Chapter Twenty-Six

Brielle

We strike gold with the eighth one I try on, a chiffon and lace cocktail dress. Not only is it the perfect size, but the emerald-green color really brings out my eyes. The V-neckline and swooping cowl back are tastefully done, and the dress showcases my waist before it cascades into a soft, flowing skirt with an ankle-length handkerchief hemline.

“What do you think?” I ask Hope and Bethany when I step out of the ladies’ room to show them.

“That’s the one,” Hope says immediately, and Bethany nods her agreement.

“I love it,” I say, “and the hemline means I can wear several different heel heights. I’ll take it, Bethany.”

“Excellent,” she replies, clapping her hands together with glee. “Let me take the others back out to the van. I’ll be right back.”

“See? That wasn’t so bad,” Hope teases, and I smile.

“I normally hate clothes shopping,” I admit. “But Bethany has a way of putting people at ease. Once this is all over, I’m looking forward to browsing in her boutique and seeing what else I can find.”

“Well, she carries everything from capri pants to full formal wear,” Hope reveals. “And she knows her stuff. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”

I return to the ladies’ room and carefully remove the dress, hanging it up again before I pull on my clothes. When I return to the room, Bethany is back from her van, and asks, “What about shoes?”

I shrug. “I’ll have to buy a pair.”

“Do you trust my judgement?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then let me see what I can find. Size, and preferred heel height?”

“I wear a seven and a half, and I prefer three-inch heels or smaller.”

“I’m on it,” Bethany says with a smile. “I can swing back by here with them tomorrow, or I can meet you wherever you’d like.”

“I appreciate it very much,” I tell her, then turn to Hope.

“I probably ought to get back and see what the guys have come up with.”

Hope nods. “I’ll be there shortly. I’m going to walk Bethany out.”

We part ways at the end of the hall, and I wave goodbye to the boutique owner before returning to the large conference room to get caught up on the plan.

But as I enter the room, it becomes clear that the planning session has wrapped up. Braeden, Sam, Jack, and Mark are gone, and Tucker is shaking Allen’s hand.

“How much did I miss?” I say, trying to keep my tone light.

“The technical stuff. But we have everything lined out now,” Allen responds as he and Tucker cross the room to meet me. “And we reached out to the hotel and read in their security manager. He’s willing to let us place a couple of my guys in among his staff for the evening.”

“So, it sounds like all that’s left to do is wait.”

“Yes. Well, besides get my hands on a tuxedo, that is,” Allen says with a warm smile. “I haven’t worn one in years.”

Once Detective Tucker leaves, Allen glances at me.

“You ready to see my place?”

“I’ve seen it already. I was your realtor, remember?”

“Yes,” he says with a grin, “but wait until you see what I’m doing with it.”

Hope appears in the doorway and stops us.

“Allen, could I speak to you in my office for a moment?”

“Sure,” he says, and squeezes my hand.

“I’ll be right back, Brielle.”

Allen

The moment I shut Hope’s office door behind us, she starts in.

“Allen,” she says in her best I-am-exasperated tone, “what are you doing? I’ve known you for over thirty years, and not once have I seen you mix business and personal, until now.”

“I’m aware,” I retort. “But she’s different.”

Hope sighs.

“Look. I get it. I really do,” she says softly as she watches my expression. “I’m just worried about you.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, Hope,” I tell her. “But for the first time since Mary died, I feel whole again.”

Her eyebrows raise. “That serious, huh.”

“That serious.”

She walks across the space to me and puts a hand on my arm.

“Then I am happy for you,” Hope says, and the smile on her face tells me that her words are sincere.

“Are you done lecturing me?” I tease. “Because if so, I’d like to take Brielle home now.”

“For now,” she teases back, “but I reserve the right to invoke my privilege later, if needed.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I throw back along with a mock salute, then hug her.

“Thanks for being such a good friend to me,” I murmur.

“You’re welcome,” she says as she pats my back. “Even if you are a supreme pain in my ass sometimes. Now, take your lady home.”

***

I opt to keep the clunker in service due to its enhanced security features, and escort Brielle to the front passenger seat once we have said our goodbyes to Pete and Hope. As we buckle in, I glance over at Brielle, who is watching me with a puzzled look on her face.

“What’s the matter?”

“I have a question but I’m not sure how to ask it,” she admits, and bites her lower lip.

“Just ask, and I will answer as best I can.”

