Four to Go (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (12 page)

“Good, call them. The quicker they all get here, the better. But everyone has to be aware of the threat this asshole has made,” said Mike. “We can’t guarantee that he won’t target any of our employees, and they have to know that up front. What do you think, John?”

“Mike’s right, Connor. Get back to those guys before they get too far and make damn sure they understand the threat and that it could extend to our people, too. There will be no blame for anyone wanting to leave. Hell,
I
want to leave. Did you bring any weapons, vests, night vision equipment?” At Connor’s emphatic nod and his barely concealed excitement, John smiled wryly and continued.

“Okay then, all employees have completed our weapons training program and should have their licenses with them, so those who stay are to be fully armed and ready for anything.”

“Tom,” John called out. “The privacy shades on these windows should be lowered. I know the windows are already coated so that we can see out, and that it’s difficult, though not impossible, for anyone to see in, but I want to make sure we’re not sitting ducks for anyone with a high-powered rifle.”

“Got it,” said Tom. He used the remote to lower the blinds and to close the blackout curtains on all windows in the pool room.

“Connor,” Mike said. “I want you to pull the van into the garage before you finish unloading it. Get Trey and Mark to go with you. You will need to tell both of them exactly what is going on and ask if they want to leave. You may tell them that any employee who wishes to leave will be paid for the entire week. Those who are staying are to be sent down here to view these pictures. If they look at the pictures and still want to stay, they’ll be getting a ‘high risk’ bonus when this is over.”

“One other thing, Connor,” said John. “We need to transfer our command center down here. The library is just too far away. We’ve had our jamming equipment running down here so that we can discuss our plans of operation without fear of being overheard, but the inside pool, island, hot tub, and waterfall still need to be checked out for hidden cameras and listening devices. Let your teams know where the extra swimsuits, robes, and towels are located. Maybe they can get
some
enjoyment out of this mess.

“The secret entrance and exit from the physical therapy room was sealed earlier, but we haven’t yet come up with a way to seal that water channel to the outside pool, so we need an armed guard here all night to prevent access through that channel. We should have the channel blocked soon. You and your teams can come up with a rotation schedule to provide everyone a chance at guarding as well as a swimming check and doing an electronics sweep. I want at least two armed people in this area at all times. In fact, everybody is to work in pairs. No exceptions, Connor, even you are not to run around alone, and that’s an order.”

“Got it, boss,” Connor said and lifted his cell phone and began talking. He nodded to Carolanne as she entered the room.

“Did I just hear you right?” Sheriff Whittaker loudly demanded of Mike and John. “You’re arming these kids with guns and live ammo? What the hell is the matter with you? They’ll end up shooting each other or shooting at shadows all night long. You can’t just hand out guns to your employees on a whim. They need extensive training.”

“Calm down, Ben. They’re all licensed by the state to carry. And they’ve all been through extensive training, not only our own training program, but also the state’s program.”

Ben stiffened as he felt someone walk up behind him, invading his space. He could tell it was a female by the delicate scent that accompanied her. He froze as she moved to within an inch from his back and leaned slightly forward and spoke directly in his ear.

“I’ve got my license, Sheriff,” she whispered in his ear, then paused. “Would you like to check me out?” The smooth rasp of her velvety voice conjured up erotic images that had Ben fighting to control an escalating erection. She was so close that he could feel the heat from her body and her breath warming his shoulder.

Slowly he turned his head. He looked over his shoulder directly into a pair of wide, whiskey-colored eyes framed by short, dark eyelashes. Heat shot straight to his groin, igniting a throbbing flash of desire as his cock went to full alert, ready for action. He could see an answering flare of awareness and instant desire in her eyes as she held his gaze. Her lips were eminently kissable, not too full and not too thin. Her hair was a deep chestnut, with threads of russet, dark brown and burgundy scattered throughout. She wore it tied back at the nape of her neck. Her age had to be mid to late thirties.

