As the last words of the song left his lips, Jimmy realized tears had been running down his face. He gasped softly, his soul returning to his body from the heavens above and his heart aching when he saw Cold’s expression.
Cold’s eyes were damp with a glimmer of tears, tears that he casually brushed aside before reaching for Jimmy’s hand. He had never looked so vulnerable, so human, and Jimmy was deeply touched.
There was hardly a dry eye in the house, and a roar of applause drowned out the happy sniffles.
Cold squeezed Jimmy’s hand and kissed his wrist, dropping his voice down to murmur, “That was extraordinary, my love.”
Jimmy beamed, afraid to speak because he was certain he would burst into tears. He nodded earnestly, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. “Thank you,” he managed to whisper. “Thank you so much.”
“And now, Roderick,” the priest said warmly, “you have some vows that you’ve written for Jimmy?”
“Yes,” Cold said, reaching into his pocket for a small slip of paper and his glasses.
Jimmy’s eyes widened, blinking rapidly. He had no idea that Cold had prepared his own vows, and he was dying to hear them. He tightened his grip on Cold’s hand, grinning like a total fool.
“Jimmy,” Cold began, “when we first met, I knew—”
“You fuckin’ son of a bitch! You’re dead!” a hoarse voice screamed, the crowd erupting into panic and several people shrieking in terror.
Jimmy’s head snapped over to see Luigi Luchesi standing at the back of the garden by the conservatory door with a rifle in his hand. Fear seized Jimmy’s heart, and he wanted to throw up. This couldn’t be real.
This wasn’t happening.
It couldn’t be.
There were at least four more men with guns now, all of them aimed right at Cold and Jimmy.
Time slowed down to an agonizing crawl, Jimmy frozen to the spot as he watched the Gentlemen leap into action. Jules moved to stand in front of them as a human shield, Tamerlane vanished around the edge of a row of chairs and into the frantic crowd, while Pym pulled Thirdsies out of the way.
“Get down, Jimmy,” Cold urged calmly, grabbing Jimmy and pushing him down onto the floor. “Close your eyes.”
The last thing Jimmy saw was Lorre tackling Rowena as she was in the middle of throwing her shoe at one of the gunmen. He heard six gunshots popping off in rapid succession, and everyone started screaming.
Jimmy was certain he was going to be sick, clinging to Cold and panting erratically. He didn’t know who had fired or who had been hit, and he began crying softly as the wave of terrified shouting continued to rage.
“Thomas Eastwick, FBI!” Charlie’s voice called out, trying to make himself heard over the frightened roar. “Everyone please remain calm!”
No one remained calm.
Everyone was trying to rush through the doors, many people getting practically trampled in the process.
“Time to go,” Cold grunted, sweeping Jimmy into his arms. “Don’t look, Jimmy. Don’t look.”
Jimmy dared to open his eyes, spying one of the gunmen dead on the floor. He saw Tamerlane, quick as ever, sliding a pistol into Charlie’s hand and disappearing back into the crowd. He didn’t see what had happened to the other attackers, shutting his eyes again.
Cold carried Jimmy to a rear exit of the conservatory, whispering urgently, “Everyone is all right. Your father, Maury, Rowena. Everyone is okay, I promise you.”
“The, the guns! Those men—”
“The last of the Luchesi family and their supporters,” Cold soothed.
“A trap,” Jimmy realized out loud. “You used our wedding as a trap to draw them all out.”
“Yes,” Cold confirmed, whisking Jimmy outside where Jerry was waiting with the limo.
Jimmy was having the absolute worst case of déjàvu, his anxiety turning to anger. He pushed his way out of Cold’s arms, jumping into the limo by himself and sitting as far away from Cold as he could. “You lied to me!”
“I did not lie,” Cold calmly retorted, leaning back in his usual spot and giving Jimmy his space. He waved at Jules to shut the door, sighing, “I told you that there were things I had to keep from you, things you didn’t need to know, but I did not lie.”
