by Sofia Belle
“Won’t this lead us to a dead end?” I watched with growing horror as Mystery Man reached into his pocket and removed something that looked like a dentist’s tool.
He set to work with a set of tools that somehow could fool a digital lock, raising his eyebrows as the door opened at his touch. He held it open so I could walk through first.
I refrained from commenting; if it’d been just me, I could’ve unlocked the door in a few moments with a couple of whispered words. These rules of secrecy had been created to keep us safe, but sometimes they were a real pain in the rear end.
“I see you have a way with lock picking,” I said as the two of us stepped into the room. He closed the door behind us, waiting a second before he turned around.
When he did, his face was a wall of stone. “I told you that I don’t believe in black and white, pumpkin. Is it so hard to believe that a bad guy might pick a lock for a good reason?”
“You’ll admit you’re bad?”
“I admit I’m whatever I need to be in order to keep you safe.”
I swallowed. “Why? Why the need to keep me safe? I’m a stranger.”
“Not as much as you think.” He frowned. “That sounds creepier than I meant it to.”
“Are you saying we know each other?”
“You don’t know me…” Mystery Man walked over to the window. “But let’s just say I’m familiar with your work.”
I frowned. It almost seemed like he was trying to tell me something. Familiar with my work? The Wedding Witch? A lot of people were familiar with my work—it was the reason I could charge so much for my services. They were in high demand. And high-demand services hardly stayed secret for very long.
“Are you looking to get married?” I tried to wait patiently for an answer as Mystery Man’s broad shoulders lowered and he approached the window of the hotel room. His biceps bulged as he ran a tool that looked like a knife around the outskirts of the window, the glass silently cracking open. He popped the screen off and set it gently inside the room.
When he finished his window-removal process, he glanced back at me, a smirk on his face. “I’m not the marrying type.”
“Funny. Me neither.”
His shoulders stiffened. “What do you mean? You’re the famous Wedding Witch. People come from far and wide to get your blessing on their marriage. What about all the love and flowers and glitter and hearts?”
“What about it?” I walked right up to the window and peeked out. I swallowed hard. It was a long way down.
“Aren’t you into that sort of thing?”
“I plan weddings,” I said. “Doesn’t mean I’m planning one for myself.”
“No luck finding a partner?”
I turned away from the window. “Hey, buddy. Why the sudden interest in my love life? You have secrets, right? Well, guess what. I have some of my own, too.”
He cocked his head sideways. “Fair enough.”
“So let’s just say neither of us is the marrying type.” I gave a low, dark laugh. “Maybe we have more in common than you think.”
We stood still for a moment, the silence of the room cascading over the both of us, heavy on my shoulder. Part of me wanted to say something—anything—to ease the awkwardness. But another part of me basked in it, and I wanted to just exist in the moment. Two people who had no interest in a relationship had shared the most magical kiss of their lives.
“Which is why it was stupid of me to ask about the kiss,” I said finally. “It was dumb. It doesn’t matter, and I know you were doing it to protect me. I owe you a thank you.”
Mystery Man’s lips pressed together, and again, I had the feeling he was holding something back from me, but I couldn’t be sure what, if anything, he wanted to say.
Footsteps pounding down the hallway drew me out of my reverie, and I glanced at the door, grateful to see Mystery Man had not only locked it, he’d deadbolted it and slid a chair in front, too. I raised my eyes to meet his. “So, enough of the mushiness. What’s your genius plan to get us out of here?”
“Do you trust me?”
“What?” My gaze had drifted back toward the window, but at his question, it snapped right back to his. “Trust you? I barely know you.”
“Answer. Do you trust me?” He stepped forward, his expression all business.
I quickly considered the events of the day. Though he’d had the opportunity to kidnap me, make me disappear, push me over the ledge—heck, he could’ve tied my hands and left me in Linda’s old hotel room for anyone to find, yet he hadn’t.
The worst thing he’d done was kiss me. And the reason that was so horrible was because now I knew what a good kiss felt like, and I was afraid I’d never be able to go back—he hadn't raised the standard, he’d destroyed it.
Considering all this in as long as it took me to take a breath, I let out a rattling sigh. “I don’t know why, but I trust you.”
“Then trust me when I say,” Mystery Man stepped forward, “the kiss was something special. It’s not always like that.”
I couldn’t help the happiness that bloomed inside me at his words. Maybe Layla had a point; maybe my curse could be broken. “That’s not what I was expecting to hear.”
He winked, then latched an arm around my waist. “Do you still trust me?”
“I think so—” My words disappeared as a loud crash sounded against the door, someone trying to get inside.
“Good. Because I don’t normally do this on a first date.”
“This isn’t a date.”
“Whatever you say, pumpkin.” Mystery Man cinched his grip a little tighter and pulled me toward the window. “This is going to be scary, so you’re just going to have to trust me. I’ll get you out of this safe, I promise.”
“Oh, I am not going out that window.” I pointed a shaky finger. “There’s no way. I’m not a huge fan of jumping off diving boards, let alone flying down the side of a twelve-story building.”
