Both boys stood on the front steps, staring after us with their arms folded as I slid into Cass's car. I closed my door and buckled my seat belt, so I didn't hear whatever the Reapers’ 2iC said to my guys before getting into the car. The way he huffed a raspy laugh, though, told me he'd been taunting them.
"Troublemaker," I scolded him as we drove down the long driveway to the front gates.
He just gave a one-shouldered shrug. "They make it too easy." He glanced over at me as we passed through the front gates and gave the guard a small wave. "You ready for this, kid?"
I grinned with excitement. "Shit, yes."
Even though my wedding was a sham, I still wanted to mark the occasion. I wanted to do something to show my guys just how serious I was about this thing between us. Because it was forever.
29
My appointment ran late, so rather than go home and risk the boys finding out what I'd been up to all day, I went to a salon to get my hair and makeup done. Then I ducked into a boutique nearby to get a dress to wear.
After I was ready, Cass dropped me off at the restaurant around fifteen minutes late. He tried to walk me in, but I assured him we had it handled. After all, the whole restaurant had been booked out, and we sure as fuck weren't here for the steak.
At least... not beef steak and sure as fuck not to eat. I wasn't adverse to cutting strips from Samuel Danvers, depending on how badly he pissed us off.
I thanked Cass for his help, then threw on my thickest skin before pushing open the door to Osso.
Sampson had been tailing me, and I paused a moment inside the restaurant to listen as he locked the door from the outside with his set of keys. We, of course, had our own set too. But we would be taking the staff exit when we left.
"Oh, here she is," a crawlingly familiar voice jeered. "My darling daughter, the blushing bride, fashionably late as always. Did you get lost in your own reflection, dear?"
Samuel Danvers was drunk already, apparently. Chances were, he'd been drinking on the flight. The glasses of champagne in everyone's hands as I joined them in the deserted bar area were just decoration.
I didn't even bother faking a smile. Why fucking should I? I had to admit to a small amount of perverse pleasure as Samuel's smile faltered when I just glared at him blankly.
Cherry cleared her throat, so incredibly out of the loop it hurt. "Madison Kate, you look lovely," she told me in a dazed voice. "You and Archer make such a beautiful couple; I'm so happy for you both."
I couldn’t help noticing how gazed her eyes as I moved closer to her son, letting him pull me close as his arm wrapped around my waist. Did she really have no clue that we were already married? Had Samuel kept her that heavily medicated, or did she do that to herself?
Archer let out a breath, his fingers flexing against my waist. "Mom, did Sam tell you that he's broke? Last I checked, he had less than a million dollars to his name. Not quite up to your usual standards, is he?"
Wow. We were really just... going for it. Cool.
Cherry blinked at her son like an owl, but there was a glimmer of clarity in her wide blue eyes. Yeah, I was willing to bet she drugged herself to suffer through these painful, loveless relationships.
"Is that true?" she asked Samuel, her startled gaze jerking to her so-called sugar daddy. "You're broke?"
I wanted to roll my eyes so fucking hard at a million dollars being considered broke, but I guess Cherry was fishing for a whale, not a snapper.
Samuel's smile turned brittle, and I could practically see him gearing up to lie.
"Cherry, I suggest you cut your losses and leave," I told her in a cold voice. "I see you've picked up a souvenir for your troubles." I nodded to the sparkling engagement ring on her finger. "But that's probably all you're getting out of this."
Her lips parted, and she flashed me a terrified stare, like she was scared what I might do now that I'd outed her as a gold digger.
"Just go, Mom," Archer told her in a tired voice, like this wasn't even remotely the first time he'd saved her from her own greed. "Trust me when I say you're better off walking away from this one."
Samuel's brow furrowed, and his face pinkened. He was a man not used to being dismissed so easily, and sitting there quietly while Archer spoke like that? It wasn't sitting well with his inflated ego.
Too bad for him, his time was up.
"Save it, Dad," I sneered. "We'll deal with you in a minute." I looked at Cherry and jerked my head to the exit.
She didn't need any more encouragement than that, rising from her seat on thin heels and giving us all a tight smile. "Well," she said in a breathy voice, "I think I should be going. Congratulations again, you two. I do hope I'm still welcome at the wedding tomorrow?"
"I wouldn't advise attending," Archer replied, his voice glacial.
Cherry flinched like she'd been slapped but jerked a nod. "I understand." Her whisper was sad, but she didn't argue any further as Kody escorted her out of the restaurant, using his set of keys.
"What the devil do you think you're playing at, boy?" Samuel spluttered the moment Cherry was gone. "We had a deal." He rose out of his seat as though he was more imposing while standing. News flash, he wasn't. "A deal that you're clearly enjoying the benefits of." Samuel sneered at me, at Archer's hand around my waist, like I was some kind of paid escort.
Archer was far from rattled, though, and I didn't react. It was exactly what I'd expected from the man who'd sold me on a dark web transaction.
"We did have a deal," Archer agreed, sounding bored. "And now I find myself changing the terms."
Samuel blustered. "Y-you can't do that. Contracts were signed. The deal is done."
Archer's arm tightened around me, and his tone turned deadly. "Contracts are only worth the price of paper and ink when one of the parties is dead, Sam."
A shiver ran through me, but it wasn't fear.
"Shall we head on through to the private dining room?" Steele suggested, standing up from his seat with a deliberate flash of the gun holstered under his arm.
Samuel Danvers nervously eyed the three boys—I still wasn't a threat in his eyes—and licked his lips. "You know what?" he said with a weak smile. "I think I should be going."
He started to move in the direction of the exit, but froze when Kody's gun pressed to his temple. "Steele wasn't making a request, Sam."
Finally, my so-called father turned his panicked eyes to me, seeking help. What a joke.
I just gave him a doe-eyed smile back. "What's the problem, Daddy? I thought you liked playing gangster."
His glare darkened as understanding dawned. I wasn't some dumb pawn in all of this, nor was I a victim.
"Move it," Kody prompted, giving Samuel a solid nudge. Reluctantly, the older man did as he was told, walking ahead of us through to the private dining room. Only when he crossed the threshold did he balk.
"No, I think we've had some sort of misunderstanding here." He tried to backpedal, but with Kody blocking the doorway, there was nowhere for him to go. "Archer, come on. You're a businessman; we can come to some arrangement that suits us both."