Then I saw the bride’s name.
Fuck.
Grace Kendall—formerly Carrington.
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and pinched the bridge of my nose.
When I received the email from Rogue, detailing my current job specs, I’d raised a brow at his casual mention of Jonah Carrington. When it came to security, especially cyber-related, no one was better. We’d never met, but his reputation was well-known by anyone even remotely related to the business. He was ruthless when it came to protecting his family, and from Audrey’s posts, it was easy to see that they considered her as one of their own.
I ran through multiple scenarios, but the wedding always came up as the best plan. I would simply have to be extra careful to avoid suspicion once they realized she was gone.
After spending a few more hours learning as much as I could about Audrey—for research purposes—I forced myself to switch my focus to my target.
Paul Barrington. That little asshole was into some twisted shit. Besides the drugs, trafficking—weapons and women—he owned a dungeon and a couple of sex clubs. Rumor had it that some people who went in left bruised, bloody, and broken. Others never came out at all. Yet he’d never been convicted of one fucking crime, not even a speeding ticket. All because “Daddy” was a corrupt politician who collected secrets and favors.
Usually, my job consisted of one target, in and out. I had a knack for disappearing into the shadows—one reason Huntley had given me the moniker after a few missions together. However, Jonah’s job description had come with a little extra this time. Rogue asked me to do a little in-person reconnaissance for the missing girl. They figured I could do it without being seen...my mind drifted to Audrey. What the fuck had I been thinking to not only stop and talk to her but to also let her get a good look at my face?
Although, now that I knew about her connection to Carrington, our conversation shed light on why I was sticking my head into a missing person’s case.
Thoughts about my girl reminded me of the timeline I’d laid out for myself. I quickly wrote up my conclusions about Stacey and shot my report off to Jonah directly. Then I spent the rest of the day familiarizing myself with Paul’s schedule. It worked out nicely for me that the sick sociopath stuck to routines.
It was well into the early morning hours when I finally convinced myself to go to bed. After several erotic dreams that left me aching to be inside Audrey’s delectable body and waking up to a mess when I’d come during a dream about filling her with my seed, I gave up.
The next couple of nights were no better, but I was used to functioning on little sleep.
Finally, the day came for me to take care of Paul.
They found his body in one of his clubs with a needle in his arm and a lethal amount of heroin in his system.
Considering all of the crimes he was suspected of and his history of drug use, the police ruled it an overdose and closed the case.
I spent the next couple of days prepping for my next assignment. The day before the wedding, I had a private plane standing by with my things already on board. I’d gone through Audrey’s dorm while she was in class one day and made a note of her sizes and the food in her minifridge. So there were shopping bags full of girly shit and clothes waiting for her on the plane, too.
It felt like the night lasted for-fucking-ever, but after stripping the sheets from the bed, yet again, I took a shower, then slipped into a black suit I had custom-made during the week.
The situation at the church already felt like chaos when I arrived, which suited me perfectly. I melted into the background, keeping a close eye for my girl.
Eventually, she and the bride exited the room where they’d been getting ready and started toward the entrance to the chapel—where Jonah was waiting. I frowned at the way Audrey’s dress clung to her curves, leaving nothing to the imagination. I was going to rip that sorry excuse for a dress to shreds at the first opportunity. The desire to run straight to her and snatch her up was nearly overwhelming. But I held on to my patience and slipped into a hallway on my left, staying hidden in the shadows, and waited for my moment. Grace suddenly appeared, but she didn’t spare a single glance in my direction as she hurried into the bathroom.
She came out less than two minutes later and walked quickly toward the end of the hallway, presumably to catch up with the bridal party. In her haste, she tripped over her dress and would have fallen on her ass if I hadn’t stepped out and caught her. Once I’d settled her on her feet, she glanced back at me and murmured, “Thank you.”