Ben had to take two steps forward before he could turn around and see all of her. She was tall, maybe an inch or two shorter than he was, and wouldn’t she fit perfectly in his arms. His eyes leisurely followed a downward path, past breasts that were buxom and enticing. Her hips were solid and her denim-covered legs seemed to go on forever, ending in well-worn cowboy boots that just about matched his own.
Hoo-boy! Yee-hah!
Damn, but she was his kind of woman.

“Hi, there, Sheriff, I’m Carolanne Higgins,” she said, holding out her hand.

Ben captured her hand in his and raised it to his lips as he stared into her whiskey-colored eyes.

“Is that Mrs. Higgins or Miss Higgins?” Ben asked directly, still holding on to her hand.

“You can just call me Carolanne,” she said with a sultry smile, then relented as she held his gaze. “I’m divorced and not involved with anyone at the present time.”

“I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that, Carolanne.” Ben gave an exaggerated sigh of relief and smiled at her chuckle.

“Hey, Carolanne, come on over here,” Connor called from across the room. “You need to look at these photos we took out of the envelope that was left here. The bosses want every employee to look at these photos and decide if they want to stay or not.”

“Be right there, Connor,” she said, still looking into Ben’s eyes as she slowly tugged her hand from his.

“A pleasure meeting you, Sheriff.”

“Ben. You can call me Ben. And I’m divorced and not involved with anyone either.”

“That’s good to know, Ben.” Carolanne smiled warmly, then turned and walked across the room to Connor.

Ben continued to watch as Carolanne bent over the table to examine the photographs. As he shook his head and started to turn back to Tom and Kate, he grabbed his hat off of the table, holding it in front of himself.

“Before I leave,” Ben said. “I’m going to check the outside pool and the area just beyond. Even though it’s too dark tonight to find much of a trail, maybe we’ll get lucky and find that he dropped his wallet,” he said with wry sarcasm.

Mike and John stood. “We’ll go with you, Ben. We should be able to cover a wider area with the three of us looking,” said John. “Wait here until I get our jackets and some night vision equipment for when we get beyond the yard lights. Ben, I’ll bring your coat and a pair of goggles for you, too.”

Kate walked up to Mike and Ben. “Make sure the three of you come back down here when you’re through with your inspection. That includes you, Sheriff. Mrs. Mallory made enough food for an army. So don’t let her food go to waste. It’s too good.”

“I surely would hate to have good food go to waste, and I appreciate your hospitality. Much obliged, ma’am.”

“Sheriff, I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other in the future. Please, call me Kate. Ma’am makes me feel like a grandmother.”

Ben smiled. “Believe me, Kate, no one would ever mistake you for a grandmother.”

A frigid wind whipped the wet leaves into a frenzy and then swirled around his hiding place, seeking every cold, wet surface on his body. On his belly, he slowly backed away from the suddenly darkened windows throughout the pool area and moved into the sheltering darkness. Fury began displacing the euphoric high he’d been on since his success earlier today.

He should have just waited and killed Tom Martins this morning instead of leaving those notes on his bed. He didn’t like making mistakes. And that was a big, big mistake. But damn it, he’d had to do something to get that relieved, no, that happy…that satisfied expression off of his face. He had needed to see the fear back, the desperation, the knowledge that his life was effectively over.

Now they’d found and cut off his access to the warm, dry, hidden passage behind the physical therapy room. For almost two years that space had been his secret refuge, his secret joy. Hour after hour he had spent in comfort, watching his enemy. Sometimes he’d even sleep back there. Now he would no longer have the pleasure of watching his hated enemy suffer through the excruciatingly painful exercises, nor would he now be able to wander freely around the house whenever they were gone. They had even found two of his cameras and his listening devices in that room. He’d had to use the outside pool to access the house this evening.

Rage twisted in his gut as he realized the chances were great that they’d already found his other message in the back of the pool room. That wasn’t supposed to be found until he was ready for the next step. And, damn it, he wasn’t ready yet. The worst was when he’d come within inches of being caught. The adrenaline that had drop-loaded into his system at that time was just starting to abate. He was coming down, hard. He would still have access to the house through the outside pool if that damned nosy kid had been where he was supposed to be, and where did all of those people suddenly come from? He inched backward on his stomach until he reached the woods, his body now almost violently reacting to the bitterly cold winds.

