Caught in the Frame (11 page)

By that reasoning, Nate couldn’t understand why the same wasn’t expected of Dalton. Just one more hoop Lila expected him to navigate. When he spied the decade-old suit his deputy planned to wear, Nate couldn’t decide between saying nothing and hoping Lila didn’t get a glimpse of it until it was too late, or doing the decent thing and stopping the man from looking like a country cousin. He also made a note to spend time with more male friends when he got back to Ponderosa Pines. This preoccupation with another man’s clothing wasn’t exactly butch.

“Do you really want to be shown up by Remy Vincent in the wardrobe department, man?”

Dalton blanched. “You’re right. I think I’ll go with you guys, if you don’t mind.” Just like that, Nate got what he wanted; maybe it would put Chloe’s mind at ease if Dalton could also attest to Javier’s character.

Rounding the staircase down to the castle entrance, they spotted Javier leaning casually against the front desk as he chatted with a couple of security staffers. He waved amicably, bid goodbye to the gentlemen behind the counter, and gestured for Nate and Dalton to follow him down a long corridor.

“Come, come. We have quite a walk ahead of us. They manage to put everything a woman would want within arm’s reach, while all the amenities designed for men are relegated to dark corners at the far ends of the castle.” Javier’s accent couldn’t be described as thick by any means, but the cadence of his speech combined with somewhat unusual word choices reminded Nate that English was his second language.

“So, your company installed the security system in this place, huh?” Nate asked Javier casually, while shooting a pointed look at Dalton to indicate that this pairing was to double as a reconnaissance mission. Dalton’s answering nod proved once again how lucky Nate had gotten when Dalton became a deputy; they required very little communication to be on the same page.

“My technicians handled the installation, yes. My job was to oversee the process, troubleshoot, and sign off on the work.”

“That must have been difficult; this place is huge. There must be hundreds of rooms to monitor, not to mention all the places guests aren’t allowed access. Are all the staff areas monitored as well? What kind of crew did it take to complete a job this big?” Dalton’s questions didn’t seem to phase Javier; the three had crossed the line into Man Territory, where it was perfectly acceptable to discuss the technical aspects of their work.

Javier grinned, and launched into detail without hesitation. “There are a few remote areas that aren’t monitored with video; those are secured with other methods. And of course, there are no cameras in the guest rooms, or in any of the restrooms or changing areas; that would be a breech of privacy. My crew includes five upper-level security experts, who report directly to me. Each of them supervised a team of six technicians along with the requisite craftsmen needed to maintain the ambiance. Even still, the job took nearly four months. I’ve seen every nook and cranny of this place. More than once.”

Both Nate and Dalton were intrigued at this point; they would have continued digging for information regardless of whether they had been asked to do so. Spurred on by their eager expressions of avid interest, Javier continued rambling on.

“The cameras are actually a small part of the system, though there are over two hundred positioned throughout the public areas of the castle, and thanks to some local artisans, they are virtually undetectable unless you know to look for them.” Javier stopped to point out what looked like a pinhole in the cornice above them.

“They’re the eyes, but without the mainframe—or brain, as I like to describe it—they’re useless. All of that information is recorded, backed up, and compiled in the event that it needs to be reviewed. The castle’s permanent security team monitors certain areas continuously—mostly high-traffic parts of the castle—but the rest is only accessed when the cameras detect movement. We also installed a new key card system, not only for guest rooms, but also for staff. Everyone is assigned a photo ID badge; they each hold a chip that grants access to certain areas, depending on that person’s clearance level.”

“Undetectable? Then I assume you must get some very interesting footage. People often do the strange when they think no one is looking,” Nate mused.

A quick grin flashed across Javier’s face. “On that, we are agreed. You must see plenty of that type of thing in your own line of work.”

“I did when I worked in Portland. Ponderosa Pines has its own brand of weird, but it’s very subdued.”

