Chapter 11
Vic woke with a serious headache. The whiskey, but damn if Ryker wasn’t right. It put her out like a light. She glanced over at the clock. Nine a.m.! She bolted upright and then remembered it was Saturday. She was taking the day off. She’d arranged it specially, making sure everyone knew she couldn’t work. She’d told Joyce she had a friend from school coming to town. Her uncle liked her to stay in touch with her friends from her boarding school days. He viewed them as contacts he might be able to use in the future.
The reality was she had no friends from her boarding school days and her whole plan for the day was to stay home, eat junk food, and watch Netflix. She’d earned a day off before last night, but now she really needed it.
Getting to her feet she shuffled like an old woman into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Her cell rang. She stared at her uncle’s name on the screen. What would happen if she didn’t answer it? He’d probably go ballistic. Did she care? Sadly, she did.
She hit the talk button.“Uncle Austin.”
“How you doin’ today, sugar?”
Sugar. He hadn’t called her that in years. And his accent was thick. He wanted something. All the signs were there.
Her stomach rolled again.“A little shaken up.”
“I am so sorry that I couldn’t spend time with you last night. There was so much goin’ on but I should’ve made you my priority.”
When Uncle Austin was kind, her nerves went on high alert. That atypical behavior meant he was only watching out for his interests.
Her stomach twisted in knots. He wanted her to say it was fine, and she would, because that’s how they played this game. She put a hand over her stomach, hoping the queasiness would go away.“That’s okay. There was a lot going on.”
“I just knew you’d understand, sugar. Why don’t you come over and we’ll have breakfast? How does that sound? Marilee will be joinin’ us. Is that okay?”
Her breath caught in her throat. Marilee Hartford was the widow of a huge Texas oil man. She wielded a lot of power. Uncle Austin had been dating her for a few years. Talk about unholy alliances. She didn’t fancy having breakfast with that pair of snakes.
Guilt washed over her. That wasn’t fair. Her uncle had provided her with the life she wanted. She needed to be kinder in her thinking towards him.
“Of course, Uncle Austin. It will be nice to see her.”
“Great. I’ll see you in an hour,”he said and then hung up.
Vic stood over the toilet, breathing through her nausea, trying to decide if it would just be better to throw up. It was touch and go for a minute or so but then her stomach settled down again. She got into the shower, cranked the lever to hot, hot, hot, and tried to relax.
Three weeks.Three weeks until her thirtieth birthday. Then she would be free. She would inherit the solar farm from her father, and she could start running it. She had no idea what state it was in, but she knew it still functioned. Her father, Laredo, Larry to his friends, had started out running a farm store. He’d been successful at it but became disenfranchised with everyone ignoring the environment. He believed in communal living. He believed that people should grow their own food, make their own clothes, and share any excess. He also believed in making his own power using Mother Nature.
His father had left him a vast piece of land in Texas, and Larry had turned it into a commune with a solar farm. When she was born, Larry as he wanted her to call him, put everything into her name with the proviso that he would run it until she turned thirty and then she would take over. Another catch was added when she decided to leave the commune. She had to be working on her thirtieth birthday, and not as a barista or some other part-time service job. She had to have a career. Something that said she could run the farm and contribute to its ongoing success.
That’s why she was working for her uncle. She was learning the ins and outs of Washington, getting her feet wet with things like negotiations and the politics of running a business. But she was also learning marketing and how to manage people. All good skills to have when she took over the solar farm. She’d taken finance courses at university, so she was in a good position to take over. Her uncle had urged her, no, almost demanded that she study law, but she convinced him that finance would be helpful as well. He had lawyers but he could always use someone who knew about money.
Three weeks. Then she would…what? Move back there? That thought didn’t exactly appeal. God only knew what state the farm was in. She couldn’t bring herself to check. If it was an unmitigated disaster, there’d be time enough to find that out.
Still, it was hers and while she didn’t believe in communal living, she believed in solar power. Her mother, Doris, and Larry, and the others could live there forever, as far as she was concerned. She just had to run the place. Her uncle might not be her cup of tea in all kinds of ways, but she’d learned a thing or two from him.
In her most confident moments, she thought she could move to Texas and make something of the solar farm. She could live in Dallas or Houston and make the solar farm a success. She could travel and take the vacations she’d always wanted. See the world.
In her less confident moments, she wasn’t sure she could pull it off.
Doris and Larry had been so disappointed in her when she had written her uncle to come to save her. They were crushed that she did not want to stay with them and share their lifestyle. But honest to God, what fifteen year old wanted to be in bumfuck Texas with no one around but their weird parents and other whacked-out people like her weird parents. She wanted to go to the movies with friends…hell, she wanted to have friends. To go on dates, go to a real school, not some communal study room learning about proper techniques for farming beans, building beehives, or worming cattle. They hadn’t understood and once she moved to Massachusetts to go to boarding school, communication between them had dwindled to a card at Solstice. They didn’t believe in Christmas.
She turned off the water and toweled off. She usually wore her hair up but her head ached so she decided down would have to do. She pulled out a navy pant suit with a white blouse and got dressed. Her uncle liked her to wear dresses or skirts, but she’d been shot at last night, and if she was defiant in response, well, tough shit..
She looked in the mirror to apply her make up and studied her reflection. Dark smudges under her hazel eyes emphasized how tired she was. A few small cuts on her face from the debris from the shot-up door stood out against her pale skin. She didn’t bother to use concealer to hide anything. Her freckles and cuts could just have their moment in the sun today. She swiped on some mascara and eyeliner, then tossed the tube back into her makeup drawer. She grabbed her purse and had her hand on her doorknob when it hit her that she was going to have to take public transport.
