An Eye For Illusion: A Private Investigator Romantic Suspense: (Dunn Security Group Book 2)

Chapter 36

“Colin.” My voice is barely a whisper. Elliott curses under his breath as he releases my hands suddenly, but I don’t turn to acknowledge him. My eyes are locked on Colin; his face is battered and bloody, and his clothes are stained with dried blood.

I can only imagine what he’s been through, and from the looks of it, it was brutal. My heart and stomach drop at the same time, but he’s alive and here. I’m elated to see him, but that excitement is dampened by his appearance.

Without even thinking about it, I take a step down from the altar to go to him, but I’m quickly halted by the sound of a gunshot ringing out into the open air. The sound vibrates through my body and stills my heart. My body jerks from the sound just before another shot rings out closely behind the first.

I can count on one hand how many times I’ve heard gunshots in person, but this is different. This is jarring and confusing. I don’t understand what’s happening.

In an instant, I fall back, hitting the ground with a hard thud. Undiluted fear runs rampant in my veins. My breath is caught in my throat as my lungs seize. My father throws himself on top of me as the crowd screams and scatters in all directions.

It’s pure chaos.

My head is pushed down into the ground where my father is covering me, making it extremely hard to see anything but I strain my neck around my father’s body and my eyes frantically search for Colin, but I can’t find him anywhere. My heart races because I don’t know who shot at whom. The wedding guests run for safety in all directions, knocking over chairs in the process. There is little coverage for people to find. The ground is covered in debris as people fall over one another left and right. Chairs are broken and scattered all around the once beautiful space.

I finally think I find Colin after several, long, excruciating minutes of searching, but he’s on the ground and I can’t see enough to know if he’s okay. If he’s even moving. I push against my father so I can go to Colin, but my father doesn’t budge. “Daddy, I have to see if he’s okay!”

“No, stay down!” he orders, effectively holding me in place below him. The screams in the crowd ebb and flow as people try to figure out what the hell is actually going on and if there is still danger present.

His eyes scan the area to find the shooter but there’s too much going on to be able to tell. We stay like this for several long moments as my father refuses to move until we know it’s safe. I understand his fear, but mine is that Colin was the one who was shot. That heavily outweighs any fear I have for my own safety. I need to make sure he’s okay.

There is authoritative shouting over the sound of the chaos, but I can’t make out the words over the squeals of my terrified wedding guests. I hold my breath as I try to listen, but everything is still so muffled.

I finally hear clear commands coming from the back of the ceremony, towards where the house is.

“Get these people inside!”

“Set up a perimeter!”

“We have some injuries over here! Call in more buses!”

“It’s the police; the police are here.” My father’s words rush out as he finally rolls off me and stands. He looks around to make sure it’s safe before quickly pulling me up and to his side. His first instinct has always been to keep me safe.

My dress is disheveled, and I somehow lost a shoe when I went down, but the only thing I can think about is getting to Colin.

My father’s face is lined with worry as he takes in the scene around us. His hand shakes as he reaches for mine and clasps it tightly. I feel tears threaten to fall as I look around at the mess I’ve made. People crowd around the back patio pillars or lie on the ground with their hands covering their heads too scared to move.

People are scraped up and bruised. Some are crying and everyone is scared. I look for Bridgette and find her across the aisle tending to her parents. She looks up just in time for us to make eye contact. I start to go towards her, but she stops me by shaking her head and mouthing, we are fine. Go find Colin.

I want to go to her, but I have an undeniable need to find Colin above all else. I pray that no one was seriously injured. I’ll never be able to forgive myself if anyone was hurt because of me. I still don’t know exactly what happened. Who fired the shots?

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. You’re safe, and the police are here now. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Won’t we, Elliott?”

My dad turns as he says that bastard’s name, expecting to find him still near the altar. Instead, Elliott is nowhere in sight. He ran like the coward he is. I’m sure the heartbreak my father will soon feel when he learns the truth will be enough to cripple me. We’re here today solely because of my decisions.

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to get it together. I need to make sure Colin is okay, and I need to tell my dad the truth.

“I’m so sorry, Daddy. This is all my fault. I have so much to tell you, but… later, okay?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” he says before pulling me into a hug. He seems hesitant, but he must get the importance of me waiting because he doesn’t stop me.

More sirens approach, and my dad releases me. I turn to scan the crowd, looking for Colin where I last thought I saw him, but he isn’t there anymore. There is so much chaos that it’s hard to identify anything or anyone, but finally, Donovan’s face comes into view. He pushes through the crowd, making his way directly toward us, and I grow hopeful he’ll know where Colin is. As he draws near, my father steps between us protectively.

