In the Shadow of Evil Book 2

by Nancy C. Weeks

  “Good thing. I take it you don’t want a long engagement?” Father Anthony asked, offering his hand to Jared.

  “I would say about eight hours will do, if that fits your schedule,” Jared replied, checking his watch. “We would like to be married today, Father Anthony, and we would be honored if you would perform the ceremony.”

  “Today?”

  “It was my idea,” Noah piped up, grinning.

  “The premarital preparation process can take a few weeks. There may be some things we can overlook, but what’s the rush?”

  “We can go through all that after Mendoza is taken down, but we need you to—”

  “This is about Mendoza?” Father Anthony interrupted.

  “Our marriage, in the eyes of God, would seal the connection between us. It would be a connection even Mendoza couldn’t break,” Jennie explained.

  “The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is a sacred bond between a man and a woman and God. Not a weapon to be used against the bad guy.”

  “Father Anthony, I would never dishonor a sacrament or you in that way.”

  “They’re taking your advice, Father Anthony. Mendoza would never expect this,” Noah added.

  “I know you care about Jared, but…”

  Jared broke in. “Jennie would never consider something like this if it wasn’t so important to her. You should know that about her.”

  “Jared, it’s okay. We have his answer.”

  “No, it’s not okay.” Jared faced Father Anthony. “I’m a stranger to you, but you say you know Jennie. You should at least respect her judgment enough to hear us out.”

  Jennie placed a hand on her friend’s arm. “I can’t explain why it’s important, Father Anthony. I just know it is. When this nightmare is over, we’ll do anything you ask, to meet the requirements of the church,” she added.

  “Are you at least a Catholic?”

  “Born and raised.”

  “I have enormous respect for Jennie. She’s one of the most honest, loving people I’ve ever known, and her strength and character are founded in her infallible faith in God. I’m questioning this absurd idea because I don’t know you, McNeil.”

  “But I do. You asked me once why I never dated.” She reached for Jared’s hand. “I compare every man I have ever met to him, and none of them measured up.”

  Father Anthony said nothing for several moments. “You really want this, Jennie?”

  “Yes.”

  “And it has to be today?”

  “Only because Mendoza is here, in Fell’s Point, walking around like he owns the place. Noah believes the sacrament will seal the love between Jared and me, and hopefully protect me from Mendoza. God works in mysterious ways. Isn’t that what you always say to me?”

  “Throwing my words back in my face. You get to tell your godfather, but wait until I enter witness protection.”

  “You will marry us?”

  “After everyone clears out from Mass tonight, I’ll marry you. But understand, without a license, it’s not legal.”

  “It will mean everything to us,” Jared added. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll talk about the marriage preparation course at a later date, but we’ll talk. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal clear,” they answered, simultaneously.

  Twenty-Eight

  The sanctuary of St. Luke’s Catholic Church glowed with soft candlelight surrounding the altar. Jared, wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, sat in the front pew. Donning another disguise, he had slipped into the church as the nightly mass ended. Jennie would come through the side door momentarily. His heart glowed at the thought of standing with her and reciting vows, but was he rushing her? He scanned the vestibule. Noah and Jason secured the doors and headed toward the west wing entrance. He closed his eyes and smelled the familiar scents of the sanctuary, as he twisted the simple gold wedding bands, purchased that afternoon, between his fingers.

  “I don’t believe you’ll need those, but they’re very nice.”

  Jared’s eyes shot open and met the stare of a stranger next to him. “Do we know each other?” He reached into his jacket for his revolver.

  “Relax, McNeil, I’m not a threat,” he said and touched Jared’s arm. “It really hurts that you don’t recognize me.”

  An unexpected calm settled over Jared. It was the man’s voice. There was no denying who shared the pew with him.

  “I guess you’re not such a knucklehead after all, though for a while there, I had my doubts. I sure hope she’s aware of how thick you can be.” The man’s voice deepened. “Still having trouble placing me? My mom always told me you can judge a person by his eyes, a direct pathway to his soul.”

