by Shayla Black
“You really loved Mad all these years?”
Sara sighed happily. “I did and I was too afraid to even give him a try. Zack is doing his best to give you himself now. He simply needs time to open up and learn how. Just because he’s got a genius-level IQ doesn’t mean he’s smart about everything.”
Holland strode in, the wireless speaker in her hands. “We’re ready.”
Gabe stepped back into the room, followed by the rest of her lovely bridesmaids, the women who had made this beautiful wedding a reality.
She couldn’t ask for better friends.
Dax’s wife hit the button, and Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” started playing through the residence. Her brother held out his arm. “Ready?”
“I’m still not sure how all this is going to work,” Sara muttered. “We didn’t exactly have a rehearsal, and you’re also Mad’s best man.”
“I’m your brother first,” Gabe said. “And I’m so proud of you. We got this. Now let’s get you married so we can tie the knot on this family circle.”
Sara nodded and took a deep breath, then walked toward her future.
* * * *
Mad stared at his wife across the crowded room, a deep sense of satisfaction coursing through his veins. Sara was finally his. She’d said I do and everything. Oh, she’d refused to take the lie detector test Freddy had suggested would make a great addition to their wedding vows, but other than that, the whole thing had gone off without a hitch.
They’d stood on the Truman Balcony, illuminated by twinkle lights Liz and Lara had spent hours setting up, and promised to love, honor, and cherish each other until death parted them. Screw that. He would love her long after death.
Now Sara Crawford stood in her gorgeous dress, looking like a sexy, beautiful angel he was going to make glorious, filthy love to very soon.
She glanced his way with a secretive smile that let him know he was on her mind, too.
Roman approached, clapping a hand on his shoulder and breaking into his X-rated thoughts. “How are you doing, married man?”
Dax strolled up, too, a beer in his hand. “Who would have guessed Maddox Crawford would take the plunge?”
He glanced toward the balcony where Zack lingered, his back to the room. “Oddly enough, Zack did. I think he was the only one who saw how crazy I was about Sara.”
“Oh, we saw it,” Roman allowed. “Everyone except Gabe, who didn’t want to.”
“I know from experience that it’s weird when it’s your sister.” Dax frowned at them both.
The guy ought to know since he was well aware they’d both slept with Gus. Though in Mad’s case it had first been about youthful lust. Comfort had followed a few years later. Since then, Gus had been his emotional sounding board and a very good friend.
“I don’t know.” Mad shrugged. “I don’t mind that Gabe married my sister. They’re happy.”
“But you don’t remember Everly as a child.” Dax looked over to the women, now drinking wine and surrounding the small cake they’d brought in. Sara held her bottle of water and glowed with happiness.
Dax’s expression softened as he looked at Gus. “You didn’t grow up in your sister’s shadow. She was my hero when I was a kid. I kind of thought of her as pure.”
Mad nearly spit out the beer he’d just taken a sip of.
Roman laughed.
Dax rolled his eyes. “Okay, I thought that when I was ten. I also thought my mom and dad shared a bedroom to save money.”
Roman chuckled, but his humor faded as he caught sight of Zack by himself. Mad watched as Roman turned, scanning the room for someone. When his gaze landed on Liz, standing in the back and slightly away from the other women, Mad knew there was trouble.
“Is he okay?” Mad nodded toward the balcony. “I noticed he and Liz didn’t seem terrifically cozy tonight. She doesn’t look much happier than he does.”
Dax and Roman shared a look.
Clearly, they knew something he didn’t, and they hadn’t planned on telling him. Thank goodness he grasped Perfect Gentlemen-style stares and facial ticks. This language all their own was something they’d perfected during long decades of friendship. It was all about watching for the little tells.
He and Gabe had used it often when deciding if one of the other guys had imbibed enough booze to need saving from starring in his own personal re-enactment of The Hangover. Often Dax and Connor used it when deciding whether or not someone was a threat. For Roman and Zack, it had always been about politics, at least until tonight.
Dax’s eyes narrowed slightly. Well, he’s freaking Mad. I know he’s been dead and all, but he’s still our brother. Should he be in on this?
Roman’s eyes rolled back a bit, but not in full-on annoyance. He doesn’t need to know everything because I’m the douchebag godfather of this group and I like keeping a million and one secrets.
Okay, that might be a loose translation.
Dax responded with a slight huff. He might be able to help.
Roman studied Mad, then followed with a shake of his head. Are you forgetting? He’s Mad. If I need help finding cocaine in a church on Sunday during a sermon on the sins of decadence, I’ll call Mad. Otherwise...
Dax’s eyes narrowed. You caused this problem.
Mad joined the silent conversation with a nod. Roman could be an absolute bastard, and his dickishness often rubbed off on Zack. Always had.
Still, the whole thing made him frown. Dax and Roman had disagreed before, sure. The question was, what were they disagreeing about now? It obviously had to do with Liz.
“Zack’s got a lot on his mind,” Roman finally said in a lame attempt to dismiss the topic.
But Zack wasn’t the only one who looked tense. Liz also seemed on edge.
