Luke spun on him. “You don’t need that if there’s not going to be a wedding! You don’t need a list of guests if you’re going to get me out of this. Now get me out of this!”
He’d gotten noisy. The door started to open. Randy had no time to hit the broom closet. He ducked into a stall. The guard sauntered in, hand on his gun, suspicious as all hell. Luke tried not to notice as Randy’s feet lifted one at a time to stand on the toilet. Jumpy as the man was, he half expected to hear a splash from falling in.
“I thought I heard voices.” The hired gun’s eyes rested on the door to the supply closet. Luke suppressed the urge to kick it shut.
With a sharp glance at Luke, he started for the stall Randy had dashed into. Biting back a sigh, Luke stood in his way, knowing this wasn’t going to end well. Luke scrutinized the thug; heavy brow, a nose that had been broken more than once. “Too many blows to the temple.” Luke said, tapping the man’s head. The thug knocked his hand away savagely and glared at him.
A quick assessment told Luke everything he needed to know about the bully-boy. He was a brawler, not trained, but used to his size and strength winning his fights. He might have been a semi-pro once, but that was a long time ago. He moved slowly, like he was a giant from an old movie. Some men thought that made them look bigger. It just made them look less likely to win a fight.
“Just you in here?” The guy tried to see past him into the stall.
First of all, if I’m planning something chances are I’m going to lie to you. Why the hell would you even ask in the first place? Secondly, if you’re not checking, you’re an idiot.
“Just me and the big pile of shit someone couldn’t flush,” Luke said, pointing his thumb behind him.
“What, you in here talking to your dick? Or your shit? What were you talking to?”
Yep, he’s an idiot.
Luke sighed. It was always the dumb ones who thought that being crude was the same thing as being tough. It wasn’t, it just marked you as stupid. “My dick’s my best buddy,” Luke said with a big smile, hands spread nice and innocent.
“Well,” the man leaned over and snarled, “I would hate to separate such good friends.” He pulled a knife from somewhere Luke couldn’t see and held it up for him to appreciate. The bright steel flashed in the fluorescent lights.
“Hey, whaddya you know?” Luke leaned back and grinned as big as his mouth would let him. “Now there’s two piles of shit in the bathroom!”
The thug grabbed Luke’s shirt and pulled him close. “You’ve got a big mouth.” He spat the words out like they were weapons.
“Careful, Lassie,” Luke said quietly. “You don’t want to damage your boss’ wedding pictures, now do you?” He could see the conflict in the man’s face. The burning desire to smash Luke into the wall warring against the cold realization of single-handedly destroying the boss’ plans.
He let go. “We’re not done,” he said, leaning in even closer, trying to intimidate Luke by getting into his space, breaking into his personal bubble. “When this is all over, I’m going to find you.”
“Okay,” Luke said affably. “Cut my balls off, shoot me, whatever, just stop breathing on me. It’s like being downwind of the city dump. But you know what’s that like, right?”
“I don’t have to touch your face...” The tough dropped his knife and swung a fist into Luke’s solar plexus. Luke was ready for it, had been baiting the man for an action. He side-stepped the blow and caught the man’s wrist. He twisted as he stepped back, and the thug found himself flying over the tile floor and landing hard, blowing the air from his lungs. Luke dropped to one knee and slammed a fist into the back of the man’s head. It hit the floor hard with a hollow thud, and he lay there, eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“You can come out now, princess,” Luke said to the stall door. Randy’s feet reappeared before the door swung open.
“You have a certain charm about you, you know that?” Randy stared at the man sprawled on the floor.
“I’m also good with children and puppies.” Luke straightened his jacket and headed for the door. “I’ll get you the stick and I’ll try to find the guest list, but it’s only because I think you’re cute. You get me the hell out of this!”
Randy flipped him off. But the smile that touched his lips was grudging. He’d do it. He might not like it much, but he’d do it.
Luke strolled out of the room and into the hallway. His fist hurt. He hadn’t held back when he hit the man; days of pent-up frustration had been behind that blow. In a way, the whole thing had been incredibly stupid, especially now that the thug knew that Luke could handle himself in a fight and would be ready for it. He’d given away the element of surprise, but it would have taken a martyred saint to have held back.
Yeah, Saint Luke... come to think of it, that actually does work...
He straightened himself as much as he could and walked, the very picture of calm, back into the room where his intended sat in a quietly fervent discussion with the most wanted mobster in America.
Damn, I love this job.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dani watched Luke leave the table and was filled with a sense of panic. It was an odd feeling, not wanting him to leave her alone with her family. At the moment, he was the only real ally she had in the place. So, of course, she wouldn’t want to be separated from him. It certainly wasn’t for any romantic reason that she didn’t want to see him go. Plus, she was better on her own. Why would she need him?
And yet she did.
She bit her lip and stared at her empty plate. They’d taken away the last course. She couldn’t even remember what it was she’d been served last. She’d been eating on automatic pilot for hours it seemed.
“Would you all excuse us a moment, please?” Benny’s voice broke into her thoughts. She raised her head and watched as he gestured an entire crowd out of the room with the simple act of just raising his hand. The men and women nervously standing behind books of cakes and dresses and bright white lace confections exchanged glances and filed out, creating a little knot of traffic at the door. More than one looked back, as if wanting to ask, unsure of what they were supposed to do when they were being shooed away from the wedding of the century. But when a man with a great deal of money to spend wants the room cleared, you clear the room and pray you’ll be invited back later.