“Most of the time,” Dalton reminded him, “we had some outside strange come to town recently.” He and Nate between them went on to describe the invasion of the Sasquatch hunters, their inevitable rout, and Chloe’s part in driving them away.

“Now that would have been worth seeing,” Javier allowed amiably.

Feeling more comfortable now that they had shared some bonding experience, Nate asked, “How did you happen to get into the security business?”

Apparently, Javier’s candidness was exclusive to discussing only the technical side of things, he sidestepped the personal aspect of the conversation adeptly. “That’s a long story, for another time. We have arrived.” Whatever nefarious intent Chloe thought she sensed in the man, Nate wasn’t seeing anything other than a desire for personal privacy.

In contrast to Lila’s time-intensive focus on choosing the correct wedding finery, Nate and Dalton made their decisions rapidly with a minimum of fuss. An hour and a half saw all three men enjoying a Guinness in the pub. Nothing—but nothing—would induce any one of them to go looking for the women until absolutely certain the dress choosing was over.

Chapter 11

“Come with me, I know a private place where we won’t be found.” Chloe tugged at Nate’s hand, leading him around a corner and through a door marked for staff use only. She had an hour—two tops—away from Lila and wedding planning; she intended to make the most of that time.

“Lead the way!”

Several more twists and turns deposited the pair in a deserted hallway. Sconces adorned the rough stone walls every few feet, ancient dried wax dripping from the candle holders. Rejected portraits of past ruling family members quietly decomposed on the walls; these particular pieces had been commissioned by less talented artists. Something about them just seemed off—a too-long nose here, an unsightly mole overemphasized there—or perhaps the renderings had been too close to reality, and therefore relegated to dark corners out of self-consciousness.

“This is the section of the castle the staff uses for storage. There’s a balcony up ahead; should be deserted.”

Nate performed a quick search and officially cleared the area, then pulled Chloe behind a curtain and began nuzzling her neck. A low moan escaped his lips as her fingers brushed lightly between the waist of his slacks and the taut line of his stomach muscles. Before the tryst could turn into anything serious, they heard a voice ringing out from somewhere above.

Chloe released herself from Nate’s grip and shuffled quietly toward the balcony’s edge. He grasped her by the wrist and pulled her back into the shadows, finger to his lips to let her know that silence was necessary. She returned his gesture with a hand wave meant to convey the sentiment,
duh
.

“That’s Javier. He must be directly above us.” Nate whispered. His cop instincts took over, letting him know there was a reason to listen to the conversation that must have been important enough to carry Javier to this remote area of the castle. They both stood still as statues, muscles tensed, straining to make out every word of the conversation.

“… disabled, you’ll have five minutes. That should be enough time. Are you positive you want to go ahead with this? It could be dangerous. No. I said I would help, and I won’t back out now. Yes, the safe, too. Yes. I’ll be ready. Win or lose, this is it—our last chance. I want this to be my last job. I fully intend to spend the rest of my life next to a sandy beach somewhere…yeah, I know I hit the jackpot. Okay, be ready, and wait for my signal.”

Chloe didn’t breathe until Javier had retreated into the upstairs room, and didn’t speak until they had followed the path back to the main part of the castle. Her cheeks flamed red as Nate stabbed the up arrow next to a small bank of elevators; he could tell she was about to launch into a patented Chloe-rant.

“Wait until I get my hands on that slimy bast—” Nate’s lips softly interrupted her tirade, but she was angry enough to break the kiss before it turned into a distraction.

“Let’s find Dalton and EV, and then you can start plotting his demise. For now, we need to keep this to ourselves. We don’t know what’s actually going on; let’s not jump to conclusions or be overheard by anyone.” He chastised gently, looking pointedly at the few guests milling about the hallway.

Chloe held her tongue until all four of them had assembled in Nate’s room, where Lila’s prying eyes and curious ears wouldn’t interrupt the conversation. EV and Dalton, assuming the urgent matter that had dragged them from a few moments of hard-earned serenity had to do with Remy, sat side by side. His face mirrored her expression of resignation. As soon as Chloe’s tirade began, they both relaxed for a moment before reacting to this newest twist.

