Redemption (Enigma Black Trilogy Book #3) (22 page)

“You know,” Jill said, suddenly commanding my attention, “one thing I’ve learned in life, especially in life as we know it today, is that you have to seize every moment you can.” She smiled at me thoughtfully. “We need to tell the people we care about, the people we love, that we do. Because tomorrow is an uncertainty and we may have only today to do it. I know, for me, there’s nothing I would regret more than losing someone without ever telling them or showing them how much they meant to me.” She returned her gaze to the cityscape and the hint of the approaching evening on the horizon. “We only get so many opportunities for happiness in our lives, so why squander them? In the end, the only person you’re hurting is yourself.”

“Hey, everyone,” Drake announced, out of breath from running up the stairs to the rooftop, “the power’s back on.”

“The Woodland Lodge was built in the early nineteenth century, and with five floors of distinct ceremonial and reception halls, it was one of the most popular wedding locations in the area in its prime prior until just about a decade ago. Around the same time, business fell apart for most venues around here, of course,” Pauline, owner of the ever-popular, ever-expensive, Pauline’s Planners, said as she escorted Chase and Paige through a set of French doors. “This is your reception hall.” They stepped into the spacious room, surrounded by glass windows that offered views of the gardens that had originally made The Woodland Lodge famous.

“Chase, isn’t this room gorgeous?” Paige asked, spinning around as she took in the extravagance of the room, from its hardwood floors to the white draperies held open to allow the evening light to enter into it.

“Gorgeous, exorbitant, same difference,” he said, eyeing Paige with a smirk on his face. She playfully smacked his arm before joining Pauline in the center of the room.

“How many tables do you think you’re going to have?” Pauline asked.

“Somewhere around fifteen or so, I think. That sounds about right, doesn’t it?” Paige asked, mainly to herself. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Okay, so the plan is to have you, Chase and the rest of your party seated in the center of the room, right about here.” Pauline stopped in the center of the room, turning to face Paige. “We’ll stagger the tables off to the side. With a room as big as this one, we have quite a few options to explore. Now, in front of you, we’ll have the dance floor, and the band will be off to the right.” She motioned toward the corner of the room, near where the edge of the dance floor would be. “And, of course, the food will be set up over there, close to the entryway where you two will make your grand first appearance as husband and wife.”

“All in a matter of days,” Paige said, a glow returning to her eyes.

“Does that sound good to you, Chase?” Pauline asked, shifting her weight from one leg to the other in her stiletto heels.

“Wha—oh, yeah, it all sounds good to me. Just direct me where to sit and stand and I’m good.” He glanced over at Paige who raised an eyebrow on the verge of annoyance. “It’s perfect, Pauline, I can’t think of anything I’d do differently.”

“You men are all alike,” she said with a laugh. “I could put you up in a palace and it still wouldn’t make you the slightest bit interested in this whole process. Just get them there, get them dressed, and point them in the right direction, that’s what I always say.”

“Will you show us the hall where the actual ceremony is going to take place, Pauline?” Paige asked, her excitement building. “Perhaps that will get more of a reaction from my future hubby here.”

“Of course,” she said, nearly as giddy as Paige. “After all, that’s the most important room of them all. They walked out of the reception area, where Pauline led them down the hall, across the foyer, and down another hallway. “This is where each of you will get ready prior to the ceremony. I’ll let you check those rooms out before we leave.” She gestured toward two doors, one on each side of the hallway. “And straight down at the end of the hall is where the ceremony will take place.” When they reached the doors, Pauline unlocked them and led them into the room. “Let’s just hope the power holds up through the ceremony.”

“Oh, my, don’t even say that,” Paige said, her voice quivering.

Pauline flipped the switch, lighting up the room, revealing rows of neatly-lined white chairs and an aisle lined with a soft pink aisle runner. Like the reception hall, windows lined the room on three sides with white draperies drawn off to the side. At the end of the aisle stood an arch, adorned with fabric and lights.

