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“Let me go!” The thief struggled, but BB knew how to keep his hold on her firm without hurting her.
“I could use your help.” Jimmy shifted his gaze from the thief and back to BB. “There’s plenty of time for both of us to make it to the wedding.”
The thief renewed her struggles, and BB pierced her with a fierce stare which had been known to keep more than one criminal in line.
“Stop struggling, or I’ll cuff you and store you in a closet until the cops get here.”
“You can’t do that.”
His tone was cool and carried an edge of steel. “I’ve done it before. No reason why I can’t do it again.”
The threat shut her up. For now. But BB realized what Jimmy had already concluded. The hotel owner would not be able to handle the thief. She was skilled enough to steal undetected until he came along, so he guessed she was experienced enough to evade arrest. He could see the cunning in her eyes. She could possibly have tricks up her sleeve to escape without Jimmy seeing it coming. But BB doubted she had any tricks he had not seen before.
“Fine. I’ll stay. But if this takes too long, you’re on your own. I can always drop by the police station to give a statement later.”
Jimmy nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing. He glanced around to see the stares they were drawing, and he tilted his head in the direction of a closed door behind the registration desk.
“Do you mind taking her into my office and keeping an eye on her? It should only be a few minutes.”
BB nodded before hauling a protesting thief into the room. He debated on whether to text Gennessey about what happened, but he reasoned she had enough to keep her busy with the last-minute preparations for the wedding. He had enough to keep him busy as well with the thief casing the office for an escape route. Besides, he realized he preferred sharing this strange turn of events with Gennessey in person.
∞∞∞
Gennessey pushed back a curtain and watched the wedding guests fan out across the backyard. Some settled onto the white chairs arranged in neat rows. Some stood and talked with others as if they were at a family reunion instead of a wedding.
Amid all the flowers and the arbor framing the spot where the bride and groom would stand, she could feel a sense of joy. After her confusing night with BB and the chaos of her morning, she couldn’t resist taking a moment to stand at the window and revel in the feeling. It was easy for her to believe her family’s drama would take a backseat to the happiness of the occasion.
She searched the faces of the guests, instantly spotting the ones who were present for Cohen and the ones who came to support Autumn. One particular face remained absent from the crowd.
There was still time for people to arrive before the nuptials started, so she chastised herself for being disappointed at not seeing BB among the guests. There wasn’t a reason for him to arrive right now, but she had to admit she had hoped to see him before the ceremony started.
She hated to leave him alone. The urge to wake him in a way they both would enjoy had been strong, and if she had wakened him, she could have cajoled him into joining her at her grandparents’ house.
Somehow, she’d gotten accustomed to having him at her side when she was with her family, and though it was probably just her perception, she believed he helped her remain calm when dealing with them.
She could text him, and she almost had a couple of times. But once she changed into her wedding attire, she’d left her phone with her other belongings in the bedroom. She wouldn’t need it during the ceremony, and she had no pockets in her outfit to stash it in.
Her dress mirrored the other bridesmaids’ dresses with the same soft blue, the same vee neckline, and the same slit in the skirt which revealed just enough leg to be appropriate but sexy. While the others had flowy skirts which flared from their waist in romantic drapes of fabric, Gennessey’s was fitted, hugging her waist and hip to create an hourglass effect.
She tried to talk Autumn into letting her wear a pantsuit that would have been more comfortable for her and would have been acceptable since Gennessey was considered the “best man,” and not a bridesmaid, but Autumn insisted this dress was perfect for her. She wasn’t sure she’d call it perfect, but she did like the dress. She wondered if BB would like it too…
“He’s not here yet?”
She turned at the sound of Cohen’s voice, smiling at the picture he made in his blue suit, crisp white shirt and silver tie. His unruly dark hair was tamed somewhat and styled back from his forehead in waves.
She smiled and decided to avoid his question. “You look nice.”
He held up his hands and twirled as if to show off his clothes. “I think so too. I wasn’t sure I’d like this color in a tux, but Autumn was right. It looks sharp.”
“You getting nervous?”
He shook his head. “Not as nervous as you are waiting for BB to get here. If I didn’t know he was only here as your buffer, I would wonder if you two were getting serious.”
She pursed her lips but didn’t respond until Cohen smirked. Finally, she exhaled loudly and placed her hands on her hips.
“Fine. He’s not just my buffer anymore, but I wouldn’t say we’re serious. We’re…well, I don’t know what we are.”
Cohen chuckled. “It’s okay. No reason you have to figure it out now. Just live in the moment, as Autumn would say. Just so you know, I like him. He seems like a good guy.”
