Song recommendation: Afraid by the Neighborhood
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"What do you mean Dad?" Niall's voice was immediately laced with a string of panic.
I couldn't process anything around me. My heart was pounding, my head was spinning, and I couldn't control my thoughts. I blinked what felt like a million times, trying to make sure that what I was seeing in front of me wasn't just my imagination running wild. Every time my eyes opened, he was still there. My gaze darted across his body. This couldn't be my Dad. My Dad was dead. But he was standing in front of me.
"Phil, is this really your father?" Niall's voice blurred into the back of my head. I felt a sickening feeling arise in my stomach. My throat and chest felt like it was on fire.
"I know this is-"
"Excuse me!" I pushed past Gorilla and ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before spewing out the three mimosa's and handful of almonds that I'd consumed that morning. Before I could even open my eyes to see the damage, there was somebody holding my hair back.
"It's okay." Niall comforted me quietly. "We'll get through this together."
I wiped my mouth with toilet paper, then flushed it down the toilet. I sat on the bathroom floor, breathing heavily. My mind didn't feel like it was connected to my body. I was just floating around in space.
"Let's stand up." Niall helped me get to my feet, holding my waist to support me.
"That's-" I said quietly. "That's my Dad."
"It is?" He looked at me with concern.
"It is." I nodded. "He looks exactly like him."
"But your Dad's dead." He shook his head in disbelief.
"You'd be surprised how easy it is to fake your death." A voice said from the doorway. I looked over and saw the face of my father. I still couldn't believe it. "Can we talk about this?"
"Does it seem like we have time to talk about this?" Niall squinted.
My gaze dropped to the floor. "It might be the only chance we get."
"Ophelia, they can't kill you." Gorilla reminded me. "You're a McBride."
I'm not a McBride.
"Arabella isn't." I let go of Niall and stormed out of the bathroom. "And neither are you two." I sat at the table by the window. "If we're talking, we're talking now."
The two men followed me warily and sat at the table around me.
"Are you really her father?" Niall asked as I tapped my foot on the floor furiously.
"I'm Ben Carter. I'm her father." He replied, and I knew he was being honest. "Are you really her boyfriend?"
"That's an irrelevant question." Niall's jaw clenched.
"Is Mom alive?" I blurted, making both Niall and Ben go still.
Ben's eyes lowered to the table, taking in a deep breath.
"I said, is my Mother alive?" I repeated in a firmer tone.
"No." He replied quietly. "Neither of them made it."
My breath hitched in my throat. My Dad was the only one left.
"Where have you been?" I questioned again. "You've supposedly been dead for three years."
"I've been hiding out in California, at our old beach house. Remember that place?" He tried to make peace with me. Of course I remembered that place.
"You've been in California this whole time?" My voice quivered. "You lived one state away and didn't even bother to visit?"
"You thought I was dead, how could I-"
"So you thought it was a good idea to just leave your only daughter believing she had nobody?" I hissed. "You have a family that's still alive Ben! You have a granddaughter who lost her father, and a daughter who lost everyone!" My anger was boiling in my veins. I was so mad at my deadbeat Dad who left me for eighteen years.
"I was doing it for your safety Ophelia."
"You decided to be absent for my safety?! Or is this just what Dads do? They leave their daughters to fend for themselves?"
"I'm sorry I-"
"I don't care." I stood, I couldn't take anymore of it. "I have an invasion to organise." I stomped off to the bedroom where I was planning on calling Malik. I slammed the door behind me. I had to move on with this case. I could worry about my relationship with my father later. I was about to dial the precinct's number when I heard Niall speak through the other side of the door.
"You know she's really been through a lot." His muffled voice said to Ben. "You really hurt her."
"I didn't- I never wanted to hurt her." Ben's voice came out sad, quivering almost. "I just didn't want to risk the idea of her being in danger."
"She was alone, Ben." He sounded so disappointed. "I wish you could've met her when I did. I'd never met a person so cold."
What?
"She was mean, she was bossy, she hated my guts because I was kind to her. All she wanted was power, but all she needed was somebody to love her." Niall said quietly. "She was this rock hard shell of a human because she only had herself, she could only rely on herself, could only cry to herself. Do you understand that she became that person because of you?"
"I thought she would've found someone by the time my mother died." Ben replied quietly.
"She was too busy looking for you." Niall replied hastefully. "But you are so goddamn lucky that I found your daughter first. My theory was right Ben, all she needed was a little love. She became the most fearless, most intelligent, sweetest, funniest, woman I have ever met. All because someone cared to notice."
"I know I messed up." Ben sighed. "I just- I want to fix things. I want to be a part of her life. I want to help her. Giving up your child is the hardest thing to do. I've never felt worse pain. Part of me still can't believe that she's not a little eight year old reading Nancy Drew books in the basement." He let out a small laugh. "She's my only daughter. I want to know my little girl."
Then I had a completely raw and true thought:
I wanted to know my Dad.
My body moved without thinking. I opened the door again, tears filling my eyes. I knew that this wasn't a smart choice, but I knew it was a choice that would make me happy.
