Caught in the Frame (14 page)

Her eyes snapped open. With her photographer’s insight into human emotion, she knew the look on his face had been fear rather than anger. That made him more dangerous, because a fearful man will usually go to greater lengths than an angry one. Fully alert now, Baylee absorbed her surroundings. Dust, piles of building materials, a dimly lit light fixture, and the abject lack of noise suggested she was in one of the older, not yet renovated parts of the castle.

And she was tied up.

Panic set in, and though each movement tightened her bonds, Baylee couldn’t stop struggling against them. She opened her mouth to scream for help when, from behind her, Remy’s voice made her jump. She’d thought herself alone.

“Don’t scream, no one will hear you anyway, and I’m not going to hurt you if you cooperate.” Remy’s smarmy face was equally unpleasant as his whiny voice; even if Baylee had no preconceived notion of his repulsiveness, she would have steered clear of the man. How someone so obviously incompetent had managed to wreak so much havoc was beyond her, and she briefly wondered if some kind of deal with the devil had been made.

She heard footsteps and looked from where he’d placed her—on the floor, tied to a support beam. Remy carried her camera in his hands. “Who are you and why were you spying on me?”

Should she tell him, and hope he would let her go? Or should she trust Javier to handle the situation and find her? Remy’s next words didn’t help with the decision.

“Where’s the memory card? Give it to me, or tell me where it is, and I’ll let you go.”

* * *

EV knocked on Lila’s door while her busy mind searched for some believable pretense for keeping Lila out of Chloe’s way for and hour or so. A pointed text from Chloe settled the matter:

Um, forgot about Dalton. Tell me where you’ll be so I can send him to you.

I’m next door now, not sure yet—
was all the answer she had time for before the door flew open.

“Can I come in? If you have time, I was hoping we could go to dinner in the cafe. Dalton, too.” She looked past Lila to see if Javier was in the room. “I’d love a chance to just visit with you. Talk about old times.”

“Did Chloe send you here to give Javi the third degree?” Lila was only half right.

“Can’t I just want to catch up and spend some time with my oldest friend without you picking apart my motives?” Lila cocked her head, searched EV for signs of prevarication and finding none, relented.

“Fine.” A slight chill still wafted through her voice. “Javi should be back by now.” Lila swung the door the rest of the way open, glanced down the hallway to see him turn the corner at the end of the hall. When he was near enough to hear, she said, “Javi, sweetie, we’re going to dinner with Dalton and EV who, if they know what’s good for them, will not reveal any of my youthful indiscretions.”

A glance back in the direction from which he’d come and the slowness of his steps spoke of Javier’s reluctance to be pulled away from whatever it was he’d been doing.

“Though I’d like to hear some of those; regrettably, I have an errand.” Coming up behind EV, Javier’s even teeth gleamed impossibly white in contrast to his olive-hued skin. He laid a hand on Lila’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. The look on his face did not immediately mirror Lila’s shining eyes and foolish grin. Instead, stress wrote lines around his eyes, until she squeezed his hand, and a more genuine smile appeared. That he was hiding something, EV had no doubt, but it wasn’t his true feelings for Lila.

“Can’t it wait, Dear? I’ve hardly seen you all day.” Lila in full-on persuasive mode was impossible to resist. Torn between the desire to keep looking for Baylee, and the need for everything to seem like business as usual, Javier relented. Maybe she’d had to duck in somewhere to avoid detection, and was just waiting to get clear before texting him.

“I can delay for a short time,” he allowed, as he followed EV and Lila inside and closed the door behind him. The three of them had just enough time to take a seat before Dalton’s discreet knock halted the conversation and Lila yanked the door open and pulled him in for a welcoming hug.

“Just remember,” Lila wagged a finger at EV, “Whatever embarrassing stories I have, you were right there beside me.”

“True, but you were always the one with the best ideas, I was just the gullible follower.” EV pasted an exaggerated look of innocence on her face, but Lila only hooted.