Another crash sounded against the door, and Mystery Man let go of my hips for a moment and got busy fiddling with some equipment around his waist. He moved his fingers fast as lightning, pulling a thin strand of black rope inside the window from where it hung down the side of the building.
“What is that?” The rope wasn’t any thicker than my pinky. “I don’t like the looks of that.”
“It’s strong. Very strong. Reinforced. It can hold my weight, and probably your weight, too.”
“That sounds really promising.” My words were laced with sarcasm to cover up my shaking legs. “Probably. Wow, I suppose I should have laid off those leftover wedding cupcakes over the last few months.”
“Darlin’, you don’t have to lay off anything. Your body is beautiful.” He smiled. “Now come over here. We are running out of time.”
I stood frozen in the middle of the room. I really didn’t want to go out that window. It didn’t matter if I trusted him or not; he hadn’t done a stellar job of convincing me that the tiny rope was made for two.
“You go,” I said. “They don’t know me.”
“They have guns.”
As if to punctuate his point, the doorknob rattled, and I heard the beep of the automated room lock signaling the man had opened the door with a key card. Thankfully the chair blocked his immediate access to the room, but I didn’t wait to see if he’d poke the nose of his gun around the door. I looked up, met Mystery Man’s eyes, and ran toward him.
He opened his arms, caught me, and held me tight as we huddled together on the windowsill. “Are you ready to leap?”
I swallowed. “What choice do I have?”
“In case something goes wrong, I want one more of these.”
Before I could ask what, he leaned in and stole my breath with another heart-pounding kiss. It lasted the length of a second but seemed to span a year. And as he broke the kiss, I wound my arms around his neck, closed my eyes, and grabbed his hand.
The door to the hotel room crashed open then, the chair flattened to s
mithereens.
Mystery Man clasped my hand and gave me a smile. The two of us turned to look out over the town of Fairyvale, the sights of the Fairy Forest twinkling in the distance, the cute shops lit up like a Christmas village in a model train set. And below us snaked a long, black patch of asphalt.
Mystery Man took my hand, squeezed it, and then nodded.
Together, we jumped.
Chapter 7
** **
The first rush of air made it hard to breathe.
Layla’s words to the softening spell echoed in my head, and I repeated them over and over again, the repetitive rhyme soothing my nerves as much as they could be soothed while in desperate free fall.
Just as I was considering murmuring the words out loud and turning to the use of magic, something caught from above, and our free fall halted to a light tumble. Mystery Man’s feet landed hard against the wall of the hotel as he absorbed the brunt of the momentum.
He cradled me close, holding on tight as he slowly pushed off and guided us down past the fourth floor and then the third. He even had the guile to wink at a couple enjoying a nightcap on their balcony as he let us down to the ground level as if descending from a rock-climbing wall at the state fair.
As soon as his feet hit firm ground, he pulled a knife from somewhere hidden and cut the wire. The cord dangled against the building as he looked up and smiled before turning to me. “I’ll come back for that later. We’ve gotta move.”
I chanced a glance upward. Everything had happened so fast. The men who’d been chasing us had just reached the window, a black mask peering out over the edge.
“Don’t look up,” Mystery Man murmured. “Keep your head down and hold my hand. Pretend you’re in love.”
I didn’t know the first thing about love, but I had to pretend something or else I’d collapse into a puddle of emotions on the ground. Fear, adrenaline, and relief coursed through my veins as I took the first shaky step forward, leaning most of my weight on his arms.
“Good. Lean in, rest your head on my chest.” Mystery Man put an arm over my shoulder, and we played the part of a happy couple strolling the streets of Fairyvale after a romantic evening on the town.
We blended into the crowd of people strolling back to the hotel after late dinners and midnight drinks, and as we turned the corner, I caught another glimpse of the tenth-floor window, the man in the mask scanning the street one last time before shaking his head and retreating into the hotel room.
“Now what?” I still didn’t move my head from Mystery Man’s shoulder, just in case. “Where to now?”
“We’re finishing the plan. Didn’t you agree to meet your friends at the bar?”
“We can’t go back to the hotel!”
“Why not?” His voice ruffled my hair. “I’d argue that’s the last place they’d expect us to be after an escape like that. They’ll take to the streets if they’re still looking, or more likely, they’ll call it a night and pick up the chase after things have died down. The police will be here soon.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’m going to call them.”
“Why?” I swallowed. “You broke into the room, too!”
He grinned. “I’m reporting a noise complaint for one particular bachelorette party.”
“No!” I pointed a finger at him. “Those girls have been through enough.”
“Exactly, there’s no violation there, so nobody will get in trouble. But the cops will drive over here, and with any luck, our masked shooters will see the cop cars and disappear.”
“But what if they stop up to check on Linda’s room?” I thought of the chief in particular and his belief that she might have been poisoned. “And think of another complaint. I’m protective of my bridal parties.”
“I don’t leave traces behind. So if the cops find anything, it’ll be something from the men.”
“But your rappel wire…”
He waved a hand. “Relax. You can always say I kidnapped you.”
“You did kidnap me. I wouldn’t be lying.”
“Exactly. Kidnapping you was a favor.” Mystery Man tilted his hat down and scooched closer, pretending to whisper sweet nothings into my ear as we reentered the hotel, this time playing the part of two people coming back from an evening of good food and wine.
