A Cold Dark Promise

by Toni Anderson

  “Did you track Josette?”

  “Officially? No. Unofficially the Mossad reached out to some IC connections and suggested the samples were in friendly hands.”

  The Mossad was better than a terrorist group, but Alex still didn’t like it. “Figure out who the seller is yet?”

  Frazer shook his head. “Nope. But the list of potential suspects is small. We’ll catch them.”

  They screeched into a small private airstrip, and the car drove right up to the steps of the sleek-looking jet and jerked to a halt. The other car pulled up behind them.

  Frazer virtually dragged Alex out of the car and up the steps of the airplane. Jane and the others jogged quickly after them.

  Once they were onboard, the door was immediately closed and the steps rolled away. Alex nodded to Ashley who smiled back at him. No sign of the others. Presumably they’d returned to the States. The jet immediately started taxiing. Someone had thoughtfully placed several thick towels over the seats so they wouldn’t ruin the soft leather.

  “Someone is taking their best man duties very seriously,” Alex noted wryly as Frazer sank down beside him.

  One side of the man’s lips curled. “What can I say? I am the best man.”

  Alex glanced across the aisle at Reilly and Jane who were holding hands. Taylor sat grinning and looking around in excitement. She’d bounced back remarkably quickly despite everything that had happened. Being reunited with a mother whom she’d thought she’d lost had definitely eased the pain of her father’s death. And Masook had been a hard man, not given to overt displays of affection.

  Alex wasn’t sorry he was dead. He was only sorry Taylor had seen the helicopter wreckage and understood what it had meant.

  “Would you like to come to my wedding?” he asked her as the plane reared up into the sky.

  Taylor’s eyes went wide, and she nodded. He’d spent the last few days telling the girl all about Mallory and the baby and their dog, Rex. Jane and Reilly obviously meant something to one another, and Reilly was coming to the wedding. Why not Jane and Taylor, too?

  Jane looked down at her clothes with a grimace. “We have nothing to wear.”

  He thought about the conversation he’d had with Mallory about clothes. It seemed like a million years ago now. “I don’t care what you wear. You can come like that.”

  Jane gaped at him.

  “I fetched all your belongings from the chateau so you have dry clothes you can change into just as soon as we reach cruising height,” Frazer said patiently. “You can give me your sizes and my beautiful and amazing partner will arrange something for the ceremony. She has excellent taste.” Frazer flashed Jane a smile.

  “Think I should call Mallory?” Alex asked quietly.

  “It’s three a.m. her time the night before her wedding. Let her sleep. Send her a text and say you’re on your way.”

  “A text?”

  “It’s an electronic message they use on phones.”

  “Funny.”

  “I thought so.”

  “Good thing I don’t have my gun.” Alex had thrown it over the side of the Fair Winds to avoid any possible murder charges.

  “Temper temper.”

  “Lincoln?”

  “What?” Frazer turned and looked him in the eye.

  “I love you, man.”

  Frazer shook his head in disgust. “Get yourself tidied up before you embarrass yourself.”

  They reached cruising altitude, and Alex immediately undid his seatbelt and stood, grabbing Frazer’s head and kissing him on the top of it. He ruffled the man’s perfectly trimmed hair. “I know you love me, too. You’re repressed. You’ll figure it out eventually.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was seven a.m., and Mallory’s girlfriends had been doing a good job of keeping her company, but now they were both sleeping after staying up late talking. Ashley wasn’t here yet.

  Mallory couldn’t sleep.

  The newborn sun glowed pink and yellow as it peeked over the nearby wooded hills, making long shadows stretch over the endless rows of short vines. The vineyard buildings and the small elegant hotel were behind her. In front of her a couple of houses were dotted around the rural valley, but no one else appeared to be awake. The houses looked like little oases of tranquility.

  She was wearing rubber boots caked in mud, and was dressed in maternity jeans and a pretty pink cotton tunic and a gray cable sweater to fight the early morning chill.

