Insufferable Proximity 2 (39 page)

“No more compliments, Sevigne, or she will become too insufferable to bear,” Coco finished, and everyone turned to see Alice barge into the room.

Alice clapped her hands in excitement. “Sevigne, your wedding gowns are here.”

“Gowns?” Heaven asked as everyone stood up and headed for the door.

“Mr. King brought some of the top designers here to show you their collections,” Alice answered.

“You’re kidding me?”

“No. Come on, you have to see these gowns.” Alice took her hand and led her to the main hall.

“
Wow,” Heaven gasped as she watched them taking racks of wedding gowns up to their room.

“I’ll see you later; have fun picking out your gown.” The wedding coordinator said before she left.

“Okay,” Heaven said as she headed up the stairs behind the people carrying the racks of gowns.

“If those racks fall on my fiancée, it’s not your job you’ll have to worry about!” Julian barked to the men carrying the racks. He headed down the stairs to pick Heaven up, and carried her back up and ahead of the racks.

“I can’t believe you brought the gowns to me,” she said in awe as he carried her to their room.

“You said I can’t go with you when you pick out the gown.”

“I told you that it’s bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding.”

“Yes, you did; that’s why I brought them to you. I’m not letting you leave this house and not be within earshot of me. If you yell, I need to be able to hear it. If I can’t hear it, then you’re too far away from me,” he finished as he set her down in the room.

“They’re all so beautiful.” Heaven cried as the racks were rolled into the room.

“Have fun,” Julian said as he left.

“This is amazing,” Sybille said as she and her sister walked into the room.

“He really loves you,” Alice added as she followed behind Sybille.

“Come help me find a dress,” Heaven said as her smile lit up the room.

Wedding

Heaven stood on the small step as the seamstress finished the last-minute alteration to her wedding gown. When she was finished, Heaven turned around to look at herself in the full-length mirror. Her long, dark hair was pinned up in a Grecian style. Her pale peach eyeshadow looked like powdered silk and enhanced her hazel eyes. Her deep-red, matte lipstick complemented the pure energy of her smile. She wore the diamond necklace and matching stud earrings that Julian had given her earlier that morning. She blushed as she thought about the sexy way he’d delivered the gift.

Her corseted wedding gown looked as if it were straight out of a fairy tale. The petticoat was made of layers upon layers of crinoline, and the billowy skirt trailed seven feet behind her. She wore white, platform pumps with thin silver heels.

“You look like a princess,” Jade said with a brilliant smile on her face.

“Mesmerizing,” Alice said in awe.

“You look stunning,” Petal added as her eyes began to mist. They were all bridesmaids and wearing matching red dresses.

“Thank you,” Heaven smiled.

“You’d better not start crying with all that eye makeup,” Jade grinned at Petal.

“You know I can’t help it; I am such a sucker for true love and romance. This is so romantic.”

“Girls, we’re ready for the bridesmaids. I’ll need you to take your positions,” the wedding planner said as she walked into the room.

Petal smiled. “Coming, Maggie.”

“I’ll see you down there.” Jade smiled at her closest friend. She hugged her carefully before she left.

“You look amazing,” Petal said as she hugged Heaven, careful not to mess up her dress.

Alice hugged her. “The most beautiful bride ever.”

“Thank you.” She smiled as she watched her friends leave the room.

***

Julian waited until everyone had left the room before he snuck in.

“Damn,” was all he could say upon seeing Heaven.

“You’re not supposed to be in here. It’s bad luck,” Heaven squealed.

“Not seeing you would be bad luck.” He walked over to stand before her.

“We have to go; the wedding is going to start,” she warned him, seeing the wolfish look in his eyes.

“They can’t start the wedding without us,” he said as he pulled her to him. “You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. I’m a very lucky man.” He lightly kissed her red lips.

“I’m lucky too.”

“I can’t wait to get you alone.” He kissed the side of her neck before whispering in her ear. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my days with you.”

“I love you so much,” Heaven said as a brilliant smile spread across her face.

“I love you too.” He kissed the side of her cheek, “I’d better get down there.”

“I’ll be down in a minute.” She continued to smile as she watched him leave the room. Things were turning out perfectly. Just the thought of being Julian’s wife filled her with a warmth that she couldn’t shake.

***

Heaven took one last look at herself before she headed out of the room. The whole house was empty now; everyone was seated in the backyard waiting for the wedding to begin. She had no more than reached the bottom steps when she heard the familiar voice.

“Ms. Deville?”

Heaven turned around to see Lila standing before her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering if we could talk for a moment,” she asked.

“What do you want?”

“I’d like to talk to you for a minute; I need to get this off my chest. Please, I feel terribly guilty.”

“I’m getting married.”

“Please, I’m begging you. Just one minute.”

“All right, you have five minutes.”

“I saw a coat room on my way in,” Lila said as she took Heaven’s hand and led her back towards the coat room.

Lila walked into the room first and quickly turned to face Heaven. Her aim was to keep Heaven’s back to the partially-opened closet.

“Now you have four minutes.” Heaven crossed her arms over her chest.

“First, I just wanted to say that your gown is amazing and congratulations. Second, I would like to apologize to you for trying to sabotage your relationship.” She spoke loudly so Heaven wouldn’t hear Gavin creeping out of the closet. Even though he was wearing a serviceman’s outfit, it was best if Heaven didn’t see him.

“Why the sudden change?” Heaven asked. Lila was careful not to divert her eyes towards Gavin as he silently snuck closer to Heaven.

