Storm: (Blood Legion MC) (Bad Boys of X-Ops Book 3) (2 page)

Wedded Abyss

WHEN I’D FIRST BEEN placed on Walker’s team, I’d just thought he was a loud mouth renegade who thought he was hot shit. Turned out he had a heart, too. Hell, he’d even used some recent downtime to help a buddy—one Bo Maverick, ex-Force Recon—retrieve his lady love from a fucked-in-the-head Polski MC psycho in Tampa Bay.

He shoulda asked me to go along. I loved a little slice ’em dice ’em, outlaw-style.

There’d been something else Walker had held out on. His whole tribal life. His Nation. His family. The one he’d lost.

He’d finally laid it on the line with Justice, Bane, and me after he popped the biggest question of all to Jade.

Most of us took painful secrets like that to our graves. He’d gone balls out.

His wife and his eight-year-old daughter were dead.

Five years.

For five years their deaths had eaten him up inside. Fueled his rage. Made him go rogue more often than not. Almost got him killed on a fuckin’ lot of occasions.

Only Jade had saved him.

The woman who’d been his enemy was about to become his wife.

There was a commotion at the back of the church, then Justice pounded down the center aisle like the freakin’ Mossad were on his six. He held Tilly’s hand tightly before depositing her in the front row after he’d manhandled a few folks to make room for his missus.

Justice. Goddamn pretty boy. Spiffed up like a male model in his expensive suit. He flashed his golden boy smile, like that would make Walker let him off the hook for showing up late to the wedding.

In true Walker style, he smacked Justice on the side of the head. “Next time? C-4 up your ass, asshole.”

I smirked. “Don’t worry. He already threatened Bane and me with the same thing. He probably doesn’t have enough plastics on hand to carry out his threat.”

“Fuck. I’d just tie you all together and make a nice dynamite bundle out of you.”

“I’m really getting sick of the ass talk.” Bane grimaced.

Walker leaned forward, about to lay on another little bit of intimidation, when suddenly the music started up with a classic wedding march, and he snapped to attention.

Jade and her dad appeared at the end of the long aisle, and I glanced over at Walker. His mouth moved but nothing came out, for a change, and his eyes never deviated from Jade.

Couldn’t blame him. The Special War Ministries specialist was nothing short of a stunner. Jade, with the jade green eyes from her mixed heritage. The long black hair streaked with a rich wine color was somehow piled on top of her head in that way some women had—sexy and sophisticated.

The dress was a head-turner. Straight up. White and lace with tight long sleeves, an even tighter top that was cut in a narrow V to her midsection.

Aaand
here I was sounding like fashion guru from a friggin’ bridal magazine. I was in danger of having my man-card confiscated.

I looked away from Jade. And the dress. The legs and the cleavage. Walker probably wouldn’t appreciate us drooling all over his woman on their wedding day. Or any other day, for that matter.

I focused on Pops Huntington. He was a tall lean dude, and I knew from having met the investment banker at the rehearsal dinner, he was completely upper crust English, all on the up and up.

Justice may have done a little online research into Jade’s folks.

What?

In our line of work, we could never be too careful.

Not when Walker’s mission—that had included kidnapping both his soon-to-be-wifey and the suspected terrorist Majedah Chehab—had been undermined on three separate occasions.

For now Baby Spy was still our best bet at having sabotaged his op.

We did not tell Walker we’d investigated his intended’s family.

Some things a man just did not need to know.

“Holy shit,” Walker whispered as Jade drew closer.

I expected him to rub his eyes and blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Instead he didn’t blink at all while he smoothed his palm across his chest, a lopsided grin forming on his lips.

Then he swung his head toward the vicar. “Shit. Sorry ’bout the cursing again, man.”

Justice chuckled. Bane rumbled a low laugh. I guffawed.

This fucking guy.

“I’ll chalk it up to wedding jitters, Wakiza.” The religious dude smiled.

“Hey, you can call me Walker. All my friends do.” He patted the white-robed man on the shoulder.

But that was the end of his joking around. He seemed to get choked up when Jade stilled right in front of him. I watched him swallow a couple times.

He and Jade had been through hell. And back. Then they’d done a return visit, and that time Jade almost hadn’t made it out alive.

The only reason she’d survived the torture in Beirut had been because of Bane’s hard work reviving her.

“Jade.” Walker’s nostrils flared, and he held out both hands for her.

Emotion made his eyes shiny.

Jade’s damp irises reflected the same, and her smile was . . . serene.

Mr. Huntington released his daughter after a kiss on her cheek and a nod to Walker.

Shit. I almost had to knuckle under my eyes, too.

With Jade’s face raised to his and her hands enfolded in his palms, Walker turned to the vicar.

The ceremony had to affect everyone present, even if they didn’t know the full details of what Walker and Jade had lived through in order to come out alive and together.

The vicar’s head shined in the atmospheric light of the cathedral when he dipped it in Walker’s direction. “Walker, before we begin, you have something you’d like to say to Jade?”

Clearing his throat, Walker peered into Jade’s eyes. “There aren’t many words I can use to tell you all the ways you mean everything to me. But I’ll try.”

Walker kept hold of Jade’s hand, and brought it to his lips for a brush of a kiss.

His voice rang out, deep and clear. “
Waohola
.
Waunsila
.
Wowicake
.”

Jade’s eyelashes fluttered down, and her mouth trembled.

“
Wawokiye
.
Wahwala
.
Woksape
.” Folding her hand against his chest, Walker kissed her softly on the lips. “Respect. Compassion. Honesty.”

