Happily Never After

  Chance held her as tightly as he dared while his release rippled through him. It felt like his skin was splitting, the pleasure was so intense. Then a sensation of pure contentment settled into him, making him realize he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that post-orgasm. It was wondrous, and yet also faintly terrifying. What if Isa didn't feel the same way for him? What if she woke up tomorrow and said this had all been a mistake?

  Chance pushed those fears aside. Isa didn't seem the type to jump lightly into things, and she'd offered herself to him knowing full well what he was. There were no guarantees in life—or undeath—so Chance had to take things with Isa as they came. When was the last time he'd been so nervous/exhilarated over the future? Wasn't that worth the cost of a little fear?

  Chance rolled them until they were lying on their sides. Isa was still gasping, her heart rate a constant staccato in his ears. He took her hand, kissing it, and her fingers stroked his cheek.

  "Do you know what I'm going to do, first thing tomorrow?" she asked when she caught her breath.

  He felt a grin tug his mouth. "Can I put in a request?"

  She swatted at him with no strength. "I'm going to call every man I've ever had sex with…and demand an apology."

  Chance laughed even as a surprising dart of jealously pierced him. It doesn't matter what happened before, he reminded himself. She's with you now. "Thank you, I think."

  "Believe me," she said, settling closer to him. "Thank you."

  * * *

  Isa had been sound asleep, but Chance shaking her shoulder woke her. She blinked in the darkness of the room, barely seeing Chance put a finger to his lips.

  "Someone's circling around the back," he whispered.

  She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost three in the morning. Definitely not time for a social call.

  Chance got up in a pale blur of flesh and was soundlessly out the window before Isa could even react. She had a second to be glad no one should be awake at this hour to wonder why a naked man was streaking around her grandmother's house, when a cut-off yelp made her vault out of bed. She didn't take time to hunt for clothes, but just wound the bed sheet around her and darted down the hall. Her grandmother's gun was in the living room where Isa placed it earlier. Sure, it didn't have silver bullets, but Robert or his goons would go down with plain old lead.

  The back door opened and Chance appeared. At least Isa assumed it was Chance, not being able to see his face clearly in the dark. But really, how many other naked men coming in her grandmother's house at this hour could there be? Especially ones dragging a half-struggling form with him.

  "Be still," Chance snapped, his gaze blazing emerald. The form quit moving at once.

  "Is it Robert?" Isa asked, debating with herself on whether she needed the gun or not.

  "No," Chance said, holding the other person's head up by their hair. "I believe this is your brother."

  "Frazier!" Isa exclaimed.

  "Don't turn on the light," Chance warned her as she was about to flip the nearest switch to verify that it was indeed her brother. "Close all the drapes first, you never know who might be watching this house."

  Isa quickly went around and yanked all the downstairs drapes closed, then she nearly fell over in relief when illumination did reveal that it was her brother. Frazier was here, alive and unhurt—except for the dull glaze in his eyes as he looked at Chance.

  "Er, can you snap him out of that?" she asked.

  Her grandmother came out of her room right as Chance muttered something to Frazier that had her brother instantly back to himself and leaping away.

  "Frazier, it's okay!" Isa said at once, catching Frazier's arm. "He won't hurt you…and where have you been?"

  Her brother continued to back away from Chance. "Isa, who is this guy? What's some naked stranger doing at Nana's?"

  "He's a naked, um, magician, and he's my new boyfriend," Isa stammered, flushing as Frazier eyed her very tousled hair and the sheet she kept dragging up around her.

  Her grandmother just laughed, a bright tinkling sound. "Frazier, I'm so glad you're all right! I expect we'll all want to hear where you've been the past few weeks."

  "I can't really say…" Frazier started to hedge.

  Isa's fingers dug into her brother's arm. "The hell you can't! I've been forced to play fiancée to Mini-Mob Bertini this past month, because you told me it was a matter of life and death, so now you are damn well going to explain why."

  "I can't," Frazier snapped, trying to tug away and surprised when he couldn't. "I only came here to make sure you were all right, I heard Spagarelli's got shot up earlier—"

  "No thanks to you," Chance cut him off in a menacing tone. "If your sister hadn't been playing her role, then Robert wouldn't have been near her and the men trying to kill him wouldn't have shot Isa instead."

  "You were shot?" Frazier blurted. "How? I heard you weren't even there!"

  "She was shot at," Greta interrupted smoothly, with a knowing look at Chance. "Her presence wasn't revealed to the local police in order to keep her out of danger, since then the shooters would know a civilian might be able to identify them."

  You go, Grandma, Isa thought with admiration. A hundred and twenty-six, and you're still quick on the draw.

  But Frazier was shaking his head. "Don't need to worry about the shooters coming after Isa, Nana. They're dead. The Salucci brothers and their three top enforcers were found with their heads half ripped off outside a warehouse a couple hours ago. Bertini's being questioned now by the FBI, but the son of a bitch actually has an alibi…"

  "How do you know all this?" Chance cut Frazier off. "This isn't info rmation you'd get off the news."