Dalton snorted. “I was the bystander; you two were forces of nature.”

“What about that time you stole a bottle of Zellner’s famous strawberry wine and we…” Javier leaned in a little closer to hear the revelation. “Never mind.”

The four took the stairs down toward the cafe on the second level of the atrium.

A charming wrought iron, glass-topped table sat in a patch of watery light. To their left, the view out the large expanse of glass showed another misty day, the sky not just threatening rain, but promising it. From what EV could tell, that was most days this time of year.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lila caught sight of a familiar head of curly blond hair. She let out a low, involuntary hiss and locked eyes with Hannah Frank. Camera phone poised, the quick flash netted her a photo of nothing but Lila’s most hateful scowl. Another pointed look sent Hannah scurrying toward the cafe exit, her mouth set in a grim, frustrated line. Lila returned her attention to the table; none of her companions had witnessed the exchange, so she shoved irritation aside and focused on the conversation at hand.

Talk turned to Ponderosa Pines, while EV and Dalton entertained with the story of how Sasquatch hunters had come to visit their small town. Lila nearly busted a gut laughing as EV described Chloe rising like a wild Yeti ghost and giving them the sharp side of her tongue. Javier’s laughter felt a little forced—EV would have sworn he hadn’t heard half the story; too busy looking his phone as though willing it to make some kind of signal.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to make a call.” Javier moved away from the table. There was no answer from Baylee, so he typed a quick text message.

All clear?

Lila watched him go with barely-masked concern. “What about your parents, are they well? They must be in their early seventies by now. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen them.” She directed at EV.

“They’re doing fine. Father finally gave in and turned the foundation over to cousin George four years ago, though he still keeps his hand in when he can.”

Javier bumped into the table on his return. Lila glanced up with concern, but he composed his features into an expression of interest at the current conversation and ignored her silent question.

“Mother has slowed down, probably because he is a constant distraction, but she continues to produce one or two new pieces every year.” EV spoke to Lila, but remained acutely aware of Javier’s expression.

Lila turned to Javier, “It’s a family secret, but EV’s mother goes by her maiden name in the art world: Anna Zemaya.”

“She would be the genius behind the tapestry in your bedroom, correct?”

Lila nodded. “Her use of color is exceptional.”

“Which piece?” EV asked.

“Willow Sky.” Lila waved her fork. “I picked it up in a gallery in…”

“San Francisco.” EV finished for her. “I’ll tell you one of my biggest secrets—I’ve been working as my mother’s agent for the last fifteen years.”

Surprise lifted Lila’s brows. “I had no idea. That must have meant a fair amount of travel for you.”

“Less these past few years, but yes; I haven’t spent my life chained to a pine tree.” A hint of bitterness crept into her voice. Lila’s lips tightened as she asked Dalton about his family.

He patted EV on the knee before answering with a grin, “Older but no wiser. My dad went bungee jumping last year.” He gave a little shiver thinking about it. Of all the things passed down from his father—long earlobes, funny looking middle toe, warm brown eyes—the one thing that had skipped a generation was the inner daredevil. “With my daughter. This summer, they’re planning to go skydiving—it will be her first time and his fifth.”

“The closest I’ve ever come is parasailing in Sydney harbor. Remember that, Javi?” When he didn’t answer, Lila nudged him with her elbow.

At that moment, Javier’s text notification sounded. A quick glance at the screen settled his nerves.

Clear.

EV watched him intently without seeming to stare—it was an art she had perfected over the years when negotiating with art dealers. Whatever the message, it must have been good news, because the tension drained from him with a sigh, and he went back to being his charming self. The next hour passed in a haze of laughter, good wine, and better conversation.

* * *

“Perfect.” Chloe said out loud, even though she was alone in the suite. An assortment of covered dishes adorned the small dinette table, and a bottle of champagne chilled on an adjacent stand. Deciding to take EV’s advice and make sure Nate was in the best possible mood before admitting she had been less than honest with him, Chloe dimmed the lights and lit a few candles to set a romantic mood.

