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chill. Something was terribly wrong. It was now thirty minutes past when the ceremony was supposed to start, but there was no sign of Max. He wasn't answering his phone. In fact, it appeared that he had turned it off, because now it went straight to voice mail. If he had turned it off, then he'd seen her number on the screen, and he'd chosen not to talk to her. But that didn't make sense.
    Max wanted to marry her. He'd told her just last night that he'd never been this happy in his entire life. And he'd kissed her like he was never going to let her go. But he had let her go, because they'd decided to spend the night before their wedding apart. She'd gone home to her parents' house while he'd stayed in the apartment they shared. Now, she wished those hours back. Had something happened during the night? Had he been suddenly filled with doubts? Had he changed his mind about wanting to get married?
    No, she told herself firmly. She'd spoken to him a few hours ago, and he'd joked that she probably wouldn't recognize him in his tux, because he was more a jeans and jacket kind of guy. There hadn't been a hint of anything wrong in his voice.
    She drew in a shaky breath and let it out as she watched the parking lot. It was full. No vehicles were moving. Everything had come to a standstill. The guests were still packed in the church—waiting…
    And she was alone. She'd ordered everyone out of the dressing room, because she couldn't stand the pitying looks or the endless reassurances. She loved her family, but at this moment the only person she needed was Max.
    The door behind her opened. It wasn't Max who entered the room, but Nicole. At her silent question, Nicole shook her head. "He's still not here, Emma. But there are a lot of people looking for him."
    "He didn't stand me up, Nic."
    "I don't think he did."
    "Which means something happened to him."
    Nicole gave a helpless, frustrated shake of her head. "I don't know." She paused, hesitation in her eyes.
    "What?" Emma demanded, knowing there was something else on Nicole's mind.
    "There's another ceremony scheduled for seven-thirty tonight."
    "What does that mean?"
    "The priest said we can hold the church until seven. That's another forty minutes. I'm sure Max will arrive by then."
    She wanted Nicole's words to make her feel better, but they didn't. The reminder of time passing only made the fear worse. "I'm scared," she whispered. "Max is never late. I'm the one who runs behind schedule. He's always waiting for me."
    "Try to stay positive. I know that's not going to be easy."
    "It's impossible."
    "Max loves you, Emma. He's going to find a way to get to you, no matter what has happened."
    The door opened again, and Emma could see her family hovering in the hallway, but it was her father, Jack Callaway, and Max's mother, Susan Harrison, who made their way into the room. Susan was crying. At the look on her future mother-in-law's face, Emma felt another wave of terror, and she reached for Nicole's hand for support. "What's happened?" she asked.
    "Max's car was located in the lot behind the bank three blocks from here," Jack said.
    "He's at the bank?" she asked. "Isn't it closed by now?"
    "Yes." Jack stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "The bank was robbed just before closing, Emma, and it's turned into a hostage situation. Max and Spencer are inside."
    "Oh, my God!" She put a hand to her heart. "But he's all right, isn't he?"
    "I assume so. They haven’t let any of the hostages go yet. The negotiations are just beginning."
    "Let's go to the bank," she said immediately.
    "Emma—"
    She shook her head at her father, not letting him finish. "I am not going to stay here and wait. I want to be there when Max comes out. I need to be there. Please don't argue with me."
    "I'll take you there," he said.
    "Thank you."
    Her mom took off her coat and handed it to her. "At least wear this, Emma. It's cold outside."
    Emma pulled the coat on over her wedding dress and followed her