Crusoe looked back at him."Shut up, Mac."
"Yep."
Cormac was my brother, but Crusoe was much better at reading me.He knew I was tense.Might have been the fact that my knuckles were white as I held the steering wheel.
"Hey, bro, we've got this, and if nothing else, I plan to grab as many of those expensive party foods as I can on the way out.That cereal is no longer holding me."
The wedding was set to start in two hours, and there were already plenty of shiny six-figure cars parked in the vast parking area out front of the mansion.It was one of those brick monstrosities that had multiple wings and a grand front entrance with white columns.
"Your car won't exactly be camouflaged between all the shiny Rolls and Porsches," Cormac noted.
He had a point.I didn't want to get towed.It wasn't exactly a cool scenario to rescue the girl and then run out to find that the only mode of escape was gone.I parked on the side with all the service vehicles.
We got out of the car in our faded jeans and T-shirts.Our clothes weren't going to be great camouflage either but whatever.While everyone else on the service car side of the lot was walking along a path to the side of the house, the three of us marched confidently up the front steps and right between the white columns.Crusoe knocked on one of them and winced."Was just checking if they were Styrofoam."
We walked in right behind a couple who were wearing so much perfume and cologne, Cormac sneezed three times and waved his hand to clear the air in front of him.While the couple stopped to tell the guy with the clipboard their names, the three of us just marched through.
The entryway was bigger than a two-bedroom apartment.Crusoe stopped to check his hair in the reflection on a silver vase."Hmm, yep, I'm looking good."
The party crashing had gone smoothly, but I knew obstacles were just around the corner.A group of well-dressed guests looked up from their conversations when we emerged from a hallway.Drinks were already flowing.Crusoe winked at a pretty server and grabbed a cocktail off her tray.
One of the men in the group was wearing a white flower in his pocket, so it seemed he had something to do with the wedding but he wasn't the groom.I'd seen the fucker's picture.The guy with the flower peeled away from the group and stretched up tall to look bigger.
"The service entrance is on the east side of the building.Follow the brick path."
"We're guests on the bride's side," I said and walked past him.
We walked through the people gathered in a room that had twelve-foot ceilings and shiny chandeliers.Shocked looks turned our way from every direction.
"Is it me or are we attracting a bit of attention?"Cormac asked.
"Of course we're attracting attention.We're Stones," Crusoe said.He stopped at a table that was covered with a white cloth and silver trays of tiny foods.He grabbed a few and stuffed one in his mouth."Fuck, that's awful."
Everyone looked our way with wide eyes and open mouths.
I looked at Crusoe."Seriously?"
"Really, you want to try it?"He lifted the cracker toward me.
"Hey, I think that's caviar.Fish eggs," Cormac explained.
"I know what fucking caviar is, and now I know that it's gross."Crusoe glanced around, but there was no place to toss the cracker, so he just set it back down on the table.
I looked up and saw fuckface, the doctor, walking importantly across an outdoor patio.There were a few big security dudes with him.
"Uh-oh, trouble," Cormac said.He was trying a caviar cracker and seemed to like it.
Crusoe looked at me."What's the plan now, Bob?You know the bride isn't going to be down here mingling cuz she'll be upstairs getting all gussied up for the wedding."
"Good point."We'd gotten everyone's attention, including a small group of servers, all women dressed in short black skirts and white blouses.They'd gathered and were giggling and whispering behind their filled trays.I walked over to them."Hey, nice job on the drink serving.Any of you happen to know where I can find the bride?"
A server with curly red hair stepped forward."I think they're getting ready in the first room to the left at the top of the stairs."
"Thanks."I winked.
"Excuse me."Doc had arrived with his crew."You need to leave.This is a private party.Invite only.We don't want any trouble."
"No?"I stopped in front of him."Then why'd you bring your bodyguards?"I turned and walked toward the stairs.They followed close at my heels.Cormac had decided to try some more of the foods, and Crusoe ended up with the giggly group of servers.My cousin was the king of gathering phone numbers.
