I do, but not to you

Kim left early in the morning, we left with her. She made us a small breakfast despite Bryson's complaints. She gave me a beautiful green dress to wear to the wedding, even if it was to crash it. Glancing at my phone we still needed to rush to be on time.

Joe had worked his magic with hair and makeup and I was gearing up with a gun at my thigh and a knife in my bra. Bryson was already dressed and armed, waiting for me when I came out of the room. He didn't have time to look at me, I grabbed his wrist and we headed for the church.
"Rene, you're like running."
"Yeah, we have to stop it before it starts, not mid- wedding, this isn't a movie. We'd probably come in at the vow's part or something stupid." He chuckled as he floored it.

The wedding started at 11:30 and it was nearly 11. My heart felt like it was moving at a hummingbird speed. Rushing to the church doors, I panicked as they had an usher. I was not prepared for a stopping point so early.
"I'm Valerie," I glanced at the sign. "Miller."
"Oh, you're with the wedding party?" The man was older, somewhere in his 50s or 60s.
"Yes, the bride is expecting me, can you point us in the right direction?" The man smiled and pointed me down a hallway. This was one of the first churches we toured so the layout isn't fresh in my memory. "Thank you." I smiled and power walked towards the room. A large white banner hung about the door that read "Bride loading". Cringing, I knocked. Bryson was not far behind me. I reached back and grabbed his wrist before she opened the door.
"Who is it?" Hazel called through the door. I knocked again. "Who is it?" She snapped a little. My grip got tighter on Bryson as I knocked one more time. The door flew open and an annoyed bride version of Hazel stood in the doorway. Quickly we barged in, closing the door behind us. "Excuse me, who are you!" Her face lit pink with anger as she stared us down.
"Hi, my name is Lawrence, I'm here to ruin your day, I'm sorry because you look really lovely." Bryson locked the door behind him.
"What is going on?" She was a mix between furious and terrified. "Wait, I know you." She pointed at me with perfectly manicured fingernails.
"Uh, yes."
"You sat with us at the beach, then you came out with us to the bar!" Guilt tickled my heart. A weird sense of betrayal nestled in.
"Yeah, I did."
"You lied." Treason splattered on her face.
"Not entirely, parts I lied about. My name is Lawrence, I am an agent. I was just doing my job." Angry, she turned away from me. Bryson gave me a shrug.
"I'm going to," he trailed off, pointing to the door. I nodded, understanding what he meant.

The room was silent and packed with tension. Bryson had left to drag in the groom, also to make sure the team was ready. Hazel stared daggers at me from across the room, I ignored her visual death wish.
"How long have you been stalking us?"
"It doesn't work like that." Sighing, I pulled up a chair. "We planned a fake wedding, got information on the people we needed information on."
"What does that have to do with my wedding?" She snapped.
"Your fiancé isn't who he says he is." She stiffened.
"What?"
"He is a scam artist. They fake marry people and take large loans out in their partners' name and disappear with the money." I spoke softly, as the volume and tone of my voice could make the truth any less crushing. Hazel let out a long breath.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Quickly I slid a trash can in front of her.

I felt for Hazel, she was rightfully an emotional cocktail. Some random girl she partied with once is crashing her wedding and telling her that her soon-to-be husband is not who he says he is. I can't imagine that feeling. A whirlwind of sad emotions lit by anger. How does someone even move on from this?

A knock came at the door. I popped up to my feet, withdrawing my gun.
"Who is it?" I called through the door.
"It's me." I recognized the voice and opened the door. Bryson quickly scooted in and closed the door. "He's coming, he had to talk with his business partner for a second." He raised his brows. There could be more than one scammer here. My heart rate accelerated.

Another knock came at the door. I stood on the other side gun between me and the door. Bryson hovered close between, gun also drawn.
"Who is it?" I called.
"It's Peter." Drawing in a deep breath, I opened the door. I held the gun and pointed it at his face.
"Get in without a sound or I will shoot," I said in a low, calm voice. Panic flashed in his eyes for a moment, but the rest of his face stayed stoic.
"No, you won't."
"I shot him," I gestured to my left. "And I like him, he's my partner." Bryson lifted his shirt revealing his scar. Peter's eyes grew wide and he quickly stepped in, closing the door behind him.