  Rex ran on, sniffing every other vine. Cobwebs sparkled with diamonds of fresh dew and birds sang a morning chorus that should have cheered her heart. The dog darted off after a rabbit and she followed him down the valley, into the thin mist that clung to her cheeks in a cool film.

  Something was very wrong.

  Mallory had texted Alex regularly this week and he had assured her he would be home in time for the wedding, but there had been something elusive in his messages that troubled her. And he still wasn’t here.

  It just wasn’t like him.

  Leaving her alone like this wasn’t like him.

  Equally concerning was that Frazer and Ashley were out of town. Were they all together? Were they aiding Alex in his search for Jane Sanders’s daughter? Or were they busy doing other things?

  They all had important jobs. She understood that. The world didn’t stop just because she’d decided to get married, but…

  Jed Brennan had given her various vague explanations about where her co-workers were and what they were up to. He’d sounded more and more strained in his answers. She couldn’t shake the unease that Jed was lying to her. They were all lying to her.

  Her teeth clenched.

  Jed had also piled on the work this week, and she’d barely had time to breathe let alone worry. She’d worried anyway. She was good at multitasking.

  The rehearsal dinner had been canceled. Half the wedding party were absent and there hadn’t seemed much point. Didn’t matter. They could wing the ceremony just as long as everyone turned up.

  She caught a drop of dew on her finger from a small green leaf. She didn’t doubt Alex’s love or devotion, but there was something he wasn’t telling her. She just didn’t know what it was. Or maybe she was being naïve.

  She pulled the leaf off a vine and rubbed it between her fingers, inhaling the fresh, fragrant scent.

  Maybe Alex had arrived in France and realized how clingy Mallory was. Or the idea of settling down with a wife and child was too much pressure for a former assassin. Or maybe he’d been pulled back into his old life and liked the excitement of it. Or he didn’t know how to extricate himself from a certain situation or was burdened with that old insecurity that he wasn’t good enough for her, which was bullshit.

  No more lies…

  They’d made a promise to one another while waiting for her sister’s body to be uncovered in the woods behind Mallory’s childhood home. No more lies. It was the only vow that truly mattered to her. What if Alex had broken that vow before they’d even got started on their lives together?

  Could she trust him?

  The question bothered her as much as the answer.

  The wedding ceremony was set to take place in the gardens at the back of the hotel. The forecast was for a perfect, spring day full of sunshine and good cheer. Chairs were being set out in neat little rows and an arbor was being filled and covered with living plants and fresh flowers even as she walked across the bare earth between the twisted vines. The reception would be held in the massive tasting room, closed to the public for the weekend.

  They’d gone for a lilac and gray color scheme with a “rustic elegance” theme, whatever that meant. To her it meant less worrying about the details. To the wedding planner it apparently meant something else entirely.

  She strode through the vineyards just bursting into life, determined to walk herself out of her funk. After another mile, she turned around and headed back toward the vineyard. The soil felt good under her boots. The baby kicked in agreement and she sm
iled. He or she was the reason she’d changed her mind about getting married sooner rather than later. She and Alex might not be the most traditional couple, but she wanted them to be traditional in this.

  The baby turned inside her, and Mallory figured he or she sensed her unease. She placed her hand on her bump.

  He’d be here. Alex loved her as much as she loved him. She trusted him, she realized, without reservation. Wedding jitters had gotten the better of her, and she was worried about him.

  A twig snapped, and she looked up sharply. She hid her disappointment as her mother stepped into view through the vines.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” Margret Tremont asked worriedly.

  Mallory paused and stretched out her aching back, not answering the question. “Figured I’d get some exercise before all the madness starts.”

  Her mother wore a blue sweater and black leggings and tall, black boots. Her skin glowed with health and vitality though her eyes held questions. Questions Mallory didn’t want to answer.

  She began walking, hoping movement could somehow delay the inevitable. No such luck.

