Page 40 of Untamed Billionaire
Chloe laced her fingers through Marco’s as they made their way through the back halls of the hotel. “You stay right by my side!” Marco ordered. “You don’t leave for any reason. Do you understand, Chloe?”
She smiled up at him. “I understand. And you won’t try to be a hero? You’ll let the FBI and the police and your security guards and Kasim’s bodyguards find out who is doing this?”
“Yes,” he promised her. “I’m not leaving you.”
She grinned. “That’s all I can ask.”
Two of Marco’s guards were waiting at a set of double doors. “The ballroom is full, but we were able to set up metal detectors in all of the doors. They aren’t foolproof, but it’s a first line of defense.”
“Anything suspicious?” Marco asked, tightening his hand around her slender fingers.
“Nothing yet, sir. But we’ll be looking. There are agents inside already, plus we were able to put up extra cameras to watch the guests. If anyone looks suspicious, we’ll request a private interview as inconspicuously as possible.”
Marco shook his head. “Good enough.”
After a beat, the doors opened up. Chloe and Marco stepped out first and the guests stood up with a cheer. Chloe lifted her hand, waving to everyone as she pasted a smile to her features, hoping that it appeared normal and happy.
They walked over to the head table, but were stopped by a female wait staff member, carrying a tray with two flutes of champagne. There was something odd about her expression and, when Chloe looked into her eyes, she knew something was wrong.
“Don’t drink it!” the woman hissed through smiling lips . “Don’t drink it!” The words were uttered through clenched teeth.
Marco laughed and clinked his glass against Chloe’s. He then leaned forward, acting as if he were teasing the waitress. “Go through those doors behind us and tell the FBI agents what’s going on.”
The waitress glanced towards the door, then back up at Marco. Was there relief in her eyes? She nodded slightly and walked towards the doors, tucking the brown tray under one arm.
Chloe moved closer to Marco, holding the champagne flute by her side as she pretended to look up at him with love in her eyes. “What do we do with the glasses?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, playing his part equally well. “Try not to touch it too much. Maybe there are prints.”
She nodded, then moved with Marco as he walked over to one of the guards. Marco whispered something in the man’s ear, then turned and took Chloe’s hand to lead her over to the two chairs at the head table. “Just set the champagne down.”
“Maybe we should avoid eating anything tonight,” she whispered back.
“Maybe?” he teased.
She grinned. “Okay, definitely!”
Marco laughed and pulled her in for a gentle hug. To the guests, they looked as if they were having an intimate, post wedding conversation. They had no idea that she and Marco were wondering if their food as well as the champagne was poisoned!
“You’re late!” Jocelyn hissed, interrupting their moment. “And you missed the pictures! The entire wedding party was scheduled for formal pictures in the church directly after the ceremony!” Jocelyn pretended to smile. “Where are the hors d’oeuvres? There was to be a cocktail hour before dinner! The food won’t be ready yet!”
Chloe eyed her mother’s glazed eyes with suspicion. “I wasn’t consulted on the schedule, Mother. So I wasn’t aware of where to go and what to do.”
Jocelyn’s head whipped around at Chloe’s harsh tone. “Don’t you dare take that tone with me, young lady!” Then she pasted a social smile on her face. “We’ll discuss this after dinner.”
“Where is Emma?” Chloe asked, but she already knew. Emma hadn’t wanted to come today. She didn’t like big crowds and she definitely didn’t like being around Jocelyn. But Emma was even more terrified of Steven. Whatever Chloe’s brother had done, Emma shied away from him.
Jocelyn was waving her hand towards a friend at one of the nearby tables, but at Chloe’s question, her head swung around. “Emma?”
“My sister? Your daughter? This is a major event in my life. I would have thought that-”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Chloe! Emma would be a complete embarrassment! She’d…” Jocelyn waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Well, Emma is not allowed in polite company. You know that.”
Chloe did know that horrible fact. “She’s actually a beautiful woman, Mother. But you wouldn’t know that, would you?”
A male voice interrupted whatever Jocelyn might have said. “Not the appropriate time, Chloe,” her father said, and he had the requisite polite smile on his handsome features as well as the expected glass of bourbon in his hand. “I’ve already warned you what would happen. Now I think it’s time I demonstrated my power.”
Angela, bless her heart, overheard his threat. “If you are referring to taking Emma Forsythe out of the residence in which she currently resides, then I will have you arrested for kidnapping.” She gave the man a brilliant smile. “Because of your consistent emotional neglect, I was able to petition the courts to give Chloe legal guardianship of her sister.” She pulled a business card out of the pocket of her morning suit jacket. “If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly. I am acting as Chloe and Emma’s personal lawyer now.”