Hazel, lost it. Can't say I didn't see it coming, but it was an impressive explosion to watch. She also spit out useful information. She brought up a few names.
"Your best friend, Greg, is he here?" Peter's eyes landed on me, guarded.
"Yes, why?"
"Are you business partners too?" Slowly, he nodded. "Great, call him in here."
"No." He sneered. Slowly, making a point that my steps were loud and in beat.
"Did I stutter? Get. Him. In. Here. Now." His eyes were so dark they were nearly black. Lee's eyes were nearly black too but his had life and kindness in them, Peters were dead.

I stood toe to toe with Peter as he texted Greg to go check on Hazel. Shortly a knock came at the door.
"Who is it?" I called. This game of guess who was getting old.
"Hey, it's Greg. Peter told me to come check on you." My brows knit together. Did people think I was Hazel? Looking back at Bryson who was at the door, he quickly opened it, grabbed Greg by his shirt, and pulled him in. The door closed quickly behind him. Bryson and I exchanged a look and a small smile. As awful as this mission has been, this was kind of fun. Picking up trash, if you will.

Greg stood against the wall, shoulder to shoulder with Peter.
"She's ugly." One whispered. I turned away to face Bryson. He studied my face, slightly I shook my head.
"Oh, she has to have her partner protect her." They spoke loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Hazel just pouted in the corner, not doing anything since her explosion. She'll recover from a ruined wedding quicker than an empty bank account and bankruptcy.
"Bet you she didn't even shoot her partner."
"Gun probably isn't even loaded."
"Or real." They bantered. My ears felt hot. I turned to them and snapped. They had sunk down the wall and were sitting like children, knees to chest.
"I will bust a cap so far-"
"You better not finish that sentence with 'in your ass' Lawrence." Mr. Gold said upon entering the room. Curse words sounded so foreign from him.
"Then I'll leave it to your imagination." He sighed.
"Lawrence."
"That's your name, Lawrence?" Greg asked, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Every day of the week and double on Sundays." He looked at me like I was crazy but Mr. Gold and I exchanged a tender smile. He knew who I was quoting.
"Stupid name for a girl." I bent down so we were nearly nose to nose.
"Lawrence, please." Mr. Gold sound exhausted. I didn't say anything, my face remained blank and cold.
"Hey," Bryson said lightly, his fingers grazed my shoulders. I still didn't move. "Lawrence." He slightly hissed.
"I may have a man's name, but I also have my freedom. Shame you can't say the same." I growled before I stood up.

An unexpected knock came at the door, and we all froze.
"Hey, it's Jan." Bryson and I exchanged a look. Quickly, I made it to the entrance. Jan was on the other side of the door with wide eyes when she saw me.
"In," I commanded. I didn't like Jan, never did. She obliged. The door swung closed behind her.

Gold pulled Bryson and me into the corner farthest away from them.
"Have they talked?" He asked us.
"Mad shit, but other than that no." Mr. Gold sighed.
"We have very little information. We are skating on thin ice here. It's only a matter of time before this fails." Bryson raked his fingers through his perfectly kept hair.
"I'll figure it out," I said to myself, shaking my head.
"Lawrence, we barely have anything. This wedding is a giant what if."
"No, it's not," I said strongly. "I know he's a part of it." I glanced at Peter. Sighing, he nodded.
"Until we figure out our next move, I will go watch the church, make sure no one comes or goes." He slipped out the door and the room fell silent again. The only noise was the hum of the A/C unit and the ticking of the fan above.

