Desperate Arrangement: Bouncing Back, Book IV

26

"Hold it," a man in a guard uniform walked over to the counter as he recognized the girl. The security office had received a picture of her along with a letter stating that she was to be detained and sent back to her parents if she attempted to leave the country.

Shivering, Johanna grasped Lukas's hand in hers, trying to make herself appear as small as possible. Soothing her, he said, “Be calm, my sweet girl.”

The guard nodded, checking over his roster of No-Fly passengers. "I'm afraid this girl is not able to board any outgoing flights. Kindly hand her over for questioning."

"How does 'over my dead body' sound? She's my wife," Lukas snarled. "I'm not taking chances with her safety when we just got married by the priest who baptized her."

"I'm very sorry to have to do this, sir, but there is a group of people declaring that she's not old enough to wed or leave the country. Please, if you follow me, I can bring you to the private screening room."

Cursing under his breath, Lukas nodded his consent. Turning to the girl behind the counter, he said, "Please ensure my bags are loaded onto the flight. We won't be long."

"Yes, sir."

Following the guard, Lukas smirked and pulled out his phone. "Hallo, Tante Helga. It seems that I'm in trouble at the airport. Five minutes? Perfect, thank you."

Elias rose to his feet, anger evident in his expression. "You have embarrassed this family, Lukas. Tainted, just like that pathetic brother of yours. Emilia was your bride, yet you set your sights on a girl not yet old enough?"

"I have proof that she's recently turned eighteen," Lukas replied. "We confirmed her birthday with the priest who married us and the registrar of the town of Goslar."

Standing from the table, Emilia walked over, giving her hips a seductive sway. "But Lukas, you were supposed to be mine."

"I told you before: I don't like liars," he snapped. "Have you told my aunt and uncle that you're pregnant by another man yet? Or that you slept with nearly every guy in town?"

"Ursula, is that true?" Sofia asked. “You promised a pure bride.”

Without answering, Ursula glared at Lukas before turning her eyes to Johanna. “Ungrateful wretch.”

"Watch your words before I cut out your lying tongue, Ursula," Helga snapped as she walked into the room. She flipped her long black braid over her shoulder before opening the briefcase she was holding.

"Madam, I can't allow you in here," the guard started.

"You can, and you will," Helga replied, flashing her business card. "I was hired to provide Ms. Meyer with legal counsel prior to her wedding so that she fully understood what to expect before, during, and after the ceremony just this afternoon. Shall we call in a doctor to confirm the supposed pregnancy?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Emilia stammered out. “It’s a lie, obviously.”

“Not according to the recent check made by the head nurse of Goslar,” Helga stated mockingly, waving a medical record in the air. Handing it to her brother, she looked at him with a smirk. "My, you look awfully sick, brother. Are you not feeling well, or is your scheme not working the way you wanted it to? I'm well aware of the deal you made with Johan Meyer, and I can honestly say Mother is beyond angry about the man you sent to her house to hurt Johanna. It didn't take Kristoph long to find out the truth, but, unfortunately, the man didn't make it through a second questioning."

Elias looked at his wife as he broke out in a sweat. "I have no idea what she's talking about. I'll take a lie detector test to prove it."

"Kristoph would love to get you alone for that," Helga smirked, watching as he shrank back. "Young Mrs. Roberts, kindly produce your legal government documents to the guards."

Pulling out the papers, Johanna handed them her birth certificate, photo ID, and certificate of marriage.

The guard looked them over, holding both documents under the ceiling lights to confirm that they were imprinted with the proper government seal. He shook his head, obviously upset that the other people wasted the young couple's time as well as his own.

"My apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, you're both free to go board your flight."

******

As they exited the terminal, a gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of blooming flowers, a hallmark of spring in Ontario. The skies were mostly clear, with a few fluffy clouds drifting lazily above. The vibrant green of freshly sprouted leaves and the occasional chirping of birds added to the serene atmosphere, making it a beautiful time to be outdoors.

Clinging to Lukas, she hugged her shoulder bag to her chest as they walked out of the automatic doors. She looked up, gasping at the sight of two men standing by a car. They were just as built as the man she now called her husband, standing tall against the dark green vehicle with the obvious strength that all the Roberts men seemed to have been born with.

