In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) Read Free

much
as I hated the SVR for the pain and humiliation they’d caused me, I hated them
more for what they’d done to the people I cared about. Michael especially.
    We
paused just outside the garage. “What brings you to Shirlington?” Kadyn inquired
as his warm brown eyes sought mine.
    “Cenia
asked me to meet her here for lunch. She said she had something important she
needed to talk to me about.”
    Kadyn’s
eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch before a smile tugged at his lips. “Roger
asked me to meet him at the Carlyle Grand for lunch. He said he needed to talk
to me, but he wouldn’t reveal the reason over the phone.”
    I
chuckled softly as we began walking toward the Carlyle Grand. “That’s where I’m
supposed to meet Cenia. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    Kadyn
laughed. “They’ve finally gotten engaged.” His hand brushed the small of my
back as we crossed the street.
    “I
wonder if they’ve invited the rest of the gang,” I mused aloud. I surveyed the
wicker tables and chairs sitting outside the restaurant. “It doesn’t look like
they’re sitting outside.”
    “No
one in their right mind would be sitting outside on a day like today,” Kadyn
noted sourly. “It’s ninety-eight degrees with nearly a hundred percent
humidity.” He swiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm.
    I
laughed at Kadyn’s pained expression, although the humidity was no joke.
Walking through the heavy haze was like trudging through quicksand.
    Jase
paused outside the Carlyle Grand’s revolving door. “After you,” he offered
politely.
    “Thanks,
Jase.” The cool, air-conditioned restaurant beckoned goose bumps as I pushed
through the door.
    “Over
here!” Cenia exclaimed from somewhere nearby. She waved her hand in the air in
an effort to capture my eyes.
    “What’d
I tell you?” Kadyn whispered as he leaned his head toward mine. Cenia’s left
hand was glittering, the engagement ring clearly visible in the sun drenched
room.
    “You’re
engaged!” I burst out when we neared the table. I threw my arms around her when
she stood.
    Kadyn
shook Roger’s hand before pulling Cenia in for a hug. “Congratulations. I’m
very happy for you.”
    I
hugged Roger before flagging down a waitress. “Can we pull up a fifth chair?”
    “Sure,”
she responded cheerily. She grabbed a vacant chair from a nearby table and
plopped it in front of us.
    “Cenia,
Roger, this is Jase. He’s my new bodyguard. He works for Rafael,” I explained.
    Roger
shook Jase’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Jase.”
    “Nice
to meet you, Roger. Congratulations on your engagement,” Jase replied amicably.
He reached for Cenia’s hand. His eyes lit with surprise when she gave him a hug
instead.
    “Thanks
for watching over my friend,” Cenia said. “Did Rafael assign Jase to protect you
because of what happened in Ukraine?” Cenia asked me as we settled in at the
table.
    I
frowned. “Yes, but I don’t want to talk about Ukraine. I want to hear how Roger
proposed. I want to know if you’ve set a date and how I can help you prepare
for this wedding.”
    Cenia
and Roger exchanged glances as the waitress stopped by for our drink orders.
She handed Jase, Kadyn, and me menus. Cenia and Roger already had menus and drinks.
    Roger
waited until after the waitress left to reveal how he’d proposed. “We were
having sex in the church parking lot,” he began.
    Cenia
popped him alongside the head. “We were not!”
    Kadyn,
Jase, and I burst out laughing.
    Roger’s
eyes sparked mischievously. “Were too,” he whispered, winking at me.
    “Roger
proposed to me after church,” Cenia explained. “We were not having sex.”
    “You’re
no fun,” Roger grumbled irritably.
    Cenia
pretended not to hear him. “We were sitting in my SUV, getting ready to leave,
when he declared his undying love and pulled out the ring.”
    “You
did good with the ring,” I assured Roger, reaching for Cenia’s hand. The center
stone