What a Rich Woman Wants (6 page)

“A physical threat? Care to elaborate?”

“A former member of the household staff arrived unannounced. She wanted to see my father, who is unable to receive visitors.”

“Why is that?”

“He suffered a debilitating stroke several years ago. He has round-the-clock care, but he rarely receives visitors outside the family and doesn't leave his suite.”

At Mitch's nod, Lesley continued. “I met with this…individual and explained the situation. As I was escorting her out, she ran upstairs before I could stop her. I called for Lita, and we managed to convince her it was in her best interests to leave. She did, but I'm…uncomfortable with our current security arrangements.”

“Which are?”

Lesley outlined them.

“You have a lot of coming and going through that gate,” Mitch commented.

Lesley nodded. “Which is why it's often left open during the day. Normally, if it's closed, Lita authorizes access. But she isn't always here, nor is my mother.”

“This former employee,” Mitch said, “did she say why she wanted to see your father?”

“She wouldn't tell me.”

“Did they have a history of some sort?”

“None. My father was still active when she worked here, but he traveled often and any interaction between them would have been limited. She was technically employed by my former husband and myself.”

Mitch raised an eyebrow. “That's a pretty gutsy move on her part, going upstairs without your authorization or invitation.”

“I agree.”

“It sounds like an act of desperation.”

“It may very well have been. At any rate, I'm looking for someone who can fit into the household. I'd like it if you could drive my son to and from school. Perhaps relieve Lita of some of the household responsibilities where appropriate. You'd have use of the guest house. If you're interested in the job, of course.”

“I might be.”

Lesley tried not to let her relief show. She'd decided Mitch was the ideal candidate for the job, but she couldn't believe her search for someone to fill the position could be so easy. “Let me show you the house and grounds and introduce you to Lita.”

Lesley concluded the guided tour in the driveway where Mitch had parked his Explorer. It was the kind of capable-looking vehicle she'd expected him to have, and she could see it was well maintained. She bet he had a full tank of gas as well. The longer she was in his company, the more she liked him. He'd asked a few questions about the household routine, seemed satisfied with the living quarters and made brief small talk with Lita.

The front door opened and Mitzi stepped out, dressed for lunch at the club. “There you are, darling,” she trilled as she came down the steps.

“Mother, I'd like you to meet Mitch Hayes. Mitch, my mother Mitzi.”

There was a clasping of hands between the two of them, but Lesley wasn't sure who instigated it. Mitch surely, for her mother's impeccable manners would have prevented her from offering to shake hands with a man upon introduction. Far from the businesslike handshake Mitch had exchanged with Lesley, however, this was more of a prolonged squeeze neither seemed inclined to end.

Odd
, Lesley thought as she gazed from her mother to Mitch and back.

“Pleased to meet you,” her mother said breathlessly, her gaze never leaving Mitch's face.

“Likewise, I'm sure,” Mitch replied. He seemed just as entranced with Mitzi as she was with him.

Her mother was an attractive woman. Mitzi spent an inordinate amount of time and money aging as gracefully as possible, stopping just shy of cosmetic surgery. The result was she looked damn good for a woman who'd lived over half a century.

As if Mitzi had suddenly become aware of her inappropriate behavior, she relinquished her hold on Mitch's fingers and adjusted the fit of her jacket at the waist. “Well. I'm off to lunch,” she said, vaguely directing the statement to both of them. Her attention focused back on Mitch. “Lovely to meet you. I hope to see you again.”

Mitch grinned, something Lesley hadn't seen him do before. It transformed his face. “Same here,” he assured her mother.

She gave a nervous giggle and slid behind the wheel of her Mercedes. She waggled her fingers at them, and Mitch fired back with a casual two-fingered salute before he turned back to Lesley.

“I'll take the job.”

Chapter Six

Lesley paced nervously outside the open doors of the boardroom. The foundation's other members were already seated inside. They were elderly, for the most part: retired executives who'd successfully run companies and who now sat on boards like this one, played golf and traveled. They'd been handpicked by her to sit on the Robinson Family Foundation's review committee. They were tough, fair and honest. She almost always agreed with their decisions. Normally, she never got personally involved with any of the applicants. Niko Morales was the exception.

