The Rock Star's Wedding

by Demelza Carlton

  "I did," someone croaked. A third figure clambered out of the helicopter, somewhat stiffly. "I checked before they boarded. She's a relative of the bride. Just send them to their rooms, Xan." Shou's eyes implored her to cooperate.

  Xan sighed and sent them with Rita to Reception. Once they were out of earshot, she turned on Shou. "Why weren't you flying?"

  "She's an assassin. She's got more knives under that jacket than I've ever seen one person carry. Guns, too – the kind that aren't legal here in Australia. She said she was flying the helicopter, not me, but she'd let me live to fly home if I kept quiet until they'd landed. You watch out for her. I'm going home before she changes her mind." And with that, Shou hopped into the pilot's seat, closed the door behind him and lifted off in record time.

  Bugger. Xan pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Trevor, Angel's security specialist. "I have a problem," she said after he'd answered. "Mohsen didn't bring his wife. He has someone called Parisa who he says is his niece, but my pilot says is an assassin. An armed assassin. They're headed for Reception now."

  "Dr Miller is at Reception, sorting out an issue with her wristband, I believe. I'm on my way." Trevor ended the call without another word.

  Xan broke into a run. Maybe she could catch up to them and persuade them to come to Villa Maxima with her. The last thing she needed was something getting injured or worse, killed, on the island.

  Xan took a shortcut through the jungle, arriving at the lobby door just as Mohsen did. The lobby looked empty, without even Philly manning the Reception desk. Thank goodness. "Let me get that for you," she panted, summoning a professional smile. She wrenched open the door and stood aside to let them in.

  Her timing couldn't have been worse. Philly walked into the lobby, followed by Angel and Dennis.

  "Kiana!" Mohsen beamed.

  Angel inclined her head. "You made it. I thought you said you'd had some trouble with airport security."

  Mohsen's expression darkened. "Yes, I did. My bodyguards weren't allowed to enter the country. They detained me, too, but your country's security personnel can't tell a terrorist from a businessman. Women, they are much more lenient with. That's why I brought my niece, Parisa, instead."

  "Niece." Angel's tone turned deadly. "That would make her...?"

  "Lilupar's daughter," Mohsen said smoothly. "I forget that you haven't met. Parisa, this is Kiana, Fatima's daughter."

  The two women faced each other, mirror images of the same deadly threat. Angel's fingers lingered on her arm, where Xan knew she kept a knife, while Parisa's hand hovered over her own arm. Parisa had a slight height advantage over Angel, but that was about all the difference between them. The girls could have been sisters. Ones who wanted to kill each other.

  Parisa was the first to relax, dropping her hands by her sides. "Kiana. I believe I owe you a debt."

  Angel didn't relax at all. "She deserved what she got."

  "My father's killer deserved much, it is true. That is why I waited, and trained, so that I could do the job properly when the time came."

  "You waited too damn long," Angel snapped. "She killed my mother. The woman who would be my sister in law. And she tried to kill me. You owe me, all right."

  "Indeed."

  A long moment passed while both women stared at each other. Xan wanted to scream in frustration. Philly had fled, but Trevor and Dennis hovered by the exits, looking for a chance to de-escalate matters, Xan hoped.

  Mohsen clapped his hands, the sound echoing loudly in the tiled lobby. "Excellent. I'm sure Parisa would like to hear your memories of her mother, Kiana, when time permits. Perhaps over a high tea?"

  Angel's hands dropped to her sides. "Perhaps." She nodded to Parisa, Mohsen, then Trevor, before turning on her heel and leaving the lobby.

  Well, this wedding just got interesting, Xan thought. Rock stars, security, a possible terrorist, and now an assassin? She'd prefer another round with the jellyfish. With a cyclone thrown in.

  FORTY-TWO

  Xan couldn't believe how nervous she felt. Anyone would think she was tomorrow's bride, not the girl sleeping in Villa Akoya tonight.

  Yet here she was, pacing the length of the Penguin jetty again, wishing for some sort of inner peace that swam just out of reach in the waves below as the tide rushed in.

