Page 23

“Woah there, Woodworth, I can put on my own pants. Don’t need you copping a feel of my junk, you filthy dog, you.” I snarked, snatching them from his hands and pulling them on.

My mother glared at me until I settled onto the edge of my bed and motioned for her to proceed.

“The tailor will be here in an hour with your tux. You will be showered and shaved before he arrives. We have a hairstylist and makeup artists scheduled to arrive shortly after. You need to be in your tux before they arrive so they can get to work covering those unsavory tattoos of yours. Your father and I will escort you to the chapel at noon. We will have a full guard detail so I expect you to be on your best behavior. I’d hate to see you injured on your wedding day.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Shouldn’t there be a photographer taking photos of me getting ready? It is my day after all, what if I want to save thesepreciousmemories? And where are my groomsmen, you don’t really expect me to get all dressed up and pretty without my fellas?” I snarked.

“Given your attitude concerning this wedding, we decided it was for the best to have a small ceremony.” My mother continued, ignoring my outburst. “The Sidorov’s are aware of your disposition and have agreed to our recommendation of chaining you to the altar untilafterthe ceremony. The guest list has been limited to myself, your father, your sister and her husband, the parents of the bride, and your precious Bristol girl.”

“You didn’t.” I snarled.

My mother shot an irritated look in my direction and then smiled with false sweetness. “It’s only appropriate that you and Victoria Bristolbothbe made aware of the change in your circumstances. The simplest way to do that was to invite the poor girl so you couldn’t drag her along with false promises of a life with the Laurent heir. I expect that once the marriage is final, she will see sense and accept that she can no longer sink her claws into you. Honestly, it’s rather distasteful the way you passed her around that little group of thugs.”

My hands curled into fists in my lap. As much as I wanted to jump to my feet and strangle Cicely until the life bled out ofher eyes, I knew that was the reaction she was after. She made it clear that she had safety measures in place if I tried to harm her, and I couldn’t be entirely certain that the guys had had time to secure the Innocenti’s property to prevent them fully. I just hoped they would keep Victoria from falling into my mother’s trap by attending this farce of a wedding.

“I hope you covered your tracks well,mother, because Hugo Bristol can’t be bought. Not when it comes to his daughter.” I replied through gritted teeth. “Though, I suppose if your intent is just to show her I’m off the market..” I trailed off with a slight shrug of my shoulder.

My mother’s face flushed an angry red, and she clenched her jaw. It always got under her skin when she found herself outplayed. Cicely thought she was the smartest person in any room she walked into, but she never accounted for the fact her fucking ego left her half-blind.

“I suppose what happens is up to you, darling.” She replied, trying to regain the upper hand. “I only invited the girl. I can’t control how the Sidorov’s respond if you do something foolish, like attempt to run away with her. Now, if you are done with the interruptions, we need to review the rest of today’s schedule.The ceremony will commence at one and it will move quickly. You will simply need to say ‘I do’ and then sign the marriage license. From there, the Sidorov’s will escort you and your new bride to their hotel for consummation. Ivan Sidorov has informed me that once you have done your duty and put an heir in Ksenia, he has work for you so that you may keep your wife in the lifestyle to which she has become accustomed.”

“What?” I shouted. “No cake?! Who has a wedding with no fucking CAKE!? I demand a cake mother, or I willnotbe getting married today.”

Alfred scowled in my peripheral, and I almost lost it. The butler had had enough of my shit. However, my motheronly sighed and slipped her hand into the pocket of her white designer slacks. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to see a valium in her hand.

“Youwillbehave today, Leighton. Or I will ensure that you are too drugged to cause any sort of scene.”

“But that might make my dick not work, Cicely! How am I supposed to make a baby without my dick?”

The look on my mother’s face told me I’d taken my antics just a little too far. The sensation of being hit in the back by a couple of paintballs shot through me, and then my entire body seized. Burning pain tore through every muscle, and wetness spread down the front of my leg and joggers as my bladder released. That fucking Belvedere had gotten brave in my mother’s presence and tased me.

“Mustyou be so crass?” Alfred asked in a haughty tone as my body fell back onto my mattress.

I was going to murder that asshole the first chance I got.

After being tased by the fucking butler of all people, I spent the rest of the day too exhausted to care about what was happening to or around me. Someone had put me in my tux and shoes, styled my hair, and covered my tattoos with about three pounds of makeup by the time both of my parents appeared to escort me to the chapel. When we arrived, I did a cursory glance of the place while the chain that held me was attached to a plate bolted to the floor and looked suspiciously like Az’s ‘parking spot’. I scowled at the square of steel and briefly considered how long it would take to chew through my leg, but I reminded myself I had a plan. I just had to get through this sham, and I could make my way back home.

The place was all but empty. A priest was standing next to me, my mother and father were sitting in the front row, and my sister and her husband were behind them. They both lookedbored out of their mind. On the other side of the aisle sat what could only be soon-to-be former in-laws. I couldn’t help myself as I shot them a cheeky wave. I’d considered adding finger guns, but they might take that as a threat. Before I could do anything else that would embarrass my parents, the wedding march sounded through the small chapel.

The doors near the back row opened, and what could only be described as miles and miles of tulle piled together stepped onto the aisle. I couldn’t make out the shape or face of my soon-to-be-dead bride for all the fabric covering her body from head to toe. That didn’t mean I missed the moment she hesitated and started trembling. Her father barked something in Russian, and she resumed her walk down the aisle. The air of dread around her was so heavy that I could not even sense it.

I started taking mental notes of thechoicesmade with the woman’s dress as I watched her walk toward me. There was no way she’d picked it out, and I would definitely be dissecting the decision with Ma Petitlater because I was starting to wonder if killing this woman was the right call. Not because I wanted to be married, but because that dress was such a fucking tragedy; I felt terrible that it was going to be the last thing she ever wore. I’d make time to let her change before I killed her later on. I would at least do that final service for her.

Ksenia finally reached her place beside me at some point during my musings and lifted her veil away. My eyes widened to the size of saucers as I took in her pretty face. Given the amount of fabric they’d buried her under, I’d expected her to be hideous, but she was fairly attractive with her golden blond hair, big, bright blue eyes, and cupid bow lips. BeforeMa Petit, I’d have been into it,but nobody could hold a candle to my girlfriend.

I leaned forward to whisper in her ear, not missing how her eyes widened in fear. “I’m really sorry about that dress.” Her entire body tensed as if preparing for me to rip the fabric fromit and attack her. The reaction caused something to shift inside me. “I’m really and truly sorry about everything that’s going to happen to you after this is over. If there was another way for me to get home to my girlfriend…"

Ksenia’s blue eyes widened as she started blinking at me in stunned silence.

“Huh, that’s new,” I mused, still leaning close and whispering in her ear. “I’ve never apologized to anyone except my girlfriend. Another one for the bingo card.” I shrugged.

The priest cleared his throat, and I straightened up, pulling away from Ksenia. A strange, bothersome sensation started to grow in my chest as the priest spoke the opening lines of the ceremony. For a second, I wondered if it was what guilt felt like.

“If anyone knows of any reason these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or–”

Five pops sounded off in quick succession, and blood splattered from the priest’s head against my cheek. Turning toward the pews, I spotted Lacey standing with a gun in hand, smoke curling out of the silencer, her husband still tapping away on his phone with a bored expression on his face. Our parents and Ksenia’s were all slumped over in their seats, perfectly placed bullet holes in each of their heads. My almost-bride screamed as my sister turned the gun on her, and I did something that surprised even me.

“Hey, not her!” I called out, stepping in front of Ksenia. “She didn’t even want to be here.”