by Nina Lane
Most of the guests had arrived well in advance of the five p.m. ceremony, as if they’d known that the privilege of attending Luke Stone’s wedding came with the price of access control. Police officers guided cars into the parking lot, and Gavin’s security team patrolled the area with unobtrusive stealth.
The day was finally here. Absorbing Polly’s joy, the excitement of the bridesmaids, the jubilant energy… Mia couldn’t have been more thrilled that she’d been able to contribute to such a memorable day. And what if she could do this as an actual career? She couldn’t imagine a better way to create joy and beauty.
Lorraine came to tell them that all the guests were seated, Luke and his brothers were in their places, and the procession was scheduled to begin in ten minutes. A flurry of happy excitement filled the air as the women descended the stairs and lined up outside the foyer door.
Music drifted from the string quartet seated in the courtyard, and Mia peeked around the door to see the groomsmen and Luke entering from the right side to take their places at the terrace. They were an impressive, handsome group of men… but at the moment, all of Luke’s younger brothers faded in his glowing shadow.
The bridesmaid processional began. Mia stood next to Polly to await her turn. In the absence of both parents, Polly had chosen to walk herself down the aisle, and Mia could see the sudden nervousness rise to her friend’s eyes.
She squeezed Polly’s hand. “I’ll be right there.”
“I know. You’re the only person I trust to tell me if I have a booger in my nose.”
Mia laughed. “You don’t. And even if you did, I’d still love you.”
“Same here.”
Mia did a last-minute check of Polly’s train and veil before starting down the aisle herself. The guests were an eclectic bunch—on Luke’s side, high-society men and women in designer clothing, and on Polly’s side, the hippie crowd from Wild Child in chiffon maxi-dresses and rumpled suits. It could not have been a more perfect representation of Polly and Luke’s union.
Murmurs of admiration rose as Polly came down the aisle, though when she and Luke locked gazes, it seemed as if the rest of the room disappeared for them. She took his outstretched hand. He lowered his head and whispered something in her ear that caused a warm smile to bloom over Polly’s face.
The ceremony was simple and sweet, the couple exchanging their own vows with such heartfelt emotion that Mia suspected there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Afterward, a flurry of activity took place with photographs and a cocktail hour.
A festive atmosphere filled the villa as the lanterns and luminaire cast a warm, amber glow over the reception, and the party began in earnest. There was dancing, toasts, an elaborate sit-down dinner, and plenty of champagne. Mia danced with each Stone brother in turn, as well as Warren Stone, who proved to be the best dancer of them all.
After the cake-cutting, Hannah caught hold of Mia’s elbow and tugged her to the side of the room.
“The boat reached its anchor point, so they’re ready to start as soon as everyone is outside,” she whispered. “The band moved to the outdoor stage when Polly was cutting the cake, so it shouldn’t be hard to get everyone out there. I asked Evan to make an announcement.”
“I’ll help with crowd control, so we don’t have any stragglers,” Mia said.
Evan picked up the mic to encourage everyone to head outside to the manicured gardens on the perimeter of the villa grounds.
“It’s such a beautiful night that we’ve set up a bar and stage overlooking the ocean,” he said. “So let’s keep the party going outside.”
Voices rose in happy agreement as all the guests filed outside, trailed by laughter and excitement. Mia took the opportunity to detour to the ladies’ room. Two men dressed in black suits passed her in the foyer, both with severe expressions.
She ignored the faint unease rising inside her. She’d been decidedly impressed all evening with Gavin’s security procedures. Only when she’d caught a glimpse of an earpiece or a man speaking discreetly into a handset had she noticed any evidence of his team.
She used the restroom, taking a few extra minutes to powder her nose before heading back to the foyer. As she passed the bustling kitchen, Lorraine stepped out and gestured frantically to her.
“Did he find you?” she asked.
“Who?”