Given what they were going through, the stress didn’t surprise Mad. What did, though, was that they weren’t tense together anymore. They weren’t staying close to give or receive support. The distance between them now told Mad they were no longer boinking like crazy as a way to relieve the tension and reaffirm their bond. No, Zack was physically putting distance between them, and he had all night long.
Fuck.
He leaned in so only Roman and Dax could hear. “You honestly believe Liz is some kind of Russian errand girl and you’re pushing your suspicion off on Zack, who just wants to enjoy sex for the first time in years. He should be relaxed, man. His balls have been beyond full for, like, a decade. And now, he’s got a woman he adores who probably cured those oh-so-blue balls. That’s gotta be good for him. I know because I went without for a couple of months and I thought I was going to explode. Why can’t you let him have a win?”
Roman’s eyes rolled fully now. “Because I’m the bad guy, Mad. I’m the asshole coming between perfect angel Zack and his chosen goddess of love, who also might be trying to set him up for treason. I know you can follow your gut, which, by the way, told you to fake your own death and live with Crazy Freddy and use outdoor toilets for months, but I have to look at the evidence and reach a logical conclusion. The rest of you get to be crazy. Zack and I don’t.”
Mad figured he was maturing because some of what Roman said actually made sense. Roman and Zack had always been the steadying influences of the group while he and Gabe had been the young, crazy, rich morons who had followed their wildest impulses because they knew Roman and Zack would be there if their shenanigans all went to hell.
But that had been when their biggest worry was getting kicked out of school. Now the fate of the free world lay on their shoulders. “I get that, and you’re not an asshole. Well, you’re not always an asshole and probably not about this, but I’ve been working on this very case for longer than you, and I think the Russians know exactly what they’re doing.”
“You think they’re manipulating Liz, but she’s unaware of it?” Roman asked. “That’s crossed my mind, but you can’t deny she’s a smart woman. I struggle with the idea she’s got no idea her strings are being pulled like a puppet’s.”<
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“She’s a smart woman, yeah…who’s crazy in love with a man.” Mad knew a little about being so in love he couldn’t see straight. “I know what you think and I can guess why you think it, but if you cost him the only woman he’s ever loved, I don’t know how your friendship will come back from that. I don’t know how he’ll come back.”
“That’s what I’ve been worried about,” Dax concurred.
When Roman sighed heavily, Mad clapped him on the back. “I get it. But how about this: you be the voice of logic and reason, and I’ll be cheering on the good vibes and awesome sex—basically anything that might help him save his sanity. Zack needs to hear both sides.”
“I’m worried he’ll throw caution to the wind and make a move he shouldn’t.” When Mad would have objected, Roman raised his hands in surrender. “But I see your point about balance. I still have to tell him what I think.”
“Duh. Isn’t your official title here devil’s advocate?”
Roman sent him an acidic smirk. “Look, I like Liz. I don’t want any of this to be true, and I admit I’ve worried what happens if I’m wrong.”
Roman could lose Zack as a friend. Or Zack could lose his life.
Mad knew his president didn’t need his advice much, but his friend did. And sometimes even the idiot of a group had a decent perspective.
He winked Sara’s way and strode out to the balcony. In the distance the Washington Monument glowed like a jewel against the velvety night. All in all, it was a majestic view, but the man who got to look at it every night seemed beyond weary.
“Hey, do you want us to get out of your bedroom? You probably have some kind of party in the morning, right? Isn’t that what you do?”
Zack turned, leaning against the wrought iron of the balcony, wearing a wisp of a smile. “I wish. I’m afraid my version of parties these days are more like diplomatic gatherings. I really miss keggers.”
They had thrown some doozies in college. How could that time seem so far away now? Sometimes it felt like they’d been kids five minutes ago. Others, he was sure that had been another lifetime. “When all this is over, we’ll have to throw a blowout. Personally I’m hoping we’ve wrapped this up by the time Roman and Gus’s wedding takes place because I’ve got a bunch of glittery dildos I’m dying to break out.”
Zack laughed, the sound echoing. “That is definitely something to look forward to, regardless of what Gus says.”
Mad glanced inside. Sure enough Liz watched Zack, her eyes looking hollow and haunted. “Is there a reason you’re not hanging out with your girl? You know I’ve got plans for your wedding, too, and I made mistakes with the last one. I’ll be ready when you do it again.”
The smile on Zack’s face died quickly. “That’s not happening anytime soon.”
“Why? You’re in love with her, right? If you’re not sure, I can take a poll if you like.”
“Asshole,” Zack tossed back affectionately. “Of course I love her, but there are mitigating circumstances.”
Mad wasn’t letting Zack off so easily. “I would ask, but Roman has already told me without really telling me that he’s got you questioning every move Liz makes. I get that you have to be cautious because of your position.”
“Yes. And I’ve even been questioning whether she’s the first woman to fool me,” Zack admitted, his voice rough. “I can’t fathom Joy working against me. And maybe now I’m overreacting to the fact that the final stops on the campaign were those she insisted on and that she happened to be in Europe when a ‘family member’ checked my mother out of her mental ward and made sure she died.”
