“Will be or won’t, doesn’t matter does it?”
Before I could say another word, Savannah held up a hand. “Go to your wedding, Charlie. Don’t worry about me.”
I wanted to say more, to tell her that this really was for her own good, but she was in several types of pain and angry at the world. Nothing I said to her now would penetrate, so I nodded and took a step back. “I’ll be back later.”
“I’ll be here.”
Whatever she’d been through hadn’t been good, and I felt bad locking her in the room, but she couldn’t roam the city and stay safe. I was doing her a favor, whether she could see it or not.
An hour later I was dressed in my tux and standing inside Ashby Manor, waiting for Virgil so we could all pile into the limo and head to the church for the ceremony.
“How long does it take to put on a fucking clown suit?” Jasper growled. He shook his head as he paced inside the parlor, a drink in his hand.
Terry laughed. “It’s his wedding day, Jas. Chill.”
“It’s a fucking suit. How long does it take? And where the fuck is Cal? If he doesn’t show up soon, Sadie is gonna have a shit fit.”
The man was wound so tight you’d think he was the one getting married.
“I’ll check on Cal because Maisie will be pissed if you pop a blood vessel before the wedding photos.” Terry said.
Emmett stood and walked out as quiet as a ninja. “I’ll see if I can hurry Virgil along.”
As soon as Terry and Emmett were gone from the room, I took advantage of Jasper’s distraction and the privacy.
“Found something interesting.”
Jasper turned to me, a surprised expression on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not talking about you and the hot redhead, Jasper. It’s about a brunette that the whole world’s been looking for.” Maybe it was an exaggeration so say the whole world, but as far as we were both concerned that was true. “Savannah Rhymer.”
“No fucking way.”
“Yep. Found her outside a convenience store looking like warmed over garbage.” I left out the part about Tits because it seemed as if the woman had done Savannah a solid and there was no point getting her in trouble with Jasper. “Pretty sure she’s been whored out by someone in the area.”
“She say who?”
I laughed. “She hasn’t said much of anything yet. But she’s pretty fucked up. Bruised and dirty, maybe a couple broken ribs, and a tongue as sharp as a whip. She’s been chasing that dragon.”
I couldn’t imagine going from the luxurious life she had with Ronan to being pimped out against her will, but that was one of the many risks of being a woman in this business.
A slow smile crossed Jasper’s face for the first time all day. “Talk about good luck.” He shook his head, finished his drink and poured two more, one for each of us. “Where is she now?”
“Someplace safe.” I trusted the Ashby family, probably more than I should, but their beef with The Crusaders went deep. I wasn’t sure I could just hand Savannah over to them in good conscience. Especially since Tits was the person who dropped her off that morning.
“Good. Whatever you need, I’m sure we can work something out in exchange for you keeping an eye on her.” I nodded because I hadn’t decided what to do yet, but it likely wouldn’t involve handing her over to anyone.
“Let’s keep this to ourselves until after this fucking wedding.”
“Fine by me.”
Terry returned with a smile on his face, Emmett and Virgil by his side. “The kid isn’t at home and Bonnie claims she doesn’t know where he is, but I found the groom.”
“I found the groom,” Emmett said and elbowed his brother in the side.
“Good enough,” Jasper growled, his dark scowl suddenly a little lighter. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”
Virgil laughed and clapped his brother on the back. “Hey bro, this is my wedding you’re talking about. Get fucking excited.”
Inside the limo, Jasper flashed a wide, slightly deranged looking grin. “I’m bursting with excitement, can’t you tell?”
Terry barked out a laugh. “Let’s get this man a fucking drink. And I expect you to be much more excited about my wedding.”
“Keep it small and without these goddamn monkey suits, and I’ll dance a fucking jig.” Jasper growled and his lips twitched with amusement.
“Kat will agree to those terms just to get you to do a jig, so you have a deal brother.” Jasper rolled his eyes and let out a groan that had Virgil and Terry roaring with laughter.
Their banter made for a short ride to the church, where we got separated from Virgil who took his spot beside the priest while they matched the rest of us up with the bridesmaids.
“Hey, pretty boy. You clean up well.” Madison took her spot beside me and looked up at me with a teasing grin on her face.