J
ake and Kyle sat on opposite ends of the sofa as Sterling Hamilton paced back and forth across his immaculate office.
“Do you have to pace while you think?” Kyle asked him. “I’m getting a disjointed neck just watching you wear down the carpeting.”
Sterling stopped and smiled. “Oh. Sorry.” He eased into a nearby chair. After a few moments of silence, he said, “I’ve been wracking my brains but I can’t recall Diamond ever mentioning Samuel being threatened by anyone. And as for me, I know for a fact that I never received any threats.”
He frowned. “However, come to think of it, I do remember two incidents of Samuel’s car catching fire during a race. The officials ruled it as mechanical failure, although they could never find the cause.”
Sterling shook his head. “Samuel was pretty hot about it.”
Jake stood. “But you don’t know for certain that his car was tampered with.”
“No,” Sterling agreed. “Samuel never mentioned that he thought his car had been tampered with, so he must not have been threatened.”
“Would he have mentioned it if he had?”
Sterling grunted. “Who, Samuel Tate? If you knew him, you wouldn’t be asking that question. The man would have blasted that information to the media in a heartbeat. He loved getting media attention of any kind.” Sterling’s expression then darkened. “Even so far as to use Diamond to get it if he had to.”
Jake nodded. Diamond had shared information with him about her marriage with Samuel Tate and how insensitive he was.
“But I go along with Kyle, Jake. You should not dismiss those calls you’ve received. If you don’t feel comfortable about taking this to the police just yet, then you need to consider hiring a private detective to look into it. Maybe this guy is nothing but a crank, as you seem to think, but you don’t know that for sure.”
“And I agree,” Kyle added.
Before Jake could respond there came a soft knock on the door. Moments later, Sterling’s very pregnant wife Colby stuck her head in. “All right, you guys, the birthday party is outside and not in here.” She chuckled. “Nicholas is beginning to panic being surrounded by so many kids.”
Sterling shook his head, smiling. His half brother, Nicholas Chenault, was a bachelor and was not used to being around children. Sterling had talked Nicholas
into dressing up as a clown for the party. “We’ll be out in a minute.”
Colby nodded and closed the door behind her.
“So, Jake, what do you plan to do?”
Jake raked his hand down his face, feeling disgusted with the entire turn of events. “I’m going to do as the two of you suggested and hire a private detective to check into those calls. I’m just hoping there’s nothing to them.”
A half hour later, Jake settled onto a bench on Sterling’s patio and watched Diamond. She was helping Colby, Colby’s sister-in-law, Cynthia, and Kimara coordinate the activities for the children. He looked around at everything, all the expenses Sterling had spent on his fourth godchild, and personally thought this was a bit much to celebrate the kid’s first birthday. But what a cute kid she was, he thought, seeing Kyle walk around holding his daughter, Kamry, who had not yet begun walking. The little tyke was the spittin’ image of her mom, which Jake thought was about time since their first three children looked so much like Kyle. Not far away, resting in outdoor cribs, were the newest members of the Garwood household, eight-week-old twins, Kellum and Keenan. Born on Christmas Day, they were both sleeping peacefully through all the noise.
Jake held his breath when he watched as Cynthia handed Diamond her son to hold. In talking earlier with the little boy’s father, James Wingate, who was Colby’s brother, Jake knew that the baby was five months old. Diamond was smiling and cooing to the little boy as he smiled back at her and tried to reach for a lock of her hair.
Jake thought she looked so beautiful standing there with the baby in her arms. She was such a natural. In his mind, he could see her holding their child that very same way.
“Wishful thinking, Jake?”
Jake didn’t bother to look up when Sterling came and sat down beside him. “Yes. Diamond and I want a baby. I’m sure she’s told you that she wants to stop acting for a while.”
Sterling lifted his brow. “For a while? She gave me the distinct impression that she was ready to leave Hollywood permanently.”
“Yes, she thinks that’s what she wants.”
“And you don’t believe her?”
“I believes she wants to spend more time at the ranch, but Diamond’s heart is in acting. She’s very good at what she does.” What he didn’t say to Sterling was his deep inner fear was that although he knew how much Whispering Pines meant to Diamond, he was afraid that there would come a time when she would want to move away back to the West Coast.
Sterling nodded. “Yes, but people can be very good at a lot of things, not just at one thing. Now Diamond wants to be very good at being a wife to you and a mother to your kids. Give her that chance, Jake. Believe that she knows what she’s doing.”
“I just don’t want her to feel like she has to give up anything because of me.”
“Knowing Diamond, whatever she’s giving up she’s doing willingly. I’m going to miss her. She’s one hell of a leading lady, but all of us have to shift priorities at some time or another.”
