My wedding day. It should be a day filled with joy, excitement and dreams being fulfilled. Instead, it’s raining and the dark clouds outside seem like a beacon for evil. Evil that’s threatening me at every turn. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Michael or his goon, Donald. I’m anticipating the sound of gunfire and having dead bodies littering the church pews. These are not the visions a bride should have the day of her wedding.

I look in the mirror at my princess dress, fixing my hair one last time in the style that Dani and I had decided on. Dani. I don’t want to get married worried and scared about what is happening to her. I want her with me. Dragon told me to trust him. He told me to put this on his shoulders and just go through with the wedding. He’s convinced that we can do anything together, I love him and don’t want to disappoint him. So, I’m standing here at Faith Baptist Church, looking in a mirror at my perfect dress, and preparing to walk down the aisle to the man I love. My hands are shaking at the thought. Not because of bridal nerves, no, that would be too normal…I’m going against direct orders from Michael. What will he do to retaliate? It’s a situation no woman should have to face. How can I get married to Dragon with everything going on with Dani? Can I disappoint Dragon, knowing I love him with everything inside of me, and he’s convinced this is the right thing to do?

Before I can get lost in more dismal thoughts, there’s a quiet knock at the door. I turn around just as it opens, and Carrie is standing there in her pink bridesmaid dress, holding her bouquet of white roses. The opposite of mine, since I have pink roses for my bouquet. She really is beautiful. Dani and I decided to go sleek and sexy with the bridesmaid dresses, and I really love them. She’s also holding a small blue box with a matching ribbon on it.

“You look gorgeous!” she says and it makes me smile.

“I was just about to say the same about you. Dancer will flip when he sees you.”

“I’m heading that way to show him. This was delivered to our room instead of yours and it has your name on it. It’s a Tiffany box, so I thought it might be something you want before your wedding.”

“Really? I wasn’t expecting anything.”

“I bet Dragon wanted to surprise you,” she says, handing the box to me. There’s no tag on it, other than the signature Tiffany blue box and ribbon.

“Damn! Care Bear, how am I supposed to let you walk down the aisle looking like that?”

I look up to see Dancer and Dragon come to the door. My eyes lock with Dragon’s. I see the worry etched in his face, and I hate that I put it there. I can’t change it though, and the fact that he has now seen me before the ceremony on our wedding day just jumps out at me. Like we need any more bad luck.

“Dragon! You’re not supposed to see me!”

“Bullshit, you’re mine. I want to see you, then I see you.”

Damn man is so irritatingly cocky. It’s a good thing I love him.

“It’s bad enough we slept together last night. God knows we don’t need any more bad luck.”

“Woman, you are not spending a night out of my bed. It’s not happening. Same with the other shit. We’re not going to listen to old wives’ tales.”

I just shake my head. I could talk until I’m blue in the face, and it wouldn’t do any good.

“Care Bear, I got something I want to talk to you about. Come outside with me for a bit by the church gazebo.”

“Something you want to talk to me about?” Carrie asks, and I laugh as I watch Dancer move his eyebrows back and forth.

“Let’s go outside and we’ll talk about the first thing that pops up.”

Carrie seems confused for a minute and then slaps him playfully on the arm.

“You’re like a giant kid,” she says, but I notice she lets him lead her from the room.

They laugh and joke as they leave, and I smile. I’m glad they finally seem to be happy. I look up at Dragon and the smile freezes on my face. He’s tense and worried. I’ve seen that look too many times to mistake it now.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, baby, I was just checking on you, I needed to see you.”

He’s lying. I know it. I decide to let him get away with it.

“No word on the men you have searching for Dani?”

He shakes his head, and even though I knew the answer before I asked, the response still hurts.

“Come outside with me for a little bit. The men want to check the rooms and everything to make sure it’s safe.”

My world stops.

“Why wouldn’t it be safe?” I question, my voice coming out squeaky, and fear is bleeding through the words.

“One of the cameras picked up Kavanagh’s goon. I want to make sure he didn’t leave us any surprises.”

My heart picks up in speed at his answer. I grab my bouquet and the Tiffany box and let him lead me from the room.

“I told you we should have waited, Dragon. He told me not to go through with this.”

“I told you, I’ll handle him. I just have to find the son of a bitch first, and I will.”

I want to argue. It won’t do any good and to be honest, I’m just worn out. I think the term emotionally-drained applies well here.

“So much for a happy wedding. This is the wrong thing to do, Dragon.” Okay, so I’m a bitch, and I can’t help but voice my opinion for the hundredth time, just like I have for the last two days, even though he refuses to listen to me.

“Mama, damn it.”

I just shake my head. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to fight with him on our wedding day either. I decide to concentrate on something else. I look down at the Tiffany box I’m holding in my hand.

“What did you get me? The delivery man had it delivered to the wrong room, Carrie just brought it to me.”

“I didn’t get you anything Mama, maybe it’s from your…”

It takes me a minute to undo the lid because I’m holding my bouquet in one hand, but I finally get it. Dragon stops talking, or my scream drowns him out. It was one of those, because lying there in the blue Tiffany backdrop is a finger. A finger. Worse, I recognize the bright red nail polish. It’s Dani’s finger.

Dragon takes the box from my hand. He’s talking but his words are just blurred out by the bile churning in my stomach and begging for release. I can’t make his face out through my tears. I knew this would happen. I knew it. I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. He begged me to put my faith in him, and I did and now look what I’ve done. Oh God, what did I do?

My bouquet drops to the ground, as people start making their way to us. I love Dragon. Right now, I long to wrap my arms around him, begging him to take me away. I can’t. I did this, we did this. I just keep replaying Michael’s words in my head. I should have listened. I didn’t. Dragon’s pleading with me, but I can’t ignore this. I don’t have a choice. I want to run to him but I can’t.

I run away.