Beautifully Brutal (Southern Boy Mafia #1) (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

One order of what they’re having, please.

Present Day

Saturday, May 16th

Courtney wiped at a tear that escaped when Marissa said her vows to Trace, hoping the cameras wouldn’t catch her emotional battle as she stood behind her best friend, holding her bouquet for her while Marissa pledged her undying, eternal love to the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

It was sweet, there was no doubt about that, but that didn’t mean Courtney wasn’t counting down the minutes until they were finished. The couple looked so happy, so in love. And though Courtney had already fast-forwarded—at least in her mind—to the part where she could sneak off to a corner and indulge in too much wine for the remainder of the day, she was still happy for her friend and her brother.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

Thank God.

Courtney whistled along with the others when Trace planted his lips on his new bride’s and dipped her backward, kissing her senseless.

Everyone got to their feet, clapping and whistling, sharing the couple’s beautiful moment.

Married.

Trace and Marissa were finally married.

Before the joyful couple could rush back up the aisle, Courtney pressed Marissa’s bouquet into her hands and hugged her tightly.

“I’m so happy for you,” she whispered, kissing Marissa on the cheek. “Enjoy this day.”

“I will,” Marissa said, tears in her eyes.

Marissa quickly turned back to Trace, taking his hand before they headed back up the aisle they’d come down just a short time ago.

Courtney remained standing, watching the excitement with her fourteen-year-old niece, Shelby—who’d been a bridesmaid—and watched the mayhem that ensued. Jayden came over to join them, her eyes red from what Courtney assumed had been her own tears. Weddings did that to people.

It was definitely a happy day.

For some.

“You coming inside?” Shelby asked as the young girl stepped forward.

“In a minute,” Courtney told her, patting her arm gently. “Go, enjoy yourself. Take Jayden. Keep her in line.”

Jayden smirked, then turned to follow Shelby.

Rather than standing out like a sore thumb and inviting questions she didn’t have answers to, Courtney blended into the group, smiling and chatting with everyone as they made their way inside the lodge—a fancy hotel-like place that handled everything that the wedding party and guests could possibly need—where the reception would ensue.

Once they’d all made it in, some twenty minutes later, Courtney made a beeline for the bar. As she stood there, considering her options, she decided to forego the wine in lieu of something a little stronger.

“Vodka and seven, please,” she told the bartender. “Make it a double.”

“Goin’ for the hard stuff already?”

Courtney turned at the sound of her father’s voice, smiling up at him.

“You okay?”

“Of course,” she said in a tone that dared him to challenge her.

Based on the way he watched her, he didn’t believe her, but Courtney had no intention of trying to convince him. Today was a good day, one that should be spent celebrating. The last thing she wanted to do was bring anyone down.

“I’m fine,” she repeated.

“Good. I’m gonna want you to save a dance for me later.” Surprisingly, Casper kissed her on the forehead and sauntered off in the opposite direction, leaving Courtney by herself.

She knew that had been her father’s way of telling her to stay put. He wouldn’t tell her directly that she couldn’t disappear; however, he wasn’t above his less-than-subtle request.

Not that Courtney intended to go anywhere. Marissa was her best friend, and Trace was her brother. She wanted to celebrate this moment with them, and she was bound and determined to keep a smile plastered on her face. No matter how hard it was. If only for a few hours, she could do this. She needed to get her mind off everything else. And what better way to do it than spending it with her family and friends, celebrating two people being in love.

Taking the drink the bartender passed over to her, she lifted the glass to her lips and drank deeply. When she’d consumed the entire glass in a less-than-ladylike move, she turned back to him. “Another, please.”

His eyebrows lifted slightly, but he turned to get her another.

Maybe if she got shit-faced drunk, some of these people’s happiness would seep into her and she wouldn’t feel like such a fraud.

And if not, then at least she could hope the alcohol would be enough to numb her.

For eternity.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Staying away … no longer an option. So there’s only one way to do this.

“Are you sure you still want to do this?” Ashlynn asked as the limo pulled away from his sister’s sprawling estate.

Max smiled. “A little late to ask that now, don’t you think?”

Ashlynn laughed, but he didn’t sense any humor in the tone.

Of Max’s three brothers and two sisters, Ashlynn had always been the one who could read him so well. Although she was three years younger than he was, they were extremely close. Then again, they were a close-knit family. Some families opted to go into medicine together in order to make the world a better place. Some chose politics. Some chose simply to love one another and lead simple, unsuspecting lives. Max’s family chose to keep the economy moving along, and they did it together.

Just because they weren’t saints didn’t mean they didn’t care for one another. Sure, they fought, and their arguments sometimes included bullets and certainly threats, but underneath it all, they were there for each other.

Considering how standoffish their parents were, it’d been a means of survival growing up. Samuel and Genevieve weren’t what some would consider good role models, and Max wasn’t referring to the death and mayhem that shrouded them. Nor had they been overly affectionate toward their kids, and definitely not to one another. As far as relationships went, it was clear that Samuel and Genevieve hated each other. With a fucking passion.

