A Hero In Uniform - The Complete Series by Savannah DelGardo Page A

she can.”
     
    Jessi took the little girl into her arms, and when Ric saw her holding the baby close, he felt a sudden stab of longing low in his gut. It confused him because he'd never felt that way before, so he pushed the feeling aside and talked with everyone until they had to head inside to get the wedding underway.
     
    By midday, Daniel and Kelley were married.
     
    The reception was held in a garden at the side of the church, and as everyone gathered, waiting for the happy couple to join them, Ric made up his mind.
     
    He would ask Jessi to be his girlfriend and see it she was eager to explore where this relationship might lead.
     

     
    Outside the church, Kevin Nolan sat in his rented Audi, fuming.
     
    He'd travelled nearly twenty hours to get to Cairns so he could find Jessica and try and win her back, only to find that he was too late.
     
    The bitch was getting married.
     
    Over my dead body, he thought. Reaching over, he opened the glove compartment and pulled out the Glock 9mm hidden inside. 
     
    He loved Jessica and if he couldn't have her, no one could.
     
    Getting out of the car, Kevin tucked the gun into the back waistband of his jeans, put his jacket on to hide the bulge and headed in to the reception. Music and laughter drew him to the gardens, where a tent had been erected for the celebrations, and he immediately located Jessica, talking with some tall man in Navy attire.
     
    In fact, he noticed that nearly everyone gathered was in the same clothing, but it mattered little to him.
     
    He would end this day one of two ways; Jessica back as his wife, or dead.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    Four
     

     
    Jessi was talking with the new bride – Kelley Coleman – when she spotted him.
     
    Kevin was making his way through the crowd, heading straight for her. She looked around for Ric or Kelley's husband, Daniel, but it was too late.
     
    Kevin was right in front of her and he pulled a gun, making her automatically throw her hands up in self-defence.
     
    Someone screamed and everyone save for Jessi and Kelley hit the floor, but Kevin didn't seem to notice. His focus was directly on her, his gun aimed at directly at her heart.
     
    “ Kevin...”
     
    “ Come with me, Jessica.” He growled. “Come with me, and no one here will need to get hurt.”
     
    She didn't believe that for a second, but she wasn't about to provoke the situation by calling him a liar. She nodded, indicating her consent to leave with him.
     
    “ Good girl.” Kevin said.
     
    He grabbed her hand and yanked her forward, pressing the gun to her side as he walked her away from the celebrations and out to the street, where he shoved her into a black Audi sedan. He rounded the hood and climbed in behind the wheel, gunning the engine and heading for the A1, a highway that could take him anywhere he wanted to go.
     
    The gun was resting on his lap and Jessi knew he wouldn't hesitate to use it on her, or anyone that tried to save her.
     
    She prayed that, when Ric found out about what had happened, he didn't try to be a hero. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she got him killed.
     

     
    Ric returned to the tent after a quick trip to the head and found the happy celebration he'd left had turned into a confusing jumble of shouts and cries. He located Jackson and the guys and asked, “What's happened?”
     
    “ Jessica was just taken at gunpoint by some man who showed up with a gun.”
     
    “ What?! Who?”
     
    “ She called him Kevin.” Steven said, covering the mouth piece of the phone he was on. “That's all we know so far, but I'm in contact with an AFP sketch artist who might be able to get an ID on him based on witness descriptions.” He removed his hand and told the person on the other end of the line, “No, I said brown hair and green eyes.”
     
    Ric felt like he waiting forever to learn the identity of the man responsible for this, but when the ID came through, he was shocked.
     
    “ Kevin