Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
So far, so good.
Standing in the back of the ballroom, Colton applauded with the rest of the attendees as Riley took her seat at her family’s table.
The elegant three-course dinner had been served three hours ago, and after her guests had enjoyed dancing to the string ensemble or visiting at their tables, she treated them to a video presentation highlighting her Lend a Hand and Save the Children charities.
What he hadn’t expected was the plug for Theresa’s foundation, and judging by the response, he had no doubt the evening’s pledges would exceed their goal.
Then again, Riley represented her causes with such grace and eloquence a miser would gladly relinquish his last dime.
While several people again took to the dance floor—with more modern, faster-tempo music now supplied by a deejay—he strolled the perimeter of the ballroom, as he’d done several times throughout the evening. Perusing the crowd, he confirmed no new faces had appeared.
Completing his circuit, he joined Trevor at the ballroom entrance. “How are you doing? Since the shooting.”
“Back to normal.” Trevor glanced around the room and back again. “Just a bit of a bruise left.”
“Glad to hear it. And the other?”
Trevor’s brow wrinkled. “Other?”
“The mental healing can be a longer road.”
With a shrug, Trevor took another scan of the room. “All good.” His gaze came back to Colton. “I appreciated everybody’s cards and notes. The prayers.”
“Prayer’s the key.”
“Amen, brother.”
Colton clapped him on the shoulder. “Happy New Year, Trev.”
“Yes, sir. You too.”
Again taking his place in the back of the room, Colton panned the crowd milling around in groups. It had been easier with everybody at their tables, but this was a party, after all, so constant movement was to be expected.
The New Year would dawn in less than thirty minutes, but their job was far from over. From what he’d been told, any partygoers with enough stamina would dance until the sun came up.
“Colton,” Dillon said in his ear.
“Go ahead.”
“We have a situation.”
“On my way.”
His gut tightened as he exited the beautifully dressed ballroom. Would this be the first hitch in an otherwise flawless op? Whatever this situation was, he prayed they could resolve it without anybody in the ballroom being the wiser.
“What’s up?”
Dillon, one of two agents monitoring live-stream footage from various vantage points around the ballroom, ran his finger across his neck. Colton muted his mic.
“Just got off the phone with Houston PD. Med called them about fifteen minutes ago. A girl was brought in. Beaten. Found by a friend who happened to stop by. Barely coherent. Kept repeating something about the Hudson Ball and mentioned a couple of names. One was Terence. The other sounded like Warren. Decided they should call it in since she appeared agitated, like she was trying to get a warning out.”
Colton’s blood ran cold. “Who is she?”
“One of the members of the theater where Everett volunteers. Units are at the hospital and at her place now. Looks like we found where he’s been holing up.”
“Not the woman we were sitting on?”
“No. Someone new to the group. Could be the theater manager didn’t know they’d hooked up.”
Fifteen minutes. And no telling how long she’d been lying there, beaten, and for what reason? Because she’d pushed the wrong button and set Everett off? Or did she know something she shouldn’t?
“Do we have a Terence on our hotel personnel list that we’ve vetted?”
Dillon brought up a screen with a list of names the hotel had provided of all male staff assigned to the event. “Terence Drummond. Waitstaff. Contracted through an agency. This is his first event here at The Cheshire Hotel.”
“Picture.”
Dillon hit more keys. A photo popped up. A man, long face, blue eyes, brown hair, six foot one, slight build. Same description could be made for Warren Everett.
“What do we know about this guy?”
“Waiter at the Derby Ranch Steakhouse. Works contract catering jobs on the side. Before that, he was with …” Dillon scrolled down the page. “The Whitmore. Kitchen staff. Three years.”
Colton’s inner radar sounded off. “Same time as Everett, so we can assume they knew each other. Can we locate him in the building?”
Dillon brought up the footage from the kitchen and bar, and they studied the monitors for any sign of him. Nothing. If Everett had shown up in place of Drummond, doubtful anybody on the wait crew would be the wiser, since this was Drummond’s first gig at this location.
“Get units to his home address now. Could be he either allowed Everett to work in his place, or we have another victim.”
“On it.”