“It’s okay, Daddy. I know him.” I place my hand on Dad’s arm, urging him to allow Donovan through. My father steps aside but remains close. “Dad, this is Donovan Blake. He works with Colin, who you also don’t know yet.” My explanations won’t mean shit right now, but we don’t have time for anything more.

My dad extends his hand, and Donovan takes it to shake. “Harrison Foster,” he says simply with a respectful nod before turning his attention back to me. “He’s alive, but not doing great.”

His words wash over me, making me dizzy. I reach out to grab my father’s forearm to steady myself. “Who shot him?” I croak out. “Did they catch who shot him?”

“He wasn’t shot. Vinny tried to but missed. He’s weak and pretty beat up from being held hostage. The ambulance just got here to take him to the hospital. He’s asking for you.”

“How did they get here so quickly?” my father asks.

“We already had half the cavalry ready and waiting, when they heard the gunshots they called in the medics and rushed in,” Donovan answers.

I hitch up the bottom of my wedding gown and throw off the one shoe I still have on. “Take me to him.”

Donovan rushes off with me on his right, while my father keeps pace just behind me. Donovan explains that Vinny was sitting in the back row to ensure I married Elliott as promised, and as soon as he saw Colin, he pulled his gun and took a shot. Colin was able to duck just in time.

“Mr. Blake, there were two shots. Who fired the second shot?” my dad asks quickly; he doesn’t miss a thing.

“Me. I got here just as Colin did. I saw him running towards the ceremony with those fucking goons running after him and I was able to cover him from behind.” Donovan says calmly but doesn’t offer any additional information.

I’m slack jawed by his response, we get to where Donovan indicates Colin is in time to see him being attended to by other officers. I try to rush towards him, but a SWAT officer stops me from going any further.

“I need to get to him.” I say as I push against the officer’s chest.

“I can’t let you pass yet. We are still clearing the area.”

I shuffle on my feet, unwilling to just stay put but it’s not like they are giving me much choice. Donovan steps up to speak to the cop and after they exchange a few words the officer looks at me. “We just need a few more moments to fully clear the area. Then they will bring the medics down. Let them get him on the stretcher and to the ambulance and then you can go but until then you stay here,” he says firmly.

I try once more to push against him but give up on any attempt of getting past him when my father pulls me back into his chest.

“Just give them a moment to make sure it’s safe, honey, and then you can go.” He tries to soothe me but all I can feel is my heart pounding so hard in my chest that I’m worried it’s going to break free.

We hear shouts of “all clear!” across the yard and in the house. I break free from my father, sprinting past the SWAT officer and towards Colin.

Before I can go to him a crew of paramedics reaches him first and quickly begins assessing his injuries. All I want to do is hold his hand and kiss his lips. I want to see from my own two eyes that he’s okay, but it looks like that will have to wait.

“Miss, miss, are you okay? Do you need medical attention?” A woman in a medic’s uniform asks.

I pull my eyes away from the scene before me and my father steps up to my side. “She may have hit her head when I pushed her down to cover her.”

I shake my head, “No, no I’m fine. I’m sure there’s someone here that needs you more.” I feel immense guilt in this moment; I should have never agreed to let it go this far.

The woman has a kind smile and calming demeanor as she gently guides me to a chair just to the side of us. “That may be the case but there’s no harm in letting me check you out while my partner tends to your husband.”

She looks over to where my eyes are glued watching everything they are doing to him. “He’s not my husband,” I say.

I look over to her and see a look of surprise.

“Oh! I just thought… I’m sorry to assume,” she says.

I smile kindly at her. “Not yet,” I say with confidence because I know that Colin Brooks is my forever. I just need to talk to him first.

“Jade, you have some serious explaining to do,” my father chastises.

“I know, I know, and I will just as soon as I make sure he’s okay.”

The medic flashes a light in both my eyes, checks my blood pressure, oxygen, and pulse. “Well, everything looks okay, but I recommend following up with your primary care as soon as possible to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

I nod my head quickly, willing to agree to just about anything just to be done.

Finally, they have him up on the stretcher and they are making their way towards the front of the house. “Thank you so much. I have to go,” I say as we hurry after them as quickly as we can, making my way past the officers questioning guests.

We reach the parking lot and run towards the first ambulance we see. Colin is on a stretcher in the back with the doors open. I don’t hesitate to climb inside next to him. The EMT has already started an IV of fluids and is checking his vitals.

