Chapter Twenty-Eight
Sabrina
CASH AND I WALKED TOGETHER into the grand hall at the lodge. The sparkling chandeliers enveloped the room in a radiant glow, their light bouncing off the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows. I had to hold back my tears when I saw the wedding arch draped in silk and lights, standing front and center. I’d dreamed of the day when Daddy would build my arch for me to be wed under. It seemed like a slap in the face that Daddy had gone to so much trouble for Lexi, who was behaving like a spoiled brat and didn’t have any idea what real love was. Real love wasn’t this selfish.
Rows of white wooden chairs lined the hall and formed an aisle leading to the arch. The smell of freshly baked bread and basil and thyme wafted our way from the restaurant, which was closed to the public for Lexi’s rehearsal dinner. Genevieve and her staff were busy preparing what was sure to be a feast for all of us. Although I didn’t know if I could eat, knowing that Cash would be leaving and that my sister was running off with a criminal. My stomach was in knots. Something ugly hung in the air and I hated it.
Several people were already there, including my parents, grandparents, and Aunt Vivian and Uncle Finch with their sons and daughters-in-law. It was nice of them to come, seeing as Lexi had snubbed them. All the bridesmaids were there except Mia. I was sure she and Drew were hot and heavy somewhere on the premises. I hoped Drew would finally decide that Mia meant more to him than our hometown.
Lexi floated in, wearing a tiny white dress that was having a hard time keeping her ladies contained, holding Soren’s hand, with the young pastor trailing them. The poor man had no idea what he had agreed to. I was more than surprised to see Lexi wearing the locket I’d given her. It gave me a twinge of hope that maybe Lexi would grow up someday. Not to mention I felt relieved that I would at least know her whereabouts in the States. It wouldn’t help me when she left on her honeymoon, but it was something. And I trusted Cash to watch over her when I couldn’t.
The event coordinator, Janice, walked in, all smiles and wearing a charcoal pantsuit. “Shall we get started?”
I was about to say we needed to wait for Mia and Drew, but they rolled in, smiling, with their hair all messed up. Aunt Vivian was none too happy about it and gave Mia a look that would make a flower wilt. Mia paid her no attention and instead smiled goofily at me while adjusting her dress. We were going to have a lot to talk about on our flight home on Sunday. Obviously, I wouldn’t be telling her the truth, other than how much pain I felt since Cash left. A ghost would haunt me once again. I had a feeling it would be like a class-five haunting now, since I was a big believer in ghosts.
Janice clapped her hands. “Okay, let’s get everyone in their places. Guests, please have a seat while we get the wedding party situated.”
Janice barked out instructions like a drill sergeant, sending Soren to the front right side under the arch. Meanwhile, she lined up all the bridesmaids. Mia and I were the only ones being escorted by groomsmen. Lexi was at the back with Daddy, tittering uncontrollably. I’d never wanted to slap anyone until that moment. For her to make light of the ruse she was pulling was appalling.
Aunt Vivian and Nana chatted loudly about how ridiculous it was not to have an even number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. It did look silly. But men who let their wives get murdered and steal from terrorists probably don’t have a lot of friends.
Mama kept telling them to hush, but they paid her no attention. This was Mama’s big moment. She finally had a daughter on the cusp of getting married. If she only knew that Lexi was really getting married tonight, she herself would put a stop to it. The temptation to tell her almost got the best of me. But I’d promised Cash to let it all play out, as scary as that was.
I was just glad to have Cash by my side. We couldn’t take our eyes off each other. I tried to memorize his face since I couldn’t have a picture of him—everything from his stubble with hints of gray, to the straight bridge of his nose, to his prominent cheekbones and thick eyebrows and eyelashes. And who could forget those deep-blue eyes? He was perfect.
With everyone in place, Janice clicked a button on her phone and “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” played. It was the processional song Lexi had picked out. Yeah, I was pretty sure it would not be an everlasting love.
“The orchestra will play this on Saturday,” Janice said. Oh, Janice, if only you knew how many apologies and phone calls you would soon have to make to cancel everything from the orchestra to the live swing band for the reception. “Okay, okay, Jade, you walk down the aisle first,” Janice called out.
I wanted to wring Jade’s neck for being in on this. I kept praying she would accidentally blurt something out and ruin my sister’s horrible surprise. Instead, she walked gracefully down the aisle in her four-inch heels.
“Sabrina and Cash, you’re next,” Janice sang.
A tender look passed between Cash and me. I wondered if he was thinking what I was thinking. For me, I had thoughts about us marrying. It was outlandish under the circumstances. Yet, there was no man I would rather marry.
Cash gave me a quick peck on the lips before we proceeded down the aisle toward Soren, who refused to look us in the eye. He was a charlatan in every sense of the word.
Cash and I reluctantly parted just as we made it to the pastor, who stood under the arch.
Soren’s face turned a bright shade of red when Cash landed next to him, standing as close to him as possible.
I loved watching Soren squirm.
It seemed to take forever for all the bridesmaids to make it down the aisle. Finally, my sister walked toward us on Daddy’s arm. Despite her tittering just moments ago, Lexi suddenly looked solemn as she stepped perfectly in time to the song. She bit her lip and rubbed the locket around her neck, all the while staring at Soren. Was she having doubts?
Please, let her stop this nonsense, I silently prayed.
Lexi and Daddy made it to the pastor.
“Very good,” Janice called out. “The bride and groom want to run through the entire ceremony, so take it away, Pastor Greene.”
Pastor Greene smiled and asked, “Who presents this woman to be married to this man today?”
