White Wedding Read online

  Anderson handed him back the phone. “If you talk to the captain, say hi for me.”

  “Will do.”

  They wished each other a happy Halloween and Alex turned back to his stack of paperwork to finish what he could. Not that it mattered—the pile of files would grow by Monday.

  Before long, he and Zoey were texting back and forth about the costumes and he ended up with a shopping list.

  He finished the paper he was working on and then put the rest in their respective bins to deal with the following week. As he went to clock out, whispered conversation caught his attention.

  Alex crept down the hall, holding his breath. A group of the feds were gathered in one of the conference rooms. The door was cracked open. He shouldn’t listen in. Needed to pick up the items Zoey wanted. But his feet wouldn’t cooperate.

  “… we can’t ignore the clues. Someone from the ring is on the inside.”

  “Not one of us.”

  “Of course not. That’s not why we’re here.”

  Alex’s heart skipped a beat. The feds were thinking the same thing he and Nick were? Did they suspect the chief? Or maybe someone else?

  The conversation quieted, and Alex could only make out a few words. Nothing useful.

  Footsteps sounded.

  Alex jumped and hurried back toward the time cards, his heart hammering.

  He wanted to find out more, but that would have to wait.

  Chapter 40

  Ariana spun around in her full-length mirror and smiled. Her costume was perfect. She couldn’t wait to see what Damon had come up with. They’d agreed on what they would dress as but had also decided to surprise each other with their actual costumes. He was sure to love hers. She hoped.

  She glanced at his last text. He’d be at her house in just a few minutes. She needed to get downstairs so she could be the one to answer when he arrived.

  But first, a few final touches. Ari added some more hairspray to her two side-buns even though it would take a full bottle of shampoo to wash out all the product in her hair already. Next she added another layer of bright red lipstick and triple-checked the white and black lines across her face, especially the diamonds around her eyes. Then she ran her hands down the satiny red, white, and black dress with varying patterns of stripes and dots. The bodice clung to her and the skirt puffed out ridiculously far, but it was the perfect addition to the outfit. She was exactly the right blend of a frightening but attractive clown.

  She bounded down the stairs, eager to see Damon in his clown costume.

  Downstairs, her parents and the twins were in the living room, looking like they’d just climbed out of the grave. Their costumes were so good, they could be on TV.

  “I love it!” She picked up Laney and gave her a kiss on the nose. Her little sister giggled and reached for one of Ari’s buns.

  “Look at you!” Mom clasped her hands together. “I love it!”

  Dad turned around and jolted. “That’s the scariest costume I’ve ever seen!”

  “Seriously?” Ariana shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

  “She’s adorable!” Mom snapped a picture.

  “Hey, I wasn’t ready! And I’m not adorable.”

  “That’s for sure.” Dad took a step back. “There isn’t anything cute or sweet about clowns. Now I’m going to have nightmares for weeks.”

  Ari laughed, but Dad looked serious.

  Ding-dong!

  “Trick-or-treaters already?” Mom glanced outside. “It isn’t dusk yet.”

  Ari raced over to the window and saw the red convertible parked out front. “It’s Damon!”

  She opened the door, eager to see him as a clown. The first thing she noticed was his black-and-red, diamond-patterned jacket and matching tie. He’d sprayed the ends of his hair orange, and it all stuck out, held with probably more hairspray than even her side-buns. His makeup was remarkably similar to hers. They were definitely on the same wavelength—it was almost as if they planned the colors and style. But all they’d done was agree to be clowns.

  “Look at you two!” Mom gushed. “Stand over here by the gravestones. I have to get pictures!”

  “Mom.” Ariana threw Dad a pleading look.

  “Don’t show me the pictures. I’m already going to suffer in my dreams for months to come.”

  “I thought you said weeks.” Ari scowled at him.

  “That was when there was only one of you.”

  She gave him a playful shove as she passed him to get to the gravestones by the fireplace. “Says the guy dressed as a zombie.”

  “You can’t compare zombies to clowns. There’s no competition. One is natural and one is just plain morally wrong.”

  Damon burst out laughing. “It’s a good thing I left my machete in the car. I didn’t take you for a guy scared of clowns.”

  “They’re pure evil, as evidenced by your weapon. Is it covered in blood?”