Sterling’s gaze shifted across the patio to his wife,
who would be bringing his first child into the world anytime within the next few weeks. He felt such a profound love for the woman who had been bold enough to make him take a good look into his inner self. “I’ve done it and don’t regret doing so. I can’t imagine my life without Colby.”
“So you enjoy being married?”
“Yes, but unlike Diamond I’m committed to being a Hollywood star, spouse and parent. Other than my time away from home, things are working out fine. However, I’m sure when the baby comes, although he’ll provide company for Colby when I’m away, I will miss out on a lot of things. That’s why I plan for Colby and Junior to travel with me every chance they can.”
“Junior?” Jake couldn’t help but smile. “So you still think your wife is having a boy?”
“Yes, although she’s convinced it’s a girl. I keep telling Colby there hasn’t been a female born into the Hamilton family in over a hundred years.”
“Colby thinks she’s carrying the first.”
“I know, bless her sweet heart. She even has Nicholas and my mother believing that she’s having a girl.”
Jake watched as Diamond reluctantly handed the baby over into his father’s arms. James took the little boy from her proudly. Diamond looked over in Jake’s direction, saw him watching her and smiled.
Jake took a quick breath. Although he had been watching her, when Diamond looked over at him, she had caught him off guard. He smiled back at her, his lips curving in a predatory grin. One that he knew she would recognize.
She did and blew him a kiss that held promises. They were promises he definitely planned on holding her to when they were alone later.
Before daylight the next morning, the Hamilton household was in an uproar when Colby suddenly began having labor pains. The doctor arrived and assured the expectant father that his wife was not in any danger of dying—although she was behaving as if she were—and that unfortunately it would be a long labor.
It was.
Twelve hours later, Colby gave Sterling his first child—a girl. Chandler Hamilton became the first female to be born into the Hamilton family in over a hundred years.
When Jake and Diamond left to return to the ranch two days later, Sterling was still in shock.
Conrad Ammons handed the postal worker the box that was addressed to Jacob Madaris at Whispering Pines. He was sending it as priority mail.
Leaving the post office, he knew what was in the box would be his final warning to the man. The next time, he would be removing him from Diamond’s life for good.
“B
laylock wanted me to let you know that Alex is at the big house to see you, boss.”
“Thanks, Ray.” Pulling off his work gloves, Jake tossed them down on the twenty-pound bale of hay he had just moved into the stall. Shading his eyes against the dazzling morning sunshine, he walked out of the barn and glanced in the direction of the ranch house.
Jake suddenly felt uncomfortable about the meeting he was having with Alexander Maxwell. Sterling and Kyle had convinced him the meeting was needed. He understood that. But he still didn’t like it. It bothered him that there was a possibility that someone he didn’t know had such a problem with him being married to Diamond that he’d made threats against him.
When Jake entered the house he heard movement upstairs, the sound of furniture scraping across the
pine floors. He shook his head, smiling. With Blaylock’s help Diamond was determined to add a feminine touch to his bedroom—which she had reminded him three times since they had returned home that it was now
their
bedroom.
Knowing Blaylock would have Alex wait for him in his office, Jake turned down the long hallway in that direction. He walked into the room and found Alex standing with his back to him, looking over his collection of prized family photographs he had collected over the years and were now framed on one wall of his office. “Alex.”
Upon hearing Jake call his name, Alexander Maxwell turned around. He was at least six feet four inches tall, and if such a thing were possible, he was impeccably dressed in a chambray shirt and blue jeans. His massive shoulders filled the shirt. Brilliant and observant dark eyes held Jake’s.
Jake was reminded of the man’s intelligence and skill and felt good in knowing he had chosen the right man for the job. “I’m glad you could meet with me on such short notice.”
“No problem,” Alex replied as the two met in the center of the room and shook hands.
Jake tried to remember how long he’d known Alex and decided he had known the young man all twenty-nine years of Alex’s life. Alex had grown up in the same neighborhood as his nephews Justin, Dex and Clayton. Over the years as youngsters growing up, a lot of kids from that neighborhood had managed to spend quite a number of their summers at Whispering Pines. At one time he’d thought Dex, Justin and Clayton had turned the ranch into a summer camp for their friends.
Alex’s older brother, Trask, former football legend, had married Jake’s niece Felicia last month. Instead of following in his brother’s footsteps and playing sports, it was discovered at an early age that Alex had a brilliant mind when it came to solving things. After graduating from high school early at the age of sixteen, he had gone to Howard University to major in criminal justice and graduated in three years instead of four. He went on to obtain a master’s degree in computer engineering from MIT. At the age of twenty-two, Alex became the youngest person to work for the FBI in their Most Wanted division, solving some of the Bureau’s most difficult cases. Instead of taking a high promotion with the Bureau, at the age of twenty-six he decided to go into the private sector and start his own security and investigative agency.
