Page 86 of Wanted

“I agree with my son,” Mrs. Castro said. Maia Callie nodded in agreement. “If he agrees with it, we do it. I trust Fylox and Jordan. They know what’s best.”

“Kamila?” Maia Callie addressed me. “Are you okay with this?”

I shrugged. “I don’t want to cause any trouble. You have done so much for me…”

“You.” Fylox pointed at me. “You are getting married to my best friend today like you suggested all those months ago.”

“But if they hate me…” And your father may or may not be a child molester, I wanted to say, but I didn’t.

“They’ll get to know you. Eventually. We all did.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Kamila.” My name sounded like a drug coming from Fylox’s lips. He was here to keep it all under control.

“Yeah, okay. I’m getting married today, Mr. Howard. I’m happy to prove you wrong about my whorish tendencies,” I said sarcastically, taking deep breaths to calm myself. Perhaps I should have a private conversation with Mr. Castro about his Katantia visit.

Everyone took their allocated seat in the dining hall. Jordan and Mr. Castro sat at the top and at the end of the table. Mr. Howard unenthusiastically stood next to Alex and me as he would be the one to perform the ceremony.

“You got fireworks? I thought we were keeping it quiet…” I asked Alex, but he moved so swiftly, I doubt he even heard me ask the question. Loud bangs sounded from outside, and the closer they got, the more I realized that fireworks didn’t ignite inside a house.

What happened next was a whirlwind of emotions.

One moment, Mr. Howard talked to us, asking us a question concerning our nuptials, and the next, chaos erupted.

Alex grabbed my arm, dragging me away from the dining hall. I could barely keep up with him in my heels. There were steps following us, but I didn’t have time to see who was behind us. I didn’t want to lose Alex.

Alex didn’t have a lot of decorations outside of his main rooms. He had huge wallpapers of iconic figures gracing the walls. I never paid them any attention because I didn’t know most of them except MLK. We passed by MLK with rapid steps.

Out of breath, I watched as Alex pressed against a massive framed wallpaper of a man called Malcolm. Upon pressing the frame, I heard a creak. Then, the frame lifted, revealing a small door. Alex touched it, his palm open and flat against the surface. After a click, the door opened.

He let me in first. I bowed to fit through the doorframe, almost tripping on my way into the dark room. It was cold in here. I could hear myself breathe.

Another click and the room went even darker than before. The door to the outside had shut.

“What’s happening?” I asked croaking.

“That was the Wraith brothers trying to mess with your wedding,” Fylox explained, and I jumped. I hadn’t even registered his presence. He’d snuck in here.

“Don’t worry, baby,” Alex whispered. “Everything’s going to be okay. They all know the safe rooms. Everyone’s safe…”

The lights went on, revealing a bleak room with a bed in Alex’s size. A laptop was on the desk right next to it, and Fylox sat down to work on it.

Still shaking, I took a seat on the bed. “Are we… Am I going back to Katantia?”

Alex paced behind Fylox, unable to find peace.

“Do you want to?” Alex asked, and my heart dropped at the sincerity of his question.

I couldn’t answer without breaking his heart.

“Don’t you want to be my wife?” The pain in Alex’s voice broke me.

“You don’t want to do this right now,” Fylox warned us. I heard him type and click, his hands moving too fast. He made me dizzy. “My mom, your mom, and my sister are in the safe room next to the dining hall. They moved fast. The men aren’t in safe rooms…”

I wanted to ask about Jordan’s whereabouts, but it wasn’t my place. I didn’t really have the right to ask about Alex’s father. That was disrespectful. Jordan could take care of himself. He knew… things. He didn’t need silly me to care about his whereabouts. He had guns, didn’t he? He carried one, or more, everywhere he went.

“What the fuck did you do?” Alex cursed, glaring at the screen in front of Fylox. The veins in his neck were popping. I had never seen him this exasperated.