"Wait," Alex said, raising his hands. "I know where it is."
The man with the gun smiled. "Smart choice. Where?"
Alex's mind raced. He needed to buy time. "It's hidden in a book at my parents' house. I can take you there."
The man studied Alex's face, looking for lies. "Fine. You and I will go. The others stay here as insurance."
"No!" Alex protested. "I need Ethan with me. The security setup at my parents' house is tricky. He knows how to stop it."
After a long moment, the man nodded. "The women stay. You two come with me."
Hannah squeezed Ethan's hand. "Be careful," she whispered.
As they were taken outside to a black car, Alex caught Ethan's eye. Ethan gave him a tiny nod. He understood. There was no USB drive in a book. This was just to get away from the motel.
The man pushed them into the backseat of the car. Another man sat in front, driving.
"If this is a trick," the man warned, "your friends will suffer."
They drove in silence. Alex's heart pounded so hard he thought it might burst. He had no plan beyond getting away from Hannah and Sophia. Now what?
Suddenly, police cars appeared behind them, lights flashing.
"What the—" the man turned to Alex. "Did you do this?"
Before Alex could answer, the driver swerved sharply. The car spun, tires screaming. They crashed into a light with a loud BANG!
Alex's head hit the window. Everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in a bright room. A hospital. His head hurt, and his arm was wrapped.
"Alex? You're awake!"
His mother's face emerged above him, tears in her eyes.
"Mom?" Alex tried to sit up. "You're okay? Where's Dad? Where's Ethan?"
"Shh, honey. Everyone is safe." She held his hand tight. "It's over now."
Over the next hour, his mother explained. The FBI had been watching his father's company for months. They thought someone inside was selling secrets to foreign countries. When his father found proof, he hid the evidence in plain sight—in the wedding invitation he had personally created for Alex and Sophia.
"The design had a code hidden in it," his mother said. "Only your father and a few trusted FBI agents knew."
"So the wedding... it was all fake? Just to catch the bad guys?"
His mother shook her head. "No, honey. The wedding was real. Your father and Mr. Martinez have been planning it for years. The time just worked out for the FBI operation."
Alex tried to process this. "But those men who kidnapped us?"
"Rogue spies working with the traitors. They're all in jail now."
"And Ethan? Sophia? Hannah?"
"They're all fine. A little banged up, but fine."
Relief washed over Alex. Everyone was safe. But something still didn't make sense.
"Mom, why did you and Dad want me to marry Sophia so badly? You know I don't love her. Not like that."
His mother looked down. "We thought it would be good for you. For the family business. And we didn't know you loved..." She paused. "We didn't know you had feelings for someone else."
Had Ethan told them? Before Alex could ask, a nurse came in.
"Mr. Rivera, you have guests. And also, we need to check if you can make your wedding rehearsal tomorrow."
"Wedding rehearsal?" Alex was confused. "But the wedding's off, right?"
The nurse looked confused. "I don't think so. Your fiancée was just here making sure everything was still on plan."
After the nurse left, Alex turned to his mother. "The wedding is still happening?"
"We thought that's what you wanted," his mother said. "The tickets are sent. Everything is paid for. And Sophia still wants to go through with it."
Alex couldn't believe it. After everything that had happened, they still expected him to marry Sophia?
Before he could say anything else, the door opened. Ethan walked in, his face hurt but his eyes bright at seeing Alex awake.
"I'll give you two a minute," his mother said, stepping out.
Ethan sat on the edge of the bed. "You scared me. The doctors said you hit your head pretty hard."
"I'm okay," Alex said. "But the wedding—"
"I know," Ethan cut in. "Your parents still want it to happen."
"And you're okay with that?"
Ethan looked away. "It's not my decision."
"But you said..." Alex dropped his voice. "At the hotel, you said it was me. That I was the one for you."
Ethan's face flushed. "I thought we were going to die, Alex. People say all kinds of things when they're scared."
The words hit Alex like a punch to the stomach. Had Ethan not meant it? Was it just fear talking?
"So you didn't mean it?" Alex asked, his voice small.
Ethan stood up. "I should go. The doctor said you need rest."
And just like that, he was gone, leaving Alex confused and sad.
The next day, Alex was freed from the hospital. His father picked him up, apologizing over and over for putting him in danger. The wedding rehearsal was planned for that evening. Despite everything in him yelling to call it off, Alex went along with it. He felt numb, moving through the motions like a robot.
At the church, everyone behaved like nothing had happened. The kidnapping, the danger, the rogue agents—it was all put under the rug. The guests at the rehearsal had been told there was a "security situation" that had been resolved.
Alex stood at the altar, his collar feeling too tight. He couldn't move. Sophia walked toward him, beautiful in a simple dress. She smiled, but her eyes looked sad.
The priest went through the procedure. Alex repeated the words without thought. When it was time for Ethan, as best man, to hand over the rings, he wasn't there.
"Ethan?" the priest called.
Everyone looked around. Ethan was standing by the window, looking outside, completely distracted.
"Ethan!" Alex's father hissed.
Ethan jumped. "Sorry. What?"
"The rings," the priest said patiently.
Ethan fumbled in his pocket and handed them over. His eyes met Alex's for a short moment before looking away.
Throughout the rest of the practice, Ethan kept missing his cues. He was distracted, fidgety, not at all like his normal confident self.
After the rehearsal, everyone met for dinner at a fancy restaurant. Alex sat next to Sophia, trying to smile as people toasted their upcoming marriage. Across the table, Ethan barely touched his food.
"Are you okay?" Alex whispered to Sophia when no one was listening.
She gave him a small smile. "Are you?"
"No," he admitted. "I can't do this. Not after everything that's happened."
"Because of the danger?"
"Because I don't love you. Not the way you deserve to be loved."
Sophia's eyes flickered to Ethan. "I know."
"You do?"
She nodded. "I've always known. I thought maybe you'd grow to love me, but..."
"I'm sorry," Alex said.
"Don't be. I don't want to marry someone who loves another person."
Her words gave Alex confidence. He needed to talk to Ethan, to find out if what he'd said at the motel was true or not.
After dinner, Alex followed Ethan outside. Ethan was standing alone, looking up at the stars.
"We need to talk," Alex said.
Ethan turned. In the moonlight, his face looked haunted. "About what?"
"About what you said at the hotel. About me being the one."
Ethan sighed. "Alex—" "Did you mean it? Or was it just because you thought we might die?"
"Does it matter? You're getting married in three days."
"It matters to me!" Alex stepped closer. "I need to know."
Ethan looked at him, his eyes full of pain. "What do you want me to say? That I've been in love with you for years? That watching you plan a wedding with someone else is killing me? That I break up with every girlfriend because none of them are you?"
Alex's heart soared. "Yes. That's exactly what I want you to say."
For a moment, Ethan looked surprised. Then his face toughened. "Well, it doesn't change anything. Your folks want this wedding. Sophia wants this wedding. The business needs this wedding."
"But I don't want it!" Alex shouted. "I never did!"
They stared at each other, the air between them electric with unspoken thoughts.
Then the kitchen door opened. Sophia stood there, her face pale.
"Alex, come quick. Your father just fell."