A tingle of fear spread through Lulu. “What do you mean?”
“Benny shouldn’t have had any problem getting rid of you. He’s a Ranger for God’s sake. Don’t they know a thousand and one ways to kill a person with a paper clip?”
“Why do you want to kill me?” Lulu asked trying to keep her voice level. Noah was just outside the restroom, if she could just… She took a step and Bethany leveled the gun at her head.
“I’ve only wanted two things in my life. A movie career and Jake. Did you really think I’d let you take him back?”
Lulu’s heart was racing. “Bethany, he loves you. He’s with you. He left me for you.”
“Yeah, right,” Bethany scoffed. “Did you know he sees a high class escort who looks just like you?”
“I had no idea,” Lulu lied. She wasn’t about to tell Bethany she knew about the escort.
“He talks to you in his sleep,” Bethany continued. “He may be with me, but he still loves you. If you’re no longer here, then he won’t love you anymore; he’ll love me.”
Oh goodness, Lulu thought. Bethany was the last person in the world Lulu thought wanted her dead. “We’re friends, Bethany.”
Bethany tilted her head. “I can just as easily shoot a friend.”
Lulu took a deep breath. Every psychology class she’d had didn’t seem to be sending her solution to this problem. “Think about this. You’re not going to get away with it. I have bodyguards outside. Once they hear the shot, they’ll be all over you.”
“That’s why we’re going out to alley.” Bethany tilted her head toward the door.
Now was the time to get uncooperative. “I’m not going with you.”
“Yes, you are,” Bethany said. “If not, I’m going to kill everybody I see, including your handsome bodyguard. Noah. Isn’t that his name?”
Lulu felt the heat blossom again in her cheek. She had to protect Noah.
“I knew it,” Bethany gloated. “I knew you were in love with him.”
“Wait a minute.” Lulu held up her hands stalling for all she was worth. “You just said I was in love with Jake and wanted him back.”
“Women like you think you have a right to everything: riches, power, and beauty.” Her whole body stiffened with rage.
“And you’re not all those things?” Lulu asked.
Bethany’s eyes narrowed. “I earned what I have. No one gave me anything. I fought for every little thing I could. You’ve had everything given to you.”
The last thing Lulu needed to do was compare her life with Bethany. One accident of birth had put her in her position, but she worked hard to keep it. “I have nothing but admiration for you.”
“I have none for you,” Bethany said. “Fat, over-privileged bitch.”
“Voluptuous,” Lulu whispered. Shut up, Lulu, this was not the time to be arguing.
The door opened and E.J. sauntered in. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Bethany and her gun.
“Oh look, someone else to join the party.” She waved the gun toward E.J. who raised one eyebrow. “Go stand next to the fatty.”
“Let’s be calm,” E.J. said in a serene tone. “Bethany, you don’t want to do this.”
Bethany waved the gun in the air. “Who the hell are you to tell me what I want, Miss Stupid-Sycophant-Personal Assistant who can’t do anything better with her--”
“Wait a minute,” Lulu interrupted Bethany’s rant, “All this for a man! Is your self-esteem that low? So he doesn’t want you. Move on. Find someone else.”
E.J. sidled a few inches closer to Bethany.
“Look at you,” Lulu continued, “my God, you are at the top of your game in a business that eats people and spits them out for fun. Do you know how strong you are? You are a terrific, talented actress as well as a beautiful woman. Jake doesn’t deserve you.” Sister bond with me, bitch, Lulu silently commanded.
“But I love him,” Bethany said, tears gathering in her eyes.
E.J. eased another inch closer to Bethany, her eyes never leaving the gun.
Suddenly the door flew open and banged against the wall with a loud crack. Bethany glanced up, the gun went off and Noah made a small moan.
Without hesitation, Lulu threw her purse at Bethany. E.J. tackled her. Bethany went down in a tangle of arms and legs. The gun skidded across the floor. Lulu picked it up.
E.J. straddled Bethany.
Bethany started to cry. “Damn! Damn! Damn!” she moaned as she lay on her back staring up at Lulu. “I hate you!”
