Chapter 19 #2
"Just show him your bag, Kat," Violet said. "The sooner it's done, the sooner we're out of here."
Katrina looked down at her. "You're sure?" she said pointedly.
Violet put her hand into the pocket with the monitors. "I'm sure," she said with some force.
"Fine." Katrina thrust the bag at the guard while she patted Violet in what was supposed to be a soothing manner.
The guard looked in the bag, found nothing, and handed it back to Katrina with an apologetic smile. "You're free to go," he said.
"I should think so," Katrina said. "I've no idea what you were looking for anyway. Did you think I'd stolen some flowers?"
The guard looked embarrassed. "Just doing my job," he said.
"Well, I never," Katrina said indignantly. "Come on, Violet. We could both use some tea."
Under the watchful eye of Violet's family and the resort staff, they hurried from the building. Once outside, Katrina dropped her arm from Violet's shoulder.
"Well, I never?" Violet said, cringing.
"Hey," Katrina said. "You were the one screaming: Doomed! Doomed!"
"I was being a bridezilla," Violet gritted out as she casually scanned the area for security cameras.
Once she was sure they were in a blind spot, she put the plant monitors back in Katrina's bag.
"Get rid of those while I go back and rescue mum and Jasmine," she said.
"I don't think they need rescuing," Katrina said. "They appear to have found their happy place."
"No kidding, but I don't know what they'll say or do without supervision, and I don't want them accidentally arousing anyone's suspicions."
Katrina didn't look convinced. "Admit it, you don't want them messing with your flower choices, do you?"
"Go away," Violet said firmly. "Far away."
With a knowing smile, Katrina turned a corner in the path and disappeared behind yet more palm trees.
Violet retraced her steps back to the florist's warehouse, hurrying as she did so. She was nearing the door when it suddenly opened, and a security guard burst out. This wasn't one of the regular resort guards, it was the man who'd been protecting the room at the back of the warehouse.
When he saw her, he screeched to a halt, looming over her in a way that was supposed to be intimidating. Mainly, it gave Violet a view right up his nose and the urge to tell him he should really trim back his nasal hair.
"Ms. Lee," he said with a slight accent she couldn't quite place, but thought might be eastern European. "I was looking for you and your friend." He scanned the area behind her. The way he did it made her think he'd had some sort of military training in his past.
"She's gone to her room," Violet said. "What do you want?"
She supposed she should have been more polite, but the man had set her instincts ablaze. There was purpose in his demeanor that reminded her of the look cops got before they took down a suspect. He was also using his bulk to invade her personal space. And she did not like that at all.
His face was flint. "I questioned the guard who looked in Ms. Raast's bag," he said, using her name and proving he knew who'd accompanied Violet.
"He said you put something in your pocket before he examined it.
I need to have another look in her bag, and I need you to turn your pockets out for me. " It was an order.
Violet wasn't impressed. "No," she said and moved around him toward the warehouse door.
His hand shot out to grab her arm. Violet reacted with lightning speed.
She placed her free hand over his knuckles and gripped tight.
In one swift move, she swung her trapped arm around to break his hold before sliding down to seize his wrist. He grunted with pain as, arm bent against the elbow and stretched out behind him, he ended up on his knees on the grass beside her.
"Now look what you've done," she said as she put pressure on his elbow joint, making him suck in a breath. "You're going to get grass stains on your nice trousers. I don't think your boss would like that very much, would he?"
"What are you?" he hissed. "You're no bride."
"That's where you're wrong. I am a bride. A very pissed off bride who wants to get her mother and sister away from the flowers she's picked for her wedding. But instead of doing that, I have to deal with one of Damien Poole's goons. I ask you, is that fair?"
"Normal women don't make moves like that," the idiot protested.
"I am a normal freaking woman," she snapped.
"And it's beginning to piss me off that people don't think so.
" She reached into his jacket and relieved him of his gun.
"I'm taking this so you don't get all touchy and shoot me.
" She tossed it as far as she could throw it into the bushes.
Of course, it bounced off another bloody palm tree.
"Okay, you have a choice," Violet said evenly. " I can break your arm, or I can let you go with a warning. What's it going to be?"
His expression was a mixture of menace and pain. "The boss is gonna hear about this."
"Well, that's up to you," Violet said, putting a little more pressure on his arm.
"But if I worked for a sociopathic crime lord with a history of violence and a low tolerance for mistakes, I'm not sure I'd walk right up to him and confess I screwed up my job and a teeny-tiny bride from Scotland disabled me.
I guess we all have to make our own decisions though.
" Damn, when had she turned into such a Chatty Cathy?
It had to be Max. The man was contagious.
"I'm still waiting," she said. "Break or warning?" She twisted his arm to help him decide.
"Warning," he gritted out.
"Good choice." Before she released him, she bent over and confiscated his phone and radio too.
"I'll keep these for now. Give you time to think about whether or not you should tell Poole you had your ass kicked.
" With that, she shoved his arm, sending him sprawling onto the grass.
"Now, go away. I don't want to see you here when I come out with my mother and sister. Got it?"
He cradled his damaged arm as he glared at her. "You're gonna regret this," he warned.
"No freaking imagination," Violet said as she took a threatening step toward him.
"A vague threat is no one's friend. I would have said: Sleep with your eyes open because as soon as you close them, I'll be there.
" She smiled. She knew it was terrifying because she'd seen his reaction before, in other men she'd taken down.
"See? That's a much better threat because it puts the right sort of imagery in your victim's mind. Don't you think?"
With that, she strode into the warehouse.