ONE
“HOW DO YOU WANT ITdone? Clean or really messy?”
“Clean. My daughter doesn’t need to see blood.”
Justin Monroe paused in the hallway of the semi-empty church as he heard his soon-to-be father-in-law talking to someone with a gruff voice. The voices were low, and they came from around the corner. The tone of the men’s voices left a bitter taste in Justin’s mouth.
He glanced up the hallway. People were starting to arrive for the wedding rehearsal, and Justin had wandered the halls, looking for his soon-to-be father-in-law. Being a busy man, time was important to Justin. In less than three years, he’d turned his father’s oil company into a billion-dollar business, and keeping it successful took up most of Justin’s day.
He pulled out his cell phone to check the time. The rehearsal was already running five minutes late.
“I’ll wait until after their honeymoon in Fiji,” the man with the brusque voice said.
Justin’s attention snapped back to the conversation he was eavesdropping on.Hewas going to the Fiji islands for the honeymoon.
“Actually,” Tony Pierpont’s voice lowered slightly, “I want you to follow them on their honeymoon. Cut the air tank to Justin’s scuba gear or something, but I don’t want my daughter returning home with a husband.”
Bile rose in Justin’s throat and his stomach churned. Taking quiet steps away from the murderous men, Justin turned down another hallway in the church. From down the hall, walked Justin’s best man, Brad Young. Justin motioned toward the closest room before walking in first. Once Brad was inside, Justin closed the door.
Brad’s eyes widened. “Monroe, your face is as white as a ghost.”
Slowly, Justin nodded. “I just overheard Robin’s father plotting my murder.”
As he told Brad what he’d heard, the other man’s face turned pale, too.
“Get out of here, Justin. Now!” Brad pointed toward the window that overlooked the parking lot of the church. “I’ll stall everyone at the rehearsal. But you need to get out of here before Pierpont ropes you into marrying his daughter in two days.”
Confused thoughts jumbled around in Justin’s head. He couldn’t think straight. He actually didn’t knowwhatto believe. It wasn’t every day that someone threatened his life.
“I... just don’t know, Brad.” He stared at his friend. “You don’t know Robin’s father like I do. I don’t doubt he is connected to the mafia. If I leave right now, they’ll find me one way or another.”
Brad’s lips thinned in frustration as he ran his fingers through his blond hair. “But you can’t stay here, either. Marrying Robin will only pull you deeper into the family’s clutches. If you don’t escape now...”
“I know, I know,” Justin muttered as he rubbed the ache in his forehead. Slowly, he moved to the window of the church – the same church that was built to protect people from the sins of the world and make them feel saved. Yet right now, Justin felt far from being saved and it had nothing to do with his faith.
The late morning light gradually dimmed as storm clouds grew thick in the sky, preparing for the upcoming snowstorm. If he left right now, would he reach the airport that was two hours away before the blizzard hit? He doubted it. And of course, he didn’t have any place to hide in Montana.
Justin Monroe had recently claimed the status of a billionaire – something he’d worked very hard at accomplishing – but this was the first time he’d felt so helpless, knowing that his money wouldn’t do him any good now.
“I can’t go, Brad.”
His friend groaned. “Seriously? Are you trying to tell me that you’re madly in love with Robin and you can’t leave her?”
Justin swung away from the window and aimed his glare at Brad. “You already know the answer to that.” He shook his head, not believing his friend would use that excuse. He and Brad had been best friends for years. They’d been through many things together. They’d played the dating game – actually they controlled it for a while, in fact. Both men had broken women’s hearts and had been hurt in return. They told each other everything. And more importantly, they watched out for each other, as close brothers would.
“What I meant to say was,” Justin continued, “if I leave right now, I’ll have no place to go. There’s no way I’ll make it to the airport before the storm hits.”
Brad grumbled as he dug into his pants pocket. “You’re right. The airport is too far. Besides, once Robin’s father discovers you’re gone, the airport will be the first place he’ll look.” He withdrew a set of keys and tossed them to Justin. “You’ll have to stay at my cabin. Nobody will find you there. Now get going, Monroe. The clock is ticking.”
Justin nodded as he grabbed the keys and rushed out the door. He hurried down the hallway of the church, his heartbeat hammering out of control. Voices carrying through the corridor made him step into an empty room to take cover. Flattening against a wall, he held his breath.
Heavy footsteps came near then faded as they passed down the hallway. Whoever it was took quick steps toward the back of the building to join the energetic crowd awaiting the wedding rehearsal. Once silence settled over the hall, Justin sighed and peered around the panel. Empty.
Swift and sure of his getaway, he hurried to the nearest exit and crept out of the church. The icy January wind whipped around him, and he zipped up his black aviator jacket, pulling the sheepskin collar closer to his neck to shield him from the elements.
Dark gray clouds had thickened over the city in just a few minutes. The big snowstorm that the news had predicted would be here sooner than the weather meteorologist predicted. According to the weather report, Montana was getting at least two feet of snow. Justin doubted he’d make it to Brad’s mountain hideaway before heavy white flakes blanketed the ground, but he’d try his best.
He surveyed the vehicle-laden lot and spotted his silver Corvette Coupe sandwiched between two trucks that had parked too close for him to get inside. His heart sank. He wouldn’t be getting out of there anytime soon. Besides that, he didn’t know how far his Coupe would take him in snow-packed conditions.
