Undercover Engagement

by Lucy McConnell

“I can’t take her clothes – what will she wear home?”

  “We'll leave your stuff here and I'll put some cash in the pocket.” He peeled off two hundred dollar bills and tucked them into my front pocket. “I’ll stand right by the door while you change.”

  I changed, unpinned the wig, and slathered on enough blue eye shadow and body glitter to light up the Strip.

  My dad would be so proud.

  Speaking of my dad, he was going to flip a lid and I couldn’t blame him. He’d known Jason for less than a week. Shoot – we’d been engaged for less than a week! Now we were married and Dad never got to walk me down the aisle. Something needed to be done about that, but there wasn’t anything I could do right now so, I focused on what I could accomplish and tucked the rest away.

  The tight braids came out easy enough but my hair stood and kinked in all directions. Worst hair day ever and that included the time my friend Sarah tried putting it up in hot curlers. Sticking my head under the sink, I rinsed it as best I could, ringing the excess water into the garbage can. I flipped the hand dryer to blow upward and blasted my hair to moist instead of dripping in a matter of seconds. The crazy, wind-blown look wasn’t my norm, but that’s what we were going for.

  I stepped out, carrying everything. Jason patted down my jeans. He handed me the flash drive, cell phone, and then a wad of cash before throwing them in the locker.

  “Where exactly am I supposed to put these?” I held everything in my palms. Jazell's clothing didn't exactly have pockets.

  “Somewhere safe.” He did a quick look down at my chest, the push-up bra did amazing things for my small allotment – then back up. I stuffed the money and the flash drive in the left side making sure it would stay put.

  It was Jason’s turn to flush. I smiled up at him and reached out to touch his arm. Even though we were running for our lives, and if we survived, our future was still in question, just being with him made me feel safe. I closed the distance between us.

  “This is going to be harder than I thought.” He pulled me to him for a breathless kiss. His lips were warm and possessive, taking as much as he gave. He pressed me up against the lockers with one hand flat on the locker door and the other wrapped around my waist. I melted toward him, letting the kiss take me to places I’d never allowed myself to go before. How could I ever have a normal life without kisses like this? They were the best part of my day, lifting my spirits, filling me with courage, and melting my insides to puddles of happiness.

  The door we came through banged open, breaking us apart like two kids caught kissing on the front porch.

  Dancers streamed into the room. Sparkle, glitter, and the smell of hair spray, brought me out of my just-kissed daze.

  I cleared my throat. “What’s the plan?” I whispered. It was hard to think of anything but his lips and I was more than ready to dive back in.

  “We’re gonna move.” He said in his best Elvis voice, giving his hips a little shake.

  I rolled my eyes. “Stick to spy work, you’re a horrible impersonator.”

  “Whoever is watching will be watching for a couple, so we need to go separately this time.” He stepped to the sink to wash off his scruff.

  I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around him from behind and hold on like a bulldogging cowboy on a steer. “I don’t want to go alone.”

  “I don’t either, but it’s going to be safer that way.” Using paper towels he swiped away at his cheeks, but left a goatee. “Hopefully, by the time they realize we aren’t together, we’ll be gone. You go first. Head straight for the front door and don’t look back. I’ll take another route and we’ll meet up at the car.” He grabbed a ball cap someone had left on the counter and pushed it low over his eyes. “Do you remember where we parked?”

  I shuddered to think of entering the parking garage by myself. “Yeah, unfortunately.”

  He placed his hands on my shoulders. My heart quickened and my cheeks flushed as I thought of our last kiss.

  “You can do this. I know you can.”

  “Okay.” I nodded. I could do this for the love of Pete. If I could help the guys on the ranch castrate steers, then I could do this. I wrinkled my nose. A smelly calf was one thing, a burly assassin was something totally different. Courage all came from the same place, right?

  “If anything happens to me,” he flipped open my phone, “Call this number, I’m saving it under Elvis.”