“Her mother and I do?” Daddy answered with a hitch in his voice, like he knew this was the real deal. He kissed Lexi’s cheek before placing her hand in Soren’s. He then turned to sit with Mama in the front row. Mama was already crying. She had a lot of tears in her future.
I wanted to vomit, watching it all play out. I knew for the safety of everyone involved, I needed to keep my mouth shut, but all I wanted to do was make the biggest scene of my life and yell out, I object to this wedding ! Of course, I didn’t do it—oddly, I didn’t have to. A tall, ethereal-looking woman appeared at the end of the aisle, wearing a red silk scarf over her head. A long, wide scar ran down her left cheek.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” she spoke in a Spanish accent. “But I thought you would all like to know that the groom is my husband.” She whipped off her scarf, and, in an instant, I recognized the woman to be Isla from the photos Cash had shown me. I’d thought she was dead.
Cash caught my eye and barely held up his hand to signal for me to stay still. But I could tell he was getting ready to act, and he was concerned—very concerned.
Believe me, I was too. This woman was also a smuggler, and I had to wonder how she’d survived. That scar alone said she’d gone through something horrific. Also, how had she found her louse of a husband? That probably worried me more than anything. This was a woman scorned, and she looked ticked.
But if I thought I was worried, it was nothing compared to Soren, who paled and shook his head. “I do not know this woman,” he exaggerated his fake Norwegian accent.
Aunt Vivian jumped up and threw her hands up. “Praise. I knew it. I just knew there was something off about him. Didn’t I tell you, Finch, that was the biggest bunch of baloney that I’d ever seen?”
Uncle Finch nodded, probably too afraid not to.
Lexi clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes, like this was just some inconvenience to her. “I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave.”
“I don’t think so, darling.” Isla took a step forward. “You see, my friends and I have come a long way.”
She had friends? This. Was. Not. Good. I don’t think anyone saw this coming. If anything, I’d figured a mob boss would have shown up.
Cash was ready to pull his weapon, and I got ready to dive to save my parents if I had to. Where were Agents Todd and Randall? Please let them be nearby.
“Your groom here is not who he says he is.” Isla whipped her head toward the shaking groom. “You fool, Izan. I would have never found you if not for your engagement photo in the newspaper here.”
“Izan?” Lexi wrinkled her nose. “This is Soren.”
“You’re a silly girl. Now step aside before you get hurt. I want the diamonds, Izan.” She pulled out a gun, and immediately, Izan grabbed my sister and hid behind her like she was a human shield. What a coward.
Lexi stood there, stunned, with her mouth wide open. I hoped she now realized the kind of man she had almost hitched herself to.
Little did Isla know, but she had messed with the wrong family. Daddy, Pops, Uncle Finch, and Drew all stood with their weapons drawn.
Cash, too, had drawn his handgun and had it pointed at Isla. “Lower your weapon,” Cash demanded.
“I want the diamonds, Izan,” Isla screamed. “You have no idea what I’ve gone through. You have made some terrible enemies. Those enemies are now my friends, and we will stop at nothing until we get the diamonds, so tell me where they are before I shoot your fiancée.”
Mama screamed, along with all the bridesmaids.
Shots rang out, and guests and bridesmaids hit the floor. Drew gallantly ran over to Mia to protect her.
I wasn’t sure who shot first, but someone struck Isla’s hip. She didn’t take too kindly to it, and I watched in slow motion as she aimed and fired her gun at my sister. I screamed out as Cash dove in front of Lexi, pushing her and the weasel Izan out of the way. In the commotion, more armed men entered and started shooting the windows. Deafening screams pierced the air, intertwined with the sharp shatter of glass. Fear gripped me as I sprinted toward Cash, desperately shielding my head from potential gunfire and the cascading shards. So much adrenaline was pumping through me, I felt like I could leap over a tall building. I wasn’t even watching where I was going. All I knew was I needed to get to Cash.
Please, please, please, don’t let Cash be dead, I thought before I threw myself on his body.
“Arghh,” he groaned under my weight.
“You’re alive!” I shouted over the war zone. I really hoped the good guys were winning.
Cash protectively grabbed me and rolled me under him to shield me with his body. If we weren’t in such dire circumstances, I would have thought it was totally hot. “Stay down and stay behind me,” he commanded.
Believe me, I wasn’t going anywhere. The only thing I did was look around to grab Lexi and pull her to me, but she was nowhere to be found. She and that coward had probably taken cover under the chairs or something, but I couldn’t see them from my vantage point.
“Are you hurt?” I asked Cash, yelling over the chaos. If I survived this, I was going to be the least boring person on the planet.
“Don’t worry about me.” Cash jumped up and fired several rounds. The loud popping noise had me covering my ears.
More and more screaming ensued.
“Nice shooting!” Pops yelled, and then it got eerily quiet.
I unplugged my ears and dared to stand. Squinting, I peeked around Cash, praying for no one in my family or the wedding party to be injured or dead. That’s when I noticed a hole in Cash’s suit coat and blood seeping out of it. “She shot you.”
“She grazed me,” Cash grumbled like it was no big deal.
“Is everyone okay?” Mama cried out.
Daddy pulled her into his arms, and she bawled like I’d never heard her cry before. Not that I blamed her—we’d just lived through a terrifying ordeal.
In the background, sirens wailed.
I scanned the room, making an account of everyone I loved. Mia and Drew were safe, albeit a little cut up from the glass. Nana and Pops were all right. Aunt Vivian and her family seemed to be shaken up but fine. Isla appeared to be dead, along with the two men who had come in with guns blazing. A few of the bridesmaids were bleeding and crying, but alive. But ...
“Where are Lexi and Izan?”