“Shut up, you crazy bitch.” Lulu said with a snarl just as she noticed Noah leaning against the wall, a red splotch growing on his white shirt.
Roman and Dante followed Gideon into the room. Gideon went to help E.J. with Bethany while Lulu rushed to Noah. He sagged against the wall holding one hand to his chest. He started to slide down. “Popped by a girl.”
Roman already had his phone in his hand and was speaking into it. Dante slid an arm around Noah and helped him to a chair. Lulu grabbed his other arm and helped steady him. She grabbed a couple towels gently opened his jacket to press the towels against the spread of blood.
“Noah, don’t you dare die on me.” Lulu stuffed the towels tight against his chest.
His gaze went unfocused and his head lolled back against the chair. Lulu knelt next to him.
“Please, Noah,” she cried, tears streaking down her face. “Please don’t die on me.”
He said nothing. His eyes closed and he sighed.
The hospital room was painted a cheerful yellow and white. Noah lay on the hospital bed hooked up to a dozen different monitors. Lulu sat by his side, silently commanding him to wake up. He’d been out for nearly twelve hours and though the doctors assured her he’d wake up, she couldn’t leave him.
Aiden had brought her a change of clothes and taken her bloody gown away.
The door opened on silent hinges and Aiden pushed in with a tray in his hands. “You need to eat, Lulu.” He put the tray on the table next to her.
“I don’t know if I can,” she said. “What am I going to do?”
“First you’re going to eat and then we’ll worry about what to do next. You’re just waiting for him to wake up.”
“I’m supposed to be the strong one.”
“I can’t always be the pretty one,” Aiden retorted.
Noah started laughing. “Damn, that hurts.”
“Noah,” Lulu cried. “You’re awake.” She jumped to her feet, the food forgotten as she leaned over Noah. “Where do you hurt?”
He opened his eyes and glanced first at her, then at the IV line attached to his arm, the monitor at his side, and then back at her. “Bethany shot me.”
“Yes, she did. But, I think it was just luck on her part.”
“I’ll get the nurse,” Aiden said.
“Are you all right?” Noah asked.
“I’m fine now.” Lulu leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the mouth.
The door opened again, the nurse pushed in followed by Harrison and Aiden. A few seconds later, the doctor appeared. He looked at all the monitors and then turned to Noah. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m alive. I’m good,” Noah replied.
Silly man, she thought, trying to be brave for her. The doctor nodded as he noted something on his clipboard. “I’ve ordered some painkillers for you. You’re a lucky man, Mr. Callahan. The bullet glanced off a rib and penetrated your left lung, did a bit of damage, but everything was repairable. You’ll be fine in a few days. Just take it easy and if you don’t develop any infections, you’ll be able to go in a day or two.” He turned and left, his white coat flapping after him.
“I’ll get you something for the pain,” the nurse said and left as well.
Lulu stood next to the bed. Harrison stood at the foot while Aiden hovered by the window.
“What the hell was wrong with Bethany?” Noah asked.
“Bethany thought if she could get rid of me, Jake’s obsession would stop and s
he’d be the primary person in his life.” She had done nothing but think about why this happened. “She was trying to protect herself.”
“She’s was arraigned this morning,” Harrison added. “She’s going to be facing some jail time. The media frenzy is like feeding time at the zoo.”
“How did you know?” Lulu asked.
“The Geek being the Geek,” Harrison said, “contacted every foster home that Benny had been in. Turns out he and Bethany spent time together in one foster home and kept in contact. When she needed someone to do the dirty work, she called in her Ranger ex-boyfriend."
“Oh, my God,” Lulu said, “Aiden told me she was stepping out with some commando type. You think I would have picked up on it.”
Noah shifted slightly as though getting into a more comfortable position. “We never saw this coming.”
