“Let’s hope I do a better job the next time someone chases after you.”
“I wasn’t chasing her. I was just going to make sure she knew there was someone behind her with a gun.”
“Same difference.”
“I’ll let you get back to your walk.” Craig took a step back, and he thought he saw surprise register on her face.
“Thank you,” Sienna said. “It was nice meeting you, Craig.”
“You too.” Craig took another step back. “See you around.”
He headed back to where he’d left his backpack, thinking how ridiculous his last comment had been. See you around? Like he would ever run into Sienna Blake again. The fact that he’d just been talking to her still hadn’t quite sunk in.
A part of him wished he’d thought to ask for a photo of them together, but that would have made him feel like even more of an idiot. Plopping back down on the beach, he retrieved his sketchpad once more and decided he would have to go for the next best thing.
Turning a new page over, he retrieved his pencil and started to sketch. Only this time, Sienna Blake’s eyes weren’t hidden behind sunglasses.
2
Sienna studied the woman on the other side of the threshold. She wasn’t much older than she was, maybe twenty-five, and hardly looked old enough to own a design business. Of course, for years, Sienna’s entire family had favored the same designer, a man in his fifties. Had it not been for Kendra’s insistence on keeping her wedding a secret, she would likely have used him for her wedding dress instead of gambling on a brand-new talent.
After a brief study, Sienna said, “You must be Carina.”
“Yes, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” Carina offered a hand before escorting Sienna through the living room of the modest-sized house and down a hall. “Kendra got here a few minutes ago. She’s trying on her dress now.”
They reached the back of the house, and Carina showed her into the home studio. Kendra stood in the middle of the room, her blue eyes alight with anticipation and her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. The hairstyle definitely didn’t go with what she was wearing.
Kendra’s princess-style wedding dress flowed to the floor in an elegant sheet of satin. The gown could have come straight out of a fairy tale, with its billowing skirt and sweetheart neckline, but a few unique touches made it unlike anything Sienna had ever seen before.
“What do you think?” Kendra asked, turning to give her a glimpse of the pearl buttons up the back and the flattering line of the dress that accentuated her waist.
“It’s stunning,” Sienna said with complete sincerity. “Absolutely perfect.”
Carina Wellman’s face flushed with pleasure at the compliment. Sienna had questioned her sister’s judgment with this designer, but now she understood what a hidden talent Carina was, especially considering her age.
“Would you like to see yours?” Carina asked.
Sienna had fully expected to be disappointed in their dresses. She had come prepared to be excited no matter what, even if she had to dig deep into her well of acting abilities to hide her disappointment. Instead she hummed with anticipation, her skepticism erased. “I’d love to see it.”
Carina crossed to a closet on the far side of her studio and retrieved a gown covered in white plastic. She hung the dress on a rack and slowly peeled away the protective covering to reveal a gown the color of daffodils. The design was similar to Kendra’s dress, except the skirt was straight and draped elegantly to the floor.
“Oh, wow.” Sienna reached out a hand, pulling the skirt out to further examine the line of the dress. Her delight came naturally, no acting talent needed.
“Do you like it?”
Sienna smiled. This wasn’t a hardened Hollywood designer with ego oozing from every pore. This woman had no idea how truly talented she was, and Sienna’s desire mirrored her sister’s to see Carina rise in the ranks of the fashion world.
“I love it, Carina. You truly have a gift.” Sienna looked up from the dress, and a smile broke out on her face. “I honestly didn’t expect to like it this much . . . or for it to be something I would want to wear a second time.”
“See, Carina,” Kendra said. “I told you.”
“What?” Sienna asked.
“You thought I was going to pick something you’d hate.”
“Okay, so you got me,” Sienna admitted. “After Bridget’s wedding, I was starting to think no one knew how to design a bridesmaid’s dress that had any style.”
Sienna moved closer, studying her dress. She looked over at Carina. “So how long does it take for you to create a new design?”
Carina motioned to the drawing table in the corner of the room. “I actually have quite a few designs already completed. To make something from those or an easy adaptation of one of them would take me a few days to a week. Did you have something particular in mind?”
“Actually, I’m not really thrilled with the dress I was going to wear to the Oscars in three weeks.” Sienna ran a finger along the dress. “Something similar to this in a different color would be perfect.”
“The Oscars?” Carina choked on the words. “You want me to design a dress for you to wear to the Oscars?”
“If you think you can fit me into your schedule.” Sienna nodded firmly. “The director of this new film is giving us a few days off from filming since both Adam Pratt and I are up for awards. I’d need the dress a couple days before.”
“I’d love to try,” Carina said. “Now that all of the dresses are done for the wedding, I don’t have anything else pending.”
“You have to look at her design book,” Kendra told Sienna. She grinned before adding, “I have a feeling Carina may be putting a serious dent in a few designers’ businesses.”
Sienna chuckled. “After you leak the wedding photos, Carina is going to be swamped with new orders.”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Kendra said.
