Drive-Bye (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Three) Read online

  Drive-Bye

  (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Three)

  Amy Saunders

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2014 Amy Saunders

  Other Titles by Amy Saunders

  Cliffhanger (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book One)

  Auf'd (The Belinda & Bennett Mysteries, Book Two)

  Biohazard

  The Jester's Apprentice

  Dead Locked

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter 1

  Bennett awaited sentencing. He sat beside his lawyer at a table beyond the low railing. Turns out the courtroom looked nothing like they usually did in movies and TV dramas. It was almost like any other office, with white walls and dark carpeting, except for the raised place where the judge sat, and the few rows of seats behind the rail.

  The judge announced the case like it was just another number. She had a list to go through and this was one more check mark. To Belinda, sitting in the second row behind the rail, this was Judgment Day. Bennett's parents had both shown up for the event, and sat in the first row with a seat between them. Belinda had met his father once, and this was the first chance she'd had to meet his mother.

  Awkward.

  His mother had been nice enough to her, but she seemed too distracted to really care. His parents acted like they were getting along, maybe in the interest of sticking together through tough times. Belinda's bestie, Victoria, sat next to her, gripping the scratchy chair seat. There were no arm rests, so Belinda did the same. Victoria's relatively new baby bump was more noticeable when she sat down, and Belinda hoped this wasn't too much stress for her.

  The judge and lawyers went back and forth. Bennett was pleading guilty to charges of obstruction of justice. Belinda locked eyes with Jonas, the detective on that case and Bennett's closest friend. He sat in the row next to theirs. His green eyes looked angry and worried.

  Nobody–meaning Belinda, Victoria, and Bennett–breathed a word about kidnapping Mrs. Sykes. Mrs. Sykes' trail had ended at an airport, and as far as anyone knew, she was now out of their jurisdiction.

  Selfish hussy.

  But so was Belinda on some level. She knew Bennett hid Brooke–and Mrs. Sykes–to protect her from the fallout. So now he was taking the fall in his event security business, and in a much more potentially devastating way. He could go to prison.

  Prison.

  Her Bennett could be in prison because of a terrible decision on her part. She'd rewound to the day she'd helped Brooke kidnap Mrs. Sykes to try and figure out what she was thinking. The ultimate answer was, she wasn't thinking. She just acted because she was confused and scared and uncertain of her own future. And now Bennett's future was in jeopardy.

  Good job, Bels. Good job.

  Belinda leaned on the edge of her chair, straining to hear every word out of the judge's mouth as she worked up to Bennett's fate.

  Not prison, not prison, not prison.

  Before the judge could pronounce his sentence, Belinda bolted out of her seat. "I…I have something to confess."

  Bennett whipped around. "Sit down," he hissed.

  "No." Belinda shook her head fervently, tears pricking her brown eyes. "It was me. I kidnapped Mrs. Sykes."

  Belinda's eyes popped open, her heart racing. It was just a dream.

  She rolled over onto her back, breathing in and out slowly. Everything would be okay. Bennett had a good lawyer recommended by her friend Carmichael. But the thought of it all still made her stomach twist up into knots every morning. That and her weird dreams. In one, she blew up the courtroom.

  Belinda gazed up at the flat ceiling. Where was she? This definitely wasn't her loft bedroom in the carriage house on her family's property. It was her room at the inn, where she was staying with the rest of the bridal party for her cousin's wedding. And it was time to get up and face the wedding drama.

  It had been meltdown city ever since she arrived at the inn yesterday evening. Belinda couldn't deal with the crying and the snapping and the fits over flowers and table settings and the color of the flipping napkins and had locked herself in her room to watch TV. She had enough to stress over. Her boyfriend could be in prison someday and this wedding was the last thing on her mind. But she was obligated to be there, and it was too late to turn back as a bridesmaid. Her cousin would finally be married today and they could all move on with their lives. That cheerful thought motivated her to get out of bed.

  She fought the urge to nap while one of the hair stylists, brought in from New York City, brushed her hair, drawing her blonde waves into a low side bun. When she was all primped and squeezed into the champagne-color chiffon gown, Belinda finally had a chance to slip out and get some food–and coffee.

  En route, Belinda called Kyle to make sure he was leaving for the inn.

  "On my way," he said.

  "Your suit's here, so you can change in my room."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Belinda wrinkled her nose. "Did you feed the kittens?"

  "I do remember things sometimes, thank you." He sounded irked, but Belinda knew better than to assume he could remember on his own. She'd made that mistake too many times in the past.

  "Just be here on time. I've gotta go. See you soon."

  Belinda marched down the stairs leading to the lobby, squeezing against the wrought iron handrail to let two staff members dash by her in opposite directions. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the bottom on her feet, and continued across the mosaic tile toward the bar, where the back of a familiar head lurked.

  She tapped his arm, and Bennett swiveled, his dress shoes squeaking.

  "What do you think?" Belinda said, holding her arms out and turning in a slow three-sixty.

  Bennett's smoky eyes went up and down her figure. When she stopped in front of him, Bennett pulled her in by the waist, but Belinda clapped a hand over his mouth before he could dive in.

