I choke on my steak. “What? I just talked to her yesterday and she didn’t mention a wedding.”
“She doesn’t know she’s getting married yet,” Hale says.
“But I talked to Benson too,” I argue.
“He doesn’t know he’s getting married yet,” Killian explains.
“So will you come? We’re going to do it over at our place. It has the space,” Penny goes on, as though this is a perfectly normal discussion.
“Sure,” I say on an amused breath. “Why not? I’ve never been to a wedding where the bride and groom didn’t know they were getting married.”
Killian slides his chair back, and walks out without a word. It’s the usual, so I don’t even question it.
“The troopers will be here soon, so we need to get the wedding over before they come and we have to start focusing on them,” Penny goes on.
“Troopers?” I ask, my lips curving in a wry smile.
She nods. “Did you not hear the double loop sirens last week? That was a call to the Wild Ones. The state troopers come once a year to investigate this place. The town went in for a meeting about it and to make Benson a Vincent.”
“So all the Wild Ones were there? Next time, I want to be in on that,” I tell her.
She starts to speak, when Killian walks back into my house, carrying a large duffel bag.
“Oh! You got it?” Penny asks excitedly.
Killian doesn’t get to answer before someone is knocking at the door.
I quickly go to answer, swinging open the door to…I don’t know her name.
“I brought you my mom’s famous peach cobbler,” she tells me.
At least twice a day, someone brings me something to eat. Yep.
Welcome to Tomahawk.
“Thanks,” I say, but her eyes widen over my shoulder when a Vincent likely comes up behind me.
“Hey, Becky. Want to come in? We’re just about to break out some new toys,” Killian says.
“N-no. Bye!”
She darts away, and I laugh while closing the door. The Vincent brothers come in handy on occasion.
“Now, here’s my problem. Our beards aren’t gnarly anymore, and these girls are bringing eligible, mostly beardless bachelors everywhere something good to eat. But not us,” Hale gripes, as Killian takes the cobbler out of my hands and goes to dump half of it on his plate before running a hand over his newly growing beard stubble.
Penny snorts.
“What?” Hale asks, glaring at her. “We’re just as damn good looking as he is.”
This is where I get pointed at.
“True,” Penny says, grabbing some of the cobbler for herself. “You boys are handsome.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Hale asks.
Penny looks at him like he’s stupid. “No Wild Ones are getting baked goods. You think any local girl around here wants to bed a Wild One?”
We all blink at her, and she taps her chin.
“That didn’t come out right,” she says, shrugging. “But you know what I mean. The local girls know that if you get tangled up with a Wild One, then you suddenly end up in the middle of all your chaos.”
“Mom married Dad,” Killian says, shoveling more cobbler into his mouth.
“Your mother was as bat-shit crazy as your father. I was always worried about what she was going to get me into. Then she met him, and I finally got a reprieve from life-threatening situations,” Penny grumbles.
Hale grins. “So you’re saying we just have to find a crazy chick. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
Hale unzips the duffel as I laugh under my breath, but my laughter dies when he pulls out something that looks like a damn machine gun.
“The hell?”
“Airsoft guns,” Killian pipes up. “Not as painful as a fucking paintball, but more ammo for a quicker attack.”
“For what?” I ask as he tosses one to me.
I catch it, hearing something rattle.
“For the wedding, of course,” Penny says. “Wild Ones always have the best weddings. I may not want crazy in my life daily, but on occasion, it hits the right spot.”
My smile slowly grows as I suddenly remember something.
The Wild Ones can’t all be in one place unless it’s a sanctioned gathering. Such as a Wild One’s wedding.
“Wear a chest plate under your clothes,” Hale adds.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Penny asks me.
Killian smirks. “Because he just realized what my sister’s wedding means.”
“What does it mean?” Penny asks, confused.
Killian shakes his head.
Hale distracts her, talking about their kidnapping plan for Benson and when she’s bringing the tux.
I focus on what this wedding means to me. It means I finally get my face-to-face with Kylie Malone.
Ready or not.
Chapter 9
Wild Ones Tip #321
Sometimes kidnapping is acceptable behavior if you’re friends with a Wild One.
KYLIE
“So what’s up?” Lilah asks as she meets me near the graveyard.
“Thought we’d go for a walk,” I tell her, grinning.
She shrugs as she joins me, but her eyes flit down to my dress.
“Fancy walking gear you have there.”
“Just left a friend’s house,” I lie, looping my arm through hers.