Page 86 of Stitched Up in You
“So, tell them when the wedding is then,” he replies and follows his ridiculous statement by raising my hand for him to kiss, sending cameras flashing around the room.
My gaze narrows as I glare up at him. “Was that a proposal?”
His gray gaze flashes with orange as he meets mine. “Do you want it to be?”
I scoff. “You’re going to have to do way better than that,” I mutter, letting my gaze bounce across the room.
He smirks at me, but then the amusement falls from his face as he goes back to looking like a pissed off bodyguard.
“Dude, I think I’ve seen like four celebrities already and we’re just standing here. We should go mingle,” I say.
“I don’t mingle,” he says.
I growl under my breath. “I heard the mayor earlier, and he said you have a speech,” I say, changing the subject.
“Fuck the mayor. He’s lucky I don’t turn you around right now to leave,” he grumbles, loudly.
I dig my fingers into his wrists, my nostrils starting to flare as I begin to lose my temper. “You aren’t taking this from me. This whole thing feels like something out of an action flick. You’ve got bad guys, a surveillance team, and your very own femme fatale.”
“So, you’ve reminded me several times now,” he intones.
“Show time people,” Mikael’s voice interrupts through the earpiece.
I resist the urge to adjust the spaghetti strap of my dress as nerves begin to eat at me even though we’ve been over the plan more than a dozen times.
After getting the names off the list on Charles Jackman’s phone, we’re to head back to the mansion and pick up Edgar before Frank whisks me away to some fancy restaurant he picked out in the city. I can’t wait.
“Everything’s in place, Frank. We’ll be out of here in no time. Bernadette, stop touching your ear,” Mikael says.
“Sorry,” I whisper under my breath, bringing my hand back down to my side.
“How are we supposed to find the guy without mingling? Do we even know if he’s here?” I ask.
“Frank Stein, is that you?” I hear a woman’s voice call out.
I turn to see a woman walking across the room toward us, dressed in a low-cut sapphire blue dress that swoops across her neckline, showing off her slim figure. A tall man is at her side.
This must be Rebecca, the ghoul meant to keep Mr. Jackman busy. They told me she was pretty when giving me a rundown of what was going to happen today, but Mikael didn't tell me she wasthispretty. I fight to keep the blush off my face and focus on Mr. Jackman instead.
He smiles, but the curve of his lips doesn’t reach his eyes as he stares at Frank.
“Charles Jackman, pleased to meet you,” he announces, thrusting his hand out for Frank to shake.
I glance down at the man’s black suit and tie, before looking up at his face, noticing it looks sunken and sallow. I stare so long it takes me a moment to realize Frank hasn’t moved to grab the man’s hand.
“Bernadette Crenshaw,” I say, smiling for all I’m worth as I take his hand in mine and shake it myself so he doesn’t run away. He looks like any regular old guy you’d see on a golfing range, not an evil mastermind.
Pasting a smile on my face, I drop my grip and gesture to Frank.
“Oh, meet my fiancée,” I gush.
Frank, meanwhile, could do a splendid job of doubling as a statue.
Thankfully, Rebecca helps pick up the conversation as I maneuver around him and simultaneously push a reluctant Frank his way to hide me pulling my phone from my pocket.After quickly accessing the app on my phone and ensuring it’s going to work, I put it back down in my bag, counting the seconds down as my heart beat pounds in my throat.
It should only take a few moments to gain entry to everything on his mobile.
I paste a smile on my mouth as Rebecca hangs on Mr. Jackman’s arm and laugh along as my skin turns clammy with nervousness.
