Lethal

Besides, I have a few things to get done at the new house. I also have a ton of things to do for the wedding. I have no idea how Bean is planning her wedding in six months. It took five months for my dress to arrive at the dress shop alone.

Felix has grumbled about Noah rushing to get married before him a few times. I think he’s only teasing. Our wedding is just a few months behind theirs.

I feel like there’s still so much to be done. Thank God, I didn’t decide to get married in Ireland. I think I would have lost my mind. My career hasn’t slowed down nearly as much as I thought it would.

In all honesty, my life is the craziest it has ever been. I think the world has broken into wedding fever. There was Braxton and Heather’s wedding in Vegas. Noah and Bean’s wedding will be in four months and Lakia has asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding.

She and Parker aren’t wasting any time. I told my girl her time was coming. I’m so happy for her. Jake Parker is fine too. We know I have a weakness for men in glasses.

Yup, these weddings are piling up and so is my work load. I thought my work was done with the movie. Not even. It’s just starting. There’s the entire media roll out that has to be done now that the movie will be coming out in a few months.

I sometimes feel like an outsider when it comes to Nellie, Heather, Bean, and Kamara. Not that they don’t welcome me in. I’m just always so busy, I miss out on so much. I’ve been trying. The truth is, I get to spend the most time with them when I go to the gun range at the office.

Go figure.

Movies, books, wedding—I’d be excited if I wasn’t so darn exhausted. I have two books I need to focus on in the next two months. If I can find a bit of time to myself, I’ll get lost in those and crank them out.

Maybe that’s why I feel this pull to let my parents have some time with Dae-Dae. Though, something else is nagging at me. I rub at my chest to get the humming sensation to ease. It’s like nerves or anxiety.

The phone rings in the car, startling me. When I look to see it’s Felix, I smile. I get the feeling he’s up to something. All of the brothers are. I had lunch with Heather and Nellie and we picked up on our men acting a bit strange.

“Hey, babe,” I chirp into the phone as I answer.

“Hey, baby. I miss you,” he purrs into the phone, causing me to smile from ear to ear while squirming at the sound of his voice.

“Oh yeah? I was hoping you could help me out with this scene I’m working on,” I reply.

“What do you need?”

I can hear the smile in his voice. He knows exactly the type of help I’m looking for. He’ll enjoy it as much as I know I will.

“I was toying with the idea of a little rope play. Not sure, but I’m thinking honey should be involved somehow,” I muse.

“Who’s doing the bonding?”

“Oh, this hero is all alpha. He has taken control from the beginning,” I laugh.

“I’m on it. I’ll stop for some honey and a few other things I think will help out,” he croons. “How far are you from the house?”

“Why ask questions you know the answer to?” I teasingly grumble. “You and I both know you have a tracker on me and Dashawn. You probably know what color my panties are and what I had for lunch. I don’t know if I should be creeped out or turned on.”

“We both know your pussy is wet and waiting,” he says smoothly. “I don’t have access to my equipment. How far are you?”

I frown. Felix is never far from his laptop and devices. Yup, this dude is so up to something. I have a million questions I know he won’t answer.

“I’m actually turning into the gate,” I reply.

“Alright, I’m stopping at the store. I’ll be there in a bit. Love you, Kaye.”

“Love you too. See you soon.”

I don’t stop smiling as I grab my purse and step out of my car. I start to mentally plan the rest of the night. Work is forgotten. I want to be cradled in the arms of my man for a few hours.

That is until something in the house catches my eye. I have my key in the lock, ready to turn it, until I notice something is off. The sun is starting to set so the automatic lights have come on outdoors. However, Felix has the lights inside set to turn on when you enter the house. I haven’t pushed the door open.

Yet, I can see lights flicking inside. I squint to make sure I’m seeing right. I don’t think twice, reaching in my bag I grab Maggie.

That’s what I named the gun Noah gave me, what seems like years ago. I take comfort in her weight in my palm. In the back of my mind, I know I should get back into the car and call Felix.