  I smirked.

  “Tell them you have a missing bird. Did you get that? Missing bird. They’ll trace the call and send a team to help.”

  My hands shook as I took the phone.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be on the phone the whole time.”

  “Okay,” I said again. A great feeling of dread weighed down on me. “Can we say a prayer?”

  “Sure.” We both folded our arms and bowed our heads. I ignored the haughty male dancer who whipped his feathers over our cheeks as he flitted past. Jason offered a short prayer for safety and guidance. I felt warm, but couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Somehow I knew this wasn't the right plan, but there was nothing I could do about it. I placed my life in the Lord’s hands, kissed Jason once more, and walked out of the locker room on my own.

  Chapter 20

  Two steps out the dressing room door and I jumped when my phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Sweets.”

  “Hey.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

  “Just leaving now.”

  “Hmmm.” I kept the phone to my ear and tried not to look nervous as I made my way straight through the heart of the slot machines.

  “We are supposed to be talking.”

  “I’m coming up blank.”

  “Do you think your parents will be glad we eloped?”

  Eloped, ha! “That doesn’t count. Where was my something old? Something blue? You’re not getting off that easy. My dad would come after you for stealing his chance to walk his only girl down the aisle.”

  “I thought we could just send them the photo by way of announcement.”

  Of all the things to bring up right now. We’re trying to stay alive, I couldn’t even think about my parents. In fact, I’d only made it through the drugging and pretend/real marriage ceremony by not thinking about them. Besides, my parents would be devastated that I’d eloped, just as much as they’d be heartbroken if I never came home. The worry they would feel if they knew what I was up to deflated some of my bravado.

  “That would be safer than telling them in person.” I entered the casino’s main floor.

  “What do you want me to get you for a wedding present?”

  “Nothing, we’re getting it annulled.” I practically had to shout over the slot machine din. An older gentleman glanced over with raised eyebrows. I shrugged to him and continued towards the main entrance. If I married Jason after all of this, it would be in a church and he’d be in a tux, not a Texas-sized cowboy hat and fake stubble. Really, really attractive fake stubble. I’d only caught a glimpse of his goatee, but it reminded me of Tony Stark and that was enough to make me lose all the strength in my knees.

  “Come on, Sweets, there must be something you want.” His footsteps echoed in the background and I could hear him shake out his keys. He must be close to the car. All I had to do was get to him.

  I pushed the glass doors open into a wall of heat. My clothes sucked to my body instantly and sweat beaded at the back of my neck. Looking left and then right, I oriented myself in the afternoon sun. “The only thing I want is for life to be normal again.” I felt the tears well up. Since I was alone, I let them fall.

  Silence hung on the line. “Jason?”

  “I’m so sorry. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make this up to you. Look, I’m here...” I heard a dull thunk and a clatter as the phone hit the ground.

  “Jason? Jason?” I paused mid-step, just outside of the street entrance to the garage. The line went dead. Closing the pho
ne, I waited for it to ring again, hoping he’d just lost signal, but knowing in my gut something bad had happened. The attendant in the booth looked up from his book, smiled, then returned to his reading.

  Hide.

  It only took a second for my mind to process the command. I jumped behind an elephant shaped bush just as Jason’s car skidded around a corner and pulled up to the striped arm that kept even drunk drivers from escaping without paying. I gasped as the driver’s window rolled down to reveal our Shadow. He had a bruised cheek bone and a split bottom lip. Jason reclined in the passenger seat. He looked like any other man who’d partied too hard and had a willing buddy to drive him home.

  “I lost my ticket.”

  “You’ll have to pay for the whole day.”

  “That’s fine.” The stranger passed over the money. The gears ground as he pulled away, proving his inability to drive a stick. I sank to the bumpy landscaping rocks.

  My husband...

