Chapter 9

"Do you think the bride is acting weird?" Pen whispered.

We'd planned to mooch around after the vows, but Lyle had insisted we stay for the meal, which was a buffet. The most elegant I'd ever seen, with some strange dishes. The bride in question had filled her plate and sat next to her groom. Marshall ate while his eyes kept wandering to one of the bridesmaids. There were five in all, and the one Marshall couldn't tear his eyes away from looked like she was about to fall out of her dress. My breasts weren't huge, but they weren't small either, I thought as I watched the woman laugh with another, her breasts bouncing.

I glanced back at Marshall and noticed his fixed gaze, as if he was begging for the dress to fall off so he could get a glimpse. I followed his gaze back to the woman, and just as I thought they'd make an appearance, her friend pointed, and the woman pulled her dress up.

Pen gaped. "Back to the bride," she said.

I found the bride in her meringue-style dress and wondered why they'd gotten married. They were the strangest couple. Not a very nice thing to think about at their wedding, but other than their vows, I hadn't seen them talking to each other. "I wonder if they had a fight before the wedding."

"She's not strong enough to kill the groom."

My eyebrows knitted together as I stared at Pen. "Marshall sure has a wandering eye."

"I noticed." Pen finished shoving the small French pastry into her mouth and sighed. "I'm going to need a gym membership after today."

"No one forced you to eat one of everything." I snickered.

"I might not get the chance to come here again, so I figured I'd make the most of it." I paused. "Lyle keeps staring at you."

"No, he doesn't."

"Yes, he does, and he's certainly not thinking about the food in front of him when he does." She wiggled her eyebrows. "He's kind of cute. The tailored suit fits him well."

I decided not to mention that no one fills out a suit like Carlisle Hallen.

"I caught him looking at Marshall in a weird way." I thought about it and added, "It's like to his face, he's friendly and one of the boys, but when Marshall isn't looking, Lyle doesn't look so friendly. I wonder if it's an act."

"Maybe he knows that Marshall has a wandering eye, and it annoys him. I mean, the man married his sister." Pen seemed to freeze; her gaze focused on the entrance to the terrace. I followed her gaze, and my heart sank. Aiden Winters. Pen's husband. "What's he doing here?"

Aiden spotted his wife before his gaze shifted to me. His gaze hardened and a shiver ran down my spine. I swallowed hard and then pulled myself together. "Don't leave here until I get back."

Pen reached for my arm, but I hurried out of her reach. I had a few things to say to Aiden Winters, even if the man scared me. He saw me coming and backed inside. "You're a bully and a disgrace," I hissed. "How could you?"

"Stay out of this, Tallulah," he warned, his fists clenched.

I narrowed my eyes. "Are you going to hit me too?"

He took a step closer when a voice said, "If you so much as lay a finger on Tallulah, I will kill you." Carlisle came into view and gently took my arm, pulling me away from Aiden. "Stay away from Tallulah and Penelope. You've done enough damage."

"You don't know shit," Aiden said quietly, his temper barely under control. "Pen is still my wife. I will talk to her and none of you can stop me."

"You want to talk to her, I'll let you know who her lawyer is. You can talk through them."

Oh, he didn't like that.

Aiden glared at Carlisle. "I'm not afraid of you," the man sneered. "Nice to know you have a weakness." Aiden glanced at me before continuing to stare at Carlisle. "Does she know what you're up to? I doubt it, huh?" He winked at me as he backed away. "Tell my wife I'll be in touch, Tallulah."

Carlisle swore under his breath. He didn't meet my gaze.

"Why are you here?"

"Meeting. I was taking a break when I saw you confronting Aiden. That wasn't a wise idea, Talla."

"Maybe not. The man scares me to be honest, but he's not going anywhere near Pen."

"I agree." He frowned. "You have to be careful around him. I don't just mean because of what he did to Pen. I think he's involved in what happened to George, Doreen and Donna."

My mouth dropped open. "Really?"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't get mixed up in this, Tallulah. You hear me?" He stepped close enough for me to feel the warmth of his body. A hand rose to my face, his fingers brushed my cheek. All I could think about was those fingers touching me elsewhere as I met his gaze. "Stay out of trouble." He turned abruptly and headed for the bathroom.

My heart pounded as I walked into the reception room on unsteady legs. Pen met me as soon as I did, an extremely worried smile on her face. "What happened? What did he do? You looked flushed?"

"He didn't do anything. I'm flushed because Carlisle showed up and threatened to kill Aidan if he touched us." I looked over my shoulder, but the coast was clear. "Pen-" I couldn't go on. I had to think about what Carlisle had said before I could even consider telling Pen. "Marshalls at the bar alone," I changed the subject.

I left Pen with her mouth open and a frown on her face. I inhaled slowly and exhaled just as slowly. What the hell was going on around me?

"How does it feel to be a married man?" I asked Marshall.

He turned and smiled. "Are you glad you and your friend crashed my wedding?"

I grinned. "I'm glad you're okay with it."

"You're pretty, why wouldn't I be?" He flirted. "Did someone knock your friend around?"

"That's her story."

He nodded. "Fair enough."

"You didn't answer my question."

He leaned against the bar and gave me a sideways glance. "It is what it is." He shrugged.

"Those aren't the words of a happily married man," I commented, sneaking closer. "What's going on, Marshall?"

He sighed. "It's been going on for a while. Nothing to worry about."

It didn't sound like nothing to worry about. "How long have you and Lyle been friends?"

He paused with a drink halfway to his mouth. "Not long. Why?"

"Just curious."

"I looked you up." He turned and faced me. "Some psycho tried to kill you, but you got her in the end. The article I read said that you and a friend," he glanced at Pen, then back at me, "figured out what was going on. Like a detective."

I wondered what he was getting at. "Why did you look me up?"

"First, because I thought you were hot!" He grinned. "I still do, but I want to hire you."

My frown deepened. "I'm not even a private detective, Marshall. Why would you want to hire me?"

"Not here. I'll be in town until Monday. We'll talk tomorrow. Two in the afternoon at the café." He put his empty glass on the bar and walked away, calling out to some friends.

It occurred to me to go after him. Tell him I didn't think he'd be alive tomorrow at two. Instead, I stood and stared at his back.