“You’d think that someone who has everything would just be happy,” Lulu said. She was happy. Yes, she had a great life, a great career, and a great future. She was happy despite the shadow the loss of her parents cast over her life. “I don’t understand why someone in her position worked so hard at being miserable. She could have walked out her door on any day and found a man ten times better with just one lift of her eyebrow. God knows I did.” She glanced around. “Oops. Did I just let the cat out of the bag?” She leaned toward Noah and whispered. “We’ll talk about that later.”
Noah grinned, though it turned into a grimace. The nurse returned and injected something into his IV line, made a few notes and then departed again.
Harrison grinned. “Aiden, I think you and I need to get on the road. Noah is in good hands. I want to gloat over all the money I made. We have to get the wedding date pool started.” Harrison turned toward the door and pulled Aiden out with him.
Alone with Noah, Lulu sat down again. “I love you.”
“You shouldn’t love a man like me,” he replied.
She reached over and covered his hand with hers. “What exactly is wrong with a man like you?”
“I have a lot of baggage.”
“Right,” Lulu said, “and I don’t?”
He turned his face away as if he didn’t want her to see him. “Lucinda, you should marry a prince, or a billionaire, not the son of a murdering Irish mobster.”
He looked so pale and tired, Lulu’s heart ached. “I did a little research about Max Callahan. He was a decorated war hero, a respected cop, a loving father and husband. That’s the man who is your father. That’s the man you’ve become.”
He opened his mouth, but Lulu held up her hand. She leaned over and kissed him.
“What are your friends going to say?” Noah asked when they parted.
“Three of the five people who matter to me most, think you’re absolutely wonderful. Belle is going to fall in love with you five minutes after she meets you. Grandma Penny is going to adopt you.”
“Benningtons don’t marry people like me.”
Smart ones do, she thought. She smiled. “Benningtons marry whoever they please. It’s a rule.”
“I can’t--”
“I love everything about being Lulu Bennington, but it would be nothing compared to being Lucinda Callahan. You know you adore me. I know I adore you. If you insist on me chasing you, I will. I warn you. I’m Lulu Bennington and I get what I want and I want you. Now just put on your big boy boxers and accept the ending. We’re going to get married, have a ton of babies and live happily ever after. We’re going to be so happy together.”
“I don’t think I know how to be happy.”
Lulu covered her mouth for a second fighting back the tears. “I’ll teach you.”
“Lucinda--,”
“Let me finish. For a long time, I didn’t think I would ever move on with my life. If I could just have had five more minutes with my mother, playing in her closet. She loved playing dress-up with me. Or just to spend another afternoon with my father listening to him read to me. I would have given up every nickel I have, but I can’t have them back. I have had to work at being happy, but with you, I don’t have to work anymore. I just am. I just want to make a life with you.”
Noah let out a long breath. “I’m scared. What if there’s something hiding inside of me that’s like my father, just waiting to get out?”
“I think something like that would have shown itself by now. I’m taking a chance on you because you’re strong enough to be my husband.”
“You’re strong enough to be my wife.”
“Of course. She patted his hand. “It’s all settled then.”
He opened his mouth one more time, but she laid her finger across his lips. “Stop now. Nothing you say is going to change the future. The only thing that should come out of your mouth now is how much you love me, because I love you. I love you so much, I hurt.”
He took a deep breath and smiled. “I love you, Lucinda Bennington.”
She smiled, “I love you, too Noah Callahan.”
His eyes had glazed slightly as the painkillers worked on him. Slowly his eyes closed and he went back to sleep.
Epilogue
Music flowed through the open window of Lulu’s bedroom. Lulu stood in front of the mirror while Aiden adjusted her train. He was muttering under his breath.
“Stop it,” Lulu ordered.
“Can you blame me? Four months to plan a wedding! How could you? If you’d given me a year, I could have planned a wedding that would have made Will and Kate’s look like a backwater country affair.”
Lulu patted her stomach, feeling a slight flutter inside her. “I have a bun in the oven. No time to wait.”
Aiden sighed. “Lulu Bennington, baby mama. Where did I go wrong?”
He fussed a bit more and stood back to sigh at the sight of her.
“What,” she asked.
“I don’t know if I should tell you know or wait until after the honeymoon.”
