Page 10 of Black Wedding

Thankfully, we part after the tour so we can both get settled in. We agreed to meet up in a couple of hours for a pizza. I stayed in my room getting unpacked. As I am getting settled in, my tablet starts making a tingling sound letting me know I am getting a video call, and that can only be from one person. Settling on the bed, sitting up with my back against the headrest, I open my tablet and accept the call. I am greeted by the sight of my best friend, looking extremely exhausted, holding onto the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen. She is only two months old, but she looks so much smaller compared to her daddy’s large, bulky frame. Her normally wide, piercing blue eyes are closed and her cute little mouth is sitting open in the shape of an O. She is wearing the cutest pink dress and has a pink bow on the top of her head. She doesn’t have much hair yet, and those she does have are so light they almost appear white, which makes it look like she is bald. Even if she was bald, I would still adore this little girl with all my heart.

“Alright, Brother. You are looking exhausted. How’s my baby girl doing?” I ask Kellan. He may not be my real blood brother, but I am closer to him than I have ever been to any of my real asshole brothers.

Kellan and I grew up together. His father worked with mine, and after his father was killed working for our Family, he came to stay with us. My father wanted Kellan to join our Family business, but I made it very clear he was to be kept out of it. Kel wears his heart on his sleeve, and it would eat him alive if he had to live my life. Luckily, my father has no idea that Kel is a world class hacker. He is probably the best in the business, but he keeps his talents hidden. He pushes himself, simply because he wants to. Once, he hacked into New Scotland Yard and gave the people who arrested his father’s killer a raise. He then wrote to them, anonymously of course, telling them about the back door access he had found, and the code he had written to fix it for them. Obviously, he left a little hole that only he could find. You never know when someone in our business might need to get in.

Kellan has been working with me since I branched off from my family, and started working independently. He hacks security feeds, helps me to assess my clients and targets. He also covers up my hits, making all traces of me even being in that city disappear within seconds. I would be lost or in prison without him. But since Hallie was born he has had a real struggle adapting. Being a single dad is hard, but I know he wouldn’t change it for the world. That little girl, my god-daughter, has him wrapped around her little finger without even trying.

“She’s a fucking angel when she is asleep. Sadly, this doesn’t last very long. The health visitor who came to weigh her and do all her checkups basically said she’s a little smaller than average, but that isn’t a bad thing. She is consistently growing, which is good. Apparently, this new sleep pattern where she wakes up every two hours to feed is normal. She may be having a growth spurt. It’s either that or she is becoming a vampire because the girl has no concept that you sleep at night, not during the day,” he says, almost like a whisper. He keeps casually casting his eyes down to check on Hallie, no doubt hoping she doesn’t wake up.

“She is not a vampire. If the professional says it’s normal then it is. I’m glad Hal’s going through a growth spurt, maybe I won’t feel like I’m going to break her every time I pick her up if she’s a bit bigger,” I joke, but it’s true. The first time I held her, she was five hours old and weighed just over six pounds. I was terrified, but never has someone captured my heart so quickly. Looking at her perfect, tiny face, with the same wide piercing blue eyes she still sees on me now, I knew she had me. It was almost like I realised for the first time in a long time that I was capable of loving someone. I had forgotten I had a heart until Hallie woke it up. Though now it might be beating for another girl in the room next door.

“I hope so too. Fuck, mate, I am dying here. I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” my best friend whispers, and I see his face crumpled as the words leave his mouth. I know just saying the words out loud will have slaughtered him, and I think the only other time I have seen his eyes fill with tears was when she was born. He looks at Hallie, like she may have heard him, and that causes him to fall further. I hate seeing him like this.

“Hey! Kellan, listen to me right now. That little girl isn’t looking for perfection. She knows you are going to fuck things up as you go. All she needs is for you to be there for her, take care of her, and show her the love she needs. No matter how tired you get, that’s not going to change. All she wants is to be loved and cared for. You not only can do that, you have to. She has nobody else,” I say firmly. I hate that I am playing the emotional manipulation card, but it’s true.

“My mum was here today,” he starts and I can’t help interrupting him.