“I didn’t know that what you and Julian had was real. I thought you were just another one of his fuck buddies. Now I know that he is in love with you. He’s never been in love or really loved anyone, so it was hard to accept. He really loves you, and I know there is no way that I can be with him as long as you’re around.”

“That sounds more like a threat than an apology.”

“Take it any way you want,” Lila hissed as her expression changed.

“Excuse me?” Heaven asked in shock, seeing the sneaky smile on Lila’s face. It was at that very moment Heaven knew something was going on. Unfortunately, it was too late for her to do anything about it.

Heaven turned around to look directly at Gavin’s face. She turned to run, but he grabbed her before she could take a step. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth with a thick, chloroform-soaked rag. The familiar smell shot up Heaven’s nostrils and headed straight for her brain. She tried to stay still; she knew that fighting would only make it work faster. She tried to reach into her tiny, white, bridal purse and grab her gun, but Lila snatched it off her shoulder.

Lila grinned. “I don’t think so.”

“Miss me, sweetheart?” Heaven heard Gavin’s voice in her ear, and despite her reasonable intentions, she began to fight. She elbowed him in the gut with all of her strength as she felt the chloroform take effect. “Relax; you’ll have all the time in the world to fight me. This time, you will
never
get loose.”

Gavin carried Heaven back to the large closet and the cart he had hidden. He handed Lila the maid’s outfit, wig and hat. She quickly dressed as Gavin put Heaven in the cart and piled the sheets on top of her.

“Now just head out the service exit, the car is right outside the door,” he instructed Lila.

“All right,” Lila replied as she pushed the cart towards the door.

She was nervous, but she refused to back down now. Even if the plan fell through, Lila would plead her innocence. She would claim that Gavin had threatened to kill her and her husband. Her husband’s death would back her story up. She had faith in her skills of persuasion, and she was certain she wouldn’t get into any trouble.

***

“Heaven!” Julian yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Heaven?” Sybille cried as she ran behind him.

“Did you find her?” Julian barked as soon as he saw the officer.

“There was no sign of her,” the officer said.

“Where the fuck is she?” Julian roared in anguish.

His mind was going a million miles an hour. His brain was plagued with the memory of Gavin Grant and what he’d done to her.

Gavin’s in prison,
he reminded himself.

“Julian, we need to talk,” Ayden said. He was standing next to the lead detective.

Julian felt a sharp pain in the pit of his stomach. His father looked as if he were ready to explode. That was never good. Julian followed them into the office.

“Gavin Grant has escaped from prison,” the detective said in a solemn tone.

“What?” Julian lost his composure.

“Why were we not informed?” Ayden barked with fury.

“What?” Sybille kicked the door open, “You let Gavin Grant escape and didn’t notify me immediately?!” Sybille screeched. The sweet, overly dramatic mother was gone; in its place was a raging demon.

“Henry, I will have your fucking badge by morning,” Coco threatened as she stood beside her sister.

“I’m so sorry; we had no idea. We just found out an hour ago. I know the man in charge; I’ll give you his name and badge number,” the detective was obviously nervous.

“How did this happen?” Julian was seething with anger.

“There was a massive fire at the prison. There were three bodies that were burned beyond recognition. One of the bodies fit Grant’s stats. The body was found in the medical ward; everyone was accounted for except for Gavin and two of the nurses. They assumed it was him until they discovered there was a doctor missing. The doctor wasn’t supposed to be at work that day; he was scheduled for vacation. Unfortunately, he came in to help out,” the detective explained.

“I can’t fucking believe this!” Julian growled like a beast.

Everything he had fought so hard to prevent was now happening. His biggest fear was unraveling before his eyes, and there was nothing he could do. He had no idea where she was. He felt himself begin to fall apart, but he knew he had to stay strong. He had to be stronger than he’d ever been in his life.

He had to find Heaven, and he had to find her
now
.

***

“Welcome back, beautiful,’’ Gavin spoke to Heaven.

Heaven opened her eyes to see Gavin inches from her face. She tried to jump up, but she quickly realized she was chained down.

She was groggy, and she had a splitting headache. She was having trouble focusing on Gavin, and realized that she was drugged.

“This is a dream,” she shook her head.

“No, this is reality; this is your life from here on. Welcome to hell, Princess.” Gavin chuckled, using Julian’s term of endearment.

“No,” she shook her head, trying to remember what had happened. She looked down at her gown and whimpered.

“I decided to leave you in your wedding gown. I almost felt a bit bad since I know you’ll
never
wear that gown. You’ll
never
marry Julian King.”

“I
will
wear this gown, and I
will
marry Julian,” Heaven vowed before her eyes closed; the medication was too hard to fight.

***

Half of the precinct was at Julian’s house. There were detectives going through the last room she had been seen in. They were also trying to retrace her steps. The head officer had found a maid who saw Heaven walk into the coat room. Unfortunately, she couldn’t see if Heaven were alone.

The detectives asked a million questions, although they already knew what was going on. They had been there the first time Gavin had taken Heaven. They were searching the place for clues while focusing on all entrances and exits.

Julian searched every nook and cranny of the house. He searched every car and every bit of the yard. He paced back and forth, ready to jump in his car and actively search for her.

Julian felt the dread wash over him. How did he let it happen again? He was so careful; he thought that he had made sure that everything around her was safe and secure. As hard as he tried, he’d made a huge mistake. He was so busy watching Heaven—that he’d forgotten to watch Gavin.