Still, something draws me into the house. I press the button on the alarm system that shuts off the automatic light function and notifies Felix that something is wrong. I know when he gets the alert he’ll fly home.

Although, when I step inside the lights still come on. I curse in frustration, my face twisting in confusion. The red light lit up on the key fab. It should’ve worked.

“You’re home!” a voice cheers excitedly.

I know that voice.

I turn to find a woman dressed in the exact bridesmaid gown I picked a month ago. The same blue, the same style. Just a bit ill fitting. When I take in her feet, she’s wearing the same exact shoes I picked with the girls and my mom.

“Oh, where are my manners. You’ve never seen my face. It’s me, Bonnie,” she chirps.

My face compresses. All the pictures I’ve seen of Bonnie were of a black woman, tall and slender. Standing before me is a woman that looks nothing like the profile pics from social media. She is shorter than me, a bit on the plump side and her hair is dyed a platinum blonde.

There’s a crazy look in her eyes and something off about the way she keeps twitching. Her hands and arms are covered in henna tattoos. This is a scene straight out of one of those crazy movies. She doesn’t even seem to flinch at the gun I have pointed at her.

“What are you doing in my home?” I hiss.

“Honey, I know how much you need my help. There’s still so much to do. I picked up your dress. I thought you could try it on, we could drink a bottle of wine, and then I could henna your hands.

“If you like it, we can do it for the other girls the weekend of the wedding. I think I finally got it down,” she says, nodding her head at her own words.

“What? You have my wedding dress? How did you get in here?”

“I told you. I’ve been watching and waiting to step in. I finally figured out the system. That Felix is a smart one. This place is amazing by the way,” she replies.

“My fiancé will be here any minute. I tripped the alarm. You need to go,” I say.

“No, you didn’t silly. I bypassed that feature. It took me a while to read and learn how. It was quite easy after some practice. Oh my God, Kaye,” she gushes. “I read what you’ve written for Wilson. I love it. We have to talk about where you’re taking his story. He’s my new favorite.”

I feel so validated. This woman has been in my home, read through my work. She has been watching my life obviously. Oh God. My son could have been here with me.

“You need to leave now,” I say more forcefully.

“Stop it! Stop it! Stop!” she hollers pulling her own gun out of nowhere. “We are friends. You can’t ignore me anymore. I’m here for you.”

This situation has just escalated from one to a thousand. I try to keep my head. I start to hear Noah’s voice in my ear.

“You always keep calm. You control the situation.”

I lick my dry lips. I have a son and fiancé I need to survive for. Felix said he was on his way after making a stop. I just have to make it that long.

“Okay, okay, we can figure this out,” I say softly.

Dear god, please help me.

A Fan

She is starting to see it my way. I knew she would. I’ve gone through so much to get here. I’ve prepared for this day. I’m finally here. Kaye Blaze is standing before me.

“We…we were friends, right? Why did that change? We talked all the time,” I say.

“Things have been so busy. Service wasn’t so great when I was in Ireland. Then I’ve been busy since I’ve been back,” Kaye replies with a smile.

“You have such a pretty smile,” I say. “We should really pick different shoes for the wedding. These are so uncomfortable.”

I kick off the too tight heels. They’re killing my feet. I wanted Kaye to see me in the dress. That stupid clerk kept telling me they couldn’t get it in my size. I’m thinking of dying my hair dark for the wedding.

“Are we straightening your hair for the wedding. It’s so pretty straight. You should wear it down more. I like it wild and curly too. You seem to like those messy buns,” I muse.

“We can look through some of the magazines I have for ideas,” Kaye replies.

“Oh, yes, I brought some more with me. You know what I was thinking. You should totally take one of the wedding themes from your books. It would be so amazing. You think Felix would agree?”

“We have to ask him. Bonnie, don’t you think—”

“My name is not Bonnie!” I yell at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she coos.

“You’re full of shit. Stop talking to me like that,” I blink a few times trying to focus.