  Isa had gone pale upon hearing the description of how the Salucci brothers and their backup had been found, but Chance's question pushed that aside. How did Frazier know all that?

  "You mind putting on some pants, buddy?" Frazier asked, glancing at Chance and then quickly away. "I gotta say, this isn't decent."

  Greta tsked. "Frazier, you're such a prude. Still, Isa, Chance, he's not going anywhere, so you have time to find your clothes."

  Isa didn't miss the steel in her grandmother's tone when she said Frazier wasn't going anywhere. Her brother didn't miss it either. He gulped.

  "Nana…"

  "You so don't want to upset me by arguing, dear," she said with a coldness that had Chance grinning at her. "Now, stay right there. Or I'll have Isa hold you at gunpoint until you tell us everything we need to know."

  Isa smiled nastily at her brother. "Try me."

  Frazier sighed. "Go on, get dressed. I guess I'll be waiting here."

  Chapter 11

  Three weeks later, her grandmother adjusted the veil over Isa's face. Isa stared at her reflection and smiled. Here comes the bride.

  Agnes, Robert's sister, frowned. "You shouldn't have altered my mother's dress. Robert isn't going to like that."

  "I'm amazed your mother was able to breathe, what with how it buttoned all the way up to her chin," Isa responded tartly. "Plus, this is my wedding. Not hers."

  Agnes muttered something about how soon Isa would learn respect, which only made Isa's smile widen. No, she thought. Robert will.

  Her grandmother handed Isa her bouquet. It was a beautiful arrangement of white and pink flowers that trailed to the ground in a tear-drop shape. "You look radiant, dear. Are you ready?"

  Isa nodded. "Oh, yes."

  Greta gave her a pat on the arm. "I'll see you in the front."

  Isa watched her grandmother and her would-be sister in law leave, then she turned to the mirror again.

  "So, how do I look?"

  It popped out of the wall and was set to the side as Chance came out from the recently made alcove behind it. He took one of Isa's gloved hands and kissed it.

  "Breathtaking."

  She grinned. "Easy for you to say, you don't breathe."

  "Sometimes I do." And he leaned into Isa and took in a slow, deep breat
h that was as intimate as a kiss. Chance had told her often over the past couple weeks how he loved breathing in her scent, even though certain times when he did it, it made her blush.

  "You don't have to do this," he whispered, his mouth touching the veil near her ear.

  "I've earned it."

  And then some. Continuing to play docile fiancée while Robert info rmed her what her life was going to be like now that he'd finally attained his coveted "made man" status? Yeah, Isa had earned this.

  Ironically enough, it was Chance who'd ensured Robert's acceptance into the unhallowed halls of the mafia. After Chance's gruesome eradication of the Salucci brothers and their three henchmen, Robert was welcomed into the syndicate fold. No one else had stepped forward to claim credit for their murders, so it was assumed Robert had done it as retaliation for their attempt on his life—and gotten away scot-free. That sort of clever ruthlessness was just what the big boys of crime were impressed with. In fact, two of the East Coast's most dangerous criminals were among her wedding guests. A gangster wedding wasn't an event one turned down attending, it seemed. There were just a few more guests here than Robert was aware of.

  Chance glanced down at the bouquet in her other hand. "If you insist."

  Isa's fingers tightened on it even as she gave him a grim smile.

  "I do."

  Which was the only time today she intended to say those words.

  * * *

  Everyone in the church stood up when Isa appeared at the doorway, and she began to descend down the aisle alone. One of Robert's friends had offered to give her away, but she'd refused, and in this, Robert hadn't pushed. He hadn't been the soul of capitulation over much else, though. Every detail of the wedding had been planned by him and Agnes. They'd wanted an impressive event, considering Robert's newly exalted status, and Isa's wishes weren't something to be concerned with. Robert's only other acquiescence was that Isa stayed with her grandmother in the weeks prior to the happy occasion. Robert thought it was because Greta had been feeling poorly. It was actually because she had a ground-floor house with a basement, which made it so much easier for Chance to come and go without being seen by Robert's spies. Robert still hadn't known what to make of Chance being there that day at Isa's restaurant. The last she'd overheard, he figured Chance must have had a twin brother.

  Well, if you didn't believe in ghosts or vampires, Isa supposed that was the next logical explanation.

  She smiled at Robert as she walked down the aisle. Not because she was happy to see him, but at how his face darkened when he saw the alterations she'd made to his mother's wedding dress. The once high-necked collar had been slashed to reveal generous cleavage instead, and the long fitted sleeves had been cut off at the shoulder. It gave Isa far greater range of motion with her arms, plus of course, it also gave the dress a sexiness that was well at odds with the prim virgin-Catholic bride she was supposed to be. Really, it was Robert's own fault for believing that. Who thought a modern woman would still be chaste at almost thirty?

  She reached the dais and Robert held out his hand, glowering at her. Next to her, Agnes, as Isa's imposed matron of honor, reached for her bouquet so Isa could take Robert's hand. The older priest gave Isa a prodding look when she just stood there, not moving. Robert's frown turned menacing.

