Holding Out for a Hero (Baytown Heroes #9)

Chapter 8

8

Lights twinkled like fireflies amid the foliage, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the reception area. The atmosphere hummed with the low murmur of conversations and the occasional burst of laughter, melding into a comforting backdrop for the festivities. Despite the DJ’s sometimes questionable music choices, it was a wedding reception, so the jubilant spirit of the occasion permeated the air. At least for most.

Brad sat at the pristine white-clothed table and surveyed the familiar faces throughout the venue. The groom was a homegrown Eastern Shore local and was a deputy for the North Heron Sheriff's Department. The guest list included law enforcement from all over the county, offering a chance for friends and coworkers to gather in fun camaraderie. As people meandered past, Brad offered chin lifts, plastering a fake smile on his face.

His gaze drifted over to the other side of the table where Aaron sat with his eyes following the one woman who had captured him. Belinda was currently taking the official wedding photographs of the bride and groom, the family members, and the guests. Brad grinned at Aaron’s devotion. Belinda was a red-haired, blue-eyed beauty, but Brad wasn’t thinking about Belinda. Instead, it was her sister.

Bess had stirred something deep inside him—a tempest of conflicting emotions that he struggled to reconcile. For months, everyone talked about the new bakery that had opened, but he’d never thought to go in. Janice, one of the new receptionists at the sheriff’s department, had brought him a cup of Bess's coffee one day. He was in the middle of an investigation and accepted it gratefully. After that, she brought him coffee with a pastry. One day, she brought in a hearty cookie crammed with goodness, and once he’d indicated he liked it, she often started bringing him one.

He always paid her for the coffee and treats even though she protested. He would never have taken advantage of her, but at the same time, she’d made it obvious she was interested. She was pretty, but he wasn’t about to become involved with someone he worked with… whether it was for a night or longer. There were too many complications, and Brad hated complications.

Now, thinking of Bess, he snorted as he shook his head. Her knee-jerk reaction to him having to go to work and leaving her sleeping when they’d spent one night together—a night, he might add, that made him want to have another. He knew she was a complication he couldn’t afford to deal with. The few times he’d seen her in the past couple of months, she’d sent a freezing glare so cold that he could swear he felt it right to the center of his body.

Yet he hadn’t been able to forget how her smile lit up her already beautiful face. Or how their conversations rolled from one topic to another with the ease of an old friend and not a new hookup.

Brad’s attention shifted to the woman seated beside him, a stark contrast to the woman who monopolized his thoughts. The other women attending the wedding were dressed appropriately, while the woman he’d brought as his plus-one looked as though she’d been squeezed into a nightclub dress two sizes too small. The shiny gold dress made of a material that looked like the latex gloves they had to wear when investigating a crime scene was gaudy, drawing attention to herself. But Angeline seemed to love the attention, not realizing much of it was negative. The dress was too short at the bottom and too low in the front. Either her ass or her boobs were likely to make a showing before the night was over.

He and Angeline had met in a restaurant in Virginia Beach and had only been out once. He’d stupidly asked her to be his plus-one too soon and now regretted his decision. It would have been better to have come alone. He hadn’t even slept with her, and with the way she was acting, that wasn’t going to happen… ever. He’d already decided that they wouldn’t be going out again after tonight.

“I’m going to find the ladies' room, and then maybe we can dance,” Angeline said, her false eyelashes so heavy that he wondered how she kept her eyes open.

His noncommittal grunt sufficed. Standing, she glided her hands down her hips as she shimmied her dress back into place in an obvious attempt to gain more attention before teetering toward the restaurant next door. Lifting his gaze, he spied Aaron’s grin.

“How long have you two been dating?” Aaron asked.

“This is our second date,” he replied honestly. “And there won’t be a third. I’m not sure I’m gonna make it through this one.”

Aaron shifted over a seat so that he was next to Brad. “At the risk of sounding like I’m searching for gossip, can I ask a personal question?”

“Sure. I don’t think I have anything to hide.”

“You and Bess can barely stand to be in the same room with each other. What the fuck happened between you two?”

Brad had no idea what Bess might have told Belinda and, therefore, what Belinda might have told Aaron. Hefting his shoulders, he leaned back in the seat. “Last summer, we met at a bar and hooked up. Had a good time. She was funny, smart, beautiful. We talked a lot. I thought we were on the same page… a hookup with the possibility of more. Then afterward, it was like she couldn’t stand me. And honest to God, with my parents and sister moving into town, I didn’t have time to figure out what her problem was.”