“Jade,” he says. His voice is weak, but he has a breathtakingly beautiful smile despite the damage he’s endured when he sees me. He reaches his free hand out to cradle my cheek.

I take it and press it to my lips. “I’m here,” I whisper, staring deep into his eyes.

“We did it,” he says with a grin.

I lay his hand on my lap and cover it with my other hand. I say a silent prayer, begging for him to be okay. When I open my eyes, I scan his body. His face is bloodied and swollen, and his clothes are tattered. I notice both wrists have friction burns and cuts, likely from being bound. I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath through my nose to regain composure because it tears me up inside to see him like this.

“Hey,” he says softly. “I’m okay.”

I let out an exasperated laugh. “I must respectfully disagree.”

He smirks. “I expect nothing less from you.” There’s no malice in his voice. When I meet his eyes again, he has that same cocky smile.

My dad clears his throat. “Colin, I’m Harrison Foster.” He’s standing at the open doors of the ambulance.

Colin’s gurney is angled in a sitting position, but he situates himself the best he can. “Colin Brooks. It’s nice to officially meet you, sir. I’d shake your hand, but uh…” He trails off.

My dad climbs into the ambulance without bothering to ask for permission and offers Colin his hand. I watch Colin as he swallows hard before accepting it and shaking it.

To keep from letting my emotions carry me away, I continue. “Colin Brooks is a private investigator for Dunn Security Group. I hired him to follow Elliott because I had suspicions about him as a person and doubts about marrying him. I know I should’ve come to you, Daddy, but…”

I stop midsentence when my dad groans and runs his hand through his hair. He only does that when he’s stressed. “I guess that apple didn’t fall far from the tree, darling. I considered hiring a PI myself to follow Elliott, but I thought, no. If my little girl is happy, then I’ll be happy for her.”

I can’t hide my shock. “Daddy, I thought you loved Elliott! You two got along so well together.”

“Baby, I was close with Elliott because of our families’ history together, and I thought you loved him and wanted to have a life with him. He isn’t who I would’ve picked for you, but you assured me you were happy, so I kept quiet.”

Colin grunts as he shifts again. “So, I didn’t need to be kidnapped and held hostage? Nice.” My heart stops for a moment when we both look wide-eyed at the man laying battered and bruised on a gurney, but then he grins. “I’m joking, Princess. I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant freeing you from Elliott.”

I scoot forward on the small seat and lean over the stretcher to kiss him gently on the lips.

“And hopefully make you mine,” he whispers against my lips.

A blush spreads across my cheeks. “Of course,” I whisper in reply.

“You fucked up everything. Everything!” Elliott’s rage filled voice comes out of nowhere and interrupts this perfect moment. He’s in handcuffs and being escorted by a police officer to an awaiting patrol car.

My father turns to block Elliott from being able to see me. I didn’t fuck this up; he did. He ruined his own life and was willing to take me down with him on his one-man crusade for more money and power.

I feel ashamed that I fell for his bullshit to begin with. If I’d trusted my gut and hadn’t been so hell bent on saving myself from real, true love, none of us would be here. But that also means I might never have met Colin.

It’s a bittersweet truth.

“See ya, dick!” Colin calls out in a surprisingly strong voice before wincing as Elliott is involuntarily dragged past the ambulance, ranting and cursing us until he’s out of earshot. Colin chuckles and then groans before offering me a smile. He hisses, and his eyes close as the EMT goes for the second stick, this one successfully flashing with blood.

“Got it!” the EMT says triumphantly. “You’re gonna feel better really soon.”

Colin sighs with relief. “I’d offer all of you some, but I don’t think I’m allowed to share with the class.” I look at him incredulously, and he smirks with his swollen lips. “It’s over, Princess. We did it.” He repeats his earlier sentiment as he squeezes my hand.

We have so much we need to talk about and hash out, but all of it can wait. Right now, all that matters is Colin is safe and with me.

“It certainly is,” Donovan offers from his leaning position against the ambulance, guarding his best friend. “Elliott is going away for a long time, and Vincent Maggio is dead.” There isn’t a drop of remorse in his voice.

“It was you that fired the second shot?” Colin asks Donovan with a smirk.

“Yep, Vinny never saw it coming. I couldn’t let you go out like that.”

“Thanks, D. I can always count on you to have my back,” Colin says weakly.

“You know it. I’d fist bump you, but your tour bus is full,” Donovan quips.

Colin lets go of my hand long enough to raise it slightly. “Air high fives?”

Donovan quirks a brow. “Hey, discount doc, you give him the good shit yet?”

The paramedic shakes his head, chuckling at the discount doc comment. “Not yet.”