"Ophelia?" Ben's gaze shifted to me, looking hopeful.
"Dad." My lip quivered as I moved closer to him. He stood, then held his arms out towards me. This was all I'd ever wanted for the past eighteen years. I wanted to hug my Dad again, and here he was. My body melted into his, and his arms wrapped around me. I hadn't felt his warm embrace in almost eighteen years. The last time I hugged him, I was only as tall as his waist, now I could comfortably rest my head on his chest. "I missed you."
"I missed you more, Philly Pop." He laid a hand on the back of my head. Then, he pulled away and looked at Niall. I could see Niall stiffen up noticeably. He thought he was going to get yelled at.
"Look sir, I'm sorry I-"
"Thank you Niall." Dad gave him a smile of gratitude. "Thank you for taking care of her."
"I..." His eyes met mine. "We figured it out together." He felt like he couldn't take all the credit.
My heart swelled, my cheeks burned, I felt so incredibly happy that I almost forgot about my nerves.
"I guess you two have a wedding to get to don't you?" Dad looked at the watch on his wrist.
"We still have three hours." Niall frowned. "Right?"
"Right." I confirmed. "But I need to make a phone call. I may have done something a little reckless."
"What?" Niall's expression dropped. "This is not the time to be reckless. Not at all."
"I told Felicity." I bit down on my cheek, waiting for people to shout at me.
"You told her?" Dad stepped away from me.
"I told her to flee!" I defended myself. "I didn't want to risk her or Brielle getting hurt. It's all I have left of Adam. I told them that they'd be protected at the precinct."
"You can't promise them that." Niall looked at me in disappointment.
"We're police officers Horan." I told him with a serious tone in my voice. "If we can't offer them protection then we're doing our job wrong."
His eyes lowered, then he nodded. He knew I was right.
"That's my girl." I felt a pat on my back. It was my Dad. I couldn't shake the feeling of him actually being alive. "I knew you'd make a good cop."
"You knew?" I furrowed my eyes in confusion.
"I left you with my mother, kid, there was no way you weren't going to be a cop." He stifled a laugh. "But you better go make that phone call before it's too late."
"Right." I searched for my phone in my pockets. I pulled it out and dialled the precinct's number. It rang a few times, then I heard a warming, familiar voice.
"Carter?"
"Hi Malik." I let out a breath.
"What's the matter? Are you okay?" He sounded as if he were working on something else while he was speaking with me.
"I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment." I admitted. "But I called to let you know that there are two people from the McBride house that will arrive at the precinct soon, looking for safety."
"Who? Are they criminals? Are they dangerous?" Malik's attention was brought to our conversation.
"Neither." I assured him. "They're innocent. It's a child and her mother."
"We can't just say they're innocent-"
"But I know that they are." I interrupted him.
"I'm sure you know that they'll still have to go on trial, so I'll trust your judgement."
"All I'm asking is for them to be able to get away from the danger."
"And we can assure that." Malik said surely. "I need you to stay calm here Carter, this is a big day for you."
"Yes sir." I nodded.
"I will see you in a few hours." Malik said to me before finally hanging up.
"So?" Niall looked at me expectantly.
"They'll take them in." I confirmed. "But we have to get moving." I started bustling around the room, making sure I had everything with me. "We need to talk to Harry, I've already spoken to Malik and Payne, they know where they're supposed to be." I turned to face my father. "And you-" I pointed to him. "You need to get back on surveillance, who knows what you may have missed."
"Wait, that's how you rigged the house!" Niall realised. "You set up cameras while you lived here!"
"Potentially." Dad shrugged with a slight smirk on his face.
"Genius." Niall shook his head.
"Niall stop falling in love with my Dad, we have work to do." I grabbed Niall's arm and dragged him to the door.
"Wait Ophelia!" My Dad called after us.
"Yeah?" I stopped to look at him. He had a sad look in his eyes.
"You remind me so much of your mother." He gave a bittersweet smile. "You both better be careful. I haven't gotten the chance to interrogate Horan here yet."
"Oh don't even try to interrogate me Mr. Carter, I invented that game." Niall laughed.
"Be safe." He nodded to the both of us. "Get the bad guys."
"We're cops," I assured him. "It's what we do."
He gave me one last smile before I pulled Niall into the hallway.
"So you've offered Felicity safety but not Daniella?" Niall whispered to me as we walked down the hallway at a rushed pace. "I don't think H is going to take this too well."
"I only offered it to Felicity because she has a child, and I know for a fact that she's innocent." I whispered back.
"You don't think Dani's innocent?" His eyes went wide.
"I hope she's innocent, for Harry's sake, but Niall I have no idea what she could have done. Same with Josephine. I love that girl with all my heart but she has to be arrested before we can be sure." I lowered my eyes so I didn't trip down the stairs.
"Carter if you mess this up it could sound like a family bias." He shook his head. "Plus what happened to innocent until proven guilty?"
