Page 112 of Four Fiances & I

“Of course, Jasmine. I’ll come down to let you in now.” The intercom goes dead, and I look around at the others, who are frowning.

“She’s usually just buzzed us in,” Layton points out, his body language instantly changing as he and Gordon share a look before going into guard dog mode.

“I’m sure she just has another party in. Or something is going on; let's face it, they are always busy,” Abbi points out. But I don’t miss the warning look she gives Layton.

“I’m sure that’s it,” I reply, trying to push back the worry that something else is about to go wrong.

“Still, I would like to speak to her first and check the building out,” Layton says before turning to Gordon. “You stay with the girls in the entrance hall; I know the building better.”

Gordon nods as Danielle rolls her eyes.

“Oh please, it’s probably that the order of champagne hasn’t chilled to the right temperature. I know these ladies, things like that cause them to go into a panic.” I look at her and know she’s probably right. I’m about to say just as much when the sound of the door opening stops me. We all turn to look at the door as Penelope stands there.

“Sorry for the delay. Come on in.”

No hello or friendly smile and warm welcome. Penelope doesn’t even look at me. I also don’t miss the way Gordon takes hold of my wrist, a sign he is ready to get me out of here if he needs to.

“Ma’am, is everything okay?” Layton asks as he steps in front of me because even I can see that everything isnotokay.

ChapterThirty-Six

JASON

I walk through the house, enjoying the peace and quiet for a moment. Everyone has a million and one things to do right now. If it's not trying to find out who attempted to break into our home last night or who is trying to bring us down, it’s to do with the wedding.

The closer we get to the weekend, the busier everyone seems to be. There always seem to be calls to make or things to pick up, and that’s before we even include all the shit that’s been going down.

Christian and I filled Travis in on what's been going on. It turns out Christian had once again tried to hide shit from me. McIntire told him two days ago that Nicholson was asking about us. Travis assured us that it didn’t sound like Nicholson was looking to rise against us, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen eventually.

As soon as Travis left, I demanded to know about the dealers. As I suspected, Christian managed to track down anyone Carol was associated with through other contacts. The six he killed the other night were all who were left. Dealers don’t have the longest life span, as they usually piss someone off or use their own drugs and end up overdosing. Either way, he believes everyone who ever touched Jasmine is dead.

I have spent the last half an hour training in the sparring room, trying to work out what the hell we are going to do. We discussed cancelling the wedding and developing a new plan, but it may be too late. Plus, I can’t see Jasmine agreeing to cancel it; we don’t want to ask her to.

As much as I’m looking forward to the wedding itself, I’m now looking even more forward to the honeymoon—two whole weeks of just the five of us in the villa. We have no plans but just to take some time to relax and enjoy the start of our new lives with our wife.

What Jasmine doesn’t know is that after the initial two weeks, we are taking turns to take her away for a week. Maximus is taking her to Italy—Sean, to Spain. Christian has opted for Paris, and I’m taking her to the Maldives. Christian has cleared everything with her school, and I’m sure he donated a large sum of money to ensure it doesn’t affect her attempts to take on a lead role in the next production.

“What do you mean they are all dead?”

I look towards Christian's office, where the door is a jar. I rush in, desperate to know what the hell has happened now and who the fuck is dead.

The first thing I see when I open the office door is Christian pacing with his mobile to his ear.

“How is that even possible? What could have killed every single one of them like that?” he spots me when he turns and holds up a finger as he continues to listen to whoever is on the other end of the call.

My first thought is that something’s happened to Jazzy or the twins, but I know Christian would never shush me like that if there were a problem with them. Of course, that means it could be about anything.

What the fuck is going on? We have come under fire a few times in the past, but this is getting out of control now. I can’t remember the last time I slept for more than an hour at a time. Even when I do, it’s only because I’m exhausted or Jazzy is in my arms, so I know she’s safe.

“Is there anything we can do to fix this? I don’t care about the cost; money is no object.”

I look back at my brother, frowning. If people are dead, what the hell can money do to fix the situation? What could he be referring to if not people? We don’t own any animals other than the puppy, and I know he's fine as he's curled up on his bed in the corner watching Christian. That dog wants to be wherever he is, and it seems my brother has given up fighting it.

Christian’s shoulders sag as he lets out a long, defeated sigh. “Okay, see what you can come up with, but I understand what you’re saying. If I don’t hear any different in the next twenty-four hours, I will take it as all is lost … No, don’t worry about that; it wasn’t your fault; keep it, and I hope you get to the bottom of it all before anything else goes wrong for you … You too. Thank you again for all you have done, goodbye.” Christian hangs up the phone and curses under his breath before running his fingers through his hair.

“What’s going on now?” I ask, unable to take the suspense anymore.

“That was the florist. They’ve just gone to their warehouse, where they keep all their flowers, and they are all dead. Thousands of pounds worth of plants withering and unrepairable.”

---