Two Weddings and a Fugitive (The Chanel Series Book 4) (20 page)

Boris flicked open the blade of his knife and it was my turn to scream. Everything slowed down as the knife lanced towards Dad. I noted the look of horror on Dad’s face, heard the rest of the wedding guests yelling in confusion, and slowly, ever so slowly, the blade got closer-and-closer to his stomach. His attempt to dodge the blow was going to fail, I could see it, and both he and Boris knew it. Boris let out a cruel laugh and then, for a fraction of a second, the clear noise of a gun firing drowned everything else out.

The bullet slammed into Boris’s forehead, driving him back onto the grass before his knife made contact. He never even knew what hit him.

Billy got to us a moment later. He grabbed Harry and pulled him back away from Boris. Nick threw himself bodily on top of me, his weight pushing painfully onto my ankle.

‘Yoooowww,’ I screeched, pushing him off. He hopped straight back up and tried to throw his arms around me again.

I looked up the hill in confusion as I batted at Nick with my hands. It if wasn’t Billy who made that shot, who was it?

Mum stood with both arms out straight in front of her as she sighted down the barrel of her gun. Martine stood next to her, the movement of her mouth reminding me of a goldfish. When Mum was sure Boris wasn’t getting back up, she nodded and then switched the safety back on her Magnum. She wore a pleased little smile as
she slipped it into her handbag and trotted down the hill.

‘That was close,’ she said. ‘I was waiting for you to take the drop Billy. Where’s your weapon?’

‘It wouldn’t fit under my tuxedo without being obvious.’

I checked out his suit. It
was
rather snug in a wonderful way.

‘I’m fine,’ I said to Nick. ‘Now get off.’ I crawled to Harry’s side and threw myself into his arms. ‘Dad,’ I croaked through my tears.

‘Baby.’ He ran his hands over my face as if to make sure I was all right. ‘I thought he got you.’

I choked on my laugh. ‘I fell over. He missed.’

‘You both scared me to death.’ Billy squatted down and wrapped his arms around us.

‘Well, I never.’ I recognised Aunt Esme’s voice. ‘Bet, I told you that these people were nothing but trouble. If you think I’m going to risk my life by staying here for one more second, you’re a fool.’

‘Excellent,’ Bert said. ‘Would somebody please take Esme back to her hotel?’

‘I’ll do it.’ Alistair took Esme’s elbow and started marching her back up the hill toward the Chapel.

‘Oh, I didn’t mean right now,’ she said. ‘I meant
after
the reception.’

‘Nonsense,’ Alistair said, ‘we wouldn’t want to risk any harm coming to you. You’ll be much safer back in your hotel room.’

‘Chanel. Oh my God, Chanel.’ Martine reached down and grabbed my hand, easily pulling me up so she could hug me. ‘I thought you were dead for sure.’

Mum took my position on Harry’s lap. ‘My hero,’ she said as she took his face in her hands.

Tara and Matt pushed through the crowd around us. She had a wild look on her face. ‘I heard you scream.’

‘Sorry,’ I said. I mean this was all my fault. If I hadn’t been there Boris wouldn’t have ruined her wedding.

‘You’re all right, though?’

I pointed at my foot. I had taken off the shoe and my ankle was swelling at an impressive rate.

‘Ice,’ she said. ‘We need ice. Luckily we have a good supply of doctors here.’

Ricardo and Billy fireman-chair lifted me back up to the seats. They sat me in one and put my leg up on another one and then Ricardo went for ice. Gloria examined my ankle with softly probing fingers while Billy held my hand. Martine sat on the other side of me patting my arm as if to reassure herself I was actually there.

‘I don’t think it’s broken,’ Gloria said. ‘But we’ll have to get it x-rayed to be sure.’

‘Can you just give me some good drugs now and we’ll get it x-rayed tomorrow?’ I didn’t want to disrupt the wedding any more than I already had.

‘Sorry. If it
is
broken it will need to be set as soon as possible. There’s a Medical Centre across the road from the resort. I’ll give them a ring and see if they have x-raying equipment.’

Sal approached us and took a seat across from me. ‘How’re you doing?’

I gestured at my foot. ‘If I hadn’t done that, everything would have been fine.’

‘I was standing directly up the hill from you,’ she said. ‘If you hadn’t done that, it would be
two
bodies I was organising to be removed.’

Suddenly, a sprained ankle didn’t seem so bad.

