by Jayne Castle
“It is now,” he said.
“I trusted you,” she wailed.
“I know.” His expression softened a little. “And you’re going to have to trust me again.”
Walker frowned. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Sure,” Davis said. “Come on in.”
Walker stepped warily through the doorway, still uncertain.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Celinda said to Davis. “He’s my brother. It’s my family that’s at risk here. You have no right to interfere.”
“You’ve done your best,” Davis said. He closed the door behind Walker. “But the bottom line is that you can’t protect your family from the likes of Benson Landry. The only way to stop a guy like that is to kill him.”
“I was getting around to that, damn it,” she shouted. “Now, you’ve gone and ruined everything.”
Chapter 21
DAVIS WATCHED THE EXPRESSION ON HER FACE AS SHE REalized what she had just said. Suddenly he understood. A mix of soaring admiration for her reckless daring collided with a mind-bending fear of what could have been the outcome.
“Should have figured as much,” he said. “That explains a few things.”
“Celinda?” Walker was bewildered. “Are you saying that you were going to try to kill Benson Landry? Holy shit. Have you gone crazy over there in Cadence?”
“Damn, damn, damn.” She walked to the bed and sank down on it.
Araminta, fully fluffed again, muttered in a concerned way. Celinda set her free. The dust bunny drifted up onto her shoulder.
“I had a plan.” Celinda stared at the closed door, her hands small fists in her lap. “I know his weakness, you see. I was going to try to use it against him.”
“Will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on here?” Walker demanded.
“I will,” Davis said. He walked to the window and stood looking out over the Quarter. He was still trying to get his pulse rate back down to somewhere near normal. She had planned to murder Landry. “Four months ago Benson Landry drugged your sister and set her up for the tabloids in order to destroy her business after she refused to take him on as a client.”
“Son of a bitch,” Walker said tightly.
Davis turned around. “But that wasn’t enough for him. He also threatened to ruin her whole family if she went to the police. Celinda tried to protect all of you by keeping silent and by moving away from Frequency.”
“I knew it.” Walker rounded on Celinda. “I knew you couldn’t possibly have fallen for that bastard. We all knew it. Why did he show up here this morning? To threaten you again?”
“It’s complicated,” Celinda said. Her jaw was rigid.
Davis crossed his arms and leaned one shoulder against the wall. “Your sister happened to purchase an alien relic that had been stolen from the Cadence Guild vault. I tracked her down and offered to buy it back. But Araminta ran off with it and hid it before we could make the exchange. Someone else back in Cadence is also looking for the artifact. Somehow Benson Landry found out about it, too. That’s why he came here this morning.”
“What a mess.” Walker shoved his fingers through his hair. He peered more closely at Davis. “You’re not really Celinda’s date for the wedding, then, are you?”
“No, he isn’t,” Celinda said wearily. “He’s my bodyguard.”
Davis looked at Walker. “She’s half right. I’m also her date for the wedding. It’s called multitasking.”
“Mom told me this morning that she and Dad thought things looked serious between you two,” Walker said.
Celinda’s head came up at that. “Good grief, what made her come to that conclusion?”
Walker spread his hands. “Something about the conversation that took place last night when they invited the two of you to have a drink with them, I think.”
Celinda blinked. “But we argued in front of them. It was embarrassing.”
Walker nodded. “Right. Mom said there weren’t many people who could have dragged you into an embarrassing quarrel in a public place. She said that meant that whatever you and Davis had going must be serious.”
“I don’t believe this.” Celinda was clearly flummoxed. “We had a stupid quarrel in a bar, and they assumed our relationship was serious? That’s ridiculous.”
“What’s ridiculous,” Walker said evenly, “is that you’re evidently planning to get rid of Benson Landry all by yourself.”
Celinda reached up to touch Araminta. “Davis is right. There’s no other way to stop a man like that. Landry’s not right inside. The proper parapsych term is para-sociopath, I think. No conscience. He sees everyone else as a form of prey. He enjoys controlling and manipulating others with fear. He feeds on it, in a way.”
Walker shuddered. “No wonder you didn’t want him for a client. In hindsight, we’re probably damn lucky he didn’t hurt you physically or even kill you in retaliation.” He stopped, fresh alarm making him tense. “He didn’t do anything to you when he drugged you, did he? I swear, if he did, I’ll kill him myself, now. This morning.”
“No,” Celinda said quickly. “He didn’t touch me, not in the way you mean.”
Walker relaxed fractionally. “You’ve spent the past four months trying to figure out how to get rid of him? Without ever discussing the problem with your family?”
“She was trying to protect you,” Davis said. “She wanted to do the job by herself in case things didn’t go right. She didn’t want the rest of you accused of murdering a high-ranking Guild official.”
“Things are dicey enough as it is,” Celinda explained.
“What was this big plan of yours?” Davis asked.
She exhaled deeply. “It was based on the assumption that a man like Landry must have made some enemies in his climb to the top. I figured I had a pretty good built-in alibi. After all this time, I didn’t think that the Frequency police or the Frequency Guild Council would look twice at a matchmaker who’d had a brief affair with Landry and then moved to Cadence City.”
