His expression didn’t soften. Not one little bit.
"I don't think that is having the effect you were hoping for." He patted the mattress next to him. "Why don't you come back over here?"
Beth shook her head, resisting the answering smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth. "I don't think so."
He arched his brows. "I could make it worth your while."
"No way."
"Oh, I can think of lots of ways."
Her blush burned. "Not while you still think that Isobel is trying to kill me."
"I never said I thought that," he said. "I sure as hell hope that it's not true. I just said that your safety is my main concern. Until this is over I will suspect everyone."
Beth scrunched her nose. When he put it like that, it sounded so reasonable. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Okay, there. Happy now?"
He crooked his finger at her. "A little closer."
She shook her head. "Nope." A girl had to have some backbone, after all. No matter how misguided it was.
"All right then," he said. “If that's how you want to play."
He was on her in less than a second. Before she could react, she was on her back, her hands locked above her head, his hips positioned between her legs.
"Much better," he said. His mouth was so close to hers, so close that his breath washed across her lips, kissing her before he did.
The phone rang.
That was it. She was going to make it her life mission to smash every phone she saw. She would be doing the world a favor.
Except it was his phone this time. With great reluctance, he pulled away. "Sorry, duty calls."
She groaned out loud as he sprung from the bed. He grabbed the phone and went into the sitting room. Beth crawled reluctantly from the bed. She could barely hear him in the other room. His answers were terse. One word, maybe two. He was on the call for less than a minute before he hung up.
"Munoz is on the move," he said, heading for the bathroom. He flicked on the lights and a moment later, Beth heard the shower start up. A half second later, he poked his head out. "The guys in the van just intercepted a text message from a burner phone."
Beth felt a lump forming in her throat. Her stomach dropped. She didn't want to ask. She didn't need to. The serious look on his face told her that whatever the message was, it wasn't any good.
"What did it say?"
"That if Munoz couldn't handle the situation, he would take care of it himself."
Beth blinked. She sank back down on the edge of the bed, her knees threatening to give out underneath her.
“I’m the situation, aren’t I?”
Alex stopped mid-stride. "Yes," he said. It was a simple answer to a simple question. But Beth felt like she had taken a swift blow to the gut.
“Does that mean he’s coming back to the hotel to shoot me himself?”
“I doubt it.”
“But we're still going to go downstairs and wait for something to happen?” Her voice sounded small, even to her own ears.
“Yes.”
He didn't rush to comfort her this time. But he didn't lie to her either. He treated her like an adult. One who could handle the burden she'd taken on.
And she could, she reminded herself. She might not like it. Hell, the fact that she didn't was probably a good indicator of her sanity. But she could handle it. She would handle it. The only other choice was giving up, and she sure as hell wasn't going to do that.
"We have to,” he said. “You're an easy target up here."
Beth nodded. She understood. Everyone knew where she was. Hell, even Isobel had told her to stay in bed all day.
Had she known?
Beth immediately felt a traitorous shame at the fleeting thought. There was no way that her best friend was setting her up for an assassin to find.
No way in hell.
Still Beth didn't waste anytime showering and dressing before making her way down to the lobby.
***
The day was a bizarre combination of constant anxiety and crushing boredom.
Beth had been out of the room for six hours and she hadn't left the hotel once, not even for a walk around the parking lot. It was too open, Alex said. There were too many variables. Too many ways for things could go wrong. She guessed that what he really meant were there were too many hiding places for a sniper to hide and take her out with a single shot.
She might never get over how strange it was to think about her life in those terms. She only hoped that she lived long enough to get used to it.
Alex was true to his word and stayed by her side. He sat with her in the lobby. Stood next to her in the coffee shop line. Then back to the lobby. Walked with her down to the spa store. Ate lunch with her at the restaurant. Then back to the lobby. Walked down the hallway with her. Then back to the lobby again.
The problem wasn’t with the monotony of the day. It might have actually been relaxing to have a whole day with nothing planned, nowhere to go, nothing to do. It was that she couldn’t relax, not even for a second.
People came and went. Beth watched them all. Some she knew. Most she didn't. Every now and again someone from the wedding would stop by and say hello, and Beth would worry about their motives for doing so. But even that was a welcome distraction from obsessing over the intentions of strangers who just happened to glance her way.
It was exhausting, this ever-vigilant existence. Beth wondered how in the world Alex managed it. He hadn’t complained once since they’d stepped out of their room. He'd taken up his position by her side today and settled in. He'd chatted with her, keeping it light. He lounged on the couches as though there wasn't a worry on his mind.
Beth, on the other hand, was ready to start pulling her hair out. The only thing preserving her sanity was keeping one eye on the clock. She'd made it to five thirty. It was almost time for the rehearsal. And while she was certain that none of the anxiety she felt would fade when she got there, at least the boredom would.
