Society Weddings (Corrigan & Co. Book 11) (6 page)

“Hey, girlie,” Tegan says from my office
doorway. “Are you ready to compare notes?”

“Hey. Yes, I’m more than ready. I keep
thinking I missed something.”

“I may have your missing something. In fact,
I’m pretty sure I do.”

“Do tell,” I say, leading her to the round
table in my office.

“Don’t start without me. I helped,” Ainsley
says, coming in and taking her own seat.

“You did. Isa, what I think I’ve figured out
is that if it hadn’t been Skylar, it would’ve been you. Or at least
the murderer would’ve tried to kill you.”

“What? Why?” I ask; although, I think I
know.

“Jake. Skylar was murdered after she said
they’d been having an affair. Ainsley helped me go through blogs
and message boards—there are a disturbing amount of those things
dedicated to your man, by the way.”

“I know. Back on track, please.”

“Anyway, an anonymous person has been
posting everywhere about how Jake is hers.”

“Anonymous? You haven’t found the identity
yet?” I ask Ainsley.

“No. Whoever is posting has been using
different university computers. I’ve even considered that it’s more
than one person based on the fact that none of the schools are near
each other.”

“Why did I have to fall in love with the man
every woman in D.C. and the surrounding states wants for
herself?”

“Because he’s a great guy, and worships the
ground you walk on,” Ainsley says.

“And don’t forget the medal she gave him,”
Tegan adds with a smirk.

“No one is ever going to forget that medal,”
I say, shaking my head. Damn boys and their prizes.

Now we just need to figure out who wants
Jake enough to kill for him. Because if some bitch tries to mess
with my wedding, I will take her down. I have enough stress as it
is.

* * *

Jake

“Hey, Vick,” I say, answering the phone with
a smile.

“It’s not your little piece on the side,” a
male voice that sounds familiar answers.

“Who is this? And why do you have my best
friend’s phone?”

“Best friend? Yeah, right. Your cheating is
catching up on you.”

“I don’t cheat. And I’m asking you again,
who the hell are you?”

“Your judge, jury, and executioner all
rolled into one.”

“You killed Skylar? Why?”

“If you want to know the
answer to that, and maybe save your
friend
, you’ll fly to D.C. and meet
with me.”

“Where in D.C.?”

“You’ll get instructions when you land. And
come alone. I’ll know if you bring anyone.”

He hangs up, and I immediately call Matt.
Within minutes, a Corrigan jet is ready for me, and Nate, Aiden,
and Theo have all headed out to board another one. I won’t involve
Isa, even though I know she can handle herself. This guy wants me,
and he’s going to get me. I had no feelings for Skylar, but Vicki’s
my best friend. He put his hands on her, and now he’s going to
die.

I send Isa a text saying that I have to go
to D.C. to take care of something. She wishes me a safe trip,
trusting that I’ll explain it to her later. Which I will. The
secrets I kept from her nearly destroyed us both, so I keep nothing
from her anymore. Well, almost nothing. I ordered something from
“our” jewelry store for her to wear on our wedding day, but she
won’t know that until Stella gives it to her. Some things need to
be a surprise.

The flight is smooth, but my mind is still
at war with itself. The voice on the phone was so damn familiar,
but as hard as I try, I just can’t place it. I know that voice is
the key to this puzzle, but the more I think about it, the more it
escapes me.

Literally the minute I step into the private
terminal, my phone rings. “I’m here.”

“Such a good little soldier. Too bad you
won’t be rewarded.”

“Just tell me where you are,
motherfucker.”

He tells me in a scolding tone, and I don’t
hesitate to go. I pick up a rental car, acting as if I’m just
booking it, when in reality, it’s been arranged for me. The gun is
right where Nate told me it would be under the dashboard, and the
sunglasses with the comm built in are on the front seat. Theo is in
charge of ground support, because working for Aiden’s dad gave him
information on all the ins and outs of the city.

I drive to the location, praying that I’ll
find my best friend still alive. Vicki and I have had our ups and
downs, but she’s still the person I’m closest to, besides Isa.
They’re super close now, too, which means I’m totally going to get
hell for not including her on this. I couldn’t take a chance with
either of them, and I hope they both understand that.