“Go on,” he said, morbidly fascinated.
“Two months ago I managed to purchase a mag-rez gun.”
“Which explains the one I found under your bed.”
Her eyes widened. “You know about my gun?”
He didn’t have to answer because Walker was staring at her with the kind of shock only an older brother could comprehend.
“Damn, Celinda,” Walker said. “Everyone knows it’s illegal for everyone except cops to carry mag-rezes.”
She made a vague gesture with one hand. “Turns out it’s not that difficult to buy one on the streets in Cadence. It took me a while to figure out how it’s done, but in the end all I needed was a lot of cash. The little man who sold it to me showed me how to fire it and included a couple of spare clips in the bargain.”
“I don’t believe this,” Walker said. “My sweet, naive little matchmaker sister bought a hot mag-rez.”
“In my spare time I’ve been driving out into the countryside to practice,” Celinda said. “I’m getting quite good.”
“Oh, jeez.” Walker massaged the back of his neck as though he might be getting a headache. “You were just going to walk up to Benson Landry and shoot him?”
“Not exactly.” Celinda looked affronted. “I planned to make it look like he’d been hit by one of his many enemies. I’ve been studying him for the past four months, charting his movements. I decided it would be impossible to get onto the grounds of his estate. Too much security.”
Davis raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Praise be, some common sense, at last.”
“The same was true of his office in the Guild compound,” she continued, ignoring him. “But he’s involved with a lot of civic and political stuff. He attends receptions and fund-raisers every week, and he spends a lot of time at his club. He doesn’t surround himself with security when he goes to places like that. It’s bad for his image.”
“You mean he doesn’t use any obvious security,” Da
vis said.
She looked at him, frowning. “You saw him a few minutes ago. He didn’t have any bodyguards with him.”
“Got a hunch they were waiting for him down in the lobby.” Davis gave that some more thought. “My guess is he didn’t bring any up here because he believed that he was going to be talking to you alone about the relic. Evidently he didn’t want anyone, not even his security people, to hear that conversation. Interesting.”
Walker began to pace the small space. “This is a hell of a situation. One thing’s for sure, we can’t tell Mom and Dad about it today. They’d be frantic. And Rachel’s day would be ruined if she found out what was going on.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Celinda got to her feet and straightened her shoulders. “That is precisely why you will both keep quiet about this whole thing. Understood? If either one of you upsets anyone else in the family, I will never forgive you.”
“Okay,” Walker said, raising a hand, palm out. “I agree that keeping quiet about this is for the best. At least for today.”
Celinda switched her steely gaze to Davis. “Will you give me your word you won’t say anything more about this today?”
He contemplated the possibilities and then inclined his head. “Assuming no other factors in the equation are altered, I’ll keep quiet. I think we’ve got a better chance of handling this from Cadence, anyway.”
Celinda regarded him with deep suspicion. “Factors?”
“What do you mean about dealing with this from Cadence?” Walker asked, watching him closely.
“Benson Landry thinks Mercer Wyatt is an old man who’s lost his edge,” Davis said. “He’s wrong.” He thought about how Wyatt would react when he learned that Landry was trying to steal the missing relic. “Probably dead wrong.”
Chapter 22
“THIS IS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE,” RACHEL SAID.
Celinda smiled at her in the mirror. “You look so beautiful. When you walked down the aisle I could tell that Josh couldn’t believe his eyes.”
They were alone in the mirrored dressing room. Rachel was still in her wedding gown. Yards of white satin and gossamer netting billowed and drifted around her. She was radiant.
The formal Covenant Marriage ceremony, replete with all the ancient vows and customs that the First Generation colonists had brought with them from Earth, had lasted nearly an hour. Now the reception was in full swing in the hotel ballroom. Celinda could hear the muffled strains of the music.
“You’re the one who made it all possible.” Rachel turned and hugged her tightly. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“I’m sure that you and Josh would have found each other without me.” Celinda hugged her back. “I speeded up the process a little, that’s all.”
“I don’t believe that for one moment. You made it happen, and we will always be grateful.” Rachel stepped back. “We both owe you so much. Now, it’s your turn. Mom says that things look serious between you and Davis Oakes. I’m so glad you’ve found someone at last.”
“Slight misunderstanding, I’m afraid.” Celinda made a face. “Davis and I got into an embarrassing little argument in the bar last night, and suddenly Mom decided we were meant for each other.”
“Don’t discount her intuition. You know it’s way above average.”
“Trust me when I tell you that Davis and I aren’t going to be sending out wedding invitations any time in the near future.” She hesitated. “Davis is not keen on the institution of Covenant Marriage.”
“You could start with a Marriage of Convenience. Let him get used to the concept.”
“You know how I feel about MCs. Not interested.”
“I know,” Rachel said. “MCs are against your rules. But if Davis isn’t ready for a full Covenant Marriage, you might want to consider one.”
“Why are we talking about Davis and me?” Celinda rezzed up a bright smile. “This is your day. We’re supposed to be getting you changed into your traveling clothes. Got a feeling Josh has had enough of the formalities. He’s ready to start the honeymoon.”
