Forever Alexa (Book Four In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series) (45 page)

“I know you,” Mr. Lee insisted. “I recognize your voice.” He reached for her hair, touching the curled ends of the wig.

She shook her head and glanced at Christina, knowing they were in trouble. “I’m afraid we’ve never met, Mr. Lee.”

“This is so exciting.” Christina stepped closer, bumping his arm further away from the wig. “I mean, I can’t believe this. Jenny, do you
know
how many women would die to be in our spot right now?”

Mr. Lee flicked Christina a glance, dismissing her, and returned his attention to Alexa. “Ms. Carstens—”

The lights blinked, and the room fell silent. Then guests’ voices rose to a dull roar. The chandelier above flickered again.

“Lenny,” Eric said to the hulking man at his side, “go find out what’s going on.”

“We should head out to the patio before we get stampeded.” Christina clutched Alexa’s hand.

“Wait.” Mr. Lee grabbed Alexa’s wrist. Cold sweat dripped down her back. Mr. Lee had to know Abby somehow. She was going to be discovered, and all hell was going to break loose. “You look like—”

The room went black, and Alexa yanked away from Mr. Lee’s grip. Christina kept hold of her hand, and they made their way to the glow of city lights well in the distance through the French doors.

“We need to get out of here.” Christina tugged, moving faster. They bumped into several guests along the way.

“But the room down the hall—we have to get to the room down the hall.”

“No. We’re leaving.”

Alexa pulled away. “I can’t, Christina. Not yet.”

“It’s not an option. It’s an order. You’re cover’s blown. Abort. We’re heading out the back doors by the west wall.” Christina was no longer speaking to her, but to Detective Canon, Agent Terron, and Tucker listening through their headsets.

This was it—the end of the road. The sting was over, but she couldn’t go. Not without talking to Blondie first. Her heart jackhammered. They were almost to the doors. Once she stepped outside, she wouldn’t be allowed to step back in, and Abby would be lost forever.
No
. This wasn’t how it would end for her sister. Alexa took a deep, trembling breath and yanked her hand from Christina’s. She ducked and pushed her way into the crowd, using the dark to her advantage.

“Jenny?”

Alexa moved away from the sound of Christina’s voice. She had to get down the hall while she was still invisible to the people who would be searching for her. She just needed to find Blondie, then she would leave. Abby deserved this last-ditch effort. “I’m okay,” she said into her necklace as she used her shoulder to not-so-politely rush through the crowds, bumping in to countless people in the shadows. Time was of the essence. “I saw Blondie, the dancer you flirted with the night we went to Lady Pink.” Tucker would remember. How could he forget? “I have to find her and ask her about Abby.”

Tucker, Detective Canon, and Agent Terron could not respond, but as long as they knew her plan, everything would work out. They were going to be pissed. Jack probably wouldn’t talk to her for days, but this was the closest they’d come yet to tracking down her sister. Blondie had answers; she could
feel
it. Alexa’s gut had warned her not to leave Abby and Livy that night at the rest stop, but she’d ignored it, listening to Abby’s teasing about her overprotective streak. Tonight she would go with her hunch and deal with the consequences later.

Finally she made her way to the pocket doors where the ballroom met the hallway and turned the corner. Alexa stopped short when she caught site of Lenny and another large man, with a grizzled black beard and crew cut holding a flashlight, walking her way. She gasped as they moved closer. “I see the man who stood lording over my sister at Lady Pink when Jack and I were there. He’s the same man from the bachelor party picture Detective Canon had me look at to identify Abby.”

She faced the wall as they continued in her direction, desperately hoping Lenny would continue past. She slammed her eyes shut and barely breathed when he stopped next to her.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” he shouted. “The neighborhood is having trouble with power this evening. Crews are working on the problem now. The generators will be up and running in a minute or two. Please stay calm.”

Calm? Stay calm? Alexa was anything but calm as she clenched her teeth and eased to the left, attempting to skirt by. If she could just move past him… She clutched her trembling fists, fearful her legs would collapse out from under her. The inches of progress she made didn’t matter, because Lenny took a step back and bumped her shoulder.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Nodding, she advanced forward, not daring to look back as she attempted to squeeze by an elderly couple blocking her way. “Excuse me,” she muttered, but they didn’t budge in the chaos of the dark.
Come on
.
Come on
. She pressed her lips together and gave the older man a shove. “I’m sorry.” She took advantage of the small opening and fled another few inches.

She had to get away. The generators could kick on at any moment. If Lenny spotted her, she wouldn’t be going anywhere. He’d watched her every move since she walked through the door. His scrutiny had been easier to deal with when she’d pretended to sip champagne in the light and had a cop standing next to her. Now she was on her own.

