Page 47 of Malicious Wedding

The first thing I do is snoop.

I don’t find much. The closet’s filled with a typical rich guy’s clothing, or at least what I imagine it would look like: expensive watches, designer suits, cashmere sweaters, loafers, dress shoes, and one drawer stuffed with cash in tight bundles. I stare at the money for a long time, thinking how the contents of a random storage container in a single man’s closet could’ve changed my life a dozen times over, before I close it again.

There’s a gun in his nightstand. I’m not surprised to find it there. I’m tempted to steal it, but I have a feeling I’d regret that.

The rest of the house is empty. Furnished, but empty. No personality, nothing to indicate that anyone lives in it. There are no pictures of Carson and his family, no personal heirlooms, no souvenirs from trips, nothing at all. It’s a beautiful home with big, airy rooms, modern conveniences, frankly luxurious amenities, but it’s so cold.

Like a hotel. Like people come and go but nobody makes this space permanent.

I wander for a while, poking around the kitchen stocked with health food and upscale mineral water before landing back in the master bedroom. I sit on a couch near the window, my phone cradled in both of my hands.

What am I doing? Why am I here right now and not running for my life? There’s nobody around to stop me and there are a dozen ways I could escape. Out the back, through a window—assuming I can move the bars—even down the front stoop.

But doors and bars aren’t keeping me here.

The threat of my friends getting hurt, that’s the real noose around my neck.

I call Bernie first. She answers right away. “Ash, are you okay?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

She sighs with relief. “I’m totally fine. Some enormous Irishman’s standing outside of my apartment right now though. He keeps saying it’s for my own protection courtesy of Mr. Crowley, but like, this dude’s terrifying me.”

“Don’t worry, I sent him. I mean, Carson did, but I told him to.”

Bernie groans. “What did you get yourself into?”

I hesitate, not sure how much to tell her. “Look, my family’s been involved with these Crowley people for a long time. That’s sort of why I haven’t talked to them for years. I didn’t want to get dragged into messes like this one. But I guess my brother, he did something awful, and these terrible people are trying to get revenge, and I just—” I stop myself, my heart racing as the words spill out.

This is beyond insane. Saying it out loud only makes it sound like a nightmare.

“Oh, sweetie,” Bernie says softly. “You’re in way over your head, aren’t you?”

“It gets worse.” I look back toward the bed. “I married him, Bern.”

“You… did…what?”

“Married him. That was the deal. He’ll protect everyone, he’ll even help keep Smoke running… but I have to be his wife.”

Bernie’s stunned silence is like a punch to the gut. Shame trickles into my chest. I’m embarrassed that I gave in to Carson like this, mortified that I married a gangster, especially a gangster like him, when my whole life I’ve done nothing but avoid his entire family and anyone associated with him.

Now I’ve gone against my own wishes.

It’s like I’ve thrown away my whole moral code.

“Keely’s going to be so pissed,” Bernie says after a long pause.

I laugh. I can’t help myself. Laughing feels good right now, even if inwardly I’m cringing at myself, unable to recognize the girl I’m turning into. “God, you’re right. She really was fawning over him, wasn’t she?”

“I thought she was going to throw herself at him like a baboon and present her bare ass for a spanking.” Bernie’s laugh is strained. “God, Ash, what have you gotten yourself into?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I admit, closing my eyes against the tears. If it’s not laughing, it’s crying right about now. “It’s not so bad, right? Carson’s rich, and he’s keeping everyone safe. Smoke might even come out of this in better shape than it’s ever been in.”

“All you gotta do is stay married to a guy you barely know.”

“I’ve met him before. I mean, I knew him when I was younger.”

“How long’s it been since you two spoke?”

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