Colton activated his transmitter on his way back to the ballroom. “Listen up, everybody. We got a viable tip Everett could be impersonating somebody we vetted on the waitstaff. Name Terence Drummond. Lanky build, brown hair worn to the collar are distinctive markers.”
Back in the ballroom, he spotted Riley dancing in a circle and laughing with her three best friends. “Cooper, get Riley off the dance floor. I need her with you.”
Nowell put his hand to his ear. “Copy that.”
“Paxton, I need you with Nowell and Riley right now.”
“On it.”
“Jamison, have the SUV running at the emergency exit.”
“Already headed that way.”
“Good work. Anderson and Wiley, check the kitchen and bar for anybody matching the description.”
The two agents responded in the affirmative as Colton moved quickly through the room.
As Nowell escorted Riley to the side where Trevor met them, Colton spotted John walking up to Avery still on the dance floor.
He said something to her, she nodded and grabbed Frances and Barbara by the arms, pulling them off the floor to a far corner.
John then joined two of his men heading toward the bar.
Several others in the room, both Petersen personnel and cops in plain clothes, were suddenly in motion.
“Blankenship.”
“Go, Wiley.”
“Nobody in the kitchen matching that description. Everybody checks.”
“Same at the bar,” John reported back.
“Okay, stay alert. Check every waiter you see. There could possibly be scars from scratch marks on his right hand.”
Adrenaline pumped through his system as he circled the room, his gaze pinning on every red-coated server he passed.
He caught John’s concerned glance from several feet away.
The music continued, the heavy bass line adding to the tension of the moment.
The hundred-plus guests talked, laughed, and danced, unaware of any lurking danger.
Caterer’s assistants kept food in plentiful supply, and waiters lined up at the bar, picking up trays of champagne to pass out for the New Year countdown.
He consulted his watch. Eleven minutes to midnight.
Several servers had already received their trays and were making their way around the room.
Riley stood behind a table flanked by Nowell and Trevor.
“Cooper, you and Paxton walk Riley out as unobtrusively as possible. I want her in the SUV and off the premises in the next two minutes.”
“Copy that.”
Nowell bent to speak in Riley’s ear, and her face fell. Colton winced. She’d been so looking forward to this evening, had put hours of work into preparing for it, and he was making her go home. She nodded, apparently accepting it was for the best, and the trio started around the perimeter.
Letting his gaze do another pass around the room, he spotted a waiter coming through the main doors, holding a tray against the front of his jacket.
Odd that a member of the waitstaff would enter from the lobby and not the kitchen.
Colton’s eyes narrowed on the man. Tall, lanky.
Brown hair worn a bit shaggy. Right hand hidden behind the tray.
Focus pinned on Riley as she made her way with her detail to a side exit.
Colton’s pulse beat in time with the thumping bass as he broke into a run from across the room. “I have visual.” He weaved around startled partygoers. “North side, brown hair, six-two, trailing the principal. All hands out here now.”
Nowell pulled Riley in front of him, shielding her with his body.
Trevor spun, weapon drawn, walking backward to stay with his principal while taking aim at the alleged threat. “Can’t take the shot. Too many innocents.”
Before Colton reached the mark, the man spotted him. Their eyes met.
Warren Everett. He’d know that soulless gaze anywhere.
Everett threw the tray, exposing the firearm he held in his other hand. Colton raised his arm as the tray hit.
Everett took aim at him, but Colton didn’t have any cleaner shot than Trevor. A woman screamed. Alarmed guests moved in every direction. Everett whirled and ran back the way he’d come.
Finally clear of the panicked crowd, Colton sprinted after Everett into the lobby. “Cooper, keep Riley inside until we secure the area. Behind the bar.”
Everett reached behind him and took aim.
Colton flinched at the phfft of the bullet as it left the silencer.
He took his own shot. With a loud grunt, Everett grabbed his right shoulder but didn’t drop his weapon.
Instead of falling, he regained his balance and hurtled toward the sliding glass doors.
Colton picked up his pace. This was the guy, the monster, who had invaded Riley’s life for the past two months. He was putting a stop to it now. Tonight.
No matter what it might cost him.