I spent time that morning alone, pushing down my feelings about my brother-in-law, about his life and death and the impact it had on my life and on the lives of those I loved. And then I let my heart feel only love as Ash took my arm and we walked down the aisle together.
A string quartet played something beautiful, a song I didn't know but had picked at random with Ash.
Birds from a nearby tree joined in, filling the sky with their voices as we took small steps closer and closer to our destiny. Our future.
Only our closest friends and family were in attendance this time. Bridgette had scrambled to replace my dress with something similar. We had flowers, a cake, music.
None of it mattered.
All that mattered was the man next to me.
I was about to become Catelyn Travis-Davenport. I was about to tie my life to the most amazing man I'd ever known. I was about to change my life forever.
Ash squeezed my elbow and I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. "I love you," I told him as we approached the altar.
"I love you, too," he said.
The words and music all blurred together as I stared at Ash, his beautiful eyes penetrating and loving, speaking promises only I could hear, embracing me in a love only I could feel.
When I said, "I do," my voice choked from the well of emotions building inside me. Joy. So much joy. So much love.
When he said, "I do," his voice boomed strong and deep, but a tear welled in his eye and I knew he felt the depth of emotion present in this space.
I remembered the heat from the flame as we each took a candle that represented us separately and lit one that represented us as one.
I remembered the feel of Ash's lips on mine as he kissed me for the first time as my husband.
I remembered the scent of jasmine as we walked back up the aisle hand-in-hand, husband and wife, to the cheers of our friends and family.
I remembered the taste of vanilla as we fed each other a slice of wedding cake.
And I remembered the look on Ash's face when Detective Gray walked over to us with two other officers, handcuffs in hand, and arrested my husband for murder.
Chapter Twenty Four
Dead Center
ONE MONTH AGO
I HASN'T USED my gun in a while, not since I'd been attacked by the Midnight Murderer, and Ash didn't want me to get rusty in my shooting practice. He felt that, even in the midst of wedding prep and crazy family drama, we should go "shoot shit."
As it turned out, it was great stress relief—which he probably knew, that sneaky bastard.
I squeezed the trigger, once, twice, three times. And then pulled the target toward me to see how I did. The bullets had circled the center target but hadn't quite landed there. Still, it was an improvement over my last efforts and I smiled, proud of my progress.
Ash whistled. "Not bad! Pretty soon I'll have to start calling you 007."
My pride faded into a small twinge of jealousy and a large dose of awe when Ash unloaded his clip into a target I could barely see. All of his bullets landed so close to the center that the paper there was shredded. "Are you sure you aren't the guy 007 is based on?" I asked.
He laughed. "That's right, baby! You're about to become the ultimate Bond Girl."
He leaned me against the wall and kissed me, running his hands up my legs and side, hands teasing at my ribs and the outer curves of my breasts.
I pushed him away. "Aren't we supposed to be shooting things?"
"I'd rather be fucking my soon-to-be wife."
"I'd rather you be fucking your wife, too," I said. "I can't wait to be married to you."
He kissed me again and we packed up the leftover ammo and rolled up our targets. "My mom said the yacht is all set for the reception cruise."
"That'll be fun."
"I hope Jon doesn't screw up being the best man."
"He won't."
Ash looked deeply into my eyes, our bodies close enough to touch. "We can't have any secrets between us, Catelyn. Full honesty. It's the only way for a marriage to work."
"Of course, Ash. Full honesty."
Ash excused himself to use the bathroom. While I waited I put one more target up and loaded my gun. My frustration built inside of me. Too many lies. Too many secrets. Jon could ruin it all.
I aimed at the target and imagined the real Midnight Murderer.
And then I shot and hit. Dead center.
Chapter Twenty Five
Threats and Confessions
PRESENT DAY
"OH, THIS IS just bullshit!" I screamed at Detective Gray as he dragged my husband away from our wedding.
Mr. Davenport glared at us, then addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, there's been a misunderstanding. We'll get this sorted and see you all at the reception tonight."
Maxwell drove as we followed Ash and the police to the police station. My hands shook and I fought back tears. How many bad omens could one couple handle on their wedding day—their wedding days?
"It's going to be okay," he said as he pulled into the parking lot. "We both know Ash is innocent, whatever it is. So they've got nothing."
Detective Gray met us at the front of the station. "I'm sorry, Catelyn," he said, before I could chew him out. "This wasn't my call. I got pressure from higher up to make the arrest, and to make it when I did."