by Rye Hart
"Hmmm, what are you hiding?" she wondered aloud.
A soft rap on the front door of the apartment startled her out of her thoughts. She quickly moved toward the bedroom door and pressed her ear up against the thin wood in hopes of hearing what kind of visitor Carter Heath would have at this hour of the night.
She strained to hear the conversation.
"Carter, did you pick her up?" An unknown, male voice spoke with a sense of urgency.
"Yes, but she doesn't know yet," Carter replied.
Georgina could feel her senses come alive with the suspense. Are they talking about me or Mia? She thought. She didn't have the sense that she was in any danger at the moment, but just in case, she checked to make sure that the bedroom door was locked.
"Do you think she is on our side?" the male voice questioned.
Georgina held her breath as she tried to hear Carter's reply. But their voices suddenly dipped down to a hush that was barely audible and completely indistinguishable. She got down on her knees and tried to listen through the crack at the bottom of the door.
"I'll grab my coat then," Carter said with sudden force.
When Georgina heard the two men leave and the door shut behind them, she jumped to attention. Where are they going? She knew in her gut, that if she followed them, they would lead her to Mia. She knew that there was something more to Carter than he presented himself to be. The stranger had asked if she — at least she thought they were speaking about her — was on their side. The overheard conversation added a whole new level of intrigue to the whole situation and her brain ran wild with questions as a result.
She knew she needed to take action while she still had the chance. With a sudden swiftness, she grabbed her long overcoat off the bed and threw it on to cover her dressing gown, as she didn't have time to change. She quickly slipped her boots back on, unlocked the bedroom door, and left the apartment. She whizzed down the stairs and just as she exited the building, she spotted two figures — one distinctively Carter — stroll around a corner and into the night.
Georgina wasted no time. She quickly began to follow them from a safe and undetectable distance.
She was too far back to hear anything they were saying, but from the lack of gesturing, it appeared that they were walking in silence. They seemed intent on reaching their location and walked with a purpose that indicated that they knew exactly where they were going.
She continued to follow, all the while trying to decipher how all the clues fit together. She knew that Mia Barrington's father had, after no luck with the private investigators, gone to the paper to do their own investigation. Mr. Barrington and Devon had decided that Georgina would be the best to go undercover, as she could pose as a mail order bride with the same company that Mia had applied through.
However, none of this explained why Carter Heath had been inquiring about Mia at the front desk of the hotel, and it most definitely didn't explain why he turned out to be her groom. And now, he was trudging through town in the middle of the night.
Yet, Georgina instinctively knew that Carter Heath was the key to solving this whole mystery. Her mind raced with the anticipation of a discovery and her heart beat with the excitement from the danger of the unknown. She had no idea where they were going and if this was all an elaborate trap or not.
She was about to find out, when the two men suddenly stopped in front of a small store. The unknown man produced a key and Carter quickly followed him into the small building and shut the door behind them.
"Drats," Georgina thought aloud. There was no way she would be able to approach the building from the front, as two large bay windows would quickly expose anyone walking toward the store. Her best bet was to sneak around the side and hope she could find another entrance.
She tried her best to stay in the shadows as she made her way toward the building. She quickly slid around the side and silently hoped for an alternative entrance. She was rewarded for her efforts as she spotted a door. Georgina wasn't quite sure what type of situation she was walking into just yet, so she made sure to approach the building carefully.
As she moved closer, she could hear indistinct voices through the thin walls.
"I can't believe he would go that far!" a clearly upset, female voice rang through.
"You don't know if this means that he has found you," the unidentified male voice replied in an attempt to sooth the unknown female.
"Perhaps she can be persuaded to our side," the familiar, deep voice of Carter Heath echoed in Georgina's ears and sent a shiver down her spine.
"Carter may be right, we might be able to trust her," the man added.
"But what if we can't?" The woman's voice was shaky and wavered on the verge of a sob.
Georgina strained to hear the man's reply.
"I will do anything to protect you, even if it means forcing her silence," the unidentified man said with ardent conviction.
Georgina suspected that the woman in the small store was the missing Mia Barrington. She didn't know how she knew, but somehow her instinct guided her toward that conclusion. However, the strange conversation that she overheard only baffled her further. What could all of this mean? She tried to piece together the few clues she had been able to gather. But that was the least of her worries at the moment, as the greater question that rang in her mind was how they knew about her.
Georgina's mission was meant to be secretive, undercover, an exposé on the current system of mail order brides and the companies that represented them. Mia Barrington was meant to be the face of the more insidious side of that system — wealthy debutante puts her trust in a matchmaking service that fails to produce the happily ever after. She could almost see the headline as she delved into the corrupt world of businesses profiting on the hopes and dreams of innocent young women.
It suddenly clicked for Georgina. She had been so focused on creating the perfect story, crafting an investigation around the results she wanted, that she failed to see the reality as it came barreling down on her.
Mia Barrington was trying to disappear on purpose. But why? And then there was the whole other factor of how she and Carter fit into the equation. Something just didn't add up. Georgina knew that she was missing the final piece to this whole convoluted puzzle and she was certain that Carter held it.
