The Wedding Trap (Second Service #1)(34)
Author: Adrienne Bell

Instead, in a flash, he grasped the man’s forearm and twisted the arm back at an unnatural angle. Only then did the waiter make a sound. It wasn’t a scream exactly, but a muffled yelp that was no less sickening. Alex took advantage of the waiter’s injury, twisting his elbow until it crooked behind his spine. Alex slung his other arm around the man’s throat, immobilizing him.

Only then did Alex look over at her. He was breathing hard, and his face was bleeding pretty bad. It was obvious that he was favoring his right side. Beth realized that he had faked his injury, at least partially. But he hadn’t fallen. She should have known that it would have taken a hell of a lot more than that to bring Alex Tanner down.

What had John said? He would have brought an army.

Alex positioned himself so his back was against the wall, holding the waiter fast in his arms. The guy wasn’t going anywhere. Beth closed her eyes and turned her face. She didn’t want to watch as another guy crumpled to the floor with a broken neck.

"Get my phone," Alex said. She opened one eye and peeked. The waiter, or who ever the hell he was, was still alive. "Find John in my contact list and tell him we need backup."

Beth nodded. She dropped the gun on the couch and looked around for Alex’s phone. It was on the bedside table. Her legs were shaky, but she made it there all right. It turned out her fingers were even shakier. It took her three attempts to dial John before she succeeded.

It was a good thing she hadn’t tried to shoot that gun after all.

The phone only rang once.

"Go," a voice said from the other end.

"Um…John," she said. It was only after she heard her own voice that she realized that she was crying.

"Beth? What’s going on? Where’s Alex?" It was the closest thing to emotion that she’d heard in his voice.

"He’s okay. But we need some help."

The man started to struggle anew in Alex’s grasp. Alex jolted his arm up again. This time there was a harsh crack and the man moaned as he sagged in Alex’s arms.

"Backup," Alex repeated. "We need backup."

"He says backup," Beth said into the phone, "but I’m sticking with help."

It didn’t take the cavalry long to arrive. John was there before the tears dried on Beth’s cheeks. There were two other men with him. There would have been four, he said, but the other two were busy helping the agent they’d found shot at the end of the hallway.

The man she’d seen when they’d stepped from the elevator. Beth felt her heart sink to the floor. The tears welled up again and rolled down her cheeks.

This was all because of her. A man had been shot because of her. Alex’s face and body had taken a beating because of her. God knew how many more were putting their lives in danger, all because of her.

"He’s going to live," John told her. His voice was as flat as ever, but he put his hand on her shoulder for a millisecond. She looked up at him and smiled. He was trying to comfort her. He was terrible at it, but at least he was trying. That was what mattered.

The two men with John wasted no time hauling off the waiter.

"Where are you taking him?" Beth asked.

Both John and Alex looked at her, mouths closed. Yeah, she shouldn’t have expected an answer.

***

It shouldn’t have happened. He knew better. He knew the danger out there, and he’d allowed himself to be lulled into a false sense of security. It wasn’t like him at all.

Alex looked at his bloody face in the bathroom mirror. He was lucky that this was the only price he had to pay for his momentary lapse in judgment. Beth could have been killed.

He slammed his fist down hard on the porcelain sink.

Damn, he knew better. Maybe John was right. Maybe he had let his emotions cloud his mind.

“You all right in here?” John appeared in the doorway.

“I’m fine,” Alex said through gritted teeth.

“I can tell. You look like hell.”

Alex started dabbing at his face. "I’ve had worse."

"That you have. How’s the rest of you?”

Alex washed most of the blood off his face and assessed his injuries.

He had a cut above his right eye. Another on his cheek. His nose was bleeding but not broken. There was a hell of a bruise forming on his jaw.

He lifted his shirt and took a look in the mirror. His side was red as hell, and there was already some purple showing through, but other than that he was fine.

"Battered, but not broken," Alex said.

John nodded. "I’ll double the guard on the floor tonight. You guys get some sleep. I have a feeling this last defeat isn’t going to sit well with our guy.”

Alex turned from the mirror. His muscles were beginning to ache as the adrenaline fled his body.

“You think he’ll try again tonight?”

“I doubt it. He’s going to need to regroup and come up with a new plan,” John said. “Hopefully we’ll able to get some information out of this latest guy. Thanks for not snapping his neck.”

“I wanted to,” Alex admitted.

“I know.” John clapped him on the shoulder. Alex winced.

"You sure you’re all right?" John asked. "You don’t need me to send anyone else in."

Alex glared at his friend. "I’m not leaving her, John."

John looked at him long and hard before nodding again. "All right then," he said before turning and leaving.

The room stayed silent. Alex helped Beth into the bed, and pulled her into his arms. She cried for a little longer before sleep took her, and her breathing slowed. He kept his arms around her and waited for his mind to stop buzzing long enough for sleep to find him as well.

But it wasn’t the fear of more attacks that kept him awake. It was the last thing he’d said to John.

He wasn’t leaving her. He’d meant it. And he hadn’t just been talking about tonight.

Chapter 12

A girl could get used to waking up this way.

Alex’s strong arm was draped over her chest. He was spooned up against her, his groin nestled against the curve of her bottom. She snuggled a little deeper in his embrace, and felt a stirring between his legs.

Yeah, a girl could definitely get used to this.

His chin was perched on top of her head and she fit perfectly into the hollow beneath him. This was paradise.

Well, it would have been if it weren’t for the constant beeping of her phone alarm. It kept going and going. Like there was something important she had forgotten. Somewhere she had to be.

Isobel’s wedding.

Beth shot straight up. Alex let out a little groan of disappointment.

"Things were just getting good," he said.