  “No comment.”

  Mom moved closer with her phone held up. “Move a little to the left, you two.”

  Ariana and Damon scooted, then he wrapped his arm around her waist.

  “Smile!” Mom waited, then snapped what had to be a hundred photos.

  “I think you have enough, Mom.” Ari’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

  “No. Let me come from this angle.” She moved to the right. “Oh, perfect!”

  “Mom, seriously.”

  “You’re fine,” Damon said. “It’s kind of nice to be fussed over.”

  Guilt pricked Ari. Damon didn’t have any parents now, and she was complaining about hers. “Should we do some funny ones?”

  Mom’s expression lit up. “Yes! Let’s do that!”

  Dad cleared his throat. “I’m going to check the oven before I end up needing therapy.”

  Damon laughed.

  “I think he’s serious.” Ari stuck out her tongue for the photo.

  Five minutes later, they were finally racing for Damon’s car. At least the rain had let up a little.

  Damon started the engine. “Your dad is hilarious.”

  “That’s one way to describe him.” She shook her head. “Sorry I was complaining to them. I know you—”

  “Don’t worry about it. Parents are supposed to be annoying. It’s in their job description.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “But nothing.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Cherry-flavored lipstick?”

  She giggled. “And now I probably need more. Not that I’m complaining.”

  “Before you do that …” He kissed her again, sending a shiver down her spine.

  The porch light flickered on and off several times.

  She glanced over. “We probably better leave before my dad goes hysterical on us.”

  Damon grinned. “What’s he going to do to us? We’re dressed as clowns.” He waved toward the house and pulled away from the curb.

  “That’s true. Maybe we should dress like this every day.”

  He glanced over at her. “I wouldn’t object to that.”

  They laughed and joked the whole way to the party. Ariana was glad to see him returning to normal. He’d been unusually quiet since his abduction, but watching him joke with dad made it seem like everything was back to normal.

  But what did normal mean for them?

  Neighbors whisper of hauntings, but Kenzi Brannon fears something far more sinister. Could the person who killed her sister now be after her? While you wait for the next Alex Mercer installment, try the chilling new Brannon House series:

  https://stacyclaflin.com/books/the-perfect-death/

  Author's Note

  Thanks so much for reading White Wedding. I hope it was everything you imagined and more! Many of you have been asking about Nick and Genevieve’s wedding, so I know you’re as thrilled about it as I am. Not surprising that it didn’t go off completely without a hitch, is it? There are just two more stories left before we begin a spin-off series! What do you think will happen to our beloved characters? A
nd who do you think will star in the new series? I’d love to hear your guesses. Reply to one of my newsletters or use the contact form on my site to let me know what you think.

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Not only will your review help me to better understand what you like—so I can give you more of it!—but it will also help other readers find my work. Reviews can be short—just share your honest thoughts. That’s it.

  Want to know when I have a new release? Sign up for new release updates:

  http://stacyclaflin.com/newsletter/

  I’ve spent many hours writing, re-writing, and editing this work. I even put together a team who helped with the editing process. As it is impossible to find every single error, if you find any, please contact me through my website and let me know. Then I can fix them for future editions.

  Thank you for your support!

  ~Stacy

  About the Author

  Stacy Claflin is a two-time USA Today bestselling author who writes about flawed characters that overcome unsurmountable odds. No matter how dark situations seem, there is always a sliver of hope—even if you have to search far and wide to find it. That message is weaved throughout all of her stories.

  Decades after she wrote her first tales on construction paper and years after typing on an inherited green screen computer, Stacy realized her dream of becoming a full-time bestselling author.

  When she's not busy writing or educating her kids from home, Stacy enjoys time in nature, reading, and watching a wide variety of shows in many genres. Her favorite pastime activity is spending time with her family.

  For more information:

  stacyclaflin.com/about

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  Did you love White Wedding? Then you should read When You Start to Miss Me by Stacy Claflin!

  Love is always enough...Or is it?In this emotionally-driven novel, Lincoln Jones will find out ... if it doesn't kill him first.This is part of the Wildflower Romance series by USA Today bestselling author Stacy Claflin. Each book stands on its own.OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:When Tomorrow Starts Without MeThe Only Things You Can Take

  Read more at Stacy Claflin’s site.

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