“Mr. Knight. The security guys at the gate just stopped an unauthorized truck from entering. The delivery guy said he was delivering pizzas for the security team.”
“That was Polly’s idea,” Mia explained. “Gavin wouldn’t let her order extra food for his team, so she planned for a pizza delivery halfway through the evening.”
“Mr. Knight refused to let them in, and now he’s plenty mad there was a planned delivery that he hadn’t been told about.”
Mia’s heart sank. Polly had known the delivery truck needed to stay on the exterior of the security ring so it wouldn’t interfere with Gavin’s operations.
“I’ll find him and explain,” she told Lorraine. “Do you know where he is?”
“He was stalking through the courtyard, last I saw him.”
Mia thanked her and hurried outside. A few men patrolled the perimeter of the courtyard, but Gavin was nowhere in sight. She went back inside and crossed the foyer to the front entrance. He was coming up the front steps, the lines of his body tight with tension.
Great. She had to calm him down before anyone at the wedding discovered the chief of security was about to lose it.
She held up a hand as he approached. “Gavin, calm down.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the gifts?” he snapped.
“The gifts? I thought you were upset about the pizza.”
“I am. I said no unauthorized deliveries. Nothing that hasn’t been personally cleared by me. I sure as hell didn’t get any notice about pizza.”
“Polly was worried your men would be hungry, and since you told her not to order extra food for them, she wanted to make sure they had something for dinner.”
Gavin muttered a curse, his hands flexing. “Much as I appreciate Polly’s concern, my men are here to work. We don’t eat or take breaks on duty. When did you know about this?”
“Um…” Mia’s heart began a slow descent to her stomach. “Yesterday. It was a last-minute idea.”
His jaw clenched. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“I thought it would be fine if the pizza truck stopped outside the exterior circle,” she said, her own anger rising alongside a stab of guilt. “I’d never have told them to breach all your security lines. I mean, random members of the public are down on the road waiting for Luke and Polly’s departure, so why would it be a big deal if the pizza guy stopped there too?”
“Because I had to go the fuck out there and deal with an unexpected and unexplained issue when I need to be on site,” Gavin snapped, his eyes flashing. “Now I hear there’s a bunch of goddamned packages in the front room that you also didn’t tell me about. You assured me there would be no gifts.”
“There weren’t supposed to be,” Mia explained. “Polly and Luke requested donations to the Rebecca Stone Foundation in lieu of gifts. It was on the invitation. I had no idea people would actually bring anything so I didn’t make arrangements for what to do with them. So I put them in the front room.”
“You put them in the front room?” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “What the hell were you thinking, putting yourself at risk like that?”
Mia couldn’t deflect his anger. It speared right into her, blooming hurt through her chest.
“I… I didn’t know what else to do,” she finally said.
“And why am I just now finding out about this?”
“Because you were out at the main access point when the guests were arriving.” Mia lifted her chin, forcing a belligerent note into her voice. “And your team was confiscating the presents and leaving them outside, which is terrible wedding etiquette, not to mention disrespectful. So I had to make a decision. If
one of your men didn’t tell you, don’t blame me.”
He stared at her with such disbelief that her insides shriveled up.
“You and I worked our asses off to get this event locked down in record time, and yet it didn’t occur to you to tell me yourself?” he asked.
Shit. No, it hadn’t occurred to her because she’d been too busy helping Polly with her dress, checking the decorations, and getting ready herself, and besides she wasn’t supposed to be in charge of anything on the day of the event anyway…
No.
Gavin was right. After their contentious start, they’d worked hard together to ensure they both got what they wanted for the wedding. Mia had heard his dictates countless times by now, and she’d known perfectly well that she should notify him if anything unexpected occurred.
But she’d failed. Gavin would never have made such a stupid mistake because he was so fucking good at the operating instruction of life, whereas her big contribution was color-coordinating napkins and flower arrangements.
