Page 83 of A Fine Line

I take off at a run, the sounds of slamming car doors and footfalls behind me, and I know that my people are following my lead. Matt is right behind me, yelling directions, and soon, we’re standing in front of a large brick church with a black fence around it. We easily get over the fence then run up the stairs to the enormous wooden doors which are locked.

“What the fuck, Matt?” I whisper-shout. “This place isn’t even open?”

Matt checks the map again then looks around as he replies, “She’s here, Tony. We just have to find a way in.”

I snort but step back and attempt to get control of myself as time ticks by. After a few moments, Matt walks off, motioning for us to follow him, and we hurry a short distance around the corner and find a side entrance.

Luckily, the side door is open, and we walk in quietly, and then slowly make our way down the hallway, peeking into rooms as we go. About halfway down, we come across a man in a collar, and although he seems startled to see us, he’s calm as he asks, “Are you here for the ceremony?”

“Are we not too late?” Nettie asks mildly. “I was worried we’d missed the official man and wife moment with all the traffic here.”

“You haven’t missed the church vows,” the man replies. “But it’s not the church ceremony that makes it an official union. That takes place when the marriage certificate is signed and filed, so, technically, they’ve been legally married for days.”

My blood boils, and Dare yanks at my arm, then shoves me down the hallway. “We’ll go find a seat then and wait for the big event.”

We continue down the hallway and end up in the main congregation. We move through the pews to the main aisle, and that’s when I see her, and my heart stops in my chest. She’s standing at the top at the altar with a man who is not me, and they’re deep in conversation, his hands gripping her shoulders, her hands locked on his wrists.

Jealousy and rage surge through me, fueled by despair, and for a moment, I remain frozen to the spot, completely paralyzed by the overwhelming emotions churning through me.

We ease our way closer to the altar and to the couple who, at a glance, are sharing an intimate moment before declaring their undying commitment to each other in front of God. I grind my teeth against the urge to run up there and bodily rip that motherfucker away from my girl and then take him apart limb by limb in front of her.

I can’t see her face or make out any of the words they’re saying to each other, but they seem to be filled with emotion, and then that motherfucker’s hands move to her arms, and he’s pulling her closer. A growl bubbles up from my chest.

Dare steps in front of me, his lips moving, but I can’t make out what he’s saying over the roaring in my ears. I’m already reaching for my gun, pushing him out of the way.

Fuck all of this.

I’ve only made it a few rushed steps when Carolina shoves the motherfucker away from her and screams incoherently at him. I leap onto the pews, hurdling toward them like a madman. Some other men appear behind her, and the motherfucker standing before her pulls a gun and points it at her threateningly. I shout as I become airborne, seeing the whites of that motherfucker’s eyes as I fly into him, my arms tight around his neck, and I use my strength and momentum to twist as we crash to the floor together.

I roll to my feet and whirl around, quickly closing the distance between me and the man attempting to sneak up behind Carolina. His eyes barely have a chance to widen in recognition before I drive my fist between his eyes, and he drops like a sack of bricks onto the floor.

Carolina’s eyes move behind me, and I wait a beat. then pivot, putting my weight into the turn as my fist connects with the approaching man’s throat with a satisfying crunch. He lands at my feet, and I meet the next man head-on, grabbing him by the head and squeezing as I lift him until he’s on his toes. He’s howling in pain as the base of my thumbs dig in right below his temples.

His hands grip my wrists, his toes barely keeping him upright as I shake him, and then I stop and lean in closely until all he can see is my face as I bare my teeth at him and snarl, “Shut your fucking mouth.”

He immediately stops howling, but his eyes are rolling in fear and pain, and I feel his galloping heartbeat in his temples as I squeeze a bit harder for sport. He winces but remains quiet, and I look around briefly, taking stock of what’s happening around me before turning back to the trembling man whose head I want to remove from his body.

“Do you know who I am?” I ask menacingly, and the man nods in my grip, so I nod at Dare and continue, “And do you know who he is?” He nods again, this time with more vigor, his gaze now frozen on Dare, so I give him a little shake to bring his attention back to me. “Any of these motherfuckers your boss?”

He shakes his head and squeaks out, “No, they were all lackeys like me.”

“You go back to your boss and tell him Carolina is with us now, and if he doesn’t cease and desist with any plans he may have to take her or harm her, we will hunt him down and make him wish he was dead.”

The man’s eyes widen as my words sink in, and then he nods, and I ask, “Do you think you can do that?”

He nods again, more forceful this time. I release him, and he almost collapses to the floor, but he manages to keep himself upright by bracing his hands on my chest. I raise a brow at him in amusement as he yanks his hands away. He gives me a wary look, then glances at Dare briefly before slowly moving away from us.

He bumps into Matt at the first pew, who snaps a picture of him and then pats him down, coming back with his wallet. Matt takes a picture of his ID, then hands the old leather back to him, and he snatches it up as Matt says, “We better never see your face again.”

The man tips his head in acknowledgment of his words and then scurries away, wasting no time in running down the aisle and out the exit beside the main doors. Matt’s still looking at his phone, and after a few moments, he smiles and puts the phone back into his pocket. “Ready, set, go.”

“You chip him?” Dare asks.

“Yeah,” Matt replies. “Never hurts to have a human road map leading the way.” He pauses, turns to me, and adds, “Good work, Tony. Nice to know you haven’t lost your touch.”

“I kept it old-school just for you,” I say flatly, and Matt laughs, then shakes his head as he looks at the scene before him.

Carolina is standing there, silently twisting her fingers, nervous energy radiating off of her, and I step closer to her and ask, “Are you all right, sweetheart?”

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