Prologue #2
She moved around the room, laughing and teasing almost everyone she passed by. She snuck cupcakes to her younger cousins, took her wheelchair-bound grandpa for a spin out on the dance floor, and even helped the kitchen staff bring out more food.
I almost felt flattered that she also made time to mess with me.
“Smile. You’re at a wedding,” she said as she brushed past, her arms full of dishes, just as I was grabbing a Coke from the drink table.
“Sit down. You’re at a wedding,” I countered.
She got rid of the plates and came back.
“Actually, maybe you can help me with something,” she said, a sparkle in her eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m writing screenplays now; did you know that?”
“I heard.”
“My current villain is this mysterious guy who murders people while wearing a tux. Very similar to the one you’re wearing. I think you could nail the vibe.”
“Don’t give me any ideas,” I said pleasantly, taking a sip of my Coke. “I already don’t like you.”
Undeterred, she moved in closer. “I think having a picture in my mind would really help. Could you lean against the wall and smolder for a minute?”
At the look I shot her, she only laughed and moved away, my gaze following after her.
It was some time later that I noticed Liv had another admirer.
I wasn’t sure how he caught my attention at first. The reception hall was full of people standing in groups.
I was across the room, talking with my older brother, Ben, and a few other friends.
I tried to keep my thoughts focused on the conversation, but something about the man had piqued my interest.
He was dressed in a rumpled yellow button-down shirt tucked into brown pants. He had light-brown hair and glasses that filled much of his face. His body was narrow in the shoulders and thicker in the hips, and his shoes looked like they were a few sizes too large for his body.
Was it a coincidence that when Liv moved off the dance floor to chat with her brother, this guy angled his body so he could see her? Another time I was certain he was headed her way to ask her for a dance, only to be beaten by another guy.
He didn’t belong anywhere. Nobody spoke to him. He stood on the outskirts of small groups clustered together, where it almost looked like he was a part of something, but he may as well have been invisible.
“Did you catch the Eagles game the other night?” Ben asked me. I blinked, taking a minute to understand what he’d said.
“You alright?” Ben asked, somewhat amused. Even now, I had to look up to meet his eyes. He was the brother just older than me and the one I grew up doing everything with. He eyed the room, trying to see what had my attention.
I cleared my throat and refocused. I had my first undercover operation with the Burlington Police Department on Monday, and I was most likely a little too keyed up. The guy was probably harmless. I could easily point out a handful of men in this room who had their eyes on Liv.
“Yeah. Did you see that interception?” I asked Ben. His stubbled face lit up as he began describing the whole thing to me, even though we’d both seen it.
My eyes moved back over to the man in yellow, and this time, I tensed. He had taken a few steps onto the dance floor where Liv stood with several of her cousins, finishing up a rousing rendition of the “Cha-Cha Slide.”
When she did her last turn to the horrific music, she stopped abruptly. Her back stiffened. The man only waved and stepped forward. From my position, he seemed to expect her to be happy to see him.
She was not.
Liv immediately took a step back. Instead of taking the hint, the man took a few steps forward until he was right in front of her, talking animatedly, while she crossed her arms and eyed the exits. Then he placed his hand on her arm. Liv jerked backward.
I left Ben mid-sentence.
I was a little surprised how natural the feelings came back. The brotherly instinct in me to bulldoze any threat to her was high as I moved toward her, but I forced myself to walk at a meander, hands in my pockets so that I wouldn’t draw attention.
Liv still hadn’t seen me yet. She stared at the man.
“How did you know I’d be here?” she asked him.
“You invited me.”
She floundered, moving a hand to her temple, as if she was trying to recall any moment in this life when she would have invited him somewhere. “No, I didn’t.”
She spotted me standing behind the man. For a moment, her eyes clung to mine, almost desperate.
That was enough for me.
I made my move. My first foray into the world of undercover.
This felt different than the old days of me and Will sweeping in to force our help upon her.
Other than blocking a weak punch she’d occasionally throw my way when she was annoyed, I’d never touched her before.
But we needed to sell this, so I just hoped she wouldn’t be too angry.
“There you are,” I mumbled, throwing my arm around her shoulders and squeezing her close. “I’ve been looking for you.”
I almost laughed at the look on her face. But to her credit, she reined in her reaction and attempted to play along. Terribly.
“Hey…you,” she said, patting my stomach.
I grabbed her hand and held it in mine before motioning toward the man in yellow.
“Who’s your friend?”
“This is Leroy,” she said.
“How do you know each other?”
“We’re dating,” Leroy said, staring at our clasped hands.
Liv bit her lip, hesitating before saying, “There’s been a little confusion about that. We went on a date a few days ago. It was just a one-time thing. But it was nice to see you again, Leroy.”
Leroy scratched his head, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. He looked confused and grew more agitated the longer we stood there. Liv also looked confused—along with rattled and uncomfortable. Leroy continued to stare at her with a sad-puppy-dog expression while Liv shrunk into my side.
It was time to clear something up.
Looking Leroy dead in the eyes, I did everything except bare my teeth.
“She’s with me, man.”
It was like staring into a hollow void. I said the words, but it didn’t seem like he understood anything. Nothing registered across his face or in his eyes. It was just blank. Confused and blank. An uneasy feeling came over me, and all I wanted to do was get Liv away from him.
“Let’s dance,” I said. Not waiting for a response, I pulled her to the far corner of the dance floor, making sure to put a few couples between us and him. Leroy eventually slunk back into the shadows, giving me the impression of a little boy who’d just gotten kicked at the playground.
Liv and I swayed back and forth to a cheesy slow song, neither of us putting much thought into the action. I scanned the room, catching Will’s eyes. He held his hands up in a way that seemed to say Why the hell are you dancing with my sister? before his attention was taken by another well-wisher.
“Thanks,” Liv whispered, drawing me back to the task at hand.
“Sure.”
She sucked in a breath and began to make light of what had just happened. “If you don’t want to talk to someone tonight, just give me a signal, and I’ll repay the favor.”
I smiled, unable to help myself. “Who’s going to save me right now?”
She stepped on my foot before peering around my arm.
“Is he still here?”
“Yeah, he’s behind that group in the corner. How do you know him?”