  “Where’s Alex? The groom is usually here by now.” Her mother’s voice was quiet, yet carried across the valley on the thin, morning air.

  “He’ll be here.” Mallory spoke with more confidence than she felt.

  “What if he isn’t?” the senator pressed.

  “Then he’ll be late for his own wedding.”

  “Why haven’t we seen him all week?” Margret Tremont was nothing if not determined.

  Mallory didn’t answer.

  “You’re willing to risk public humiliation if he doesn’t turn up?”

  “Yes, Mom. I’ll risk the nebulous concept of humiliation by not assuming the worst and by getting ready for my own wedding because he will be here.” And he would. He loved her, she knew he did. She swallowed the knot of emotion that wanted to form. Her true fear wasn’t that he was going to jilt her at their wedding. What if something had happened to him? Something terrible, and she was here worrying about a stupid ceremony?

  Were the others trying to help him? Trying to find him? Why wouldn’t anyone tell her anything?

  Mallory suddenly wanted to cry. She wanted to curl up in a ball and sob. But she would not break down. Not until she knew for certain. She had more faith than that.

  Pregnancy hormones were a bitch.

  She tipped up her chin and whistled for her dog. Then she took her mother’s hand.

  “Alex will be here.” Mallory touched her heart with their joined hands, hoping that sheer force of will would make it happen. “Let’s go get breakfast and start getting ready for our big day.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Fuck. We are never going to make it.”

  “Au contraire, mon ami.” Frazer told him, doing up the buttons of his dove-gray waistcoat and then shrugging into his hand-tailored jacket. “We are almost there.”

  Alex had showered and shaved on the flight back. He’d even managed a few hours’ sleep. Getting ready for his wedding in the back of a black sedan while being driven at a high speed with a police escort was not something he had ever imagined when envisioning his wedding.

  “You have the rings?” he asked Frazer.

  Frazer frowned and searched his jacket pockets one after another and looked up with horror. Then he grinned and pulled out a jeweler’s box. He snapped it open to reveal two gleaming platinum bands.

  “You picked now to develop a sense of humor?” Alex asked him, trying to control his heartbeat.

  Frazer’s lips quirked. “Wait until you hear my best man’s speech.”

  Alex groaned.

  Frazer leaned over into the front passenger seat, pulled out another box, this one a small cooler box. He opened it and inside were two roses of the palest lilac color.

  “Boutonnieres,” Alex said stupidly. He’d forgotten about the boutonnieres.

  “Izzy made sure we had everything we needed.”

  “Izzy is a gem.”

  “Goddess,” Frazer corrected.

  Alex raised his brows. High praise indeed coming from the consummate professional who’d unexpectedly become his closest friend.

  “Izzy is a goddess.” The woman had saved Alex’s ass, and he wasn’t about to argue.

  They were zooming down quiet back roads and Alex realized they were close to the vineyard. They were gonna make it.

  “Get them to turn the sirens off. It’s going to freak Mallory out otherwise.”

  Frazer nodded and called someone. The sirens turned off, and the cars slowed down to a less dangerous speed. Alex checked his watch as Frazer attached first his own buttonhole, and then Alex’s.

  “Any regrets? Second thoughts?” Frazer asked, smoothing Alex’s lapel. They’d gone with classic black tuxes that could be worn for other occasions. Mallory was practical if nothing else.

  One side of Alex’s mouth twisted. “Only that I didn’t get here faster.”

  Frazer gave a satisfied smile and leaned back. “We prevented a major biological weapons deal and got Jane Sanders her daughter back. And we made it home in time for the wedding. I think we did a damn good job.”

  And then the sign for the vineyard came into view, and Alex felt his pulse settle for the first time in days. A deep sense of calm washed over him. He was here. He’d made it.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Mallory could see the anxious glances her mother and father exchanged. Two of her bridesmaids were equally nervous and the third conspicuous by her absence. Haley was waiting with the other groomsmen, last seen flirting with one of Alex’s old Army pals.