  “My God, how is this possible? Jennie is in the back room,” Jared said, rising from the pew.

  “I’m here to see you, McNeil.” Evan Nash shoved Jared’s shoulder, easing him into the pew. “Now, breathe. I don’t have time for you to pass out on me.”

  “She’s your daughter. You wouldn’t believe what seeing you would mean to her.”

  Evan took Jared’s hand and dropped two rings into his palm. “She should have them on her wedding day.” His expression was heartbreaking when he glimpsed the doors. “They are Celtic love knots forged in white gold. They join the interlacing lines at the center into my family crest. For the last seven generations, we have passed the rings down to the firstborn.” Evan lifted the rings. “The unbroken strands of gold symbolize the combining of two souls into everlasting love.”

  Jared’s couldn’t break their connection. The sensation was almost unbearable, as every emotion―love, grief, longing―passed to him.

  “I love her with everything in me, and I promise you she’ll never want for anything.” Jared’s voice broke as his eyes filled.

  “You can do this, McNeil. Your love for her drew me to you.” He faced the altar. “Nothing is more powerful than love, and you two have it in spades.” He closed Jared’s fingers around the rings. “Trust yourself; trust my Aingeal Lómhara and keep her safe. You’ll both get through this.”

  Jared couldn’t utter a sound. He opened his hand, the rings still in his palm. But when he lifted his head, he was alone. Tears streamed down his face as he slowly rose.

  “Jared, what’s wrong?” Jennie stood in front of the pew with a simple bouquet of white roses in her hand.

  Evan Nash was gone.

  “Jared?” Noah and Jason rushed to his side, scanning the sanctuary for a threat.

  Jared pulled Jennie tightly into his arms. He held her for a moment before placing the rings in her palm.

  Her eyes widened. His nod answered her silent question.

  “How? When?”

  “Just now.” Jared’s voice quivered.

  “But why didn’t he come to me?”

  “I tried to get you, but he was here one instant and gone the next.” Jared searched her eyes. “I think we have his blessing.”

  Thomas McNeil pulled a handkerchief out of his coat pocket and passed it to his son.

  Jared eased away from Jennie and faced his parents. “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”

  “My firstborn gets married, and you think I won’t attend?” Thomas answered. “We came in as the crowd was leaving. My mother wouldn’t have recognized me.”

  Until he laid eyes on his parents, he didn’t realize how much it meant to him they were there. He held onto Jennie with one arm, wrapping the other around his mom and then his dad. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “What just happened?” Father Anthony asked.

  Jennie opened her hand. “These rings belonged to my parents. They were buried with them.”

  “How did you get them?” Father Anthony asked.

  “My father just gave them to Jared.”

  “I was sitting here waiting for Jennie. The next instant, Evan Nash was there.” He pointed to the pew. “He placed the rings in my hand, and we shared a few words. I broke eye contact, and he was gone. I bought these this afternoon.”
He showed them the wedding bands in his other hand. No one said a word.

  Father Anthony wiped the moisture from his eyes and cleared his throat. “I guess if I had my doubts about this union, they’re gone now. If everyone will take their places, I have a wedding ceremony to perform.”

  After a short, but emotional, ceremony, they went to the hotel room and changed into their new disguises. The wig, makeup, and clothing aged Jennie at least fifty years. The bodysuit added forty pounds to her slim frame, while the shoes made her four inches taller. Jared’s bodysuit added a hundred pounds to his six-foot-three-inch frame. His white trimmed beard and long white hair made him look like Santa Claus.

  The agents waited in the adjoining room. Jared stood by the door, unsure how to proceed. The last hour changed everything in his relationship with Jennie. She was his, but how far should he take their first night as husband and wife? Officially, he was her protection detail. As he mulled over the dilemma, his cell phone rang.

  “McNeil,” he answered abruptly.

  “So, is it true? You married your lady, and without me, amigo?” Raúl’s deep voice sounded shallow.

  “Hey man, how the hell are you?” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I guess you lived.”