“Fuck, I should have known as soon as I saw the bloody bow. If she voiced her opinion that Hallie looks too much like a boy to be beautiful again, I may have to reevaluate my no punching women stance,” I grind out, fury rippling over my body. His mother is a right piece of work, and I should have known she played a part in this depressive episode. When I spoke to him yesterday about the security on this place, he was fine. It never occurred to me that he would have had to ask his mum to babysit to do the job. I just had visions of him bringing her, attached to his chest with that sling she loves to be in so much, as he teaches her all about her daddy’s job. If I had known I would have taken her. My desire to keep her away from that witch runs deep. She was incapable of raising Kellan, so why the fuck she feels she can comment on how he raises his little girl is beyond me.

“She wants custody, Liam. She said she is going to go to court if I don’t sign the rights over. Asshole husband number five, with very deep pockets, has offered to buy the best lawyer in the country to help her fight. She says she is going to paint me as an unfit father. If I don’t want to drag Hallie through social service assessments, and court cases then I have to hand her over. I’m fucked,” he explains, the tears now falling free as he stares at the beauty in his arms.

“Fuck, I thought I hated that bitch before, but that’s nothing compared to what I am feeling now. Look, Kel, we fight this. You have raised that beautiful little girl that you are currently cradling, all by yourself since her piss poor excuse for a mother left her at just five hours old. You are the one that has been there night and day. You are her dad, she needs you. That bitch couldn’t even raise you, abandoning you at six years old. Is she going to do that with Hallie too? We are fighting this. I am going to find the best lawyer, and if I have to overpay to buy them out from under her husband then that is what we will do. But you have to fight this, Kellan. Look at Hallie. Could you really live without her?” I ask, already knowing the answer. He may be exhausted, stressed, and broken, but none of that matters when it comes to giving Hallie what she needs.

“You already know I can’t. The idea of that cunt raising my beautiful baby gets my blood boiling. But I just can’t see the court’s finding in my favour. She will find every skeleton I have and use it against me. I can’t lose her. Would you really help me? I can’t ask you to spend that much money, Liam.”

My laughter echoes through the speaker and Hallie must have heard because she starts wiggling in her dad’s arms. We both freeze, like she is a bomb that is about to explode. If we stay silent and still, maybe she won’t wake up. I can see the plea in Kel’s eyes, like he is mentally willing her to stay asleep. She stops wiggling, almost like she had only moved to make herself look comfortable, before letting out the cutest little baby snore. We both stare at her in awe. How this tiny little girl manages to manipulate two guys like us, is amazing. I just know we will be fucked when she grows up.

“Kel, I would throw money at any plan that involved destroying that bitch of a mother of yours. But I would give everything I owned to you and that little angel. So, don’t even bother asking. I am telling you, I’m doing it. Why don’t you come to the house one day this week and we can brainstorm? I will do some research and speak to some lawyers in the meantime. That sound okay? And if all else fails, I can always kill her,” I joke. I should be offended that he doesn’t already know I would move heaven and Earth for him, let alone her. I think he is just so scared and tired that he isn’t thinking clearly, but I am here to remind him. No matter how despondent he gets, I will be here.

“Thanks, mate. I may take you up on the killing part if things don’t go my way. Do I get to meet this new girl? Are you ever going to tell me what is going on? I know you are lying to me. There is no way you are working security and protecting some mafia princess. I know you, there’s no way you would take a job like that,” he says, his molten grey eyes staring straight at me. No longer filled with tears, they now look suspiciously at me.

I knew he wouldn’t have condoned me taking Bree hostage and using her for the ransom. Kellan offered on more than one occasion to simply hack into Vernon’s accounts and take what is mine, but I didn’t want that. I needed Vernon to give it to me, I was owed it. I shouldn’t have to steal what is mine. I would have told Kellan what happened straight after, but things escalated beyond what I had planned. How do I tell him that not only did I kidnap her, despite him telling me not to, but I also agreed to marry Bree?

He will tell me the millions of reasons I should have said no, and honestly, I already know all of those excuses. They streamed through my brain on repeat from the minute the idea was proposed. It may have been in the contract, but Bree was the one who rolled with it. For some reason, I couldn’t say no. I wanted to help Bree. I knew she was fierce and determined enough to succeed in this world. She has what it takes to be the queen of our world. Maybe I wanted to make sure I was standing by her side as she breaks down every wall that stands in her way. Or maybe it’s just her. Her smile, her snarky responses, her sexy curves, or the blush that spreads across her cheeks when I catch her staring at me. I know the minute Kellen finds out he will accuse me of thinking with my cock instead of my head, hence why I am stalling that conversation for another day.