Their names kept repeating in my head. Greg, Peter, Jan. Greg, Peter, Jan. Why did that grouping sound so familiar?
"Hey, Lawrence," Greg called to me. I glared back at him. "Aren't you pretty mad at your parents? I mean they name you after a boy and you look ugly." He grinned, proud of his snarky remarks. Crouching in front of him, I stared at him.
"No. I am Lawrence, and I am proud to be Lawrence. As for my looks, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, I don't care what you think." Bryson leaned on the wall, texting Joe. "I mean seriously, Jan, Greg, and Peter? What are you the Brady Bunch?" His eyes grew wide. "Holy shit, you are." Shooting up, I yelled. "Bryson!" He snapped his head to me. "I figured it out." I stood up and dragged him to the corner. "First off, they're idiots. Second, they are the Brady Bunch." He glanced over my shoulder.
"Like the 70's TV show?" He scrunched his nose.
"I know, I told you they are dumb." I glanced back at Peter. "That means there are six in total."
"Six?" He hissed.
"I didn't write the show." I thought for a moment. "It's three boys and three girls, right?"
"The kids? Yeah."
"I bet it's three couples. It makes sense. Maximum profits. Cost of living for 3 couples over 6 people is cheaper, therefore, more payout at the end."
"You're joking. Couples?"
"You've heard of open relationships. Plus, if this is their work, is it really cheating?"
"That's gross."
"They are dumb, I wouldn't put it past them."
"I will have Joe look into it." Nodding, I stepped outside the room.

My wedges clacked on the title as I bolted to the chapel. The room was full of tense guests. The wedding was running behind, that's all they knew. Mr. Gold stood near the entrance, out of sight. He looked over at me.
"Lawrence, is everything okay?"
"I figured it out," I whispered. I paused to inhale, he waited. "There are six, they are using the names of the Brady bunch. Greg, Peter, Bobby, Jan, Cindy, and Marcia." He thought this over for a moment.
"But his name is Peter Knight, not Peter Brady." I thought for a moment, he was right.
"Hold on." I pulled out my phone and googled the show. "Peter Brady was played by Christopher Knight. Greg Brady was played by Barry Williams."
"They are using the characters' first names and the actor's last names." He picked up on what I had.
"It's a show from the early 70s, it's nearly 50 years later, how many people were really going to put that together?" He shook his head.
"You amaze me, Lawrence. Come on."

We walked back to the room, pride pumped through my veins. My love for old tv shows when I was a kid came into play, saving the day. The room was silent, Bryson held his gun at his side.
"Shame, you're all still alive." Bitterly, I grinned at them. Choosing to ignore my comment, Mr. Gold took over the conversation.
"Hazel, is it?" He asked the moping bride in the corner. She nodded. "I apologize for everything, but your wedding is canceled."
"I figured." She wiped the lose tears from her eyes.
"Bryson, can you please collect their phones." Gold said without looking at him. Bryson dropped four phones in my hands.
"I did, the second Lawrence ran out of here." Gold and I both glanced at Bryson. We worked well as a team and the more people see us work, the more apparent it becomes.
"Should I tell them, like that the wedding is off?"
"No!" Bryson immediately shouted. "She is not diplomatic. I should."
"He isn't either." Mr. Gold looked at the two of us.
"Joe will do it, don't worry." He assured us.
"Poor Joe." Bryson frowned.
"Now who am I going to marry?" Hazel whined, I refrained from rolling my eyes. She was definitely one of those girls who always dreamed of her wedding day, this was never a part of that dream.

Gold slipped out with the phones to hand over to Joe and inform him of his newest duty.
"Are you two actually a thing?" Hazel pointed between us.
"No," I said shortly. She eyed Bryson. A stone sank into the pit of my stomach. Clearly, I did not think ahead. Telepathically I was trying to beg her not to say anything.
"You want to get married?" She was looking at Bryson. Low blow to the gut. Maybe in some backward karma way, I deserved that.
"Uh, no. I'm, I'm working." I stared at Bryson, but his eyes flickered between Hazel and me. "Also, I'm, I'm good." I licked my lips to hold back a smug smile.
"Are you sure? I can be anyone you want me to be. I'll even change my hair." The words slipped from her tongue like silk. Bryson stared at her wide-eyed. Hazel was more interested in playing the victim card than grieving the loss of a marriage.
"Listen, we are secret agents saving you from losing a shit ton of money. Yeah? How about you let us do our jobs instead of trying to get married to one of us?" I snapped a little. Bryson seemed to relax. Hazel scrunched her face at me.
"Someone's jealous." She wasn't wrong. I was jealous. I knelt so our faces were close.
"I could have any man if I cared to. This has nothing to do with jealousy and everything to do with, we're busy working." I said in a low voice. Standing, I strode away from her. Bryson's gaze followed in my wake.