Silence.
Maverick lowered his head, the emotion gripping his throat.
“Wow.” With tears in her eyes, Carly hugged him. “Thank you guys, so, so much. Let’s show these amazingly generous men some love.” After the hoots and hollers ended, she continued. “Your donation will be life-changing for so many veterans in need.”
“Love you, my brothers.” Maverick put his hand over his heart. “In addition, Carly and I want to acknowledge my sister and brother, Desiree and Hudson, for their hard work in putting this event together. And a big thanks to our dad for letting us take over his house for the past three days.”
Rising, Desiree sounded the air horn. Carly startled again and Maverick placed a calming hand on the small of her back.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Desiree Hott. Hudson, and I have a surprise for the newlyweds. I hope everyone saved room for dessert!”
Over the next hour, Carly and Ashton chatted with their guests. At one point, Carly left him to catch up with Crockett and Alexandra, but he made his way over to her and clasped her hand. She loved how he wanted to be by her side and how he referred to her as “my beautiful wife”.
She was thrilled her investigative firm was flourishing and that ThunderStrike’s calendar was booked solid for months. Despite the FBI reopening Rose Aurora’s case, she was still so unsettled. Was the killer out there, long dead, or lurking nearby? Tormented by that, she lay awake for hours each night. Since the unsolved crime had become a top news story, she feared she and Ash were sitting ducks.
Even at her own wedding reception, she struggled to relax. Her back muscles were in knots, but she forced herself to put on her party face and mingle.
At some point, Desiree and Hudson rolled a beautiful wedding cake into the yard. “Do you like?” her sister-in-law asked.
Carly admired the three-tiered cake with the miniature bride and groom fixed to the top layer. “It’s beautiful. Thank you for doing all of this for us.”
“My pleasure.” Desiree pulled aside the white tablecloth covering the cart and peered inside. “Oops, I forgot a knife,” she said and sprinted toward the deck.
Hudson sounded the air horn. This time, Carly reached for her weapon, tucked under her arm. I have got to calm down.
“We’ll be cutting the cake as soon as my sister returns with the knife,” Hudson announced. “This is fun.” He blew the horn again and, again, Carly startled.
Ashton pulled her close and whispered, “Deep breath. I’m right here and I’ve got you.”
After taking what should have been a calming breath, she nodded.
“It’s okay, babe.”
BANG!
The echo of a firecracker reverberated through the air.
Everyone flinched, including Carly. Several guests ran screaming behind trees, while a smattering hit the ground. The remainder stood frozen in place.
When Carly followed the sound, her heart leapt into her throat. A woman stood on the deck with Desiree in a chokehold, a gun pointed at her sister-in-law’s head. Oh, God no. Carly’s pulse soared as she slipped sideways behind Ashton, shielding herself. “Kathy Internado,” she whispered.
“I’ll try to talk her down,” he murmured.
“Do you have your weapon?”
“No.”
“I have mine.”
“Hello, Kathy.” Ashton’s strong, calm voice cut through the chilling silence. “What’s going on up there?”
Carly’s heart banged against her ribcage, but she inhaled slow, controlled breaths. Moving at a snail’s pace, she extracted her gun from its holster. She clutched the weapon to her chest and clicked off the safety.
“You and that stupid bitch have ruined my life,” Kathy screamed from the deck.
“Why don’t you put the gun down and we can work things out.” Ashton kept his voice low and steady.
“Work things out?” Kathy’s shrill laugh iced Carly’s blood. “You two think you’re so smart. You bask in the spotlight and play the heroes while my husband, Senator George Internado, rots in jail. He’s the real hero. That man dedicated forty years of his life to public service and what does he have to show for it? What?”
