23. Gate Crasher

GATE CRASHER

ANDREW

A heavy set man climbs up the steps to the stage, and I gasp as I realize who it is. "Oh, hell!" I breathe.

"What?" Maddy asks. Then she, too, realizes what is happening. "It's him, isn't it?" she gasps.

I nod. "Be still. He isn't usually violent without cause. Let's not give him one."

"Now, before you all get too comfortable," he says. "My boys and girls brought along their musical instruments. I don't think any of you would like the tune they can play, so you just sit tight. Gentlemen, ladies, show them what ya got."

The "musicians" pull out an assortment of weapons, ranging from assault rifles to handguns, and even a few swords.

"Now that I have your attention," Aims said. "I'm going to tell you how it will be. I've brought a marriage license and a jack-leg, backwoods preacher with me. I've got six months to live, and I'll see my errant grandson and his sweetie married, and, I hope, pregnant before I pass on."

I stand up slowly. "Grandfather, why are you doing this? You know Maddy and I are handfasted. Unless we find we can't stand each other, we will be married at the end of a year and a day."

"Pah! Don't spout me any o' that new age crap about handfasting. Besides, I don't think I have another six months, let alone a year. You need to be married, right and tight, and you got to take up the reins of Aims Corp. This isn't any game I'm playing, boy. This is life and death. " Aims grinned a death's head grin, spreading his lips wide and sucking on his teeth so the air hissed between them.

I stand up slowly, keeping my hand on Maddy to keep her in her seat. If I am careful, I can make myself the target of all those guns instead of Maddy, the children, or the vulnerable elders and other guests.

"Why is it so vital that we marry?" I ask.

"It is vital that you marry," he says. "Since you passed the princess to Leland, I don't have anyone special picked out for you. Your little nurse will do as well as the next. Maybe better since you seem fond of her. But I cannot die without tying down the inheritance lines."

I step out in front of the others. "Why Grandfather? Will your bookies all wither without your guiding hand? Will your working girls suddenly be out of a job? Will your pushers and dealers not have any product to sell? I thought we covered this when you visited me."

"And you thought you'd shunted me off to a nursing home," Aims snorts. "We've got a few things to get glued down before I kick off, like just exactly who is going to take the reins for Aims Corp."

"Just who do you intend to take up those reins, Grandfather?" I ask.

"You and your legitimate heir," he says.

"Beg pardon?" I say. "I don't recall volunteering for this."

"I didn't ask for volunteers," he snaps at me. "I'm telling you how it is going to be."

"Why would I want Aims Corp?" I ask. "It's a mess. It's a holdover from the 1920's. You are a hundred years out of date, Grandfather."

He glowers at me. "Vice never goes out of date. There's always someone wanting to climb that ladder on the backs of others, and at their expense. Do you know what happens when vice is unsupervised? It runs rampant, it becomes a bloodbath in the street. You are too young to remember what it was like, I don't think you were even born when I took over Aims Corp from my father. That fool, Albert, went all soft on me. Made his own company and went legit. Mostly legit anyway."

Aims coughs a little, looks around, sees a bottle of wine that has been left open to breathe. He picks it up, delicately pours it into a snifter. He swirls it in the glass, admires the color, passes it under his nose, then sips.

No one speaks. No one moves. There is enough firepower in the room to blow everyone to kingdom come.

"Ummm. Prime stuff, that," Aims says. "I should know. My grandad started Aims Corp during prohibition. He always appreciated fine wine."

He takes another sip from the snifter. "So, you hear me, boy. I've got a tiger by the tail. Everyone one o' you kids has been in danger since the day you were born. I've had a hell of a time keeping body guards on all of you, but I've done it. But do you know what happens if one of my rivals takes over the company?" He takes another swig.

"No, Grandfather," I say. "But I am sure you are going to tell me."

"Damn straight, I'm going to tell you. If someone else has control of those bodyguards, they are going to turn into death squads. It will be a wholesale slaughter of every villager left alive, of every islander on Ildogis, and yes, of every man, woman and child of Freedom. It might even reach as far as to take down Spindizzy, and it ain't never been part of Aims Corp or Lane Enterprises."

He took another sip of the wine. "But if you marry the girl, if you honor the oath, and live up to that tattoo you got the summer you spent with me, then I can make it known that you are taking over my operation."

I look at the assembled crowd. I look at my brothers, my sister, at the woman I love, and yes, at her friend and her friend's husband. I see the elders I managed to get airlifted out of the carnage at Mountain Hold, and I know I can make only one answer.

"I will take on the business," I say. Then I swallow hard because this isn't the way I wanted to propose to the woman I had idealized, and as coming to love for her own, very real self. "If Maddy will have me, I will marry her. As for babies . . . I have a son. And you know as well as I, babies happen in their own time, not in ours."

"A fair enough answer," Grandfather said. "What do you say, young woman? Will you back your man's play?"

Maddy has gone white as a sheet. My heart aches for her. I did not want to marry her this way. I had hoped to give her all the time she needed to decide, to plan for the kind of beautiful wedding that is in every young girl's secret dreams.

"Come with me, Maddy," I say, making a sudden decision.

She blinks up at me. "What? Where?" she says, clearly confused.

"She doesn't need to go anywhere with you," Grandfather says grumpily.

I ignore him. "Come along," I say to Maddy, my hand still extended to her.

She looks at Grandfather, then at me, before rising to her feet. She puts her shaking hand into mine and I tug her from the room.