And now, thanks to his father’s revelation, Max understood why.

Neither one of them was faithful to the other, yet they’d condemned themselves to the arranged marriage they’d ventured into thirty-nine years before. While Samuel kept time with women who were far too young for him, Genevieve spent hers with a flurry of pool boys, or so she referred to them. It wasn’t an ideal marriage, it didn’t involve love or even respect, but there was loyalty there—one likely held together with threats. There was no doubt in Max’s mind that his parents would be together till death. The question was, would they be the ones to kill each other?

“What is it about this girl that has you so … distracted?” Ashlynn asked, drawing him from his thoughts.

“I don’t know,” he told her truthfully. There was no sense in lying to her. She’d just see through him and harass him until he finally confessed.

“You love her?” Ashlynn asked, her tone gentle, serious.

Max lifted his head and met his sister’s hazel eyes. She looked so much like their mother had when she was younger, it was sometimes eerie. Then again, Ashlynn was a lot like Genevieve in many ways. Although Max’s mother remained married to his father, she hadn’t spent the past four decades faithful to the man, nor did she try to hide it.

As for Max’s sister, Ashlynn had her fair share of suitors over the years, but never once had she claimed to be in love with one of them. She didn’t do love, she’d told him once. And he believed her.

“Yes,” he finally said. “I love her.”

“So why let her walk away?”

“If only it were that simple.” Max didn’t know how to explain things to her. Hell, he didn’t even know how to explain them to himself.

“Seems pretty cut-and-dried to me. You marry the woman you love, send the wicked witch of the west packing, and we all move forward with our lives.”

Max grinned. Ashlynn hadn’t made any effort to hide her disdain for Angelica. “The wicked witch is no longer in the picture.”

Ashlynn’s eyes went wide. “You called it off?”

Max nodded.

“What about the land?” she asked. “How will—”

“I don’t know yet,” he told her directly. “I’ve got a couple of people diggin’ up some dirt on the senator as we speak.” And Angelica, but he didn’t mention that part.

“Does Samuel know?” Ashlynn asked. She’d always referred to their father by name. Most of them did. The only one in the family who referred to Samuel and Genevieve as Mother and Father was Madison.

Max gave her a
what do you think
smirk.

“I definitely think we can work the angle for the land in another way,” Ashlynn continued, obviously not needing Max to contribute to the conversation. “It’ll be easy to dig up some dirt on the old man, get him to bend to our will. Or hell, I’m sure we can get somethin’ on her. She’s a nasty bitch.”

Glancing out the window, Max listened to his sister. He’d always appreciated her take on things. She was perceptive, seeing everything and not only what the end goal was. She could be ruthless when necessary, but she always had the family’s best interests in mind.

“I’ve thought it all along—I’m not so sure that Angelica isn’t hidin’ something. Something that even her grandfather doesn’t know.”

Max cut his eyes to her once again. “What?”

That was the first he’d heard of Ashlynn’s suspicions, and he instantly reflected back on his conversation with Leyton. They’d already figured out what Angelica’s angle was, but neither of them had mentioned it to anyone else.

“I heard her on the phone the other day. She’d come over to Samuel’s house to talk to Genny about the wedding—you know, all that lovey-dovey bullshit she spouts. When Genny disappeared, probably to fuck Rafe, I don’t think Angelica realized anyone else was around, but I’d stopped by to talk to Samuel when I overheard her talking to someone on the phone.”

“Who?”

“My guess is her grandfather. She never said his name, but the way she talked to him… Let’s just say that if we’d ever dared speak to Samuel like that, we wouldn’t have lived to see the light of the next day.”

Max chuckled. Ashlynn was right about that. Respect was a big thing in the Adorite family. Growing up, they’d endured plenty of pain, far too many lessons to keep up with, because they’d dared to disrespect Samuel in some way. The man had always had a heavy hand, and none of them had walked away unscathed. But according to Samuel, his methods had worked. They’d learned to respect the family.

“Anyway,” Ashlynn continued, peering out the window, “the wicked witch told whoever she was talkin’ to that he needed to talk to Samuel. Something about refusin’ to wait any longer for the wedding because she was runnin’ out of time.” Ashlynn looked back at him. “I didn’t know she was tryin’ to move up the date.”

Max nodded. “She’d been tryin’ for today. I told her no.”

“Well, she apparently didn’t listen very well because she’d been pushin’ whoever she was talkin’ to hard. Obviously she didn’t get her way, and yes, I’m ready to celebrate now that you’ve come to your senses. Just don’t do anything stupid. Let me help you off this path of destruction you’ve found yourself travelin’ down.”

Max smiled, peering out the window again.

“I guess I can call the dogs off her now,” Ashlynn said, a smile in her voice as she retrieved her phone.

“Who? Angelica? You had people watchin’ her?”

Ashlynn grinned when Max looked at her. “Big brother, I love you with all my heart, but you haven’t been thinkin’ clearly. And until you figured out which way was up, I was merely lendin’ a hand. If something had come up that you needed to know, I was gonna tell you. And now, since she’s out of the picture, my boys will be happy to let her be.”

