is louder than mine, with a hint of exasperation, like an annoyed older brother.

Javier’s retort dies on his lips when we pull up to the house to find the front door slightly ajar. Everything is silent and there’s no sign of anyone being present. How long ago did they leave?

“Kiki!” I shout in a panic, looking around the front yard for any sign of her without success.

14

Ido try to jump out of the car before it’s come to a stop, but Max holds me back firmly. His mouth is grim and his eyes look almost feral. Javier parks silently, only sighing as he opens the door and prepares to step out. Max finally releases his protective hold on me and I bail, shouting, “Kiki!” at the top of my lungs.

Javier and Max head into the house stealthily, as if they think someone is inside. But if they were, why would they have left the door wide open?

A blur of fur explodes past me, and I chase after it. Flat on my stomach under a bush, I manage to grab hold. Lifting the screeching yowling cat aloft, I pause only to confirm it’s my girl and not some flea-infested miscreant. Usually elegant, Kiki’s fur is going in all directions and her eyes are wild. Glancing down as I hold her firmly against my chest, I realize that I’ve completely ruined my beautiful dress. There’s a small twinge of sorrow and guilt, but nothing compared to the relief after thinking I’d lost Kiki forever.

We head back to the house with me trying to remember where I left Kiki’s carrier. That’s the only safe place for her untilwhatever this latest development is gets sorted. Max and Javier are at the front door, examining the lock.

Max glances up as I approach. “I see you found her,” he remarks dryly. He almost sounds sorry about that. I give him a glare just in case he meant it that way and brush past both of them.

“See? Here, it was forced,” Javier comments without looking up. Feeling mildly on the periphery of their guy sleuthing, I head upstairs. Kiki isn’t yowling quite as bad, but she’s made it clear she’d rather I put her down. Thankfully, I find her plastic carrier in the hall closet. Once she’s inside and I’ve secured the door, I stand and survey the damage. Grass stains cover the front of the dress and the parts of me that are bare, like my lower arms, are decorated with red scratches from Kiki’s claws. Sighing, I head into the master bedroom to change and wash up. Never would I have imagined that I’d be wearing jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt on my wedding day, but then nothing about anything with Max is conventional.

I take Kiki with me back downstairs. She’s settled into a sullen lump at the back of the carrier like I’m about to take her to the vet. The front door is still wide open. Max is talking to a police officer in the drive who is standing next to his cruiser. There’s someone in the back of the vehicle, but with the lightly tinted glass I can’t quite make out whether it’s a man or a woman.

Javier reappears around the bend in the driveway. He’s holding a sheaf of papers, similar to the ones in Max’s left hand. What on earth is going on? I head down the stairs to find out, but of course that’s when the officer shakes Max’s hand and gets back in his patrol car. Javier circles wide of the driveway so as not to get hit, but the officer executes a neat three-point turn and departs sedately.

“What was all that about?” I inquire, generally hoping one of them will answer me.

“No big surprise that it was Diana who broke in,” Max responds, not lifting his eyes from the papers he’s examining.

“That was Diana in the back?” I squeak, really wishing I’d known that earlier so I could bask in the moment.

Max nods, still not looking up.

“Well, what did she break in for?” Not waiting for an answer, I scooch closer to Max so I can look over his arm at whatever it is he’s holding.

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