"Nothing about this is easy," Julia muttered.
"Welcome to my world." Stone's smile was sharp. "If it all comes together, we should have an appointment with a judge this afternoon. That gives us at least four hours to get everything in place."
"And after the courthouse?" I asked.
"After the courthouse, you're legally married. Spousal privilege kicks in. You're protected—at least on paper." He headed for the door, then paused. "Try to enjoy it. The ceremony might be rushed, but it still counts."
After he left, Serenity stood. "I'll call Isobel.” Her brows drew together and she looked at Julia. “Your legal name. Is it Russell or Russo?”
“Russo. Julia Sofia Russo.”
“Got it. I’ll make sure it’s right. Congratulations, you two. Even if the circumstances are completely insane." She smiled warmly. "I'm happy for you."
Then it was just Julia and me in my office, the weight of what we were about to do settling over us.
"Four hours until we're married," she said.
"Legally, at least."
"It counts." She squeezed my hand. "Stone was right about that."
"Are you scared?" I asked.
"Not about marrying you. But I’m terrified of Carlo, of whoever's trying to kill us, of standing in a courthouse and making promises I desperately want to keep but might not live long enough to honor." She paused. "You?"
"Same. But also—" I pulled her closer. "Also excited. Because in four hours, you'll be my wife. Really, truly my wife. And whatever comes after—Carlo, the killer, the wedding trap—we face it together."
Her lips parted. "Yup. A true partnership.”
“I like the sound of that.”
We sat there for a moment, just breathing, just being.
Then Julia straightened, all business again. "We should call Carlo. Get it over with."
"You want to do it now?"
"Better now than after we're married. At least this way, if he threatens to kill you, it won't technically be fratricide yet."
My brows dipped. "That's comforting."
"I'm a comforting person."
I shook my head. “You want me to call him, or do you want to?”
Her eyes widened. “You go ahead.”
“Chicken.” I pulled out my phone. "On speaker?"
"Definitely." She moved closer so we could both hear.
I dialed Carlo's number. It rang twice.
"Quentin." Carlo's voice was flat. Dangerous. "I hope you have information for me."
Julia leaned toward the phone. "Hi, Carlo."
Silence. Then: "Julia? Why are you on this call?"
