Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Linen
I moved quickly toward my sedan parked in the VIP row. I unlocked the doors, placed Noah in the backseat, and locked the doors from the inside, handing him my tablet with his favorite cartoon playing.
“Stay right here, sweetheart,” I said, pressing my forehead against his wet cheek. “Keep the doors locked. Mommy will be back in two minutes with Uncle Marcus.”
Noah nodded, his large eyes reflecting the blue light of the screen.
Marcus Bennett was my older brother—a former detective who had spent ten years on the Chicago police force before opening his own private security firm. If anyone could handle this without causing a mass panic at Rose’s wedding, it was him.
I slipped back into the venue through the catering kitchen, avoiding the main hall. The smell of roasted garlic and seared beef filled the air, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of adrenaline flooding my mouth. I found Marcus standing near the bar in the main lobby, sipping tonic water while checking his watch.
I grabbed his forearm, my grip tight enough to leave a bruise.
“Clara? What’s wrong?” Marcus instantly shifted into tactical mode, his eyes scanning my pale face. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Table Four,” I whispered into his ear over the loud saxophone solo echoing from the ballroom. “Underneath. There’s a high-grade audio-visual bug wired directly into the table. And Noah found it.”
Marcus didn’t flinch, but his jaw tightened until a muscle twitched near his temple. “Did anyone see you look?”
“The person who put it there did,” I said, handing him my phone. “I got this text ten seconds after I stood up.”
Marcus took the phone, his blue eyes narrowing into cold, calculating slits as he read the message. “Clara… this isn’t a cheap listening device from an electronics store. This is custom military hardware. Someone spent tens of thousands of dollars to wire this room.”
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“Why?” I gasped. “Who would do that at Rose’s wedding?”
Marcus looked at me, a grave, heavy expression falling over his features. “They aren’t targeting Rose, Clara. They’re targeting us. It’s about Dad.”
