The Bridal Candidate 2 (Heart Connections)

by Linda Verji

  “What?” Shock pulsed through Damián. “But he survived that attack and even got recruited into some kind of special ops unit.”

  “There are no records of his recruitment. Hell, I couldn’t even find payroll info.” Josiah crossed the room to take the seat opposite Damián. “All I got was his death certificate then nada.”

  “How is that even possible?” Damián ran his hand through his hair as his mind struggled to process what he was hearing. “So someone falsified his death then erased him from the planet?”

  “Yup.” His friend nodded. “Beyond that I know nothing. I don’t know what his mission was on, if he was even on one, who the members of his team were, his commander was… It’s like he disappeared into thin air, died, then reappeared. I’m telling you this guy could show ghosts a thing or two.”

  Damián sucked in a long breath. “This can’t be good.”

  “No, it can’t,” Josiah agreed. “The only reason the military would go to the trouble of wiping out someone so thoroughly is if they don’t want him linked to them or to this country.”

  “You think he was undercover?”

  “Deep, deep, deep cover. So deep I don’t think he was supposed to ever emerge,” Josiah said. “But I can’t prove it. My contacts only go so far. If you want to find out anything more about this, you’ll need to go higher.”

  No doubt Josiah was right. Damián sighed. “How high?”

  “Your father high.”

  “What?” Damián sneered as immediate irritation jolted through him. “Hell no. I’m not going to him for help.”

  “You guys are still feuding over that Aiko thing?”

  “It wasn’t just a thing. Archie hit on my fiancée.”

  “Tragic.” Josiah waved his hand dismissively. “But you’ll need to get over that anger and talk to him if you want any more information. Your dad’s still a big dog in Washington, and he’s got contacts I can only dream of. If anyone can find out what happened to Lincoln, it will be him. I could ask him for information but you know what an ass he can be. He won’t give me anything until you go groveling yourself.”

  Josiah was probably right… okay, he was definitely right, but it didn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. Damián groaned. “I really don’t want to talk to him.”

  “You’ll have to.” His friend shrugged. After a brief pause, he asked, “Are you going to tell Aiko what we know so far?”

  “No, I’ll hold out until I know more.”

  Judging from her angry response to his theory that Lincoln might be faking the amnesia, she wouldn’t be happy that he was investigating Lincoln behind her back. Confessing now would only bring strife into their relationship – strife that might end up being unnecessary. No, he wasn’t going to tell her what he was doing unless there was really something to be worried about. If luck was on Damián’s side, Lincoln would turn out to be as clean as a shirt after laundry day.

  CHAPTER 10

  Thursday found Aiko swamped beyond belief. It seemed that all of Montgomery had decided that that was the day they needed to find love. She spent the early part of the day juggling so many appointments she almost forgot that she was supposed to pick Lincoln’s mother, Brenda, from the airport. Given how hard she’d worked to convince Lincoln that it was time to tell his family of his return, that would’ve been unforgivable.

  Feeling rushed, Aiko slung her bag onto her shoulders as she marched from her office to the reception. “Cara, Melinda Palmer is coming in at two. Can you handle the meeting?”

  “Of course, Auntie.” The young woman nodded. “She chose Henry, Kevin and Bradley, right?”

  “Yeah.” Aiko nodded. “Just let her know the days they’re available for dates. Give her a few tips on how to work the dates-”

  “Don’t worry,” Cara interrupted with a laugh. “I got it.”

  “You sure?” Aiko asked, even though she was confident that her niece could handle this.

  “I’m sure,” Cara dismissed. In the last few months, the nineteen-year-old had proved herself as good a matchmaker as any. In fact, if it wasn’t for Aiko and Femi insisting that she needed a college degree, she probably would’ve quit school by now to be at the agency full time.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Aiko started for the door.

  “Auntie.” Cara stopped her in her tracks. When Aiko turned, she found her niece holding up a tux and an evening dress. “Don’t forget.”