And sure they’d ended up partnering well to organize their friends’ wedding-of-a-lifetime, but suddenly Mia realized that when the big event was over, she and Gavin would have nothing left in common.
There was no stupid enchanted forest where they could live happily ever after. No world where frosted cupcakes would ease his PTSD, and she would decorate his steel security briefcase with stickers of hearts and flowers.
What a fool she was. After the wedding, Gavin would plunge back into work 24/7, tracking security risks with methodical precision, while she’d sit in her cubicle at the insurance agency trying to figure out if she should offer party packages to get her event planning business off the ground.
Oh my God.
She blinked back her tears, stunned that she hadn’t seen it before now. She’d been slowly falling in love with Gavin Knight for the past year, but only now did she realize how desperately she wanted to have more with him. She wanted him to be her steadying force, the man she came home to, the warrior she’d freed.
And yet it was a wish as futile as wanting Granny back.
“I’m having all the gifts loaded up and taken to another location.” Gavin turned to the front door, unaware of her distress. “I don’t like having unchecked boxes here.”
“Sir.” A young man in a dark suit, sweat beading his forehead, lifted a hand to signal Gavin from the foyer. “We need your assistance.”
Gavin strode toward him. “What is it, John?”
“Odd package, sir.” John gestured toward the front room. “Needs to be checked out.”
Gavin diverted swiftly to the front room. Mia followed and stopped right behind him in the doorway. Several dozen gifts sat piled on a large wood table. Most of them were elaborately wrapped in expensive paper and tied with silver and gold ribbons. Others were less fancy, packaged in various patterns of “Congratulations!” paper.
An odd smell permeated the room, something overly sweet and sickly.
“That one, sir.” John pointed to a lumpy package at the edge of the table.
Hand-wrapped with lumpy pieces of tape, the package bore a white card scrawled with Luke and Polly’s names. A stain bled through the paper, making an oily mark.
Gavin cursed beneath his breath. “Don’t touch it.”
He stalked toward the reception hall, gesturing sharply at two of his men as he spoke into his mic. “Secure the area. I want everyone evacuated, but not a single person senses anything is wrong. Close all vents. No one goes into the front room. Execute protocol stat.”
Mia ran after him. “What should I do?”
He threw her a glare so cold it iced her heart over. “Get out of here. Now.”
His voice was like the strike of a whip. Mia turned and fled, gripping her skirts as she descended the front steps. Behind the villa, the guests were gathering on the expansive lawn, still unaware of the impending fireworks show.
She’d tell the musicians to begin playing in the hopes of distracting the guests from sensing anything was amiss. At least she could be of some small help. Even if Gavin didn’t want her help anymore.
She rounded the side of the villa, unable to convince herself that her sudden reality check about Gavin was just hurt feelings. Maybe she’d even known the harsh truth all along and needed to be stripped of her silly illusions.
Blinking back tears, she started toward the lawn. A shadow stepped in front of her. Alarmed, she skidded to a halt. Trees blocked the bright lights of the garden, throwing this side of the villa into shadows.
Mia took a step back. Her heart pounded. The figure moved forward and stepped into a thin stream of light.
Shock flooded her. “Danny?”
He smiled. Dressed in a tan suit and tie, his curly hair slick with gel, he didn’t look nearly as polished as many of the other guests, but no one would think to question his presence as one of Polly’s friends.
Except he wasn’t… was he?
“What are you doing here?” She tried to remember if there had been any Dannys on the guest list.
“Just celebrating a joyful event.” He spread his arms out, his smile widening. “After you shot down my offer to be your date, I hooked up with another one of your less picky friends. Turned out she didn’t have a plus one to the wedding yet and was more than happy to bring me along.”
Mia took a few more steps back, taking some solace in the knowledge that there were plenty of people around—unlike during the incident in the parking lot. Except none of the guests were likely to notice anything beyond the thick trees separating the garden from the sideyard.
Her heels sank into the soft grass. Voices rose from the garden as more guests descended the terrace steps, many of them carrying drinks and champagne glasses.
