He wasn’t supposed to be standing there. His turn to walk had been scheduled toward the end, but he’d wanted to make sure he was there first. He wanted to see Bailey alight the vehicle and take her arm. He wanted her to know that he’d be there waiting.
If she turned up.
He checked his watch for the fifth time. It looked like a Rolex, but the face was digital. No one knew it was a direct line to the rest of his family, and to AIMI. He tapped it to activate the smart screen and flicked through the apps until he found the message confirming the car he’d sent to Bailey’s had arrived. If she’d accepted it, she should be here by now. Glancing down the red carpet, he didn’t fancy a trip there on his own. The entertainment media were brutal sharks taking a bite out of every star and starlet. Already, he’d seen some B-grade actors get shunned and dropped mid-question when another bigger celebrity arrived. There were sports stars, reality TV stars, and more.
Tony had plenty of opportunity to leave the secure roped off holding bay he was in, but he’d wanted his last red-walk to be with someone he loved.
A smile danced on his face as he thought about Bailey. Yes, he loved her. He should have admitted it from the start, and then maybe he’d not have been so blinded by his jealousy and paranoia. If—when—she turned up, he’d know she felt the same way too. Everything else was just noise. They’d work things out.
Shifting from foot to foot, he straightened when a stretch limo pulled up at the curb. The driver got out and opened the back door. Holding his breath, he watched, waiting for that first long leg to poke out of the car.
It was a male brown boot, followed by navy trousers covering thick thighs... definitely not female. Not Bailey. He almost looked away, but when the rest of the body came out, his lips curved. Parker. The man had his locks tied back in a shiny man bun. His brown facial hair was trimmed to perfection. He looked a million dollars.
Tony walked over and shook his hand. “Wasn’t sure if you’d come.”
Parker shot him an amused look. “You’re the valet now?”
“Wow,” Evan said, coming up behind him and dressed in some kind of artfully ripped denim jeans and slick jacket. “I mean, we knew you were quitting, but didn’t think work prospects were so bad.”
“Asshole.” Tony grinned and clapped the man on his back.
Evan sheltered his eyes and peered down the red carpet. “This is going to be epic. I can feel it.”
And when Evan had feelings, they usually came true.
Then Griffin was there, looking dapper in a tux, his hair parted and slicked back, his spectacles high on his distinguished nose. His eyes danced with humor and he nodded at Tony.
“How many of you are here?” Tony frowned, craning to get a look in the limo.
“All of us.” Parker squeezed Tony’s shoulder.
Evan assisted Grace out of the car, and then Griffin leaned down and helped Lilo out. The two women looked marvelous in black formal gowns.
Tony inflated with warmth as the rest of his family got out of the limo and congregated on the sidewalk. He moved to Lilo and Grace and kissed each on the cheek.
“Thank you for coming, ladies.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Grace gave him a gentle smile and pat on the arm.
“Oh my God. This is incredible.” Lilo’s eyes flared wide, and she pulled her cell phone out. “Is it poor taste if I ask for a selfie now? The Cardinal Copy want some inside shots for the entertainment pages, and it’s just that you’ll be so busy soon, I want to get in first. And Oh-Em-Gee, I’m babbling. Cindy is so jealous. We’ll see her on the carpet.”
“Breathe, Lilo.” Tony grinned.
She inhaled as though it scared her, then exhaled slowly, nodding. “I’m good. I’m good.”
He laughed and took a few gratuitous red carpet selfie shots with her.
When she was done, Lilo hugged him, and squealed. “I’m so excited.”
Griffin’s lip twitched with humor, and then he took his wife’s hand to lead her to the start of the carpet.
“Congratulations,” Wyatt said gruffly as he came up with Misha. He had a black suit on with a black dress shirt, no tie. The pretty blond was stunning in a classy red dress that showed off her pregnant belly. Tony was surprised Wyatt hadn’t wrapped her in cotton wool.
Misha shot her man a look and said, “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” To Tony, she winked. “You look mighty handsome Mr. Man of the Hour.”
“And you’re simply ravishing.” Tony took her hand and kissed the back of it, enjoying the daggers his brother sent his way.
And then they were gone, Wyatt with a possessive arm around Misha’s shoulders, tucking her body into his side. Sloan, Max and Liza walked up and Tony almost didn’t recognize them. Liza wore a flesh toned gown covered in beadwork. He blinked. She wore makeup.
“Mention my dress and you’re dead.” Liza hugged herself and looked over her shoulder nervously. “Mention my face and you’re deader.”
Tony took her hands and unfolded them so he could see her better. He whistled. “Wow, sis. You got game. Who knew all of this was under that shoddy detective’s outfit. Am I right, Max?”
Max went red. “No comment.”
“Good answer,” Sloan said with a smirk. Her pink satin gown matched the bow on Max’s tuxedo perfectly. She lifted her chin at Tony. “Good work, bras. Looking forward to the movie.”
The last to greet him was his parents. Mary had on a classic deep red gown with lace flowers over her arms. Flint had scrubbed up well in his black suit.
“Mi amor,” she said and cupped his face. She kissed him on either side and then pulled back, eyes watering. “It makes me so happy to see this part of your life doing so well, and it pains me that it can’t always be this way.”