“Now, don’t you worry,” Pauline comforted Paige. “This room faces the west, so even if the rebels cause problems and we have no electricity, there are enough windows in this place to allow natural light into the room. And if worse comes to worst, I have plenty of decorative lanterns and solar lights that I will be sure to have charged and ready if we need them.”

Chase walked around the room, glancing through the windows at the near-deserted city around them.

“It may not be the prettiest sight right now,” Pauline said, trying to distract him, “but rest assured, we’ll have it looking perfect in time for the big day. Your flowers will arrive the night before, allowing us enough time to cover the room. The chairs will all be draped in fabric and will have bows affixed to them, featuring your wedding colors. It will all be quite beautiful.”

“I have nothing but faith in you, Pauline,” Paige said. “Really, I don’t know what I would ever do without you. You’ve taken so much off our plates already.”

“My pleasure, dear, that’s my job and what your wonderful fiancé hired me to do.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty amazing,” Chase said, standing in front of the arch at the altar.

“That reminds me,” Pauline said, excited. “I always love having my clients do this quick little exercise. It completely sets the stage and helps them get that much more excited for the big day.”

“Really, Pauline, I think we’re both pretty excited enough. I don’t think any exercise is necessary—”

“Come on, Chase,” Paige interrupted. “Let’s humor her. It could be fun, and gosh knows we could use some fun in our lives.”

“I promise it will only take a minute,” Pauline said.

“Funny, that’s what I tell my patients right before I do something very unpleasant to them,” Chase muttered.

“Okay, I’ll make it easy on you, dear. Chase, you stay here and close your eyes while I take your beautiful bride-to-be with me for a minute.”

Chase obediently closed his eyes and stood there, listening to the doors open and close. Through the windows, the setting sun’s rays reached him, enveloping him in warmth. He pictured his wedding day, the room covered in lilies, roses and peonies in various shades of pink, the aisle lined with petals in a room filled with their family and friends. In the background, he could almost hear the harpist playing the Wedding March as the doors opened, revealing a bride—his bride—in her wedding dress, a smile stretched wide across her timid face, her brown hair pulled upward into her veil.

His eyes flew open, his pulse quickening as a sickness quickly began to overcome him.

“Oh, Chase,” Paige said, sighing. She wore a generic white dress. In her hands was a sample of the flowers they’d chosen for their wedding in a bouquet for effect. “You’ve ruined the surprise.” Paige rolled her eyes and walked down the aisle in disgust, which quickly turned to concern with each step. “Chase, you’re as white as a sheet. What is it, what’s wrong? Chase?”

Finding his legs growing more unsteady by the second and his mind turning to a blank slate, Chase crumpled to the floor as the world around him grew black.

“Pauline,” Paige shouted, “call an ambulance!”

We gathered around the laptop that sat open in front of Marshall, impatiently waiting for the message Brooks was preparing to hit us with next. An increase in the bounty? A new restriction? The capture of more rebels? Whatever it may be, we had been waiting for the better part of twenty minutes for nothing, which proved to be much more concerning.

“Maybe it’s a fluke,” John said.

“Nothing is ever a fluke where Brooks is concerned,” Marshall said, refusing to take his eyes away from the screen. “There’s always a reason behind the things he does. Do we have spotters out on the roof still?”

“Yes,” Jill said. “And the last I heard, all is still well out there.”

“Thank you, Jill,” Marshall said, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m going upstairs,” Ian said quietly. “It’s been a long day and, besides that, I’m pretty sure I’m in desperate need of a shower.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” I said. He laughed as he made his way up the stairs, unnoticed by the others. I looked over at Jill, who seemed just about as nervous as Marshall. Her words to me earlier that evening—simple yet wise—replayed in my head, their meaning resonating with me more and more with each run through.

Ian, the boy I’d pegged as someone he wasn’t, the man I’d witnessed him become in such a short time, had turned into my best friend, my hero, my virtual world. Every ounce of happiness I’d experienced over the past year had been either with him or because of him, and for me to let any more of those opportunities pass me by was foolish. Because of him, I could see a future for myself, one that wasn’t so bleak.