“So could I at least get a dance tonight?” Danny asked.
For every step back she took, he moved toward her. Adrenaline charged through her. She turned and dashed back to the front of the villa.
“Not this time, bitch.”
She gasped and was yanked to a halt. Her feet went out from under her. Danny fisted the back of her gown, pulling her upright. He hauled her back against him, snaking his hand up the front of her body and seizing her throat.
“Gotcha,” he said, a smile still in his voice. “Now let’s find out just how far that fucker Stone is willing to go.”
“What do you want with Luke?” Mia struggled against his grip.
“Bastard stole my idea for a candy product.” Danny tightened his hand on her throat. “Zigzag Candy was my idea. Now he’s getting rich off it and not giving me a penny.”
“Luke didn’t steal anything from you.”
His grip tightened. She inhaled, trying not to panic at the restriction of her air flow. She kicked back with her heel. He darted away just before impact. Her lungs began to hurt. He dragged her backward into the shadow of the house, his breath rasping in her ear.
She couldn’t breathe. Black spots swam before her eyes. She clutched his arm, digging her fingernails in. He was stronger than he looked, his sinewy muscles hard as rock.
“Wait,” she gasped. “I know Luke… I can talk to him for you…”
“Too late. He doesn’t want to answer my letters? Well, he’ll pay now.”
Before Mia could respond, an explosion ruptured the night.
Chapter
SEVENTEEN
Fucking fireworks.
Gavin gritted his teeth. A spray of red and gold flared across the sky from the boat stationed several miles off-shore. The guests gasped and ohhed with astonishment as the display began.
Much as he hated the noise and flare, Gavin took consolation in the fact that everyone, even the kitchen staff and assistants, were all a safe distance from the villa and entirely focused on the surprise of the fireworks.
“All rooms are clear, sir.” John hurried to his side.
Gavin nodded, his attention on the computer displaying the path of the remote sensor they’d sent into the front room. Tensi
on thickened the air. The laser flashed onscreen as the device approached the suspicious package.
“Detecting liquid materials, but no chemical agents, sir,” one of the men said. “No electronics, radioactivity, or smoke either.”
The robot picked up the package as the laser and x-ray scanned the interior. A green light flashed on the screen: all negative for hazardous material.
One of the men moved toward the door. Gavin held out a hand to stop him.
“Sir…”
Gavin’s shoulders tightened. Fuck if he wasn’t going down with his ship, if need be. He knelt beside the package, which the robot had put on the floor. The overly sweet smell hit his nose, the oily patch on the paper spreading. He unfastened the tape and tore it off the package.
The box contained a set of essential oils, incense, and candles. One of the bottles was broken, leaking through the box and paper. Gavin tossed it aside and stood, giving the others an all clear signal.
“Sweep the rest of the area,” he ordered.
He left the villa and crossed to the garden, every one of his nerves still on high alert. They’d done a thorough sweep of the grounds earlier that day, but the fact that something had gotten past him—
Fireworks blazed in the sky, a riotous display of color and light. Music danced through the air along with the hum of conversation and laughter. Gavin took a breath, glad at least that the scare hadn’t affected his friend’s wedding.
He made his way through the crowd, keeping one eye out for Mia while he listened to his men verifying the all clear throughout the villa. Where was she? He was an ass for having snapped at her in the adrenaline-charged moment of discovering something had slipped his attention.
He’d known she was focused on her friend’s happiness, that it wasn’t her job to relay important communications. And yet he’d hated the implication that this wasn’t their project, the one they’d made happen together, with her eye for beauty and his security expertise. A manifestation of their two worlds.
If they could create it through a wedding, then maybe—
He returned to the villa and paused on the terrace, which gave him an overview of the mingling guests. He could have picked Mia out of a stadium crowd. The fact that he couldn’t find her among the wedding guests made him increasingly uneasy.
