Unmasked (Godmother Security Book 1) (10 page)

“Of course not.  Boys don’t get scared.”

She stopped and gave him a pointed look. 

“Okay, maybe I was scared a little the first night, or two.  But you try sleeping in a room where there are boats rocking and creaking and knocking against the dock in the next room.  You would have been scared too.  It sounded like ghosts coming to get me.”

She laughed at his indignant look.  She tried to stop, but the giggles just kept rolling out.

He threw his hands up in mock exasperation.  “I can’t go on with the story if you insist on giggling like a hyena.”

That just made her laugh harder.  After a minute she took a deep breath.  “Okay, I’m sorry.  I’m good.  Please, go on,” she said, suppressing more chuckles.    

“Where was I?” he said, pretending to be offended.  “Oh, yes. Mom hated seeing the farm house just sit.  She had been trying to get Dad to renovate it for years.  She talked him into doing it when I was twelve, and adding on to the cabin at the same time. But he needed someone here to oversee the construction, and then keep the place up throughout the year.”

“And that’s when they hired the Whites?” Cindy asked, her laughter faded and her interest in his tale renewed.

Sebastian shot her a glance.  “You ask a lot of questions.  I like that.”  He shot her a devastating smile.  “Mrs. White had worked for Mom’s family, and came with her when she married Dad.  Mrs. White was the housekeeper until I was born, and then she was full time Nanny to me.  Mr. White is a brilliant landscaper and Dad wanted his expertise for the flowers out here.  They came up with us for a weekend to consult and fell in love with the area. Dad offered Mr. White the job of overseeing the construction, planning the landscaping, and then care-taking when it was all complete.  Their daughter had just started college and I didn’t need a Nanny anymore, so they took it.  They’ve been here ever since.  About twenty years now.”

“You live here most of the time, don’t you?”

“When I’m not in the city.  And that is more than most people know.  Even now that I’m taking over, most of what I do can be done remotely.  As long as I have a computer and Internet, I’m set.”

“I understand having an apartment in the city, but why do you have a fake country house?”  She knew she was being nosy, but that question had burned in her mind all day.

“It’s not fake.  Well, I guess it kind of is.  This place has always been the place I feel most at peace.  It has always been very private to me.  Other than the contractors that did the work on the houses and the occasional stray hiker, very few people have set foot on this property since the fifties.  I had the additions to the cabin finished after my grandmother’s trust reverted to me when I turned 18. Since then I’ve spent most of my free time here.  It is mine, and I don’t like sharing it.  I have the apartment and the house in New York for entertaining, both business and personal, but this is my private lair.”

“You make yourself sound like a loner and a hermit, but you seem like a very social and friendly guy.  I know Eric had to cancel or turn down dinner and party invitations for every night this last week.”

Sebastian laughed.  “It’s true, I’m a social butterfly.  I have a lot of friends and I do like parties.  But to be honest, that is getting a bit old.  These days going to parties or events are a part of business.  I enjoy my privacy more and more as I get older.  I like having this place as just mine.  I’ve never liked the idea of sharing it.  That’s why I keep the legalities of the place set up through the trust.  It’s not easily traceable back to me.  It would irk me to no end to have the press find out about this place.  Which is why, I suppose, I’ve never brought women here. Besides, you’ve met some of my business associates this week, and I’m sure you’ve read the tabloids.  Can you see any of the people I socialize with hanging out in rural Virginia?  My place upstate is a mansion befitting my station, as most people see it at least.”

Cindy laughed.  “Point made.  It must really bother you having Gus, Jack, and I here this weekend.”

He shrugged.  “I thought it would, but it doesn’t really.  Jack and Gus are good guys.  They don’t pretend to be something they aren’t, and I think we could become good friends.  Besides, I know none of you will sell information to the tabloids.  If you did Faye would have you quickly and quietly killed.”

“You aren’t wrong!” Cindy laughed, though she couldn’t help but notice he didn’t include her when he talked about being friends.  Did having her here bother him?  She wanted to ask him, yet knew that wasn’t a good idea.  Why should it matter if it bothered him?  It
should
bother him.  And she shouldn’t care.

“Thanks for walking with me.  I really miss this place when I’m in the city for a couple of weeks like I was this time.  I like getting back to nature.”