Everyone knew what a good detective Alex was. He’d been the one Dex had turned to when he wanted to know who was interested in buying Caitlin’s father’s land, and the one Clayton had turned to when he wanted to learn the identity of Syneda’s long-lost father.
Now, Jake thought, the job he wanted to give Alex was to uncover the identity of the person responsible for making those two threatening phone calls to him.
“I understand congratulations are in order,” Alex said, smiling. “I guess I don’t have to tell you that you’re the envy of every man in this country with Diamond Swain as your wife.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile as he indicated a chair to Alex then went to sit down behind his desk. “Well…yeah, I’m sure that’s true, but I have reason to believe that to at least one person in particular, I’m the most hated.”
Alex raised a brow at Jake’s serious tone. “Would you care to explain what you mean by that, Jake?”
Jake provided Alex with as much information as he could regarding the two phone calls. He then played the first call to him off the digital phone recorder. “Well, what do you think, Alex?”
Alex sat back in his chair. “I think you did the right thing by contacting me. If you don’t mind, I want to replay this tape again and concentrate on something.”
Jake frowned. “Something like that?”
“Background noises.”
Jake sat and listened to the tape with Alex again. He watched as Alex jotted a number of things down on a pad that he had taken out of his expensive leather briefcase. At the end Alex cut off the recorder.
“What did you hear, Jake?” Alex asked him.
Jake shrugged. “Just a lot of different sounds. Why? What did you hear?”
“I heard enough to let me know the caller was not calling from his home. I heard distant conversations, the clinking of silverware and faint music playing. It would be my guess that the call had been made from some restaurant. And since the tape indicated the call was made at seven in the morning, it was probably made from a place that serves breakfast.”
Alex flipped a page on his notepad and kept talking. “I also noted the caller tried to cover up his voice and that he was using a cell phone.”
“A cell phone? How you figure that?”
“From the static that was occasionally popping through with the call. Some cellular phones don’t transmit as clear as land phones. The one the man
used was causing him to talk louder and in a more muffled voice.”
Jake watched as Alex leaned forward in his chair, his gaze unwavering. “Now I want you to try and recall any background noises you may have heard during that second call.”
“Okay, although I don’t know just how well I’ll be able to recall anything. It was late and I was tired. The call woke me up from a sound sleep.”
Jake was silent as he tried to recollect his memories of the call he had received in his hotel room. His jaw clenched tightly as he remembered the man’s threat. “I don’t recall any of the sounds you recognized in the first call,” he said. “But instead of sounding muffled, the voice sounded kind of slurred, like the guy had been drinking, but there was nothing in the background to indicate he may have been calling from a bar.”
Jake shook his head and added, “But then I’m not as observant as you are,” forcing his voice to sound cheerful.
Alex grinned. “I’m paid to be observant.”
Jake nodded. “What I’ve told you is not a whole lot for you to go on, is it?”
“No, but at least it’s something.”
At that moment there was a knock at the door, then Blaylock walked in to deliver the mail. He placed the pieces of correspondence and a small rectangular box on Jake’s desk.
After Blaylock left, Jake said to Alex, “Excuse me while I sort through this. A lot of the men receive letters here and are always anxious when the mail comes. I like to get any letters they receive to them right away.” As usual whenever Jake sorted through the mail, he took the time to get rid of any junk mail.
He was about to open the box when Alex stopped him. “Wait, Jake. Do you usually get unmarked boxes through the mail?”
Jake frowned. “Unmarked boxes? What do you mean?”
“I mean that I happened to notice there isn’t a return address on that box. May I look at it for a second?”
Jake nodded and handed the box over to Alex.
Alex looked at the postal stamp. “Do you know anyone in California who would be sending you a package?”
“Not right offhand. Do you think it’s something I need to be concerned with?”
Alex shook his head. “Not if you were expecting this box, but yes if you weren’t. After the information you just shared with me earlier about those two calls, I don’t think we should take any chances.”
Jake watched as Alex took what appeared to be an ink pen out of his top pocket and taking it apart, he reassembled the ink pen into what appeared to be a handheld scanner. He ran the instrument all over the box.
After a few minutes, he said to Jake, smiling, “False alarm. But I like being safe rather than sorry.”
Jake nodded, shaking off the feeling of looming paranoia. He slowly opened the box. Pushing the tissue paper aside, he came to a group of photographs. He picked them up and looked at them one at a time. The hair on the back of his neck began to rise when he noticed they were pictures of him and Diamond taken at the press conferences in Houston and Los Angeles.
All of the photos were close-up shots of him and Diamond. And in each one, someone had taken a razor
and slashed out his face. Not believing what he was seeing, Jake passed the photographs over to Alex.
