Page 34 of Colton's Deadly Disguise (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

Even Becky, for all her bluster and meddling.

“Look!” Delilah stood beside her, gaze glued to the scene at the open stage doors. EMTs were running across the small field, carrying a board. They disappeared into the building and Bella’s stomach dropped. “They’ve probably found Becky. I hope she’s okay.”

“Me, too.” But while she was concerned about Becky, Bella couldn’t keep from worrying about Holden. What if he’d encountered the killer in the school’s hallways and been hurt, or worse?

And why was she so invested in a man she’d met a little more than twenty-four hours ago?

You already know that answer.

She’d watched friends fall for someone they barely knew. She’d also seen her brother Spencer fall hard for his now-fiancée, Katrina, in a very short amount of time. When it came to finding the person you cared about more deeply than anyone else, time didn’t seem to be a factor. One day or one year could be equal. But she wasn’t falling for Holden.

No, Holden was the agent in charge of a special investigation. She was an undercover reporter hoping to avenge Gio’s too-early death and to advance her career, truth be told.

It wasn’t the time for even a brief fling, much less contemplating whether she’d met her match.

Bella was good at logic. It was all part of being a top-notch blogger and reporter. But logic and common sense blew apart into tiny shards that pierced her heart when she saw the EMTs emerge from the school with a woman, Becky, strapped to their board. At least Becky had color in her cheeks and appeared to be trying to talk, a good sign. Relief began to ease the tightness in her shoulders. Holden walked several steps behind, talking to Spencer as he led Boris to a spot to go to the bathroom.

The sight of Holden behaving completely normally lifted the rest of the tightness in her muscles. Was it normal to be this relieved, this joyous, that Holden was totally fine?

Probably not.

She was in trouble, and not just from a killer.

* * *

“It’s important that we take twenty-four hours off to search the school and clear any remaining explosives.” Spencer spoke in front of the group of pageant officials, contestants and stage techs huddled under the stadium benches. “Seeing that you’ve all already been out here for too long, it’s time to call it a day and go home.”

“Wait a minute.” Selina spoke up, her face flushed but otherwise not showing an iota of stress. Holden hadn’t appreciated how she’d been so rude to Bella but he had to give the woman credit for composure. “You can’t stop the pageant. We’ll just have to move it to another venue until you declare the building safe again.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen, either.” Holden stood next to Spencer. They’d already gone over how to handle this expected reaction. “We’ve got the security in place here to monitor the pageant. It will take at least two weeks to find and set up security at another place in Mustang Valley.”

“You’re a security guard. I’ll take direction from MVPD, thank you very much.” Selina was back in full-blown pill mode.

“Mr. St. Clair is a qualified security expert.” Spencer vouched for him, unable to reveal their ties or Holden’s true identity. “He’s right. Either take a full day off and continue the pageant preparations the day after tomorrow, or cancel the whole thing now.”

Grumbles and complaints rolled through the small group but didn’t last. Either they were all wiped from being out in the Arizona heat or frightened enough by the day’s events to go along with whatever Spencer suggested. Holden watched them all carefully, and kept a hand on his phone in case his handler texted or called with information on Selina. Holden had asked him to check where she’d been during the two pageants that involved killings.

“What happened to Becky?” Marcie stood near Bella, in the spot Holden wished he were—close enough to touch her.

“Becky’s got a severe sprain, maybe a broken ankle.” Spencer took his ball cap off and ran his hand over his sweating brow, then replaced it. He wore full protective gear, dressed in a tactical response uniform. Boris, his impressive K-9, was in the air-conditioned MVPD K-9 SUV. “She was regaining consciousness as the EMTs moved her to the ambulance.”

“Fess up, Colton. Did you push her?” Laurel, a woman Holden had noticed seemed to stay quiet until one of the pot-stirrers like Becky spoke up, accused Bella to her face.

“I wasn’t anywhere near the back stage doors all morning, in case you didn’t notice.” Bella held her own.

“Then it had to be you.” Laurel turned to Selina. “You Coltons don’t like being found out. There’s no doubt you’re going to give Bella extra points for being a relative. Becky had the ovaries to call you out.”

“I’ve never been out of your sight all morning. Unless you weren’t paying attention to the choreography?” One hundred and ten degrees in the shade and Selina kept her cool.

“That’s enough.” Mimi stepped in front of the group. “This isn’t about the pageant anymore. It’s about the safety of all of you, and the security of the school building. We’re breaking until eight a.m. the day after tomorrow. I suggest you all practice the two routines Selina has already given you, and use the time to work on your talent portion.”

“I can set us all up on videoconference. Anyone without a personal computer or laptop, talk to me and I’ll have one sent to your home.” Selina finally used her Colton bank for good. “I’ll see you virtually tomorrow morning.” Selina started for her car and a few of the contestants followed.

Bella walked up to Holden and spoke to him and Spencer privately. “I’m going back to my house to cool off. I can take Boris with me if you want, Spencer.”

“You’re going nowhere on your own, Bella.” Holden tried to keep the growl out of his voice but he was working from a primal instinct he couldn’t remember ever feeling before.

Heat flashed in her eyes, the visceral connection between them palpable.

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