Shivering and shaking, he had just gotten to his feet behind a large fir tree when the outside door to the pool room opened and three men emerged. The outdoor lights were on, flooding the yard with bright light. Quickly, he ducked down into the low ravine behind him, carefully and quietly following the twists and turns deeper into the heavily forested undergrowth until he was out of sight of the manor. He could hear the three men searching the area he’d just left, making his near escape the second one today. His antiquated night vision goggles lightened the stygian blackness around him as he made his way through the dark forest to where he’d hidden his old, white van.

Twenty minutes later, he slid under the camouflage tarp covering his van and opened the door just wide enough for him to slide inside. Quickly, he removed the damp flannel shirt and the sweat pants covering his ancient wetsuit. Twenty-five years ago the damn thing had actually fit him. Now there were rips at most of the seams, but it had still served the purpose tonight. Tomorrow it would end up in the city dump, cut into tiny pieces.

Once he had located his dry clothing, he removed the night vision goggles. Despite his attempts to rip the wetsuit off at the torn seams, it clung to his body like a second skin. It was a real fight to finally get out of it and into a heavy sweater and dry sweatpants. The biggest problem was that he couldn’t seem to stop shaking and shivering. He put on his heavy jacket and wrapped the blanket he kept in the back of the van around himself as he curled up in a fetal position on the floor of the van.

Just before he fell into an exhausted sleep, he saw Rosie’s face again. The image of her vivid, sparkling green eyes, long black curls, and her sweet smile burned into his mind as he drifted off.

“You’ve come back to me, Rosie girl, haven’t you? It’s been so long since you’ve visited me, Rosie. I’ve missed you so much. So pretty. You’re so pretty, sweetheart. But you’re mine, don’t forget that, Rosie. You’re mine! Sweet baby. My Rosie, just mine.” His words slurred as sleep claimed him.

* * * *

Dawn’s early morning light filtering in through the camouflage tarp awakened him quickly. He couldn’t afford to get caught sleeping here. Quickly, he rolled the front windows down, listening intently for any signs of human activity. Hearing none, he slid open the side door and ducked under the tarp. Looking around and listening carefully, he finally decided it was safe. First, he relieved himself behind a tree and then removed the tarp from over the van, folding it carefully. The magnets on the edges of the tarp clattered as he placed it on the blanket in the back of the van.

After another careful check, he started the ignition and turned the heater on full blast. Just before he pulled onto the main road, he caught a glimpse of his face in the rearview mirror. He looked closely, ignoring the white hair cut in military style and the white stubble on his unshaven face. His eyes passed over the compressed line of his thin lips and his broken nose and back to his pale, washed-out blue eyes. He relaxed. Nothing would give him away in his face or his expression. Everything looked normal. Satisfied, he pulled out onto the main road and continued driving.

It was only early evening and the chaos had increased tenfold, two new teams had arrived and were being outfitted with protective gear and weapons while gawking in awe at the pool and its environs. Kate and Tom sat at a table back in the corner, out of the way, watching the confusion as one team swam around the inside perimeter of the pool and another armed team stood near the water channel to the outside pool. Mike and John were sitting with Ben and Carolanne at a table while they finished eating, and Connor was beginning to get the tasks, and the people milling about, organized.

Linking her fingers with Tom’s on top of the tablecloth, she looked ruefully at him. “I don’t think this night is working out the way we thought it would. Do you?”

“Not even close,” he said with regret.

“That’s all right. Whenever it happens will be fine with me, but this threat to you has to be taken care of first.”

His mind’s eye projected the photograph of Kate’s face at the end of the rifle barrel, the sight lined up perfectly for a head shot, and he shuddered and gripped her hand tightly. Somehow, some way, something he’d done, or maybe failed to do, had put his Kate in danger. He had to believe that Mike and John would find the answer and could protect her, keep her safe.