This isn’t going the way I planned. The candles are melting down and the wine I poured is going to be warm. I hate warm wine.

“Put the gun down, please,” Kaye says, interrupting my thoughts.

“You put the gun down. I’m here to be your friend and you have a gun pointed at me. This is not how you start a friendship, Kaye.”

“How about we both put them down,” she replies.

“No, I don’t think we’re ready for that. You don’t trust me. Lisa ruined the trust you had in me. This is all her fault,” I growl. “Don’t fucking move!”

I raise my gun higher. I don’t like her moving closer to me. I want her to stay right where she is.

“I just thought we could go and sit and talk this out. It’s been a long day. It looks like both of our feet are hurting and tired,” she says, that smile back in place.

“No, no, no,” I reply.

“I’m sorry. What is your name again?”

“I never told you my name,” I hiss.

“Well, my real name is Kaye Porter. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I know your real name. I know everything about you. My…my name is Mona. I’m your biggest fan.”

“I’m honored, Mona. I have a few books upstairs. I’d love to get a few to sign for you,” she offers.

I’m shaking with anger. My finger wraps around the trigger. I hate the tone she’s using with me.

I hate it.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! You’re doing it again. Stop talking to me like that. I’m not crazy. You’re talking to me like I’m crazy. I can hear it in your voice,” I rage.

Bang.

I gasp at the loud sound moments before realization hits. This didn’t go the way I planned at all. This has gone totally wrong.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. I’m sorry, Kaye. It’s all ruined.

Felix

What Nellie didn’t know was that she was being set up to find out what all of the girls wanted, including herself. When Kaye said she was taking Dae-Dae to stay with her parents for the weekend, I figured it was the perfect time to surprise her.

I was going to wait, but I couldn’t after Toby sent pictures of the car her got for Kamara. I still don’t know how he managed to pull that off as fast as he did. I mean, it took a little work but it wasn’t easy getting Kaye a powder blue Aston Martin on such short notice.

I know she’s going to love it. I can’t wait to see her face. This is just one of the many ways I plan to spoil Kaye for the rest of her life.

“What the fuck?”

The front door of the house is sitting wide open. I look at my phone, but there are no alerts flashing on my screen. The alarm should have tripped to notify me and all the males in my family that something is wrong at my place.

Maybe Kaye is taking packages inside or something.

I know that’s bullshit even as I think it. Something is wrong. I berate myself mentally. I should’ve patched the system into Kaye’s new car before I started home. I was just in such a rush to get to her.

It wouldn’t have taken me long to do it. I can’t believe I didn’t listen to my gut. I would have had eyes on the house on my way in, the way I always do.

I rush out of the car and race to the front door. Not knowing what I’ll find inside, my guns are already drawn. With getting involved in this Alliance shit, I shouldn’t be slacking at all.

“Baby?” I choke in confusion. The smell of gunfire permeates my nose. “Holy shit, baby.”

I drop to my knees beside Kaye, pulling her into my arms. She’s ice cold. I know instantly she’s gone into shock. I look over her head at the lifeless body on the floor.

Mona Richards.

Bonnie was an alias. She’s wanted in several states for credit card and check fraud, identity theft, and she’s a suspect in a few missing persons cases. I’ve been tracking her for weeks now. I couldn’t let it go after the things Kia told us.

I was just one move from finding her. The trail went cold a few months ago. She’s been lying extremely low. I guess now I know why.

“Shh, baby, shh,” I soothe a sobbing Kaye.

“I…I killed someone,” she sobs out.

“In self-dense. You did what you had to do,” I reassure her.

“She was irrational. Her finger was on the trigger. I saw the shot and took it. I…I. Felix, I shot her,” she gasps and sobs.

“Shh, baby. I’ll take care of it. You know I always take care of it.”

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dial Toby first. His house is the closest to mine. He’ll get here the fastest. When he answers the line, I say all that needs to be said.

“I need you.”

“I’m there,” he replies.

“Never a dull moment,” I mutter to myself, dialing Noah next.