  The helicopter was safely on the pearl farm landing pad, with the Argo moored nearby. All the guests who were attending tomorrow's wedding had arrived and there would be no way on or off the island until Sunday. The only communication with the mainland was via the radio in Dennis' office, now the satellite uplink and mobile phone tower had been disabled for the event, as per the bride's imperious instructions. The kitchen had closed for the night, though one chef remained on call, in case of any late night room service requests. The Jungle was open for a few more hours, but it'd looked like the guests were saving themselves for tomorrow, so they'd all gone to their rooms early. Xan hadn't seen a single soul since she'd left Marcel at the bar. Even Jason seemed on his best behaviour.

  Speak of the devil...

  "I bet tomorrow's will be the most organised wedding in the history of weddings, no matter what fuck-up has you pacing. Go on, tell me. What's gone wrong?" Jason called from the head of the jetty.

  "Nothing," Xan admitted, not wanting to mention the assassin in their midst, then added, "Yet. Nothing's gone wrong yet, but that's the thing about weddings, isn't it? Something has to go wrong, because it can't be perfect."

  "Sure it can." Jason strode out to her. "You're organising it. If anyone can hold the perfect event, it's you, the patron saint of hotel management and weddings."

  Xan snorted. "You're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you? I thought only the Pope could name saints, and then only after they're dead. I'm still breathing and I plan to be for a long while yet, though that could change tomorrow if I mess up this wedding. It's my first, so I'm bound to."

  Jason reached her end of the jetty, and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "You won't. If anything goes wrong, it won't be your fault. She'll blame it on me," he said blithely, nodding at the dark shadow of Villa Akoya.

  Xan shrugged off his arm. "I take it all the lights out means she's going for maximum beauty sleep tonight?"

  "Maybe." The way Jason said it, it sounded more like a no. "First night in a new place, she usually gets an early night. Jo and I would take it in turns, staying up, waiting. Because...well, it was better than getting woken up by it."

  Xan squinted at the villa. "Woken up by what? Do she and her boyfriend have noisy sex on the first night? That's hardly unusual behaviour for a hotel. At least hotels like this one have soundproofing. At the backpackers where I used to work, you could hear – "

  A piercing scream came from the villa, followed by another, louder than the first.

  Frogs in the bathroom. Xan would wager a week's wages on it. She marched up the jetty, intent on rescuing the bride from her uninvited guests.

  The back of her shirt snagged on something, pulling her up short.

  "What the...?" She twisted around, trying to unhook it, but Jason held her fast. "Let go!"

  More screaming issued from the villa. This time, it sounded like there were words in the screaming, most of them abusive.

  "Jason, let go!" Xan insisted. "I need to help!"

  "Let him do it," Jason said darkly.

  Xan's blood ran cold. "You mean he's in there with her? And she's screaming like that? What if he's trying to kill her? I can't just stand her and let some prick – " She wrenched free of Jason and set off again.

  This time, he grabbed her, not her shirt. Both arms clamped across her middle. "You can't! If you go in there, you'll get hurt."

  "So come with me. I'll page security, and between us, we'll get him away from her." Xan lifted her wristband to tap the emergency code.

  "NO! No security. No one goes in there."

  Bloody coward. Xan stomped on Jason's foot and he released her. "You mean to tell me, you'd let so
me arsehole beat up your friend because you're scared of him? I thought you had more balls than that, Jason Felix, but maybe I was wrong. I'll break it up on my own. You just watch me."

  The screaming had stopped, shrouding the villa in eerie silence.

  "She sleeps with a knife and a taser. If you burst into her room, she'll hit you with one or both. You know there's a character in the Harry Potter books that did bad things to people if you woke him up? Well, that bloke's nothing to her. We had a security guard once who was too stupid to follow orders. He got a knife in the chest. He was lucky to survive."

  Xan stopped. "Your friend would stab me?"

  "Probably not. She threw the knife at the guard from the other side of her hotel suite."

  Not particularly reassuring. "So if it's quiet now, that means...?" Xan ventured.