“Hey, Len, I’m going to check on a couple things.”

Alexa risked a peek over her shoulder to glimpse the vile man with the beard speaking to Lenny.

“I’ll go find out what the fuck’s taking so long with the lights.” They merged into the crowd and vanished as quickly as they’d appeared.

Alexa pressed an unsteady hand to the wall and struggled to stay upright as a rush of relief left her dizzy. “I’m okay. I’m okay,” she repeated into her mic, reassuring herself as much as the men listening. With the coast clear, she pressed her body to the cool wall and slid her way around bent elbows and broad shoulders crammed into the tight space. “I’m almost there.” She let loose a quiet laugh—part nerves, part relief. “A few more steps, maybe twenty, and I’ll be to the door I saw Blondie go in. I need to see who’s in there and talk to Blondie, then I’m coming out. I’ll be ready to go. One more door. Jack’s going to be mad.” She knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t stop. “I’m sure you are too, but I have to do this. I can get on the plane tomorrow after I do this.”

The door Alexa stared at opened, and another muscular man stepped out with flashlights in both hands. He made himself at home leaning against the wall. “No. Damn it. How am I going to get in that room?” Struggling with tears of frustration she closed her eyes, attempting to think over the wrench in her plans. Walking through that doorway wasn’t an option any longer, but what about a window? The room had to have a window. “I’m heading outside.” She turned and slammed into a broad chest. The force of the blow knocked her back a step. Her hands automatically went to her wig, making certain it stayed in place. “Oh, excuse me.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.” She gave the college-aged kid a smile and kept moving as quickly as the crowd would allow. “I’m almost to the ballroom. I’ll go through the French doors facing the back. I just have to get there without Eric seeing me.” Why had so many people stayed inside, standing around in the stifling air? She glanced behind her, paranoid that Renzo, Mr. Lee, or Lenny was just a step away, and did a double-take. “Abby,” she whispered. “Oh, my God, I see Abby.” Alexa pressed a hand to her trembling lips, hardly able to believe it. “She’s here. She’s in the hall with Blondie, two other girls, and a bouncer.”

Staring, unable to move, Alexa studied her sister. Pretty, vibrant Abby looked so different. The clinging, sleeveless black cocktail dress—identical to Blondie’s and the other young women’s—accentuated a drastic weight loss—weight her sister’s willowy frame couldn’t afford to lose. Her once bright eyes were dull, and her lashes caked with too much mascara. Her long, black hair was pulled up in a ponytail, the luster gone from her typically gorgeous locks. What had they done to her sister?

Without thinking, Alexa rushed forward, back from the way she’d just come. She had to get Abby. She had to get her away before they damaged her more. “I’m getting my sister. Be ready to come in guns blazing because I’m not leaving without her.” She glanced toward the stairwell cast in shadows. “We’ll be waiting for you upstairs if I can get us there.” It was better to find a hiding spot and hold tight than risk being stopped by Eric or one of the others.

It was over. Abby’s nightmare was finally over. Alexa’s eyes locked on her baby sister, determined not to lose her in the crowd. The bouncer said something close to Blondie’s ear as the group of five walked closer.

“Just a few more steps.” Alexa wiggled her fingers and licked her lips, gearing herself up for the fight of her life. Heart hammering, Alexa pushed forward through the crowd and locked her hand around Abby’s thin arm as she passed. Abby’s surprised gasp barely registered as Alexa stuck her foot out in front of the bouncer.

“What the fuck?” He stumbled forward, dropping both of his flashlights as he tried to catch himself but fell to the floor, bringing Blondie with him.

Alexa capitalized on the moment of confusion. “Come on, Abby. Let’s go.” She yanked on Abby, propelling them back into the mob of guests. “Duck. Duck down and walk,” she said as she shoved at the people in front of them. “It’s hot in here,” Alexa said into her mic. “It’s really damn hot in here. Come get us.”

“Fawn!” the bouncer shouted, and Abby stiffened, her sweat-slicked skin trembling beneath Alexa’s fingers.

“It’s okay. Keep going, Abby. Keep walking with me. We’re almost there.” They were getting closer to the stairs.

Where were the agents? Where were Tucker and Jack? “It’s
hot
in here. I have her. I have Abby.” She glanced to her left. “Oh, God.” Lenny and the bearded man were coming their way. Surely the authorities were going to storm through the door at any second and end this hell. But ten seconds turned into twenty, then thirty, and they still hadn’t come.