Aaron’s brows snapped together. “Are you sure you two were on the same page?”

“We got along great—laughed, talked, and… everything else phenomenal.”

“And you liked her?”

Aaron’s penetrated gaze appeared as though he were trying to figure out a puzzle, and Brad knew he’d spent enough time doing the same. Rubbing his hand over his beard, he nodded. “I couldn’t believe I’d never been inside her bakery since you always stopped in there when you first dated Belinda and then this past summer as you’ve worked to win her back. At the station, Janice always brought me coffee from there, so I never felt the need to go in. But yeah, we met at a bar and hung out for a long time, talking, and when we kissed, we were both on the same page to get back to my place.”

“Maybe she didn’t have as good a time as you think she did.” Aaron laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I’m telling you we both had a good time. You called me that night about the robberies, and I left. She was still sleeping, but I left a note and paid her back some money that I owed her.”

“How did you owe her money if the two of you just met?”

Shaking his head, he said, “I was a dumbass. Stopped by home after a shift, changed into jeans, left my wallet on the dresser, and walked out. There I was at the bar, where we ordered drinks and food, and then I was going to be a gentleman and pay for it all. Discovered I didn’t have my wallet, but thank God, she covered it. I forgot all about that until I was getting dressed, so I grabbed my wallet and pulled out some money so she’d know I wasn’t the kind of man to allow a woman to pay for our drinks and food.”

“Maybe she didn’t see the money? But then that wouldn’t matter if she wasn’t expecting you to pay.”

“I left the money on the nightstand. She’d see it as soon as she opened her eyes.”

Aaron didn’t say a word but continued to stare with a lifted brow. “Please tell me that you left a note explaining what the money was for.”

“Of course I did. But I was in a hurry, so I just scribbled that I’d gotten called into work. I added that I’d had a good time and the money was for her. And I know she saw it because when I got home, the money was still there, but she wrote at the top of my note that I could kiss her cupcake ass. I mean, what the hell? And ever since then, she barely looks at me. I figured she’s got drama that I don’t need!”

Aaron shifted in his seat, pinning Brad with a heavy stare as his lips quirked upward on one side. “Man, listen to yourself. You met a woman, had fun, and hit it off enough that you think of more. Why wouldn’t you take the time to find out why she reacted the way she did?”

“Oh, this coming from the man who wasted about six months of his life before discovering how much you really screwed up with Belinda when you dumped her.”

Aaron threw his hands up. “I know. I know. But you should learn from my mistakes.”

“There just wasn’t enough time to figure it all out while helping my family relocate. Too much on my plate.”

“Take it from me as I’m getting to know both sisters… Bess is quick to anger but quicker to laugh. Belinda is the steadier one, but Bess is just as devoted to the ones she cares about. I don’t know, Brad, but I think you may have given up too quickly.”

Just then, Brad looked over Aaron’s shoulder to see Belinda approaching, her camera strap hanging around her neck and her gaze pinned on Aaron. Standing, he clapped Aaron on the shoulder and said, “Thanks for the advice.”

“I guess the question is, what are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was just a one-shot deal, and our chance has passed. Anyway, I’d better go find my date.” His gaze landed on Belinda, and he smiled. Looking back at Aaron, he said, “And maybe now, it’s your time. Enjoy the rest of the reception.” With that, he walked away to give Aaron and Belinda a chance to have some alone time.

He looked toward the restaurant only to see Angeline teetering out, complaining loudly about her heels sinking into the grass. Considering her shoes looked like stripper shoes, he wouldn’t mind if she took them off and walked barefoot. “Like that would ever happen,” he muttered to himself.

By the time Angeline made it to the reception area again, he’d glanced over to see Aaron and Belinda dancing. He had to admit they looked good together. Christ, I’m ready to leave. The event was full of friends having a good time, but his choice to bring a date turned into another bad decision. Now, his mind was filled with Bess and the desire to reach out to her, if for no other reason than to find out what had made her so angry. Angeline cozied up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing close. “Hey, baby. Are you going to ask me to dance? The DJ is decent, even if this is a little hick wedding.”

He glared. “You know, my friends are here. This is where I live and work?—”

“Yes, but I didn’t realize that the Eastern Shore was so boring. I didn’t see a nightclub or theater or?—”

“Nope, not here. Local restaurants and bars, great seafood, and good people.”