“Can I look at your sketches today?” Sienna asked. “I think I’d better get a few orders in now before I have to stand in line.”
Her face glowing with pleasure, Carina crossed to her design table and lifted a thick folder. “I’d love to get started on some orders for you, but I can guarantee that no matter what, the Blake sisters will always be my favorite clients.”
“Excellent.” Sienna took the folder, flipped it open, and immediately approved of the design on top. “Oh yeah, you are going to be very busy.”
* * *
Craig looked at his cell phone to see his mother calling. Thursday at nineteen hundred hours. His mother was certainly predictable. Of course, she probably had an alarm set that reminded her to make this weekly call. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie. How are you doing?”
Craig cringed at the nickname, one she refused to let die no matter how old he got. “I’m fine. Just got back from the beach.”
“I thought you navy types didn’t have time for such things.”
Craig wasn’t going to tell her the things he normally did within sight of a beach: disarm underwater explosives, perform boat maneuvers, take ridiculously long runs, swim with a hundred pounds of gear on his back. “We had an early morning, so I had time today. I decided I’d take advantage of the time off to get better acquainted with the town.”
“Undoubtedly with a sketchpad in your hand.”
He thought about whom he had been drawing today and decided he probably shouldn’t answer the way he usually did. As much as he loved his mother, she had a tendency to key in on certain things of interest, especially tidbits of gossip she could share with her friends.
The last thing he needed was his personal life splashed on his mom’s social media pages. Even worse was the idea of Sienna Blake’s name being associated with his just because of their random meeting.
“You know me. I like to be ready in case anything catches my eye.” He changed the subject smoothly. “Tell me what’s going on at home. How’s the farm? How’s everyone in
town?”
“I ran into Teresa yesterday, and she asked about you. She’s still single, you know.”
Craig rolled his eyes. “Mom, Teresa and I broke up over a year ago. I think it’s time you move on. Just because we’re both single doesn’t mean we should be together. Enough about Teresa. How is everyone else doing?”
“Your brother is getting ready to start planting in another week, and Mr. Standen’s mare foaled last night. You remember that pretty quarter horse you had your eye on in high school?”
Craig let himself fall into the familiar routine of country gossip as his mother gave him the latest on his family and the neighboring farms outside Indianola. When Damian knocked on his door, Craig used his teammate’s arrival as an excuse to end the call.
As soon as he hung up, Damian said, “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t. My mom had already told me everything that’s happened in Warren County over the past week. If you hadn’t gotten here when you did, she would have moved on to the surrounding counties.” Craig gave a mock shudder.
“In that case, I’m happy I could help.” Damian motioned down the hall. “Paige and I are going to check out that new seafood place down the street. Did you want to join us?”
Craig considered the offer. He genuinely liked Damian’s fiancé, but sometimes it was awkward being the third wheel. Glancing at his backpack, he shook his head. “I have a couple things I want to take care of tonight. Thanks for the offer though.”
“No problem. We aren’t leaving for another hour, so let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will.”
Damian left, and Craig pulled out his sketch pad and looked down at the rough drawings. The memories of the afternoon still fresh in his mind, he settled down at his desk and retrieved a pencil. Within minutes, he was lost in the images he was determined to create.
* * *
From the back of the restaurant, Bruce watched the same exchange occur over and over. Big-name celebrity enters. Maître d’ smoothly shows him or her to a prime table. The waiters arrive only moments later, discreetly taking orders and standing by to fulfill any need.
He hadn’t received that kind of treatment when he’d arrived. Even though he’d called in a reservation, he had waited nearly fifteen minutes to be seated. Though he would have typically been annoyed at such a slight, the possibility of this dinner meeting turning into a job opportunity helped him downplay the negative emotions.
Once he’d been seated at his table, service had been adequate at best. Now he waited with his drink in hand and watched the door. Apparently his dining companion, a former A-list actor, anticipated such an event and had decided to be fashionably late.
As minutes ticked by, worry crept in that perhaps this opportunity was going to slip away from him before the interview even began. He checked his cell phone, verifying that he was indeed in the right place at the right time. When he looked up, the man he had been waiting for walked inside.
Though he had starred in countless movies in his youth, his entrance was treated with indifference. He had been out of the limelight for the past few years, but he clearly still spent a good deal of time in the gym, and his sandy-colored hair was perfectly styled. Bruce suspected the actor anticipated another big break any minute. He knew the feeling.
The maître d’ appeared to recover quickly when the man gave his name, then, after a brief conversation, showed him to his table.
Bruce stood to shake his hand. “Good to see you again.”
“You too.”
Both men took their seats, and Bruce bit back his impatience as the man across from him decided to read the entire menu before making a selection. When their orders were finally placed, Bruce said, “You mentioned on the phone that you had a job opportunity I might be a good fit for.”
He took his time answering. “I understand you worked for the Blake family for some time.”