“Well… um… it’s about Hope.”

“Okay. What about her?”

“Are you two… you know… were you two ever involved, or anything?”

My face must reflect my surprise because Brielle grins.

“I take it that’s a no.”

“That’s a great big fat hell no,” I confirm. “Her big brother and I were best friends. Hope’s always been the pesky little sister in my world, that’s all.”

Brielle frowns.

“But you’re not best friends anymore?”

“We lost Keith in Afghanistan back in 2003.”

She gasps, and her eyes go dark with sympathy. “I’m so sorry, Allen.”

“He was a great guy, you’d have really liked him,” I say, then change the subject. “But yeah, I have known Hope for a long, long time now. So long that it feels like we really are blood-related.”

“I feel that way about Mari,” she confides. “We only met ten years ago, but it’s like she has always been a part of me. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“Good to have people like that in your circle.”

“Yep, it really is,” she agrees. “So now what?”

“My house, and dinner, for starters.”

“You gonna fill me in on what I missed in the planning session?”

“If you like.”

“Well of course I like. Might make me feel better knowing it all, since I’m the one that will have a target on her back Saturday night.”

I put the clunker back in park and take both her hands in mine.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. We’re gonna catch this bastard,” I tell her solemnly, and mean it with every fiber of my being. “I promise.”

“I sure hope so,” Brielle says with a nervous smile, “because the dress I picked out is fabulous and I’m gonna be really pissed off if it gets ruined.”

I bring her left hand to my mouth to kiss the back of it.

“It won’t. I swear it.”

Her green eyes blaze with emotion as she looks at me and softly says, “I believe you.”

***

Too soon, it seems, Saturday afternoon arrives. Hope stops by to drop off the tuxedo that I have rented, along with five different pairs of shoes for Brielle to try on.

“Bethany really does know her stuff,” Brielle says as she looks at the selection. “Any of these will work.”

“Told you so,” Hope says with a smile. “I also brought the makeup you asked for.”

“Guess I’d better go start getting ready, then,” Brielle says, then hesitates, then flings her arms around a surprised Hope. “Thanks. For everything.”

Brielle releases her, beams at me, then grabs the items Hope brought and heads into the master bedroom.

“I really do like her,” Hope tells me softly.

“I’m glad. Your opinion matters to me.”

Hope smiles. “Anything else you need?”

“Nope. I think we’re good. Our guys onsite?”

“Jack and Mark are supposed to meet the security manager at six. Braeden will be working the valet parking and Marlon is posing as one of the waitstaff working the banquet. Sam’s got his own plan lined out for getting onto that island, and Pete said to tell you he’ll be monitoring it all from home base.”

I chuckle when she mentions Sam. “Knowing Sam, he’ll swim all the way out there so he can be even more stealthy.”

“I’d say that is definitely within the realm of possibility. Have fun tonight, boss.”

She stands on tiptoe to kiss my cheek before she leaves.

***

An hour later, Brielle appears in the living room, dressed and ready, and takes my breath away.

I swallow hard.

“You look… stunning. Amazing. Gorgeous,” I stammer, and her cheeks and neck flush crimson.

“Glad you like it.”

I slowly approach her, the long slender velvet box behind my back.

“There’s just one thing missing,” I say, and think besides a diamond on that left hand telling the world you are spoken for.

“And that would be?”

I bring the box into her line of sight. “I thought this might go nicely with your dress.”

She takes the box from me and opens it, then lifts her head, eyes wide.

“Allen…. it’s beautiful,” she exclaims. “Where did you….?”

“Been in my family a while,” I reveal as I lift the delicately spun gold and emerald necklace from its resting place to fasten it around her neck. “Hope mentioned your dress was green, and I thought this might go with it.”

She kisses me tenderly before moving back into the master bathroom to look in the mirror.

“It’s perfect,” she says, a delicate hand coming up to her neck to gently splay across where the necklace touches her skin.

“Not as perfect as the woman wearing it,” I say, coming behind her to wrap my arms around her waist and nibble on the earlobe that her elegant updo leaves exposed.

“You keep doing that and we are going to be very late,” she purrs.

“Fine, I’ll behave. Give me twenty minutes and I will be ready to go. But just know – the moment I get you back here, that dress is coming off.”

She pivots in my arms and kisses me.

“I know,” she murmurs, her voice a smokey growl. “I’m counting on it.”