Alexis's eyes widened when she saw the photos which showed close-ups of two men that she knew had been killed in what were believed to have been accidents…well at least the first one which had been a car that had somehow gone off of a mountain road and wound up two hundred feet down into a ravine. The man that it had taken a day to retrieve back up to the surface had been an accountant who had blown the whistle on money laundering in a company that belonged to Sonny's business partner in Boston.
The other had been killed in some sort of accidental discharge involving his hunting rifle while tracking a 14 point buck in Colorado. He had been a business partner of another man who had some sort of business connection with Sonny.
These incidents has taken place in the past couple of months.
Back then, they hadn't seen like intentional deaths by any means, she had thought when reading about them in the newspaper. She'd mentioned them just several weeks ago with Shawn in passing. He had said they were both tragedies but that accidents often couldn't be anticipated for prevented and then he had moved on to the next subject which had been the house they planned to live in after their wedding or their honeymoon plans.
Now looking at the photos with circles around them, she couldn't ignore the obvious. That photos of men who had died had been kept by him and the circles…they looked like the two men had been some kind of target.
No of course that's what they were Alexis. An icy chill raced through her right now, the pictures still clutched by her trembling fingers. Damn she'd been such a fool once again suckered by the male species.
She ran her hand through her hair as she stood there in her slip, the pictures in her hand before she replaced them where she'd found them. What the hell was she going to do now on her wedding day, try to talk to him and ask what all this meant? How would he take it, after all he couldn't accuse her of being nosy if they were practically laying around.
Then again, if he had something to do about it…no he couldn't... Not Shawn. But her sensible side chided her for even sliding towards denial of the obvious.
Alexis sat on the bed and put her head in her hands, trying to think about what to do, trying not to think that she might have become engaged to another man who wasn't what he appeared.
Julian drove his car up the winding mountain road up to the estate at the top of it, where the view must be absolutely amazing down onto the fabric of forests intermixed with meadows and a river that wove through them both like a ribbon. He had seen photos of the house and the surrounding grounds in quite a few architecture magazines. As he approached the top, he noticed that a huge tent had been set up out in a grassy area and that men and women dressed in uniforms were bustling around setting up for what had been billed as the wedding of the month.
Huge gates loomed ahead and he knew he had to come up with a plan to get inside. He had never been on the property but he had seen it while conducting surveillance after Sam and Spinelli had given him the aerial photos, so he knew what the spread looked like. He didn't know whether Shawn knew he was back in the area. They didn't exactly move in the same business or social circles lately but he couldn't take any chances so he had brought along a disguise in case he'd alerted any of his security about Julian Jerome. He stopped the car up the road and changed inside it to pose as security; an assignment he felt would get him close enough to Alexis to talk some sense in to her.
He looked down at his black pants and shirt, he had packed a gun that would be similar to those carried by security here and he walked up to the gate where he ran into a young man with a checklist and a rather bored attitude. Julian figured he had been doing this for a while.
"Who are you," the man asked.
"I'm security," Julian said, "Mitchell Radcliffe… …Just let me get my ID."
He pulled out the best fake ID that money could buy and showed it to the man who examined it carefully.
"Your beard, it's different. You don't look much like the photo…Coleman."
Julian nodded.
"I needed a change."
The man finally gave it back to him and waved him through.
"You meet with the rest of the team in the back," he said, "You'll receive your individual assignments there."
He walked inside and didn't go to join the other security men at least not right away. Casing the grounds including the mansion were his first priorities and he wanted to get started, to find the best alternative entrances and exits.
A man leading some Dobermans walked by and Julian noted the amount of security that was present for the wedding, not surprising considering Shawn's real profession. As a hit man, he himself could be the target for revenge as well as for prosecution by law enforcement agencies so he had used a considerable amount of his earnings to shield himself from both threats.
Where was Alexis, he wondered and he figured she must be getting ready for the wedding somewhere in the main house. The walls that surrounded the estate were quite impressive and so where the cameras that were mounted on the house and other spots in the surrounding area. He wondered how Alexis had ever bought into the image of her fiancé as being just a born again businessman but knew that a lot of different emotions could make someone less than suspicious when they should be.
He walked up to the side entrance of the house and looking around him, slipped into a narrow alcove next to it, while he tried the door. It appeared to be locked so he reached into his belt and pulled out a tool perfect for this kind of thing and fiddled with the lock. He managed to get it open and opening the door enough for him to slip inside before anyone noticed.
A winding staircase greeted him and two women walked down it so he ducked against the wall.
"Really Carly I think it's much ado about nothing," Olivia said, "The marriage won't last…his fiancée is Alexis after all…I'm surprised she's made it this far."
Carly who looked perturbed to say the least shook her head.
"No…Shawn's really caught up with her," she said, "To propose to her in the first place after barely a month."
"Well…if I have one of my visions…I'll tell you."
He was surprised that the two main women in Sonny's life were getting along this well.
But he wondered if Alexis would go through with it, then remembered the way she'd reacted to him the last time they saw each other. He thought it'd been something she'd quickly get over.
In reality, it had been much deeper than that and by the time he had realized that it had been too late.
Alexis still sat on the bed, her dress still waiting to be put on for the wedding. She glanced over at it and then wondered what she had gotten herself into by making the decision to get married so quickly to a man she realized she barely knew at all.
And within a few hours she would be walking down the aisle with bridesmaids including his Carly and Olivia who she had little use for in front of guests who'd probably come for a good show. She'd been determined to go through with it despite her rep as the runaway bride of PC.