  Mallory stood in a side annex of the hotel. They’d completely commandeered the whole place for the wedding. The wedding planner stood near the arched wooden doors keeping anyone from wandering in.

  It was five minutes to two o’clock.

  The setting was fantastic, everything she’d hoped for in a venue. Beautiful but not ostentatious. Warm but elegant. Friendly. It was only missing one vital ingredient.

  The groom.

  “You look beautiful,” her father said quietly.

  Mal smoothed one hand over her baby bump and squeezed his arm with her other. “Thank you.” Her gown was a wonderfully romantic affair with an embroidered lace bodice, a high waist to accommodate the baby, and layers of soft tulle with a court train. Not puffy or fussy. She’d fallen in love with it the moment she tried it on. She hoped Alex liked it. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry.

  She wore a circlet of flowers in her hair and had opted not to wear a veil.

  No more secrets.

  “Mallory…” her mother began with another anxious glance at her father.

  “Go take your seat, Mom,” Mallory insisted firmly to the senator with a pointed stare at her former boss, Art Hanrahan. He gave her a nod and took her mother’s arm, leading her away and out the rear entrance to where the two hundred guests were gathered.

  It was a lot of people. Her mother was worried she’d be humiliated, but if Alex didn’t turn up, her guests would be the least of her concerns. If Alex didn’t turn up something awful must have happened. She couldn’t bear the idea.

  She thought she heard sirens in the distance, but then they stopped, and she decided she’d been imagining it. She walked over to where the bouquets were carefully arranged on the table. The photographer had taken a million photographs of them earlier along with photos of her with her parents and the bridesmaids. She had a horrible feeling the expression on her face would have been pensive rather than joyous but hopefully they could do some retakes later. When Alex arrived.

  She reached out and touched a soft petal. A mix of pink, blush, lilac and white roses, peonies, and anemones filled out her bouquet and the scent was incredible. She wanted to find a way to remember that smell forever.

  Three minutes to two o’clock.

  They’d stuck to all the major traditions.

  Something old—she’d had the two platinum sign
et rings she and her sister had once worn melted down to form a new ring which she wore on the pinky finger of her left hand.

  Something new—her dress, shoes and underwear were all new. She had a new pair of converse trainers for later if her shoes became uncomfortable. The dress was so long no one would notice, and if they did, she didn’t really care. She could pretend to be hip for a day.

  Something borrowed—the diamond studs in her ears were her mother’s pride and joy and could probably be sold to feed a third world country for a day. Mallory was glad for the security.

  Something blue—she’d had the word “blue” embroidered in blue silk on her panties. She wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

  One minute to two o’clock.

  She walked over to the sideboard and picked up her bouquet. Her bridesmaids looked at one another.

  “But Alex isn’t here yet,” Anna, one of her bridesmaids, cautioned.

  Mallory nodded. “He’ll be here.”

  He’d promised her he would be. He wouldn’t jilt her at the altar. She had to trust him.

  “Daddy,” she said quietly, inclining her head to one of the men she loved most in the world. She smiled at her bridesmaids, looked over to the wedding planner. “Let’s get this thing started.”

  Her father drew in a deep breath and seemed to realize she meant to go through with the ceremony despite the fact the groom was missing. The wedding planner looked stricken but squared her shoulders and disappeared for a moment. Strains of “Mendelssohn’s Wedding March” started playing.

  Mallory straightened her spine and took her father’s arm. They walked quietly to the entrance just as Ashley Chen came flying through the front door of the hotel. Her gown—lilac tulle with a tight, ruched fitted bodice and spaghetti straps—was hitched up to her waist so she could run more easily. Mallory didn’t know how she did it in the silver heels she wore, but she managed. Ashley dropped her skirts and the wedding planner smoothed them out and fluffed her black hair which was loose around her shoulders. There was a slight blush to her cheeks and a sparkle in her eye. The woman looked beautiful, but more important, she was here.