I Kidnapped My Ex On His Wedding Day

CHARLIE I could hardly believe the timeline Christopher had given me. His brother's wedding was tomorrow. "Are you kidding me?" I stared at him. "How am I supposed to get your brother out of there when I barely have time to prepare? This is Mission: Impossible-level bullshìt, and I'm neither Tom Cruise nor a Bond girl with a warehouse full of spy gadgets." "You mean your first love," he corrected with a grin. "Your ex-boyfriend." He actually had the nerve to smirk. I shot him a look that promised bodily harm if he ever repeated that sentence. "Don't worry about that," Christopher said quickly. "I'll provide everything—the church blueprints, weapons, supplies, escape routes. Whatever you need. We just have to start planning now." I rubbed a hand over my face. This wasn't how my vacation was supposed to go. "I don't know, Christopher. It's already late. We've only got a few hours before we have to pull this off." "Please." He looked desperate enough that I almost felt sorry for him. Almost. I'd only been back in town for a few hours, and somehow I'd already accepted another life-threatening mission. Five million dollars. Enough money to walk away from this life for good. Sure, it sounded like a suicide mission. But Christopher was providing everything I needed, and five million dollars was enough to make me consider doing something incredibly stupid. One successful job. Then I'd quit the agency. No more impossible missions. No more risking my life for other people's problems. That was the plan. So despite the ridiculous deadline, I accepted. As promised, Christopher handed over every piece of information I needed. Which was exactly why I was now hiding beneath the church. An earpiece rested in my ear while my eyes stayed fixed on the tablet in my hands. My thumb hovered over the remote, waiting for the perfect moment. On the screen, Christopher stood near the altar exactly where we'd planned. The church was packed. Fresh flowers. Crystal chandeliers. Handwoven carpets stretched across the aisle. Every inch of the place screamed old money. This wasn't just a wedding. It was a public display of power. Too bad it wasn't going to happen. Because I was here to steal the groom. I kept my eyes glued to the screen. Every second mattered. Christopher had been right. Security was everywhere. Walking through the front entrance would've been the fastest way to get myself killed. Then he appeared. Christian James Kingsley. Five years had passed, yet nothing about him had changed. He was still annoyingly handsome. Still built like trouble. Still wearing arrogance like it was stitched into that expensive tailored suit. Seeing him again shouldn't have affected me. So why was my heart suddenly beating faster? Christopher wore the tiny camera I'd clipped onto his jacket earlier, turning him into my eyes inside the church. My instructions had been simple. Keep Christian standing in the exact spot I'd marked. Directly beneath that spot, hidden under the marble floor, was a small directional charge. Not enough to collapse the church, but just enough to create one perfectly placed hole. From what I could see... Christopher had done his job perfectly. From beneath the church, I could see everything happening above. Then the bride entered. One by one, the bridesmaids walked down the aisle until Gretchen Beaumont finally appeared. Gretchen Beaumont—the daughter of Don Gregory Beaumont, the longtime political rival of Christian's father, Don Carlos Kingsley. I still couldn't understand why two families who had hated each other for decades had suddenly agreed to a marriage alliance. There hadn't been time to ask. Hell, I didn't care. As long as I got my five million dollars, they could marry their worst enemy for all I cared. Planning this operation had taken the entire night. I'd barely slept three hours. But five million dollars was worth losing a night's sleep. The ceremony continued. On the screen, I watched Christian take Gretchen's hand. I frowned. He didn't exactly look like a man desperate to escape. Then again, Christian had always been a damn good liar. I wouldn't be surprised if he was just putting on an act, pretending he was the luckiest man alive. Yeah... so fùcking lucky that his own brother was paying me five million dollars to drag his ass out of this wedding. The priest smiled warmly. "If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace." Silence. Not surprising. Who would object with armed guards stationed in every corner? "Very well," the priest continued. "Since there are no objections—" Wrong. My thumb pressed the remote. A dull boom echoed beneath the church. Cracks raced across the polished marble. For one suspended heartbeat... Nothing happened. Then— CRASH! The floor gave way beneath Christian, sending him straight into the basement in a storm of dust, broken stone, and splintered wood. Showtime. I shoved the tablet into my backpack. Time to move. Above us, chaos erupted. People screamed. The bride's terrified voice cut through the panic. "Oh my God! Christian!" "What are you waiting for?" I snapped. "Get up. We need to move." Instead of getting up, he just sat there, staring through the hole in the ceiling while his bride stared back at us. Seriously? For one brief second, I was sure she'd seen my face. Then more chunks of concrete came crashing down between us. Gretchen screamed again. Damn. Her screaming was more painful than the explosion itself. Finally, he looked at me. Our eyes met. Dust coated half his face, but the shock in his eyes was unmistakable. It was as if it had never crossed his mind that I'd be the one dragging him out of his own wedding. Then he looked back toward the ceiling. "Oh my God! He's alive!" Gretchen cried. I clenched my jaw. We'd already wasted nearly two minutes. At this rate, we'd both get caught, and I wasn't about to let this job fail. I held his gaze for a beat, then turned my back and walked away. "Charlie!" he called. Finally, he was moving. "They've surrounded the church. Where are we going?" "Just follow me," I said without slowing down. I stopped inside what looked like a small church library and shoved one of the heavy bookshelves aside. A hidden door appeared behind it. Dad had shown me this passage years ago. He'd spent his entire life in Blackwood and knew every secret hidden beneath the town. Thankfully... Time hadn't buried this one. I pulled the hidden door open and motioned for Christian to go first. The moment he disappeared inside, I slid the bookshelf back into place and sealed the entrance behind us. I turned around. And immediately regretted it. Christian grabbed my face and kissed me. "What the hell?" I shoved him hard enough to make him stumble backward. "Seriously?" "We're running for our lives, you idiot." Without waiting for an explanation, I sprinted deeper into the tunnel. I never walked into a mission without a backup plan. Disposable glow sticks lined the tunnel walls, marking the safest path through the darkness. "I was just saying thank you," he called after me. If he expected gratitude to turn into a reunion, he had terrible timing. A few minutes later, we reached the iron ladder leading upward. I climbed first and pushed open the heavy metal hatch. We'd made it. The hatch opened directly into the forest outside Blackwood. Exactly where I'd planned. I dropped my backpack onto the ground and pulled out two bottles of water. I tossed one to Christian. We drained the bottles in seconds. The tunnel had been hot enough to soak us both in sweat. "So..." he said between breaths. "What's the plan now?" I slung my backpack over one shoulder. "You ask way too many questions." Then I turned toward the trees. "Just keep up." Phase One was complete. I'd stolen the groom. Phase Two? Get us out of Blackwood alive. Then collect my five million dollars.