Hers to Love

by Talia Ellison

“Great.” I looped my arm through his. “Let’s go.”

  As we stepped inside the tent, the music started and everyone looked at us. I didn’t recognize most of the faces, but they were probably all here to protect us.

  Some were trying hard not to point and laugh at my clearly visible holster. The tent was open on the sides so Yvette could see us if she approached but without having to come in, and the guards in that area were scarce because they were hidden up in the trees so they could catch her if she showed up.

  Jason and I made our way across the red carpet toward Aaron and Marco, who was playing the part of Aaron’s best man. My maid of honor was one of the rare female guards.

  Aaron smiled as Jason let go of me and I stopped next to him. The fake minister really got into his role and was reciting something about love from his book. We didn’t want the wedding to end too soon, so we had to prolong it as much as possible, or at least until Aaron’s mother showed up.

  “What if she made a deal with the Norwoods?” I whispered into Aaron’s ear. “We think they let her go, but what if they didn’t? What if the only reason they refused to allow us into their territory and denied interest in her was because she promised them something? I know they don’t go back on their word, but they merely stated they weren’t interested, which doesn’t mean they didn’t come to an agreement with her.”

  “What could they possibly want from her?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe to use her as an excuse to get into our territory?”

  A frown line creased Aaron’s brow. “I told you they’re not interested in this area. And even if they come, our men will see them.”

  “You brought a gun to your wedding.” Marco almost choked on laughter.

  “Don’t look at me. Look at our surroundings,” I said. “Yvette could be here somewhere.”

  “It doesn’t look like she is or she would’ve already been here. She wouldn’t have missed the ceremony, would she?” Marco said.

  “If she’s even here, she might be waiting for the ceremony to end,” Aaron said.

  “You think she’s afraid to interrupt our wedding?” I asked.

  “Or she’s already seen me and mistaken me for my father.” Aaron’s lips tightened. “We can’t watch every roof and corner.”

  “We can wait a bit longer. She might be looking for an opportunity to slip past the guards. She doesn’t want to be seen.” At least I didn’t think she’d want that. If she thought Roberto was still out there somewhere, then she was afraid he’d catch her. But I hoped she hadn’t had a moment where she thought that she still wasn’t allowed to come anywhere near Aaron because Roberto would kill them both if she did.

  I didn’t know how much time had passed, but a few people, including my brothers, were already glancing at their watches.

  “Maybe she’s waiting for the big question,” Marco whispered.

  “Do you want to proceed with this?” Aaron asked me. “I don’t think she’s coming. We can just go home and let our men search the park and the rest of the city.”

  “No, I don’t want to leave just yet. Let’s finish this thing.”

  The minister looked at me. “Octavia, do you take Aaron to be your wedded husband?”

  I looked deep into Aaron’s blue eyes. “I do.”

  “Aaron, do you take Octavia to be your wedded wife?”

  “I do,” Aaron said.

  “I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss.”

  I stepped forward, placing my hand on Aaron’s cheek, and pulled him in for a quick, gentle kiss. Anything longer, and I didn’t think we’d be able to defend ourselves in case we were attacked. Murmurs erupted in the crowd, and people clapped.

  “Let’s take a walk in the park,” I said. “Your mother might be nearby but too afraid to approach.”

  “Okay, but I don’t know how safe that is. In here, we’re perfectly protected, but out there... we can’t take guards with us. They would spook her.”

  “Marco can come with us, and we have our guns. We won’t go too far, and I’ll try to hide my holster as much as possible. There are guards at every step. It’ll be fine.” It would be a shame to just go home and waste a perfect opportunity to find Yvette if she was actually somewhere around here.

  “What if the guards are the ones stopping her from coming closer?” Marco asked. “If we tell them all to clear out, maybe she would show.”

  “It’s too risky,” Aaron said.

  “I think we should try. Does anyone have any body heat detectors? We could tell the guards to clear out and check if anyone’s hiding out there.”