D snorts as he looks back at Colin. “Oh, so he’s just naturally that stupid. Got it.”

Colin takes my hand again and smiles. “Shut up.”

“No, you shut up,” Donovan fires back, but it holds no bite. It seems like an inside joke.

Dad’s hand squeezes my shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I’m so sorry you went through all that, sweetheart.”

I think the realization of everything is really hitting my dad. He never knew how much danger any of us were in because I didn’t want to worry him. I would’ve given my own life if it meant protecting his, and I know he feels the same way about me. I’ll always be his little girl.

“She has an entire security group watching her back now, too, sir. Not to mention the best damn private investigator I’ve ever known,” Donovan adds. Colin’s wide grin makes Donovan shake his head. “But he’s a cocky little bastard.”

“I appreciate both of you looking out for her. And Jade, you and I are going to have a long talk about communication and us being honest with each other.” My dad speaks sternly, but he’s right; none of this would’ve happened had we put our worries about how the other would react aside and talked like a father and daughter should.

“Time to roll,” a petite, brunette EMT announces as she stands at the back of the ambulance across from Donovan. She rests her hand on one of the open back doors.

I look at Colin and then at my father and Donovan. “I’m riding with him.”

Dad smirks. “I’m right behind you.” He kisses the top of my head before stepping out of the ambulance.

Donovan gives an approving nod. “I’ll be there as soon as this shit show is sorted out. I’ll have to answer questions about shooting that piece of shit Vinny.” He twirls his finger for effect.

Colin chuckles. “I’ve got my girl; I’m good.” He pulls my hand to his lips and gently kisses my knuckles.

“Alrighty then, pull your train in,” the EMT says with a grin as she shoos me with her hand.

I do as she says, and the ambulance doors slam. The paramedic next to Colin monitors his vitals, and within seconds we take off. I hang on to Colin’s gurney because it feels like I might topple over.

What a fucking day this has been. I’m riding in an ambulance, clinging to a man I couldn’t stand just a few months while wearing a wedding dress that I bought to marry another man.

I feel Colin’s stare before I see it. “What?” I ask when I meet his eyes.

“Nothing,” he says with that familiar grin.

“Are you ever going to tell me exactly how you managed to pull all of this off?” I ask him, sort of in a teasing way but hoping he’ll tell me. I’m dying to know.

“I’m the best, babe. What can I say?”

“Colin…” I scold, urging him to tell me the whole story.

“Okay, okay. When I was tailing Moore, he frequented a bar that caters to an unsavory crowd. Once I was able to see who Moore was meeting with, I reached out to Donovan. He realized he had an old connection from his crime days. We infiltrated the group, gathered evidence, and sent the evidence anonymously to the local investigation unit. We knew they’d be more than happy to make the bust.”

My mind is blown, and I know it’s written all over my face. I can’t believe he did all of that for me. “How did they manage to kidnap you?” My stomach turns just imagining what he went through.

He pauses for several seconds, his eyes leaving mine. “I let my guard down. It was stupid. I was overconfident and slipped up.”

“But why did they kidnap you?” I’m still trying to make sense of it all.

He looks me in the eyes again and takes my hand in his. I can see him struggling to tell me this part. I wait patiently, allowing as much time as he needs.

“When we were together that night at your place… Elliott saw me walk into the building. He was there to pay you another visit but instead waited and watched from a parking garage across the street. Apparently, there’s a decent view into your living room from the top floor. By using the zoom on the camera on his phone he was able to see us together. He confronted me the next day while I was out suit shopping. I don’t think he knew then that I wasn’t ‘Jax,’ the name I’d given them when I introduced myself to the group. He was pissed that you and I had been together, but I still didn’t expect it to escalate to kidnapping. At some point today, they discovered who I really am. I think that upped the ante for Vinny, and that’s why he took the shot at me when I showed up and he had the chance.”

My hand immediately goes over my mouth to stifle my gasp. “Colin, I’m so sorry. If I had… I should have…” I’m at a loss for the right words.

“Shhh, no, none of that. I’d do it all over again and again to be here with you.

I take a deep breath and decide to be very honest and vulnerable with him. “I’m free, and it’s because of you. I’ll never be able to apologize enough for the pain you’re in and what you went through to get me here, but I’ll spend eternity showing you how thankful I am for you, Colin Brooks.”

“You don’t need to do a thing, babe. Being with you forever is enough for me. I love you.” His hand caresses mine in the most soothing motion.

Tears spring into my eyes, but I make no effort to stop them. I can be myself with him, now and forever.

“I love you more, Colin.”

The End