“Fess up.” I folded my arms across my chest. “You just came down so you could attend Linus’s bachelor party.”
The tightness in his features eased when I didn’t press on the obviously tender spot he had for Hadley.
“You got me.” He raised his hands in surrender. “I’m a total party animal.”
Well, he was half right at least. Or, since his soul was half man and half beast, maybe he was more like a quarter party animal? Who knew? Math wasn’t my strong suit.
“Neely is in charge of the festivities.” Linus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Goddess help us all.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to out Lethe as the mastermind behind my own party. At this point, I was pretty sure the Kinases were using Neely as their personal scapegoat where our parties were concerned in order to lull us into a false sense of security.
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” I rubbed his back. “Neely has invested too much time in my dress, hair, and makeup to let you die before he can take credit publicly for his masterpiece. Funerals just don’t generate the same kind of buzz.”
“I heard something about a strip club.” Midas winked where Linus couldn’t see. “You better make sure you come prepared with a stack of bills.”
Uncertain if Linus had ever seen a dollar bill, let alone held one, I made a mental note to hit the bank so he would be prepared if that was on the agenda. If he tipped his usual fifty bucks, he would have women lining up to dance on his lap. The mental picture made me snort. Linus would hate it, all those strange women touching him, but he would endure it if that’s what the guys wanted to do. He was a good friend that way.
I wasn’t brave enough to ask what Lethe had in mind for me. The only swinging sausage she enjoyed came from the butcher shop.
I hated to answer my phone while we had company, but when it rang, I couldn’t afford to let it go to voicemail. Between the wedding calls, the work calls, and the Volkov situation, it was too dangerous not to stay informed.
“We’ve got a problem,” Neely said in a rush. “I’m at Flower Power.”
“Please don’t tell me they sold all our arrangements.”
“They’re not selling anything.” He waited for a siren to quiet before he kept going. “It’s on fire.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I flopped down on the sofa next to Midas. “Is everyone okay?”
“The boy is on a bus with his football team, so he’s fine, but Mr. Laurent is missing.”
“Can I skip the wedding and move straight on to the honeymoon?”
“Girl, I just drove four hours round trip to pick up Linus’s new tux. You are not depriving me of seeing the man wear it. Plus, I had to triple the price to get the rush order done in time.”
“Do you believe in signs?”
“Yes.” He shut a door, probably after getting in his car. “There’s one in front of me right now that says One Way. I believe if I don’t do what it says, I’ll get creamed.”
“Smartass.”
“The universe is not telling you not to marry Linus. I will wash your mouth out with soap if you even think it.”
“You mean my brain? You said think it, not say it.”
“One you would survive, one you wouldn’t. I’ll let you choose.” Music blared until he killed his radio. “Stop distracting me. You are getting married. That is that.”
“I’m not doubting whether I want to get married.” On that score, I had none. “I was thinking about eloping. All the guests could show up, you could announce we had run away together, and then you could all eat cake. See how romantic that sounds? How fun?”
The topic furrowed Linus’s brow, and I gestured him over so he wouldn’t worry. He perched on the arm of the couch, and I invited him to listen in.
“Oh, hell no.” Neely’s temper, rarely witnessed, dialed all the way up to ten. “You are not ruining my fun just to get to your fun. You think weddings are about you? Uh-uh. They’re about your family, your friends, and your enemies. You have to look your best, smile your brightest, and take so many photos you can thumb through them and watch the day unfold like one of those flip animation books.” He sucked in a breath. “I have planned, I have plotted, I have sweated, I have bled. This wedding is going forward, and you are going forward with it. Or I will call up your future mother-in-law and tell her you’re a flight risk.”
The low blow stunned me into silence while my gaping earned me concerned looks from Linus and Midas.
“I’m sorry,” Neely said, not sounding apologetic at all. “You forced my hand.”
“You would get his mother involved?” I clutched Linus’s arm. “That hand I forced? Did it happen to have a knife in it?”
“I would get his mother, his father, his granny, and his grampy involved if it meant this day goes off without a hitch. Suck it up, buttercup. You’re getting married, I’m living vicariously through you, and that is that.”
The call ended, and I reared back to stare at the phone.
“Just so you know,” Midas said, aware there was no point in pretending he hadn’t overheard every word, “Lethe would spit-roast you over an open fire, and Mom would carve the first slice.”
“Javier lost his life because of—” I almost snarled that damned wedding, but I caught myself. Crumbling under pressure gave Volkov what he wanted, and I would ruin our wedding without his help if I didn’t pull myself together. “I wouldn’t dishonor his memory, not after all the work he put into my dress and Linus’s original tux design.” I leaned my head against Linus’s side. “Not to mention the florist.”
“None of this is your fault.” He slid his fingers through my hair. “You can’t control Volkov. He’s responsible for his own actions.”
“I taunted him.” I had gone to see him with Linus as part of a bribe to get enough of his blood to tattoo the sentinels during the Siege. “I threw our engagement in his face. I pretty much stuck out my tongue and sang nanny nanny boo boo.”
“That’s it.” Midas fished in his pocket. “Just remember, you forced me to do this.”
Dread blossomed in my chest. “Do what, exactly?”
“Grier is taking responsibility for Volkov.” Phone to his ear, he shot me an apologetic glance. “Yeah. I figured she would make it another hour or so at least. Guess I owe you five bucks.”
“You and your sister bet on my guilt?”
“You have a savior complex.” Midas shrugged. “How else did you end up a self-appointed potentate?”
Heat rocketed up the back of my neck, exploding in my cheeks. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You saved the city.” Linus came to my defense. “The decision wasn’t ego driven, it was necessity. Not everyone would have been brave enough to try, and very few would have been strong enough to succeed.”
Or survive. That’s what he meant but wouldn’t say.
Since Linus had lectured me for days afterward, pointing out all the ways I could have exploded my brain by bonding with the city unaided, it was kind of nice to hear him coming to my defense. The whole united-front thing was a major benefit to coupledom. It was our duty to call each other out when necessary, but respect kept those comments behind closed doors.