  “There are too many trees and things in the way,” Marco said. “It probably wouldn’t work, and there are other people passing though not far from here. We didn’t want to close down the whole park because then she wouldn’t be able to come either.”

  “Never mind that, then. Just clear out the guards, and we’ll take a short walk,” I said.

  Marco looked at Aaron for confirmation, and Aaron nodded. “As you wish. Let’s hope there aren’t any hitmen lurking around who our guards weren’t able to identify. If they came from another city...”

  “Just tell them to pull back. We’ll be going out in two minutes.” I took hold of Aaron’s hand. My brothers were already talking on their phones. Was Yvette even here? I supposed we’d find out soon.

  Chapter 25

  “She’s not coming,” Aaron said as we circled through the park for the second time. “Maybe we tried to predict her actions the wrong way.”

  “At least we tried,” I said, and glanced over my shoulder at Marco, who was trailing behind us and looking at every corner. “Or maybe she can tell something’s up. We probably wouldn’t be walking around the park this long if we’d really just gotten married. Well, maybe a little, to take photos or something.”

  “We can pretend you’re taking photos,” Marco said. “I mean, it can’t hurt, right? If she’s here somewhere, she might assume you were looking for the perfect spot and it took some time for you to find it. Look at that tree over there.” He pointed at one of the trees with a big trunk. “Doesn’t its crown resemble a heart a little?”

  I peered at the tree. “Um, no?”

  Aaron shook his head.

  “Wait, you guys don’t see it?” Marco gaped at us, stopping right in front of the tree. “Look closely.” He moved his fingers in the air. “It’s a heart.”

  “It’s more like boobs,” I said. Aaron choked on a laugh.

  Marco shook his head at me. “Unbelievable.”

  “Get your phone and take a photo of us,” Aaron said. “We can manipulate the photo later to add a heart just for you.”

  “Fine.” Marco got his phone out, and Aaron and I stopped right under the tree. As I smiled as widely as possible, a movement caught my attention. Squinting my eyes to block out the sun, I observed someone moving behind a tall bush. A glimpse of black hair made me tense.

  “Octavia,” Marco said. “You don’t look like a happy bride.”

  “She’s here,” I said, breaking into a run toward the bush. It took Marco and Aaron a moment to realize what was going on, but soon I heard their footsteps on the gravel path right behind me. When I reached the bush, the woman was already racing across the park toward one of the streets.

  “Yvette!” I yelled. “Please stop! We don’t mean you harm. Your son wants to see you!”

  She didn’t even slow down. Shit. Marco was talking on his phone to someone, probably alerting the guards that we were chasing after Yvette. If they could get in her way, then we could corner her.

  My dress caught on one of the bushes and I tugged hard at it, ripping the fabric, but I didn’t care. With my legs freed, it was a bit easier to run. The only problem was that my holster was fully visible.

  Yvette burst out onto the street and I gasped, but the oncoming car managed to swerve and didn’t hit her. Making sure it was safe to cross the street, I followed Yvette, who was running straight for one of the huge store
s. She got inside before I could reach her, and I mumbled a curse under my breath. The store had three floors. She could be anywhere.

  “Did we lose her?” Marco asked, panting hard, as he and Aaron stopped next to me in front of the door.

  “She went inside,” I said.

  “Great,” Marco said. “Then we can get her, right?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “We need guards ready in front of every exit. This building has an exit on the other side.”

  “Go!” Aaron ordered, and Marco ran off. “I’ll wait here until our guards can come. You go inside and see if she’s still in there. If she already got out on the other side...”

  “It’s not that easy to find the other exit. The layout of the store is a bit warped. Are you sure you don’t want to go inside?”

  “No. She might be afraid of me. It’s better if you’re the one to find her. I’ll stay here and call Lora.”

  I nodded and headed through the door. A few people glanced my way and at my ripped dress, their eyes filling with panic when they spotted my holster.