  "Makeup!" she said. Bennett scowled. "I just spent three hours in a chair to look like this, and heaven forbid I smudge it in the mood everyone's in. That will just have to wait until after."

  "So I can look, but I can't touch?" he said, his eyes flicking over her again. For all of her worry over wearing that dress, Bennett couldn't find a thing wrong with it.

  Belinda brushed one of his shoulders randomly. He donned a navy blue suit with a vest and striped tie. "Very nice, gray-eyed eagle." Though it didn't need smoothing down, she flattened out his espresso-colored hair along the sides with her knuckles, then traced his square jaw line with her fingertips. Her dream last night flashed through her mind, but she quelled the panic that rose in her gut.

  "You're going to make this as difficult as possible for me, aren't you?"

  Belinda grinned. "Well, if it's any consolation, I'm having trouble keeping my distance with you in this vest." A little light appeared in the back of Bennett's eyes that made her want to kiss him even more. "But you will have to wait. I'm not getting yelled at because I let someone near my face."

  To the side of the bar, glass doors opened out to the lawn, where the wedding would take place, and in stepped Victoria and Dan Hart. Victoria stood on her toes to squeeze Belinda, her new baby b
ump getting in the way. "You look fabulous!" Victoria said, making Belinda twirl. "And you were worried about walking down the aisle in this thing." Victoria shook her head.

  "That's what I said." Bennett slid his arm across the small of Belinda's back, sipping his scotch.

  "See, that's what you need," Victoria said to Dan, slapping his chest with her clutch. "A cold, fermented drink."

  Dan adjusted his glasses and pulled out his wallet. "As you command, my redheaded consort."

  Victoria and Belinda laughed. "Did you hear that, Baby Hart?" Belinda said to Victoria's bump. "Your mama is a cahn-sort."

  Dan glanced at Bennett. "I do hope you understand that they are like this all of the time. I've known these two since college, and it does not stop."

  Victoria rubbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, baby."

  "We tease you because we love you," Belinda said, glancing at the clock above the bar. If Kyle left when he said he did, he should've been there already.

  Bennett looked down at Belinda, and she gazed up at him with her cocoa eyes. "I'm okay with the teasing."

  "Clearly, so am I." Dan pointed to Victoria's bump.

  The women laughed again.

  "So have you met the parents yet?" Victoria said to Bennett, taking the Shirley Temple Dan handed her.

  "Briefly." Bennett examined his empty scotch glass.

  Belinda squeezed Bennett lightly. They hadn't really talked about the whole arrest fiasco since it happened. It was still an awkward topic, and she could tell he didn't want to discuss it. So the fact that he was meeting her parents had created an elephant in the room because they both knew her parents knew, but she and Bennett hadn't talked about that.

  Neither of her parents had said anything about it, either. But she'd barely even seen them since they flew in from Europe for the wedding, and they were staying on the yacht at the marina. She and Kyle were having brunch with them later, so she'd braced herself for that discussion.

  "At least they're here to deal with the renovations," Victoria said.

  Another bridesmaid appeared at the top of the stairs, waving frantically for Belinda. She smiled patiently, shrugging an apology. "Showtime."

  She squeezed Bennett again, running off before he accidentally kissed her. Belinda waved at the three of them as she tried to dart up the stairs, but nearly tripped with the dress impeding her leg lifting, so she gripped the rail the rest of the way to everyone's relief below.

  ~ * ~

  Bennett rubbed a hand over his face once Belinda was safely at the top. Victoria grinned. "She's a handful."

  Dan caught Bennett's eye and smirked. "In more ways than one," Dan said.

  Victoria shot him a warning look, but had to suppress a smile.

  "So, how nervous are you about dealing with Belinda's family?" The light, jocular Victoria had temporarily submerged, and she asked the question in all seriousness.

  Bennett spun his glass around on the bar, considering her question. It wasn't important to him that her parents accept him, or even like him, and Belinda never seemed to mind if anyone else cared for him. But he did take his relationship with her seriously, and part of the package was dealing with her family. He liked Kyle, and hadn't considered that he wouldn't like her parents based on Belinda's close associates, and what she'd said of them herself.

  But he knew that wasn't what Victoria was really asking him. She wanted to know if he was concerned what they'd think of his arrest and pending judicial issues. He was certain Victoria and Belinda had talked about it, though he and Belinda never had. She'd never brought it up, and he was too consumed by other problems to worry about it. He'd started to think she wasn't all that concerned.

  "I'm not really that nervous," Bennett said.

  "Not really nervous?"

  "I want things to go well, but I'm not nervous about their reaction."

  Dan nodded in approval. "Good answer."

  Victoria smiled, leaning in closer to Bennett. "I know you don't need to hear this. But we like you very much, and I'm confident you're going to get along famously with her parents."

  Bennett gave his tight-lipped smile. "I like you too."

  Victoria blinked, a wave of awe sweeping over her. "Why, thank you, sir. That means quite a lot coming from you."

  "I mean it."

  "That being said," Victoria lowered her voice even more, "her parents are not the real problem here. Madame Russo could be."

