CHAPTER TEN

– ROWAN –

“It’s freaking adorable, that’s what it is,” Lorelei says with a swoony voice.

My gaze is set on Dutton and Alwyn, and I have to agree with Lorelei, it is freaking adorable. The second we were inside the clubhouse he pulled a box from his pocket, opened the thing to grab a ring, threw the box over his shoulder, grabbed Alwyn’s hand, and slid a ring right on her finger.

Then he announced, “We’re getting married so you’d better pick a date in the near future if you want to organize a wedding or I’ll put you on the back of my bike right now and ride to the courthouse to get that shit done myself.”

Rox snickers. “It wouldn’t work for everyone, but I guess these guys aren’t the ‘popping the question the normal way’ guys.”

“Is there a normal way?” Meadow wonders out loud.

“Probably not.” Alwyn grins. “Honestly? I don’t care, I like the ring, I like his claim, and I like the way he demanded we’d spend the rest of our lives together. He’s different than the best friend I grew up with, but still the same in all the good ways. Besides, he still gave me a choice and knows I’d love a wedding with the basic essentials.”

Marlene, who was admiring the gorgeous two-in-one engagement slash wedding ring, drops Alwyn’s hand and says, “Basic essentials? Is that somewhere in between a huge and a small wedding?”

Alwyn giggles. “I want a gorgeous dress, a huge wedding cake, and a two-week long honeymoon in Hawaii.”

“Oh, that might take some planning. If you need help, let me know. I might have a solution for your honeymoon, though,” I offer.

All the women’s eyes land on me, and it’s Alwyn who asks, “Really?”

A huge grin slides across my face and I take out my phone to show her some of the pictures on my social media. “I haven’t sold my place yet. It’s a little cottage near the beach. You’re welcome to stay there if you guys get married soon.”

Alwyn takes my phone and scrolls through the images, the other old ladies are gathering around to check it out over her shoulder.

“Rox,” Perrin rumbles. “Can you get in my office? I need you to make a call for me.”

Dwight steps closer and is suddenly shoving a box under my nose. “I got you a little something. We’re heading into Perrin’s office, but I wanted you to have it now in case I have to work right after.”

“Thanks,” I murmur and my heart skips a beat.

I’m not expecting a ring or a demand like Dutton just threw at Alwyn. Those two have been tight-knit due to their history. Yet, what I feel for Dwight is huge and real, but we both agreed to take it one day at a time. Hell, it’s head over heels already with the whole lockdown and danger hanging over our heads.

I open the box and the air is ripped from my lungs. There might not be a ring in the jewelry box, but the pendant on the necklace is clearly a statement. The blue resembles Dwight’s eyes and the Blenny fish resembles the club that’s a huge part of his life. Not to mention, the link with the ocean, something I love as well.

“Thank you,” I croak. “I love it.”

“Here,” he rumbles with a deep voice. “Let me.”

I turn and he puts the necklace on me, gently placing my braid over it. Turning back to face him, I throw my arms around his neck to pull him close. His lips meet mine and I pour every single emotion I feel into this kiss.

He groans into my mouth and I feel his hands on my ass to pull me closer, allowing me to feel his hardness grinding against my belly. I want to completely devour him and by the way he’s dominating my mouth, I’d say the feeling is mutual.

A sharp whistle, followed by Perrin’s words, rips us apart. “Listen up. We’ve been trying to get in touch with Lennie and Kate. They’re not picking up their phones and I’ve sent a prospect over to take a look at their yacht, but not to call out or enter. He just said that there isn’t any movement or sign of life. He did see a smudge of red on the dock, but he can’t be sure unless he stops to stare. I told him to get back here because if my hunch is correct? Then I’m fairly sure we just found Caddy’s possible hideout. Either that or Kate finally killed her sugar daddy…or the other way around.”

“Fact is, we need to inspect the situation.” Tage glances at Rox. “Maybe you can go in from below?”

“Don’t your old buddies over at Broken Deeds have any fancy heat-seeking things to let you see through a surface?” Rox asks Asher.

Asher grins. “I did get to bring a load of supplies with me when I joined you guys. Let’s see if we can spot some body heat inside that yacht.”

Rox and Asher slip out of the room as I step forward. “Anything I can do to help? I’m able to go in from below as well.”

“Not going to happen,” Dwight rumbles from beside me. “I’d rather keep the ones she has a wild vengeance for at a safe distance. This doesn’t only mean you, but Marlene, and Dutton as well.”

“Both those partners too,” Tage adds. “Which means Alwyn, Dutton, Brixton, Marlene, Dwight, and Rowan will stay here at the clubhouse. Lorelei, Joanne, and Meadow will stay in the main room as well.”

“Agreed,” Perrin states. “Keep most in one spot to keep them safe and protected.”

“Or to take all of them out by blowing up the place,” I murmur, more to myself than to anyone else.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Perrin growls.

I shrug. “You guys told me yourself how she tried to blow up my gym, and she did indeed blow up Marlene’s apartment. I was honestly just thinking out loud…well, mostly my fear was bubbling to the surface when you mentioned putting all of us in one place. Sorry. I know she can’t–”

“We need to check the gas lines, both here and the restaurant just to be sure,” Perrin states and gives me a nod. “Smart thinking, Rowan. We all know what this woman is capable of, and we can’t afford to skip shit. I’m gonna send Hugh over to the restaurant to check for a possible gas leak.”

I give him a tentative smile, feeling useful.

“Come on,” Dwight rumbles and places a hand on my lower back. “We’re going to help Cecil by keeping an eye on every angle of the marina.”

It doesn’t sound as eventful as going out there and doing something, but I guess almost dying the last time I had a face-to-face encounter with Caddy is enough to agree with Dwight’s offer.

“Anything yet?” Dwight asks Cecil as we take a seat at his table.

Cecil doesn’t take his gaze away from his laptop and only shakes his head. “No. If you two keep an eye on all the cameras–” He points at two TVs with split screens. “Then I can scroll through the feed that gives me the full angle of Lennie’s yacht. Maybe I can find some action on it from either Lennie, Kate, or Caddy for that matter.”

Cecil hands Dwight a tiny device which he puts in his ear. I notice Cecil is wearing the same thing.

“Sounds good,” Dwight grunts and turns to me. “You take the left one, I’ll take the right.”

I lean in and focus on the split screen of the four angles of the marina. Tage is in one of them, along with Hugh and Vesper. They are talking and pointing at a boat docked across from Lennie’s yacht.

Shit. I hate not knowing what they’re up to, and yet here I sit to watch all of it. I’m back to feeling useless again. Releasing a frustrated huff, I force myself to keep an eye on all the other angles as well.

Worry gnaws at me and I reach out to gently play with the pendant on my necklace. It soothes me on some level and yet some crucial things are playing inside my head that I know nothing about.

I finally give up and ask, “Do they have guns?”

“Yes,” both Cecil and Dwight reply in sync.

“Bulletproof vests?”

“Yes,” they both state once more.

At least that’s something, right? I’m still worried, mostly because I have no clue if Caddy has a gun or not. The two men beside me might know, but to be honest? I’m not sure I would like to hear both of them answer my question yet again with “yes.”

So, instead I ask, “Can I get one of those thingies you guys have in your ear?”

“No,” they both rumble.

Great. I wish I’d asked my other question, maybe they’d answered that with a load of negative determination as well.