“You won’t believe me. Or you’ll want nothing to do with me, if you do.”
“Try us,” Luke said. “You already know our big secret, and we can’t help you—we can’t protect you—if we don’t know yours.”
Candace took another deep breath. “All right. Okay. I’ll tell you.”
And she did.
27
“This is nuts,” Candace said for the umpteenth time. “You can’t possibly want to do this!”
“It’s too late now, darlin’,” Luke said, but he had a grin on his face.
“We all agreed this was the only way to protect you,” Bart said, satisfaction in his voice.
Bart was driving the family SUV, and all of them were along for the ride. They were on their way to the Opryland Hotel after a visit to the Davidson County Clerk’s Office, where Luke and Candace had been married. It had taken some extra cash to a friend of a friend of an acquaintance, but they had managed to fudge official looking identification documents for Candace, who had no way of proving who she was, since she’d never officially even been born, but after Candace had told them everything the night before, not only had her new family insisted she stay with them, Luke had insisted she marry him.
“This Manager guy wants you for one thing and one thing only, Candace. If you’re married to me, you won’t be what he wants anymore.”
“He’ll still want me. He’ll want to hurt me for running away. He’ll want to kill you for helping me.” She was that certain of the man’s power.
“He can try,” Matt had said. “But if he does, he’s gonna have more to worry about than a police raid on his whorehouse.’”
It was unanimous in the Saint clan. For some completely inexplicable reason, they all wanted her. Luke wanted her for his wife. His brothers and sisters-in-law wanted her for a sister, and Bart had wanted her for Luke. They’d been willing to break—no “bend” the law, as John had put it—in order to see her legally protected from the bad guys. It made her cry just to think about it.
“Hey, it’s not all altruistic from our side,” Mel had said, a laugh in her voice. “After all, Addy’s songs need a soprano, and you’re perfect for them.”
They had all laughed at that, but Candace knew there was more to it than that. She had seen the looks on their faces the night before. They had been incensed, ready to leave right there and then to go rip apart the House in which she had been born and kept prisoner all her life. She’d almost—almost—told them exactly where it was, but something had stopped her. These were good people, but Shifters or not, they couldn’t stop bullets, and she knew the Manager had an entire private police force of his own.
She had finally agreed, however reluctantly, to this crazy plan. She simply had no place else to go, and frankly, she’d envied Mel and Addy their husbands, and found herself drawn to Luke in a way she’d never even imagined. In the very short time since he’d found her in that dank alley, he had become the center of her life. It didn’t make sense. People didn’t fall in love at first sight, not in the real world. But there was just something about this man with whom she had just spoken her marriage vows.
Luke was right about one thing. She wouldn’t be an “untouched” debutante after tonight, and the Manager would be furious that his plans had been thwarted. The only question that remained was whether these five men—and one woman—who could become a band of wild animals with claws as sharp as knives could teach the Manager enough of a lesson that he would give up ownership of his prize. She had her doubts but could not argue with these people, this new family, because she wanted what they offered just too much.
They pulled into the wide, circular drive at the front entrance of the hotel and got out. Bart handed the keys to a valet, and they entered the grand lobby with its lighted dome of stained glass. Luke paused at the front desk to check in then sent their luggage up to their room with a bellhop, so they could all go into the Atrium, where they had reservations for dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse. The Atrium was magical at night, with its sparkling lights and cascading waterfalls. Candace was entranced by everything, and she clung to Luke’s hand almost afraid he would vanish in this fantasy world, leaving her left with nothing but the remnants of a dream.
Dinner was as promised—memorable—and the after dinner liquors exactly what she needed to relax.
“Well, here’s to the newest Saint,” Bart said, lifting his glass. “Welcome to the family, Candace Saint.”
Candace had to swallow tears before she could speak. “I don’t know how to thank all of you,” she began.
“I do,” Luke said, giving her hand a squeeze.
She blushed crimson and everyone laughed.
“Get a room, bro,” John said. “Oh, wait! You’ve got one!”
More laughter helped to settle Candace’s nerves.