  “Oops.” Aiko rushed forward to pluck the items of clothing from Cara’s hand. Considering that the Mayor’s party was tonight, forgetting their clothes was a hiccup she couldn’t afford. To Cara, she said, “You’re a blessing. What would I ever do without you?”

  “You’re lucky you don’t have to find out.” Cara waved her out of the office. “Have a great time. Don’t forget to stuff some party treats in your purse for me.”

  “I’m not that ghetto,” Aiko protested with a laugh as she rushed out of the office.

  “Lies.” Her niece threw at her.

  Still smiling, Aiko descended the stairs in quick steps. Apparently, everyone in Montgomery had decided that this was the best time to be in their cars because traffic was a bitch as she headed to the airport. She was stuck in a traffic jam when her phone rang. A quick glance at the screen revealed that it was Carmen calling.

  “Ugh, no! Now what?” Aiko’s groan reverberated in the car. She really should’ve listened to Damián when he’d told her not to get involved in his mother’s shenanigans. Since last week, she’d been trying to set Carmen up, but no one was good enough for the woman. Either they were too old, not moneyed enough, not tall enough… honestly, there was no pleasing the woman. From how she described her perfect man it seemed she was looking for another Archie, just younger and richer. Impossible.

  Aiko sucked in a large breath, plastered a smile on her face and answered the phone. “Hi, Carmen. How’s the date going?”

  “It’s not going.” Sounding a bit grumpy, Carmen said, “I didn’t go.”

  “You stood him up?”

  “I just didn’t feel like we were suited for each other.”

  “Carmen, Harold is everything you asked me for. You haven’t even met the guy yet so you can’t possibly know that he’s not a good match.” Realizing that she sounded much sharper than she wanted, Aiko softened her tone. “Please tell me that you at least called to let him know you weren’t coming.”

  “I was hoping you’d do that.” Her mother-in-law’s tone turned wheedling. “You know I don’t like all that unpleasantness.”

  And Aiko did? Taking a few breaths to calm herself, she said, “Okay, I’ll call Harold and let him know that you couldn’t make it.”

  “Thank you. You’re a darling.” A brief pause later, the older woman asked, “So who’s my next date, cariño?”

  You mean who’s your next victim? Aiko internally scoffed. But to her mother-in-law she said, “Why don’t I call you later and we can discuss it.”

  “Actually, we can discuss it at the Mayor’s fundraiser tonight.”

  “Oh, you’ll be there too?”

  “Yes, his wife, Bitsie invited me. She and I are very good friends,” Carmen boasted. “I’ll see you there, right?”

  “Right.” Aiko wasn’t sure whether to be happy or worried that Carmen would be there to. On one hand she wasn’t looking forward to finally telling Carmen that she was done setting her up. On the other hand, having a few friendly faces at this shindig could be a lifesaver in case none of the Mayor’s friends wanted to talk to her.

  Several minutes later, she arrived at the airport to find that Brenda’s flight had arrived just moments before. As soon she got to the arrival’s terminal she heard a familiar voice calling her name. “Aiko. Aiko.”

  Aiko followed the voice and found Lincoln’s mother, a chubby fifty-something woman with flawless cocoa dark skin, smiling and waving at her vigorously from the far end of the terminal. Brenda was flunked by two heavy-set men carrying their bags and smiling
just as widely. Aiko found herself returning their smiles as she meandered past other passengers to reach them.

  “You’ve become so much prettier since I last saw you,” Brenda complimented as she drew Aiko into a snug bear hug. She pushed her away slightly but kept a hold of her arms as she said, “Ah, my daughter. Let me look at you.”

  Aiko laughed. “It’s good to see you too, Brenda.”

  The last time they’d seen each other was a year ago when Aiko and Seraphina had attended Brenda’s wedding, so the older woman’s excitement was understandable. Aiko pulled apart from Brenda to hug Frank, Lincoln’s older brother, and Chris, Brenda’s new husband.

  “Tell me it’s true.” Brenda cut into their greetings. “Is my son really alive or have I been talking to a ghost this whole week?”