  “Did you see a dark-haired woman run through here?” I asked a saleswoman who wasn’t cowering like the others.

  “She went upstairs,” the woman said, and I nodded. She lifted the sleeve of her shirt a little, exposing a tattoo. I didn’t have enough time to check it closely, but I had a feeling she was the significant other of one of our guards. Sometimes they used tattoo markings to show their loyalty to our family and to make sure everyone knew they were under our protection.

  I ran upstairs, unwilling to use the slow escalator. As I emerged into the women’s clothes department, I wondered if Yvette would get something here to disguise herself. Maybe that was her plan. I headed straight for the changing rooms and waited a few moments. Two women who came out weren’t Yvette, but two changing rooms remained occupied. The door of one opened a few moments later, and a woman with a big black hat came out, her hair lifted up and tucked under the hat.

  “Yvette,” I said, and she flinched, her blue eyes flying to mine. Before she could break into a run, I blocked her path. “I just want to talk. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  She brought her knee up, aiming for my stomach, but I evaded it in time and grabbed her wrist.

  “Yvette, please. I don’t want to fight you. You’re safe. Your sister Lora and your son are here and want to see you.”

  Her brow furrowed, and her fist caught me in the chin, making me yelp. God, Aaron was right. She could throw one hell of a punch for such a thin, frail-looking woman. Ignoring the pain, I shoved her toward one of the open changing rooms. She stumbled back, tripping over a small chair that was inside.

  “Please,” I said as she scrambled back, her hat falling to the floor, fear evident in her eyes, and I lifted my hands up. “I’m Octavia Ferrara. Your son and I...”

  “Ferrara?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Yes.” I had no idea if that was the right thing to say, but I hoped like hell that it was.

  Her eyes fell on the gun strapped to my leg.

  “I’m going to toss this away, okay? I don’t want to use it.” I reached for my gun, but Yvette shook her head. She murmured something I couldn’t hear or understand.

  “You’ll need it,” she finally said, getting to her feet. “Roberto’s out there. The Ferraras and Viteris are enemies. He’s coming for me. You should leave. He’ll get you too.” Her eyes churned with terror.

  “Roberto’s dead. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

  “No, no, no.” She looked around as if she wasn’t sure where to go. “He’s not dead. He’s here. Waiting for me. Always waiting for me.”

  “No, he’s not here. I killed him, okay? He’s not coming back.” I had no idea what to say to get through to her. “You came here looking for your son, didn’t you?”

  “My son?” She blinked. “Yes, my son. He took him away from me. My son. I can’t have my son.” She jumped at me, grabbing me by the arms. “Where’s my son?”

  “He’s downstairs. He’s waiting for you.”

  She let go of me. “You’re lying. My son doesn’t know about me. He doesn’t know I’m his mother.”

  “Yes, he does. Lora told him.”

  Yvette gasped. “She shouldn’t have! Roberto’s going to kill him!”

  Repeating that Roberto was dead probably wouldn’t do a thing to make her believe it. “You were with the Ferlantes. Do you remember that? They said they could get your son to you because Roberto was dead, didn’t they?”

  She was quiet for a moment, and I could see the strain on her face as she tried to piece the puzzle in her mind. “Yes, I went to get my son,” she finally said. “Roberto’s dead.”

  “Yes.” I offered her a small smile. “Yes, he is. Now come with me. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

  Yvette shook her head. “I can’t. My son’s wedding... I need to go to my son’s wedding.”

  “Okay. I can take you there. I know where that is.” I outstretched my hand to her.

  “I’ll find my way there.” She crossed her arms, glaring at me. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone’s protection.”

  “I know, but I’d like to accompany you. I won’t bother you. I promise.”

  “Get out of my way,” she said, pushing past me. Before I could grab her arm, I realized she was frozen on the spot.

  “Sister?” Lora said softly, a smile coating her lips. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “What are you doing here again?” Yvette asked. “You abandoned me.”