  Bennett waited for a little more explanation. The only thing that came to mind was a brothel in the Old West, and he doubted that's what she was talking about. "Who is Madame Russo?"

  "Belinda's grandmother. Her mother's mom." Victoria glanced in all directions before adding, "She's a total control freak."

  From Victoria's shifty behavior, Bennett expected something more dramatic than that. Didn't every family have a control freak? "I have a little of that in my own family."

  Victoria shook her head vehemently. "You don't understand. She wants everything picture-perfect."

  "Belinda's never mentioned this before."

  "That's because her grandmother only interferes when something's threatening their position in society. She doesn't care about everything else. One of Belinda's cousins just got divorced. Her ex-husband experienced some sort of major setback in his career. We're pretty sure the grandmother was a motivating force in the separation."

  That was extreme. Bennett looked at Dan dubiously. Like Belinda, Victoria had an affinity for exaggeration. But Dan backed up his wife. "It's crazy, but plausible."

  "I don't mean to be blunt," Bennett said, "but I'm not the one facing the real scandal." Belinda's blunder in helping Mrs. Sykes with the runway show had cost her with a lot of negative media coverage. He'd heard the words "fundraiser embezzling" and "Kittridge" carelessly tossed into the same sentences. Belinda had nothing to do with the embezzling, but she was still neck-deep in the scandal–and the subsequent investigation into the embezzling.

  "I know." Victoria shut her eyes. "But I still think you may end up as priority number one."

  "Thanks for the warning, but I'm sure we'll be fine."

  "I'm sure you will too. I'm just advising you not to underestimate these people."

  Victoria said "these people" like she wasn't one of them. But maybe she just meant Belinda's family.

  The main entrance of the inn burst open, and Kyle dashed by, waving as he climbed the stairs, his shaggy hair a mess.

  Victoria rolled her eyes. "Belinda is not going to be happy to see him."

  ~ * ~

  Belinda got Kyle (with the aid of one of the young hair styling assistants, who fawned all over him as soon as he smiled) in presentable shape for the wedding after yelling at him for being late and not bothering to touch his hair.

  She survived the pre-wedding chaos, the wedding itself, and the post-wedding obligatory activities. Once she'd fulfilled her duties, Belinda broke free of her bridesmaid table and hustled out before her escort could ask her to dance. He'd been circling around the subject since the wedding ended, and she could feel him coming in for a landing.

  She found Victoria and Dan and Bennett facing each other at one of the round tables gathered under the white tent. The table cloth shimmered in the candlelight flickering in the breeze off the water.

  "Relieved it's over?" Victoria twirled a piece of her copper hair, her eyes twinkling as Belinda eyed the icing left over on Bennett's plate. Bennett slid it toward her, and she licked it up with a finger. Now was not the time for proper table etiquette.

  "How many pieces have you had?" Victoria said.

  Too busy licking icing off her finger, Belinda held up two fingers on the other hand. "My escort promised me another piece before the end of the night," she said after swallowing.

  Belinda finished the icing on the plate, glancing back at the dance floor as the music transitioned to something slower. Now that it was after dark and the eating was over, a lot of the guests had migrated onto or around the dance floor set up on one
end of the tent below the live band.

  Bennett grabbed her hand. "Let's dance."

  "You dance?"

  "Of course I dance."

  "How was I supposed to know? You hardly seem the type."

  "And what type would that be?"

  Belinda saw Kyle again for the first time since the wedding. He'd lured one of the available bridesmaids to the dance floor. Belinda thought she saw that girl eyeing him before the wedding. "The type that dance."

  He pulled her in close, his thumb grazing the middle of her back where the dress dipped lower. Belinda rubbed her lips together, all of her lip gloss long gone with the cake icing. "How did things go tonight?" She'd asked Victoria to protect him, especially from certain relatives, but she was worried they may have found a way around that.

  "Fine. Were you worried?"

  Belinda blushed. "I was just concerned that...that people might try and interrogate you." She felt bad worrying that people might be rude to him because of the arrest. But she was.

  His eyes said he knew that's what she was thinking–and he wasn't happy about it. But he just shrugged. "It was just small talk." He didn't volunteer to elaborate, and it was too loud to talk comfortably, so Belinda just let it die.

  By all accounts she should have been swooning in Bennett's arms as they rocked in a small circle in their own corner of the floor. He was wearing a three-piece suit and smelled like a sunset in the South Pacific. A warm glow embraced them from the lanterns strung along the inside of the tent. She wanted to close her eyes and drift into her own world, but Bennett was stiff and distracted, and she could feel eyes on them as they turned. She spotted her grandmother sitting in the center of the tent, her small eyes fixed on them. Belinda glanced away quickly.

  "We have an audience," she whispered.

  "It's the same one I've had through the whole reception."

  Belinda squeezed his hand. If she'd known, she would've insisted they just leave. "Let's get out of here."

  Before he could protest, she led him across the floor, and they slipped out of the tent on the side into the dark toward the inn. Bennett moved a little too quickly for her in those heels and that dress in grass in the dark before her eyes had adjusted. She yanked back on his hand to signal to slow down.