Nate was due to arrive any minute, so Chloe checked the gilded bathroom mirror one last time, making sure her hair and makeup were in place. A long, sapphire-colored skirt hugged her shapely hips, and a form-fitting sweater dipped low enough to display a white gold and sapphire pendant sparkling beneath her collarbone. Pedicured toes poked out from beneath the hem of the skirt, buffed and polished more scrupulously than usual, given that she went barefoot as much as possible back in the Pines.

Nate’s gentle knock had Chloe skipping to the door, anxious both to see his handsome face, and to get the task at hand over with as quickly as she could. Though she wouldn’t have believed it was possible, he looked even better than usual in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows. It was clear Nate had spent some time on his appearance: his usually-mussed hair had been trimmed and tamed into submission; his chiseled jawline accentuated in the absence of the scruff that normally resided there. Chloe’s jaw hung open in appreciation until Nate let out a chuckle, slung his arms around her waist, and lifted her into a kiss.

“What happened to you?” she asked, as he released her gently back to the floor.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Do I usually like some kind of hillbilly or something?” he teased, eyes crinkling at the edges as his wide grin belied the mock-serious tone of the question. “
Someone
left an appointment card in my room; I took the hint. Apparently I had become too shaggy for this fancy place, so I visited the barber shop they’ve got hidden in the basement dungeon. Look, I even got what they call a MANicure.” Sure enough, his nails had been cleaned and trimmed, and his palms were soft as silk where Chloe caressed them with her own fingers.

“I take it that’s your first and last foray into a metro-sexual existence?”

“You can bet your ass, it is. Your mother has a lot of nerve, I can tell you that.”

Chloe agreed, and, banishing all thoughts of her mother for at least the next couple of hours, led Nate to the table where she pulled the lids off all the plates. She had ordered an assortment of Irish dishes, including traditional Shepherd’s pie, soda bread, and beef stew made with stout beer. She couldn’t imagine Nate was missing American food; after all, what guy would complain about cuisine that included some type of alcohol in almost every dish?

They ate heartily, chatting about their day and enjoying each other’s company away from the prying eyes of Lila, EV, and Dalton. When the last crumb of Irish cream cheesecake had been scraped from their plates, both their stomachs were so full, all they could do was flop down on the bed and allow digestion to take its course. Chloe figured this was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

“I have something I want to tell you. The thing is…there’s something I haven’t told you. It’s not
bad
.” She added, noting his small, concerned frown.

“Go on.”

“Well…when I came back to the Pines, I spent a lot of time working on the house; decorating and remodeling and whatnot. And when I started job hunting, nothing nearby really appealed to me. You know I’m not exactly hurting for money, but I do like to keep busy.” She picked at some lint on the spread so long he made an impatient hand gesture for her to continue.

“So…one day I was talking to Wesley about some of the freelance articles I wrote for a lifestyle magazine in New York. And he asked me to write something for the
Pine Cone
. I’ve been the author of 'Babble & Spin' ever since.” She looked up into his eyes for the first time since beginning her speech, and was surprised to see amused relief in place of the irritation or anger she had expected.

“Jeez, Chlo, you had me thinking you were moonlighting as a topless dancer or something. And why are you so worked up about this?”

“Because I should have told you sooner. But I was sworn to secrecy. EV’s the only one who knows, and that’s only because she figured it out and then harassed me for two solid weeks before I confirmed. So…you’re not mad?” she asked, hesitantly.

Nate gathered her face in his hands, kissed her lips, the tip of her nose, and her forehead before pulling her against his chest in a bone-crushing hug. “Don’t scare me like that again. I don’t care that you write about gossip…wait…so that means it was
you
who started the
Inspector Hottie
nickname? You are so dead!” He flipped her onto her back, tickling her ribs and kissing the part of her neck that always made her giggle.