No Risk Refused

“The library.” He spoke in a low voice to Daryl as they walked back to where Alba was barking. “Alba knows where they are.”

“The damn photographer,” Daryl said. “The dog tried to tell us when the bridal limo arrived.”

When they reached the door, Cam turned to his friend. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

Less than sixty seconds later, he was climbing up the wall to the right of the library’s balcony.

* * *

“YOU’RE ALREADY FAMILIAR with the space, aren’t you?” Adair asked. “You’ve been spending a lot of time here.”

He glanced around. “No. You left it off my tour the other day.” He nearly sneezed, but caught himself in time. His hand remained steady on the gun.

“Let me open the balcony doors and let in some air,” she offered. If Cam decided to climb up the outside wall, he’d need access to the room.

MacDonald muffled another sneeze and gestured her to go ahead. She shoved them all the way open. The only sound that drifted in was the breeze ruffling the pines. The wedding hadn’t begun yet. But surely someone had to have noticed she was missing. Bunny would. So would Vi. Somehow the message would get to Cam. All she had to do was keep MacDonald talking. “So what exactly is your business proposition?”

“You seem to be a practical person, Ms. MacPherson, so I want to make you a deal. You give me the sapphire earring you found the other day and I’ll let you get on with your big wedding. So much depends on it. The future of your fledgling business as well as the little sting operation you’re cooperating in.”

Adair simply stared at him.

He laughed then, but the sound was threaded with anger, not amusement. “Oh, I know what you’re up to. I waited around to see if Lawrence Banes survived his little accident yesterday. And I recognized Daryl Garnett, CIA agent extraordinaire, the moment he got out of his car. I’m not as stupid as my longtime partner. I told him six months ago that it was time to take the money we’d made and run. The Securities and Exchange Commission was sniffing around. They’ve become more vigilant lately. But he couldn’t pass up the extra fortune he could make by marrying Winston Maitland’s daughter. The agreement they sign today will allow my partner to access millions with a few strokes of his fingers on a computer keyboard. The money will be in his offshore accounts before the cake is cut. And I taught him everything he knows.”

MacDonald’s voice had risen steadily, driven by his growing anger. Adair heard Alba start barking above it. The sound was muffled. Distant. The dog would know where they were, but she had to keep MacDonald talking and distracted so that Cam could make his move. “Your partner wouldn’t listen to you.”

“No.”

For the first time, Adair saw the full strength of the man’s fury in his eyes. It bordered on madness. And it had to be fueled by more than a disagreement over money. Outside, she heard the music begin. The wedding party had assembled. The fake minister had taken his place.

“But you stood by him and tried to convince him for six months. What did he do to make you want to kill him?”

“He told me that he wanted to buy me out. He’d give me half the money we’d already made and then I could take a hike. My services would no longer be needed.”

He used the fingers of his free hand to tap his chest. “My services that planned every con we’ve pulled for over fifteen years. My services that had allowed him to escape the law on several occasions and kept him out of jail.”

“He dumped you.”

“No. I’m going to dump him. I thought of killing him, but it will be much more satisfying to think of him rotting in jail. Especially when he learns that I used his precious wedding as a cover to walk away with a priceless sapphire.”

He dipped his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. “But I’m flexible on that. If you don’t give me that earring, I’ll press this button and there’ll be an explosion in the stone arch. While it’s filled with people.”

The music changed, signaling that the bridal attendants should line up near the end of the garden path. The groom and his best man had taken their places beneath the stone arch. She could picture it so clearly in her mind. Where was Cam?

“The clock is ticking,” MacDonald said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

She caught a glimpse of Cam to the right of the balcony door. But MacDonald still had the gun. She had to rattle him enough to allow Cam to make his move.

“The earring,” MacDonald prompted. “I was up in the hills after the rehearsal and I saw you and your aunt find it. You know where it is. I researched this place in your local library this morning. The most obvious place to hide it was Angus One’s secret cupboard. It wasn’t there. But you know where it is.”

“Yes, I know exactly where it is.” Adair folded her arms over her chest. “Someone told me once that it’s not over until the fat lady sings. And I’m not going to give you the earring.”

“You have to.” Some of the fury in his eyes was replaced by surprise. “You have to or I’ll blow everyone up. I’m not kidding.”

“No, you’re not kidding.” She pointed to the device he held in his hand. “But you’re not going to be able to pull it off. That thing won’t work. We defused the bomb.”

“No. You’re lying.” But he glanced down at the box in his hand. And in that second of inattention, Cam gripped the ledge at the top of the balcony doors and swung his feet through and up to knock the gun out of MacDonald’s hand. He landed close enough to plant a fist in the man’s face.

MacDonald fell like a rock.

“Good work, Princess,” Cam said as he quickly turned the man over and secured his wrists.

“You good up there?” Daryl called.

Adair saw him step out from beneath the balcony, his gun raised.

“Yeah.” Then Cam grinned at Adair. “Get out of here. You’ve got a wedding to run.”

* * *

IT’S NOT OVER until the fat lady sings.

Adair kept repeating the phrase over and over in her head as she raced down the garden path. She wanted to make sure that when that song finally came, there’d be a happy ending for Rexie. And there was one thing she still had to do.

The wedding march hadn’t started yet. She had time. Careening around the last curve, she caught sight of the bridal party just as her aunt Vi signaled the maid of honor to start down the aisle.

“Rexie,” she said breathlessly as she reached them. “I need…a word?”

Without waiting for an answer, she took the girl’s hands and drew her out of earshot of her father.

The wedding march began.

“What is it?” Rexie asked, her eyes wide.

Adair leaned close enough to whisper. “Don’t kiss Lawrence.”

Rexie stared at her. “What about the legend? I thought the kissing part was the whole idea.”

“Rexie, it’s time.” Winston’s voice was soft, but very firm.

Over Rexie’s shoulder, Adair saw that the guests had all turned in their direction.

“Make some excuse. He’s in a wheelchair,” Adair whispered urgently. “Tell him you’ll make it up to him later. I don’t have time to explain. Just trust me.”

Rexie nodded, then turned to her father and let him lead her away.

All Adair could think of to do now was cross her fingers. When Vi joined her, she filled her aunt in on what had happened in the library. “Cam and Daryl have everything under control.” Now all they had to do was get through a fake wedding and the arrest of the groom. “One villain down and one to go.”

She tried not to think about the devastated bride.

Vi took one of her hands and squeezed it as Lawrence Banes took Rexie’s hand from her father’s. “I want to know what you told her before you sent her up the aisle.”

“I told her not to kiss Lawrence. The marriage might not be real, but I just couldn’t let her kiss him beneath the stones.”

Vi chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

“Except I ran the risk of turning her into a runaway bride.”

“She’s not running.”

As soon as Winston Maitland returned to the first row of chairs to take his seat next to Bunny, the fake minister began, “We are gathered here together…”

Adair hardly dared to breathe until he pronounced them man and wife.

When Rexie gave her new husband a hug instead of a kiss, Adair clapped her hands in relief while the guests applauded their congratulations.

The wedding party was halfway down the aisle of chairs when Cam joined her.

“Good news,” he said. “Sheriff Skinner just got a call from his man who was screening the guests as they arrived, and it seems we have some party crashers.”

“Duncan and Barry?” she asked.