Beautiful Disaster

Part Twenty-six

"Are you positive?" Hugh rubbed the back of his neck and tried to dislodge the sickening feeling growing in his stomach.

Theo leaned against his car's front hood. "I think I am."

"What did he look like? What was he wearing?"

"I think it was—oh, wait—he wore a thick grey jacket and a black cap with an orange bill. As for what he looked like, I couldn't tell under the cap. But I'm pretty sure he's just as tall as I am, and maybe a little leaner. Other than these details, I can't remember anything else."

"But you say he's suspicious?"

Hugh paced the roadside another time, his hands on his hips. If what Theo said was true, then the gunman had to be an amateur, someone new in the organization Oscar and his twin brother were in. A gunman wouldn't have made himself too noticeable to other people.

"He was walking the perimeter of the park while Ella and the others were setting up Miss Haber's stall. But after the incident, I didn't see him anywhere," Theo continued.

"Did you tell Officer Brigley about this?"

"I did, and he promised me that he'd ask around. But with all the people from the neighboring towns, I doubt that they'd find the job easy."

Hugh groaned. Nothing was going according to plan. Izzy had almost been shot, and the gunman was still loose in Towdee. "It's Izzy's life that's at stake here. I don't want her getting hurt. She doesn't even have anything to do with this."

Theo stared at him with an enlightened expression on his face. His eyes were very round as he calmly nodded in Hugh's direction. "Oh, I see."

"Huh?"

"You're in love with Izzy, aren't you?" Theo grinned. "I've no doubt about it. It's smacked all over your face, plain as day."

"Her father sent me here to protect her. It's my job," Hugh grumbled as he pushed against the iron gate and headed for the concrete steps.

"So?"

"I'm not supposed to get romantically involved with my job."

Theo couldn't help but laugh. "Who are you fooling here? Me or you? Admit it, buddy. She's more to you than a job. You're downright crazy in love with the woman."

When Hugh said nothing, Theo sobered up. The smile disappeared from his face. He caught Hugh by the shoulder and stopped the bodyguard halfway up the stairs.

Theo was just as large and tall as Hugh, possibly even taller. He could be an intimidating bear when the occasion called for it. "You better be serious about her, or I'll run you out of town as quickly as Izzy's fairy lights can blink."

"Fine. Fine." Hugh combed back his hair using his free hand. He wasn't one to back out of a challenge, even if the challenge was beyond impossible.

"I mean it, Hugh Grayson. You hurt her, and you're gonna have to answer to me. And by the way, Heather asked me to invite you guys to the pub tomorrow to help with the decorating and cooking. Will she be able to get out of the house?"

The pact was temporarily forgotten as Hugh tried to think of some way to get Izzy to Night Light without exposing her to danger.

Twenty-four hours inside the apartment had made her go loco over the Christmas decorations. He didn't know what three more days of confinement would do to her. Most likely, she'd get her hands into cleaning the drainpipe or dismantling the toilet to check for leaks.

And it would be a job of a lifetime trying to get her to stop without making her angry. "I'm not sure. But if we could find an extra guard to watch our backs, I'm sure it'll be safe. I think our mystery guy's desperate enough to shoot out in the open."

"I can call Officer Tim. It's his day off tomorrow. He's a close friend of Izzy's, so I'm sure it'll be alright with him," Theo offered.

The fact struck Hugh momentarily dumb. This was one thing Mario had not bothered telling him. "I never knew that."

He'd seen what Officer Tim looked like. The man was Lucifer Incarnate—immaculately beautiful, with a bad boy attitude no criminal would want to mess with. And when his funny side surfaced as well, he became a chick magnet.

"He and Izzy went to high school together. Tim went away for a spell to study at Ambervale College, but he returned to work at the station. He's a good guy, that one. Why, if Izzy hadn't been engaged to that bastard, Tim would've been knocking on her door."

"Well, that certainly puts things in perspective." Hugh shoved his hand in his pocket and passed Theo to get to the door. The scent of dinner wafted through it from inside the apartment.

Theo rushed after him. "Is it just me, or are you acting mighty jealous?"

♥

Continued

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