She turned at the end of the hallway to pace back the way she had come when she saw him approach. She slowed her steps and focused on controlling her reaction to him. She'd seen him in a sports coat. In casual slacks and a polo shirt. In his deputy uniform. But Niko Morales in a dark blue, pinstriped suit and a red power tie nearly took her breath away.

She smiled. Even though she was expecting him, she was glad to see him. “Hello. It's good to see you again.”

He grinned. “Likewise.” He glanced briefly into the boardroom. “Ready to throw me to the lions? Do I get a net and spear at least?”

Lesley chuckled. “They're not that bad. You'll do fine. I'm certain of it.” Suddenly, she was. Niko's quiet presence was sure to impress the review panel. He was confident and genuine and intelligent. Lesley knew he'd be able to answer every question the committee put to him. She was almost certain his grant would be approved.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Should we go in?”

Niko performed beautifully. The PowerPoint slideshow she'd suggested he create enhanced his presentation. Lesley could tell the committee members were equally impressed with him. “You'll be hearing from us by the end of next week,” Lance Langtree said as he shook Niko's hand.

“Thank you, sir. I look forward to your decision.”

The others said their goodbyes and filed out, leaving Niko and Lesley alone. “You did great.” Lesley was practically beaming.

Niko loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his crisp white shirt. “You think so? They asked a lot of questions.”

“All of which you answered to their satisfaction. They're interested in your project. I can tell.”

“You think they'll approve the funding?”

“All I can say for sure is you've got my vote.”

“I'd invite you out for a drink to celebrate but, uh—”

“It's a bit premature? When you have three more votes, we can celebrate.”

“I'm thinking we should celebrate me getting through today without blowing it.” Niko started to walk her out.

“You acted like it was nothing. You didn't seem nervous at all.”

“Then I'm a better actor than I thought.”

“You weren't acting,” Lesley said with certainty.

He pushed open the door to the parking lot. “Where are you parked?”

Lesley pointed. When they reached her Lexus, she paused. “You said you'd invite me out for a drink—but. But what?”

“We don't exactly run in the same circles.”

“True.” She waited because everything inside her wanted to prolong her time in his company.

“My idea of a drink somewhere is a beer with some wings at a sports bar or nachos at Señor Tequilas. Your idea of a drink is champagne at a country club where they wouldn't hire me to wash the dishes.”

“But I always order wings or nachos with my champagne.”

Niko studied her for a moment before he seemed to make a decision. “I'm going to stop by Bubba's. It's a sports bar on the North Trail. Best wings in town. You in?”

“I'm in.”

“There's something I wanted to ask you about,” Lesley said once they were seated, cold bottles of Bud Light in front of them, an order of wings on its way. From her purse she took the paper Maria had given her and handed it to Niko.

He studied it for a moment. “Who are these people?”

“That's my father,” she said, pointing. “I think this might be Maria's mother.”

He studied it a moment longer, then handed the paper back. “Who's Maria?”

“If my guess is right, she's the woman you saw talking to Ricky at the park.” Lesley turned her bottle of beer around and around on the table, watching the rings of condensation gather beneath it before she looked Niko in the eye. “She's Ricky's mother.”

“I thought you were Ricky's mother.”

Lesley winced. “Maria is Ricky's biological mother. She's from El Salvador. I haven't seen her in six years, not since Ricky was born. She showed up out of the blue the day I was late for Ricky's soccer game.”

Niko straightened. “What did she want?” He'd taken off his jacket and tie and left them in the car. He'd rolled up the sleeves on his shirt and loosened the top two buttons. Lesley temporarily got sidetracked staring at his Adam's apple and the hollow of his throat she could see beneath it.

Lesley lifted her gaze back to his. “I'm not sure. She wanted to see my father. I told her no. She said she wanted Ricky, that he was her child. I told her no.”