  “The shock of the great Jared McNeil tying the knot knocked me right out of the coma. Mac just told us. You’re on speaker. Say hi to my wife. But I have to warn you, she’s insulted you didn’t wait for us.”

  “How are you, beautiful? Is Mac treating you okay?” Jared gently pulled Jennie down next to him.

  “Tell me it isn’t true? I would finally leave the bum and have my way with you.” Anita’s rich, velvety voice vibrated through the line.

  “He’s tough, Anita. He’ll come through this. Are you taking care of my next godchild?”

  “Everyone is mothering me to death. They act like they have never seen a pregnant woman before. Mac is trying very hard not to wring my neck. He thinks I need to rest more.”

  “My brother is a smart man. Listen to him.”

  “When do I get to meet your Jennie?”

  He ran his hands over the back of Jennie’s hair. “As soon as this is over, we’ll do the whole thing up right. Noah’s paying. By then, Raúl will stand up with me.”

  “He would love that. When you see Mendoza, hurt him for me, Jared, okay?” Her hate came through loud and clear.

  “Yeah, we’ll get him,” Jared said. Jennie had not looked at him once since they walked into the room. “Anything else?” he asked quietly.

  “I just wanted to congratulate you and Jennie. Take care of yourself and make her happy,” Anita whispered and ended the call.

  Jared set the phone on the end table. “He’s not what you think he is, Jennie. Raúl is my friend, and I love his wife and kid.”

  “He will be okay?”

  “After several weeks in the hospital and then rehab, he should make a full recovery.”

  “Good, that’s really good.” She rose, strolled to the window.

  Jared moved behind her, drawing her up against him, resting her head on his chest. “What’s going through that head of yours, Mrs. McNeil?”

  “I keep repeating ‘Mrs. Jared Thomas McNeil’ in my head. It doesn’t feel real.”

  “Jennie?”

  “It’s just going to take a while for it to sink in,” Jennie whispered.

  “Regrets?”

  “Never.”

  He turned her so they faced each other. “You can barely look me in the eye. What’s wrong? Did the call from Raúl and Anita upset you?”

  “No. It has nothing to do with that.” She circled his neck with her right hand, then grasped his left hand with hers, joining their wedding rings. Her look sent shock waves to his heart.

  “I don’t feel him.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Who?”

  “Mendoza. That dark, eerie feeling is gone for the first time in years. Noah’s right. We’re part of each other now, and he can’t touch me.” Jennie cupped Jared’s face. “But I do still feel you,” she said, massaging his temples. “I could always tell when you were upset or frustrated, which seems to be your natural state. But the closer you were to me physically, the stronger I felt your comforting presence.” Jennie swallowed and looked at the carpet, then faced Jared. “Mendoza was there too, even last night. He was outside our door.”

  “Why in the hell didn’t you wake me up?”

  “I thought it was another nightmare. But now, I can’t feel him at all. It’s like you cancel him out.”

  “We cancel him out, Jennie.”

  “And you’re mine, and he will not touch you.” She eyed the king-size bed in the middle of the room. “What do we do now?”

  “I have a couple of ideas, but I shouldn’t.” With each word, Jared left light kisses from her forehead down the side of her face, ending on her lips. “If I were a gentleman, I would wait, not push you into something you may not be ready for,” he said, resting his forehead on hers. His breath labored. “I don’t want to take advantage of you. You’re still recovering.”

  “It’s healing. Your mom gave me something mild for the pain.” She tilted her head. “Jared, you look… you’re not scared, are you?”

  His eyes landed on the bed. “Terrified.”

  “Terrified of me?”

  “Hell, Jennie, I don’t want to hurt you or scare you.”

  “Not touching me would scare the hell out of me.”

  She kissed the open neckline of his shirt, as her hands explored his chest. “The world outside that door is doing everything in its power to keep us apart. But tonight, nothing can prevent us from being everything to each other.” Her eyes found his. “No secrets, no walls.” She whispered as she rained kisses down his jaw to his lips. “I want you. No, it’s so much more than that. I don’t have the words to express how much I need you.”