But now after seeing those photographs, she just knew she had some questions that had to be asked and only one man could answer them and that would be the man she was about to marry but where was he?
Oh yeah, conducting some last minute business…was he? Even on his wedding day, planning to kill someone else?
How had she fallen in so quickly with a man she'd already dumped?
She got up and looked into the mirror, her hair cascading around her face and wasn't sure what to do next, what if Shawn returned, what would she say to him? They had to set a few things straight before she walked down the aisle.
Julian walked up the stair case stealthily expecting to run into someone who might question him and hoping his attire would discourage it. But he had his story ready in case anyone challenged him being there in the house. He reached the top of the stairs and started walking and looking into the bedrooms. Most of them were empty but when he reached the one at the end of the hallway, he peered inside and his eyes widened as he saw her standing in front of the mirror running a brush through her hair. That lovely mahogany mane she had that either curled or waved depending on which she liked. She wore a slip which hugged her figure and showed off her lightly muscled arms.
He paused just watching her as she lifted her hair up above her neck where the necklace could be glimpsed before she released her hair again. He chose then to slip inside the room and she gasped as she looked up and saw his reflection behind her, putting her hand to her mouth for a brief second before she spun around and faced him. Not looking the least bit pleased at him. In fact the glint in her eyes know reminded him of her family heritage.
"Julian…what are you doing here…and since when have you had the beard?"
He sighed, noticing she stood her ground and had folded her arms expectedly.
"I could ask you the same thing."'
"I'm getting married in several hours," she said, "to Shawn so you should just leave before he returns."
He paused again, wondering if he should share with her what he knew about her fiancé. Then decided he had to go for it.
"Alexis…it's your fiancé, he's not what he appears to be."
She furrowed her brow.
"Oh…care to elaborate?"
He moved closer to her, trying to keep his mind on what he had to say and off of how beautiful she appeared right then.
"I mean you're really one to talk to Derek…no wait it's Julian right? Julian Jerome."
He listened, knowing he deserved that not saying anything so she continued.
"What can I say…he swept me off my feet?"
He sat down on her bed.
"I don't believe that and neither do you."
She looked at him then more carefully, her eyes penetrating him and they would have intimidated most anyone else.
"Julian…which is what you're going by now," she said, "There's nothing you can say to me."
He didn't respond right away.
"You think he's not the right guy for me is that it because he's not like you?"
"Alexis …"
She shook her head.
"No Julian…You don't get to decide whether or not I'm marrying Shawn," she said, "Certainly not just a couple of hours before I'm walking down the aisle with him at the end of it waiting."
"Where is Shawn anyway?"
She didn't know exactly but she wasn't going to tell him that.
"He's…finishing up some business."
Julian imagined he had some idea what he was doing right now…possibly planning his next hit on his own wedding day.
"Alexis you don't know him as well as you think."
She stepped towards him.
"Excuse me, if there's something you know that I don't, I wish you'd just tell me."
"He's…"
Then they heard footsteps coming down the hall and they looked at each other. Alexis gestured towards her walk in closet.
"Go…quickly…and then when it's clear just get out of here…"
He slipped inside the closet reluctantly, keeping the door just ajar. In walked Carly with some fanfare.
"Yes…what do you want," Alexis said, "I'm trying to get dressed here."
Carly didn't seem to care.
"I want to talk to you about your decision to marry Shawn while there's still time."
Alexis sighed.
"We've been down this road already," she said, "I know you think you're best friends with him but he's entitled to make his own choices."
"You're not right for him," Carly said, "For one thing, you're too much of a hypocrite."
"Oh really…and you decide this how? I mean pot, kettle, black and all that."
Carly shrugged.
"It's not personal really, you just don't come from the right background," she said, "You're not from one of the four families…not to mention you're a prude who sucks at romance."
Alexis just shook her head.
"I'm not going to prove myself to you," she said, "After all, I'm marrying Shawn."
Another woman walked in, which looked like Ava…it was Ava. Alexis hadn't remembered seeing her on the guest list but she showed up a lot of places uninvited and explosions usually followed.
Sometimes literally. Either way she was always stylishly dressed.
"Carly…there you are," she said, "I've been looking all over for you…we're having some wine out on the balcony…to prepare for this wedding."
The other woman waved her hand.
"Oh I'll be there in a moment," she said, "I'm done here…wait Ava is it you?"
The other woman nodded.
"I'm here…with Morgan of course…"
Carly's eyes went blazing, her body tensed and she balled her hand in a fist.
"I told you to stay around from my son. I've seen Midnight Cowboy and Mrs. Robinson you're not…"
Alexis just thought, it's The Graduate but then reminded herself Carly hadn't ever been the brightest bulb in the box.
Ava glared at her icily and the two women looked like they might go at it but Ava flipped her hair back and looked bored again.
The two women walked out and Alexis just shook her head at them and looked towards the closet. Julian's head emerged and he walked out of it.
"You're not really going through with this wedding…"
She looked over at him putting her hands on her hips.
"And what are you going to do to stop me," she said, "Kidnap me?"
The thought had crossed his mind but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. He wanted her to make that choice once he presented some case to her.
But time was running out and he had a feeling that showing would be much better than telling at this point.
"No…"
She started to walk away.
"Okay fine then tell me why I shouldn't marry him," she said, sitting on the bed, "I'm waiting…"
He looked at her knowing he didn't have much time to come up with the right words as she sat there waiting.