“Don’t forget that Joy considered working with Tavia for her FLOTUS initiative,” Mad added. “And she kinda-sorta had an affair with your best friend.”
“That, too.” Zack acknowledged with a nod. “But none of that proves she was a Russian operative. It’s so easy to jump at shadows…”
“For sure.” Though Mad suspected Joy had been some sort of spy. Liz…not so much. “But I know Joy never loved you the way Liz does. It’s precious, man. Don’t throw it away without a lot of thought and consideration. You may never get it back.”
Zack began to pace. “Where are you going with his? Has ten minutes of marriage turned you into some kind of expert?”
“No, but weeks of actually thinking every moment might be my last has given me a different perspective on things. I know I’ve always been the group’s party boy, but I was watching you guys, too. Sure, you were often a Smurf, but that was only during my LSD phase. And you were still a mighty intellectual Smurf.”
Zack sent him the censuring stare he’d perfected by leveling it on Mad every time he’d behaved like a dumbass. Zack probably used it these days to make other world leaders fall in line. “Your point, Mad?”
The good news was, unlike days gone by, he actually had one that didn’t involve a beer bong. “If you don’t at least try to believe in Liz, you’re going to screw things up with her, maybe forever.”
“I assure you, I have tried.” There was a wealth of weariness in Zack’s tone.
“But I know what’s going through your head.”
“Oh? How can you?”
“Because I spent months after that beating Krylov gave me wondering if one of my best friends in the world was a Russian plant. I let the shit they did and the venom they spewed get to me. I gave them what they wanted. We know they’ve been trying to separate you from your friends for a long time. I think they’re figuring out that’s easier said than done.”
“Maybe you’re right. It wouldn’t be the first time someone learned that lesson the hard way. My father tried to force me to cut you out of my life back in our Creighton days. I refused. It was the only time I ever won in a battle of wills with him.”
“Exactly. I think the Russians have figured out how important the guys and I are to you. I think they assumed I would be so scared after Krylov’s beating that I would run to the others and tell them what the bastard had said.”
“That I was a willing participant in his Russia-first schemes?”
“Yes.
“Why didn’t you? Why didn’t you go to Gabe?” Zack asked.
Mad had thought about it. In those first long days, he’d considered every avenue. And chosen the only one he could live with. “Because despite being scared and confused, I couldn’t accuse you. I didn’t even want to ask the question. I couldn’t let them consider such a shitty accusation when I had zero proof. As time went by and I found some power in investigating, I realized that I trusted you, proof or no, and I didn’t want to live in a world where Zack Hayes betrayed his country.”
“That’s naïve of you.”
“Is it? Have you ever wanted something so much that you couldn’t take no for an answer? That’s where I was. I was willing to tell the universe to fuck off. In this case I was determined to control my perspective and my reality, and guess what? I was right. Since I didn’t blab to Gabe or the others and turn them against you, I think the Russians figured out that we’re tight and decided to come after the person they hoped would be the weak link. They went after Liz.”
Zack grimaced. “All the evidence is against her.”
“And they’re preying on Roman’s role in both your administration and your friendship,” Mad countered. “Think about it. Whatever ‘proof’ Roman has collected looks bad. Why wouldn’t they want it to? Evidence, I’ve discovered, is all about perspective. Freddy is absolutely a crazy person, but he’s taught me a lot about how to look at what’s in front of me and question it. I think you’re seeing what they want you to see.”
“I don’t know what to think,” Zack admitted. “All of my life I’ve known precisely what moves to make. This…I don’t know.”
“Don’t stop trying to figure it out. You will. I believe that. You don’t have to make a decision tonight, but pushing Liz away isn’t going to make things any better or easier for you.”
Zach sighed. “Even if she turns out to be a traitor, I d
on’t know that I can let her go.”
That was a good sign. “Then don’t. Talk to her. Tell her what you’re worried about. This whole thing might be cleared up with a single conversation.”
“Or I could be handing her exactly what the Russians need to undo me. Mad, if this were just about me and Liz, we would have had this conversation a long time ago, but it’s never been about only the two of us. I can’t be some romantic hero who takes a leap of faith to get his girl because if I make a mistake, the world really could fall apart. If I fuck up and let them in, the damage they could do to this country would be unimaginable. And irreparable.”
But Zack was forgetting something Mad knew quite well. “You will have to go with your gut at some point in time. You can’t always sit back and wait this thing out. That’s why you pulled that surprise announcement in the press room. You’re gambling that going forward with the pipeline will force their hand.”
“Yes, I am,” Zack confirmed.
“See, you took a chance on that. Now take one on her. For as long as she’s been by your side and worked hard to make your vision of this America a reality, doesn’t she deserve some consideration? You’re here because a whole lot of people in this country trust you. I know you think you have to sacrifice your own happiness, but you don’t. Take that leap of faith, man. You’ll find a lot of people will happily go over the edge with you.”
Zack paused, then held out his hand. “I’ll think about it.”
Mad shook it. “Good. Now I’m going to go cut the cake so I can get busy with my bride.”
“You know you’ll have to have a big bash when everything settles down.” Zack started to follow him inside. “A huge reception…where we will probably misbehave.”