‘Your Mum,’ she said. ‘I’m hoping she has a licence for that thing.’

‘She does,’ I said. At least I hoped she did. I wouldn’t have put it past her to have lied about it.

‘She does.’ Billy squeezed my hand. ‘I’ve seen it.’

‘She’s still going to cop a lot of heat,’ Sal said.

‘If she hadn’t shot him when she did, Dad would be dead.’

‘I’ll vouch for that.’ Sal nodded and stood back up again.

‘I guess that trip to Spain will have to wait,’ I said.

‘Spain?’ He looked confused for a second and then said, ‘Oh. Their friends got back to them?’

I had to keep remembering that he hadn’t heard the story Mum had told us. That was going to be tricky. ‘Yes. Liss was Mum’s best friend before she moved to Australia.’

He looked over to where Mum was talking to Sal. ‘Yep, don’t think they’ll be leaving the country for a while.’ His mouth quirked up into a small smile and laughter danced around the edges of his eyes. ‘So…Tess is a pretty good shot. Guess that doesn’t run in the family.’

I rolled my eyes and leant into him. He put an arm around me.

‘We’re good to go,’ Gloria said. ‘Hopefully we’ll have you fixed up and back at the reception before entrée.’

Martine, Tara and Matt followed my fireman’s chair out to the golf buggy.

‘Bye.’ Tara waved at me as they lowered me into the buggy. ‘See you soon.’

Martine looked as if she was going to climb into the buggy but I waved a hand at her. ‘Go and have fun,’ I said. ‘And save me a seat.’

She looked uncertain for a second but then Tara took her hand.

Billy jumped in next to me in the back and Gloria took the wheel. ‘We’ll see you at the reception,’ she told them.

‘Look after her,’ Tara said.

‘I don’t think there’s anyone left to attack me.’ I looked at Billy. ‘We’re pretty much done aren’t we?’

‘With you?’ He shook his head. ‘You never can tell.’

I was in the process of sticking my tongue out at him when Nick rounded the corner of the chapel and sprinted towards us. ‘Wait for me,’ he yelled.

‘Don’t you want to hang out with the bridesmaids?’ I asked.

‘And miss all the nurses?’ He vaulted into the seat next to Gloria and smacked his hand onto the dashboard. ‘Hi ho Silver.’

‘The Lone Ranger,’ Billy and I said together.

Gloria made far better time getting back to the resort and the Medical Centre than we had made on the way to the wedding. She held the front door open while Billy picked me up and carried me inside. I tried not to take too much pleasure from the feel of his body cradling me. I didn’t want the doctor to think I was having a heart attack.

I filled out a medical history form and handed over my Medicare card and then we settled down to wait.

‘You should go,’ I said to Gloria.

‘Nonsense.’ She flashed me a smile. ‘To tell you the truth, I’m welcoming the excuse to get out of the photos.’

‘Oh no.’ I looked at Billy. ‘You need to go back for the photos.’

Nick sat on his chair swinging his legs back and forth. ‘Where are all the nurses?’ he asked Gloria.

‘You were serious about that?’

‘Nick Junior’s been getting a little lonesome lately. He wants me to find him a playmate.’

‘Nick Junior?’ Gloria looked around, no doubt having the same Babushka doll vision I’d first had.

‘He’s talking about his winky,’ I said with a grin.

‘Ughhhhhh. And that,’ she said, ‘is why I’m gay.’

‘Chanel Smith?’ A beautiful blonde woman stood in a doorway.

‘Come to Papa.’ Nick slipped off his chair and said, ‘She’s over here.’ He walked towards her and said, ‘I’m her body guard so I’ll be coming in with her.’

She looked from me to him and said, ‘She’s hurt.’

‘That’s why we’re here.’ He gave her his biggest smile as he looked up at her.

‘Well, all I’m saying is you’re obviously not a very good body guard.’

‘Ahhh,’ he said, ‘but I have certain other talents that may come in handy to a beautiful woman like you.’

Billy swept me up and carried me towards the doorway.

‘Now
he
,’ the woman nodded her head at Billy, ‘looks like a body guard.’

We followed her and Nick down a corridor.

‘Oh yes, but that’s why I’m so good at my job. Nobody suspects me of being a body guard.’

The woman let out a tinkly laugh. ‘You may be short but you’re funny. I’m Susie.’

‘Helloooo Susie.’ Nick looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a thumbs up, then he held his hand out to her. ‘Nick.’

