Page 130 of Brutal Collateral

“And a check?” Griffin adds with humor in his voice.

“Put that shameful Keller fortune to good use, Quinlan,” Kieran O’Rourke says gruffly.

“I’ll talk to my lawyer.” Griffin squeezes my hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we only have this place until midnight, and four hundred other people to thank.”

Griffin steers me away to meet more guests, but I zone out, unable to get Isabella and her charity out of my head. My gut stirs, mixed with a sudden desirenotto run away. To stay with Griffin. To take the lemons of my failed military endeavors and make some kind of lemonade-flavored difference here.

The wedding reception goes through the typical motions. Griffin and I dance our first dance to a song I picked out for its beauty and not its lyrics which are in French.

“What does the song mean?” he asks, holding me close.

“Taking chances.” I link my wrists around his neck.

“You? Taking a chance?” He holds me by the waist, pressing his hips into me. “You leave nothing to chance. You make shit happen. And I find that sexy as hell.”

We are moved through other steps in the wedding. I dance with Ares, and Griffin dances with his mother. She chose a Celtic song that is beautiful and I’m proud to be a part of this heritage.

Griffin explains that several of the O’Rourke wives are Italian and Russian. I couldn’t pick them out. They all look so indelibly committed to their Irish husbands.

When the song is finished, Kai Powers saunters up to Griffin and signals Ares to join them. “There’s someone I want you both to meet.”

“You okay?” Griffin asks me, his lips on the shell of my ear.

My eyes wander to the line of men in dark suits and sunglasses at every entrance and in front of the windows. “Very much so. Go do your evil deeds with my brother.”

When he turns away, I slap him on the ass.

Griffin freezes, his shoulders coming up around his ears. He turns back and our gazes lock. “It’s on later, wife.”

“You better believe it’s on.” I have no idea what I’m doing, but I can’t fight what’s happening between us.

I just don’t know if it’s lust on his part, or if he’s falling for me the way I’m...

Fuck, I’m falling for him!

Needing a drink, I turn to find the bar. But steps away, Isabella and a lithe blonde with even longer hair in a braid march toward me.

“Hi,” I say to them, trying to recall the enforcer’s wife’s name.

“Can I talk to you?” Isabella says, and my stomach does a little flip.

She’s a queen and so am I. Have I done something wrong? Acted abhorrently and sullied my crown already?

“Sure. Let’s go into the lobby so we don’t have to shout over the music.” I lead them that way.

I glance at Lucia and Lola on the dancefloor having a great time. Everyone is. Like this is a real wedding. Maybe it is. Maybe Griffin and I are giving off a vibe that we...dig each other at least.

With every step I take, I grow more in love with the idea of staying in this world. Of being Griffin’s queen.

In the lobby, after glancing around, Isabella whispers, “Were you really in the Navy? And gone through SEAL training?”

I stagger back, horrified my two lives, one a strict secret, have converged. “Um.”

“It’s okay,” the lithe blonde says, touching my arm. “Griffin worked for my husband for years. They’re extremely close. Lachlan mentioned your background. We think it’s fascinating.”

I close my eyes, embarrassed because I failed out and didn’t make it. “Thank you. I’m sorry, your name again?”

“Katya.” She smiles. “It’s okay. It took a while for all the names to sink in for me, too.”

---