Page 16 of Striker

I'm going to lose my best friend on the first hour of this nightmare weekend, and I'm either going to watch my other friend get married to the literal devil, or I'm going to be killed, and Owen will probably get killed, too.

No, he'll definitely get killed.

Because as soon as he hears gunshots, he'll jump into Marine-mode and go berserk.

I have to stop this and get Morgan out of here before she gets us killed for just trying to talk to her sister. There must be a different way we can get inside.

With desperation in my grip, I take Morgan by the shoulder and pull her back. It takes effort; she's rooted to the tile floor with ferocity and love.

"We're sorry to bother you," I say to the guard. "We'll talk to her another time."

Pulling her away from that door is as easy as ripping my own teeth out.

"What the hell was that for?" She hisses as soon as we're out of hearing range.

I blink at her. "What the hell was that for? That was so we don't get shot by the big guy with the gun. I want to help Riley as much as you do, Morgan, but I don't want to get killed."

"Now is our best chance. I could've gotten us past him. There's no way he'd really shoot us. Michael Vertucci would kill anyone who did anything to mess with his wedding, and that guard knows it."

"Meaning he'd also kill the two women who caused a commotion trying to fight their way past the guard he set up to keep his bride in her room, right?"

"Fuck."

"Exactly."

"But we have to get to her. I don't want to lose my sister to this psycho. She's using again, I just know it. I know that's why she's not in her right mind. I’ve had suspicions, Dani. The second she called and told me she was engaged to Michael freaking Vertucci, my first thought was, 'How in the hell did my little sister cross paths with that monster?' And then I just knew. There's only one way. That very day, I started saving up, putting money away, so that I could get her out of here, get her to rehab, get her out of his reach. Even if it means I never see her again, I'll be happy knowing she's not a slave to that man and his filth."

My best friend is shaking. With fear, with rage.

And she's right.

Riley's had her share of problems, but when she's clean, she's a level-headed woman who wouldn't give the time of day to a man like Michael Vertucci. When she's not... she's not Riley. Just as much as Morgan wants to get her little sister back, I want to help my best friend.

But not this way.

"You and I both want the same thing, Morgan."

Her lips pull back in a smile that straddles sarcasm and gratitude. "I believe you, Dani. But why'd you bring a babysitter? That’s going to make things really freaking complicated, especially since we are going to have to wait for another opportunity to get to my sister."

"Because it was the only way to get my brother off my back."

It's a truth and a lie. Yes, it got Dixon off my back, but it's not the only reason I brought Owen. For the first time in as long as I can remember, Owen saw me for me, and he gave me what I needed: respect, honesty, and a choice. There was no way I could have turned him down.

"It still complicates things."

It does. It puts me in conflict with myself. There's a part of me that longs to do everything at this wedding — share champagne, don my dress and see Owen in his tux, dance together — with Owen. That part of me might make things difficult when it comes time to break this wedding up and rip the bride away from the monster who has her in his clutches.

I shake my head and focus on the matter at hand: getting to Riley.

"Yes, he complicates things. So does the big guy with the shotgun standing in front of Riley's door. But we'll find a way around it. Come on, I think I have an idea."

I lead Morgan downstairs and around behind the main villa. Amid a maze of hedges and perfectly manicured flowers, I find our way to a trellis that leads up the side of the villa, all the way to the roof. The trellis runs alongside Riley's window and is made of thick, sturdy wood. For a moment, Morgan and I stand still, looking both around and up at it. As busy as things are in front of the mansion, with guests arriving and porters carrying bags, the back of the house is quiet. All I hear are birds and the occasional muted calls of kitchen staff through an open back window.

"This is your plan? To Rapunzel our way up there?"

"Unless you want to try walking through that brick wall with a shotgun in front of Riley's door again?"

Morgan hesitates, doubt and frustration on her face. Sometimes it's the littlest obstacles that are the hardest of all. This is my turn to step up as her best friend.

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