Page 65 of Third Time is the Charm (Passion and Perseverance #3)
“Thank you! Thank you, everyone, for coming…” Beth turned towards the stage to see Colin waving out at the room, Pat coming to stand beside him. He must have just gotten in because she hadn’t seen him all night.
Her eyes began to move back towards Darcy when a blond head caught her eye seated at Mrs. DeBourgh’s table at the opposite corner of the room.
Her stomach dropped – no one had seen Caroline yet.
Beth couldn’t confirm that it was her, the woman’s back was facing Beth, but every other seat was filled with guests who were definitely not Mrs. DeBourgh or Caroline.
“Darcy…” she choked out. Her hand rising shakily to point at the table.
His gaze immediately followed her finger, seeing exactly whom she was pointing at.
“ Shit,” he cursed, looking around rapidly for John or Arnie…
or anyone. He quickly spotted John heading towards that side of the room, but it didn’t look like he’d noticed the blonde woman yet.
“Stay here,” he instructed curtly, nodding at the two other security personnel who were standing a few feet away, discreetly keeping an eye on Beth.
They quickly moved closer to her side as Darcy stood and stalking off towards John.
“Darcy, wait—” She tried to get out, but he was too quick to move past her and he definitely wasn’t stopping now that they had Caroline in their sights.
She wasn’t going to be on the sidelines for this.
Tossing her purse on the table, she abruptly stood and turned around her chair – a movement that was not recommended in the dress and heels that she was wearing.
“Ma’am—” She heard one of her new bodyguards say.
But, her haste was her undoing; her heel caught on her dress, and in her attempt to make sure it didn’t rip the fabric, she twisted her ankle, hearing a loud crack as the stiletto heel of her left pump snapped off.
Thankfully, her hand had been on the back of the chair to balance herself, otherwise she probably would have toppled over too.
Her trusted black pump… of all the nights.
Now standing lopsided, she quickly slipped out of both shoes, her bare feet coming to touch the plush carpet as her focus returned to the blonde woman at the table.
Everything seemed to happen in a flash. Beth saw Darcy and John approaching the table, but the woman must have seen them coming; she stood and began to make her way expeditiously towards the back of the room by the stage where Colin had begun to share the story about his mother.
“You have to go help him!” She exclaimed to the two men. She was a sitting duck here with a broken shoe. They only stared at her in response. “The woman we are looking for is getting away and then only place I’m going is to get a new pair of shoes to wear.”
They glanced at each other before nodding and walking past her.
Beth shook her head. This was not what she wanted. Now, all she could do was wait patiently and hope that they caught Caroline before she got away. She walked towards the main doors since she was going to have to go back up to their room to get her pair of black flats to wear.
As she moved, she kept her eyes trained on the Caroline fleeing.
It only took her a second longer of staring before Beth’s eyes widened in realization.
The woman wasn’t Caroline. From Darcy’s vantage point, she knew he couldn’t tell, but from where she was, when the woman stood, Beth was able to get a glimpse of her face, and it wasn’t Caro.
Which meant that Caro was still here, somewhere.
Beth’s nausea worsened as her eyes moved around the room. The other blonde had just been a ploy, to draw out Darcy and whomever he had hired to detain her. Her eyes scanned towards the doorway, knowing that Caroline was there somewhere, watching the whole thing.
Just as her gaze crossed the second door, something – someone – caught her eye. A blonde, turning and walking away down the hall.
It couldn’t be her, Beth thought at first; this woman’s hair was cut chin length which was why she almost skimmed over her. But her face, there was no mistaking it.
She had found Caroline.
And she was going to get away.
Beth groaned, a quick glance telling her that Darcy and John were still pursuing the decoy out the back exit of the room.
Caroline probably used the decoy to see if they were on to her.
And now that she knew that they were, she was leaving to try again another day.
Beth’s stomach clenched. This game with Caroline couldn’t continue; she needed to confront her.
She didn’t know how to tell if it was a trick – and she didn’t have time to find someone else to go with her and help her catch the real Caroline.
Before she knew it, shoes in hand, her feet padded softly against the carpet between the tables of guests that were still focused on the show in front of them. She didn’t know what else to do. Beth had to stop Caroline; she couldn’t continue to live like this anymore.
She just prayed Darcy would realize and be able to come find her in time.