  "She's awake, most likely. I hope she tased him. She got a real heavy-duty taser. The aftershocks can seize your muscles up for hours afterwards." Jason's teeth flashed white as he grinned.

  "You sound like you have first-hand experience," Xan said.

  "Nah, not personally. She's used it a couple times, though, and she paints a pretty fucking clear image when she wants to. She can knock a guy out with that thing."

  Xan didn't feel comfortable standing here when anything could be going on in the villa. "Still, I should go and at least knock on the door to ask if she's all right." She thought a moment, then added, "Or if he needs medical attention."

  As if on command, the lights clicked on in the villa and one, no, two figures came into view, walking through the living area to the veranda.

  "Aw, I really wanted her to hit him," Jason said softly.

  Nathan swept Angel up in his arms. "C'mon, it's time for that sex on the beach."

  Angel laughed, sounding younger and more carefree than Xan thought possible. "No, it isn't. Plenty of time for that sort of thing after the wedding."

  "We're awake, and the beach is just down this path. We've got time now," Nathan insisted, carrying her down the steps and out of sight.

  A long moment later, they heard a shriek mingled with a deeper shout.

  Angel's voice was clearer. "I told you! The tides up here are huge. The beach will be back in the morning."

  The couple walked back into view, hand in hand as they ascended to the veranda.

  "I've seen enough," Jason muttered, marching back to his villa.

  Xan watched the pair head inside their own villa, then share a cup of milk before ambling down the corridor to the bedrooms. Despite all the security measures and Angel's celebrity status, these two looked like any normal couple, about to be married in the morning. Two people who planned to share a happy future.

  For a moment, Xan envied them. To be so sure of someone that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with them...no, it was a crazy risk to take. One she never would, she vowed, as she followed their example and headed off to her own bed. Tomorrow would be a long day.

  FORTY-THREE

  "I can't do this without you." Six simple words that were the reason Xan found herself standing on North Beach, beside a white carpet, with Jason clinging to her arm like a terrified toddler. A toddler with a very firm grip.

  She should have been sorting out details, decorations, last minute menu changes or whatever else needed to be done, but she kept her promise and stood at Jason's side while the woman he'd loved for most of his life walked down the aisle in a ruby-coloured wedding dress. Its Middle-Eastern style, heavily embroidered in white and gold, suited the diminutive bride. She wore no veil, so her dark hair gleamed in the sun, pinned and curled so that it fell to just above shoulders.

  Her fingers rested on her father's arm as he walked beside her, but her eyes were fixed on her grey-clad groom. Out of respect for Broome's tropical climate, he wore no tie or jacket, just a white shirt with a pale grey vest and pants. Nathan looked like he was going to cry, Xan thought, as he stared at his bride. He wasn't the only one, either.

  Angel passed her bouquet – a carefully sculpted cascade of frangipani flowers – to Jo, where it blended with the flower print of her dress. Deliberately, Xan was sure.

  Xan let her mind wander as the wedding celebrant said things she probably repeated for every wedding. She was brought back by a particularly violent squeeze from Jason that nearly crushed her fingers.

  The wedding vows, Xan realised, curious to hear whether the couple had chosen to be boring and traditional, or if they'd written their own, to be parroted after the celebrant when they forgot the words.

  Traditional be damned, it seemed. They said their vows in unison, their words simple but poignant enough for Xan to remember them days later:

  "I am yours, and you are mine; to love, care for and protect. I will share your pleasure and your pain. I will stand with you through anything life has in store for us."

  Rings, kisses, signing the relevant paperwork...none of that was anything out of the ordinary, and Jason seemed to relax, or at least grow resigned to the marriage. Xan's heart ached for him, though her throbbing fingers weren't quite as sympathetic.

  FORTY-FOUR

  The rest of the day felt like an anticlimax, after all the work she'd put in. Not even a peep out of the assassin – though Trevor and Dennis kept a careful eye on the girl the whole day.