Instead of guiding me to a room, however, Mystery Man directed me to a table in the far corner of the bar, a corner I’d hardly noticed before despite having hosted several bridal parties in this room. The booth, tucked deep into a corner nook, was shielded by a luxurious velvet curtain.
I stifled a gasp as I saw Layla and Rosie standing at the bar—the latter sipping a martini, the former a glass of red wine. “I’ll go grab them.”
“No you won’t.” His hand clenched tight around my waist as he guided me into the booth. “We’ll do this my way.”
I tried to wait patiently to see what way Mystery Man intended on letting me rejoin my friends. I didn’t have to wait long. It only took a second for the waitress, a pretty young thing with a nametag that said Denise, to notice the handsome stranger in her bar. She waltzed on over, asking if she could get my “date” a drink.
“I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks, and for the lady, a—”
“Glass of champagne,” I interrupted. I couldn’t resist a little harmless prank. I looked over at Mystery Man. “I just can’t wait to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?” Denise’s eyebrows waggled, though her face looked a little disheartened at the news. “What are we celebrating?”
I leaned into Mystery Man. “Us.”
“Oh, are you engaged?” Denise asked.
Mystery Man’s face fell flat, his expression unreadable.
After all he’d put me through, I felt a little revenge was deserved. “You could say that.”
Denise hid her confusion well. “Well, congrats to your engagement...thing. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
“One more request! I want to surprise my friends, please,” I said, raising a hand as the waitress turned to leave. “Could I order two more drinks and send them to those two girls at the bar? Hang on a second, I want to send a note to them. Honey, do you have a tip?” I elbowed Mystery Man. “Be generous, darling. Denise is wonderful.”
With an unamused expression, Mystery Man reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and slipped Denise a twenty. By the time I’d finished, I’d scribbled a note on my napkin. It read: Will you be my bridesmaid?
“Very cute.” Denise smiled first at the money then at the note. “You want this going to the two ladies in black?”
I nodded.
“Not a problem. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
Denise sashayed over to the bar. She plunked the note down in front of Layla and Rosie, who looked at it in bewilderment. Then confusion. Then excitement. Finally, Layla’s face broke in understanding, and she whispered something to Rosie. Nonchalantly, they made their way across the bar to join us.
Mystery Man took the rest of our alone time to fold his hands across his lap and raise his eyebrows. “Engaged?”
I shrugged. “You started kissing me, so I figured that’s the next logical step. You didn’t ask permission for the kiss, I didn’t ask permission for the ring. Speaking of, I like princess-cut diamonds.”
“Of course you do.”
I dangled my empty ring finger in front of him. Then I said in a sing-song voice, “If you liked it then you should’ve put a ring on it…” I wiggled my hips back and forth Beyoncé style.
“Cute,” he said. “So funny.”
“I’m sorry to ruin your bachelor reputation,” I said, giving a dramatic hand gesture. “You seem like Mr. No-Attachments Playboy.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Mystery Man swallowed. “The last part, I mean. The first part is accurate. I don’t have attachments.”
“Good, me neither.”
“I’m not a playboy.”
“Whatever you say.”
I tilted my head. “I don’t know you.”
“But we’re engaged, honey.”
“Shotgun wedding. Didn’t have a choice.”
“You have a choice.”
I laughed. “This is ridiculous. We’re not engaged.”
“You’re right.” He sighed. “I’m not a playboy, and I don’t have a reputation. It’s my job to not have a reputation.”
“Everyone has some sort of reputation.”
“Exactly,” he said. “And mine is—”
“—shrouded in mystery?”
“That’s one way to put it.” Mystery Man finally gave a real smile. “I was going to say invisible, but that works, too.”
“Congratulations, lovebirds,” Layla said. “I assume you are the lucky couple in love?”
“The one and only.” I smiled, nudging my date with an elbow. “Meet my doting boyfriend, Mystery Man.”
“Ooh, I like mystery.” Layla nodded in approval, pursing her red lips as she sized us up. “I knew dressing you like that would draw the strong, dark, silent type.”
“He’s strong. He’s dark,” I said. “Not silent. He talks, he just doesn’t tell me anything worth knowing. Speaking of, are we done here?”
“I don’t think so.” Mystery Man grabbed my wrist. “You three ladies need to leave this matter be. You shouldn’t be poking your noses where they don’t belong.”
“That’s sort of my job,” Rosie said, waving her hand. “I’m a reporter. Speaking of, can I quote you on that?”
“On what?” He looked at me, and I gave a subtle shake of my head. “I didn’t say anything.”
“How about we pretend you did?” Rosie grinned. “How about I say that a dark, mysterious man was found in the hotel room of a murdered bridesmaid.”
Both Mystery Man and I said no at the same time.
I shook my head. “Rosie, we don’t even have a confirmed murder.”
“But we do have confirmed trouble.” She winked. “I can make a story out of trouble, no problem.”
“You put a word of this in your paper,” Mystery Man said, leaning against the table, “and you ladies are on your own. You want my help? Keep quiet for the next few days. Let the professionals sort it out.”