She patted his chest. “Yes, but I think we’ll spend most of our time together in Virginia Beach.”

He opened his mouth to say there wouldn’t be another date when the sound of a gun firing echoed loudly. Reacting instinctively, he pushed Angeline to the floor, covering her body with his as he looked around to see who else would need help.

The wedding crowd erupted in screams, adding to the noise of overturning tables and chairs. Some people dropped to the ground, and others ducked and ran toward the restaurant. Goddammit! Not one of us has a firearm with us. He spied a few fellow law enforcement friends running toward the parking lot, where they undoubtedly had their weapons.

Aaron knelt beside Belinda, his eyes wide as though in shock. “Stay down, Angeline,” he ordered before pushing off and racing toward Aaron. As soon as he drew closer, he gasped in disbelief at the sight of Belinda bleeding from the upper chest. “Fuck,” he cursed, dropping down next to Aaron, who was pressing against the wound, blood pouring through his fingers. Sam, Aaron’s partner, soon joined them.

“Medic,” Brad yelled, catching Sheriff Colt Hudson's eye. Colt was shielding his wife, but he whispered to her, then moved deliberately toward Brad, calling out orders into his ever-present radio. Zac Hamilton, Baytown’s rescue chief, raced toward them.

“What the fuck?” Aaron murmured, his face registering shock. “Christ! What the fuck happened?”

Others soon swarmed them, including Judith, a local doctor married to the head of the local Virginia Marine Police. Brad shifted his attention to Colt as he directed the other law enforcement to get the guests to safety inside the restaurant. There was no way to tell if it was a one-shot incident or if the perpetrator would open fire again.

“Came from the beach area,” someone shouted.

“Maybe from a boat,” another called out.

Brad glanced back to see someone else had Angeline and several of the other guests running toward the restaurant. Knowing she was safe, he focused on Judith and the paramedics working on Belinda. Sirens split through the noise all around as more law enforcement arrived. Aaron ran alongside the stretcher, rolling Belinda to the back of the ambulance, his expression fierce as he shouted to his partner, “Call my dad.”

Brad suddenly jerked. Bess! Someone needs to tell Bess! He glanced around and knew many officers were working the scene, both on the water and on the beach. He hastened over to Colt, now firmly in charge of the scene. Even though only one shot was fired into the crowd with one casualty, the threat of more to come had sent everyone into a panic about their loved ones.

“Colt, Aaron has gone to the hospital with Belinda. Her sister needs to be told, and I’d like to be the one to do it.”

Colt held Brad’s gaze for just a few seconds, then nodded. “We’re covered here. Get her safely to the hospital and report to me on the status of Ms. Crowder.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned and started toward the parking lot when he remembered Angeline. Fuck! She had driven to his apartment, and then he’d brought them to the wedding. He changed directions and charged into the restaurant, where deputies were busy taking statements.

Angeline spied him and hurried over. “Oh my God, Brad! I could have been killed!”

“Have you given your statement?”

“What? Didn’t you hear me? I could have been killed!”

He locked eyes with her as he sucked in a deep breath. It was understandable that she’d be upset, but it took little perusal to tell she was more into attention-grabbing than real fear. “You weren’t, and we need to go.”

“Oh,” she exclaimed, her expression softening. “Are we going back to your place?”

Her sultry tone only annoyed him. “Yes, but only to take you to your car. I have to work.”

“Work?” she screeched. “But what about me?”

“You’re alive and unharmed, but someone here wasn’t that lucky. Now, I have things to do. You can either come with me, and I can drop you off, or you can stay here, and I’ll see if someone can give you a ride.”

“Fine,” she bit out, her mouth twisting in a snarl.

“Good,” he curtly replied, then led her out to his SUV, anxious to be rid of her.

As soon as they were driving, it hit him that they would come to Bess's apartment first, and his place was farther down the road, on the way to the hospital. As much as he hated the idea of Bess and Angeline being in each other’s company for only a few minutes, he couldn’t afford to waste the time it would take to drop Angeline at his place and backtrack to Bess. The last thing he wanted was for her to hear about the shooting from someone else. Grimacing, he gripped the steering wheel tighter and jerked his vehicle into the parking lot, bypassed her VW Beetle, and stopped next to the curb.