I breathed a sigh of relief when the x-ray came back all clear. Nick admired Susie’s form as she bandaged my ankle and then we were back out and into the cart.

‘Ring me.’ Nick held his thumb and little finger up to his ear and mouth as he watched Susie. She giggled and waved.

I could hear Mum’s voice crooning out from the restaurant as Gloria opened the door of the hotel. I hobbled through on my crutches, wincing as I knocked the door with my leg.

‘Let me carry you,’ Billy said.

‘I’ve got to get used to these things. I mean you can’t carry me everywhere.’

He leant down and whispered into my ear. ‘I know where I’d like to carry you.’

Before I could ask him exactly where that was – bed, please be bed – Tara’s Mum, Bet, swooped on me.

‘Chanel.’ She ushered me towards a spare seat. ‘Sit down. Here have a drink.’ She sat next to me and handed me a glass of bubbly. ‘Off you go Billy. Matt’s over at the bar.’

I watched Billy walk away, admiring the way those pants hugged his butt. ‘I don’t know if I should be drinking that. They fed me some pretty strong painkillers.’

‘You can have one. It’ll make the painkillers work better.’ She sat down beside me. ‘Now, Tara filled me in on what’s been going on.’

‘Oh,’ I said. ‘I’m so sorry about that. I’ll go now if you want me to.’

She stared at me in confusion. ‘Why would I want you to leave?’

‘I endangered your family.’ I pressed the glass back into her hands and then reached for my crutches.

‘You sacrificed yourself for us. You got kidnapped and tortured.’

‘Well, if you call spending the night with Nick torture.’

She snorted out a laugh. ‘You’re a good person. You sure you don’t need another pet?’

I shook my head. ‘One dog is enough for me.’

‘Not a nice little turtle?’

‘Bet.’ Bert rubbed his hands nervously on the sides of his pants. ‘I was wondering if you would care to dance with me.’

‘Oh Bert.’ She blushed and fluttered her eyelashes as she looked up at him. ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

He took her hand and whisked her off to the dance floor. They didn’t seem to care that the bride and groom hadn’t had their first dance. Instead, they appeared to float as he whirled her around the floor. She giggled and stared into his eyes.

‘He was a ballroom dancer, or so Tara says.’ Billy pulled Bet’s seat out and perched on the edge of it.

I looked back at them. ‘I’d believe it,’ I said.

He picked at the corner of the label on his beer. ‘So many times over the last couple of days I thought I’d lost you.’

‘And yet here I am.’ I held my arms out to the sides. The alcohol and drugs were starting to give me a real buzz.

‘I didn’t like not being there when you needed me. When Boris pulled that trigger….’ He stopped and shook his head.

‘Hey.’ I leant forward and put my hand on his knee.

‘Anyway it got me to thinking, about, you know.’ He waved his hand between us. ‘And about how I wasn’t going to be
able
to be here to protect you.’

I took a sip of my drink. I didn’t want to think about him going back to America.

‘And then I was thinking about how bad it was going to be not seeing you all the time.’ He sat back and ran his free hand through his hair. ‘I’m making a mess of this.’

‘A mess of what?’ God, he was gorgeous.

‘Chanel.’ He reached over and grabbed my hand. ‘What I’m trying to ask you I have no right to. I’m being selfish but I can’t help myself.’ He stared into my eyes and said, ’Come back with me when I go. Come back to America.’

I stared at him for a second as my lips moved soundlessly. Finally, one word made it past my larynx and out of my mouth. ‘
Ooohhhh
.’

THE END

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Two Weddings and a Fugitive.
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Hi there, I’m Donna Joy Usher. I started writing my first novel when I was seven. With no idea about plot or character development (I mean I
was
only seven) my storyline quickly disintegrated into a muddled jumble of boring dialogue between two horses. Disillusioned, I gave up writing stories for quite a while after that. Instead, I concentrated on my studies, eventually graduating as a dentist.

After many years of ‘drilling and filling’ I turned to writing in an effort to escape the seriousness of my day job. During that time I created my first book,
The Seven Steps to Closure,
and discovered that I love nothing more than making other people laugh. Well that, and my husband and two miniature schnauzers, Chloe and Xena.

I currently live near the Swan River in the beautiful city of Perth. When I am not working or writing, I love to kayak, ride my bicycle, and sip chai lattes at the local cafe.

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