She put her hands on Rachel’s shoulders and turned her firmly around to face the mirror. Then she reached up and carefully unpinned the wedding veil.
“You love him, don’t you?” Rachel said, watching her in the mirror.
Rachel had inherited their mother’s keen intuition. Everyone in the family knew it.
Celinda went still, the pearl-studded veil in her hands. She met her sister’s eyes. “I’ve only known him for a couple of days.”
Rachel smiled. “I knew I wanted Josh the moment I met him. He says he felt the same way about me.”
“Wanting and loving are not always connected.”
Rachel wrinkled her nose. “You’re quoting your own rules again. Know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think you should burn your little book. It’s one thing to exercise common sense and discretion. It’s another thing to have so many rules that you end up missing out on life altogether.”
Celinda said nothing. Just looked at her in the mirror.
Rachel’s eyes widened, first in comprehension and then with delight.
She started to grin. “You’ve already thrown out a few of those stupid rules, haven’t you? Which ones?”
Celinda sighed. “I started with the No One-Night Stands rule.”
“Hmm. Has there been a second night?”
“No,” Celinda said. “There hasn’t. Not yet.”
Rachel chuckled. “Something tells me there will be.”
HALF AN HOUR LATER CELINDA STOOD WITH DAVIS, HER family, and the rest of the wedding guests at the front entrance of the hotel. They all watched Josh sweep Rachel through a hail of pink rose petals and tuck her into the front seat of a gleaming gray Coaster. He got behind the wheel, put the car in gear, and drove away.
There was a great deal of waving and cheering. Celinda realized that her eyes were damp with tears again. She was not alone. Both mothers, Great-Aunt Octavia, and most of the other women were dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs.
“I can’t believe my little sister is actually married,” Celinda whispered to Davis. “It feels almost unreal.”
He smiled. “You’re the one who matched them.”
“I know. But this is my sister we’re talking about. I mean, I remember when she went out on her first date, for heaven’s sake. I knew he was all wrong for her and told her she was wasting her time.”
“What did she say?”
“She said she knew he wasn’t the guy she was going to marry, but she wanted to get in some practice so she’d be ready when the right man came along.” Celinda smiled fondly, thinking about the past. “Rachel was always the more adventurous of the two of us.”
“Could have fooled me.” Davis took her arm and drew her back into the lobby. “Plotting the cold-blooded execution of the next boss of the Frequency Guild strikes me as fairly adventurous.”
She looked around swiftly. “Good grief, Davis, keep your voice down.”
“It’s okay,” he said, mouth curving faintly. “I like that in a woman.”
She felt as if he’d picked her up and dropped her into a pool of glacier-melt water. Reality returned with an unpleasant jolt. Rachel’s fairy-tale wedding was over. Now they had to go back to Cadence to face the problems of the missing relic and a sociopath Guild man.
“I didn’t think of it as adventurous, you know,” she said.
“Yeah? How did you think of it?”
She considered the question closely. “More like a necessity. Just something that had to be done in order to keep my family safe.”
“Point taken,” Davis said quietly. There was a world of understanding and approval in his eyes.
In the lobby, the wedding guests mingled, exchanging good-byes and offering more congratulations to the parents of the bride and groom. Those who were not spending the night at the hotel prepared to collect their cars and drive home.
Davis c
hecked his watch. “Eight o’clock. Time for us to hit the road. If we leave now, we’ll be back in Cadence before midnight.”
Celinda saw her mother coming toward them. She had obviously overheard Davis’s comment.
“Are you sure you want to make that long drive tonight?” she asked. “You’re welcome to come back to the house with us. Or you can stay here at the hotel and go home tomorrow.”
“I have to go in to work tomorrow morning, Mom,” Celinda said quickly. “I’m still the new person at the agency, you know. I don’t want my boss to think I’m unreliable.”
“I understand, dear. Well, at least take some of the leftover hors d’oeuvres with you to eat on the road.”
“Good idea,” Newell said, coming up to join them. “I think I saw a lot of those little cheese and cucumber sandwiches left on the buffet table. Plenty of cookies, too. Hate to think of them being thrown away, given what I paid for ’em.”
Walker sauntered over. “There are some crackers and chips left, too.” He surveyed Celinda’s pink gown and grinned. “I’ll bet you never wear that dress again. You look like a big slice of the wedding cake.”
Celinda raised her brows. “That might be amusing if it wasn’t coming from a guy in a pink cummerbund.”
“Shows how much you know,” Walker said. “Pink is the new black for men this year.”
Davis smiled and tightened his grip on Celinda’s arm. “Let’s go see what’s left on the buffet table.”
“I’ll come with you,” Walker said. “I want some more of those little cheese twist thingys.”
“Help yourself to as much as you want,” Newell said. “It’s all nonrefundable.”
They walked back through the lobby and along a wide, paneled hallway. The glittering ballroom was nearly empty. The only people inside were two uniformed members of the hotel staff, a man and a woman, who were starting to pick up the silver serving trays. The cleanup process had begun.
“We’d better hurry,” Walker said. “They’re starting to take the food away.”
