The Accidental Marriage: Chapter 4

The woman’s question leaves me speechless for a moment, and as a Harvard-educated lawyer, that doesn’t happen often. Cooperate? With her? For what purpose?

Her eyes are unusual—one blue and one green, just like Queen. Although my heartbeat picks up at the thought, logic quickly kills the hope. I’ve found several women with such eyes who turned out to be nothing special or outright scammers, even though I’m careful not to reveal why I’m looking for her. And there’s no way this woman is Queen. My girl was brave, not insane.

Thick, dark lashes make the woman’s eyes appear large and innocent. They don’t seem crazy. On the other hand, Dad didn’t think Mom was crazy either until she decided to be crazy in love, literally.

“You do realize there are things called doors and hallways, right? You could have just knocked like a rational human being.” Then I wonder…is this woman from my uncle?

I’ve only had four girlfriends, but that should be enough for Harvey Dunkel to know my type: a willowy blonde with blue or green eyes, although the lady in front of me is a bit too skinny for my taste. She has a heart-shaped face with a slightly pointed chin, which gives her a pixie-like appearance. Her platinum hair is set in a fancy style with flowers, suitable for a wedding. She’s even in a floor-length white gown layered with lace and chiffon. It’s almost as though Harvey saw into my memory and created an adult version of Queen as closely as possible.

He’s been doing his best to get in touch with me, ostensibly to get me on retainer to help him extend his “empire” into the United States. Says he’ll pay me in cash or women, or both. “Once you truly learn the pleasure of female flesh, you’ll never look back,” he said.

Disgusting.

Where he got the nerve to try to hire the firm is beyond me. The details of the negotiations and deals made after I was rescued are all secret, even to me, bound by an ironclad non-disclosure agreement. Mom never got arrested or served time. Somebody else did, though—some low-level thug who apparently wanted to ransom me to turn his life around. I protested, but the cops didn’t buy my story. My cousin, who saw the kidnapping, was in Switzerland to attend boarding school, and Grandmother didn’t allow any law enforcement agents near my twin brothers, claiming the experience was too traumatic for them to recount.

But Dad’s divorce went through, and he got everything he wanted. Mom stayed away all these years, despite my doubts. She was convinced she loved us, was ready to do anything to make the family whole. It was in her eyes. How could she suppress such an overzealous belief so easily?

“Doors? Hallways? For you, maybe. Not for me. There are guards outside the room next to this one.” The woman’s matter-of-fact statements pull me back to the present.

“Guards? Are you a criminal? Somebody who needs to be kept under watch for the safety of others?” Wouldn’t surprise me a bit. Crazy hot chicks are the worst. I’ve seen Mom’s photos when she was in her twenties. She was stunning, and look how she turned out.

The blonde blinks, then laughs softly. “I wish. That sounds so much more glamorous than being locked up for money.”

Reluctant concern stirs, and suddenly I feel like a dick for being so cynical. She must’ve been desperate to cross over the way she did. And I know what that’s like. “Are you in trouble?” My voice is gentler.

“Not if I can make my escape before my aunt or cousin come back.” She looks up at me. “If anybody asks, you didn’t see me.”

“What are you going to do?”

Her smile grows sunny, but it’s the sunniness of a woman who knows she has to rescue herself because nobody else will help. “If I try to go out through your door, the guards will notice. So I’m going to get to one of several doors down first.”

I direct my thumb behind me at the other balconies. “That way?”

She nods solemnly. “That’s the only way.”

Just to be sure, I look down. As I suspected. No net. No cushion to catch her if she slips. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I’ve thought it through. If I die, nobody gets my money, so I win.”

What the fuck? “Try 911.”

“Won’t work. Do you think this is my first time?” She sighs.

An inexplicable ache tightens around my heart. Her predicament vaguely reminds me of being tied up in the cabin by Mom. Just because her family is keeping her in a nicer jail doesn’t mean she’s free.

