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I watch Cerbera as he takes in the situation. I think he knows Ford and Martise aren’t the clumsy type. He doesn’t make any more inappropriate comments for the rest of the meal.
Unlike a traditional wedding, there are no speeches, no bridal waltz, no cutting of the cake and no dancing till the early morning. There is no interaction between the bride and groom besides a few silent, unreadable stares. And thankfully, because of this, the ordeal comes to an end within an hour.
At the conclusion, a few of the guests whose names I don’t care to know come and wish us a flat congratulations. I’m not fully in the moment. I’m itching to get to the car and away, tucked safe within our room back at the hotel. Odin is still unsteady, a kettle close to boiling. I want to hug him so badly.
Unfortunately, Cerbera sees how close we are to leaving and decides that it’s time to deliver his final strike. Taking my hands in his, he plasters on a concerned facade, leans in close, but speaks loud enough for Odin to hear. “Enjoy tonight,” he says, his breath unnaturally sour. “I’m sure Odin will be gentle with you. But it shouldn’t matter, considering your pussy is as used as all the cutlery in this restaurant.”
Oh no.
Odin moves as quickly as a flash on a camera. He grabs Cerbera by the neck and slams him up against the nearest wall, taking out his gun to press underneath Cerbera’s neck.
Cerbera’s face is red, his hands near the waist of his belt were too slow to retrieve his own weapon. My heart is exploding, booming in my ears. Ford approaches, gun at the ready, while the other men and women watch on. A few have their weapons out, but none are making a move. Not until Odin does. If he snaps and shoots, this wedding will end in smoke and blood.
The idea is enough to send me to my knees.
I can’t lose him just as I found him.
Oh my God. Is this what he felt for ten years? Only worse? This crushing, horrible pressure in the chest that is like an atom bomb detonating and staying contained under the skin.
I open my mouth to speak his name but stop short when I feel Dom grab my wrist. “Don’t,” he warns.
Watching on, I listen as Odin speaks like a river of darkness is pouring from his mouth.
“Listen to me carefully,” he seethes, digging the gun harder into Cerbera’s neck. “If you ever speak to my wife like that again, I will unload every bullet I can find into your fucking stomach.” Cerbera jerks, trying to get out from under Odin’s crushing hold, the veins in his head popping from the strain. Even though Odin is the slimmer of the two, his strength and fury are unmatched. “And if you eventhinkabout coming for me, spying on me, sending fucking letters in the middle of the night, I will do more than dump your product in the Hudson. I will set your entire inventory on fire. You will have nothing. You willbenothing.” Then, only to add more wind to the fire, Odin pushes him over the edge. “This is the part where you say, yes, boss.”
Cerbera grunts, his body rebelling. “Go on,” Odin taunts, pressing him harder against the wall.
“Yes, boss,” Cerbera spits between clenched teeth.
Odin moves the end of the gun to Cerbera’s temple. “Don’t contact me until you learn some fucking manners. Until then, everything you own is mine.”
I take my first breath in minutes when Odin comes up to me, grabs my hand—instead of my wrist—and pulls me out onto the street to a car that is ready and waiting. We slip in, Dom, Ford, and Martise getting into another behind us. Once the door is closed, Odin barks for the driver to head to the hotel. The car purrs to life.
Not even a second later, he grabs my face and kisses me like he’s starving. Frantic, I haul him against me and meet his movements, strength for strength.
Our tongues collide, forcing moans to slip into each other’s mouths. His hands shake as they grab me, ruining my pristine dress and appearance.I don’t care. He can do whatever he wants, whatever he needs to feel human again.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he kisses me. “I can’t keep doing this to you.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” I reassure him. Breaking the kiss, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and just hug him. I know he needs it. He sighs into my neck, holding me tight.
“We’re getting out of here, we’re going somewhere private,” he says.
“Yes,” I beg, holding onto his biceps as we lean away to look at each other.
“It won’t be far. But I think we should do it the more traditional way.”
I kiss him, my answer for everything he has to ask me. I’d go anywhere with him right now. I’d go to Antarctica and battle the arctic winds. I’d go to the Sahara and sleep amongst the blistering sand dunes. I’d go to the ends of the earth for this man. And from the way he holds me, I think he feels the same thing.
The car takes us to the hotel, but we don’t head inside.
Dom and Ford bombard us by the window as an employee packs the trunk with our suitcases.
“This is stupid, Odin.” Ford remarks.
“I’m inclined to agree,” Dom adds.
“It’s completely off the map.”
