Page 34 of Blade

“Then he needs a hard lesson. This time, he’s not going to find anyone to swindle for money.”

“Ryan is charming,” she replies cautiously.

“We’ll see, baby.” I don’t want Emryn to know our plan. She’s got too much in her head as it is, and before this goes too far, I want to know what Orion and Wildcard uncover.

Right on cue, the doorbell rings. I know we’re expecting Ava, but Emryn doesn’t. “Get the door, Emmy. I’ll finish cleaning up.” She drops her lips to mine, a mere whisper of a kiss, but my mouth salivates at wanting more. I wish I could take her back to our bedroom, but I do the right thing and let her go.

From where I am in the kitchen, I can hear Ava’s upbeat voice. “Hey, Emmy, I hope you don’t mind me stopping by, but I’m in a bit of a bind and I’m wondering if you can help me out.” The tapping of heels on the floor lets me know they’re coming my way. “How’s it going, Blade? She’s got you doing dishes.” She throws a smile Emryn’s way. “Good girl!” she exclaims with a chuckle.

“Quiet, Queen Bee!” I tease. “You know I’m the first to help out in the kitchen.”

“That’s usually because that’s where Hanna packs up the food, and you want first dibs,” Ava continues to joke.

I roll my eyes. “What brings you over?”

“Guard says my car is making a funny noise and refuses to let me drive it. I have an appointment this morning that I can’t miss. Vi is on deliveries, Camille is on shift, most of the other girls are at work, so I’m here to beg a favor.” She gives Emryn her big, sad eyes, then asks, “Could I ask you to take me? Please?”

“Well, sure. But you can have my car as long as I have it back for my meeting this afternoon,” Emryn tells her.

“I’d rather not drive someone else’s car, and I thought we could get lunch afterward and hang out for a bit. What do you say?” Ava says.

“It sounds like fun,” Emryn begins, then looks behind her toward the hall where her brother is still asleep in the bedroom.

“He’s a grown man, babe. And he may not be up for hours,” I remind her.

“Who are we talking about?” I’m sure Guard has informed his wife as to what’s going on, but she’s a great actress, pretending she doesn’t.

“Uh, my brother’s come for a short visit.” Emryn chooses her words carefully.

“That’s great. I’d love to meet him,” Ava replies, but I recognize the glint in her eye, and what she really wants to do is punch him in the mouth for taking advantage of her new friend. “We can head out and be back before you know it. By that time, he might be up, and we can have a chat.”

Emryn can’t mask her fear, and Ava catches it right away, but she covers it up quickly. Ava manages to get Emryn out the door, and they head off on a wild-goose chase for a few hours.

I grab my phone and send a text to Orion.

Me: Yo bro! Do me a solid and add the parents to the list.

Orion: You got it.

Might as well be thorough and get all I can on the Ellingtons.

Nineteen

When the Time Comes

Emryn

One errand turned into two and three, then there was lunch. Ava wanted to go to Hanna’s Bakery for her prosciutto and arugula panino and homemade butternut squash soup. The way she describes it makes me salivate, and now that we’re sitting at our table, the delicious aromas are making my tummy grumble.

“Vi might be done with her deliveries. I’m going to see if she wants to join us,” Ava says and sends off a text. Before you know it, Vi replies with a thumbs-up and is on her way. As we wait for Vi, Sofia and Maddie come through the door, and we pull another table over to make room for all of us. Soon, we’re moving more and more tables together, and suddenly, we’ve gone from two to twelve women all having lunch together.

The afternoon passes quickly, and it’s close to three before I’m walking through my front door. Ryan is sitting on my couch, legs splayed open, with a mega sandwich in hand, munching away and looking highly annoyed.

The scowl on his face speaks volumes, and right away, he begins, “Where have you been all day? I got up, and you weren’t here. What the hell, Em?”

I come into my home to find that Ryan has filled my kitchen sink with dishes, the milk carton is on the counter, and there are crumbs all over my table and floor. I left my home in a clean state and come back to find it a shambles.

I let out a heavy sigh, but I don’t have time to argue with him because I have a meeting with potential clients, and I can’t be late. The last thing a bride wants is to have their photographer show up late to their wedding, and trust starts from the first moment you meet your customer.

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