  Chapter 21

  I had to go after him. Traffic wasn’t moving that fast on the Strip, I could catch up to the car and...and what? Bang on the window? Yell for help? I stepped to the side of the bush, trying to keep the car in view.

  Stay.

  But Jason...

  Stay.

  Replacing the view of the back side of the car with the back side of an elephant ripped my heart out, but I did it; the feeling was too insistent to ignore. Two men in expensive suits exited the garage, one talked on his cell phone while the other polished his sunglasses.

  “Good. Check him for the device. I’ll meet you back at the hotel.” Pause. “She has to be here somewhere.”

  My hand flew to my mouth. They were after me. I pressed myself closer to the elephant's behind, careful not to rustle the leaves.

  “Check the cameras and call me back. We’ll wait by the front door.”

  Peeking around the bush, I saw a camera above the guard station. They’d be back in seconds. I had to get out of here! Feeling nothing to the contrary, I burst from the bushes and onto the busy sidewalk. My arm hailed a cab as though it had been trained by extensive travel abroad.

  “Where to?” asked the cabbie.

  Is that what you call them? Cabbies?

  I didn't know, but my brain was firing total blanks on anyplace in Vegas that could be safe.

  “Just go, fast," I said between gulps of air. My heart raced as though I'd run a five-minute mile and my hands shook. Thankfully, the driver didn’t ask. I’m sure he picked up all sorts of passengers on this street. I fumbled with the phone looking for the safety number Jason stored under Elvis. I found it and pressed send.

  “Hello, animal rescue how may I help you?” A polite woman’s voice asked.

  What was that phrase? “I have a missing bird.” I almost shouted into the phone. The driver looked back at me. I glared in his direction. Yep, I’m a crazy bird lady who follows her flock in hailed cabs – get over it, buddy.

  “Please hold.”

  I bit my fake nail. It hurt my teeth more than the nail, but at least it gave my shell-shocked body something to focus on.

  “May I verify your name and location?”

  “Alyssa Eastman? Las Vegas, Nevada.”

  “That’s what I have here on screen. Alyssa, we have several agents in the area to assist in the recovery. Can you please give me Jason’s last known location?”

  I slapped the back of the driver’s seat. “Where are we?” I swung my eyes out the window trying to locate a street sign, but we were in the middle of the block.

  “Outside the MGM hotel.”

  Due to traffic, we hadn’t moved much which meant that Jason couldn’t have gone far either – unless they turned down a side street. I repeated the address into the phone along with my account of the last three minutes.

  “Thank you, Alyssa. Do you have a safe place you can go?”

  “Um.” I shook my head. Where do you go to get away from the whole world? Suddenly it hit me. “I do.”

  “Please proceed to that location. We’ll call you with any new developments.”

  “Thanks.” I slapped the phone shut. Looking at the driver’s curly hair I instructed, “Take me to the LDS temple, please.”

  He flipped on the blinker.

  Chapter 22

  Almost a half hour later, we drove in through the beautiful wrought-iron gates. As always, the LDS church had made a dedicated effort to beautify the area surrounding the temple. Palm trees grew almost as tall as the building, open areas sported native plants and flowers, and a large fountain gurgled in the backdrop.

  I paid the driver, adding a healthy tip to make up for my crazy bird behavior. I wasn’t sure how much of my conversation he overheard once I quit screaming into the phone. I only hoped he would keep his mouth shut and write me off as one more eccentric person in Las Vegas.

  Wishing I had dressed better, I looked longingly at the front doors as I passed. Even though they wouldn’t let me past the entrance without a special card, the doors sensed my approach and automatically opened, blowing the cool air-conditioned relief my way. There was an older gentleman standing sentry behind a big desk. I smiled. He smiled. I walked on.

  I had eaten lunch near the Salt Lake Temple many times looking for a break from my hectic job. Today, I came looking for peace and safety, counting on Jason’s description of the church’s private security detail to make me invisible to the outside world. I wasn’t sure if the men had seen me jump into the cab, but this was the best “safe-house” I could find, even if I couldn’t go inside.