“Is she what made you decide to get a security guard?”

“Yes. Her behavior that day made me realize we are not prepared for a physical threat. My mother, me, Lita. Ricky and my father? There's always a nurse on the premises as well, but…”

“You're vulnerable.”

“Yes. I don't like being vulnerable. Now, of course, we have Mitch. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“It's working out?”

“Yes. My mother and Ricky adore him. He's taken some of the workload off Lita.”

“And you can stop worrying.”

“Yes.”

The wings arrived and they helped themselves. Eventually Niko said, “You wanted to ask me something.”

“I did.”

He watched as Lesley cut a bit of chicken off the bone and dipped it in the bleu cheese dressing. She put it in her mouth and savored it. “Yum.” She started to cut another piece.

“Wings are a finger food,” Niko informed her, picking up one and biting into it.

“I know. But they're so messy.” Again Lesley dipped her bite of chicken and popped it into her mouth. After she swallowed she said, “What difference does it make how I eat them as long as I'm enjoying them?”

“None, I suppose.” He wiped his fingers and mouth with a napkin and drank some of his beer.

Lesley contemplated the piece of celery she'd dipped in bleu cheese. “I didn't tell Mitch every detail about my history with Maria.”

“Why? Don't you trust him?”

“I do. It's just that there are some things about our past history that I'd prefer to keep private.”

“So the question is does he need to know everything?”

“Yes.” Lesley bit into the celery.

“Is your history with Maria going to compromise your safety now, do you think? Or the safety of anyone in your household?”

“I don't know. She knows the house, of course.”

“Is Mitch having knowledge of this private information going to make him better able to protect you?”

Lesley weighed the question for a minute before she answered. “I don't see how.”

“Do you think she's dangerous? Do you think she wants to cause you or your family harm?”

“Yes, but not the way you mean. I think she wants something from us, from me, perhaps. She might go after Ricky, but I don't think she'd hurt him.”

Niko leaned across the table. “Go after him? Do you mean kidnap him?”

Again Lesley considered the question, surprised to realize it was a possibility she hadn't fully considered. “Maybe. I'm not sure.”

Niko frowned.

“What is it?”

“That day at the park I should have known that Ricky could be in danger. Frankly, he'd be a good target for a kidnapper.”

“You're right.”

“I gave all the boys the ‘stranger danger' speech. Every kid needs to have it drilled into him how easy it is for a predator to lure him into a potentially harmful situation.”

“I need to be more vigilant. From now on I will be.”

Niko sat back, picked up his beer and thought for a moment. “Mitch needs to know she's a potential threat to you and to Ricky.”

“He knows.”

“He just doesn't know why.”

“Not all of it, no.”

Niko thought some more. “I'm not sure he needs to. What he'd need is as much information as you have about her now. Where she lives. What she's doing. A phone number. Make and model of her vehicle. A picture of her.”

“I don't have any of that. I've only seen her once. She threatened me, threw this at me and left.”

“What did she threaten you with?”

Lesley reached for her beer. “She threatened to expose a private matter. I'd rather not go into details.”

“Fair enough.” After a pause, Niko said, “What's the connection between Maria's mother and your father?”

“I don't know. Obviously they were acquainted.”

“Were they involved?”

Lesley squirmed. “I don't want to think so.”

“But you don't know?”

“No.”

“Let me see the picture again.”

Lesley handed it to him.

He spoke as he studied it. “They aren't posed as if they're lovers. They aren't even touching each other. Your father's hands are clasped together.” Niko glanced at Lesley for confirmation. “All this picture proves is that your father and Maria's mother were photographed at the same place at the same time. It doesn't mean anything, does it? It's not proof of anything.”

“No, I suppose not.”

“It's not even a complete picture. Something's been cut out of it. Hard to tell what since it's a photocopy of what looks like an old newspaper photo.” He handed the paper back to her before he spoke again. “The basic rule of thumb is when someone's priority is to protect you, make sure they've got all the information they need to do the job.”