Georgina didn't have time to ponder much further, for as she stepped away from the door, she tripped over the ledge and landed loudly on the ground below.
"Oof," she cried out. She gasped as she realized she had been louder than intended and quickly covered her mouth in a delayed reaction. But it was too late.
Before she had time to pick herself up off the ground, the door swung open. Carter Heath's large frame filled the entrance and blocked Georgina from seeing inside.
At the moment, Georgina didn't care about solving the mystery, as much as she did about getting out of the current situation in one piece. She had heard the threatening tone in the other man's voice when he said that he would do anything to make sure nothing happened to Mia. If they thought Georgina would get in the way, it may not end well for her. She wasn't sure where Carter stood in all of this, but she wasn't exactly going to wait around to find out.
In a single, swift movement, she leapt to her feet and took off running as fast as she could away from the building and the imposing force that was Carter Heath. She had thought that he seemed like a decent enough guy, perhaps a bit mysterious, but nothing too menacing. She had never been wrong before when it came to judging someone's character, but that didn't mean she could be wrong now.
She could hear him pursuing her, the rough tread of his own feet beating against the ground. Adrenaline shot through her as she could sense him gaining on her; she feared she would not be fast enough.
She had no idea how this situation could have escalated from a casual article on mail order brides, to running down the streets of a developing California city being pursued by her supposed "fiancé." It was absurd to say the least, and she still
didn't have enough to write a decent article.
She had no idea where she was running to, as she certainly couldn't return to the apartment she shared with the very man that was chasing her. She was trapped and had nowhere to go, her only hope was to possibly hide until dawn.
Her hope to outrun Carter was shattered the moment she felt his strong arms come around her waist. She felt her world spin and the ground come closer as he tackled her in a sudden motion.
Their bodies plummeted toward the rough dirt and Georgina reached out in an effort to stop her fall. She braced for the impact, but was surprised when she felt Carter's strong arms come around her in a protective motion and shielding her from the impact of the fall. His own body took the brunt of it as they collapsed in a heaving pile upon the ground.
Georgina was breathing heavily from her run; her heart raced with the exertion and the dreaded realization that he had caught up to her. She could hear his own heavy breath, as it was hot against her neck, his body tangled with hers as they recovered from the harsh fall.
"Are you alri —"
Georgina didn't let him finish as she delivered a quick elbow jab to his rib cage.
"Ugh," Carter emitted in response.
Georgina felt his hold loosen on her long enough for her to wiggle out of his strong grasp and attempt to stand.
On any man other than Carter Heath, that move might have been a success. Unfortunately, in this case, it only resulted in Carter pulling her back to the ground and using his body to pin her to the hard dirt.
"I was going to ask if you were ok," he spoke huskily, "but it is obvious you survived the little tumble better than myself." He rubbed the part of his rib where Georgina had jabbed him.
"Let me go," she seethed.
"Not just yet," he laughed. He held her wrists securely above her head with one hand, while his body kept her pressed against the ground so that she couldn't run away. "I think you have some explaining to do," he began.
"So do you," she threw back at him.
"But seeing as I'm the one with the upper hand," he nodded toward her secured wrists, "I think you should be the one to answer my questions first."
Georgina knew she wouldn't get anywhere if she continued to fight him. She figured her best bet was toeing the line of a compromise, something that did not come easy to her and sorely bruised her pride.
"How about a trade," she bartered smoothly. Her voice changed from rough resistance, to a more lenient tone. "I will answer one of your questions, if you answer one of mine."
Carter studied her for a moment, as if choosing his next move wisely. "Deal," he finally agreed. "But me first," he grinned and tilted his head in a cocky manner.
"Do you report everything you find to Mr. Barrington?" he asked in a suddenly serious tone.
Georgina's eyes flashed. "Absolutely not!" she growled. "It would be against my honor as a journalist to reveal my information before I have all of the facts! And even then, I report to the public, not an individual."
"Interesting," Carter muttered. "Then why would he fund your investigation if it wasn’t meant to personally benefit himself?" he pressed again.
"Wait, it is my turn to ask next!" Georgina broke him off. "What I want to know, is how you know I was commissioned by Barrington to come here?" Her mind raced with the realization that Carter had known her cover all along.
Carter grinned. "I'm the private investigator he hired to track down his daughter," he replied coolly.
"You're what?" Georgina nearly shouted. She knew she was raising her voice, but she couldn't believe the implication of what his confession meant. "But you were —"
"Looking for a bride?" he teased.
At that moment, some of his hair fell into his eyes, and gave him a rather mischievous appearance. Georgina felt her heart lurch, as the little movement caught her off guard.
"But how did you know? Or was it just dumb luck that you got me out off all the other girls?" she breathed. She could feel the heat begin to rise in her cheeks as she became aware of the intensity of his gaze.
"Because," Carter said huskily, "It was already arranged that I was to be the one to pick you up from the hotel and fill you in on the investigation so far, as per Barrington's instructions," he confessed.
