In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (37 page)

I
slathered some lotion on before tying the towel around my chest. I frowned while
combing the tangles from my hair. The next two days were going to be awkward. I
was supposed to be Kadyn’s date, but now that Rafael and Maxim were attending
the wedding festivities, I couldn’t exactly ignore them.

Rafael’s
eyes met mine in the mirror. He was leaning casually against the doorframe. I
hadn’t a clue how long he’d been standing there. “I just wanted to check on you
to see how you’re coming along.”

My
heart clenched when I registered the emotions reflected in his eyes. I slowly
turned around. “Can I just hold you for a minute?”

Rafael’s
eyes softened. He pushed off the doorframe and held out his arms.

I
tried not to weep as I sank into his chest. Physically, I couldn’t get close
enough, even though I could feel Rafael’s heart beating against mine. I wanted
to climb inside of him. I closed my eyes and willed us whole.

“Are
you okay?” he asked, softly rubbing my back.

“Yes,”
I breathed. “I’m just… I just… I love you, Rafael. I want you to know how much
I love you. And I want to thank you for putting up with the insanity that is my
life.”

He
smiled knowingly. “I don’t mind Kadyn. It seems he’s always been a part of your
life. But Maxim’s another story. I don’t understand or trust his intentions
where you’re concerned, and I don’t like feeling obligated to him.”

I
nodded. “I’m sorry I asked Maxim to come. I should have waited for you to
arrive, and I should have trusted you to find Kadyn. I was so afraid he was
going to be tortured or killed. I thought Maxim could get him released faster
than anyone else.”

“I
would have found Kadyn,” Rafael assured me, “but Maxim did have some useful
connections. It’s okay, love. I can’t fault you for asking Maxim to help find
Kadyn, not when I relied on Maxim to save you. Now, stop worrying about my
pride. You need to get ready for the rehearsal.” He patted my bottom as I
walked toward my suitcase.

I
noticed Rafael wasn’t making any effort to get dressed. I stepped into a gold
lace thong. “Aren’t you coming with me?”

Rafael
shook his head. “I thought you and Kadyn could use some time alone, so I asked
Maxim, Konstantin, and Shae to join me for drinks in the bar downstairs while
you’re at the rehearsal. We’ll be at the rehearsal dinner, though.”

I
stepped into my dress.

Rafael
raised an eyebrow when he saw I wasn’t planning to wear a bra.

I
turned around to show him the back. “I can’t wear a bra because the back is cut
out, but there’s a bra built into the bodice.”

He
stepped behind me and pulled my bottom against his hips. His hands traveled
over my hips, waist, and chest before he turned me around. “I have to sit at that
rehearsal dinner, knowing the only thing you’re wearing under that dress is
that skimpy little thong?”

I
laughed. “Would you prefer I take the thong off?”

His
eyes widened. “God, no. That would be even worse.”

I
rubbed up against him until he hardened between my legs. “I haven’t properly
thanked you for paying the mafia and rescuing my friend. You might want to
drink coffee instead of wine when you head downstairs, because I intend to
thank you repeatedly tonight.”

He
raised an eyebrow. “Really? How?”

I
smiled innocently before whispering in his ear. I listed all the wicked things
I wanted to do once we returned to our room. I abandoned the list when he began
kissing my neck.

Rafael
lifted my dress as he backed me toward the bed. “We should get started then.”

I
tsk’d
him under my breath when I pulled away. “Not now. I want you to
have something to look forward to.”

Rafael
groaned. “You’ve got fifteen minutes to do your makeup and hair. If you’re
still here in fifteen minutes, I’m hauling you back to bed.”

He
laughed when I bolted into the bathroom.

*
* * * *

I
smoothed my hand down the form fitting dress. The champagne colored tulle was
heavily embellished with gold, bronze, and crystal clear beads. I had paired
the decadent dress with iridescent heels and the gold and diamond twist
bracelet Kadyn had given me when we shared our first Christmas together. I
knocked on his door.