Trace's eyes narrowed in pity as he took in the girl's appearance. She was wearing one of Helga’s old dresses, but the bag in her arms was far too small to hold luggage. "Where’s her stuff?”

“This is all she has, Dad,” Lukas said. "A shopping trip is required.”

Markus’ lips twisted into a grin. "I was going to let you ride shotgun, but you sit in back with your woman, little brother."

"Brother," Johanna squeaked, looking between the men. The one who spoke did resemble Lukas closely, but he was slightly taller and carried much more muscle.

"Let's get some introductions in, shall we? Welcome to your new home, Johanna, my name is Tracy Roberts, but you can call me Trace. I'm Lukas's father, and, by extension, your father-in-law. This other i***t is my oldest son, Markus," the older man said gently.

"Not an i***t, Dad," Markus grunted, rolling his eyes.

Trace continued, "I'm not sure how much you've been told, but you need to be introduced to my boss and his wife before we can take you up to the apartment. Lukas, I warned the others to let you be until tomorrow. There's no guarantee they will listen, but them’s the breaks."

She offered a small smile, "Did Oma tell you what happened to me?"

"I know you were attacked by a man on my mother’s farm," he replied. "Why? Is there more to the story?"

Launching into a watered-down version of her story, she filled the two men in. shockingly, they both had the same angry reactions as Lukas.

Bile rose in Markus's throat as he eyed his brother. "Tell me you made the bastard bleed."

“The way I see it is that he shouldn't have put his dirty hands on my girl." Lukas replied as he relayed the story of what actually happened. Curling into his side, Johanna yawned as the hum of the car's engine lulled her to sleep.

Trace nodded as his son spoke. "You didn't get into trouble with the Federals, did you?"

"Uncle Kris got me off scot-free."

Markus looked into the back, his eyes lingering on the young woman sitting with his brother. "Poor baby. She's definitely safer here than there, and she’s cute."

Johanna's eyes fluttered open as they pulled into the underground parking garage. When they parked, an armed guard walked out of the small steel station and greeted Trace like an old friend.

"The Boss is expecting you in the office, Sir. Donna Amber will be here in a few minutes. She was called away to the hospital."

Trace nodded, "Danke, Reid. We're going to head up now."

"Excuse us, but we'd like to say hi to Storm first."

Turning, Trace groaned, "I’d assumed you all learned how to listen."

The tall black man with his arms around a tinier red-haired woman laughed "Yeah, but you know we live to bend the rules."

Markus turned to her, and she shivered. "You're safe. Everyone here will know by the end of the evening that you're my brother's woman, so don't worry about a thing."

As he helped her to her feet, he used his body to block her from the others. A tall, leggy brunette walked over, her lips set in a grimace.

"Markie, move your ass," she said, tossing her hair.

"Move yours, Skylar. Callum and Amber want to meet Johanna, and that takes precedence over meeting you bitches," Markus replied.

She scoffed, "Either move or be moved. Your choice."

"How about you all back the f**k off, and let her get to me. If you hadn’t noticed, she’s scared." Lukas's anger-laced voice cut over the group's conversations.

The red-head blinked at him in appreciation. "Our little Lukie-boy actually manned up and grew a pair. Not that you didn’t already, but seeing you this strong is a good change of pace. Now Mark has two people to avoid pissing off.

Lukas groaned, "Please don't, Kenni. I'm not in the mood, and it’s three if you count Jax."

Kennedy laughed, "Duh. You both look exhausted, so why don't you two go grab some rest. Frankie wanted to see you when you got back, but that can wait."

He deadpanned her with a calculating look, "I'll do you a solid and babysit him if you, Sky, and Romie take Johanna shopping tomorrow."

"One and done, my friend," Kenni answered.

Johanna jumped when the brunette squealed happily. "We get to take her shopping?! Ohmigod, yes!"

Glaring at them, Lukas said, "Sky, seriously, calm your ass down. Give her a chance to pick out her own clothes first before you put your five cents in."

Seconds later, his best friend eagerly joined them before they made their way up to Callum’s Den.