"Andrew," she whispers, her voice trembling. "What do we do?"

"We do whatever you want to do."

"Are you sure?" she asks.

"Yes," I say. "I have to take over Aims Corp, but you don't have to be at my side if you want to stay away from all that it entails."

"We could run away together," she says eagerly, grabbing my hands again.

"With a young child? How would we keep him safe from all the grasping people in my family?" I remind her.

She frowns and chews on her bottom lip. "Oh, yeah," she says worriedly.

"I have to take over the company. It is the only way to keep Aims Corp from spinning out of control. And it's the only way to keep our child from harm," I say, leaning in closer to her so my words are just for her. "But I can offer you safety if we go through with this farce he has orchestrated. Maddy, I wanted to woo you with all the gallantry, pomp, and circumstance you absolutely deserve."

She clapped one hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle."You make me sound like a fairy tale princess."

I reach my hand to take her's in mine. She clings to it as if it were a lifeline. "To me, you are," I say. "I'm just getting to know the real woman, and everything I see makes me love you more. But I want you to marry me because it is what you want; not just what I want, or grandfather wants. Trapping you is the last thing I desire."

She pulls my hand to her forehead, leaning into it. When she raises her face, it is wet with tears. "Oh, Andrew. You make me remember what I saw in you during that one glorious week we had together."

"I hope you see something worth keeping," I whisper. "Maddy, I don't want to lose you. But I want to give you time – all the time in the world that you need. Because I love you so much that the thought of being without you hurts."

"Andrew, it is ok. I'm not going anywhere. But you need to stop and think. We'd be lying to the rest of your family as well," she whispers, clasping her hands around mine and looking up into my face.

I nod. "I know. But keeping you and our son safe is more important than a little white lie. Or a big one, for that matter. I owe you this much at least, after everything that happened in the past."

She nods and looks at me, fear in her gaze. "Then yes," she says. "I will go through with the ceremony. But how will we get away with a fake ceremony? Won't your grandfather know?"

"Don't worry," I tell her. "I will take care of it on the backend, and if not we can always annul it, if that's what you want. Promises under duress aren't real promises." I hold her gaze hoping she understands, willing her to let me take care of her and our son. My son.

"One year and a day, remember?" She smiles at me, but I can see the concern in her eyes.

I squeeze her hands gently. "I want it to be our choice to get married when we are ready. We can deal with my grandfather this way, and protect our own independent decision about this as well."

She finally grins at me. "Okay," she agrees. "I'll put my acting skills, weak as they are, to work."

I lean forward and kiss her softly. "Come on, let's go tell them the good news."

As marriage ceremonies went, it was about the worst. The old man Aims swore was a bonafide licensed official, was drunk as a skunk, and stank like a back alley. His hands twitched, and he had to take two tries at every prompt. But I made sure that my voice rang out true and clear as I said my vows. "I, Andrew Lane, take thee, Madeline, to be my wife, to honor, to love, to protect for the rest of my life. All that I am is yours, and so is all that I have."

Maddy followed my lead. "I, Madeline Northernfield, take thee, Andrew, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to honor, to love, to protect for the rest of my life."

At no point did either of us say anything about "obey". I think that would have been the last possible straw for Maddy. She didn't gift me with herself or her possessions, and that was all right. I hadn't earned that vow. Not yet. But if it was possible, I would.

In no more than fifteen minutes, we were done with the ceremony. Since we were not prepared for this impromptu marriage, we had no rings to exchange. We then all signed the document intended to make it legal and binding. My intention was to see that it was lost before being recorded, a simple way to end this travesty, and allow me to court my brave Madeline in my own way.

Then Grandfather placed another document in my hands, and had me sign that one as well. I skimmed the contents of it and saw it was all about the business and my takeover. He is gasping and puffing as he comes down the steps to do it.

Grandfather signs after me. He stands up, makes a dismissive motion, and the musicians quietly file out. "All yours, grandson," he says. "Take care of my people."

Then, as if a cord had been cut, Grandfather Aims went white and crumpled to the ground. Maddy and I are crouched beside him in an instant. I take his pulse. It is weak and thready, but there.

"Your medicine," I ask. "Where is it?"

"Left it . . . sneaked away from the nurse . . ."

His head falls back, his breath becomes harsh and labored. "Med kit," I say. "The car . . ."

There is the sound of running feet. Someone places my bag in my hand. Maddy kneels beside me, both of us intent on the old man.

I open my bag, and pull out the things I need. It is touch and go, but between us Maddy and I soon have him breathing easier. Color returns to his face. He opens his eyes and looks at me.

"Damn you," he says. "It would have been so much easier just to go right now."

"Oh, no," I say. "You don't get off that easily. You've got to tell me where all the bodies are buried, all about the secret accounts, and who has to be paid off each month to keep my people safe. So you got to stick around for a while."

"All right," he says. "But I want to sleep a while first, if you don't mind."

Old Emily begins to laugh. It's a wild nasty cackle that has Maddy looking around with a worried expression.

"Who let her in?" Grandfather Aims muttered.

"Let who in?" I ask.

"Emily. My harridan of a sister. She insisted on following you to Africa, and when she found Leland nothing would bring her back. ‘More precious than diamonds' she says. ‘More valuable than gold.' Well, maybe she had something there."

Old Emily cackles even louder. "What'd I tell you, you old fool?" she asks.

"Family. Gah," the old man mutters. Then the paramedics come in and take him away. I go with them, to make sure no one in his entourage got ideas about hastening his time.