Page 57 of Keep Me (Rebel Hearts Heists 2)
For a second I don’t even get why Alicia looks so horrified and disgusted. Of course, in her eyes I’m cheating on her son but—oh, fuck! Of course, she thinks that River and I are siblings. So for the first time since I met her, I really can’t blame Blaine’s mom for her over the top reaction.
“What’s going on here?” she shrieks, a hand going to rest on her chest, squeezed in the corset-style wedding dress she’s wearing. “This is … this is—” she lands on her knees, her eyes still wide with shock and fixed on me and River.
“You’re cheating on your boyfriend with your sister?” She gasps. “And you.” this part is directed at me. “You’re cheating on Blaine with your brother?”
I’m about to try to talk my way out of this but Blaine’s calm voice intervenes as he helps his mother back on her feet. “Come on, Mom. Look, Sloane and River aren’t really siblings. We just said that because our relationship status is a little … uhm, complicated. I promise they aren’t cheating on anyone. And River isn’t really gay. He just said that to let you down gently when you came onto him.”
This is why I fucking love Blaine.
“But I—” Alicia objects and seriously she has some nerve to look this outraged when she is about to get married and all she’s done since we got here is try to get into River’s pants. I mean, not that I blame her because it’s River I’m talking about and love him or hate him, my crazy boyfriend is smoking hot. But really, she’s the last person who should look at me as if I were a slut when she’s obviously anything but faithful to her fiancé.
Fortunately Blaine handles her with a gentle firmness that I’ve seen him employ every time a situation begins getting out of hand. “We’ll talk about it later, ok? You have a literal boatload of people waiting for you on the upper deck. Let’s go.”
His vibrant green eyes meet mine as he begins to usher his mother out of the cabin and the many emotions I see in Blaine’s eyes almost make my head spin. There’s worry, a grim determination and definitely heat. I think that seeing me like this with River turned him on, and I can’t wait until this night is over and we’ll have time to explore this wonderful and complicated relationship between the five of us. For a second I can’t help but imagine myself between Blaine and River, the same way I was between Royce and Kaden last night.
I accept River’s hand and get back on my feet. I quickly change into a sequined black halter dress with a high slit on one side.Thank god he’d been joking about the orange.This doesn’t scream bridesmaid but I certainly can’t attend the wedding in my torn, blood splattered dress. I exit the cabin following Blaine and Alicia down the long corridor and up the stairs that lead to the upper deck.
The deck is crowded with people dressed to the nines. The furniture has been moved to create an aisle that’s flanked by rows of chairs like you’d find in any wedding venue. A marquee has been erected on one end of the deck. There are flowers everywhere and the deck is illuminated by bright spotlights.
River and I are prompted to walk in front of Blaine and his mother as soon as ‘Here Comes the Bride’ begins playing. I look around and there’s no sign of Royce and Kaden. VDB is standing under the marquee near an elegantly dressed man that must be the officiant. Another absence I can’t help but notice is Kronin’s.
* * *
Kaden—One Deck Below
I hear the helicopter before I see it. Everything happens fast and my stress levels skyrocket at the thought that Walker should already be here and I still have no fucking clue how the exchange of those nuclear codes is going to happen. If the art pieces change hands without me being able to figure it out, we’ve risked our lives for nothing. Royce and I have planned for that eventuality but that’s not ideal.
If we don’t get Kronin and Walker insists on arresting my brothers and Sloane, I know I’m going with them. But the life of a fugitive isn’t what I want to offer the woman I love, nor my brothers. Yes, they’ve broken the law more than once, hell I have too, but I know they had a good reason. They did it to save their family, even River. And these last few weeks have made me realize that this is what the guys have become. My family. And the catalyst of it all is the woman we all love and we would give everything for.
The helicopter lands on the marked spot and Royce claps my shoulder with his hand. “Dude.” He nods toward the group of people that approaches the aircraft.
Kronin and his bodyguard followed by some of the yacht’s deckhands all busy carrying a wooden crate and a large canvas wrapped up for shipping and his chief stew following them and giving directions. The Russian billionaire looks as odd as ever in a tailored tuxedo, with his bleach blond dreadlocks and a Hawaiian shirt under his tux.
A tall, gloomy looking man in a black tuxedo steps out by Kronin’s side.
“He was at the high roller game last night,” Royce informs me. “He lost a few million to—”
“Kronin,” I guess and Royce nods. “Fuck. Walker isn’t here yet and we still have no idea where those fucking codes are. Or if they’ve already exchanged them and we’ve missed it.”
I see the possibility that this whole situation might be slipping through my fingers fast but then the helicopter’s blades stop rotating and we can hear what’s being said a few feet away from us.
“Thank you ??????? (mate), but aside from the art pieces do you have some catalogs or something with some … details about the items?”
That immediately attracts my attention. The buyer sounds confused and looks nervous, as if he were being duped. That can only mean that he hasn’t got those codes yet.
Kronin smiles, the gold teeth in his mouth gleaming under the bright lights of the deck. “Everything you need is in those crates,” he states reassuringly—as reassuring as he can look, the creep—nodding toward the crates that his staff are now lifting onto the helicopter.
His customer doesn’t look satisfied. “That’s bullshit. I checked those crates personally and all they contain is your ‘shit art’. Nothing else, not even a catalogue, a brochure, a certificate of authenticity, nothing. If you think you can get more money—”
“Everything you need is in those crates,” Kronin repeats with an annoyed eye roll. Each art piece has a serial number painted on it. That’s what you need to key in for all your purposes.”
Fuck. I heard enough. The codes are disguised as serial numbers. I look around nervously. Where’s the fucking cavalry when you need it? Walker should’ve been here ages ago but there’s no one on deck other than Kronin, his staff and the buyer who’s about to get away as soon as his purchases are loaded on the helicopter.
“If that art takes off, we’re fucking done,” I mutter, drawing my gun and mentally cursing my boss for being late. I step out of my hiding place followed by Royce.
“FBI! Freeze! You’re under arrest!” I yell, pointing the gun at Kronin because quite frankly, there are too many people on deck and since I’m definitely outnumbered, I’d rather concentrate on my main target.
And yeah, we’ve been almost joking about how unhinged Kronin looks, like River used to be in his worst moments when he was drunk and high, but I shit you not, his reaction to being arrested is laughter.