  “He’s alive.” Aiko led the way out of the airport. “I can hardly believe it myself.”

  She filled in Lincoln’s family on the details of his return as she drove them from the airport to her father’s home. Their arrival there was marked with the expected fanfare, weeping and happiness. Brenda kept hugging Lincoln until at one point he complained that she was suffocating him. Brenda’s response was another tight hug that drew laughter from everyone. Like a mother bear, Brenda quickly homed in on the big issue.

  “Why haven’t you gone to hospital yet?” Brenda stared at Lincoln sternly.

  “Because there’s nothing wrong with me,” Lincoln said slowly.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you?” She closed her eyes and pulled in a long breath as if struggling to keep a hold on her temper. “Linc, you look like you haven’t eaten for the last five years, you’re missing two fingers and you’re limping. Even worse you have no memory of what happened to you. And you think there’s nothing wrong with you?”

  “Ma, I’m good.” Lincoln tried to dissuade her. “They’re just flesh wounds. Nothing I can’t heal from with a bit of sleep and good food. As for the memory thing-”

  “We’re going to the hospital right now.” She rose to her feet in a huff.

  “Ma-

  “Lincoln Mathew Ware, don’t test me.” Brenda stabbed her finger at him and narrowed her eyes in a way that said that she was not beyond removing her shoe and whooping his ass. It was enough to quiet Lincoln. Brenda turned to Lincoln’s brother. “Frankie, go and get his coat.”

  “I don’t know where his room is.”

  “Boy, go and get his coat,” his mother ordered sharply.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” the thirty-something man hurriedly rose to his feet. Suppressing a laugh, Aiko followed him out of the room to show him to Lincoln’s apartment. By the time they came back down, they found Brenda, Lincoln and Chris waiting by Aiko’s car.

  Aiko snuck a glance at her watch and saw that it was two p.m.. Taking them to hospital would eat into some of the time she’d set aside to prepare for the Mayor’s event, but she could still swing it. Besides, was there any good way to tell Brenda she couldn’t take them to the hospital because of a party without looking like a heartless society lady who cared more for parties than for the guy who’d saved her life?

  Fortunately, she still had four hours before she needed to get home. There was no way the doctor’s appointment would eat into all of that, she thought.

  But she thought wrong.

  FOUR AND A half hours later, she still wasn’t home.

  “Where are you?” Damián paced the length of their bedroom. “It’s six thirty. You were supposed to be here by six p.m..”

  “I know. I know. I’m sorry,” Aiko apologized. “Just give me a few more minutes.”

  “How many more minutes?” he asked curtly.

  “Damián, I don’t know. We’re waiting for the doctor to bring in the results.”

  Exactly how long did it take to get results? They’d had this exact conversation about three hours ago when she’d asked him to pick the kids from school because she was held up at the hospital. He sat down on the edge of their bed and wiped his hand over his face. “Do you have to be there? His whole family is there. Can’t you let them take the results?”

  “You know I can’t.”

  He wanted to argue that Lincoln wasn’t her responsibility, but he knew that it would fall on deaf ears. In her eyes, she owed Lincoln her life and by extension her time. He sighed. “We promised Josiah that we’d be there by eight.”

  “And we’ll be there,” she soothed. “Just relax, honey. I’ll be home in a couple of minutes and we’ll be on our way.”

  Damián tried to relax. He really did, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t the fact that they were going to be late for this event that was bothering him. What was annoying was that it was Aiko who’d encouraged him to go and now she was the one about to skip on it. For Lincoln.

  God, even thinking about that man was enough to raise Damián’s temper a couple of notches. The man had been here for less than two weeks and he’d already planted himself so deep into their world, Damián could feel it changing by the minute. And he didn’t like it.

  By the time Aiko finally got home it was four minutes to eight.

  “Eight? Seriously?” Damián started in on her the moment she walked into their bedroom.

  Aiko looked rushed and panicked as she set her purse and their clothes on the settee. “The MRI results took longer than we expected and-”

  “Don’t,” Damián cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Just hand me my tux.”