  When someone's father stood up to make a speech, Xan took the opportunity to do one final check on her staff. All the food had been served, so the only duties that remained were clearing away the dessert dishes and serving drinks to guests until the wedding reception ended. She could relax, drink a glass of champagne and maybe even take a turn on the dance floor.

  Xan had expected a live band, given Chaya's reputation. After all, all but a handful of musicians in the world would have jumped at the chance to perform at this rock star wedding. Angel or Alana or whatever her name was would only have needed to ask, Xan was sure of it. But the bride had chosen a DJ instead, a sound guy Jason evidently knew well, judging by how happily they were talking together as the DJ set up his equipment.

  Jo's voice blasted through the sound system, bringing Xan's attention back to the speeches. "I've known Caitlin since primary school and I could tell you some stories..." she began. Xan listened as Jo described her friend's budding talents as a doctor, musician and MMA fighter, making everyone laugh. Jo continued, "But there are three lessons she taught me that I'll never forget, and Nathan, as her husband, you'd better not forget them, either. Lesson one: size matters!"

  A roar of laughter echoed across the lagoon, fading as Jo explained that she meant the size of hearts and love and other non-R-rated things, then launched into a second rambling point that Xan didn't quite catch.

  "And last but not least, lesson three. Love conquers all. I've played to packed stadiums right alongside her. I've shared a coffee with her the morning after she's worked all night to save a patient's life. All exhilarating, awesome moments in anyone's life, and we've celebrated them all. But I've never seen her as happy as she is today, when she married the man she loves. So I'd like to propose a final toast tonight to the bride and groom, Mr and Mrs...whoops, Dr Miller!"

  Xan raised her glass and drank the lot. Yes, she deserved a whole glass of champagne to celebrate a job well done. She'd never seen a wedding proceed so smoothly.

  The DJ called the guests to assemble around the edges of the dance floor for the bridal waltz. The bride and groom hung back, sharing a kiss while everyone's attention was elsewhere. Everyone except Xan.

  A sharp crack rent the air, followed by three more in quick succession.

  The newlyweds dropped out of sight too quickly for Xan to see whether the gunman had hit them or if they'd simply taken shelter behind a table. She glanced around, noticing several others doing the same thing, but most of the guests stood on the dance floor decking, staring out over the lagoon.

  Xan reached the couple first. The bride was barely visible beneath the groom, a deliberate move on his part, Xan decided, as he covered both his head a
nd hers.

  "There! Can't celebrate love without fucking fireworks!" Jason shouted somewhere over on the deck. "Congratulations!"

  "It's just fireworks, Nathan," Angel said, rolling him off her. She straddled his hips, her skirt pooling out like blood over them both. "Look up."

  Four more reports sounded. Seconds later, colours bloomed in the sky to the oohs and aahs of the guests.

  "I thought...I thought..." Nathan began.

  "I know," his bride soothed. "But I'm fine. You're fine. We're both safe and no one's trying to kill us here."

  "I'm sorry – "

  She placed her hand over his mouth. "Say it. We're safe."

  "We're safe," he repeated. "You're safe."

  "Yes." Angel smiled. "I love you. And we're going to spend the rest of our lives together. A long, long time. Because I married you. Because I love you. Now, kiss me."

  "Because you told me to?" he asked.

  "Because you love me. Because you want to. Because today's our wedding day." She paused, then finished with, "And because I'm your wife, and I told you to."

  He sat up, wrapping his arms around the blood-dipped bride on his lap. "Because you love me," he said slowly. Their kiss was slow and sensual, passionate in the extreme.

  Xan found she had to look away as her insides flooded with heat. How long since someone had kissed her like that? Had anyone ever kissed her like that? Passion so hot it burned her, several metres away, watching...

  She shouldn't be watching, Xan told herself, hurrying to join the guests on the deck. Jason would be there, and she'd promised him one dance.

  The newlyweds finally made their way to the dance floor. The music started and the pair twirled across the deck in their first dance as a married couple amid the strobe-like flashes from everyone's cameras. None of the pictures would make it onto social media tonight – all communications with the outside world were down, as per the bride's instructions.