LITMIR.BIZ

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woman in black walked away.

      “Got her in sight,” Declan affirmed. “Appears to be in a hurry.”

      “Unlike every other woman in the room.”

      “Maybe she forgot to let the dog out at home.”

      “Yeah.” Gus relaxed a little, since the woman in black appeared to be leaving and, as such, no longer seemed a threat.

      Charlie emerged from the ladies’ room laughing and talking to another guest similar in age to the wealthy widow. When she spotted Gus and Declan, she nodded, letting them know she was okay. Then she walked away with the other woman, rejoining the crowd in the ballroom.

      Gus and Declan followed, not too far behind.

      Several men came between Charlie, Gus and Declan.

      Before Gus or Declan could work their way around the group of men, the woman in black appeared beside Charlie and hooked her elbow in her grip.

      “She’s back, and she’s got Charlie,” Gus said to Declan.

      Gus shoved his way through the men, without excusing himself. He didn’t have time for pleasantries when someone had Charlie and was leading her toward an exit door.

      Caught in the group of men, Declan fell behind.

      Trying not to stir up panic, Gus half walked, half ran after the two women who disappeared through the exit door into another part of the grand hotel.

      His heart beating faster, Gus gave up trying to keep it cool and broke into a sprint, hitting the exit door hard, just seconds behind the two women.

      The woman in black was hustling Charlie toward another door at the end of the hallway, talking in a low tone as they moved.

      Charlie skipped to keep up.

      Her abductor shot a glance over her shoulder, spotted Gus and glared.

      “Stop!” Gus shouted.

      The woman didn’t follow his command, just kept moving, dragging Charlie along with her.

      Unencumbered by another person, Gus caught up to the two women as they reached the exit door to the outside.

      “Gus,” Charlie looked over her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”

      “Let go of Mrs. Halverson,” he demanded.

      “Not until I have some answers,” she said. “She’s the only one who can help.”

      Gus pulled the gun from beneath his jacket and pointed it at the woman. “Let go of Mrs. Halverson.”

      The black-haired woman released her hold on Charlie and raised her hands. “I don’t want to hurt her. I need to talk to her.”

      “Then set up an appointment when she’s not at an event and when we can properly vet you,” Gus said. “For all we know, you could be a criminal. Perhaps you should come with me and talk to the security guards. Are you even a registered guest?”

      The woman’s eyes widened briefly. Then as if a shutter slid down over her face, she became completely expressionless. “No.”

      “No, you’re not a guest?”

      “No, I won’t go with you to the security guards.” She backed up a step, then another.

      “Charlie, get behind me,” Gus warned.

      “It’s okay. She said she wouldn’t hurt me.”

      “Please, do as I say,” Gus insisted.

      Charlie frowned, but moved behind him.

      “Now, either you come with me willingly, or my partner and I will take you there unwillingly. Your choice.”

      She shook her head. “I can’t.” In a flash, she turned and slammed against the door, pushing it outward enough to slip through and out into the night.

      Declan came running down the hallway. “Charlie, are you all right?”

      “I’m fine, but I don’t think that woman is.” Charlie shook her head.

      “Stay with Charlie,” Gus said. “I’m going after her.”

      “I’ve got her,” Declan said. “Go.”

      Gus raced through the door and out into the night. Two guards caught him before he’d gone three steps. They pulled his arms up behind him and disarmed him. “What the hell. Let me go. There’s a woman I need to catch.”

      “She said you’d come flying out the door after her,” the guard holding his right arm said.

      “She also said you had a gun and you were going to kill her.” The man on the left held his pistol.

      “I have a conceal carry license. I’m here as bodyguard to Charlotte Halverson. That woman tried to abduct her. You should have captured her, not me.”

      “Right. And I’m Santa Claus.” The guard on the right snickered.

      Two men raced around the side of the building and ground to a stop, silhouettes in the darkness.

      “Gus?” one of them said. “Did you find her?”

      “Mack? Snow?” Gus called out.

      “Yeah,” Mack responded. “What’s the problem?”

      “She got away, thanks to these guards.”

      “Don’t come any closer, or I’ll shoot,” said the guard holding Gus’s Glock.

      Mack and Snow held up their hands. “Don’t shoot. We’re here as bodyguards to Charlotte Halverson.”

      “I told them the same, but they’re not buying it,” Gus said. “Call Declan. Tell him to notify the man in charge of security that their guards are holding up the wrong person.”

      The guard holding his arm up between his shoulder blades pushed it up higher.

      “Hey, you don’t have to break it,” Gus said. “I’m not fighting you.”

      Gus could hear Mack talking to Declan through his headset. A moment later, the radios clipped to the belts of the guards holding him hostage both squawked.

      “Peterson, Rawlings, check the identification of the man you’re holding,” the voice said. “If his name is Augustus Walsh, you can release him. He’s here with Charlotte Halverson and needs to get back to her.”

      The man holding his arm gave it one last shove up between his shoulder blades before he released it. “Sorry,” he said, though he really didn’t sound sorry at all. “Just doing our jobs.”

      “I get it,” Gus said. “I was, too.” He rubbed his sore arm. “If you see that woman again, detain her. She tried to take off with Mrs. Halverson.”

      “We will.” The guard holding his weapon handed it back. “No harm, no foul.”

      “Yeah.” Gus holstered his Glock and straightened his tuxedo jacket. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have to get back to work.”

      “By all means.” The guard who’d jacked up his arm waved him by. “You’ll have to go back around to the front of the building. The door you came through doesn’t open from this side.”

      Gus took off, jogging. He met up with Mack and Snow.

      “Did you see a black-haired woman in a long black dress?”

      Mack and Snow both shook their heads.

      “If you do, keep an eye on her. She tried to take off with Charlie.” Gus moved past his teammates, hurrying back to the entrance of the hotel. Declan was capable of handling Charlie’s safety on his own, but Gus wanted to be there in case the woman in black returned for a second attempt.

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