I’ve got to keep up the pretense that I’m
not hiding anything—namely the gun strapped to my ankle—so I walk
right in the front door of the converted warehouse I was sent to.
It looks like it’s being remodeled into a home, but I don’t get too
much time to look around. I hear shuffling behind me, and turn to
see Vicki being pulled into the room by Creed McCall. Yeah, the TV
star half the women on this planet are in lust with. Now I know why
his voice sounded familiar.

“Hello, Jake.”

“Have we met?”

“No. But you’ve taken something that
should’ve been mine.”

“I’m not sure what that could be.”

“Not what, who. Isa. She was supposed to be
mine.”

In what alternate universe would that have
happened? “Does she know that?”

“No. I was trying to take things slow while
she was protecting me. I was being her friend.”

“She’s a very friendly woman,” I
concede.

“I was getting ready to take the next step
and ask her out. Then you came along.”

“I’m not sorry, man. I mean, I get why you’d
hate to lose her, but killing people is not the answer.”

“I want to kill you, but it would break
Isa’s heart, and I don’t want her like that. I need her whole.
Killing your sluts will make her realize just who you really are,
and send her running to me when I call.”

“She knows I’m faithful to her. I hadn’t
touched Skylar in years, and Vicki’s my best friend. She’s one of
Isa’s best friends now, too.”

“No! This is my plan, and it will work the
way I want it to.”

His crazy train is going full throttle right
now, and I don’t know how to stop it without getting Vicki shot.
I’m looking for a solution that I don’t end up needing.

“Put the gun down, Creed,” Isa says,
leveling her own gun at him as she walks in the room from another
entrance.

“Isa. You’re not supposed to be here.”

“But I am, and you’re going to let my friend
go.”

“She’s not your friend. She wants him.”

“No, she doesn’t. And even if she did, he
only wants me. And I only want him.”

“He can’t love you like I can.”

“He loves me exactly how I need him to. Now
put the gun down, or you’ll force me to shoot you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

He pushes Vicki away, and then raises his
gun to his head. I shoot the gun out of his hand before he has a
chance to save himself from prison. “You’re going to jail today,
asshole, not the morgue.”

The police rush in and take him. Vicki gets
checked out while I pull Isa aside. I know she’s pissed at me
because she thinks I came alone, so I brace myself.

“Are you insane?”

“No.”

“You came alone to meet with a
murderer?”

“No.”

“No?”

“Aiden, Nate, and Theo are here.”

“Oh. You still should’ve told me.”

“I know how much stress you’re under with
the wedding and everything. I was going to tell you when I got
back.”

“If
you got back. What if he’d killed you?”

“We wouldn’t have let that happen Double G,”
Nate says, enveloping her in a hug.

“I guess not. You’re really taking the wind
out of my sails, you know. I was all ready to be angry.”

“You can knock me around later when we’re
alone,” I tell her, pulling her into my arms.

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Okay, and that’s our cue to leave,” Theo
says. “Catch you guys back in Vegas.”

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“Anytime, man. We can’t let our women have
all the fun,” Aiden says with a smirk.

“How did you figure it out?” I ask her when
they’re gone.

“Tegan thought it was a woman who wanted
you, but when she mentioned college campuses being used to post
things, something clicked. I remembered seeing that Creed would be
touring college campuses as part of some reality show. I know I’m
naïve, but I could tell he wanted more than friendship. He got
really angry when I told him I was seeing you. Ainsley traced him
to D.C., and when you said you were coming here, I knew something
was up.”

“You tracked me, didn’t you?”

“Yes, and aren’t you glad I did?”

“I had everything under control,” I lie. She
raises an eyebrow at me. “Or maybe not.”

“You’re lucky I love you Jake Mason.”

“I am very aware of that fact, Isabelle
Carlton.”

