Page 71 of Malicious Wedding

My body feels like a needle slicing in and out of my skin. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I heard rumors. Guys were saying Carson kept giving them money and telling them to go to this bar. All they had to do was sit there, make sure nobody fucked with the place, eat and drink as much as they wanted, and not mention it to anyone. When I confronted him about the scheme, he admitted everything. He didn’t even seem ashamed. The fucking crazy bastard didn’t flinch.”

Iain takes a long breath. He pauses, visibly gathering himself. Dread fills my stomach. I don’t understand, none of this makes any sense.

“What did he tell you? What scheme are you talking about?” I don’t want to ask, but I can’t stop myself.

“They were going to Bottle of Smoke,” he says, staring at me, unwavering. “Carson was smart about it, only sending guys you wouldn’t have known, guys that might pass out on the street as normal assholes. He’d been doing it for years, it turned out, since the day you got the place from Granddad. But that’s not all. I got pissed and pressed him, and he admitted that he’d been steering bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, work functions, whatever he could toward your place. He said whenever business looked slow, he’d find a way to make sure you earned the money you needed. He said he was taking care of you without you ever realizing someone was doing it. He seemed proud of himself, Ash.”

I shake my head, backing away. Head reeling. Heart racing. “That can’t be real. He couldn’t have been… I don’t believe…”

But Iain keeps going like he’s not aware of the hammer blows he’s raining down on me.

“I asked him why. Do you know what he said? He said he couldn’t help himself. He said that since the first day he saw you, he knew you were the one for him, and the only reason he hadn’t taken you for his own yet was out of respect for our family. He said it was an addiction, a sick obsession, and he couldn’t stop himself even though he’d tried a dozen times over. When I told him to back off, when I threatened to tell you about it, he lost his mind and nearly killed me. He said everything good in your life came from him, and if I tried to stop him, you’d suffer as much as I would. He said he’d make sure of it. I pushed him, made him swear to obey your wishes and keep his distance, to never cross that line if he actually cared about you, and he reluctantly agreed. I think somewhere deep inside that twisted brain of his, he knows that what he’s been doing is beyond weird. Hell, a few years ago, his parents caught on when he started spending too much time watching Bottle of Smoke from his car. They got into this big fight about it, shit blew up, and I thought maybe he’d given up on you. But clearly, I was wrong. Ash, for years, Carson’s been watching you, spending money on you, taking care of you from afar. I tried my best to keep him away, but if he’s in contact with you, I’m afraid it’s too late. I’m so, so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

He collapses back as he finishes, breathing hard. Sweat’s beading his forehead, his monitor beeping fast.

That speech sits like an atom bomb in the room.

Ticking away.

The end of my life.

I can’t think, can’t put two thoughts together as his story weaves itself in and out of my very soul.

Carson’s been stalking me.

I thought he wholeobsessionthing was almost like a joke—or like he had a crush on me from back when we first met years ago.

It never occurred to me that it was more.

That he’d been sending business to Smoke. That he’d beentaking care of mefrom a distance, never crossing the line into actually talking to me, but making sure I had everything I needed.

And suddenly, with a sick revelation, it all clicks together.

Carson is my guardian angel.

I double over, hands on my knees. I feel like I might be sick.

The nickname suddenly makes more sense—my angel. Like he’s been mocking me the whole time.

Like he’s been trying to tell me the truth or at least trying to get me to understand.

It’s been Carson. For years, it’s been him.

My guardian angel is real.

And he’s a monster.

“I married him,” I say through my teeth, groaning. “He offered me a deal. To protect me and Smoke from the guys that nearly killed you. I married him, Iain. I didn’t know how bad it was. I didn’t know.”

He lets out a long, pained sigh. “Fuck,” he says. “Then he has you.”

“Iain, please. What am I going to do? This is insane. I knew he was intense, but I had no clue—”

How didn’t I see it though? Everyone kept alluding to this without saying it. Even his mother tried to warn me.

Now I get why she was so worried that he was forcing me into marrying him.

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