Cage guffawed. Viking tried to look stern and failed. Cash glared.

“Fine,” he said. “Wouldn’t be the first time we did this shit for a mission.”

Ella’s gaze darted between the three of them, but she didn’t say anything. Cash wanted to apologize for the idiocy of his teammates, but he was too busy frowning at them. Finally he shook himself and turned to her.

“It’s okay, Ella. They’re razzing me. Viking and Cage are both married and they think it’s funny to yank my chain because I’ve told them I’m never getting married. Isn’t that right, assholes?”

Viking sucked in a breath and wiped his eyes. Dude was so amused he’d been crying. Jesus.

“Not a joke, Money,” he said. “You and Ella are getting married. For real.”

Cash’s guts turned to ice. They weren’t kidding with him. “What the fuck?”

“Hey, watch your mouth around our guest. She’s a princess, man.”

Cash was ready to strangle somebody. “Then explain what the hell is going on. Married for real? Why?”

“It’s the only way,” Viking said, spreading his hands. “We’ve talked about it and tried to think of other options, but it’s the only way to protect her. And you, you idiot. The story in the news is that you kidnapped her, though nobody seems to have provided you with a reason for doing so. They say you want a ransom, but how the hell did you know where to find her in the first place?” He shook his head. “Anyway, you’re a kidnapper in the national narrative. No amount of explaining is going to fix this. But if the two of you were eloping? Yeah, explains everything.”

A grenade detonated in his brain. His thoughts scrambled. He tried to examine the situation from all angles—but he couldn’t figure out another way. Another explanation.

Oh holy shit, he’d doomed himself. He’d saved Ella from that goon and doomed himself. Because Viking was right. What other way could they deflect the attention from him? Her family had money. Sheikh Fahd had money. If they insisted that Cash had kidnapped their princess, who would believe he hadn’t? His guys would. The colonel would.

But that wasn’t enough, because they had missions to do and no time for the huge distraction his arrest would make. He could almost hear the staff meeting on this one yesterday. Fuck…

“So you’re saying we get married for real, and that explains everything?”

“Almost everything. Sure.”

“How did I meet her? How the hell did we form a relationship?”

“Not important right now.”

Ella hadn’t said anything. He turned to her. She was watching them all with a frown on her face. She looked small and cute—and regal. How had that happened? She was a woman in a flannel shirt and sweatpants way too big for her, and she looked like a queen.

Or maybe that was his imagination running wild because she was a princess.

“Ella?”

Her expression hardened. He didn’t know what that was about. Instead of telling him, she turned to Viking. “Is this situation only to protect Cash, or are you intending to help me too?”

“You’ll be his wife. We’ll protect you.”

“For how long?”

“As long as it takes.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Cash said, hands in the air. “I’m not getting married forever. There has to be an end to this scheme. A target date for a divorce or annulment or something.”

“We’ll figure that out as we go,” Viking said. “It’s too soon to set an expiration date. First we have to get you two married and get the cops off your trail. Then we have to make sure Ella’s family doesn’t try to interfere.”

“They will never give up,” Ella said, and Cash’s blood ran cold. He’d worry about that later.

“And where are we eloping to?” Cash asked, stamping his fury down until it glowed white-hot inside him.

“Where do you think? Vegas, baby.”

“There is a problem,” Ella said, and they all swung around to look at her.

Her soft pink lips were parted slightly. The lower one trembled and she licked it. Cash hated the way his balls tightened. He shot a look at the guys. If either of them had the same reaction, he’d stomp them into the ground. But they merely looked politely interested in what she had to say.

“I have no identification,” Ella said. “No passport. How can I get married?”

Viking snorted. “Don’t worry, Ella. We’ve got that covered.”

“I don’t understand.”

Cash shook his head. He had to get into this game or he’d be standing around like a fucking idiot for the rest of the day. “Fake IDs, Ella. We’ll make you one.”

HOT made counterfeit IDs so damned good they made the real ones look fake.

“But the marriage won’t be legitimate. My aunt and uncle will know it. So will Sheikh Fahd.”

“No, that’s not quite right. We’re replacing any identification you had,” Viking said. “Whatever your aunt and uncle are holding will be illegitimate. Colonel Mendez will make sure your prior credentials are declared lost. What we produce will be the real deal.”

Cage spoke up in his Cajun accent. “We need to get going, mon amis. We can keep discussing it in the car, yeah?”

Cash grabbed his duffel. Ella stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes downcast. He let his gaze drift down to the floor—and realized she had no shoes. Hell, she had no clothes other than his. It made him angry for some reason.

“We’re going to need to get Ella some clothes,” he said. “So plan a stop along the way.”

Cage shook his head. “No can do, man. But we’ll have something waiting for her on the plane.”

Cash frowned. “Plane?”

“Did you think we were chauffeuring your ass to Nevada? Hawk’s wife is performing in Vegas. You’re catching a ride with them.”

Of course. After Hawk had married his pop-star wife, he’d eventually left HOT to start his own security business. They provided security services to high-end customers, but Hawk was still HOT to his bones.

Once HOT, always HOT. When Colonel Mendez had been on the run from the US government, it was Hawk and his resources that allowed HOT to help their commanding officer. They’d been stood down, their missions ended across the globe, but Hawk had provided them with what they needed. That he was helping out now was no surprise—but it also got Cash a bit in the feels.

HOT was the best family he had. He’d say the only family, but he had a half sister who’d somehow managed not to inherit her mother’s dislike of him. He didn’t talk to her often, but when he did, she was bubbly and sweet.

Viking’s phone pinged with a text. “Let’s roll,” he said. “We’ve got to hustle to make it to Dulles.”

Cash frowned at Ella. “Where’s the dress?”

“I left it in the bathroom.”

“You didn’t want to harm the dress, but you’re leaving it behind? After all that angst over it?”

“I didn’t think there’d be any room.”

Cash tipped his head at Cage. “Can you get her wedding dress?”

“Sure.”

Cash closed the distance between him and Ella. She had to tilt her head back at a sharp angle to look up at him. He wanted to kiss those pretty lips, but he wouldn’t. If she weren’t so young and inexperienced, maybe he would.

Maybe.

“I’ll carry you to the car,” he said, and her eyes widened.

“I can walk.”

“It’s wet out and you don’t have any shoes.”

She dropped her gaze, and he found himself wanting to tip her chin up again so he could see what was in those eyes. Was she frightened of him? Or just shy? It bothered him that it could be the former. He just didn’t know. And now wasn’t the time to ask.

Jesus. He was marrying this woman. For real. It staggered him. No wonder his teammates were so damned amused.

Viking took the duffel from his shoulder. Cash could have carried it and her, but he appreciated the gesture. He swept her up. She was so damned light. He had a moment of raw anger at the bitch of an aunt who’d controlled Ella’s food intake so severely.

Ella was small, but she was all angles. She should have more meat on her bones. Her arms went around his neck, but she wouldn’t look at him. His gaze dropped to her throat and the pulse hammering there. Wouldn’t take much to put his lips against that pulse. Caress it with his tongue.

Cage returned with the dress, and they went outside to the big black Suburban. Ella and Cash sat in the back while Cage and Viking went up front.

It would take about two and a half hours to reach Dulles. Then a few hours to Vegas. They could be married by nightfall. Cash shoved a hand into his hair and propped his head on his hand with his elbow against the window.

Not exactly how he’d planned to spend this weekend. And definitely not how he planned to spend the rest of his life. It was temporary. An arrangement. It’d be over before he knew it.