Chapter 30
30
M itch drove them to the charity ball. She sat in the back, practicing her breathing and telling herself she wouldn't be in any more danger here than she'd been at her rental. At least here she was aware they knew about her. At her rental, she thought she was still in hiding.
In fact, if the unthinkable did happen, she was wired, with cameras and audio, so they'd find her quickly.
Mitch and Marco spoke in the front seats about nothing in particular. Neither of them seemed nervous or edgy. She didn't know if she should be irritated about that or happy this was an ordinary day for them.
They pulled into the parking lot at Paradise Gardens. She hadn't been here before. It sure was pretty outside.
The palm trees had white Christmas-type lights wrapped around the trunks, which lit up the palm fronds. They lined a curved drive, and her brain told her nothing bad could happen in a place that looked like this, right?
Mitch parked off to the side and twisted in his seat.
"If we get separated for any reason, and you feel scared, just say so. My employees will get in touch with me immediately."
He turned to Marco as well. "You too. I know you're used to this kind of stuff. At least you used to be. But I'm serious. If either of you needs me, just say so."
Mitch looked her in the eye. "Got it? Just say so."
She nodded. "I've got it."
He turned to Marco.
"And you?"
"Got it," Marco said.
Mitch picked up his phone and tapped a couple of times. Then he said, "Gabby, turn on the cameras and the mics."
Theresa heard a click, and her breathing increased. It was getting real.
Mitch turned again. "Theresa, say something in a normal voice. What color is your dress?"
"It's burnt orange. Gabby, it's beautiful."
Mitch grinned, and Marco turned and smiled at her.
Mitch nodded. "She said thank you, and she can hear you perfectly."
Then he nodded to Marco.
Marco grinned. "Test one, two. Her dress is beautiful, and she's stunning in it."
Mitch chuckled. Marco turned to her and winked.
She smiled despite being nervous. He made her feel like she was in love for the first time.
Her tummy flipped, and it wasn't nerves. It was Marco.
Mitch opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle. Marco did the same and opened her door.
She smiled as she stepped from the vehicle. Her flowing dress swished as she moved. She'd never worn a dress like this before. She'd not even gone to her high school prom. She thought they were stupid. So, this was a first for her.
During her time in the military, she wore fatigues or a uniform. During her civilian life, she wore business casual. She didn't attend fancy dinners or balls, and if she did attend a ball for the military, it was always in uniform.
She worried about how this made her feel. At the ripe ol' age of thirty-two, she was wearing a gown, an expensive one at that, and for the first time, she felt pretty. Her head swirled at this feeling, and as they began walking toward the entry door with Marco's hand at the small of her back, she felt like a princess in a fairy tale.
She wanted to hold onto this feeling for a little bit. Who knew when it would happen again?
They neared the front door, and a man stopped them.
"Names, please."
Mitch responded, "Theresa Miklovic, Marco Karason, and Mitch DeMario."
The doorman checked their names off on a sheet and opened the door for them.
Marco's hand stayed at the small of her back, and she was grateful for that. She wondered if he could feel her shaking.
After they entered, they stopped at a table and received name tags. They weren't the kind of name tags you peel and stick on your clothing. That would be frowned upon and tacky. These were cute little name tags tied to flowers; boutonnieres for the men with a white rose, and a pretty white rose corsage for the women. What a cute way to have the name tags hung. Apparently, they were sparing no expense.
After they'd had their name tags pinned on, she turned to Mitch. "Is this covering anything?"
He pulled his phone up and read a text, then he answered her, "It's covering a camera slightly, but not a problem. I don't want them to see us moving it, so we'll work with it."
Theresa nodded, inhaled a deep breath, and let it out slowly while her hand absently rested against her tummy. Those butterflies were back, only this time they weren't because of Marco.
They entered through an arched doorway into a gorgeous ballroom. There were all kinds of people standing around, small groups drinking and laughing. The women were glittering with diamonds and sparkling gowns.
There were large buffet-style tables set up all around the perimeter of the room with expensive prizes on them. It was for a silent auction. In front of each prize was a clipboard with numbers where guests added their names and how much they were willing to bid for a particular prize.
She thought that was a good thing to show Mitch's employees, so she bent down so that her cameras would pick up the names on the clipboard.
Marco was doing the same with his cufflinks.
They walked slowly along the auction tables, looking at the prizes and the names on the clipboards.
She would try and remember to do it again just before the auction prizes were called, so it would be a more complete list than this one.
Marco steered her to a bar at the back of the room.
The bartender asked, "What will you have?"
Marco grinned. "Two glasses of champagne, please."
Her brows furrowed.
He leaned down, kissed her temple, and whispered in her ear, "Sip it slowly. We need to look like we're here enjoying ourselves."
She nodded and smiled.
He handed her a glass of champagne and tapped his to hers.
"Cheers."
They each took a small sip of their champagne, and he steered them to a group of six people standing in a circle.
A man saw them approach and opened the circle for them to enter.
"Hello there. My name is Doug, and this is my wife, Connie. Also with us is David and Maxine, and over here are Glen and Sondra."
"Hello, my name is Marco, and this is my girlfriend, Theresa."
"Very nice to meet you," Doug said. "Are you from here?"
"We are now," Marco said. "We both moved from other parts of the United States and found ourselves in Blossom Springs. It's such a nice area, and we enjoy it here immensely. I'm glad we found it."
"Us too, actually. David over there owns the bank in Blossom Springs."
Marco nodded. "It's nice to know who I have my money with. Now I feel like it's in a good place."
David nodded. "Thank you, sir."
They participated in some idle chitchat, then Doug and David began talking about golf.
Marco nodded and stepped back. Theresa followed him.
"It was nice meeting you all. I see some friends over there we'd like to speak with before we sit down to eat."
Doug responded, "Yes, it was nice to meet you both." And then Doug continued to talk about golf.
They moved across the room, and Theresa saw Mitch doing the same thing they were doing, casually sauntering along, listening to conversations, talking a bit more with certain people, and then moving on.
And that's what they were here to do. She wondered if this was why she'd never participated in big fancy balls before. This wasn't her cup of tea. Not at all.
She didn't give two craps about who saw her where. She didn't need to hobnob with the elite. It seemed stuffy and phony.
She wondered how many of these people were criminals and how many of them were here just to donate to a good cause. Also, how many of them were laundering money; either for the cartel or for themselves.
It made her feel like she wanted to go back to the cabin and take a shower. Being in a room full of criminals was the most distasteful thing she'd ever done in her life.
And that was a fact.