  “Baby, I’m sorry.” She came forward to hug him but he brushed past her and grabbed his tux.

  “If you’re showering, you need to do it quick,” he gritted between his teeth as he roughly jerked at his towel and let it fall to the floor.

  “Damián, don’t be angry with me.” She came up behind him and set her hand on his back but he didn’t turn. “I’m sorry.”

  “Could you just shower or dress or something?” he snapped, moving away from her and towards the vanity mirror. “We’re late.”

  She watched him in silence for a moment before sighing. “Okay.”

  Though he kept his gaze away from her, he was aware of her shedding her dress then heading to the shower. He expected her to take a long time in the shower, but his anger must’ve propelled her to hurry up because ten minutes later she emerged smelling as fresh as spring.

  As she dressed, he couldn’t help sneaking glances at her. He wanted to tell her that she looked lovely in that vivid blue, floor-length evening gown that clung to her delicious curves and dipped provocatively in the back. He wanted to tell her that he loved how high up her hair was because it allowed him to see the slender column of her neck. But he kept his silence, because he wasn’t ready to make nice yet.

  CHAPTER 11

  One would’ve thought that Damián’s anger would’ve cooled on the drive to the museum. However, by the time they got to the museum he was still going strong. Aiko could feel the heat of that anger scorching her as helped her out of the car then fit her arm into the crook of his elbow.

  It was no surprise that he was angry; he had every right to be. She was the one who’d insisted on their attending this event, yet she was the one who’d delayed their arrival. But surely she deserved a break. It wasn’t like she’d planned to be late, or that she was late because she was doing something wrong. She was taking care of a sick person.

  Lincoln’s checkup had taken longer than expected, mostly because he was sporting more injuries than she knew about. She’d thought the limp, the missing fingers and the amnesia were as bad as it got, then he’d stripped off his shirt and she’d almost screamed. The scars that ran across his body were so extensive that even the doctor had been taken aback.

  Eager to ensure that Lincoln wasn’t a walking corpse, the doctor had ordered so many tests it was a wonder they hadn’t decided to keep him in for the night. Aiko could’ve left the hospital earlier but she was their ride. So she’d stayed until the end, driven them home then left as soon as she could to be with Damián. She’d done the best she could in the situa
tion.

  Surely that counted for something?

  Nope. Judging from Damián’s stiff-shouldered posture as they climbed the steps leading to the museum’s entrance, it didn’t count. She’d always wondered what it felt like to be one of those soap opera women who was torn between two men. Well, now she knew. And it wasn’t a fun feeling.

  Her gaze flashed towards Damián, who seemed unusually preoccupied with the steps. From experience Aiko knew that apologizing constantly would only irritate him. When he was this angry, he just needed space to cool down. She wasn’t worried that he’d act out in front of Mayor Swan’s other guests. Damián was a consummate gentleman, a master at hiding his emotions and saying the right things even when he was pissed as hell. No one would know that something was wrong between them – no one but her.

  It was a pity he wasn’t speaking to her though because she wanted so badly to tell him that he looked magnificent tonight. It wasn’t every day that she saw her fiancée in a suit, let alone a tuxedo because preferred the casual denim look even when going to work. But tonight he’d gone all out.

  The snow white shirt buttoned to his neck was a stark contrast to the tan of his skin, and the black fabric of his tux clung to his broad shoulders and muscular thighs showing off just how fit her man was. Despite his anger, she found herself walking closer to him just so she could feel his body brush against her. He threw her one of his ‘looks’ but didn’t say anything or pull away from her.

  Apparently, they weren’t the only ones who were late. There were several smartly dressed people coming up the steps with them and a few even turned to a nod a hello to Damián. Three men in dark suits watched their approach, one of the men was carrying a book while the others just stood stiff-backed as if standing guard over the door.

  When Aiko and Damián got to the top of the steps, the man with the book stopped them. “Good evening and welcome.”