Alex patted her on the knee and gestured toward the front door. John was walking in. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to acknowledge him, so she kept her face as impassive as possible. She figured they were through pretending when he sat down beside them.
"Hey," Alex said.
"Nothing yet?" John asked.
Alex shook his head. "Anything on your side?"
"Negative."
"Riveting stuff, guys," Beth said. "Hey, since I've got two bodyguards now, do you think I could risk a quick trip out to the balcony? My legs are cramped, and I haven’t seen real sunlight all day."
The men looked at each other. She saw the discussion going on between them in their eyes.
"John can watch over you for a minute," Alex said, standing up. "I'm going to the men's room. Then we'll get you ready for that rehearsal."
Alex didn't look too happy. She knew that the day had been a bust for him. Nothing had happened, and time was slipping away.
She stood up and walked to the set of double doors that led out to the balcony. John stayed by her side until they were outside. Then he fell back, crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. His expression was, as always, impassive, but at least he was giving her some space. Well, as much space as one could get on a fifteen-foot balcony.
The Kensington was built into the side of a hill, and this part of the lobby was technically on the second floor. It was a lovely place to sneak out to watch the sun sinking below the San Francisco Bay. Tonight was no exception, and Beth caught it at just the right time.
She sighed with pleasure as she leaned against the railing. After a day of being shut up inside the hotel this was heaven.
Ribbons of brilliant orange and flaming red streaked the sky. The darkening waves of the bay caught the last of the evening light and shimmered as if they were capped with diamonds. A slight breeze caressed her cheek, bringing with it the scents of the blooming gardens below.
If only she'd had a glass of champagne in her hand and Alex by
her side, it would have been a perfect moment. As it was, she had a can of flat diet soda and a hulking stranger behind her, one that she still wasn't quite sure she trusted.
Beth turned around at the sound of the doors opening behind her. She expected to see Alex. Instead, it was Spencer. The group must have just returned from the museum.
“I thought I saw you out here,” he said.
John looked at her, raising his eyebrows a fraction of an inch. Do I need to take care of this guy?
For a split second, she indulged in the fantasy of taking him up on the offer. Maybe if she put her hands up and screamed, John would slap his cuffs on Spencer and drag him away. Even better, he might just pick him up and chuck him over the side.
Beth gave John a slight shake of her head. Spencer was a royal pain in the ass, but he wasn’t dangerous.
“What do you want, Spencer?”
“That’s not a very nice welcome.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not feeling very welcoming toward you at the moment.”
Spencer took up the empty spot next to her on the railing. “Are you still mad at me for calling out your little date for what he was?”
Beth considered telling Spencer just how big of an ass he was, but she realized there just wasn’t enough time left in the day to cover everything. Besides, anything she said would just turn into another fight, and she didn’t want that vibe carrying over into Isobel’s rehearsal.
“Where is he, anyways?” he asked. “Did I scare him off or did you come to your senses?”
Beth rolled her eyes. “Was there something that you wanted, Spencer?”
“I wanted to see if you were all right,” he said. “I know I got a little out of line last night, and I was worried that I might have upset you.”
Beth looked at him from the corner of her eye. That didn’t sound like Spencer. He’d never worried about anyone other than himself. He sure as hell didn’t apologize.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Good.” He nodded, and leaned a little closer. “I just wanted you to know that even though you’ve made a fool of yourself this weekend, I forgive you.”
Beth’s jaw dropped. “You forgive me?” she demanded when she had recovered from her stunned silence.
“Sure I do. I saw you out here, looking so sad, and I thought you should know that I’m not holding any of this against you.”
“How magnanimous of you.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I know things ended badly between us, and you probably just wanted to show me up. It’s natural.”
Beth downed the rest of her soda in an attempt to keep her mouth shut. Her fingers bit into the thin aluminum, crushing the can as she drank.
“And the fault isn’t entirely yours. It’s obvious that our break up devastated you. Maybe I was too hasty. I mean, you are a decent-looking woman, Beth.”
Beth felt bile rise up and burn her throat. “Are you asking me to get back together with you?”
“I’m asking you to come to my room tonight after the rehearsal dinner, and we can discuss it.” He arched his brows suggestively.
Beth heard a quiet laugh from John’s direction. So the guy did have a sense of humor after all.
“Thanks for the offer, Spencer, but I’m going to pass,” she said.
He looked confused. “Why?”
The door behind them opened. Both she and Spencer turned at the same time. This time it was Alex. His eyes were unreadable as he stared down Spencer.
“Because I already have plans for this evening,” she said before walking to Alex’s side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and turned them back toward the lobby without a word.
The door shut behind them, but not before Beth heard John say, “Tough break, bro.”
Chapter 10
The formal Rose Garden at the Kensington Hotel was magnificent. Cut into the side of a terraced hill, it offered a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay. It was easy to see why it was so popular for weddings.