The car came to a stop as Max continued to stare at his sister. She was right, he certainly hadn’t been thinking straight. Not for a while now. But tonight, he had every intention of changing that. After a shit load of thinking, Max had finally determined what he wanted, and he knew exactly how he was going to go about getting it.

Sure, it would require some deception, as well as a couple of threats, but that was nothing compared what he truly wanted to do.

“Shall we?” Ashlynn asked when the door opened.

After getting through the security that manned the doors, Max led Ashlynn toward the reception room. The place was filled with people laughing and smiling. It looked as though they’d just finished eating, which was good, because the last thing Max wanted was food.

He scanned the room, looking for the one person he wanted to speak to before he got too engrossed in the party or, more specifically, in finding Courtney. He found Courtney’s father standing against the wall, talking to Bryce Trexler—the father of the bride chatting it up with the father of the groom. They were both laughing, slapping one another on the back. He kept his eyes on the pair until it appeared their conversation was coming to a close.

Patting Ashlynn’s hand, which was on his arm, he said, “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Max approached Casper cautiously when Bryce took his leave, watching the man as his eyes drifted to Ashlynn briefly. There was recognition on his face, and Max had the urge to punch him. Not because he looked at Ashlynn—there wasn’t anything sexual about his gaze—but because Casper had allowed Genevieve’s life to get so fucked up. Had he been the knight in shining armor he claimed to be today, he would’ve ridden in on his goddamn white horse and saved her from the villain a long fucking time ago.

Instead, Casper Kogan hadn’t made good on his promise to Max’s mother. He’d simply moved on with his life, leaving Genevieve to fend for herself.

And Max would never forgive him for that.

“Casper,” Max greeted formally. “I’d like you to meet my sister, Ashlynn. Ashlynn, this is Casper Kogan, Courtney’s father and one of the founders of Sniper One Security.”

Casper did the gentlemanly thing, shaking her hand and smiling when appropriate, but his hardened gaze returned to Max instantly.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Ashlynn said politely.

“Can you give us a minute?” Max asked Ashlynn.

She smiled, clearly feeling the tension between him and Casper, then turned to Leyton, who led her over to the bar.

“What are you doin’ here?” Casper asked in a harsh whisper.

“I was invited,” Max replied with a smile. “And I’m here to see your daughter.”

“You shouldn’t be here at all,” Casper snarled, his voice low so that no other guests could hear.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that,” Max told him, not backing down. “I
should
be here. And I am. Not only do I need to talk to Courtney, but I wanted to let you know that I recently learned some interesting information. It was actually a very disturbing story, if you want to know the truth.” Max paused for effect, following with, “From my father.”

Casper’s eyebrows flew up into his hairline.

“Did you think it’d be a secret forever? Did you think you could manipulate the situation, try to dig into my world, and never be found out?”

Casper didn’t respond, so Max continued, lowering his voice as well.

“Whatever good you thought you could do, you can’t. You can’t undo what’s already taken place, and you need to realize that before somethin’ bad happens. This white knight syndrome you’ve got, it won’t fix things. She’s in too deep, and Samuel will never let her go. So, if you think you can come in and save my mother from the hell she’s been in for the last forty years by finding a way to take the rest of us down, you need to think again.”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” Casper retorted harshly.

“I don’t doubt that you’re good at what you do, but I’m better.
You
sent Courtney to
me
. You thought you could save the day, save my mother from herself, and in the meantime, possibly get some information that would take me down. Am I close?”

Again Casper remained silent.

“It won’t happen. And unless you’re ready for me to air that dirty laundry, I suggest you back the fuck off.”

“Stay away from my daug—”

Max leaned in. “It’s too late for that. You should’ve known in the beginning that I wouldn’t be able to let her go, so you’ve got to own up to it. I love your daughter, and I have no intention of stayin’ away from her. No matter what you or anyone else says.”

“You’ll get her killed,” Casper warned.

“You should’ve thought about that before you sent her to me. Now, I’m all she’s got. I’m the only one who can protect her, and you can bet your fucking ass that I’ll do that. Even if I have to give my life for hers. But from here on out, you won’t interfere. Call her off, and let me handle this thing with her on my own. Goin’ forward, I’m no longer a job for her. Sniper One can back the fuck off. You can take
that
to your client.” Max took a deep breath. “If there ever was a client to begin with.”

Casper’s wife, Elizabeth, chose that moment to come over, forcing Max to smile at Casper. He thanked him for the invite and backed away, leaving the man staring after him, likely processing everything Max had just said. He didn’t know what Casper would do, but he knew what the man was capable of. He only hoped that he had Courtney’s best interest in mind, because if he thought he could keep Max away, he’d soon find out what type of enemy Max could really be.

Half an hour later, after diligently mingling with the bride and groom’s friends and family and enduring Casper’s death glare from across the room, Max finally located Courtney. He’d had Ashlynn on his arm the entire time, Leyton only a few feet behind them, while they politely smiled and talked, although the only thing he’d wanted to do was seek out Courtney, get her alone and…