Page 51 of PenPal Hero

Reverend Jeremy Morgan opened the ceremony with prayer, making it easier to tell which of the guests were security guards working undercover. None of them closed their eyes, and none of them ceased their watchful scan of the room at large.

Jeremy then launched into a short message about love, loyalty, and lifelong commitments. His conclusion was that those were the same things the Lord desired in a relationship with His followers.

Then came the exchange of vows and rings.

A feeling of anticipation swept through Jackson. Not the good kind of anticipation, either. It felt like the calm before a storm.

Another set of emergency vehicles drove past, screaming their sirens during Jeremy’s closing remarks.

Jackson watched several of the guests standing on the perimeter reach up to touch their earpieces, lips moving.

Only one of them didn’t have their lips moving. He was wearing a Stetson and a dark navy suit, which faded nicely into the background of those gathered around him. Unlike the other men, however, his boots weren’t cowboy boots. They were combat boots.

Jackson was standing at just the right angle to follow the man’s line of vision. His gaze was trained right smack on Bonnie!

Jeremy invited the guests to bow their heads in a closing prayer.

A voice sounded in Jackson’s ear. “You see him, too?” It was the voice of Jude Westfield.

“Yep.” From his peripheral vision, Jackson watched the convicted felon edge forward on his right — tall, slender, and eerily pale. What in the world was he doing at the wedding? He highly doubted the man had made the official invitation list.

Jude stepped closer to rasp, “The police are divided between two emergencies on opposite sides of town. An accident? I think not.”

Someone nearby shushed them.

Though Jackson agreed, he wasn’t sure what to do. The rogue group of criminals hadn’t revealed their ultimate move yet. If he made his move ahead of their move, he’d be guilty of interfering in an official police investigation, which could land him in the clinker. He was already on shaky moral ground for consulting the advice of a jailbird during the days and weeks leading up to today.

The prayer ended, and the adoring groom led his blushing bride up the aisle amidst a flurry of clapping and cheering.

A kitten shot into the aisle in front of them, pausing in their path to frenziedly chase his tail. Something was tied to it. Jackson couldn’t see what it was.

A cameraman leaped in front of them and took a knee, flashing his camera bulb.

All eyes were on the bride and groom and the happenstance kitten who was quickly stealing the show.

“It’s a diversion. You need to get to your sister before they do.” Jude’s voice grated harshly in his ear.

Jackson hesitated. Had it really come to this? He had two choices — continue waiting for the criminals to show their hand, in which case it might be too late for him to make his move, or make his move now and incur the consequences if he was wrong.

Here goes nothing. Clenching his jaw, Jackson jogged around the side of the tent, away from the melee unfolding in the center aisle. Though it was the long way around, it was the quickest way to get Bonnie back in sight.

The man in a navy suit and combat boots started moving at the same time. Jackson found himself elbow to elbow with him as they hurried in unison toward Bonnie.

The man’s fist shot out as fast as lightning, but Jackson was ready. He ducked and parried with a kick to the man’s knees, sending him sprawling and yelping in pain. He didn’t immediately curl back to his feet, probably because he’d been temporarily immobilized. He did, however, reach inside his blazer.

Jackson spun back in his direction, kicking again as he spied a flash of silver. A handgun went flying through the air, skidding to a halt a few feet away. By some miracle, it didn’t go off. Jackson leaped toward it, kicking it out of reach.

Holt sprinted his way, whipping out a gun and training it on the man on the ground. “Don’t move,” he warned the man icily.

Jackson reached Bonnie’s side. “Let’s go!” He tugged on her arm to get her moving.

“What about Holt?” She twisted her head around, clearly reluctant to leave her boyfriend behind.

“He’s safe,” Jackson growled. You’re not. He highly doubted that the folks after her had sent only one would-be assailant her way. Not with how much trouble they were in the middle of stirring across town. Something bigger was going down. Something he had every intention of making sure his sister didn’t get caught up in. She’d suffered enough already at the hands of these goons.

Curling an arm around her shoulders, he ran with her out of the tent.

“Where are you taking me?” She tried to wiggle out from beneath his grasp.

---