Page 25 of Black Wedding

I physically shake my head, pushing all thoughts of that out of my mind, and trying to pull myself back into the conversation. However, the voice seems to be having a moment of contemplation, the silence continues, and I chance a look over at Liam. He looks furious, more so than he did when the voice initially threatened me.

“If you can get Bree to hand over to us, then we will let her live. But you only get one chance at this. When the time is right, and her Gramps has signed the paperwork to make her official, we will send you the same papers. Sign it over and make the announcement within twenty-four hours, and we will let you both live. If you don’t, you will both die. Painfully. Do not double-cross me, boy. Do you understand?”

Liam agrees, and the call ends. I look over at Liam as he pulls over at the side of the road. He starts slamming his hands against the steering wheel and cursing loudly in what sounds like multiple languages. I wait for him to calm down a bit before I reach over and gently touch his shoulder. It’s not much, but just enough to let him know I am here.

“Are you okay?” I ask. It sounds like a stupid question, but what else is there to say?

“No! Now we have another fucking enemy,” he grumbles.

Taking hold of Liam’s hand, I wait for him to turn to look at me. “It doesn’t matter. We can fight them all. What makes you think this isn’t the Marcushio’s?” I ask although I think I already know the answer.

“If it was them, they would want me dead. So this has to be someone who doesn’t want me dead, and I had an idea who it was from the beginning, but his last sentence confirmed it,” Liam says, his face suddenly looking drained.

“You know who that was? How?” I have so many more questions, but I try not to overwhelm him.

“I think it was my father. I suspected when he gave me the chance to live, but then he called me boy at the end. That’s always been what my father says to me. It’s his way of reminding me that I will always be the child in our relationship and will never be able to take him on. Only someone who cares about me would compromise with me,” Liam muses, and he does not look happy with his theory, but I think he could be right.

“What are we going to do?” I ask because I am not sure this is an enemy that Liam will take on, but I will not let someone destroy the perfect life I have built.

“I will deal with my father another day. I will text Kel now and ask him to look into the call for me. But for now, we will go on our date and pretend this shitshow didn’t happen. Sound okay?” he asks as his face morphs back into the smile he was wearing before he took the call.

There’s a part of me that wants to say no to the date and to go home. To find out whatever we can about what our enemies are planning. At the same time, I’ve been looking forward to this all week, and Liam has gone to so much effort to plan the most amazing first date. It may have got off on the wrong foot, but I sure as fuck will make sure we enjoy the rest of the night.

It may not have quite been the start that I wanted for our first date, but I was determined to make sure Bree had a good time. I had planned this perfectly, and the idea that it could have been ruined by that bullshit phone call is pissing me off.

A part of me knew it was my father from the minute he started talking; he is synonymous with using those damn voice machines. But when he offered to spare my life if I walked away, that’s when I really knew it was him. My father hates me. There’s no doubting that, but he would never kill me unless he had to. It would kill my mother. If I refuse and leave him with no choice, he will move against me; he can argue his case for that. But he knows there is no way I will step aside and give him power. That’s the last thing that a lunatic like him needs. London would be so much worse if the Doughty Family gains any kind of power, which is why people are wary about me. They think I am secretly working to hand power over to him, but if they knew me at all then they would know that is the last thing I wanted even before I met Bree. Now I have her and her safety to think about. She is my priority, and I sure as shit will not let anyone take her from me, especially my family.

As I drive the remainder of the way, we sit in silence, but I want to get back to the fun and banter we had before the call. I want to remove the concerned scowl that Bree is currently wearing. I know she is considering all the scenarios and working out what we will need to do next in her head, but I need to clear all that out. I need her to be in the here and now…with me.

“Have you worked out where we are going yet?” I ask playfully, taking hold of her hand whilst using the other to drive.

I chance a glance over at her and see her taking in our surroundings. She will be able to see very soon where we are going. “The beach?” she replies, her pitch rising at the end and turning her guess into more of a question.

“No, that’s too far away,” I tease.

“Can’t you just tell me?” That adorable pout she uses when she isn’t getting her own way reappears, and I want to kiss her so badly right now.

“Nope. Keep guessing,” I sing, knowing I am winding her up but I can’t help it. I love seeing her pretend to be annoyed. I know she really wants the surprise, that’s why she hasn’t asked about it before now.

Her gaze scans the surroundings again as she mutters about me being an asshole, just loud enough for me to hear. I see the first signs of our destination and keep casting glances over at her to see her reaction when she realises. I also try to keep an eye on the road so we don’t die before getting to our destination. I know the moment she sees it because her whole body language changes. She sits up straighter and leans forward; her leg begins to bounce, which I have learnt she does when she is excited. The plastered pout on her face is quickly replaced by the biggest grin, and her silver eyes shine and glisten against the headlights of the cars zooming past us.

“We are going to the funfair?” she asks, almost in disbelief.

It might seem like a trivial date for some people, but not for Bree. I remember one of the first getting to know each other nights we had, and Kellan was there. He was telling her all about when we used to go to the funfair as kids. We would ride the big wheel, challenge each other at dodgems, just generally have a laugh. Kellan once ate so much cotton candy and doughnuts that when he threw up after going on the dodgems, it was a pink coloured vomit. Bree listened intently but never added in her own stories, so we asked if she had any. She was really sad when she told us she had never been to the funfair. Her mum thought it wasn’t ladylike to have fun, and her dad said the security was too risky. Basically, they just wanted to tell her who she should be. I wanted to show her that with me, she can have whatever she wants. If I can give her the world, then I will.

“Yeah, Princess. That okay?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

Thankfully, I just manage to park the car and as I turn the engine off, she takes off her seatbelt and throws herself into my lap, kissing me hard. Her hands grip my hair tightly, pulling at the ends as she sweeps her tongue across my bottom lip, demanding access. I let her take what she wants, gripping her ass to pull her closer onto my growing erection. She shuffles slightly to get more comfortable, trying to swing her leg over until she is in a straddling position. However, there is not enough room between me and the steering wheel. Her movement causes a deafening and continuous burst of noise as she accidentally sits on the horn.

The noise scares the shit out of us both, and she jumps back onto her own seat as we both start to laugh. Our chuckles turn into a full belly laugh as we look at each other laughing. Reaching over, I give her a light kiss before pulling back and adjusting my cock so it’s a bit more comfortable.

“Come on, Princess. Let’s go for a ride,” I joke, and she rolls her eyes at my lousy innuendo.

Getting out of the car, I run around to open her door but find she has already let herself out. She then reminds me that she is an independent woman who doesn’t need men to hold her door open. While she mutters about feminine rights, I take hold of her hand and lead her to the entrance.

Buying our tickets, we walk inside, and I see her mouth is wide open in admiration. This is nothing new, but for someone who has never been before, it’s a sight to behold. The lights, the music, the shrieks from the rides, but it’s the laughter that rings out the most. Everywhere you look, people are having a good time. Couples on dates, families having quality time together, friends having a night of fun. Everyone is enjoying themselves, and as I watch Bree take in all the sights and sounds, it’s like I see it all through new eyes.

“Where do we start?” Bree asks.

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