“It’s okay, mama.” He smiled solemnly. “It won’t be like this forever. I’ll get back to it soon.”
Mary studied his face. “Are you okay?”
He winced. Was he? “I’m fine. I’ll get over it.”
“I’m not talking about the acting.”
Oh. Tony’s mother could see right through his act. She always could. “I don’t know. Sometimes I just don’t know. What if she doesn’t…” He inhaled deeply. His eyes turned downcast. “I mean, I couldn’t even keep my job. I left Daisy in the sewer.” How could he expect Bailey to…
“Stop it.” Mary took his hand and squeezed. “No one is perfect. Believe me, I know. Daisy will be fine. All we can do is our best, and when we mess up, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again. Family forgives. Family gives second chances. Family shows up. This is the kind of person you are. Bailey knows that.”
He nodded.
She gave him a teary smile, and then Flint took her hand. He gave Tony a quick clap on the back and took her away.
And then Tony was on his own again. He checked his watch. Nerves flooded back, giving his limbs jitters. He tugged at his bow tie. Jesus.
Had he done enough to convince Bailey to come? Should he have picked her up, or called her? Maybe a dozen red roses... but that’s not what she liked. Maybe... Christ. He should have just gone to talk to her. This was so stupid. She wasn’t coming.
Seeing Tony’s nerves, Parker hung back briefly.
“Wayne Bosch’s wife hasn’t turned up,” he said quietly.
“Is that good or bad?”
Parker shrugged. “It was a long shot seeing if she had any info, anyway.”
Tony nodded, only half listening because another limo pulled up, and when his watch pinged with a message from AIMI, alerting him that this was his car, his heart stopped. A text message popped up on the screen.
“Go get ‘em, tiger.”
AIMI’s message amused him. Sloan must have programmed some more humor into the AI, or maybe she was learning from them all.
“Excuse me,” Tony murmured to Parker, and then went to the limo. He waved the driver away and opened the back door himself.
Ignoring the mi
llions of flashes behind him, Tony only had eyes for the beautiful woman peeking up at him through extraordinary long lashes. His heart stopped, his mouth went dry. Slicked back and to the side in a low bun, a turquoise flower secured Bailey’s hair. She had some sort of shimmer over the naked skin her dress didn’t cover. Instead of holding his hand out, he told the driver to give him a few minutes, and got into the limo, shutting the door behind him.
Scooting to kneel before her, he put his hands on her knees. The dress felt amazing under his palms. Her legs were... that slit showing smooth skin up to her thigh. Focus, Tony,
“You look so beautiful,” he said. “Bailey, I’ve been an asshole. That woman kissed me. She was the stalker, but I had to take her away from you when I let her down. I didn’t want her taking it out on you. And... I’m a jealous dickhead. I saw you get in a car with this man, and when he kissed you, I—”
“He’s CIA,” she blurted. “We used to date, but we haven’t for a long time.”
He stilled. Wow. He’d thought, maybe, but did he really think she was still working for them? No.
She covered his hands with hers. A worry line pinched her brows. “He wanted me to spy on your family. He tried to use his familiar connection to sway me, but I told him I’m with you. I wanted to tell you that night, but you were in a strange mood, and then one night became two and I just thought, I didn’t need to burden you with it. I can see how it must have seemed to you, and I’m sorry.”
For a few breaths, his mind went blank. “What did you tell him?”
“I said I would see what I could do and made a dummy dossier with nothing special in it. But I haven’t given it to him.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “Even though there was nothing in there, it didn’t seem right. My loyalty is to you.”
“Why are they interested in us? Do they know we’re the Deadly Seven?”
She shook her head. “They think you’ve got ties with an international terrorist.”
“The Syndicate?”
“That’s what I thought at the start, but then if they knew about that, they’d know you were the Seven. No, it has to be something else. Maybe I can turn the tables and milk them for information.”
A slow, wicked grin formed on Tony’s lips. His woman. Turning the tables. For him and his family.
He nudged her knees apart and slotted himself between.
“Tony?” She whispered, licking her lips.
Their gazes clashed, and he blurted. “I love you, Bailey Haze.”
Joy splashed across her face. He went in for a kiss, but she stopped him with a finger to the lips. “You’ll ruin my lipstick.”
“Well, then,” he growled, eyes scanning her luscious body. “I’ll just have to kiss you somewhere else. But first—” He shook his head to clear his derailing thoughts and reached into his pocket, pulling out a little velvet box. “I have to do this right.”
He cleared his throat. With two trembling hands, he held the box between them and opened it. A single diamond ring sat in the middle, glistening as bright as her eyes.
“I know I may not deserve this, and I should have tried harder, but I promise to do better. You’re everything that makes me whole. Bailey Haze, will you marry me?”
She choked up. Her palm fluttered to her throat and her eyes glimmered, threatening to spill tears. Then she shut down. Her expression completely closed.
A coldness seeped through him. “Bailey?”
She inhaled and exhaled. “First, you need to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“Never again will you keep your worries to yourself. If you have doubts, I want in. I want all of you, Tony Lazarus. Even the parts you’re not proud of. Do you understand?”
