Chapter 3 Off to a Rocky Start

Ronan's POV

I didn't know much about the woman in front of me, but one thing was certain; she wasn't pleased with my response.

I held her gaze, and as time slowly ticked by, I held back the urge to laugh.

Her wide blue eyes looked like a deer caught in headlights, and her pink cheeks made her nothing short of an embarrassed high schooler.

Against my better judgement, I found my eyes trailing down her neck, before settling on her cleavage. The line didn't leave much to the imagination, and her perky boobs were strained against the thin layer of cotton she was wearing, and I struggled to figure out if she was stressed or something else.

"Did you hear that fellas?" Damien, one of the guys wheezed. "Boss, is getting married! We have a wedding to plan!"

Everyone joined in on the laughter again, well everyone except the lady in front of me.

"We'll need a flower boy." I grinned widely. "What do you say Justin? Will you do the honors? I think...."

"You might think this is funny." She leaned in, cutting me off just at the right moment. The embarrassment she was sporting was nowhere to be found, and I wondered if that was a bad sign. "But you and I know you both need an alibi. And your men, they have no idea why."

Again, the room fell silent, but not for the reason I wanted to.

I didn't have a mirror, but my reflection in her eyes was enough for me to see my amusement disappear, just to be replaced by something darker.

How the hell did she know that?

The air was thick with tension, and I didn't like it one bit. She'd lowered her voice to a dull lull, but it didn't make it any less hard for the others to pick up on it. They'd heard her, and as clear as day too.

Fuck.

"You've got a big mouth, sweetheart." I leaned back with a smirk. There was no other option than to play it off, and I'd be damned if I did otherwise. "You sure you wanna keep running it?"

Someone snorted from one of the tables, and I just knew I'd done a good job. They were beginning to think I was calling her bluff, and that didn't sound so bad right now.

"You can try to intimidate me all you want, Ronan." she wasn't backing down. "But if I was bluffing, you wouldn't look so pissed right now."

How did she know all that? My need for an alibi was top secret, not even the people involved had realized I was going to be needing one, so how the hell did she just....

"So what's it going to be?" Her voice cut through my thoughts. Earlier I thought it was sweet, but now, I didn't miss the thorn sticking out the side.

"Say I do need an alibi." If she wanted a game, then I didn't see any harm in playing along. "That's all I get? Nothing more nothing less? Who are you?"

"Vivienne Carter." She scrunched up her face as she spoke. "or more accurately, Vivienne Weston."

"What?" It was impossible to hide my shock this time, and she knew it. "Why do you need protection from him?"

"That's all you need to know." She huffed. "Marry me, and you get the rest."

She pursed her lips, and I just knew there was no negotiating past this. I hated to admit it, but she had the upper hand here and there was nothing I could do, but wait.

"Fine." I spat, my eyes never leaving hers. With a tone that was bound to send shivers down her spine, I added. "I just hope you know what you're up to."

"Boss?" Someone called out again. My mind was a mess, and I was too occupied to figure out whom the voice belonged to. "Are you serious? You can't be serious."

"Oh but I am." I smiled. "I'm now a family man."

The boys looked confused, but I didn't dwell on that.

Instead, I got out of my chair and turned to Vivienne.

"Tomorrow evening." I let out slowly. "At the church down the street. Make sure you're...."

The rest of my words disappeared into thin air as gunshots pierced the nights. The glass windows of the bar shattered immediately, littering the bars wooden floors with shards of glass.

The smell of gunpowder filled the air, a confirmation of what was about to happen I didn't know I needed.

"We're under attack!" Marcus yelled, and that was the signal to pull out his gun. While a good population of the club scurried to safety, an even greater number ducked for cover, just to pull out their weapons.

"What's going...." Vivienne had barely gotten any more words out, before I pushed her behind me, knocking her to the ground.

"Stay the fuck down." I covered her body with mine. As she scrambled around, I forced myself to ignore how perfectly she fit underneath me.

Marcus led an open fire, shooting at no one in particular alongside the boys. For the next couple of minutes, gunshots hitting rogue targets filled the night, and it would have continued, had something not happened.

A lone rocked flew through the gash in the window, just stopping right on front of Vivienne and I.

On instinct, I grabbed it, but not before sneaking a glance at her first. There was a note taped to the rock, and I unfurled it as quickly as I could.

"You have no idea what you've just gotten yourself into." The note read.

"Start talking. " I growled. "Now."

"I don't know who's after me." She quivered, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the shift in the attitude. Just a couple of minutes ago, she was a badass babe, and now, she could hardly get a word out without shivering. "It could be Grant or ..."

"What the fuck did you do to him?" I watched my eyes darken in hers. " Speak."

"I might have seen something I shouldn't." She whispers. "Something he'd kill to silence me."

I allowed her words wash over me. I knew she was trouble when I'd first laid my eyes on her in that alleyway. I should have walked away when I got the chance, but what did I do? I agreed to get married, and now, I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into.

"Well, sweetheart." I huffed. "Looks like you just became my biggest problem."