Read Online Destination Wedding by REBECCA YORK - Free Book Online

of here. You know the layout of the house?”
    “Yes. Victor was very happy to give me a tour, He thinks any woman would be thrilled to live here”
    He shook his head, then said, “We want to get to the natural area beyond the gardens.”
    “He said it was dangerous in there.”
    “Of course he would say that to keep you from trying to escape. But really, he doesn’t want any dangers creeping out of the jungle into his living area.”
    “I guess that makes sense.”
    “What’s the most direct route from here to there?”
    “Down the hall, past the living room and dining room. There are a couple of doors onto the patio.”
    Before they left the bedroom, she laid her head against his shoulder, and he clasped her to him, folding her close. They had gotten this far, but she knew they still weren’t safe.
    “There could be other guards. And I’m going to try and stay invisible,” he murmured. “You walk naturally, like you’re just going for a stroll.”
    “Sure.”
    She started down the hall and heard him following but didn’t look back. Most of the lights were off, but a single lamp burned in the living room. She peered around the corner and saw Mary Ann sitting on the sofa, her shoulders hunched and a tall glass of clear liquid in her hand. Vodka? As Camille watched, the woman took a gulp from the glass, grimaced and muttered something that Camille couldn’t catch.
    It looked like Victor’s assistant wasn’t taking the wedding so well. She clenched her hand around the glass. Then she deliberately put it down, reached into the pocket of her dress, and pulled out a mobile phone.
    Camille watched her face harden as she punched in some numbers.
    When someone on the other end of the line answered, she spoke in a low voice. It sounded like she said, “Go.” But Camille couldn’t be sure.
    The call lasted only seconds, and Mary Ann replaced the phone in her pocket, then threw her head back against the sofa cushions and closed her eyes.
    Camille took a deep breath, then walked quickly but quietly across the open space at the edge of the darkened hallway. Apparently she hadn’t been seen because Mary Ann didn’t raise a cry of alarm. Or maybe she had seen and was hoping Camille would wind up with her head on a chopping block.
    Nick joined her on the other side of the wide doorway. Neither of them spoke as they continued into the empty dining room, then through the doorway to the patio.
    She looked back at Nick. “What was that about, do you think?”
    “I don’t know. Let’s hope it doesn’t have anything to do with us.”
    Camille nodded as they stood in the shadows, looking out at the darkened landscape. A few hours ago, the space had been set up for the wedding ceremony and reception. Now it was back to its original configuration with an umbrella table and a couple of chaises at the edge of the pool.
    Nick’s hand closed around her wrist, and she went still. Following his gaze, she saw a guard with an automatic rifle approaching.
    Both of them pressed into the shadows as the guy walked steadily toward them, then kept on going past.
    When he had disappeared, Nick bent his head to her ear. “Walk right in front of me. With any luck, we’ll make it to the jungle before the security force figures out what happened in the bedroom.”
    She nodded, then started across the patio. They were almost to the other side when a loud alarm began to ring, and floodlights snapped on.
     

CHAPTER NINE
    Nick felt Camille freeze in place. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her off the hardscape and down into the vegetation.
    “What happened?” she asked in a raspy whisper from where they huddled behind some tropical shrubs.
    Nick shook his head. “You can bet nobody came into the bedroom unannounced. He must have woken up from his little nap and had some way to call for help.”
    “But you searched him before we got out of there.”
    “Yeah. Unfortunately he wasn’t carrying anything obvious like a signal device in his