He blinked. He wasn’t crying. Nope. That was something in his eye. He nodded. “I get it.”
She grinned and moved to take the ring box, but he snapped it shut and pulled it away, much to her surprise.
“And I want you to promise me something too.”
She bit her lip, eyeing him suspiciously. “Okay. What is it?”
“The same thing. Don’t think you’re on your own. You’re part of this family. Whether we get married or not. I want no secrets between us. We talk about everything.”
A slow smile lifted her lips, and she slid her hands up his shoulders to cup his face. Her lids lowered, and she cocked her head to the side. “I know what you did for the sobriety house. Those kids are lucky to have you there.”
He stiffened. “You weren’t meant to find out. Not yet, anyway.”
“I know. That’s what I love about you, Tony. You didn’t do it because you expected something in return. You didn’t do it for the attention. And for the record, that is why I came tonight. Not because you bought me a pretty dress, but because I want to be with the man who put those kids first, even when we weren’t getting along. Even when—” she choked up. Pain flashed across her face. Her brows slid together and her eyes glistened. “You bastard. You did it again. You’re making me cry.”
He grinned, giving her the full force of his smile. “I want to kiss you.”
“You have to wait, dammit.” She tugged the napkin from around the champagne bucket and dabbed her eyes. “Let me finish.” She took another deep breath. “I was wrong. You’re not the man I thought you were when I first met you. You’re so different. And I love you.”
He leaned in, touched his lips to hers, and hovered. “So... is that a yes?”
She laughed and nodded, then took his face between her hands. This time, she made no hesitations and pressed her lips to his. “You’re the best decision I’ve made.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She quickly glanced down at the ring box. He opened it again and gingerly took out the ring.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered.
He slipped it on her ring-finger, trying to ignore the way his lungs seized up as it went on. When he looked up, she wasn’t looking at the ring, but at him. If he had any doubts, they were gone in that moment. Not the pretty. Him.
“You ready for this?” he asked.
Still with her eyes on him, she nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he opened the door, and climbed out first. His family had all loitered at the start of the red carpet, causing a bottleneck congestion with the new stars arriving. Maggie O pouted and stroked the fluffy fur around her neck. She glared at Tony, but he didn’t care.
He threw up his hands and shouted. “She said yes!”
Cheers went up from his family and the fans. Every camera in the place swiveled his way, and when he turned to help Bailey out of the car, he planted a big soppy kiss on her cheek, murmuring. “May as well go out with a bang.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t expect any less.”
Linking arms, they walked up to the carpet, smiling into each other’s eyes. Evan was right, this night was going to be epic.
Thirty-Three
Bailey floated on air the entire red carpet walk into the zoo. Tony lapped up the attention and took every opportunity to show her off. His hand never left her waist. And every time someone made any prying questions about their relationship, he calmly announced their engagement, and then changed the conversation topic to his impending retirement, news which had everyone gasping and rapid-firing questions.
By the time they’d made it through the gauntlet, the zoo was behind them, not in the front with the animals, and Tony was positively beaming with mischief.
“Let my agent deal with that,” he smirked as they came up to the brick wall of the ticket office.
“What do you mean?” she asked, frowning.
“It means, my love, that I dumped him. Not the other way around. Tony Lazarus always gets the last word.”
“And exactly how did you find out he was going to drop you?”
“The stalker told me.” He raised his brows at her. “Can you believe it?”
Oh. Her. Bailey’s insides clenched. “What happened to her?”
“I told her not to bother us again, or I’d give her details to the police and her career would be over. I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble.”
“Good. I hope she has a long hard think about what she’s been doing.”
“All right. Enough of her interrupting our lives.” Tony gestured toward the crowd standing before enormous trees lit by atmospheric spotlights. Waiters with trays wandered about, handing out jungle themed cocktails. Pathways to the right and left were shrouded in darkness and had signs to stop any wayward people heading into the unsafe areas of the zoo. A stern-faced security guard stood at each entrance making sure the blockade was respected. That left only one path heading into the trees. A queue was forming, and security ushered people through.
“I think the screen is set up in there,” Tony said.
The spotlights flickered on and off, signaling time for everyone to take their seats. A female publicist walked around, calmly but sternly ordering people into the makeshift cinema.
Unable to hide the smile on her face, Bailey followed her fiancé between the arched trees and into the jungle, their hands never breaking hold. Inside was a grassed clearing, surrounded on all sides by thick jungle growth and taller trees. Above them, the night sky twinkled. Lines of white chairs filled the area, and an enormous white screen loomed at the front. The only light came from the two enormous industrial spotlights shining down on the gathering beside the screen.
Wonder filled Bailey as she gazed around. The sounds of the zoo almost made her feel like she was actually in the middle of a jungle. The studio’s event team really outdid themselves. Absolutely amazing set up.
“You’re at the front, Tony,” said the publicist with a brief smile. She gestured and walked, ushering them down quickly. “The rest of the cast and staff are there too. Family and friends to the back.”
Bailey glanced down at their joined hands, her ring glittering in the low light. It might take a while for her to get used to this partnership, but she was all in now. No turning back.
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