Kadyn
tugged the door open. His eyes traveled slowly down the dress. He smiled when
he saw the bracelet. “You look amazing.”

Kadyn
had asked what I was planning to wear to the rehearsal dinner before we left
Virginia. Now I knew why. He wanted to ensure we were wearing complementary
colors. Kadyn was wearing black slacks, a chocolate brown dress shirt, and a
gold, brown, and black paisley tie. I smiled. “You look very handsome, Kadyn.
Are you ready to head downstairs?”

“Yes,
and... thanks.” He ducked back inside the room to grab his wallet, then joined
me in the hallway. “Where’s Rafael?”

“He’s
going to meet Maxim, Konstantin, and Shae in the bar for drinks. Isabel invited
them to join us for dinner later.” I linked my arm in Kadyn’s as we began
walking down the hallway. “Did you sleep okay?”

He
nodded. “Best sleep I’ve had in days.”

I
laughed. “I bet. The only thing worse than sleeping on a bathroom floor while
fearing someone’s about to kill you is sleeping on a cold cement floor in some
abandoned warehouse while fearing someone’s about to kill you.”

Kadyn
stopped and stared at me before pushing the button for the elevator. “It’s very
sad that you know that.”

I
studied him from under my eyelashes. Kadyn was in remarkably good spirits for
someone who’d been held hostage by the drug cartel for the last three days. “Do
you want to talk about it?”

All
of the energy seemed to seep out of his body at once. His eyes captured and
held mine as he stepped in front of me. “Can I just hold you for a minute?”

Tears
pooled in my eyes. “Of course, Kadyn.” I burrowed into his chest and wrapped my
arms around his back.

Kadyn
held me tight. “Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely.

The
elevator dinged, but Kadyn didn’t let go. I glanced over his shoulder. Isabel
and Alejandro were waiting patiently inside the elevator. “We’ll be down in a
minute,” I assured them.

“Take
your time,” Isabel replied.

“I
thought she was dating the Latino,” Alejandro remarked as the door slid closed.

“It’s
complicated,” Isabel answered from the other side of the door.

Kadyn
chuckled.

I
buried my face in his chest. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
You
were
supposed to be my date.”

“I’m
still your date,” Kadyn replied. He stood there and held me for a few minutes
longer. Eventually, he took a deep breath, stepped back, and pressed the button
for the elevator again.

“Did
you really send all of the cartel’s interrogators to the hospital?” I inquired
curiously.

Kadyn
laughed. “The men who were tying us up didn’t know how to tie a proper knot.”

“You
must have caused some serious damage. The guy who called Cenia referred to you
as the
diablo negro
. He demanded a million dollars for Roger but two
million for you.”

Kadyn
laughed. “You didn’t think I’d make things easy for them?”

I
followed him inside the elevator when the doors opened again. “What were they
questioning you about?”

Kadyn
tucked my hand back in the crook of his arm. “They were trying to obtain the
name of a relative or friend so they could demand a ransom. Thankfully, they
couldn’t link me to anyone outside of work. I told them to demand ransom from
the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security, but my
interrogators weren’t too keen on that idea.”

I
tried not to laugh. I knew Kadyn was just cocky enough to make that statement.
“I don’t imagine that went over very well.” I squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry for
worrying your mom. Maxim warned me the cartel might try to contact her, so I
wanted to prepare her for that possibility. That proved to be the most
difficult phone call I’ve ever had to make.”

Kadyn
patted my hand. “You did the right thing. I called my mom and sister before
going to sleep, so they know I’m okay. I also called the American Citizen
Services at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to let them know we’re back in the
United States.”

The
elevator dinged, signaling our arrival. Shelby and Trena were standing a few
feet away when we stepped off the elevator. I glanced at Kadyn. “I want to
introduce you to the other bridesmaids.” I gave Shelby and Trena a hug. “Hi,
Shelby, Trena. This is Roger’s best man, Kadyn.”