“That’s right.”
“Tell me about your duties there.”
Bruce studied the man across from him, taking his own time before formulating a response. Then he answered the man’s question, hoping he could tell him what he wanted to hear and that this would be his last night of unemployment.
* * *
Craig was still thinking about his run-in with Sienna Blake when he walked into the conference room the next morning. Part of him wanted to share the experience with his teammates, but he suspected no one would believe him. He also figured everyone would give him a hard time for not asking for her phone number. As if someone like her would give her number to a complete stranger.
Brent and Seth were already inside when he arrived. He looked up at the two men, and the thought crossed his mind that he wasn’t used to looking up to people. At six two he was normally at least at eye level or looking down a bit at others, but on this squad, he was on the shorter side. Only Quinn and Damian were shorter than he was. Even Amy, their intelligence officer, was six feet tall.
“How’s it going, Craig?” Seth asked. He had a Southern accent and an easy demeanor that contrasted his obvious size and strength.
“Good, thanks. So when do we find out what’s going on?”
“Everyone should be here in a minute.”
The minute dragged into five as several of his teammates took their time getting there. Even Quinn, who always seemed to hum with energy, was among the last ones to arrive. He sauntered in without any sense of urgency, confirming Craig’s suspicions that everyone else already knew what was going on.
They all took their seats, and Tristan offered their morning prayer. Not for the first time, Craig thought how odd it was that he ended up on a squad that was almost entirely made up of Latter-day Saints. He hadn’t expected to find any other Mormons in the teams, much less a whole squad of them. Only Damian didn’t share his religion.
Brent had explained that when the original squad was formed, they had started this unique ritual to ask for the Lord’s guidance as they went through their day. With the squad’s continued success, no one was about to change that now.
After the amens, Brent got right to the point. “This morning we’re taking our turn on the shooting range at oh eight hundred. Following that, we have PT.” He continued to outline their schedule for the day. “Tomorrow we leave on assignment at oh nine hundred.”
“Where are we going?” Damian asked.
“Northern Virginia. We’ll be based out of a bed-and-breakfast near Great Falls.”
“A bed and breakfast?” Craig looked skeptical. “What will we be doing there?”
“You and Damian will be working security detail for a formal event on Friday night.”
“What about the rest of you?”
“We’ll be attending that event.”
“Excuse me?” Craig wondered if he had heard Brent correctly. “This doesn’t sound like a job for a Navy SEAL. Is this normal?”
“Not normal, but this particular event has the potential of garnering a lot of attention. There will be quite a few high-level government officials in attendance as well as some Hollywood types,” Brent told them.
“Secret service will run the main detail, but their priority will be government officials,” Seth put in. “We’ve been asked to help augment security on the interior for the other guests.”
Craig didn’t try to hide his confusion. “The interior? I’d think with how we’ve been trained, we would be outside.”
“No. Secret service will work with a private security firm to cover the perimeter.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of manpower.” Craig leaned forward slightly. “What are we expected to do?”
“Basically you’ll be blending into the crowd while you watch for anyone who might make it inside armed.” Brent waved a hand to encompass the original members of the squad. “Even though the rest of us will be guests, we’ll all be watching out for anything suspicious. You’ll get further details when we go through our briefings tomorrow. Former FBI agent William Blake
has outlined a detailed security plan. In the meantime, you all need to get fitted for your tuxes.”
“Any reason why you didn’t tell us what we were prepping for yesterday?”
“Yes,” Brent said without expounding further. He handed everyone a business card. “Here’s the address where you’ll get your tuxes, along with the purchase order number.”
Craig took the business card and looked down at it to see the shop was located a short distance from base.
“Did you want to ride over with me?” Damian asked as the rest of their squad filtered out of the room.
“Yeah, sure.” Now alone in the room with Damian, Craig asked, “Is this normal? The commander springing things on us last minute with no apparent reason?”
Damian shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t look at me. I’ve only been here a few weeks longer than you. Lots of secrets in this squad.”
“You’re telling me.”
3
Sienna jogged along the beach, her thigh and calf muscles burning. Though she much preferred how she looked and felt when she could fit a run into her daily routine, her schedule during her last movie had rarely given her the opportunity. As a result, her muscles were protesting at the increasing demand.
With filming beginning next week, she wanted to make sure she was ready for the physical requirements of her new role.
She glanced out at the water and noticed a pontoon boat in the distance, a half dozen men aboard in addition to the driver. Two at a time, the men dropped into the water, all of them laden with some sort of backpack.
She was astonished to see the boat continue on, leaving the men behind to swim ashore. They were angling away from her, apparently to a stretch of beach out of her view.
She glanced around, a little surprised at herself when she realized she was looking for Craig, the guy who had attacked George the other day. Even more surprising was her disappointment that he wasn’t anywhere in sight. She wondered why his name stuck with her after only one brief encounter.
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