Say I Do (Wilde Ways #10) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,65

plenty busy. And the ones who aren’t—I’ve got them covered.”

“Then let’s get the hell out of here.” She was more than ready to go. You won’t make me disappear, Dex. No one was going to shove her into some deep, dark hole of a prison.

No one.

***

Why the hell was the lodge’s alarm system going off? Dex received the alert on his phone just as he was rushing back toward the main building. Lacey. He’d finished his recon work at the cabin—turned up nothing—and now—

“Sir!” One of the doormen stepped into his path. “Sir, we have a report of a fire, so I will need you to stay outside the building. All guests are being led to the—”

Screw that shit. He had to find Lacey. Dex jerked away from the doorman.

“No, no, you can’t go in—”

“My fiancée is in there. I’m going in and no one is stopping me.” Dex didn’t slow down as he headed into the chaos of the lobby. And it was chaos. The guests were rushing for the doors. People were running. Panicking. He spun around as he searched the scene, and then his phone started ringing. Lacey? Was she calling him? But, no, dammit. It was his agent in charge. Larry was on the line. Dex shoved the phone to his ear. “What the fuck is happening?” Dex demanded. He looked up.

And saw Lacey peering over the balcony on the Whisper Floor. The vise that had clenched around his heart immediately eased.

She’s okay. She’s right there. I see her.

“False alarm,” Larry snapped back. “Or, shit, I guess it’s not false. There’s some small fire in the kitchen. Everything is under control, so don’t worry. We’ve put out the flames and the—”

“How many agents are with our suspect?” He didn’t take his eyes off Lacey. She’s okay. I see her. She’s okay.

“Two are with Heather. I’m going back down now. Don’t worry, like I said, everything is under—”

Fuck control. “I’m checking in on Heather myself.” Because he didn’t like this scene. Didn’t believe in chaos. Hell, he’d used chaos himself too many times. Create a distraction, and it was easy to slip in and out of a location. “I want our people at every exit.”

“But—”

Dex was already running for the elevator.

One of the bellmen began, “Wait, sir, you’re not supposed to use those in the event of a fire—”

Dex ignored him. He needed to make sure Heather was secure.

***

“What’s happening?” Elizabeth asked as she raised her voice. “Should we—ohmygosh, do we need to flee, too?”

The blaring alarm died away. The sudden silence was almost as jarring as the shrieks had been.

Lacey peered over the balcony one more time. Dex had just rushed toward the special access elevator. Obviously, he was worried something was happening down below with Heather.

So am I.

This whole scene reeked of being a setup.

“Oh, wait, I think I see Jonathan.” Elizabeth squeezed her arm. “I have to make sure he’s all right.” She scampered away.

And I need to make sure someone is watching Dex’s back. But just as she started to hurry toward the stairs, Lacey caught another flash of movement in the corner. She stopped.

Someone else is up here.

Lacey palmed her knife once more. Kept her body relaxed and casual as she tiptoed toward the corner.

***

The two agents in the narrow basement hallway were unconscious. Fuck. They were breathing, but out cold. After checking on them, Dex raced toward the holding room. He kicked open the door.

Handcuffs were on the table. His perp? Gone.

Dex yanked out his phone as he turned and double-timed it back for the elevator. Larry answered his call instantly. “Heather’s gone!” Dex snarled. “We’ve got two men down. How the hell did this happen?”

But he already knew the answer to that question. Heather’s partner came to help her. Whoever had moved Roman last night had helped Heather or—

Or maybe even Roman had helped. Who the fuck knew?

Dex shot a glance toward the security camera in the elevator. Someone should have seen what happened. He had his team monitoring security for the special, lower area of the lodge. There was no way that Heather should have just waltzed out of there.

And now she’s going to try to escape.

Or…she’d go after Lacey again.

“Get to Lacey,” Dex fired into his phone. “She’s on the Whisper Floor. Get her. Protect her at all costs.”

***

The target was right there. Heather could see her. Her breath came in quick, excited little pants. Oh, wouldn’t it be perfect if she was able to finish this job?