He let her cry. He couldn't have stopped her sobs even if he wanted to. Besides, it
was better if she processed all the emotions swirling inside her. Her mind would be
clearer once she got it all out of her system. Maybe then he would be able to get the
information he needed from her.
They had very little time before guests arrived. It wouldn't take long for John's crew
to find the body and clean up the mess. After that John would be coming up to talk to
Beth.
There were still tears in Beth's eyes when she stopped crying ten minutes later, but
the worst of the shaking had subsided. He helped her up off the floor and led her to a
chair, sitting down next to her.
"We have to talk," he said quietly.
She stared off into the distance for a second before nodding.
"Can you think of any reason why someone would want you dead?" he asked.
She turned toward him, her eyes unfocused. First, confusion swam in the honey-
brown depths, then certainty.
"No one," she said. "That guy had to be a mugger or something. A random
psychopath."
"No, he wasn't."
"Of course he was."
He could see the wheels turning in her head, as she frantically tried to make sense of
a situation that had ripped a hole in all that she believed. He'd seen it so many times, but
he'd never before wanted to pull someone into his arms and tell them that everything was
going to be all right.
"That man wasn't a mugger, Beth. His name was Bruno Staal. He was a well known
hit man for several criminal organizations."
"You knew him?" she asked. Her eyes lit up with certainty. "He was after you."
"He wasn't."
"Of course he was. It's the only thing that makes sense."
Alex shook his head. "Staal didn't give me a second look until I pushed you into that
alley."
"Then how did you know him?" she asked.
"It's my job to know."
"Your job?" The look in her eyes changed. Wariness filled her body. She pulled
away, just a fraction of an inch, enough to feel like she'd stabbed a dagger deep into his
chest. "Who the hell are you? I want the truth."
He sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "My name is Alex Tanner. I'm with the
CIA."
She looked at him in confusion, as if he had spoken a foreign language she didn't
understand.
"The CIA?" she repeated.
He nodded.
"What the hell is the CIA doing at my best friend's wedding?"
"Not the whole CIA. Just me. The mission I'm on is being led by the Department of
Homeland Security."
"A mission? What mission could you possibly have at Isobel's—" She stopped short,
her mouth slightly open as she thought. "This has to do with Isobel's uncle, doesn't it?"
He leaned forward. "You know about Salvatore Munoz?"
"Yeah, I guess. Only what Isobel has told me. I know he's bad news. I've only met
him a couple of times, but each time he's freaked me out," she said. "You think that
someone associated with Salvatore Munoz wants to kill me?"
"Staal was a known associate of Munoz. He was connected to over a hundred
murders and disappearances. If he was coming for you today, there was a reason. He
received his orders from someone."
Fear lit up her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her middle. He didn't like seeing
her afraid, but he wasn't going to lie to her. If she was marked by Munoz she had a right
to know just how bad it was.
He reached out and put a hand on her knee. She looked at it warily, but didn't move
away.
"What I said this morning is still true, Beth. I will keep you safe. I promise."
Three light knocks rapped against the door. Beth nearly jumped out of the chair, her
eyes wide with fear.
"It's all right," he said. "We're expecting company."
***
Beth jumped to her feet as a stranger entered the room. He was tall, solidly built and
looked to be about the same age as Char—Alex. The men greeted each other with a
handshake. Still, Beth went around to the other side of the chair.
Alex might know this guy, but that didn't mean that she was going to greet him with
open arms. Hell, she wasn't sure if she would ever trust another stranger in her life.
The men whispered for a couple of seconds. The stranger's eyes flashed toward her.
She really wanted to believe Alex when he said that he was going to keep her safe, but
this wasn't exactly the kind of behavior that inspired confidence.
"Hey," she said. Both men turned toward her. "Maybe I've seen too many movies,
but please tell me that this isn't the part where you decide that I know too much, then turn
around and shoot me."
The stranger arched a brow but no other hint of expression showed on his face. If his
career in government intimidation didn't work out, he had a future as a poker player.
"Miss Bradley?"
"Yeah," she said, gripping the back of the chair even tighter. She had the distinct
feeling she'd just poked a tiger with a stick.
"I am Agent John Ryman, and I assure you I came up here with no intention of doing
you any harm."
Beth looked toward Alex for confirmation.
"It's okay, Beth. John is cool," he said.
"You're sure about that?"
He gave a little laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"How are you sure?" She wasn't taking anything on faith right now.
"We were in the Navy together."
She looked between the two formidable men. "What, were you guys on the same
SEAL team, or something?"
Alex and his friend stared at her silently.
Okay, then.
Agent Ryman took a step toward her. Beth fought off the urge to take a step back.
