FORTY-TWO

 

Xan couldn't believe how nervous she felt. Anyone would think she was tomorrow's bride, not the girl sleeping in Villa Akoya tonight.

Yet here she was, pacing the length of the Penguin jetty again, wishing for some sort of inner peace that swam just out of reach in the waves below as the tide rushed in.

The helicopter was safely on the pearl farm landing pad, with the Argo moored nearby. All the guests who were attending tomorrow's wedding had arrived and there would be no way on or off the island until Sunday. The only communication with the mainland was via the radio in Dennis' office, now the satellite uplink and mobile phone tower had been disabled for the event, as per the bride's imperious instructions. The kitchen had closed for the night, though one chef remained on call, in case of any late night room service requests. The Jungle was open for a few more hours, but it'd looked like the guests were saving themselves for tomorrow, so they'd all gone to their rooms early. Xan hadn't seen a single soul since she'd left Marcel at the bar. Even Jason seemed on his best behaviour.

Speak of the devil...

"I bet tomorrow's will be the most organised wedding in the history of weddings, no matter what fuck-up has you pacing. Go on, tell me. What's gone wrong?" Jason called from the head of the jetty.

"Nothing," Xan admitted, not wanting to mention the assassin in their midst, then added, "Yet. Nothing's gone wrong yet, but that's the thing about weddings, isn't it? Something has to go wrong, because it can't be perfect."

"Sure it can." Jason strode out to her. "You're organising it. If anyone can hold the perfect event, it's you, the patron saint of hotel management and weddings."

Xan snorted. "You're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you? I thought only the Pope could name saints, and then only after they're dead. I'm still breathing and I plan to be for a long while yet, though that could change tomorrow if I mess up this wedding. It's my first, so I'm bound to."

Jason reached her end of the jetty, and wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "You won't. If anything goes wrong, it won't be your fault. She'll blame it on me," he said blithely, nodding at the dark shadow of Villa Akoya.

Xan shrugged off his arm. "I take it all the lights out means she's going for maximum beauty sleep tonight?"

"Maybe." The way Jason said it, it sounded more like a no. "First night in a new place, she usually gets an early night. Jo and I would take it in turns, staying up, waiting. Because...well, it was better than getting woken up by it."

Xan squinted at the villa. "Woken up by what? Do she and her boyfriend have noisy sex on the first night? That's hardly unusual behaviour for a hotel. At least hotels like this one have soundproofing. At the backpackers where I used to work, you could hear – "

A piercing scream came from the villa, followed by another, louder than the first.

Frogs in the bathroom. Xan would wager a week's wages on it. She marched up the jetty, intent on rescuing the bride from her uninvited guests.

The back of her shirt snagged on something, pulling her up short.

"What the...?" She twisted around, trying to unhook it, but Jason held her fast. "Let go!"

More screaming issued from the villa. This time, it sounded like there were words in the screaming, most of them abusive.

"Jason, let go!" Xan insisted. "I need to help!"

"Let him do it," Jason said darkly.

Xan's blood ran cold. "You mean he's in there with her? And she's screaming like that? What if he's trying to kill her? I can't just stand her and let some prick – " She wrenched free of Jason and set off again.

This time, he grabbed her, not her shirt. Both arms clamped across her middle. "You can't! If you go in there, you'll get hurt."

"So come with me. I'll page security, and between us, we'll get him away from her." Xan lifted her wristband to tap the emergency code.

"NO! No security. No one goes in there."

Bloody coward. Xan stomped on Jason's foot and he released her. "You mean to tell me, you'd let some arsehole beat up your friend because you're scared of him? I thought you had more balls than that, Jason Felix, but maybe I was wrong. I'll break it up on my own. You just watch me."

The screaming had stopped, shrouding the villa in eerie silence.

"She sleeps with a knife and a taser. If you burst into her room, she'll hit you with one or both. You know there's a character in the Harry Potter books that did bad things to people if you woke him up? Well, that bloke's nothing to her. We had a security guard once who was too stupid to follow orders. He got a knife in the chest. He was lucky to survive."

Xan stopped. "Your friend would stab me?"

"Probably not. She threw the knife at the guard from the other side of her hotel suite."

Not particularly reassuring. "So if it's quiet now, that means...?" Xan ventured.

"She's awake, most likely. I hope she tased him. She got a real heavy-duty taser. The aftershocks can seize your muscles up for hours afterwards." Jason's teeth flashed white as he grinned.

"You sound like you have first-hand experience," Xan said.

"Nah, not personally. She's used it a couple times, though, and she paints a pretty fucking clear image when she wants to. She can knock a guy out with that thing."

Xan didn't feel comfortable standing here when anything could be going on in the villa. "Still, I should go and at least knock on the door to ask if she's all right." She thought a moment, then added, "Or if he needs medical attention."

As if on command, the lights clicked on in the villa and one, no, two figures came into view, walking through the living area to the veranda.

"Aw, I really wanted her to hit him," Jason said softly.

Nathan swept Angel up in his arms. "C'mon, it's time for that sex on the beach."

Angel laughed, sounding younger and more carefree than Xan thought possible. "No, it isn't. Plenty of time for that sort of thing after the wedding."

"We're awake, and the beach is just down this path. We've got time now," Nathan insisted, carrying her down the steps and out of sight.

A long moment later, they heard a shriek mingled with a deeper shout.

Angel's voice was clearer. "I told you! The tides up here are huge. The beach will be back in the morning."

The couple walked back into view, hand in hand as they ascended to the veranda.

"I've seen enough," Jason muttered, marching back to his villa.

Xan watched the pair head inside their own villa, then share a cup of milk before ambling down the corridor to the bedrooms. Despite all the security measures and Angel's celebrity status, these two looked like any normal couple, about to be married in the morning. Two people who planned to share a happy future.

For a moment, Xan envied them. To be so sure of someone that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with them...no, it was a crazy risk to take. One she never would, she vowed, as she followed their example and headed off to her own bed. Tomorrow would be a long day.