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Autumn and her dad reached the end of the aisle. The minister led them through the ceremonial giving away of the bride. The guests were asked to sit, and the ceremony continued. BB tuned out the words and music which followed. He didn’t have to pay attention. This wasn’t his family, and while he liked Cohen and Autumn, he was more interested in watching Gennessey.
Because he was focused on her, he noticed the moment she became distracted. Autumn was reading the vows she’d prepared, promising a life full of love and laughter to her groom. Cohen retrieved his vows from his jacket pocket and essentially promised the same, only using different words.
But Gennessey kept shifting her gaze to a spot behind the guests. He figured she was distracted by a bird or a cat or something. Maybe it was the random car which drove by with a revved engine that was too loud.
Then her quick looks to her left became more frequent. Then they were more pointed until she finally locked her eyes on a spot outside of his line of sight. Her gaze narrowed as if she was trying to determine what she was seeing.
He twisted around, searching the faces of the guests before shifting his gaze to the yard. He saw nothing that could have caught her attention. Just as he started to turn back, he paused.
Was that...
Then he saw it again. A glint of sunlight reflecting off something hidden under the cover of a tree surrounded by flower bushes and shrubs.
He opened his mouth only to hear Gennessey beat him to the punch by shouting a frantic, “Gun!” He followed up with a loud, “Get down!”
Screams and cries rose as some of the guests reacted by diving for the ground, using their chairs as shields. Others sat frozen as the piercing sound of gunfire erupted.
Pow! Pow! Pow!
BB looked back to see Gennessey push Cohen out of the way, propelling him toward Autumn so the bride and groom both went down. BB reacted by pulling his gun from his ankle holster and taking off in the direction of the gunfire, leaving behind the pandemonium that ensued.
Chapter Nineteen
Gennessey shielded Cohen and Autumn until she heard a break in the gunfire. Her head whipped up in time to see BB running at a breakneck speed toward the spot where she’d seen the gun. He was armed, which absurdly annoyed her because she didn’t think to hide her gun under her dress.
Even without a gun, though, she couldn’t let BB run into the fray without backup. Slipping her heels off, she ran past the screaming bridesmaids and across the lawn.
She didn’t catch up to BB until they reached the edge of the yard. She heard the hum of an engine but couldn’t see the vehicle driving away. Stopping beside BB, she fought to control her heavy breathing, her lungs burning from the exertion.
“Dammit!” BB shouted.
“Did you see anything?” The question passed her lips on a gasp.
“No. The vehicle must have been waiting. The guy was quick and already way ahead of me before I gave chase. I can’t be sure what direction they drove away in. What did you see?”
“A long-range rifle. The gunman was hidden. If the sun hadn’t been shining just right, I wouldn’t have seen the glare off the barrel.”
BB pulled out his cell, tapped the screen and placed it against his ear. “Hey, sorry to bother you. We’ve got a situation.”
She could hear the voice on the other end of the call even if she couldn’t distinguish the words. She didn’t have to ask to know he spoke with Jay. A shooting at her family’s home warranted a call to KSI for support. His next call would probably be to the police, and if she’d had her phone with her, she would have placed the call herself.
The scream she heard was different than the ones before, when the guests were seeking cover from the random gunshots. The guttural sound full of fear and heartbreak chilled her blood and had her body shivering in response. Her eyes met BB’s a moment before she took off toward the backyard.
“Gotta call you back.” BB pocketed his phone and followed her.
When they arrived at the edge of the rows of chairs, Gennessey took in the scene with one sweeping gaze.
“Oh, God.”
She rushed to the front, her eyes fixed on the sight of Autumn kneeling in a blood-soaked wedding gown next to the still form of her cousin.
Cohen’s skin was a scary white. His eyes were closed, and blood soaked his shirt. She couldn’t tell if he was breathing, and her heart leapt into her throat while she fell to her knees beside him. Autumn sobbed, but Gennessey ignored her as she tried to assess Cohen’s injuries.
She pressed two fingers at the pulse point at his throat and almost fainted with relief when she felt the weak sign of life.
“Cohen, can you hear me? Cohen, I need you to stay with me. Wake up and talk to me, cuz. Come on. Don’t scare us like this.”
The words fell out of her mouth without her realizing what she said. She pushed back his tuxedo jacket and ripped open his shirt. She barely registered BB pulling a protesting Autumn away so he could kneel on the other side.