Kadyn
shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Cenia
told us what happened in Mexico,” Trena confessed. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Kadyn
smiled. “Thanks. Where’s Cenia?”

“Oh!
Cenia walked down to the courtyard with her parents, Roger, and his brothers.
We should join them,” Shelby replied. She led us down a long hallway.

Kadyn
opened the French doors at the end of the hallway, and suddenly we were standing
inside a courtyard. The courtyard was brimming with lush ferns, tropical trees,
hibiscus, and other fragrant flowers.

Everyone
was gathered in the center of the courtyard, near a red fountain. Cenia glanced
up when we walked through the door. “Hey, guys! I want you to meet Nina, our
wedding coordinator. Nina, these are my bridesmaids, Kri, Shelby, and Trena and
Roger’s best man, Kadyn.”

We
shook Nina’s hand.

Roger
introduced the remaining unfamiliar faces. “I’d like you to meet my brothers
and my groomsmen, Rem and Ryan.”

I
shook hands with Rem. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” Rem and I had spoken on
the phone once, shortly after Cenia and Roger were engaged. I’d requested his
phone number from Roger so I could recruit Rem and Ryan to help with something
special for the wedding reception.

Rem
gently squeezed my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kri. I’m truly grateful
to you and your friends for all you’ve done over the past few days.”

My
cheeks heated. “It was nothing, really.” I didn’t feel I deserved his gratitude
since I was the one who’d talked Kadyn and Roger into going into Mexico in the
first place.

“I
would like to echo those sentiments. It’s truly an honor,” Ryan said as he
shook my hand. He had the same soft Tennessee drawl and that same mischievous
spark in his eyes that Roger was notorious for.

“Thank
you, Ryan.” I slipped my hand in the crook of Kadyn’s arm after he shook hands
with the two men.

Nina
smiled politely. “The chairs will be placed on either side of the courtyard.
This is where the aisle runner will be placed.” She motioned between the
fountain and a beautiful wooden arch at the end of the courtyard. The arch was
wrapped in little white lights, white tulle, and dark green ivy.

“My
father built the wedding arch,” Cenia added. She wrapped her arms around her
mom and dad. “And my mom decorated it.”

“It’s
beautiful,” I breathed. Everyone agreed.

“Roger,
you and your groomsmen will enter through that door over there.” Nina motioned
toward a side door near the far end of the courtyard. “That will help ensure
you don’t see Cenia before she walks down the aisle. Why don’t you head over
there and walk to the arch so you can get a feel for things.” Nina suggested.
She led the rest of us back inside the hotel so we could practice walking down
the aisle.

Isabel
played Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” on Cenia’s cell phone. Shelby entered the
courtyard first. Nina asked Trena to wait until Shelby walked past the
fountain. I began walking once Trena cleared the fountain.

I
walked slowly. The violins sounded so beautiful, I wanted to cry. Roger was
standing in front of the wedding arch. Kadyn, Rem, and Ryan were standing in a
line to his left.

Kadyn
nodded encouragingly when our eyes met.

My
eyes teared even more. I couldn’t believe how close I’d come to losing him. My
bottom lip quivered as I forced a smile. I joined Shelby and Trena on the other
side of the arch.

Cenia
and her father walked through the courtyard arm in arm while Isabel played Mendelssohn's
“Wedding March.”

Nina
assumed the role of the priest. She offered a brief explanation about how the
wedding ceremony would progress once Alejandro and Cenia joined us. We snapped
a few pictures before everyone began filing back inside the hotel.

There
were hundreds of rope-like vines hanging from one of the prettier trees. I
fingered one of the vines. “What is this?” I asked Kadyn.

He
shrugged. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“That’s
a sausage tree,” Cenia answered.

I
sniffed at the bell shaped flower. “I didn’t realize sausages grew on trees.”

Cenia
laughed. “The fruit that grows on this tree just
looks
like a sausage.”