"You knew the whole time and you made me think that I had to marry you anyways?" she burst. Georgina couldn't believe the cad. He had allowed her to awkwardly think that she was supposed to marry him for no reason. "Why would you keep that from me? I thought I was stranded and almost forced to marry a complete stranger just to keep from blowing my cover!"
"I couldn't just let you in on what I knew before I knew who exactly who were working for," he said.
Georgina rolled her eyes. What kind of detective is this guy? "Well how do you know I'm even telling the truth?" she questioned. "Since you have me in such an uncompromising position, I could just be telling you what you want to hear so you let me go," she argued.
"That's the thing," his eyes suddenly sparkled in the faint light from the moon, "I don't."
With a sudden motion, he brought his lips down to meet hers.
Georgina's senses exploded with the sensation of his rough lips against her soft ones. The teasing rhythm of his mouth as it caressed her own lightly sent shivers down her spine. Her head spun dizzily and her skin tingled with the euphoric sensation of the unexpected heat of his kiss.
It was intense, sudden, and gone before her mind had fully registered the impact of it.
She opened her eyes to see Carter looking down at her, an intensely heated look illuminating his handsome features.
"Wow," he muttered.
"Wow indeed," she whispered back at him.
"Good thing you are my wife," he teased.
"Almost your wife," she corrected. Then the clarity of the moment hit her. "But not really, because the whole thing was an elaborate cover," she said with sudden ferocity. How dare he kiss me and make me feel that when it is all an act!
"Is it?" he asked, the dreamy look still sparkling in his eyes.
"Of course it is," she said with sudden assurance. "Now if you can be so kind sir, I would like for you to release me," she commanded with renewed resolve.
The hazy daze disappeared and a cloud crossed over Carter's features. "I'm sorry," he said as he quickly removed his hold over her wrists, lifted his body off of hers, and reached down to help her stand up.
Georgina dusted some of the dirt off her overcoat; she wasn't able to look Carter in the eye at the moment. Her mind still swam with the strange and unexpected intimacy they had just shared. Without looking up she said, "It would seem that the great mystery that I had come here to write about has been solved then."
"Except that no one must ever know that you have found Mia," Carter quickly added.
Georgina was taken aback by his comment. She quickly looked up and their eyes locked with that familiar intensity. She felt her breath hitch in her throat, but she refused to look away.
"Please," Carter pleaded. "Mia left for a reason. Her father was trying to force her into a marriage to a man he wanted her to be with, instead of the man she loved."
Georgina was caught off guard by his sentimental statement. She hadn't taken the strikingly handsome man as a romantic, yet here he was defending a woman he had been sent to find. " What are you saying?" she asked for further clarification.
Carter took a heavy breath. "They used the matchmaking service as a cover, and decided to rendezvous in San Francisco," he explained. "Her father hired me to track her down so that he might be able to find her and force her to return. But when I found her and discovered that she ran away to escape her overbearing father, I promised her and her husband Mark to help them escape."
"Is that why Barrington sent me? He wanted me to expose you, not the matchmaking service, as the one that was hiding information as to Mia's whereabouts," Georgina clarified.
Carter nodded. "I can't stop you from what you will write about and I don't care what y
ou might report about me, but I hope that you won't expose Mia and Mark."
Georgina felt torn. She had wanted this story to be the story that would help her gain the attention she needed in the newspaper business to finally be taken seriously. However, it had become increasingly clear that both Barrington and Devon had used her as part of a personal plan. Barrington wanted his daughter to return and marry a man she did not love, and Devon wanted to make a quick profit off of Georgina's gullibility.
"I won't expose them," she agreed. "It would seem I've made a bit of a fool of myself," she said reluctantly. It was hard for Georgina to admit when she was wrong, but in that moment, she felt the weight of her own naivety.
"Thank you," Carter nodded. "My apartment is just around the corner, I will walk you back," he offered.
"I would prefer to be alone at this moment," she said softly.
"It is not safe at night here," Carter explained. "I can walk you back, but I will give you the privacy of having the place to yourself."
Georgina nodded her agreement.
They walked in silence back to the little building where, only a few hours ago, they had awkwardly pretended to be newlyweds. Now the startling clarity of reality had revealed itself to be anything but what either one could have expected.
When they reached the door, still unlocked from when Georgina had left it, they stopped.
"Thank you for not exposing Mia and Mark," he said again.
"Think nothing of it," she shrugged. "If I had known that I was being used as a part in Barrington's plan to try and force his daughter into an unwanted marriage, I would have never agreed."
"Same," Carter chuckled dryly.
The silence continued to create deafening distance between them, neither one sure how to proceed from the awkward impasse.
"Thank you for walking me home," Georgina said with uncharacteristic shyness.
"Think nothing of it," he echoed her words.
Their eyes met once again, the intensity of the pull they both felt kept their gazes locked.
Carter spoke first, breaking the spell. "Goodbye Georgina, it was a pleasure meeting you," he said with a stiff formality.