  Confusion flashed through Lora’s eyes, but then she must have realized Yvette had probably had one of her hallucinations and thought she’d been seeing the real Lora. “I’m sorry. I had urgent business to do. Your son’s life was in danger.”

  “What happened to my baby boy?” Yvette cried out, rushing toward her sister. “What happened? Tell me!”

  “He’s fine.” Lora pulled her sister into a tight embrace. “Everything’s going to be okay. But you should come with me now.”

  “Why?” Yvette pulled away.

  “I’m your sister. I love you and I’d never hurt you. You know that, right?” Lora reached out to caress her cheek. “We can look for your son together.”

  The tension seeped out of Yvette’s shoulders. “Yes. I love you too.”

  Lora gave me a grateful look over Yvette’s shoulder, then gently took her sister’s hand and led her out of there. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I gingerly brought my hand to my jaw. I’d have one hell of a bruise soon. I waited there for a while so Yvette wouldn’t get upset by my presence if she spotted me again.

  When I emerged from the shop, Aaron was waiting for me, and he pulled me into a big hug. As his lips found mine, I winced, and he pulled back.

  “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He studied my mouth, tracing a finger gently over my lips.

  “Your mother punched me, but I’ll be fine.” I looked around, but aside from a few of our guards who were trying to mingle and hide in the crowd on the street, I didn’t see Lora or anyone else. “Where is she?”

  “Lora took her home. It’s better for her not to see me until she’s back on her meds.” Aaron shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

  “Oh, okay.”

  “We should get out of here,” he said. “We’re drawing too much attention.”

  “Right. Let’s go.” I slipped my hand into Aaron’s. As we were walking down the street, a black SUV stopped next to us, and when the door opened, Marco waved for us to get in. We climbed in the back seat, and I let Aaron wrap his arms around me and pull me against his chest.

  “Our plan was a success after all,” I said. “Who would’ve thought?”

  “Yeah, we got lucky,” Aaron said.

  “Your brothers went home. I told them everything was fine,” Marco said, glancing at me over his shoulder.

  “Good.” I didn’t think I had the strength right now to call my fa
mily anyway.

  “Where do you want to go? Our place?” Aaron asked

  “I don’t know. Can we go to a fake honeymoon too?” I looked up at him, batting my eyelashes.

  A smile popped up on his lips. “Sure, but not now.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s go home.”

  Chapter 26

  Lora had taken her sister back to their hometown, and a couple of weeks had passed before she invited Aaron and me to come over. As we were standing in the hallway in front of Yvette’s room in the Hulseys’ home, Aaron chewed on his lower lip.

  “Hey, stop that,” I said, placing my finger over his mouth. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t do this. What if I make things worse? She’s just gotten better and if she suffers another setback because of me...”

  “The doctors said the meds are working and that it’s okay for you to visit. Besides, she wants to see you.”

  “I know, but what if they’re wrong? What if she only sees my father in me?” There was a pained look in his eyes.

  “You won’t know until you go inside, and I’ll be right here with you. If she has a bad reaction, we’ll leave. Lora and the doctors are downstairs.”

  Aaron nodded, swallowing hard, and his fingers closed around my hand in a tight grip. “Let’s do this. If she starts screaming or throwing things at me, I’ll go get the doctors and you stay in there with her to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself.”

  “Sure.” I really didn’t think any of that would be necessary, but I could understand Aaron’s worry. The last time his mother had seen him things hadn’t gone so well.

  Aaron hesitated before knocking on the door, but then he seemed to steel himself and rapped his knuckles against the door twice in quick succession. I was sure facing a whole gang of criminals and going to war would be easier for him right now than this.

  “Come in,” Yvette said, and Aaron pushed the door open, poking his head through the crack.

  “Hi,” Aaron said shyly, and he and I walked into a spacious room decorated in cream tones. Yvette was sitting on the bed, her hands resting on her lap. Her hair was fanned around her shoulders, and her lips had been painted with a pale pink lipstick.