Page 56 of A Dead End Wedding

“What’s up, bug?”

“Jack? The troll? He’s back. And he has company.”

I whirled around to see Braumsh lurking just outside the doorway, holding one end of a rope that led to Twyla Tharsin’s tied wrists. She was obviously trying to scream, but the duct tape over her mouth prevented it.

“Tess and Jack,” the troll rumbled. “I would not have interrupted, but I found this one and her friend scuttling around outside with dangerous metal objects. Jack, I know you were a soldier. Will you come look?”

I was running down the aisle, shouting at everyone to get out, by the time he got to the word “dangerous.” “Tess, call Susan and get everybody out of there!”

The metal objectswerebombs, and Tharsin and her zealots had planted them on the outside walls of the church. Braumsh handed her into Mike’s custody and sniffed out every one of the bombs for us.

“Nasty, metallic smell,” he growled, pointing to the last one.

Carlos and I defused all six of them before the sheriff even arrived.

“I didn’t know you could handle yourself with explosives,” I told Carlos, after we were sure we’d gotten them all.

“I can handle myself with a lot of things,” he said grimly. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it after a whiskey or three.”

“You are an honorable friend,” I said to Braumsh, bowing.

His eyes widened slightly, but he returned my bow. “I would not have Tess harmed,” he said gruffly. “Be sure this woman and her three friends I left tied to the children’s slide are given to the mortal law woman’s custody. It might … go badly for them if I find them again this night.”

“It will go badly for them if I find them again, ever,” I growled. “We were already on the lookout for them, since they’d threatened the queen and her people.”

“Tess warned me,” the troll said quietly. “She is an unusual mortal.”

The unusual mortal came flying toward us. “Did you get them all? Braumsh, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

The troll looked stunned. After a few long moments, he shook his head. “No. I am unharmed.”

“Oh, and thank you for the flowers. They were quite … decorative,” she said brightly.

Braumsh took a few steps back. “Yes. I must go.”

Then he turned and ran away faster than I would ever have imagined somebody that bulky could run.

“What did I say?” Tess asked, dismayed. “I just wanted to thank him!”

“He’s a troll, Tess,” Carlos said gently. “You may have overwhelmed him with kindness.”

She sighed. “Well, I hope he still comes to the wedding, or at least the reception tomorrow. I promise not to be too nice to him.”

Like that would ever happen.

She hugged me and then leaned back, looking much more tired than I liked. “Would you mind taking care of the prisoner handoff? It’s so late now. Let’s skip the dinner. Everybody understands. Molly and I are going back to the house to do our girly prep for tomorrow.”

Even though we’d been basically living with each other for a while now, Tess had asked that we stay apart tonight. Something about not seeing her in her wedding dress.

“Go. Give Molly a hug for me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks!” She turned to go but then looked back at me and flashed an enormous smile. “This is the last night ever that you won’t be my husband.”

“Lucky, lucky man,” Dave said softly after she’d gone. “Now. Are we going to stand around and talk about ourfeelings, or are we going to go get drunk like men are supposed to do the night before one of them ties the knot?”

“Definitely get drunk,” I said firmly. “Andy, the commandos, and at least a dozen other guys are meeting us at my house.”

I had friends. Lots of friends. Not just fellow soldiers or people sharing a mission. Actual friends. The thought staggered me.

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