Page 142 of Say I Do

She held up a hand. “Are you two ready?”

“Yes,” Benito said.

She nodded and turned on her high heels.

“What did you do?” I whispered.

Benito sighed. “Pissed her off. Remind me to buy an expensive gift.”

We kissed one more time. As we moved from the dressing rooms to the chapel, my heart stuck in my chest. I grabbed Benito before he headed inside. He raised a brow at me.

“I love you.”

Benito’s eyes widened as if we hadn’t just said that to each other. He grabbed me and brought our foreheads together. “I love you too.”

He headed inside, leaving me back to walk in on my own. I picked at the bandages on my fingers. This felt so much more real than our first wedding. I wasn’t being rolled in against my will. I was standing, preparing to walk down the aisle of my own free will.

As I waited for the music to start, I looked around. Gabriela had gone above and beyond. The catholic church, with its high ceilings and gold etched molding, was breathtaking. I hadn’t paid much attention when I first arrived, but now I could see the work and money she’d put into the wedding. The pews were all lined with an assortment of white flowers. I could just pick out roses and Ashland white calla lilies. The aisle was the plain hardwood flooring buffed to perfection. Gabriela had been against a flower girl, and I could understand why. The kid would probably literally break a leg.

I stepped forward, getting a better view of the church. Light shimmered down from the high windows, giving the place a heavenly glow. The room was packed, both families in attendance. There were some people I’d never seen before and some I didn’t give a damn about. However, none of it mattered as I stared down the aisle at Benito. Each step was one closer to him, and it took everything in me not to go running down the aisle.

He grabbed my hand the moment I got close enough. Benito pulled me in for a quick kiss. As the priest began to go through his thing, I tuned him out and just lost myself in Benito’s eyes.

I leaned toward him, and he met me halfway. I made sure my head was turned as we spoke. My voice was barely over a whisper. We had a lot we needed to talk about. Like Brycen and his diary. Instead of whispering about him I stuck to something easy. “What did you do last night?”

Benito looked at me and shook his head. “I’ll tell you later.”

I didn’t like that, but I’d find out sooner or later. Even if I had to threaten my husband with a knife to his dick. We pulled back and turned to the priest. His mouth opened but no words came out. Everything slowed to a snail’s pace as a red spot formed in the middle of his chest. His eyes bugged out before he dropped to the ground.

Dead.

I grabbedHarlow and slammed him to the ground. Shots rang out as I crawled on top of him. I glanced around. The church fell into chaos as everyone around us scrambled either for safety or for their guns.

“What the fuck?” Harlow yelled.

“I don’t know. Stay down.”

“Move, let me see.”

“Wait,” I growled. I watched as men flooded the church. Qiang’s men, who else could they be? “Shit,” I held out my hand. “Let’s go this way.”

Harlow shoved his hand into mine. We ran to the side, keeping our heads low. I grabbed my mother from where she stood, frozen behind a pillar. She clung to me, and at that moment, I didn’t give a damn about the past. As much as she made me crazy, I also loved her. I couldn’t let her die.

“Benny,” she said as she trembled. “What are you—”

“Run to dad," I said as I nodded to him. He fired a few shots before he made eye contact with me and nodded. “Now. Go!”

She looked at me as if she wanted to say something before she ran instead. Even if she was a pain in the ass, she knew the rules. When shit goes down, keep your mouth shut and listen. Those rules didn’t apply to Harlow.

“Give me your knife,” he said.

I yanked it out of my pocket. “Here. Take this too,” I said as I handed him the pistol strapped to my other ankle. “You know how to use that?”

Harlow checked the chamber, spun it, and slapped it back into place. “Oh yeah.”

My cock jumped at the exact moment my heart skipped a beat. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

“I know, baby,” he grinned and gave me a wink. “Don’t die.”

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