* * *

Isa

I look at myself in the mirror and can’t
believe this day has finally come. I look like a princess with my
dress that has a high lace back, but still gives me a little
cleavage with the straight neckline in the front. The bodice is
satin covered in lace, and the skirt is organza layers that flare
from my hips to the ground, making me look like I stepped out of a
fairytale. My hair is in a loose bun with some curls hanging down,
and I opted for no veil. I’m reaching for my pearl necklace when
Stella stops me.

“Jake left this for you,” she tells me,
handing me a jewelry box.

I open it to see yet another gorgeous piece
of jewelry from my man. This one is a strand of diamonds forming a
bow and then curving up to surround a giant light pink stone. “What
kind of gem is this?”

“I don’t know. Do you really care?”

“Not at all. It’s gorgeous.”

“It is. So is Jake. He’s smoking in his
suit.”

“If anyone else was saying that to me, I’d
slap them.”

“You know I’m not looking at him like
that.”

“Exactly.”

“Are you ready?” Vicki asks, handing me my
bouquet. It’s got pink and white roses and peonies, and a sparkly
handle thing. There’s probably a specific name for it, but I don’t
care enough to ask. Which is weird for me, but hey, I’m getting
married today.

“I am. You can go take your place with
Jake.”

“Thanks for letting me get ready with all of
you and wear one of these dresses. I wasn’t on board with the idea
of wearing a tux.” She’s Jake’s “best woman”, so I wanted her to
feel like part of the wedding party instead of wearing something
else.

“Of course. You know I love you.”

“I love you, too. I never thought Jake would
have a woman in his life who would accept our friendship, but I’m
glad he found you.”

“Me too.”

Everyone lines up, and they start walking
out. Our ceremony is happening in the Reading Room, which fits less
people than the Grand Hall. Jake and I only want our friends and
family with us for this part. The rest of the guests his mother
invited can join us for the reception, but this is our day, and
we’re doing it our way. Well, mostly my way, but I have asked Jake
about everything, and I even let him pick the cake flavor.
Chocolate with cream cheese frosting—no surprise from him
there.

We flew in the Drago sisters, and Eliza.
They used a rented kitchen to make the cake for us. No Society
woman will be married without a cake from them. The idea of it is
absurd to us. Over the years, they’ve become friends as well as our
bakers. Having them as part of our days is a given.

Gary Griffin offers me his arm, and we make
our way into the room. Stella wasn’t kidding. Jake looks hot in his
formal suit and pink tie. He’s got a big smile on his face, which
makes me realize that he likes what he’s seeing as well. We reach
him, and Gary gives him my hand.

The Supreme Court Justice who’s officiating
says all the words, and we say our “I Do’s.” We place our identical
bands on each other’s fingers, looking at the secret messages from
each other on the inside of them. The outside is platinum, and has
both of our fingerprints with an “&” symbol in between. We
found them online, and they’re perfect for us. I love my pink
diamond, but the band is more practical for my day to day life.

Jake dips me down into a dramatic kiss as
everyone claps. “I finally made an honest woman of you, Mrs.
Mason.”

“Honesty is the best policy, Mr. Mason.”

“I love you, Isa. More than anything.”

“I love more than anything, too, Jake. Thank
you for making all of my dreams come true.”

“It’s been my pleasure. And it’s going to be
yours once we can get away later.”

“Not mine. Ours. Always ours.”

“Yes, Forever ours, my love.”

Caleb

“You’re sure pink is okay? Isa had a pink
wedding. Is it too soon after for ours to be pink, too?”

Stella looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Teeg loves pink. It doesn’t matter if your weddings were on the
same day. We’d need to go pink.”

“Yeah, okay. I just want this all to be
perfect.”

“I’m planning it, aren’t I?”

“Were you ever humble? I mean, as a
kid?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. There’s nothing wrong
with being confident.”

“I guess.”

“Do I intimidate you with my awesomeness,
Caleb?”

Yes. “No. You’re my wife’s best friend. Why
would I be intimidated by you?”

“Maybe because I remember the names you
called her, and I’ll cut off your dick if you ever do that
again.”

My dick wants me to retreat now, and hide,
but Stella can sense fear. All of the Society women can. I raise my
chin and look her in the eye. “We both know that will never happen
again.”