Much more has gone on that he has no need to report. Deadbolts locked, alarms set, property under surveillance.
When I return to our mystery woman, her body is curled inward, knees tucked close.
She doesn’t know it yet, but whatever she was running from, she’s no longer facing it alone.
CHAPTER 4
KIRA
I’m walking down a long corridor dressed in my beautiful gown, my heart skittering with excitement despite the persistent first-trimester fatigue.
I’m poised to knock on the partially open door of the room where Preston’s getting ready for the ceremony, when the wordassassinationstops me mid-motion.
I go still and listen.
“What about the contractor? The one handling the package in Colombia? He’s waiting on confirmation.”
It isn’t Preston’s voice, and I’m sure I must have the wrong room, but something tells me to keep listening.
Then I hear my fiancé. “Tell him it’s on. Once the journalist is out of the way, the subcommittee will get in line.”
The other man chuckles. “You government guys play rough.”
Preston’s tone is sharp, the way it gets when he’s angry. “You outsource, and we take the heat. Your DOD guy already buriedthe requisition report, so don’t act like you’re doing me a favor.”
DOD? A wave of nausea hits me, and it has nothing to do with the pregnancy.
“Are the transfers aimed at the Vaughn Foundation account?” the other man asks.
“For now. Once the election’s over, we go offshore.”
My mind races. Fund transfers? A DOD cover-up? A hit on a journalist?
“What about your blushing bride? She have any clue what you’re running?”
There’s an ugly smirk in Preston’s tone. “Of course not. She looks pretty and smiles for the cameras. That’s all I need her for.”
My heart pounds in my throat. Foreign deals. The Vaughn Foundation. What is he mixed up in?
“If she ever finds out how deep this goes, she’ll be signing her own death certificate.” Preston’s voice is like granite.
Without realizing it, I’d been holding my breath, and it suddenly bursts out of me in an involuntary gasp.
The conversation stops all at once.
I start to sneak away, my stomach churning as a rush of dizziness hits me.
An old floorboard in the mansion creaks with my first step, and the door swings open.
Preston’s polished, photo-op-ready smile dissolves into a flat expression. He transforms intoa man I don’t know.
The scene cuts to the bridal prep room.
Gasping for breath, I grab for my phone when Preston bursts in. “Kira. Stop.”
I shake my head, backing away from him until I bump into the vanity. “My god, Preston, what are you involved in?”
My fiancé, so elegant in his suit pants, shirt, and tie. He always looks so handsome that I can’t believe he’s mine, but now, he’s a stranger. A dangerous one.
