Page 46 of Rush

“I love you, woman. I want you to be my wife. When you’re ready.”

“I’m ready,” she smiled.

“What?” he asked, not sure if he heard her correctly.

“I’m ready, Major. I’m sorry if I made you think I wasn’t. I’ve been in love with you since you pulled me out of the rubble. You were infuriating and frustrating and distracting. But you were also kind, protective, and loving. You are everything I dreamed my husband would be.

“I’m ready, Major. I’m ready, and I love you, and I want to make love to you without a damn condom between us. So, can we please hurry this along?” She watched as he pulled out his phone. Frowning, she thought it was an awful time for him to be texting someone.

“Major?”

“Sorry, I just needed to let Mama Irene know that she needed to call the priest. We’ll be getting married at dinner this evening.”

And that was it.

Simple as that.

By three o’clock, Ece wore a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring and a simple cream-colored wedding dress. By four o’clock, she kissed her new husband. By five o’clock, they were eating with their friends, laughing like it had been this way for decades.

At eight o’clock, they waved to everyone, walked to their cottage, and disappeared as Mr. and Mrs. Major Sculler.

By midnight, they were on their fourth attempt at creating the first baby Sculler.

And that’s how you do it Voodoo Guardian style.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

It took the team four hours to drive to Sozopol, Bulgaria. Kaan let them know that young Antonio’s phone was blowing up with messages from Grigoryan but also his mommy. The young man was in a pool of tears in their overcrowded holding cell as other men tried to get to know him. Intimately.

Earthquake victims had come this far as well, seeking shelter until their own villages could be deemed safe or rebuilt. Determining that they needed to avoid hotels in case Grigoryan had placed spies in the area, they decided to rent a small home from an elderly woman.

“I am Malyna. I own this house and the guest house. Just me, so don’t try funny business. Five hundred,” she said, staring up at the big men. “And don’t break my toilet.”

“Break your toilet? What the hell? How in the world would we break your toilet?” said Gabe.

“I had big boys. Big boys sometimes plop on the toilet and crack it. You have big boys. You’re all big boys. Don’t plop. Sit. Gently.” Rush just shook his head, handing over the cash to the woman. Ghost pulled her aside to ask a few questions about seeing any strange groups of young men.

“Da, da,” she nodded. “Ten, maybe twelve at a time. Younger than him.” She pointed at Rush, then looked at all the men, shaking her head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You like boys? You come here to buy the boys?”

“Jesus! No! We are not here to buy boys. We’re here to save those boys. We want to get them home to their families, safe and sound. And we’re here to stop the man that took them. He’s planning something terrible, and we want to prevent that from happening.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” frowned Tailor.

“Da. Okay. Come. I’ve made cabbage rolls. You eat, then you go find the bad man and help the boys.”

“Yes! I love cabbage rolls,” said Tailor.

“Hold up there, big man,” frowned Alec. “We both know what cabbage does to your stomach. I’m not sure that’s a good idea, considering we’re five men in a room.”

“Bah!” scoffed the old woman. “Gas is no good in. Better out. Good for him. Come.”

“Easy for her to say,” frowned Baptiste. “She’s never had to sleep in the same room as him.”

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