Lisa Childs - Beauty And The Bodyguard

But Megan doubted the petite bodyguard would be able to protect her from a real threat. Was there a real threat?

Blood had been shed in her wedding chapel before. A groom had been assaulted and abducted. Another man had died.

Brides had been threatened.

Penny’s notorious instincts were telling her that there was another threat. Just as she’d told Gage, Megan Lynch was in danger. When she’d told him that, Penny had thought the only real threat had been of Megan making a mistake—of marrying a man she didn’t love.

Penny’s chapel was so successful because she ran it well. She knew every waiter on the catering staff, so she immediately recognized the one who didn’t belong. She also recognized the guests who hadn’t been invited. It was obvious none of the other early-arriving guests knew them. If they had ever worked for Woodrow, someone else would have recognized them. And they were armed—just like the unfamiliar waiter.

So who were they? And why had they brought guns into the chapel?

She couldn’t tell if any of the other guests who’d arrived early were armed. Most of them were older, though. Probably great-aunts or -uncles of the bride or groom. If any were Woodrow’s agents, they probably hadn’t thought they needed to bring their weapons. Penny wished they would have.

Because the only person she knew for certain was armed was Nikki. She’d seen the holster when she’d helped her into the bridesmaid dress.

And Gage…

But where was Gage? Had he left like he’d threatened he would? He’d claimed he wanted no contact with Megan again. But if he was that angry and bitter yet, his emotions were still involved. Megan still affected him, hopefully too much for him to have just walked away.

Woodrow hoped he had. But he was an overprotective father. Too overprotective for him to not have noticed the people sneaking weapons into the wedding.

So where was Woodrow?

She scanned the foyer of the church, looking for him and for Gage. But before she could find either, a strong hand gripped her arm and a deep voice murmured in her ear, “You’re in danger.”

Feeling like he’d been sucker punched, Gage gasped for breath. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He’d already seen Megan in that damn dress. But it was still a shock—more of a shock than Nikki Payne pulling a gun on him. Everyone knew that Nikki was trigger-happy.

He was damn lucky she hadn’t shot him.

“Just your usual amount of jumpy?” he asked. “Or did you notice the armed arrivals, too?”

Her hand shaking slightly, Nikki holstered her weapon beneath the skirt of her bridesmaid dress. He’d had no idea that she and Megan were even friends. But then he’d been gone a long time.

“I’m glad you noticed them, too,” she remarked. “So you called for help?”

He shook his head. “Did you?”

“When she asked me to step in for a sick bridesmaid, I left my phone in Mom’s office,” she replied. “Where’s yours?”

He held up the useless cell. “No signal. Your mom must have a jammer so her ceremonies don’t get interrupted because someone forgot to shut off their phone.”

Nikki sighed. “What doesn’t she think of?”

“Armed gunmen,” Gage replied.

“No, she has a plan for those, too.”

Gage drew in a deep breath. “That’s good,” he said. “We need a plan.”

“We need backup,” Nikki said as she opened the door a crack and peered out into the foyer. “How many did you spot?”

“I made three,” he said. “But there could be more.” If they were seeking revenge against Woodrow, there would be more. They would know that they’d need an army to take down Chief Special Agent Lynch. “I told Megan’s sister to call Nick.”

Maybe she’d been frozen with fear. Maybe she’d just been confused by the exchange between Gage and Nikki. But Megan finally spoke, her voice raspy as she asked, “Ellen is here?”

“Not anymore,” he assured her. “I told her and her husband and the girls to leave.”

“The girls…” Her soft voice cracked with fear, and she trembled.

He found himself reaching for her, his hands lightly grasping her shoulders so she didn’t fall. “They’re gone,” he said. “They’re safe.”

She peered up at him, skepticism in her dark eyes. “Ellen listened?”

He hoped like hell she had. He’d warned her that if she didn’t follow his instructions, she would put her sister and dad in more danger.

Ellen wouldn’t have wanted that. Gage didn’t want Megan in any danger. Hell, he just wanted her. His palms heated and tingled from the contact with her shoulders. Only thin lace sleeves separated her skin from his. He stepped back and dropped his hands back to his sides.

“She wouldn’t put the girls in danger,” he reminded her. She had definitely left with her husband and kids. But he didn’t know if she’d listened to him, if she’d called only Nick.

If she had called 911 like she’d mentioned, she risked getting them all killed. When the gunmen heard sirens wailing, they might just open fire. Hopefully, she would do as he had directed: call Nick and tell him to do nothing until Gage contacted him.

Nikki’s face had paled, too. “I hope Nick doesn’t call Logan. If they all rush in…”

Gage shook his head. “I told her to have him sit tight until I—or someone else from inside the church—make contact with him. So we need your mom to shut off that damn cell jammer.”

Nikki nodded. “Yes. You need to find her.”

Gage’s heart constricted as fear squeezed it. “No. You need to.” He wasn’t leaving Megan, not when he was certain that she was in danger now.

“I have to stay here,” Nikki said. “I have to get her out of that dress.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because nobody can know she’s the bride,” Nikki said, as if he was an idiot. And maybe he was, because getting her out of the dress was pretty obviously the easiest way to protect her. They had to disguise her.

“I would be out of it,” Megan said, “if you would have used the scissors.”

Nikki shook her head. “Then I won’t be able to put it on and switch places with you.”

Gage already knew Nikki was smart. She’d helped Nick figure out why someone was really after him and Annalise. He was impressed as hell that she’d already come up with a plan to protect Megan. His only instinct had been to get to Megan and get her out.

But just like police couldn’t come in with sirens wailing, he couldn’t sneak Megan out in that damn sparkling gown without drawing attention, either. And if, as he suspected, the armed people were here for her, they wouldn’t let him just walk out with her without one hell of a fight.

“You get word to Nick,” he said. “I’ll get Megan out of the gown.”

Nikki nodded in agreement before opening the door and slipping out into the foyer. She disappeared before Gage fully realized what he’d agreed to do: he was going to undress Megan.

“Wait,” Megan called out, her voice a faint croak in her suddenly dry throat. But Nikki Payne was already gone, leaving her alone with Gage.

She would rather have taken her chances with the armed gunmen. After all, there were only three of them. That wasn’t nearly as dangerous as one Gage Huxton.

“She’ll be okay,” Gage assured her.

She flinched from a pang of guilt. Of course she should have been concerned about Nikki’s safety. “She seems pretty tough,” she said. Despite her petite size.