Page 4 of Rescued Heart

She tightened her hold on his hand. It was a better plan than tramping through all the dancing pairs. He sent her twirling across the dance floor to the thump of the drum. On her fourth spin, nearing the edge of the dance floor, he caught her against his chest and glanced around. “I’ve lost him.”

Just over Eddie’s shoulder, a security guard held a door open for the mayor.

She pointed her finger. “There.”

The mayor disappeared behind the door just as Eddie turned. A man with a dimpled chin, dressed in a black suit and corresponding mask, jogged over in front of the same security guard that had opened the door for the mayor. Both the guard and the man glanced at the nearest security guard stationed at another door. Then the suited man pulled out what looked like a roll of bills from his pants pocket and held it out to the guard.

Bianca gasped.Not this again.

Nathan had taken a handoff the day before the police had stormed their home.

The guard tucked the bills into his palm and opened the door enough for the man and himself to slip through with no one else the wiser.

Bianca squeezed her fingers around Eddie’s. “Did you see…”

Another bribe. No one had believed her last time.

Last Chance County was supposed to steer her to her happily ever after. A renewed career. Restored family. The actual truth about her character. Looked like this party had just become her most challenging scene yet.

TWO

Just when Eddie Rice had begun to think that being voluntold to attend the auction as the Last Chance County Fire Department representative might not have been the worst thing ever, he had to witness a kind of potential bribe.

He released Bianca’s hands. It was probably for the best not to spend any more time with the beautiful and funny woman. He had to stay focused on the kids who depended on him.

“Where are you going?” Her voice pitched high.

The security guard who had taken what appeared to be a bribe followed behind the man in the black suit, leaving the door unwatched. “It looks like now would be a great time to go talk to the mayor. Good luck finding your Carter.”

“But…”

Eddie jogged to the door. He twisted the handle, and it opened to a hallway with sconces along the wall and more wood paneling than would fill the entire decade of the eighties. The edge of the man’s suit jacket zipped around the corner at the end.

This very well could be a misunderstanding. Or very much not. The latter kept Eddie moving forward.

At the curve of the hall, the smell of something burning hit his nose. Eddie fisted his fingers. Perhaps the mayor’s rushing away could be kitchen or food related?

Eddie rested his hand on the first door. It wasn’t warm. No signs of smoke billowed from under any doorway or in the hall. The fire alarm on the ceiling remained silent. All appeared normal—except the handoff he’d witnessed.

He had to find the mayor.

A thud sounded from the other side of the wall. Eddie tried the handle and the door opened. Inside, he nearly ran into a tower of crates that hadfragilestamped on the sides.

He backtracked and flipped on all three light switches, which were next to a keypad on the wall. Only a light aimed at the far wall actually kicked on and shined onto a floor-to-ceiling portrait of some medieval-looking knight.

Either someone had lied about their organizational skills, or what was more than likely the storage for tonight’s auction had been blessed more than expected.

Along the other wall was a line of filing cabinets. A variety of vases rested on the cabinets. A glass piano was in the corner, surrounded by a stack of paintings, and when he spotted what looked like an abstract metal peacock, the smoke smell hit him once more.

Eddie slipped farther inside. Signed football helmets and basketballs in clear cases. Boxes each labeled for the night’s auction. But no fire.

Eddie sniffed. Something still smelled like smoke. An item in here could have survived a fire elsewhere and simply have smoke damage.

He stepped around another stack of memorabilia. Based on the sheer number of items, there would be more than enough funds brought in tonight. Maybe he didn’t need to fear why the mayor was taking so long about signing the grant needed for the rec center.

A flash of light in the shadowed corner to the left of the exit made Eddie do a double take. Between a stack of boxes, another flicker of light revealed the man in the black suit, who stood beside a set of mannequins wearing dresses. He flicked on a lighter and moved the flame straight for one of the dresses.

Eddie shoved his shoulders between two towers of boxes. “Hey!”

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