Cindy was surprised to realize they were on the cabin’s porch.  How could she have been so distracted?  She was letting her fascination with Sebastian get in the way of doing her job, and that could be dangerous.  She had to keep her distance from him, and taking walks alone with him was not the way to do that. 

“No problem,” she said, keeping her voice cool.  “If you want to go out again make sure you have one of us accompany you.”

He looked confused for a moment at the shift in her demeanor, but then said, his voice just as cold as hers, “Fine.  I’ll be working the rest of the evening in my office.  There’s food in the kitchen so feel free to help yourself.” 

Without waiting for a reply, he stomped inside and slammed the door behind him.

“Brr, that was frosty.  Is there anything I should know, boss?” Jack’s voice was tinged with humor.

Cindy swung around to see him sitting in a rocking chair at the corner of the front porch.  He’d seen everything.

“Of course not.  Keep watch, I’m going upstairs,” Cindy snapped.  She stalked around the house to go in the back door to avoid Sebastian, Jack’s laughter following her.

Cindy spent the next hour familiarizing herself with the layout of the house, the security system, and the grounds immediately surrounding the cabin.  Sebastian spent the afternoon and evening in his office, which Cindy found out was another of the doors that led off the main downstairs area.  The third door led to a small bathroom, and the fourth to a large, cozy room with two sofas—each with recliners on each end and consoles with drink holders in the middle—and a massive media center against one wall, complete with three flat panel televisions. 

Jack took periodic strolls around the exterior of the cabin, but spent most of his time in the media room.  While the security feed from the cameras could be viewed from any of their computers, tablets, or any of the various T.V. monitors in the house, the three big screen monitors afforded the best way to view all of the feeds at once.

She wasn’t technically on duty.  With a three man team they could split duty shifts into three eight hour shifts.  But in situations like this, where they were sequestered with the client, there were no real off duty hours.  Cindy would take her duty shift at the security monitors in the morning, but she had to do something with herself when she wasn’t sleeping. 

By three o’clock, she was bored.  She called and checked in with Faye, and found out that Kimber—aka Darla—hadn’t shown up for the lunch date.  That confirmed Cindy’s suspicions that Greer had been spotted when she’d tailed Kimber on Wednesday.  Cindy knew it was probably not the other agent’s fault.  If Kimber, Audra, and Ingrid were working as a team, there had very likely been eyes on the outside of the Prince Industries building.  Knowing that didn’t ease her frustration.

“The FBI are about to pull the plug on the operation.  They seem to think that if Greer was made, the Bauers will go underground until they think the heat is off,” Faye said.

Cindy’s grip tightened on the phone. “They aren’t just going to give up on a fifty million dollar payday.” 

“I know that, and the FBI knows that, too.  The Special Agent in charge seems to think that if they go ahead and publicize Duke’s arrest that the Bauers will cut their losses and leave the country.  After all, twenty-five million isn’t a bad take for doing nothing.”  

Cindy couldn’t help but notice the thread of annoyance that weaved through her aunt’s voice. “You don’t sound convinced.”

Faye ignored the statement.  “If there are no solid leads by Monday morning, the FBI will arrange a press release to announce the arrest of Duke and the conspiracy to commit murder charge.  They think that should leave Prince in the clear.  They’ll stay on surveillance for a day or two, then pack it up.”

Suddenly the reason for Faye’s annoyance registered with Cindy.  “They are using Godmother Security as a scapegoat, aren’t they?  They don’t think they can catch the Bauer’s so they are cutting their losses and are blaming it on Greer.”

“The blame is set firmly at my feet.  My company, my team, my responsibility.  But yes.  The agent in charge is a grasping little toad.   Strangely enough, he’d assigned the case to an underling until the Princes came to me for protection, and to help with the investigation.  He saw catching a professional assassin that was out to kill one of the richest men in the world as his ticket to a promotion.”  The disgust in Faye’s voice oozed through the phone.

Cindy nodded to the empty room.  “I get it.  He didn’t think there was much chance in actually bringing in the hit man, or women in this case, until you signed on.  What a weasel.”