  Jared stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Are you seducing me, Mrs. McNeil?”

  “I’m doing something wrong.”

  Jared laughed. “Why do you think that?”

  “You’re talking.”

  Without another word, he brought his mouth to hers, gentleness be damned. Passion swelled and exploded. He lifted her off the floor; her legs wrapped around his waist, and they circled the hotel room, their bodies molded to each other. As their erotic dance intensified, every sense awakened, and the world drifted away.

  Leaning her up against the wall, he released her just long enough to unzip her dress, allowing it to drop at her feet. His hands brushed lightly over her shoulder, tenderly caressing the silky skin of her rib cage. A raw, intense need rippled through him. Only this woman could make him want her so much that he lost control.

  Her breath hitched and Jared pulled himself away. “One last chance. Are you sure about this?”

  “Jared McNeil, I swear if you stop now, I will hurt you.”

  He swallowed a chuckle, but he couldn’t hide the laughter in his eyes. His fingertips brushed her cheek, then down her neck to her breasts. His hand eased behind her, and with a simple flick of his fingers, her bra joined the dress. His lips trailed his fingers, exploring the silky texture of her skin, as the scent of chamomile and vanilla enveloped him.

  His hands wanted to roam, touch, caress, and stroke every inch of her body while he kissed her. Passion pulsed through his veins, every cell firing at once. Desire too intense to control churned from deep inside him, and he gasped for air. “We have to slow this down, Jen,” Jared said.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want your first time to be up against a damn wall, when there’s a perfectly good bed two feet away.”

  “A bed is good,” Jennie said, moving the hair off her face. “Is it always like this, Jared?” she asked. She smiled and unbuttoned his shirt.

  “No sweetheart, it’s never been like this.”

  “I’m not sure, but I think this is supposed to be off,” she said, pulling his shirt from the waistband of his pants. Jared held onto her hands to stop her fr
om raising his undershirt.

  “Don’t, Jennie. Leave it on.” He never got used to people seeing him without a shirt, but Jennie’s reaction would be the worst. “It’s not pretty and…”

  Jennie shoved his hands away and raised his shirt. She couldn’t hide the gasp. Long, ragged scars crisscrossed his chest. The wounds had healed, but none of them were as painful as witnessing her silent tears.

  “Please,” Jared said hoarsely. “Don’t bring him back between us, not now.”

  She brought her hands back to his chest, her fingertips lightly touching the rough skin. Leaning in, she ran her lips over each scar, working her way up to his neck and onto his face. “Does that feel better?” she whispered.

  “Yes, it’s what I’ve been waiting for,” he said, lifting her in his arms. “The balm my body craved.” He lowered himself down to the center of the bed, pulling her over him. Then he brought his lips back to hers.

  Jennie had little experience, but the way she stroked his body with hers drove him to distraction. If he didn’t gain back some control, their moment would be very short-lived.

  Placing his hand behind her neck, he rolled her onto her back, positioning her head on the pillows. He deserted her lips and worked his way toward the tender area right under her left ear. “I want to make this good for you.” His lips then brushed the skin just below the gauze. “How’s the neck? Any pain?”

  “What pain?” she gasped, never breaking eye contact.

  Jared couldn’t repress the chuckle as his mouth moved over her shoulder down to the soft, velvety skin of her right breast.

  “God, don’t stop,” she whispered, as she squirmed under him and laced her fingers through his hair.

  His body fought him for a release, but he had to touch and taste her, until there wasn’t an inch he didn’t know. Jennie didn’t have a clue of the power she held over him. But he had to slow the pace. She deserved time to get used to him, and to ache for him as much as he ached to make her completely his.

  With his lips on the tip of her nipple, he broke eye contact, took in her intoxicating scent, and circled his tongue over her hard peak. Jennie moaned, and her fingers clinched his hair, pressing him into her. Jared’s mouth surrounded the nipple, gently sucking it between his lips.