  I plopped onto a concrete bench next to a V-shaped water fountain. My thoughts tumbled out like the water bubbling before me.

  Where was Jason? Was he safe? Was he hurt? Tears stung my eyes and I bent in two. Laying my head in my hands, I prayed for him. I prayed for me. I prayed for us. Like it or not, we were in this together … husband and wife. As I prayed, my doubts about Jason trickled away and were replaced by a confirmation that Jason was my one and only. He was the calm to my storm, the optimism to my pessimism, the love of my life. A whole new wave of tears came and I sniffed loudly.

  Never had I felt so overwhelmed and shined so bright when held in a man’s arms as I did in Jason’s. We were joined together, albeit by an Elvis impersonator, but still, the words “till death do you part” meant something to me and I knew it meant the world to Jason. It was clear in the way he looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world when he realized I was his wife. A girl doesn’t find that every day and I didn’t want to lose it.

  The flash drive’s plastic casing felt uncomfortable against my skin in the heat.

  I sat up to adjust things and jumped when I saw a man in a white suit standing over me.

  “Excuse me, Miss.”

  I dropped my hand from my chest. Oops. “Yes?”

  “May I sit with you? This is the coolest bench in the garden.”

  I shifted to make room for him hoping he hadn’t see me adjust my bra. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. “Here.” He motioned toward my tears.

  “Thank you.” I wiped my cheeks and under my eyes. Makeup smeared across the soft cotton leaving a dark blue and purple stain. “Sorry.” I tried to hand it back.

  “Keep it. I have many more. When you start working here, they tell you to buy a bunch. You’re the first person who’s ever used one.” He smiled like a proud grandpa.

  He was friendly enough, but I didn't want him to start asking questions I wasn't sure I could answer, so I asked, “How long have you been working here?”

  “About five years.”

  “Hmm.” I nodded my head. Five years ago I was interviewed and hired by Devin. Thinking of my boss made me think of Jason. I bit my lip to keep from crying.

  “You know, sometimes troubles can feel as tall as palm trees.” He pointed at the tree towering over us. “When we’re in their shadow, it’s hard to see things clearly.”

  I smiled politely. There was no way this gu
y knew the trouble I was in.

  “The thing is, that palm tree is never going to move.” He leaned closer. “We’re the ones that have to take that first step.” He glanced at his oversized watch face. “I’d better be getting back inside.” Grunting, he pushed himself up.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Thank you for letting me sit with you.”

  “No problem.”

  He shuffled back the way he came. When he was out of sight, I used the handkerchief to remove as much of my makeup as possible. Before I had a chance to resume my prayers, the phone rang. I waited until the second ring for the caller ID to read: Jason.

  “Jason?”

  “No.”

  My hands shook and I gripped the phone. “Who is this?”

  “Let’s not worry about names. You have something I want and I have something you want. Let’s play nice and switch.”

  “How do I know you haven’t already killed him?”

  “Say 'hello' to your sweetheart.”

  “Alyssa, don’t...”

  I heard a slap. Followed by a cruel, “I said, say hello.”

  Panic surged through my body and it wasn’t just my hands shaking any more. I burst to my feet and then dropped back to the bench just as quickly. “What do you want?” I begged.

  “It’s simple. You give me the flash drive, I’ll give you lover boy.”

  I checked the clock on the phone. Two hours until drop off. I knew the time, I knew the place. It would be easy to lay low here for another couple hours, take a cab to the drop off, and leave finding Jason to the professionals. Jason would want me to go ahead.

  But, I wanted Jason. I wanted him back safe, I wanted him in my life, and I wanted him to be my husband. A determination took hold upon my mind and my body stilled. I looked up at the palm tree above me. It was time to take the first step. “All right, we’ll switch. But we do this my way.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  "Stay by the phone. I'll call you back with the details."