Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“Are you sure you’re not more than seeing him, Marigold?”
“I plead the fifth.” I might be crap at lying, but I’m good at pleading the fifth.
“She is to be my wife.” Avery wraps his arm around me, pulling me snugly into his side.
“Marigold?” My father keeps his attention on me. I don’t blame him.
“What?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose the same way he always does when he’s irritated with me. So needless to say, he spends a ton of time with his hand on his nose. Because ever since I was old enough to talk, I was irritating him.
“Is there something you need, Eric?” Avery asks, using my father’s first name. Well, then. I guess Avery did some digging of his own.
“I have some questions that I need to speak to her about.”
“Regarding?”
“The Hoover household.” Still my father keeps his eyes on me.
“What of it?” Avery fires right back.
“That’s between my daughter and me–”
“I heard on the news that Mr. Hoover died. I’d think it would be a conflict of interest for you to interrogate your own daughter.”
“Question,” my father snaps back. That anger he keeps bottled up is slipping out some. Finally, he jerks his attention up to Avery. “I can speak to my own damn daughter whenever I want to.”
“Stop!” I shout when I sense Avery’s mood start to change. I don’t know how he does that or how I can feel it, but I do. Maybe we are connected on some deep level I don’t understand yet but somehow Avery does. “I plead–”
“If you have any questions for my soon-to-be wife then I’ll need to call my lawyer.”
“Who is your lawyer, Avery Hardin? There isn’t a whole lot I could find on you.”
“I guess you’ll find out if you get a court order to speak to my wife. For now, I suggest you leave.”
“You know what–”
“That wasn’t actually a suggestion. I was being polite for Goldie’s sake. Get the fuck off my property or you’ll learn all kinds of things about me rather quickly.”
“Are you threatening an officer of the law?” My father stiffens. He has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.
“Not a threat.”
Damn, my husband really is a badass. Maybe he can teach me some of that too.
17
AVERY
“Warrant or fuck off, old man.” I step up to him.
Marigold grabs my arm.
“Marigold, come with me right now.” He holds his hand out to her.
Everyone in the room goes tense, the sounds of wedding preparations turned to utter silence.
“Girl, I’m warning you.” He motions for her to come to him.
I’m unwavering. She won’t go to him. I knew from the moment I met her that she won’t forsake me just as I’d never forsake her.
“Dad, you don’t understand.”
“Marigold!” he bellows.
She flinches.
That’s all I need. I grab him by his stiff collar and drag him out the front door, down the steps and onto the driveway. He fumbles around for his gun, but I smack his hand away and pull it out for myself.
With a shove, I send him flying backwards. He lands on his ass.
“Avery!” Marigold has a death grip on my arm.
“He’s not harmed. Not really. I kept my word,” I reassure Marigold.
“Get up.” I point his own gun at him. “I realize you’re wearing a vest. However, I’ll shoot you between the eyes and not give it a second thought. So choose now if you want to continue pissing into the wind or if you want to leave here alive.”
He gets to his feet, his eyes narrowed as he glances from the barrel to me.
“I’ll have this delivered to the station by private courier. Best I can do.” That’s not entirely true. The best thing I can do is pull the trigger and rid Marigold of this asshole for good, but that’s not my choice to make. Besides, I promised her I wouldn’t. So I won’t.
He looks around and finds Elliott standing outside his car and aiming for him. Then I point a finger upward.
Marigold’s father’s gaze lifts, then his eyes widen even more when he sees Mr. Lou hanging out a second-floor window with an assault rifle at the ready.
“If you’ve done even a tiny amount of homework on me, Officer.” I lace the word with malice. “Then you’ll know that I’m no stranger to bloodshed. Neither are the people I surround myself with. We take care of our own.” I wrap my arm around Marigold. She’s shaking, dismay written all over her. I have to end this situation. She doesn’t deserve this sort of distress, especially not on her wedding day. “Goodbye.”
I turn and pull her back up the stairs and into the house.
“Marigo–” His yell is cut off as I slam the door.
The house comes back to life, the florist going back to work on the arrangements as if nothing at all just happened. Good. I won’t let anything interfere with this wedding, not even Marigold’s asshole of a father.