I was the epitome of polite social grace in public. An expert at pleasing the press. I’d had to be. And as I waved at the cameras snapping photos and zooming in, all I could think was:Get me out of here.
“Shepard! Over here, Shepard!”
“Looking gorgeous as always, Shep!”
“Shepard, are you here with anyone?”
And that was my cue to leave.
I made my way up the stairs—solo—as Lucien and Kai exited the car, and when I stepped inside the enormous church doors, I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t expected the press to recognize me—my face was one of the most famous in the world—but for the first time in years I wasn’t sure I could mask the emotions roiling under the surface.
I was off my game, had been for a while now, and when you were hiding secrets as deep and volatile as I was, that was dangerous. Emotions made you vulnerable, and the last thing I needed was someone catching me unawares on camera.
King would just love that.
But fuck him.
“Wow,” Kai said, beaming as Lucien pulled him in tight to his side. “I thought the outside of the church was beautiful, but this isbreathtaking.”
He stared up the long aisle that was awash in white flowers, silk ribbons, and lace, where people sat in pews dressed to the nines. The sun shone through the stained-glass windows and dappled the guests in sunlight, and while I’d been in churches and castles much bigger than this one, he wasn’t wrong. There was something ethereal about the sight.
“Mr. Winchester?” An usher stopped by the three of us, and I gave a clipped nod. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your seats.”
“Just a moment, please,” came a soft female voice from behind me, and I turned to see Princess Jacqueline, the mother of the groom, looking at me with eyes laced with worry.
Shit.That wasn’t a good sign.
She forced a smile at the usher and took my arm, casually walking us away for privacy. “You haven’t seen Theo, have you?”
And there it was. I was going to kill him.
I took a slow, measured breath. “Where is he supposed to be?”
“With the other groomsmen, but no one’s seen him all morning, and I?—”
I put my hand over hers. “I’ll take care of it.”
Relief filled her face and she nodded. “Thank you. I knew if anyone could, it would be you. You’re such a good friend to Theo.”
She might not think that after I murder him.
After passing her off to Lucien, who waited nearby with a look that told me he’d been wrong about hoping our resident troublemaker would behave today of all days, I slipped through a side door and let instinct guide me.
I should’ve gotten here sooner. Hell, I should’ve watched Theo’s every waking minute leading up to today knowing how unnerved he got around his family—particularly his brother. Today being his brother’s big day was a recipe for disaster. But meetings and prior engagements had prevented me from arriving earlier, which meant “babysitter” really should’ve been a job King gave to someone else.
Because now we had an MIA Theo, but I’d be damned if there was anything in life I failed at—finding that pain in my ass included.
2
THEO
“WOULD YOU PLEASE put that out and fix your tie? Or are you trying to make me late for my own wedding?”
I took a deep drag of my kretek and held it in, in an effort not to say something I’d regret.
But where was the fun in that?