Alexa held her breath and skirted around more people, pulling her sister with her to the stairwell just steps ahead of Lenny. She hovered behind the thick post, struggling to catch her breath as she followed the beam of the flashlight along the walls, watching it move further away. She wiped at her sweaty forehead. The lack of air conditioning and sheer terror left her drenched. “We have to get upstairs.”

“I’m afraid,” Abby whispered.

“Jack’s going to save us. He’s coming. So are the police.”

Tears streamed down Abby’s cheeks. “I can’t go.”

Alexa clutched her sister’s arm, afraid Abby might run back to the danger she was trying to save her from.

“They’ll hurt Livy if I get away.”

Fear flooded her system and sickened her stomach as she thought of her beautiful little girl. “They won’t hurt Livy. Livy’s safe with Jack’s parents and Doug Masterson, Jack’s old roommate. He’s a cop, remember? They’re taking good care of her.” She had to believe that was true. Jack wouldn’t have left Livy if he’d thought differently. He’d said so himself. “Livy’s safe. Come on, let’s get upstairs. We have to hurry.”

They crouched and moved quickly up the carpeted steps. Alexa sighed her relief as Abby kept up with her of her own accord, but the moment was short lived as she spotted two beams of light bobbing closer to the stairs. By now, they must have figured out Abby had fled. It would only be a matter of time before men started combing the second floor. “It’s hot in here. Swarm the damn house already,” she hissed into the necklace. “Tucker, what are you doing?”

Exhausted and running on adrenaline, Alexa grabbed Abby’s hand as they hit the threshold of the second story. “Let’s go.” They ran passed several closed doors, stopped at a random room, and stepped inside. Alexa shut the solid wood behind them and flipped the lock, but then quickly twisted it back. A locked door would give them away. Still clutching her sister’s fingers, she leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths. She couldn’t think over the pounding of her heart and the outright fear. “We have to get out of here.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Steadier, Alexa moved closer to the large picture window overlooking the summer gardens, greedy for the bright glow of DC’s distant lights against the sky. It seemed as if they’d been in the dark for ages. She glanced down at her necklace, ready to give the agents her phrase again, but yanked the pendant up instead. “Oh my God.” The fake pearl was missing along with the microphone. How long had she been on her own? Had they realized she wasn’t transmitting?

“What’s the matter?”

Alexa looked into her sister’s defeated, nervous eyes, wanting to shield her from their latest problem. “We have to call nine-one-one and get help. We need to hide until the authorities come get us.”

“I don’t think I can keep going.” Abby’s lips trembled. “I’m so tired, Lex.”

Alexa wanted nothing more than to comfort the quiet stranger before her, but there wasn’t time. “It’s going to be okay.” She rested a hand on Abby’s shoulder, and her sister started to cry. “Oh, Ab.” Unable to stand the soft, helpless weeping, Alexa pulled her into a hug for the first time in weeks and held on, struggling to concentrate on the relief of having her sister close, instead of Abby’s bony ribcage pressed against hers through the thin fabric of their dresses. She must have lost ten pounds. “We’re going to get out of here together. Jack’s taking us to LA for a while. He lives there now. We’re going to get you back on your feet. I promise.”

“What if I can’t?” she choked out. “What if I can’t do it? I feel so…broken. I’m so broken, Lex.”

“You can.” Alexa eased back and took Abby’s cheeks in her hands, staring into her eyes, willing her sister to absorb some of her strength. “I
know
you can. You’re Abigail Harris, one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. Livy’s been waiting for you. She wants her Auntie Ab back.”

Abby gave her a watery smile, and Alexa fought against her own tears; a good cry would have to wait until later. “Let’s go home, Ab.” She needed Abby to hold on for just a little longer.

“Okay.” She shuddered out a sigh and fingered Alexa’s wig. “This thing’s awful. It’s so not you.”

Alexa pulled Abby back for another quick hug. Despite her best efforts, a tear escaped as she grinned. The small glimpse of the Abby she knew gave her hope. “It’s not my favorite either.” She freed herself from her sister’s grip and hurried to the phone on the nightstand. She yanked the receiver up and dialed nine-one-one, but there was no dial tone. “Hello? Hello? The line’s dead. We have to—”

Footsteps crept down the hall, stopping outside the room next door.

Abby’s eyes widened and her breath began to heave as she backed up. Alexa grabbed her hand as her gaze darted around the spacious bedroom. They had to hide, and now, but
where
? She tugged Abby to the closet but stopped by the gargantuan wardrobe instead and yanked the door open. The space was crowded with men’s shirts and slacks. “Get in,” Alexa whispered.

“What about you?”