“I will tell you everything when I see you. Send me a text letting me know when you wanna come over, but give me a couple of days to do my research. Oh, and don’t even think about not bringing Hallie. I am missing her already and I only saw her three days ago. If she is having a growth spurt, I might not recognise her,” I say, in mock fear. Kellan chuckles, before stopping himself and staring at Hallie again, hoping she doesn’t wake up from the movement. She continues to lay there peacefully.

“She will look exactly the same, minus this fucking bow. Besides, now I know her intentions, there’s no way I am leaving her with my mother ever again. I hated the idea of her even being in our lives to start with, but I needed the help. Plus, I wanted Hallie to have a female in her life. Too bad all the women we know are massive twats,” he ground out. I instantly think of Bree and want to defend her sex, but sadly, Kellan doesn’t exactly have a track record when it comes to the women in his life. They all abandon him and leave him lost and lonely. After Hallie’s mother, I don’t think I will ever get him to take a chance on a woman again.

Kellan must see this flash across my face, a knowing smirk replaces the anger that had been burning bright in his eyes.

“You like this girl,” he states, not even a question.

“Fuck off. I will see you in a couple of days. I will tell you everything that is going on then, but if you need me before just shout. Even if you wanna come and stay with me for a couple of days to help with Hal, Bree won’t mind.” I don’t know why I say that final part with such conviction. I don’t know anything about Bree really, or if she would be pissed if I invited a single dad and his little baby to stay with us. But there’s a part of me that is very sure. I really do need to get to know her properly.

Kellan and I say our goodbyes once Hallie starts to wake up and demands food. I have a lot of respect for my friend, stepping up and caring for a baby on his own. He didn’t even want to be a dad. Hallie wasn’t exactly planned, but from the second she entered his world, he changed. He became her dad and everything else came second. Sadly, that wasn’t what happened with her mother.

Kellan kept dropping hints that he suspected there was more to mine and Bree’s story and that he knew I liked this girl. The more he spoke, the more I realised that I don’t really know Bree, but I want to. So, let’s do this whole dating thing and find out if we are capable of at least becoming friends before we take on all the gangs, and mob bosses that will come for us when they find out a woman is running the O’Keenan London branch. I hope Bree knows that we are in for one hell of a battle, but like she said, that’s a discussion for another day.

Standing in front of the mirror, looking at myself in the black lace panties and matching bra set I put on, I can’t help but shake my head. I am going downstairs, into my own living room, to order pizza and get to know my kidnapper. Why the fuck does that mean I need to wear sexy lingerie?

I try telling myself that it’s so I feel confident, that I know I look hot underneath my clothing, and that Liam won’t know, kinda like my own little secret. The only problem with that theory is that as I was putting them on, all I could think about was Liam taking them off. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I try to tell myself that this is all based on looks. That I am just attracted to him. His rugged face and rock hard body, but he is more than just my type. If I was to create one guy that was made exactly for me, he is exactly what I would be designing. So, maybe I should just fuck him and get over it? It could just be the attraction and craving that is blinding me. But if I do fuck him and don’t want more, how do I then create a relationship with him that could lead to a successful marriage. Which is exactly why I need to think with my head and not the ache in my pussy.

From the few conversations I have had with Liam, I can tell he is fiercely protective, but he also has a good moral compass which is what I will need by my side in the future. I’m not naive enough to think I won’t have to lead by example. I will have to get my hands dirty, and I am more than happy to do that. I know there will be people who step forward to challenge me, and the idea of making my enemies bleed fills me with a buzzing energy. This is what I have waited for, the chance to prove I can live in a man’s world. But I’m not just going to live in a man’s world, I’m going to take down everyone in my way until I rule over them. There will be no doubt over whether a woman can be in power, I will prove myself. I need to know that Liam will have my back, or this will never work.

Apologising to the ache in my core, and guaranteeing it some vibe time later, I quickly throw on some black leggings and a baggy, grey t-shirt that falls off one shoulder, exposing the tip of my back bra. Giving Liam just that small glimpse of skin, on the off chance he wants to look. Mentally chastising myself, I make sure I am focused on the fact I need to get to know him properly, not fuck him.

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