“That son of a bitch, Javier, is up to no good! Nate and I were, um, exploring some of the more remote parts of the castle…” her eyes flicked to Nate, who bore a sheepish expression of his own, and quickly continued, “when we overheard a conversation between him and someone on the other end of the phone. He’s planning some kind of break in—he’s going to abuse his position in security to steal something from someone, and then he’s going to screw over my mother and take all her money. This isn’t the first time he’s ripped someone off, either; he said this was his last job, and that he was planning on retiring on some beach with all of his cash! We have to take him down; he won’t get away with this!” Chloe began pacing back and forth, muttering under her breath.

“Are you sure that’s what’s going on?” Dalton, always able to see both sides of a story, wondered out loud, directing the question toward Nate.

“I hate to admit it, but it seemed pretty cut and dried to me.”

“Great, now we have two situations to deal with. And Lila seemed so happy. This is going to crush her.” EV lamented.

“I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about this; we have no jurisdiction here, and it’s not like I can go to the head of security and ask for help.” Nate swiped a hand through his hair for about the tenth time; he was beginning to look like a troll doll from the ‘90’s. “Dalton and I’ll keep an eye on him, but he’s got more resources than we do. Man, I really thought he was a good guy. The only other course of action we can take is to tell Lila.”

“EV and I will take that particular bullet. C’mon, let’s see if we can find her.”

* * *

Miles of hallways, dozens of rooms, and fifty acres of grounds made tracking down any single guest into a chore. Not to mention, Lila had a long list of errands and a jam-packed wedding planning schedule, so there was no telling where she had run off to.

“Her cell goes straight to voicemail, as usual. I just love how when she wants to get a hold of
me
, I’m expected to answer on the first ring, but she doesn’t even have the presence of mind to keep her phone on her. And, at a time like this, with a million things to do, and calls to make. Damn my mother!” Chloe’s earlier irritation was now hitting record levels; the thunder clouds hovering above her head were swirling; a lightening clap threatening to sound at any moment. EV didn’t particularly want to be around when it did, having witnessed several of Chloe’s meltdowns already. Her bark was always worse than her bite; once Chloe unloaded, she turned back into a cuddly puppy. Nothing festered too long, but the anticipation of when she would finally snap was enough to drive EV mad.

“Let’s go back to our suite and see if she’s there. Maybe she left her tablet in her room; we can check her agenda and track her down.”

But there was no need; as they passed by the atrium dining room, Chloe stopped dead in her tracks. Lila was sitting at a table by the window—the best one in the house—wedding planning materials spread all around her. Most guests would have been ushered into a less public room for this type of task, but then, most guests weren’t Lila LaRue. An impeccably-pressed waiter stood nearby, poised to jump at the smallest command.

Noting Lila’s dreamy expression as she scanned over a list of table setting options, EV’s stomach dropped at the thought of disappointing her old friend. Though it had to be done, she would have preferred not to be the bearer of bad news.

“Hey Mom, can we sit?” Chloe shifted her weight awkwardly from one foot to another, almost hoping to be turned away and avoid the situation altogether.

“Of course, dear. Would you like something to eat? Or a drink, perhaps? Claude here will get you anything you’d like.” Lila cleared a space at the table for each of them, setting another pile of paperwork and samples onto the remaining empty chair beside her.

Chloe settled onto the proffered seat and held up a hand, discouraging the eager waiter. “No, thank you. We need to talk to you. It’s about Javier.” She turned to the waiter, “Could you give us a moment?”

“What about him, darling, don’t you like him?” Lila’s starry eyes every time she talked about Javier cut Chloe like a knife. This was going to be difficult. She looked to EV for support, received a gentle nod of encouragement, and launched into her story. Instead of outrage, Lila appeared bewildered by the accusation that Javier was planning to breach security.