  "Isa…" he said low and dangerously.

  She smiled at him. A beautiful smile filled with all the joy over what she was about to do. And then she yanked the flowers off the top of her bouquet to reveal a .357 Magnum.

  "Robert, dear, I don't," Isa said clearly, pointing the gun at him.

  At that moment, the doors to the church burst open and multiple SWAT team members fanned inside. Her brother Frazier appeared behind them, shouting, "Justice Department, nobody move!" even as several of their guests at once attempted to disperse.

  Isa only saw that from her peripheral vision, however, because she didn't take her eyes off Robert. A seething anger filled his gaze as he looked from Frazier back to Isa.

  "Your brother's a fuckin' pig."

  Isa smiled. "Yep, he's an undercover officer. Who knew? I just thought all that moving around meant Frazier couldn't hold a job. Thanks for inviting your mob buddies to our wedding, by the way. Do you know how hard it is to get them all under one roof, apparently?"

  Robert's fist swung toward her, but Isa didn't flinch. With the blood she'd drunk last night as a precaution from Chance, it seemed like Robert was moving in slow motion. Isa fired, hitting Robert in the thigh. He fell to his knees as Agnes let out a cry.

  "Hold fire!" Frazier yelled, but the members of the SWAT team had already been briefed to know Isa was one of the good guys. It was easy to pick her out, after all, being as she was the only one wearing a wedding dress.

  "Fuckin' bitch…I'll kill you for this," Robert gasped.

  "Ma'am, put the gun down now," one of the black-clad SWAT members said to Isa as Robert was quickly surrounded.

  "You won't see me again," Isa said, lowering the gun only after Robert had been handcuffed. "In fact, you'll never see Paul or Ritchie again either."

  Which had been something Chance refused to negotiate on. Isa already had a hell of a time convincing him that Robert needed to live in order to stand trial for the multiple murders, racketeering, embezzlement, and bribery Frazier had spent three years gathering evidence on. But Ritchie and Paul? Small potatoes.

  Or, as Isa surmised right about now, dinner. They'd been assigned to watch the church's exterior in order to ensure that nothing unexpected happened. Like, oh, a few dozen SWAT team members barging in. But they'd mysteriously disappeared right before Isa entered the chapel. Chance hadn't wanted to leave Isa's side during Robert's takedown at the altar, but Isa flatly insisted. She'd been pushed around by Robert for too long, so he'd know, in the end, exactly who helped put him in jail.

  She wondered if Ritchie and Paul knew, in their last moments, that they were merely Chance's consolation prize. Still, dead was dead, as Chance had once stated. Guess the end result really was more important than the motivation behind it.

  Several of the men being handcuffed from the groom's side of the church gave Isa very cold glares as they were led away. Mentally she shrugged. Frazier told her that she and her grandmother would need to be sequestered by Witness Protection until after all the trials, but Isa had other ideas. Ones that involved the very gorgeous vampire with a lot of friends in grave places. Chance would keep her and her grandmother hidden far more effectively than any government relocation program, and a lot more enjoyably, too. Isa doubted Witness Protection could provide the same kind of extracurricular perks that Chance did.

  He came out from the back of the church, shouldering though the throngs of people and flashing the special ID Frazier had given him. His face looked more flushed than usual, and when he reached Isa's side and kissed her, his lips were almost warm.

  Oh yeah. Bye bye, Paul and Ritchie.

  "Are you ready to go?" he asked softly.

  Isa nodded. "Big, fussy weddings were never my style, anyway."

  Chance laughed. "I'll have to remember that."

  Frazier came up to them then. "Isa, you're going to have to come back with us and give a statement. Plus, uh, I'm sure nothing will happen because it was self-defense, but you're going to have to be booked for shooting Robert."

  "Right," Chance snorted. "Come here for a moment…"

  He put an arm around Frazier in a friendly way, ignoring her brother's stammering about procedure. Then when Chance had him mostly concealed by the tall cross behind the altar, Isa saw his eyes go green. A moment later when they walked back out, Frazier had stopped talking.

  "We have five minutes before he snaps out of it," Chance said to Isa with a wicked grin. "I didn't think I should leave your brother mentally asleep for longer, considering his current circumstances."

  "How are we supposed to get past all," Isa's hand swept out to encompass the multitude of SWAT team members, FBI, and police officers, "this?"

>   "Never underestimate the resourcefulness of a vampire, darling," Chance murmured. Then he led her quickly to the nearby confessional box, squeezing them both inside.

  The panel slid open at once on the priest's side, and a pale blonde head appeared next to the privacy grill.

  "What are your sins, my child?" a smoothly accented English voice asked.

  Chance laughed. "Too many to list, Bones, and so are yours. If you don't mind, I'd like to add to them."

  "Indeed. Desecration of the confessional, coming up straightaway."

  There was a tear of metal, and then the grille separating them was gone. Bones—this was the vampire her grandmother spoke about?—gave a hard tap at the wall behind him and it fell away, revealing an exit had been recently cut but then dry-walled back into place.