"Don't give me that bullshit." I rolled my eyes. "How many people do I have to watch these monsters kill before I can assume that they might be guilty? And it's not a family bias if I'm arresting the rest of the McBride's."
"Phil, this is just really risky."
"Felicity and Brielle will be put on trial just like the rest of them." I snapped. "So fucking drop it."
"Fine, but if you get in trouble-"
"Then what?" I hissed. "What will you do? Break up with me? Get Malik to write me up? Turn me in for being a McBride?"
His expression softened.
"If you get in trouble, I'll fight for you all the way." He said quietly. I knew that it wasn't what he originally wanted to say, but he made the right choice regarding what he actually said.
"And I will for you." I laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go talk to Harry."
"Sorry, did you just say Gorilla is your dad?" Harry frowned as we were sitting in the library of the church.
"Yeah, there's not really much time to explain that," I pursed my lips. "But he's currently on surveillance and he knows to signal if there's a mishap."
"Malik and Payne will lead the troops in after I say 'I do'." Niall explained. "Phil, you've got equipment?"
"There'll be a gun strapped to my leg and Malik has my badge." I confirmed. "Hopefully I don't have to use that gun, but it's a good threat."
"And we're sure that none of them will have guns when they enter?" Harry asked.
"There's a metal detector at the front of the doors. We won't be able to confiscate the weapons, but we will know exactly who has them." I replied.
"So should we have vests or-"
"I can't wear a bulletproof vest under my wedding dress." I gave him a look of annoyance. "All we have is luck. Plus, every uniformed officer will have a vest. Us three are the only vulnerable ones."
"But we're smart enough to avoid being shot." Niall added nervously.
He'd always said that we were smart enough to avoid death. This time, intelligence had nothing to do with whether we live or die. Right now, it was all luck. It was very possible that not all of us would come out alive, but we had no choice. It was either we take this risk, or we live undercover for years, and slowly take out the criminals one by one. There was no option.
"Gorilla will be in our ears as guests arrive, he'll notify us with every person carrying a weapon." I said.
"Okay." Harry nodded.
"Alright hun, we've got half an hour until you walk down the aisle." Niall laid a hand on my leg. "You should go get yourself ready."
"Right." I let out a breath, nodding.
"So this is it?" Harry looked around. "We're almost done."
"Almost done." I confirmed.
"Stay safe, be smart, be cold." Niall said to us.
"No mercy." Harry added.
"No mercy." I repeated.
What felt like only moments later, I was standing by the doors of the church, wearing my poofy wedding dress with a gun strapped to my thigh. It would be considered a lot more glamorous if I weren't in imminent danger.
In front of me stood Josephine, Victoria, Mikayla, and Daniella, in that order. Josephine looked back at me with a grin and an excited thumbs up. I smiled back nervously. She would have taken it as just wedding nerves, but that wasn't it.
In my brain, I repeated the NYPD's motto.
Fidelis ad Mortem.
Faithful Until Death.
I devoted my life to the city, and its people. I would fight for it until the end.
As the music began to play, my heart rose into my chest. We were only moments away from chaos.
My bridesmaids walked down the aisle gracefully, one by one in their pink satin dresses. Everything was going smoothly so far, nobody had tripped, my gun hadn't gone off on my leg, nobody suspected anything.
Until I got a warning signal in my ear. Someone had just walked through the door with a gun.
The last person to walk through the metal detector was Daniella. She was carrying a weapon.
Before I could even process what was happening, it was my turn to walk down the aisle. The wedding march played, the crowd stood to their feet, and without thinking, I put on a smile, and started walking slowly down the aisle. At the altar I saw Niall looking as handsome as ever, giving me a faulty smile. I knew he would hate the dress, and I knew he was nervous. That made it not feel like a real wedding, and in some ways, I was thankful for that. I then looked to Harry who was just to the left of Niall. His face was white with horror. He'd gotten the signal that Dani had a gun too. He looked like his heart had just shattered.
Still, I walked.
I walked until I met Niall at the altar, holding his shaking, sweating hands. We officially had a new fight to face. Who was Dani? And why was she carrying a gun at our wedding? What did she know?
"Thank you for joining me in the holy matrimony of Arabella Theodora Reilly, and Nathan Matthew Kennedy." Harry spoke, his voice was calm and smooth. His mind was probably quite the opposite.
My mind left while Harry performed the faulty marriage. We'd practised it a million times, and now it was muscle memory for me to even do my vows. I was savouring my last moment of peace before it all went to hell. Part of me thought I could hear the sirens coming down the street, though I knew that they wouldn't use sirens on an ambush. It was my own crying mind.
"Nathan, do you take Arabella to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Harry asked.
Niall looked at me, his vivid blue eyes filled with horror. We had no idea what these next few moments would hold. This was it.
"I do."
CRASH!
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If you're pissed that I gave another cliffhanger, that's on you. Cliffhangers should be expected at this point.
There are only three more chapters of this book holy crap! I'm not ready for this book to end but I'm so proud of it and it's going to be a wild ride to the end.
Thanks for reading,
All my endless love,
-Kallie <3