Page 27 of Tiger on the Prowl

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Jay gripped the steering wheel tighter. “How much longer?”

Next to him, Yankee looked at the navigation on his phone. “Four minutes. Take a left here.”

They were the only ones in the white van they’d hastily disguised as a laundry service. After Jay’s terrifying premonition, he’d alerted everybody at the mansion. Ace had quickly figured out where and when Grace Morikawa’s wedding was taking place, while Lilly had helped Yankee and Jay dress up like waiters and disguise their faces with beards and glasses. Going to a large event in a big hotel meant that the chances of being recognized by somebody were astronomical. But it couldn’t be helped.

By the time Ace got the address, Jay and Yankee were ready to leave. Ace couldn’t come with them. He had to take over monitoring Olivia’s cottage in case Smith showed up there while she was gone. And Lilly was looking after Phoebe, who still suffered from morning sickness, even though it was early evening. Fox and Michelle hadn’t yet returned from their mission.

“We’ll make it,” Yankee assured him now. “It’s early yet. If it’s like any other wedding, they’ve probably not even finished dinner yet. And the dancing is always after dinner.”

Jay hoped Yankee was right. In the distance he saw the hotel. “There it is.”

“Drive around the side. From what I could see from the pictures on their website, the ballrooms overlook the gardens in the back. There’s a service entrance on the left where they unload deliveries. We shouldn’t have a problem getting in there.”

“Yeah. Good idea. It was smart of you to check the pictures on their websites to see what their service staff wears. With a bit of luck, we’ll blend right in.”

Their black pants and white shirts with black bow ties were close enough to the photos of the waitstaff at the hotel. And the hotel was large and new enough for two strange faces not to attract too much attention.

Jay parked the white van between a larger catering truck and a hedge, hiding the vehicle from curious eyes. He left the key in the ignition in case they had to make a quick getaway and jumped out of the van.

Casting furtive looks around them, Jay and Yankee hurried toward the door and entered the building. This was an area the hotel guests never saw. The corridor led to different storage and service areas, such as staging areas for arriving groceries and other supplies. Racks with table linen and cleaning supplies lined the hallway. There were cardboard boxes with flower arrangements and other trinkets. From the end of the hallway, Jay noticed an employee come toward them. He wore black pants and a white shirt, but he also wore a tuxedo jacket.

“Hey you two,” the man called out to Jay and Yankee. “Where are your fucking jackets? It’s formal dress today. This is not a Motel Six.”

“Of course, sorry, a guest puked all over us,” Jay lied. “We were just looking for new ones.”

The waiter pointed past them. “You just passed the laundry, you idiots.”

Jay and Yankee had no choice but to turn on their heels.

“First door on the left,” the man instructed and added under his breath, “New people.”

Jay entered the room and saw several tuxedo jackets hanging on a rail. He grabbed one, slipped it on, and Yankee did the same, before they rushed outside again, continuing toward the interior of the hotel. The other waiter had disappeared.

Jay pushed the door open, and found himself in the public part of the hotel. Rich red and gold colors dominated the elegant foyer.

Yankee, who’d studied the floorplan of the hotel, instructed, “To the right.”

“I hear music,” Jay said. He sped up, but there were guests around, and other hotel personnel as they passed the reception area, and he couldn’t run, or he would only draw attention upon himself.

“Almost there,” Yankee whispered.

“Sir, sir,” an older lady coming from a hallway to Jay’s left, said.

Jay didn’t stop, but the woman was persistent.

“I can’t find the elevators,” she said, a helpless look on her face.

“I’ll take care of it,” Yankee said and turned to the woman. “Ma’am, just turn to your right, past the reception, and there you’ll find the elevators.”

Jay pulled his earpiece from his pants pocket and inserted it in his ear. By the time Yankee caught up with him, Jay already saw a sign outside the palm-flanked entrance to a ballroom. Welcome to the Bell-Morikawa Wedding Reception, it said. Private Event, Invited Guests Only.

His heart was hammering in his chest. Dance music came from inside the ballroom. By his calculations, they had only a minute or two until the shooter would kill Olivia’s family.

“I’ll go right, you go left,” Jay ordered, and they entered the large ballroom. Around the perimeter, small palm trees, decorated with pink flowers and white tulle bows stood in terracotta pots, making the venue look like it was outdoors. From the ceiling, palm branches hung suspended, building a canopy. In between, sparkling lights gave the impression of stars in the night sky.

The guests were gathering in a circle around the dance floor, only a woman in a wheelchair was sitting, and a young man now rolled her toward the dance floor. In the far corner, a band was playing, and in another corner, bamboo partitions provided an area for the waitstaff to deal with dishes, open bottles of wine and champagne, and refill water pitchers. A waiter was busy carrying a full tray of dirty dishes out through a door at that end.