“Is that a bullet hole?” Isobel asked, her voice going so high that it just barely fit in the range of human hearing.
Beth shook her head a little too emphatically. “No! What? Of course not.”
Isobel bent over to inspect the holes in either side of Beth's dress. Beth tried to swat her away, but she refused to be deterred.
“Then what the hell caused this?” At least she sounded truly concerned and not upset. Beth didn't think she could take it if she ruined Isobel's big day.
“I don't know. Moths?” she tried.
Isobel stood. Her hands went to her hips. “Seriously? Moths?”
Beth shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know.”
“Only you, Beth. Only you.” Isobel shook her head. “You can borrow my white cardigan. That ought to cover it.”
“Thank you,” Beth said, overwhelmed with relief.
“You're not off the hook yet. You still haven't told me what's up with him.” Isobel tilted her head toward Alex. He stood just inside the doorway of the honeymoon suite, doing his best to stay out of the way, but in a room full of bridesmaids getting their hair and makeup done, he was completely out of place.
“I told you, he's just hanging out,” Beth said. It was getting harder and harder to come up with excuses. At this point, it was easier to have everyone think that he was some kind of control freak.
“No, I mean what happened to him? He's all beat up,” Isobel said.
“He fell out of bed in the middle of the night.” It came out more question than answer.
Isobel stared at her for a second before throwing her hands up in the air.
“Okay, you’re going to tell me what’s really going on here.”
“Isobel,” Mrs. Munoz shouted from across the room. “It's time to get your makeup done.”
“Right after the ceremony,” Isobel said to Beth. She poked her finger into Beth's chest for good measure. “Promise?”
“Promise,” Beth said.
A reprieve. Thank God.
Beth shrugged the white beaded sweater over her shoulders. It wasn’t the greatest match, but at least it covered the holes.
“How do I look?” she asked Alex, going to stand in front of him.
“You look great,” he said. He looked like he meant it.
“The sweater doesn't make me look too matronly?”
He shook his head. He obviously wasn't in the mood to talk about sweaters. There was something else on his mind.
“We have to go downstairs to meet John. That isn't going to be a problem, is it?”
“I don't think so,” she said. “There’s still a little time before we have to make our way to the garden. I'm all ready, so I doubt anyone is going to miss me.”
“Good.” He laced his fingers with hers as he led her from the room. They walked slowly down the hall, Alex checking every turn and doorway before allowing Beth to pass by.
They found John standing against the balcony doors in the lobby. He looked up as they approached, nodding at Beth.
“You look nice, Miss Bradley.”
“Thank you,” she said. She had the feeling that a compliment from John was a rare thing indeed.
Beth opened the doors and stepped out on the balcony as Alex and John talked. She wasn’t interested in hearing about more intercepted communications, or how secure the perimeter around the hotel was. All she wanted was half a minute to herself.
Alex didn’t stop her, so she figured she was safe enough. He was just on the other side of the glass door. Besides, a bit of fresh air and quiet was worth the risk.
She went to the railing and looked out over the bay. The wind was calm, the temperature mild. A few puffy white clouds dotted the sky, but nothing threatening. It was a perfect day for a wedding.
Beth offered up a little prayer that everything would go as planned today, and not just because that would mean that she wouldn’t get wheeled from the Kensington in a body bag, but because Isobel deserved a perfect day.
Maybe one day Beth would get a wedding day of her own.
If she lived that long.
Beth looked down at the sound of passing footsteps. And froze.
It was him. Dear God, it was him.
The man she had seen in the laundry room. The man who had been with Salvatore. The man who wanted her dead.
Their eyes locked. Beth's fingers curled around the railing. She tried to open her mouth to call out for Alex, for John, for anyone, but nothing came out.
The man stared back, recognition showing in his narrowed eyes. He slipped his hand into his jacket.
He was going for a gun. He was just going to shoot her right here and now. And why not? She was practically handing him his chance on a silver platter, standing stock-still, waiting patiently to be shot.
A switch turned on inside. She refused to go out quietly.
Beth opened her mouth and screamed. Full-throated and loud as a siren.
The man below her winced. More importantly, he hesitated.
In the space of a heartbeat, the balcony doors flew open and Alex was at her side. He grabbed her by the arms and spun her around.
“Are you all right?” he asked, looking her up and down for injuries. “What is it?”
“He's here,” she said. She couldn't keep her voice from shaking.
“Where?” John asked. His eyes were already scanning the parking lot.
“Down there.” Beth pointed to the spot directly under the railing. The man had already disappeared. “He's gone.”
“It's all right. We'll find him,” Alex said.
Beth shook her head. “He went for a gun. He was going to shoot me. I panicked. I'm sorry.”
Alex wrapped his arms around her. “Don't be sorry. You did what you had to do. And it was effective.”
Alex pulled her closer to the door, but not all the way inside. John flanked her on the other side.
“I'll alert the team,” John said.
“No need,” Alex said with a hint of a smile. “I’m sure everyone in a three block radius heard that scream.”
Beth smacked him in the shoulder. “I told you I was sorry.”
John stared down at the pair of them, confusion on his face. She didn't blame him. She and Alex were a mismatched pair. But whatever was going on between them, it worked.
“I’m taking her back upstairs,” Alex said.
Beth shook her head. “You can't do that.”
“Of course I can.”
“It’s almost time for the ceremony,” she said.
“And you’re missing it.” He pulled her through the doors into the relative safety of the lobby.
“Like hell I am. What good am I to anyone up in our room? I can't identify anyone. I can’t draw anyone out.”
“But I can keep you safe.”
“For how long? What happens if this doesn’t end this weekend while I still have the cavalry around me? Do I just go home? Do I go into witness protection?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already promised that I won’t leave you.”
“I don’t want you to be my bodyguard, Alex. I want you to be my lover. Nothing else is going to work.”
John coughed behind them. Beth didn’t so much as blush.
Alex raked a hand through his hair. He looked down at her. His lips were a tight line. He knew as well as she did that what she said was true.
“Now, I am going to be in that wedding, and I am going to help you catch that son-of-a-bitch. So if you want to keep me safe, you better come up with a new plan, and you better do it quick.”
Chapter 13