Lulu hated when Aiden was all mysterious. “Just tell me now.”
“Mark found something on Noah’s sisters. It’s not much, but he’ll be following through while you two are on your honeymoon. I thought you would like to know.”
Lulu smiled. “Thank you, Aiden. And thank Mark, too.”
“Yeah,” Aiden said in a dreamy voice. “I’m not having a four month rush on mu wedding.”
Lulu tried not to laugh. “When you and Mark get married, we’ll plan a grand affair.”
“I’m going to be the bride,” Aiden said, his eyes half closed in ecstasy.
“Let’s get me married first.” Lulu looked out the window. The chairs had been set up across the lawn. Julia’s gardens were in bloom and the fragrance hung over the entire area. People milled about as they were shown to their seats. Aunt Julia and Grandma Penny stood in front of the gazebo, their laugher ringing out. The gazebo had been decorated with lots of tulle and flowers.
A knock sounded at the door and it opened. Wilder peered around the jamb. “Are you ready yet?”
“Almost,” Aiden chirped.
Wilder entered and stood looking at her, admiration in his eyes. “You’re beautiful, Lulu.”
“Thank you,” Aiden replied as he gave one last twitch to her train.
“Sweetie,” Lulu said, “we need to get started.”
“Oh my God, we’re running off schedule.” He threw up his hands and ran out of the room.
Lulu watched her brother come into the room. He looked so handsome in his tux. A tiny bit of lipstick smeared across the corner of his mouth. Lulu picked up a tissue and dabbed at his lips. She looked at the tissue. “Cherry red,” she mused. “Not Candace’s color. But then you haven’t seen Candace in months and cherry red is E.J.’s favorite color.”
Wilder’s cheeks turned ruddy. “Detective work is not your forte. Dad should be the one walking you down the aisle, not me. Mom should be crying buckets of tears like every other mother giving away her daughter.”
“You can’t change the past. I think if mom and dad were here, they’d be angry at you.”
“For what?” He drew away from her.
“For living in a box. It’s time for you to go out and find your own happiness. You will always be my hero, but you don’t need to protect me anymore. Find a woman who is strong enough to be Mrs. Wilder Bennington.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll think about it.
The day was beautiful with a cloudless sky, seagulls soaring on the air currents and the faintest hint of surf hitting the beach below the bluff.
Noah stood nervously in front of the gazebo. Music floated across the lawn from the small orchestra set off to one side. Harrison stood next to him while his wife and three children sat in the second row. Dante stood behind Harrison fidgeting.
On the other side of the gazebo stood Aiden as Lulu’s maid of honor and next to him was Isabelle, Lulu’s friend. Isabelle wore a silk dress of navy blue while Aiden wore a matching tuxedo. Harrison, Dante and Noah wore vests of matching blue. Dante continued to fidget. The rest of Noah’s friends sat in the first row smiling encouragingly at him.
The music swelled and a door from the house opened. Wilder stepped out and held out his hand. Lulu stepped gracefully from the door and Wilder escorted her to the center of the lawn.
As she stepped down the aisle between the chairs, Noah’s heart swelled. How had he managed to score such a gorgeous, loving woman? He was going to make a life with her. He glanced at her stomach. He was making a family with her.
Harrison nudged him. “Stop thinking so hard.”
Noah just grinned at him. “Says the man who just won enough money to put his kids through college.”
“I’m enjoying the moment.”
Lulu stepped onto the white runner and Noah saw her dazzling smile. Yes, this was what he’d always wanted for himself and never thought he’d ever get.
Lulu walked slowly down the aisle, her bouquet in one hand, her other hand tucked around her brother’s elbow. Noah’s throat went dry wondering what she saw in him. Then she smiled at him, and he knew.
Wilder stopped in front of the minister.
“Who gives this woman in holy matrimony?”
“I do,” Wilder said quietly. He leaned over to kiss Lulu on the cheek. “Be happy,” he said. He turned to Noah and put Lulu’s hand in his.
Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency) Page 27