“Yes.  That is when he cooked up the plan to keep Duke’s arrest a secret.  He thought he could lure the assassin out, with the help of Godmother Security, of course. But he’d be the one to clap on the cuffs and be magically whisked away to promotion land.  Once we ID’d the Bauers, he took one look at their file from Interpol and wilted like week old lettuce.  I could actually see the ambition die in his eyes,”

Cindy let out a humorless laugh.  “They have been operating in Europe for more than ten years, but Interpol can’t get a bead on them.  He must have realized that even with your help and CIA connections the chances of laying hands on them was slim.  What had been his golden ticket to success could very well end up being a big giant black mark on his record.”

“You guessed it.  When Kimber didn’t show at the restaurant today he started ranting and raving about wasting FBI resources, blah blah blah.  Long story short, if things are quiet through the weekend and no new information comes in, I’ll have you home by Tuesday morning.  Prince would be smart to opt for continued coverage by a security detail, but we have others that can be put on that.  Your team is due a break, and is too valuable to have on routine bodyguard duty.”

She and Faye talked a few more minutes, then Cindy hung up, surprised at the conflicting emotions that swirled through her head.  She definitely wanted to get off this assignment and away from Sebastian.  Didn’t she?  Yes, of course she did.  She could get home, spend a few days curled up on her sofa reading trashy novels and put Sebastian Prince and that absurdly hot kiss out of her mind.  Yet, she couldn’t help the sadness that wanted to overwhelm her.  She had really enjoyed their walk today.  She knew that the more she got to know him the more she would enjoy being around him.  Which was exactly why getting back to her life would be a good thing. 

With nothing better to do, Cindy walked over to the bookshelves that lined the back wall.  There was a variety of both fiction and nonfiction to choose from.  She spotted a murder mystery series from an author she liked.  She picked one of the books in the series that she hadn’t read yet, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and settled into one of the leather chairs in the corner of the room and settled in.

Sebastian came out of his office once to get a soda, but he passed by Cindy without speaking.  She knew she deserved to be snubbed, but it still stung.  She was starting to feel bad about the icy way she’d treated him earlier.  He didn’t deserve it, any more than he deserved being lied to.               

When her stomach started growling, she put her book aside and went to rummage in the kitchen.  After their walk Sebastian had indicated that he would be working through dinner, but maybe she could lure him out with food as a peace offering.  Unfortunately she wasn’t much of a cook, but she could make pasta and sauce, if there was jar sauce.  Luckily she didn’t have to resort to poorly made spaghetti.  She found a prepared lasagna in the fridge with baking instructions taped to the plastic wrap, so she pulled it out and, following the instructions, put it in the oven. 

While the lasagna baked, she gathered vegetables she’d seen while rummaging around and chopped and tossed them together in a garden salad.  It didn’t take long for the house to fill with the delicious aroma of bubbling sauce and cheese.  As if on cue, both Sebastian and Jack wandered out of their respective rooms. 

“Mmmm, smells like Mrs. White’s lasagna.” Sebastian took a deep breath, savoring the scent. 

“It is.  I hope you don’t mind.  I found it in the freezer and thought it would be big enough to feed the four of us.  It was either that or sandwiches again, since I don’t really cook.” She grimaced inwardly, knowing she was rambling.

He flashed her that famous charming grin.  “It’s great.  Thanks for thinking to fix it.  My head has been so deep in reports I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I caught whiff of the lasagna, and now I’m starving.”

“That goes double for me,” Jack chimed in.  “Can I stay out here with people for a while boss? I’ve got the tablet set up with the camera feed.  It will ring an alert if any of the cameras activate.”  He put a little extra whine on it so that he sounded like child asking to be let out of timeout. 

Cindy laughed and checked the timer over the stove.  “Sure. It will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

While she finished up the salad, the men set the table and poured drinks.  Cindy pulled the lasagna out of the oven, cut out a generous portion for Gus to eat later, and put the pan on the table with the salad.  The three ate, chatted, and laughed.  When dinner was over Jack went on another patrol around the cabin and then back to the media room and the security feeds.  Cindy started clearing dishes from the table, but Sebastian stopped her. 

“You cooked.  I’ll clean up.”

She didn’t even think of protesting.  “Okay, sounds fair.”  She grabbed her book and went out to the back deck and settled onto one of the chaise lounges. 

A while later he came out with a tray of coffee, cream, and sugar.  “It’s decaf,” he said at her raised eyebrow.

