He paces a foot. “Some sort of mixup at the registry. He knew almost immediately that our marriage wasn’t valid. I called while we were running over here to verify. It’s true—I’m not married to Phoenix.”
I nod, slowly, unsure of reality.
/> “So you didn’t get the next clue?”
He shakes his head, slowly mimicking my movements. “No, he kicked us out before he told us anything.”
“Stupid father, thinking I need to be married before I get any real money. Like being married will mean I’m somehow protected.”
“I don’t know why your father thought any of this was a good idea either, but what are we going to do now?”
“I’m going to walk back into the church and get married to Maxwell. You can marry Phoenix for real or not. But at least one of us needs to be married in order to get the next clue.”
I take a step toward the church.
He puts his hand on my waist, stopping me from moving. His breath is hot, fire against my lips. I think he’s going to say something that will change both of our lives. Something that speaks a lot more of love than of hate.
Instead, he says nothing.
With a twitch of his hand, he pushes our bodies together. Our hips bump, and our mouths land. My eyes close a second later as I taste a man I want but can never have.
This isn’t a proposal. He didn’t bring me out here to tell me not to marry Maxwell. He knows I have to. He brought me out here for one last goodbye kiss.
Maxwell’s and my marriage might be fake, but once we are married, I’m pretty sure the kissing and torturing Langston will have to stop. At least until we get the treasure, since we need the man in charge of hiding the treasure to think I’m married. And after we find the treasure, there is no hope for us.
The sky must agree that this kiss is defiantly wrong in every way as rain starts pouring down on us. It pelts down on us so hard that I can barely breathe. But I’m thankful for the rain because it hides the tears spilling down my cheeks.
Langston notices anyway and rubs my cheeks with his thumbs even though we are both soaked.
I shiver.
“We should go back inside.”
He nods.
I start to brush past him, but he doesn’t let go of my waist. He doesn’t let me move past him.
“Huntress—”
“Don’t—you belong with Phoenix.”
“But—”
“I was never yours, killer. Let me go.”
He does, and I stumble back into the church, sopping wet. Everyone’s eyes are on me as I march back to my place in front of Maxwell.
“Where were we?” I ask with a smile.
14
Langston
I re-enter the church through its beaten-down wooden door. I’m soaking wet, and with each step I take inside, I leave a puddle of water behind me. I don’t feel the water, though. All I feel is the heat between Liesel and me, even though she’s standing far away at the altar with Maxwell.
I walk over to Phoenix in the second pew and sit next to her. Liesel doesn’t so much as glance my way. She’s staring intently at Maxwell like he’s the only man she sees. If a stranger walked into the church right now, they might even deduce from the sight of Maxwell and Liesel together that this is a romantic wedding where the two are so desperate to get married that they can’t even wait for her to change clothes.
All I see is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met standing in front of the devil about to sign her soul away.