Avenging Us - Gina Whitney Page 0,81

other aspects of her life. But nothing. She’s been exceptionally happy. I could only conclude her mother’s life on this earth was a burden—a reminder of the pain she held on to for so long. And with her gone, so were the shackles that held her captive. Could it be as simple as death? I hoped so.

I wrangled her up into my arms to hold her hostage. “Tell me the poser’s name. I’ll kick his ass.” She giggled and somehow the world seemed right. Her, here, this, now…all of it. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How did your last fitting go?”

“It was went brilliantly.” She paused, squinting at me. “Are you teasing me?” She bit her bottom lip, and my attention drew to her mouth.

Now it was my turn to squint at her. “Are you teasing me? What did I tell you about biting that lush lip of yours?”

She stepped back out of my reach, but I immediately caught her.

“Last week was your last fitting. It makes no sense to me to have two last fittings,” I questioned. Chicks made no sense to me, and what was worse, was Chance. Dude was practically twirling around these days.

“It makes perfect sense when you’re losing weight. But this was really really really the last fitting. The gown is officially on the premises.” Her eyes twinkled in delight. Yes, even a daft fucker like myself knew what that meant. The next time she wore that dress would be tomorrow on our wedding day. Her mouth continued to work, telling me every last detail, which I listened to intently. I enjoyed listening to her share her day with me. “Anyway, it went amazing.” She let out a long sigh. It wasn’t a sigh of relief, but a sigh of happiness—joy. That sound right there made my own heart flip-flop like a fucking pansy.

I wanted to ask how she felt about the whole situation with her mother, but the selfish man who was in love with her wanted to keep her in this moment. A moment where no one existed but the two of us.

“I can’t believe we’re getting married tomorrow. Can you?” She wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Abso-fucking-lutely going to be one of the best days of my life. ‘Bout fuckin’ time.” The next best day was the day my daughter was born. Same day Beauty’s life was spared. I wanted to make the sign of the cross over my chest every time I thought of it. I wanted to thank god for giving me my family. Not too long ago, I was walking down a different path…a path I most likely wouldn’t have survived. Fast girls, faster cars, and a never-ending supply of alcohol and drugs. This girl…her strength, courage, with all her cracks and flaws…saved me.

A knock on the studio glass snapped me out of my thoughts. Dave waved us into the control room. The boys gathered around in a semi-circle. Fuck, I’d hoped this wasn’t about a bachelor party. We’ve already been to war on this. I held the door open for her to walk ahead of me, and then continued in behind her.

“Check this shit out…” Dave raised the volume on the TV.

Morgana

“Breaking news from Los Angeles federal court: In lieu of a lengthy trail, Morgana Devu, opted for a bench trial. A bench trial takes place in front of a judge only. He is both the finder of face and ruler on all matters of law. After hearing the argument and evidence…Judge Maverick sentenced Devu to forty-two years behind bars with the possibility of parole after twenty-five for the attempted murder of Gia Mastro and her unborn child, who is the fiancée of famed Abel Gunner of Lethal Abel. Judge Maverick went on to say: ‘She was cold, calculating, and without any remorse for what she’s done. Human life held no value in her eyes, and she’s considered a danger to society.’ She continued to deny her responsibility regardless of the mountains of evidence the DA presented against her—including time-stamped documents from her own computer. When asked about the sentencing, Judge Maverick said, ‘There is a ceiling in terms of evil. Ms. Devu is that ceiling.’”

“Feck, look at that crazy bitch.” Woody lit a cigarette, taking a long pull. “Even on the tele she looks off.”

“Fucking aye! She finally got what she deserved.” Ender laughed. “Check out the message boards.” He scrolled down the page of his phone. “She had the balls to say she’s a