I looked around the room once more, noticed the crowd had thinned out, and slowly inched myself toward the back until I reached the staircase and began the climb to the second floor. At the top of the stairs, I turned and walked apprehensively down the hallway, my heart beating erratically with each step. Emotions from just about every spectrum swam through my head, which made me feel as though I was teetering on the edge of sanity. When I reached the door to our room, I hesitated, feeling foolish for the nerves that made my hand shake when I turned the handle and my legs seem like jelly when I tried to walk over the threshold.

Get it together, Celaine. It’s Ian. There’s nothing intimidating about Ian.

When I entered the room, I heard the muffled sound of water beating against the plastic shower curtain. It was now or never because I knew I wouldn’t be able to gather up enough nerve again to do what I was about to do for quite a while.

Taking a deep breath and cursing my cowardice once more, I stripped my clothes away from my body and turned the knob of the bathroom door. With each millimeter the door opened, I could feel my heart beat harder as it sunk into my stomach and summoned a strange, sickeningly sweet nausea.

Steam rolled out of the bathroom when I opened the door and stepped inside, and I quickly shut myself in the room to preserve its essence. Through breaks in the condensation on the clear plastic shower curtain, I saw Ian. His back was to me as he leaned against the wall of the shower, allowing the hot water to roll over the musculature of his body. Nervously, my feet glided lightly over the linoleum floor, and my chest grew heavier with anticipation with each step. Ian would have to be the voice of reason now, for my body wasn’t going to allow me to be. Every ounce of my being wanted him, needed him, in every conceivable way.

I slid the curtain open and allowed myself just enough room to enter the shower. Beads of water bounced off Ian’s body and struck mine like rain. He seemed to be in a form of meditation, trying his best to relax his body and mind from the beating he’d taken today and every day since his arrival at The Epicenter. Watching him intently, I placed my hand near his, unsure of whether I should break his concentration or leave and allow him to have this one moment of peace.

His hand left its place on the shower wall long enough for him to use his fingers to brush the water through his hair. Then, unexpectedly, he broke his concentration and opened his eyes, finally noticing me standing next to him. Breathless, he stood looking down at me, struggling to keep his eyes above chest level as if looking at my naked body would be in some way disrespectful to my existence. With disbelief evident in his eyes, he guided his hand across the shower, shuddering slightly when his fingers made contact with my skin as though he expected me to be nothing more than an apparition.

Ian’s fingertips ran their way up my arm as he drew his body in closer to mine, brushing the space between my clavicle, the still-healing gunshot wound, and the various scars and mars my body had sustained due to having made “superhero” my chosen vocation.

“You have no idea how beautiful you are,” he said, resting one hand on my cheek. The original shock of seeing me had melted away from his face to reveal not the innocent longing I’d grown accustomed to, but a look of unadulterated need. I could feel my pulse quicken, my breath growing shallow. “And I say that with the utmost confidence that you won’t feel the need to escape via balcony.” He smiled, a sweet smile that made me feel safe, as though being in his arms was where I was meant to be.

“Not this time,” I said, my fingers finding their way through his hair. “Besides, I checked and there aren’t any balconies here.” He laughed, gently resting his forehead against mine. “You have me, Ian Grant,” I whispered. “In every way possible, I’m yours.”

“Celaine,” he moaned, his breath quickening. There was no need to contain himself, no wondering whether we were both on the same page, and the knowledge that he could give in—that I didn’t expect him to hold back anymore—caused his grip on my body to tighten.

Ian pushed his body against mine, brushing his lips against my nose as he cupped the back of my head in his hands and guided his lips down my face until they met mine. I pushed my mouth to his desperately, wrapping my arms around his wet body. His rapid heartbeat matched my own, which only made me want him that much more—to be that much closer to him.

“Ian, I—”

“I know,” he said, interrupting me as though our thoughts were as in tune with each other as our bodies were at that very moment. “I know you do.”

Unable to control himself any longer, he pressed his lips to mine more intensely than before and allowed his hands to wander away from my face, where they moved over my breasts and across my stomach, finally settling on my hips. Deftly, he lifted me up into his body and guided my legs around his waist as he pressed me against the wall of the shower, letting out a moan the moment our bodies became one.