Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
“Hey, we need to check on you first.” Tris moved into Carys’s space. She was in shock, and she needed to know she was safe now. Even while the helicopter burned a hundred yards away. “Come on, baby.”
A crack sounded through the air, and his head snapped back before he felt the actual pain. She’d slapped him. Not in a girlie way, in a bitch-goddess, feel-my-power way.
“How dare you,” Carys said. “You were hiding? You were spying on us?”
“I was watching over you.” He looked to Aidan, who was pale but calm as well. “Aidan, I was just…”
His best friend shook his head. “We have to check on the others. We can talk later. I’m sure you have a debrief to attend.”
“Hey, Car, I take back what I said about the dress.” Kala strode up as though the wedding was still happening and nothing had gone wrong. The bridesmaids dress she wore now boasted a long slit up the side. “Once I ripped it a little, it was totally easy to move in. Did you see the way that fucker went down?”
“What I saw—and anyone who was looking—was you aren’t wearing underwear.” Cooper pointed a finger Kala’s way. “What the hell?”
“Hello, panty lines,” Kala replied.
They started to argue about whether going commando during an impromptu firefight was a good choice, but Tristan couldn’t take his eyes off Carys.
Who turned and walked away, letting Aidan lead her down the stairs.
“Well, this is a hell of a thing,” Aunt Charlotte said as another boom shook the air around them.
Tristan stood with his dads and watched the loves of his life walk away.
* * * *
Carys took a long drag off the martini Tasha had put in her hand. Her cousin had switched out the champagne for vodka after the horrors of the afternoon. According to Aunt Charlotte, vodka solved most problems. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t solve hers, but she would take the detachment it might bring.
She was still in shock. An hour later and she was still trying to process what had happened.
“That’s the last of the guests with kids.” Kenzie and Kala were in the bridal suite as well. Her cousins had told her they wouldn’t leave for anything.
Of course they might be playing bodyguard. They kept watching the door and tensed whenever it opened.
“I had to talk Kyle out of staying.” Her mother had a grim look on her face. “He wanted to help with the cleanup, but he doesn’t have clearance anymore.”
Yes, she was left with the Agency crew. The wedding she’d planned for years had basically been firebombed, and the only good news of the day was no one was seriously injured. She had no idea what she would say to her coworkers at the hospital when she eventually returned to work. Uh, didn’t actually get married because someone tried to kill us all, and then we had to deal with a helicopter exploding, and oh, my ex showed up to save the day and I was fairly certain he’d been okay with dying.
So why did she feel oddly relieved?
Shock. Yep, it was still shock. She wasn’t secretly okay with the fact that she hadn’t said I do. Her heart hadn’t thudded in her chest when she’d realized Tristan was here. Nope. Anger was all she’d felt. The slap across his gorgeous face had been about anger. It hadn’t because she couldn’t figure out another way to touch him.
Because she couldn’t let him hug her, couldn’t allow him to kiss her.
Even though her first impulse had been to throw herself into his arms.
No one was injured. No one had died. Well, the dudes in the helicopter had absolutely died, but they had been far past her medical skills the minute Tristan had blown them out of the sky.
She’d been under her father and Aidan, but she’d managed to watch Tristan stand beside Cooper and take down the helicopter in seconds. Cooper had ducked, but Tristan had stood there and watched, his eyes hard.
He hadn’t cared if he’d gotten hurt. He’d wanted the storm to sweep over him.
There had always been a darkness in Tris. Since they were kids, he was the one who could brood and lose himself in dark thoughts.
Like she could. She’d needed Aidan’s light and Tristan’s darkness to balance her own needs.
Her dark side was so fucking hungry.
She took another sip of martini. If there was any vermouth in there, she couldn’t tell. Her cousin had a heavy hand. “He needs to be with his kids. Diana was upset.”
“Well, Rand told me it was the best wedding he’d ever been to,” her mom said with a shake of her head. “MaeBe had to haul him away because he wanted to go out and see the wreck.”
They were huddled in the bridal suite while her uncles and Tristan handled the situation.