There was nothing soothing or suave about the man. She didn't doubt for a second that he
was every bit as deadly and dangerous as Alex…Agent Alex Tanner. He just didn't hide
it nearly as well.
"Why don't you tell me everything that happened this afternoon, Miss Bradley," he
said, taking a seat. The fact that he was lower than her did nothing to take away his
menacing air.
Beth shot a glance at Alex.
"John's here to help," he said.
"A crazy man came after me with a gun," she said. "There isn't much more to the
story."
"Can you think of any reason why someone would want to put a hit out on you?"
Agent Ryman asked.
"No. It doesn't make any sense."
Agent Ryman's eyes narrowed. "There has to be some reason."
Beth's pulse began to race. It was bad enough nearly getting killed out in the street.
She didn't need some thick-necked stranger suggesting that she'd brought it on herself.
"And if I knew it, I would tell you," Beth said. "Isn't it possible that this Bruno guy
was just trying to get to Charlie—I mean, Alex—through me?"
"Doubtful," Agent Ryman said.
Beth waited for him to explain, but he didn't say anything else. Apparently, she was
just supposed to take his word for it.
Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.
"And why is it so doubtful?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
A sardonic smile lifted just the right corner of John's lips. He glanced down at the
floor, shaking his head. "If Bruno Staal had known that he would be meeting Alex in that
alley today he would have come armed with a hell of a lot more than a pistol and a knife.
He would have brought an army."
Agent Ryman's words drained the fire out of Beth's belly, and she swallowed hard.
Who the hell was Alex Tanner? Was he really as dangerous as this guy made him sound?
Of course he was. She'd already seen proof of that.
Her hands started to shake again.
Agent Ryman looked up at Alex. It was obvious that the men had known each other
for a while. Alex took over.
"I need you to focus, Beth. Is there any reason that Isobel's uncle might want to hurt
you?"
She shook her head emphatically. "No. I barely know Salvatore. I've probably only
said half a dozen words to him in the last fifteen years."
"It's okay, Beth. Just think. Is there anything that happened in the past?"
"Nothing."
Agent Ryman leaned forward. "How about the bride? Isobel? Could she have any
reason to want you dead?"
Beth's fear instantly turned to anger at the question. She glared at him. Trained killer
or not, she wasn't about to listen to him slander her friend. "This has nothing to do with
Isobel."
"We can't be sure of that," Agent Ryman said evenly.
"You might not be sure, but I'm goddamned certain," she said. "Char—Alex, tell this
guy that there's no way that Isobel is involved with anything to do with her uncle. She's
as afraid of him as I am."
"John's just doing his job. He's here to help keep you safe, and right now that means
we can't rule out any option," Alex said, lowering his voice.
She was starting to recognize the manipulation technique. Well, it wasn't going to
work on her. They could go and find someone else to play good cop/bad cop with. Or
whatever the hell they were.
"You're wasting your time looking at Isobel," she said. "But to answer your
question, no. There's no reason she'd want to hurt me. I'm her maid of honor, for
heaven's sake."
Agent Ryman leaned forward. "Think hard, Miss Bradley. Something had to spark
this attempt on your life. At this point nothing is too small to consider."
"Seriously, there's been noth—" Beth froze, her tongue still trapped between her
teeth. The memory of Salvatore's angry face flashed through her mind. She'd interrupted
him in the laundry room. She remembered the envelope, the briefcase that had been
pushed his way. The murderous look in his eyes when he'd seen her. She thought of what
the man with him had whispered to Salvatore.
Not here.
Oh, dear God.
Beth looked up from the floor. Her gaze locked with Alex's.
"I think I know what this is about."
She relayed the story of what had happened earlier that morning. Alex stiffened as
she told the details of the threat she had seen in his eyes. Agent Ryman listened with less
attention.
"I was so upset after finding your gun this morning that I guess I forgot all about it,"
she said. "I haven't thought about it all day."
"You found Alex's gun?" Agent Ryman asked incredulously, cracking a trace of a
grin at Alex.
Alex brushed him off. "This man who was with Salvatore Munoz, did you get a good
look at him?" he asked.
"Yeah, I guess so. He was as close to me as Salvatore was."
"Do you think that you would recognize him if you saw him again?" Alex asked.
Beth nodded. That moment was etched in her mind. She recalled every second and
sound of it. If she ever ran into that man again, she'd know.
"Can you give me a description?" Agent Ryman asked.
"White guy. Tall...ish, maybe six feet. Brown hair, cut above his ears. Late thirties,
early forties. Brown eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt."
Alex and Agent Ryman shared a look, not a particularly happy one. She'd just
described about a third of the hotel's guests.
"Was there anything distinguishing about him at all?" Ryman asked.
Beth shook her head. "Not that I can remember," she said. "Is he important?"
