Page 10 of Double

My eyes widened as I took in the man who had greeted us at the door. He grinned at me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tinsley. I’m Judge Deity Bosco.”

I hadn’t recognized him, but I definitely knew the name. His family was famous . . . or infamous on Iredia for having ties to organized crime. They had politicians, cops, and businessmen in their pockets. No wonder he agreed to open his home and perform the ceremony. He was one of the few people on Iredia that Sterling Gillespie couldn’t touch. “Hello.”

“Come out onto the deck.”

We all followed him out of a door in the kitchen, onto the deck. I was sure the views were picturesque and beautiful during the daylight hours. At this late hour, though, it was pitch black. We couldn’t even see the ocean.

Double and I stood side by side while everybody else stood behind us. We repeated the words to the wedding vows as Judge Bosco gave them to us, finishing up by saying, “I do.”

And then, we were married.

We walked back into the house, stopping where documents were arranged on the kitchen island. Double and I signed them. Then Moses and Chad signed as witnesses.

“I’ll file these on Monday morning and begin the process of having your inheritance released.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. There was no way that I had just married a complete stranger to get out of marrying a complete stranger.

I didn’t have much time to think about it, because a loud whooshing sound cut through the stillness of the property.

“The choppers are here,” Chad announced.

Choppers? I thought to myself.

“Let’s head to the roof.” The judge turned and walked away, and the rest of us followed.

On the roof, I said a teary goodbye to my aunt and uncle. “Thank you for getting me out of Gretchen’s clutches,” I said to my uncle as I hugged him tightly around the neck.

He kissed my cheek. “I would do it again and again.”

“What about my cousins?” I asked about their two sons. “Mr. Gillespie said he’d kill them if⁠—”

“Bosco had them and their families put on a helicopter right before you all arrived.” He broke the embrace to look into my eyes. “Take care of yourself. You were dealt a tragic hand from the very beginning. You’ve done great things in spite of it. Continue to make yourself proud.” He lowered his voice. “Fuck all these other people and this rotten bloodline you came from.”

I hugged him again before moving on to Lianna. “Thank you. I don’t know what else to say. Nobody could’ve saved me but you. You’re the only person I know who has connections outside of this island.”

“Thank God for family.” She kissed my cheek. “I love you, sweet girl. Take care of yourself, . . . and give Double a chance. He really is a good guy. He’ll take care of you until we meet again.” She broke the embrace and turned to follow her husband to the awaiting helicopter that would take them to a secret location.

“Until we meet again,” I whispered as all of the tears I thought had dried up raced down my face.

5

Now I Gotta Try to Incorporate This Woman into My World

Double (Jinx)

On the helicopter to the private airstrip where we would board the private jet back to America, I couldn’t help but wonder about what was going through her head. I knew the last few weeks, particularly this day, had been fucked up. So, even though we could’ve spoken to one another through the headsets we were wearing, I decided to let my new wife make it. There would be plenty of time to talk.

Once we made it to my home, I showed her to the guest area. I didn’t live on a compound with east and west wings. I stayed in a normal four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom, single-story home. The square footage was manageable, but I still had a small staff—a cleaning team of two, and a chef—none of which lived on my actual property. I made sure to put her in the bedroom furthest from my own so she could feel like she had her own space and privacy.

I wasn’t sure how she spent her time, but with the time difference, the drama, and the travel, I was tired as hell. I took a shower and fell into bed.

Though I’d been exhausted, I was one of those people who was just naturally an early riser. When my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., I got up, worked out, and took care of my hygiene.

A few hours later, I was outside her bedroom door. I knocked lightly. There was no response. I knocked a second and third time. Finally, her muffled voice called out, “Please stop knocking. I don’t want to talk to anybody. I just wanna be left alone.”

I didn’t even trip. I knew her yesterday wasn’t what she would’ve wanted it to be. Again, I let her make it. I headed down to the kitchen to have breakfast. After that, I would hole up in my office and get some work done. Even though it was Saturday, the grind didn’t really ever stop.