Of course, that didn't explain the crowd that surrounded it now. Beth was sure that maybe a couple of the people milling around the edges of the garden were legitimate tourists and wedding gawkers, but they were badly outnumbered by undercover agents.
Over the last half hour, she'd made a game out of guessing which was which. Some were easy, like the single men who had been there since the beginning. She didn't know many men that would placidly sit in a flower garden for the better part of an hour when their girlfriends were making them, let alone by themselves. Right now there were two of them.
There were a few couples, but it was easy to tell which were fakes. No snuggling. No kissing. Nothing in their physical demeanor that indicated a genuine connection.
A few people had come and gone, taking a quick gawk at the view, or the wedding party, maybe inspecting a bloom or two. Those had been the only ones that had provided any kind of challenge.
Maybe she should have been more vigilant, keeping an eye out for the people who wanted her dead instead of playing games with the good guys, but she couldn’t quite manage to keep her guard up after the long day.
Besides, Alex seemed vigilant enough for both of them. He'd insisted on staying close during the rehearsal, so he was seated in the front row of folding chairs. If anyone cared, they were tactful enough to keep their mouths shut.
The priest was going through the motions, telling the wedding party where to stand, what to say, where to go. Beth’s job was easy. All she had to do was stand at the front of the line of bridesmaids, pretend to hold a bouquet of flowers, and ignore Spencer glaring at her.
After another ten minutes, it was over. Just in time. Beth's stomach was starting to grumble. The party broke up, agreeing to meet back at the restaurant in fifteen minutes for the rehearsal dinner.
Beth kissed Isobel on the cheek and went to Alex's side, earning the stink eye from her mother.
"Beth," her mother snapped.
"I'll just be a second," she said, rolling her eyes. She shouldn't have bothered. Alex followed her over. Her mother gave them both a disgusted look.
"I don't know why you insist on continuing with this disgusting charade, Beth. You have to know that all you're doing is embarrassing yourself," she said, apparently not caring that Alex was right there.
"And I don't know why you insist on believing the worst about me, Mother," Beth shot back. It was easier to be brave with Alex next to her. She wasn't sure what she was going to do after he was gone. She didn’t want to think about it. Not yet.
"Because it's usually true," her mother said.
Beth thought that after a lifetime of verbal slaps to the face from her mother that she would be used to the sting. She wasn’t.
“I’ll see you at dinner, Mom,” Beth said, turning away.
Alex kept pace with her as she marched away. He didn’t say a word. After a few steps, he reached down and took her hand. Just like a real boyfriend.
If only.
Sure, Alex had been by her side more in the last two days than anyone else in her life. He probably cared about her more than anyone else too. But, deep down inside, she knew it was because it was his job. His guilt over involving her in an international incident had kept him around.
But relationships had been built on stranger things. Hadn't they?
Okay, maybe not. Especially not when she threw in the blackmail, the impersonation, and the death threats. Hell, the CIA was probably going to award him a medal just for surviving the weekend with her.
"Are you all right?" he asked as they rounded the corner of the hotel.
"Everything is fine," she said. Her lips were pressed together so tight that she had to force the words out.
Beth kept her mouth shut as she walked into the hotel and toward the stairs. Six flights of stairs should help get some of her pent-up aggression out.
"My mother has never been happy with me. Not once in my whole life.” She pulled away from Alex and rounded the first turn in the stairwell. "Everything I
ever did was seen through the lens of what my sister, Chelsea, did before me. She got A's, I got B's. She got into Stanford. I got into State. She became a lawyer. I got a job in retail. She got married and had two children just as perfect as her. I...well...you know how I ended up. As far as my mother is concerned, the day I was born I was already in second place. Every day since, I've just become more of a disappointment."
By the time she was done ranting she had reached the top of the stairs. She was out of breath and felt a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. At least some of her anger had dissipated.
She turned to around. Alex was just behind her, looking as calm and put together as ever. Only the small smile that played at the corner of his lips gave her any clue about what he was thinking.
"You still think I'm crazy," she said, and started for the door of their room.
"No, I don't."
“The first time we met you said your mother drove you crazy too," she said, flinging open the door. "What does she do?"
He was quiet behind her. Beth turned around. Alex’s eyes were flat.
"She drank.”
Beth stopped in the middle of pulling off her sweater.
Drank. Past tense. And Beth had the feeling it wasn’t because she’d checked into rehab.
“Oh,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”
"Don't be," he said, like it was the final word on the subject. "It was a long time ago.”
"Like that matters." She resisted the urge to rush to his side. She had the feeling that if she got too close he would freeze up. She turned and went toward the wardrobe instead. "She was your mom. Mine drives me bat-shit crazy, but if anything were to happen to her it would devastate me."
"She feels the same way about you," he said.
Beth felt a little bubble of warmth burst in her chest. Yeah, she guessed deep down she knew that. But Beth wasn't about to let him change the subject.
"What happened to your mom?
The Wedding Trap (Second Service) Page 11