The men glanced at each other before looking back at her. She knew what they were
doing—they were figuring out how much to tell her, and she didn't like it one bit. She had
spilled everything she knew, even when all she had wanted to do was curl up into a ball
and hide under the bed for the next ten years.
"Tell me who he is," she said. "If my life is in danger, I deserve to know."
"The man you saw is the reason why I'm at this hotel," Alex said after a long
moment had passed.
"I thought you were here for Salvatore Munoz."
"That's why he's here." Alex inclined his head toward Agent Ryman. "I'm here to
capture a CIA leak."
"So, who is this guy?" she asked.
"We don't know," Agent Ryman said.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Around the time that we found out that Munoz would be traveling to the United
States, we discovered a breach of classified information concerning the strategic oil
reserves. We have reason to believe that someone working inside the CIA is looking to
sell that information to the Venezuelans."
"That must have been what I interrupted."
"It makes sense," Alex said. "They would have to meet face to face. A digital
transmission would be too easy for us to trace. Whoever this guy is, he knows that. He's
good at covering his tracks."
Beth rounded the chair and sat down. She wasn't frightened anymore. She was just
tired.
"So, I'm the only one who can identify him?" she asked, deflating as reality sunk in.
"It looks that way," Agent Ryman said.
"This guy you're after, he's not just going to give up, is he? He's going to come after
me again."
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Alex said. And she wanted to believe
him. Dear God, she did. But, as usual, what she wanted and reality were two different
things.
"I don't see how you can. You can't fight off every hit man in the world."
"Actually—" Agent Ryman started.
"And even if you could," she broke in before she could hear any more scary
revelations about Agent Alex Tanner, "I would never put you in that position."
Beth looked down at the floor. It was far easier to face the wavy patterns in the
carpet under her feet than the pained expression on Alex's face.
"It's my job," he said.
She laughed without humor. "Of course, it is. I think I liked it better when I thought
you were going to hold us all for ransom."
"You thought I was going to hold you hostage?" Alex asked.
Beth shook her head. "It was just one of many theories I had running in my head."
"You thought this, and you weren't going to try and stop me?" he asked, amused.
"It was pretty far down on the list. Mostly I just thought that you were going to rob
the place."
"Yeah, that's a lot better."
Beth shrugged. Things had seemed a whole lot easier when she'd woken up this
morning. Back then she'd only been plagued by nightmares and existential dread. Those
were the days.
"How bad would it be if the people Munoz works for got their hands on this
information?" she asked.
"Bad," Agent Ryman answered. "There are those who could profit a great deal if
something were to happen to our oil supply."
Beth nodded. A silence filled the room.
"So what happens now?"
"Now, you leave the hotel with John," Alex said. "He'll show you some pictures, and
you see if you can pick out the man you saw."
"Leave?" Beth said, looking up. "For how long?"
"For however long it takes for us to ensure your safety," he said.
"I can't go. Isobel's wedding is in two days."
"It's just a wedding, Beth. It isn't worth your life."
Beth shook her head. "I can't just disappear. What am I supposed to tell Isobel?"
"It doesn't matter. Tell her you're sick," he said.
"She's never going to believe that. Especially if you're still hanging around," she
said. "Why don't you go grab Isobel's uncle, confiscate all his stuff and ship him out of
the country?"
Ryman shook his head. "There are diplomatic issues."
"Diplomatic issues? Coming here to buy government secrets doesn't qualify as a
diplomatic issue?"
"I can't do anything without proof," Agent Ryman said.
"Sending a hit man after a witness doesn't qualify as proof?"
Agent Ryman sat back in his seat. He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and drew in a
long breath. Beth had the distinct feeling that he was a man who wasn't used to anyone
talking back to him. He looked over at Alex.
"We need to talk," he said. "Alone."
***
"We can't take her out of this hotel."
"It's not negotiable, John. I'm not putting her in any more danger," Alex said.
"We don't have a choice," John said. "It sounds like your guy has already made the
drop. The damage is done. And your asset there isn't going to fix it by looking through
some personnel files."
"You can't be serious," Alex said. His tone was low, his stare lethal. John didn't
blink.
"You're not thinking straight. We've been handed a perfect situation."
"Now I know you're joking. Beth's life is on the line."
"Exactly. We know your guy will come back to finish the job, and you have the
perfect cover to be right next to her when he does."
"It's too risky. I promised her I wouldn't put her in harm's way," Alex said.
"I think that you're letting your emotions get the better of you," John said.
"There's no emotion here."
"Really? Because you just snapped a man's neck without getting any useful
information out of him."
Alex barked out a bitter laugh. "I got plenty of information. Munoz is after Beth. He
wants her dead. Staal didn't stop, not even once he knew he was outmatched. He kept
going for her. They won't stop until they get her."