She smiled, and a tear slid down her cheek.

“Generosity, humility, wisdom.”

Jade raised her fingers to her cheeks to wipe away the moisture, but Walker got there first.

He swept away the tears, quietly whispering, “You are everything to me,
mahasani
.”

“That was beautiful, Walker.” She sighed softly.

He cradled her face in his hand. “You are beautiful.”

The vicar gave them a few moments to compose themselves before he began the more formal ceremony. I wanted him to hurry it the hell up. I was in danger of looking like a teary-eyed pussy watching the two in-love operatives say their
I dos
.

“Do you, Jade Philomena Huntington—”

Walker made a sour face, mouthing, “
Philomena
?”

“My dad picked it,” Jade said.

Justice quietly mentioned, “Least it’s not Matilda, although now I think my old lady’s
old lady
name is kind of sexy.”

“Well, Daddyo is
not
choosing the names of our kids.” One of Walker’s eyebrows rose in challenge.

Jade’s head coiled back. “I suppose you want to name them Sunshine and Dandelion.”

“Nothing wrong with honoring nature.”

Both of them started to grin. Then they were laughing under their breaths.

Aaaand
I probably wasn’t in danger of crying like a baby anymore.

The vicar cleared his throat. Witnesses filling the medieval nave of the church watched, waiting.

Walker and Jade’s smiles only grew wider as they completed their vows.

When the ceremony was over, the rings exchanged, when they’d been dubbed husband and wife, Walker let out what I could only describe as a war cry.

He might’ve scared a few folks.

Good thing no one was armed. As per orders from Blaize.

Then Walker dipped Jade over his arm and kissed her until it became clear he had every intention of getting down to newlywed nookie ASAP.

Jade came up for a breath with her hair mussed, her eyes sparkly, her voice low. “Thank you, Walker.”

“
Mahasani
. I love you,” he whispered back.

During the final formalities, the two of them only had eyes for each other. In fact, after signing the official papers, they took off at a run down the aisle. They barely stood still on the steps outside long enough to accept hugs, handshakes, and congratulations.

They’d both agreed on absolutely
no
official wedding photos.

That shit could get leaked to all the wrong agencies, not to mention the possibility of a feeding frenzy on social media sites not a single one of us belonged to.

Walker lifted the keys to the Jaguar from Bane, squeezing his shoulder. “Thanks for the wheels, Kemosabe.”

And then the wedded pair fled the scene like it was a deep cover mission gone wrong.

Those two were speeding off to grab them some newly married sex. There was no doubt in my mind.

“I think our work here is done.” I clapped my hands together.

“Newlyweds.” Bane looked disgusted, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

The imminent sign of a smile. That was about as close as he ever got.

“What say we head to the reception and tear it up?” Justice looped an arm around Tilly’s shoulder. He looked at Bane and me, shaking his head. “Dateless schmucks.”

“You got a ride? Because Walker just stole ours.” I squinted at Justice.

He pulled a set of keys from his pocket.

“I’m driving.” Snatching the fob, I set off in the direction Justice pointed out.

“Wrestle you for it.” Bane matched my step.

“Fuck you. I’m not riding shotgun while you pretend you’re on set in a Bond movie again.”

“
Bourne Identity
. Not Bond,” he shot back.

The four of us piled into the Range Rover, and I tilted the rearview to peer at Justice. “How’d you secure this vehicle?”

“I fucking rented it, legit-like.”

I started the SUV’s engine. “In that case, no getting it on in the backseat.” Tilly and Justice were already latched together in a lip-lock back there. “For fuck’s sake. Leather stains. You wanna pay the cleaning fee?”

Justice carried on making out with his woman, pausing long enough to give me the one-fingered salute.

“When can we take off the motherfuckin’ monkey suits?” Bane rolled down his window then lit a smoke.

I tapped the filter of my cigarette on the dash before placing it in my mouth and lighting up. I clamped it between my teeth. “When can we arm up is what I wanna know.”

Tilly pulled away from Justice to lean over the front seat. “Have I told you guys how much I’ve missed you?”

****

SITREP: Reception. 1700 hours. No tangos in sight.

Although
. . . Majedah Chehab—affectionately known as Madge in our circles—was present. Walker and Jade had looked surprised as shit when the Middle Eastern dignitary/royalty/former #1 Interpol threat had showed with the full complement of her personal security detail.

Then they’d smothered her with hugs.

After which Walker was heard murmuring, “Not for nothing, Madge, but I’m not sure I feel safe around you. Not after what happened last time you, Jade, and I were in the same room.”

“Not to mention the same country.” I, too, gave Madge a bone-crusher of a hug.

“City.” Bane gave her a handshake and a quick grin.

“Don’t forget my fucking warehouse.” Justice looked meaningfully at the trio, who didn’t seem to care they’d compromised his digs.

“So, Madge”—Walker pulled her along with him and Jade—“you get us a fancy wedding present? ’Cause that Bentley is decommissioned . . .”

Also in evidence were the rugged ex-specialist from T-Zone—Hunter—and his wife Walker curiously referred to as JB. Curious until Justice informed me the chestnut-haired beauty’s nickname stood for Jailbait. Pretty funny Hunter, now a South Carolina police lieutenant on the Vice Squad, had hooked up with Jailbait. ’Course, she was totally of age, a teacher, a biker babe, and pregnant for the first time.

Turned out their wedding gift to Walker was he was finally going to be a godfather.

I wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. I mean, what the hell was he gonna teach the kid? How to wire explosives?