“Kind of a Pyrrhic victory.” I hope she’ll listen. She might be stronger and more agile than she looks, but one mistake and she’s done. I don’t want that on my conscience.

“But still a victory.” She shrugs, her eyes surprisingly devoid of insanity, even if the words rolling out of her mouth are anything but sane. “Scorched earth.”

“No.”

She pulls back. The retreat might as well have plunged me into a vat of icy water. I clench my hands to avoid reaching out for her, unsure why I’m feeling this way. Nothing makes my skin crawl like people touching me, especially women. When they get clingy, wrapping themselves around me in what they undoubtedly believe is a sexy, affectionate way to keep me tied to them, I want to retch. It reminds me of the way I was bound, constricted and helpless. But with this one, I want her to hold on to me. The feeling is unnerving.

“Don’t tell me you’re sending me back to my aunt. I’m not marrying my cousin, even if he is technically a step-cousin. They just want to use me for my money,” the woman says, raising her arms in a defensive gesture. For some reason, it irritates me.

“Of course not.”

Slowly crossing her arms, she looks at me up and down. “I don’t think you’re strong enough to carry me over there.” She jerks her pointy chin in the direction of the balcony on the other side.

“Even if I were, I’m not reckless enough.” I shudder inwardly. “I actually value our lives.”

Her mouth forms a small O of surprise. “Why would you care?”

“Because I’m a well-adjusted human being? Anybody would.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” she murmurs softly, but I shake my head. She must have super-shitty relatives to feel this way.

“I’m strong enough to carry you out of here if that’s what you want,” I add before she proposes something insane and inane to escape her aunt and cousin. If anything happens to her, I’ll get tangled up with law enforcement as a witness, and I need to be back in L.A. tomorrow. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I scrutinize her. “Get all the flowers and crap out of your hair,” I say as I drag her inside, so she won’t even think about climbing over more gargoyles.

“Okay.” She yanks them out of her hair, which falls in long waves down her back. “Now what?”

I pause, taking her in. Untamed tendrils frame her face, her cheeks rosy from her earlier exertion. The white gown sports gray smudges from the stone carvings outside. The slightly disheveled appearance looks so much like little Queen. She never told me her name before disappearing. If only I knew it. Perhaps then it’d be easier to locate her.

“What’s your name?” I ask, wondering if she’ll be reluctant to share, like the little girl was.

“Lareina.”

Her prompt response sends a ripple of disappointment. Of course it’s not her. How would she have made it to Vegas or be in the predicament Lareina is in? She wasn’t the kind of person you’d lock up for money. Hell, she wasn’t even confined—she roamed freely in the forest.

“You?” Lareina says.

“Ares.”

Her eyes sparkle. The light chips away at my general reluctance to get involved. “Like the god of war.”

“Like that.” I haven’t done anything to pay for the kindness Queen showed me because I wasn’t able to find her. So maybe I should pay it forward by helping Lareina out, just this once. After tucking a wayward tendril behind her ear, I step closer to the door. “Have the guards seen you in the dress?”

“Don’t think so. My aunt wouldn’t have put me in it until after she checked in. Too attention-grabbing.”

“Okay, good. Now. Play along.”

She nods.

“What do you mean, you’re rethinking our marriage? Everyone’s here already, including my grandfather! His heart won’t be able to handle the stress!” I raise my voice enough that even if the people outside won’t be able to make out what we’re saying, they’ll know we’re arguing.

She covers her mouth, her eyes wide.

“I don’t give a shit if you still have feelings for Ethan!” I add.

“Who’s Ethan?” she whispers.

I give her a look.

“Right.” She nods. “Just wondering, since you said it with such fury. It sounded very real.” She pats me on the shoulder and gives two thumbs up.

“Pay attention,” I say, then raise my voice. “We’re going to the chapel even if I have to drag you naked!” That should be enough theatrics if anybody’s listening.

Mischief twinkles in Lareina’s eyes. “Now what? Do I strip?”