"Exactly. They won't. Ever," John said. His tone was cold and practical. "So, I only
see two choices here. Your girl goes into hiding for the rest of her life, or we end this
now. The way I see it, we're better off dealing with it here."
"With Beth as bait? It's too risky."
"You've only known this asset for a little over twenty-four hours, Alex. Who is this
woman, and what the hell does she mean to you?" John asked. There was concern in his
friend's eyes, and more than a little confusion.
Alex didn't have an answer for him. Not a good one, at any rate. He wasn't the kind
to let his heart rule his head. He wasn't soft. What was he supposed to say? That she had
brought him a muffin? That her laugh made him smile? That her talent for finding trouble
pulled at him in a way that he didn't fully understand?
"She doesn't deserve any of this," he said, knowing full well that it wasn't the answer
John wanted. "She's innocent."
"Innocent? You reported that she was blackmailing you."
"It wasn't like that," Alex protested.
"Listen, Alex. Beth is an asset. A good one. She's the only person that can make a
positive ID on our traitor. We need her here, and you know it."
Alex shook his head even though John was right.
"He'll come for her again," Alex said. "He doesn't have a choice."
"And we'll be waiting for him," John said. "You both just have to go on like nothing
has happened. Keep up with the wedding. It'll confuse him. It will make him bold."
Alex looked down. He ground his back teeth. "I don't like it," he said.
"You don't have to," John said. "But be careful, Alex. We're counting on this man's
emotions making him sloppy. I can't afford to have the same thing happen to you."
***
"I'm staying," Beth said as the men came out of the bedroom. She'd heard the low
murmur of their whispers, but she hadn't been able to decipher the actual words. Not that
it took much imagination to figure it out.
Someone wanted her dead. She could either run, or stand and fight. Neither option
thrilled her. Still, she'd made her decision.
She waited for them to say something, to start with the rationalizations, the
manipulation, the bargaining, but it didn't come. Both men stared at her, implacable.
Maybe she needed to go further. "These people are bad, aren't they?"
"Yeah," Alex said.
"They're not above going after the people that I care about to get to me, are they?"
"No," Agent Ryman said. His voice was even, but she heard a slight hint of
admiration. Not that she cared. She wasn't doing this so anyone would think highly of
her.
"Then I'm staying."
A muscle in Alex's jaw twitched, but he didn't move any closer. He stayed just
outside the doorway. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. Whatever conclusion he
and Agent Ryman had reached in the other room, it was pretty obvious that he didn't like
it. Her declaration wasn't doing much to brighten his mood either.
"I'm glad that you feel that way, because we can use you," John Ryman said. He took
the seat across from the bed.
Alex grunted with irritation. This was the first time that she had seen him this way,
the first chink that she'd glimpsed in his heavy armor. It dawned on her that it was the
first time that she was seeing him as his true self. He'd never quite fit into the mold that
she had tried to cast for him, neither as Charlie or the nameless car thief.
But Agent Tanner fit him perfectly. She was still uneasy with the skill and lack of
hesitation with which he had dispatched the man who tried to kill her. But at least he was
on her side. That counted for something. Who was she kidding? Right now it counted for
a whole hell of a lot.
Beth switched her attention to Agent Ryman as he explained the plan to have her
continue her role of bridesmaid, luring the traitor out into the open. It was a decent plan,
even if the idea of being human bait made her stomach churn.
"Alex will stay by your side every moment," John said.
Beth turned toward him.
"I promised to keep you safe, and I'm going to do that," he said. He didn't seem too
happy about it. Beth knew a guilty face when she saw one.
"Thanks," she said. His jaw twitched again. Apparently, he wasn't much interested in
having that guilt assuaged.
"We'll also be putting a full team into the hotel for the rest of the weekend," John
said. "You may not see us, but rest assured, we'll be there."
Beth's life had turned upside down. Now she had a bodyguard instead of a pretend
boyfriend. It was a covert operation instead of her best friend's wedding.
"You just let us know if you need anything," Agent Ryman said, standing up.
"A cheeseburger," Beth said.
"Excuse me?" John Ryman said.
"You just said to tell you if I need anything. I need a cheeseburger. And fries."
John gave her a slow nod.
"With bacon," she added.
Alex raised his eyebrows.
"What? I was just nearly murdered in the street. On top of being scared and mentally
exhausted, I'm starving. I think I deserve a little bacon."
For the first time since he'd stepped into the room, Agent Ryman smiled. "I couldn't
agree more, Miss Bradley. I'll see what I can do for you."
The men nodded at each other. Beth had no trouble hearing Agent Ryman's whisper
this time. "I've changed my mind. When all this is over, you should marry her."