“Thank you.”  She poured herself a cup as he settled into the chair next to her.  They sat in silence for a long time, looking out over the lake as twilight until full darkness set in.  “It’s so beautiful and peaceful here.  I can see why you love it so much.”

“It is.  The view from my suite terrace is beautiful, but even that high up you can’t escape the city sounds.  Here there’s such a peace, even when the insects and other animals are being nearly as loud as city streets.  I miss it when I’m not here.  Sometimes I wish I could live here full time.”  His voice was full of wistful longing.

“So, why don’t you?”

He shot her an ‘are you daft’ look.  “Like I said earlier, I can do quite a bit from here, but I’m still the head of a multi-million dollar corporation.  Two, actually.  I have obligations that can’t be taken care of remotely.  I’m not complaining, just wishing.  Even rich guys have dreams, you know.”

She let out a small laugh.  “Not to be rude, but what a dream.  To live 100% of the time in a cabin in Virginia when you have three beautiful homes to flit back and forth from whenever you want.  Probably more than that.  I’m betting you have at least one home in Europe.”

“A flat in London, a suite in one of my hotels in Paris, and a villa on St. Croix,” he deadpanned.

“Oh, you poor thing.  How do you ever settle in one place?” she teased, rolling her eyes.

“You know, having as much money as I do isn’t all fun and games.  Wait, don’t look at me like that, I’m not playing the “poor little rich boy” card.  What I’m saying is wealth is both a privilege and responsibility.  At least it is for me.”

“So, give it away.  Why does one person need 30 billion dollars?  Keep a couple of million and give the rest to charities.”  Cindy knew it wasn’t that simple, but she wanted to know how Sebastian would react to the suggestion.

“This is where I’m supposed to say I would if I could, then give some reason why I can’t, right?” His mouth twitched.  “I wish I could honestly say that, but I can’t.  I enjoy the life and privileges my money gives me.  So, no, I wouldn’t give it all up if I could.  You are an intelligent woman, so I’m sure you understand that the number given for my “worth” is not cash.”

Cindy looked at him intently.  “Of course.  I’m sure very little of that figure is liquid.  I’m no financial wizard but I understand about investments and assets.  I know that a great deal of it is tied up in the assets of individual companies you own.”

“Exactly.  And I suppose I could sell them and give the money to charity.  But would that be the right thing to do?  As long as I own the businesses I can do my best to insure jobs and safe and friendly work environments.  How many people would be fired to cut costs?  How many of the businesses would be closed and stripped down and sold, leaving thousands jobless?”

“Like Duke wanted to do.”

“Yes.”  Sebastian rose and walked to the edge of the porch, looking out over the lake.  After a long pause he turned and leaned against the rail casually before he started speaking earnestly.

“Cindy, having money gives you power. The more money you have, the more power at your fingertips.  I know power corrupts, but it doesn’t have to.  I work hard to keep myself, my real self, apart from the business me.  Having wealth and power means people listen to you and do what you want.  As long as I have that wealth and power I can do more for those who are less fortunate than I could by giving away all of my money in huge lump sums until it was all gone.”

“Like keeping factories open with a full staff, even when they are barely breaking even?  Or by choosing hundreds of small, local nonprofits across the country every year and giving them enough money to run their organization for a full year, sometimes two?” She smiled, knowingly.

One eyebrow shot up.  “Wow, you really do your homework.”

Cindy shrugged.  “It’s my job to know who I’m protecting.”  That was true, but she had done more research than necessary.  Before this assignment she’d thought he was just like any other uber-rich guy.  The way he had reacted to his cousin’s treachery, and the way he’d seemed the night of the ball, had prompted her to look deeper than she normally would. 

Sebastian ignored her statement and went on.  “My parents instilled a great deal of civic responsibility in me, along with decent business sense.  I can’t promise I always make the best decisions, or that I won’t ever screw up and lose everything, but as long as I have wealth I will do what I can to make a better world.”

“And you think you can do that with your money?” 

“I don’t have a God complex.   I just want to make a difference.”

“Will you be going into politics?”  Cindy probed.  It seemed like something many of the super-rich who wanted to “make a difference” did. 

Sebastian laughed, the sound rich and hearty.  “I said I wanted to do good!”