The idea of her nude body heats the tips of my ears, although I know she’s just messing around. “No.” I bend down and, as gently as I can, toss her over my shoulder. She gasps, then presses her hands on my back. Her palms brand me, sending a warm tingle to my stomach. I clench my teeth.

“Wow. This is just like a movie,” she whispers.

“Act like you’re angry. Resist and don’t let anybody see your face,” I direct her, more to ignore the fiery sensation of her touch on my back than because I believe she needs instructions. Then I throw the door to the suite open and walk out.

There are a couple of men in black suits outside the door next to mine. Their earpieces say they’re hired guards. Probably decent quality. They stare.

Lareina flails and squeals without saying anything. Smart girl. If those men had any interaction with her, they’d recognize her voice.

“What are you looking at?” I spit tersely, letting my aggression show.

“She’s blonde,” one of them whispers to the other.

“Never seen a blonde before, dickhead?” I raise my voice, not even bothering to be civilized. Everyone in my family says I have a resting asshole face, and when I let my temper go, I apparently look like a sociopath.

They flinch, then glance away.

I hit the button for the elevator, which thankfully opens quickly. An elderly couple is inside. “Eloping?” the man asks.

“Something like that,” I say. Lareina keeps quiet, but quits moving her arms and legs. Probably to save energy.

The elderly lady opens her mouth, probably to probe. I give her my least friendly expression, the kind I reserve for the opposing counsel I plan to eviscerate before the day is over. She closes her mouth and looks away. No small talk. Perfect.

In the lobby, I gesture at the couple. “After you.”

“Good luck,” the man says awkwardly, and they exit. I follow them out, cutting a straight path through the busy, marbled lobby to the revolving door. People stare, but don’t dare approach. The I’m-going-to-shove-your-deposition-up-your-ass mask works wonders to keep people away. The exception is the women Harvey occasionally sends to butter me up. Nothing short of a gun in their face makes them back off. Not even then in some cases. Harvey’s people are nothing if not loyal.

Out on the sidewalk, I choose left and start off. I carry Lareina over my shoulder for some time before finding a chapel to set her down in front of. “Here. You should be okay now.”

She pushes her hair up. Her cheeks and neck are flushed. Not even the oncoming dusk can hide the brilliant twinkle in her eyes. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to escape so easily without your help.”

“It was nothing.” I start to turn away.

She waves with a big smile. Her disheveled appearance bothers me, though. No purse on her either. I should just go, but I don’t want her to be totally helpless. I’m just paying it forward, making the world a slightly better place, just like Queen did.

I pull out several hundreds from my wallet. “Here.”

“Oh no. I couldn’t possibly. I have some cash.” She points to her rather modestly sized chest. Just how much can she hide in there? “I’m all set.”

“You sure you’re going to be all right?” I should really go now, but feel uneasy, like I’m leaving a helpless child by a pool. Damn it. Stop getting involved more than necessary.

“Of course. Thank you.” She goes on her toes and places a quick kiss on my cheek, then pulls back just as swiftly, waving and walking toward the pedestrians.

I press fingers against the spot where her lips touched, which prickles.

She’s already disappeared into the sea of tourists. A sudden sense of loss presses down on my heart, and I shake my head. Uncharacteristic of me to be this sentimental. It’s the unsettling feeling I get around the anniversary of Mom’s kidnapping each year. It has nothing to do with Lareina.

My phone buzzes with a text from the latest PI I hired to track down Queen.

–Greg: Couldn’t find anything. Interviewed people who used to live in the area twenty-two years ago, but they don’t recall any girl matching the description.

“Come on, Queen. It’s been over twenty years. Don’t you think it’s time to show yourself? Perhaps give a little hint as to how you’re doing?” I just want to know if she’s okay. And that Mom and her people didn’t do anything to her. Although Harvey promised me to keep Mom in check, I don’t trust him. Not really, anyway. He’d sell me out in a heartbeat if it would earn him a buck.

I let out a long breath. Lareina’s completely gone from view. Putting away my phone, I start back to the hotel. It’s time to get ready for the bachelor party.