He heard, without looking up, Alex release an angry hissing sound through his teeth. When he passed the last photo to Alex, he leaned back in his chair, his own anger barely contained.
“Whoever this guy is, Alex, I want him found. I’ll never do what he wants. I’ll never give Diamond up, no matter what.”
Jake stood at the window of his office, looking out. Behind him Alex was busy on the phone making calls, establishing contacts and following up on leads. One lead Alex thought he might have was linked to the photographs.
According to Alex, the camera used to take those photos was not one a typical consumer would own. The camera was one of high quality and could possibly belong to someone who was a photo buff or a professional photographer. He was having someone check out that lead with various camera manufacturers.
Since all of the photographs that had been sent to Jake were taken at the two press conferences, that had narrowed the scope somewhat. Alex had not dismissed the possibility that someone had posed as a reporter or photographer to get inside both meetings. Alex had ordered a listing of the names of every reporter and photographer who had been in attendance.
“Okay, that about does it for now,” Alex was saying.
Jake turned around. He couldn’t help but admire how efficiently and professionally Alex was handling things.
“Although I don’t think Diamond is in any danger,
I’m not going to take any chances, Jake. Since you don’t want her to know what’s going on, I promise to be discreet. My men will begin watching her twenty-four hours a day after she leaves to return to California the day after tomorrow. I’ll make sure they remain in the background. At no time will she know she’s under their protection.”
Jake nodded. That was the way he wanted things.
“What about this place, Jake? Is this ranch as airtight as it used to be?”
Jake couldn’t help it when his face broke into a leisurely smile. As kids growing up, his nephews’ friends swore that no one could sneak on or off Whispering Pines without Blaylock or Jake’s father knowing about it.
“Yeah, it’s even more so with all the modern monitoring equipment I use to keep up with things like strays and trespassers,” Jake said. “I feel Whispering Pines is safe. But under no circumstances will I become a prisoner to this ranch.”
Jake stretched his neck and rotated his shoulders. He was exhausted, not particularly from all the work he’d done around the ranch that morning but for lack of sleep. The last few nights since returning home he had tossed and turned, wondering what demented person wanted him out of Diamond’s life. Luckily since she was a sound sleeper, his tossing and turning had not disturbed her. In fact, he doubted that she had even noticed.
“I didn’t think you would let me keep you a prisoner here, Jake, so the same discreet protection I’m setting up for Diamond is being set up for you, too, whenever you’re off the ranch.”
“Do you think that’s necessary?”
“Yes, Jake, as a private detective as well as a friend, I honestly think so. Until we know exactly what we’re up against, I hope you let me handle things my way. No one other than me and you will know about the men I’m posting in the background. I doubt very seriously that you’ll even notice them. They’re just that good.”
Alex glanced down at his watch. “I’ve taken up enough of your time already, Jake. I’ll get back with you as soon as I get anything I think you need to know about. And I’d appreciate it if you’ll prepare a list of any appointments you have away from the ranch.”
Before Jake could say anything against his request, Alex said, “I need you to cooperate with me on this, Jake.”
Reluctantly, Jake nodded.
With the business part of their meeting concluded, Alex walked back over to the wall where he had been earlier when Jake had entered the room. He kept staring at one framed photograph in particular. “When was this photo of Christy taken?”
Jake came to stand next to Alex to see just what photo of his niece that Alex was referring to since he had several of her on his wall. The one Alex was asking him about was one of those glamour-type photos Christy had taken over the Christmas holidays.
“Christy took that one at Christmas. She looks good, doesn’t she? It’s hard to believe she’s all grown-up now and is a junior in college. It seems like it was just yesterday that her brothers and I were teaching her how to ride a horse.”
“Yeah, and I’m the one who taught her how to ride
a bicycle,” Alex said, chuckling. He couldn’t get over just how grown-up she looked. Nor could he dismiss just how beautiful she was. “How old is Christy now?”
“She’ll be twenty-one in a few months.”
Alex nodded. “She’s become a very beautiful young woman.”
Jake studied the photograph. “Yes, she has become a beautiful woman,” he agreed. “I expect she’ll get even more beautiful as she gets older. I feel sorry for the man who takes it in his mind to pursue her.”
Alex frowned. “Why?”
“Because that man will have to deal with her brothers.”
Alex nodded. He knew just how overprotective Justin, Dex and Clayton were when it came to their baby sister. A couple of years ago, Clayton had asked him to run a background check on some guy Christy had started dating during her freshman year in college.
Alex shrugged, thinking that how the three Madaris brothers protected their sister wasn’t really his concern. Unlike most men, getting seriously involved with a woman was not in his future plans. He honestly didn’t have the time. He had the career he’d always wanted and was working hard to be a success at it. Instead of dividing his time and energy into doing two things halfway, he wanted to focus and center his energy on one thing and do it well.