Her shoulders drooped. She didn’t mind it usually. Opting to ride with a bunch of other people was better for the environment but today she was feeling a little battered and bruised. Taking the bus just seemed like a monumental task. She could take an Uber, but she was saving as much money as she could. She had no idea about the condition of the solar farm, and she was sure she’d have to live on her savings for a while.
She could call Ryker. Heat filled her cheeks. She’d kissed him last night. She’d been half drunk from the whiskey and totally discombobulated after what had happened. Mortified heat climbed into her cheeks, and she patted her cool hand on her face. The idea of calling him made her slightly nauseated again.
He’d kissed her back though. She brushed that thought aside. What was the other guy’s name? Rush. That was it. She scrolled through her phone and found it. She bit her lip and called the number.
“’Lo?”a groggy voice on the other end answered.
“I’m sorry. Is this Rush?”
“Vic?”
“Yes. I was wondering if I could get you to give me a ride to my uncle’s?”
“I’m off shift but?—”
“Oh, my god. I am so sorry. I didn’t think. You go back to sleep. I’ll take the bus. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay I’ll?—”
“Really, go back to sleep.”She clicked off the call and swore silently. It hadn’t even occurred to her that he’d stayed in front of her building all night, even though Ryker had said he would, and now she’d just woken him up. Shit. Shit. Shit. The bus was going to have to do.
She left her place and two minutes later, walked out of her building. She turned and headed to the bus stop. Two men got out of a silver car and stood on the sidewalk in front of her.
“Are you Vic Carlyle?”the taller one asked. He was dressed in camouflage pants and an olive-drab t-shirt. The shorter man beside him was dressed in black cargo pants and a white and red plaid shirt. He was wearing a red ball cap.
“Can I help you?”Vic asked, her voice an octave higher than it normally was.
“We’re here to protect you.”The shorter one said.“I’m Mike. That’s Tom.”He pointed to the other man.
Her breath caught in her lungs.“Protect me?”She tried to clear her throat. If her voice got any higher only dogs would hear her.
“Yeah. Your uncle wants us to protect you.”
Oh, good Lord, these guys were part of his base. Those people had volatile reputations.
Mike shifted and she saw the butt of a gun peeking out from under his t-shirt.
Tom said,“After what happened yesterday, you can’t be too careful.”
“That’s very kind of you both, but I’m okay. I wasn’t the target.”She started to move around them.“I’m just heading to the office. Thanks so much for the offer, but I’m good.”
Tom and Mike shifted so they were blocking her path.“I don’t think you understand,”Mike commented.
“The lady said she’s fine but thanks for your offer boys.”Ryker had come up behind her without her knowing. He wrapped his arm around her and turned her back the way she’d come.
“Who the hell are you?”Tom demanded.
“I’m the head of Senator Davis’s security team. He’ll be happy to hear you offered to help, but I’ve got it from here.”
He moved her quickly to his Porsche and assisted her inside. He crawled in behind the wheel and then drove away quickly.“You can’t go out on your own.”
“What?”Vic stared at him.
“You need to tell me when you’re leaving your place so I can arrange for a driver. It’s not safe for you to travel on your own.”
She shook her head.“What are you talking about? I thought the bullets were meant for my uncle. Are you telling me I was the target?”
“No.”The car jerked as he made a sudden lane change.“I’m telling you that you are now on those guys, and their group’s, radar. They camped outside of your building all night. My guys watched them watch you. You can’t just go out on your own anymore. We don’t know what those guys are capable of. Maybe they really did just want to protect you and take you to your uncle’s, but maybe they didn’t. Either way, you must be accompanied by an official security team member at all times from this point forward.”He cut a glance her way, then growled,“And never get into cars with strangers. That’s something most toddlers know these days.”His look told her everything he was thinking, like I can’t believe I have to tell this to a grown-ass woman.
Vic stared out the window. Goddammit. Her heart skipped and her breath caught. This day had gone from whelming to overwhelming so fast.“Where were your guys this morning? I mean, if they saw me, why didn’t they come help?”
“You called Rush, and he called me. I was already on the way. Rush’s replacement was doing a walk-through of the alley behind your building and my other guy was watching the guys in the blue pickup who were parked behind the building. That’s why you have to warn us when you want to move.”
Vic was dumbfounded. How the hell had this gotten so out of control? She wanted to run and hide. Maybe she could leave early. She’d still technically be employed on her thirtieth if she took a sudden vacation. Go see her parents. Go see Europe. Be anywhere but here.
“You’ll get used to it,”Ryker said as he turned into her uncle’s driveway.
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to have someone monitoring your every move.”
“No, I just have to be that person who puts his life on the line to protect someone who needs to have every step monitored.”
Well shit.That put her in her place. She couldn’t meet his gaze. What a princess she was being. She glanced at him as the car rolled to a stop. He was dressed in a white button down with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of gray dress pants. The lack of a tie was his only nod to the fact it was Saturday.
He braked at the curb and turned toward her.“Vic, you need to be more careful. You are in your uncle’s sphere and until we can find who is trying to kill him, you’re a target too. Use your common sense and call me before you do anything.”
His eyes were glacial-blue today. She’d noticed they were a deeper blue when he’d kissed her back last night. Like a twilight blue. She wasn’t capable of saying anything at the moment under the intensity of his gaze, so she merely nodded. Understood.
She got out of the car and walked into her uncle’s house.
“Sugar,”Austin said as he emerged from his office to greet her. After a brief scowl at her attire, his expression morphed to something closer to pleased.“I am so glad you were up to comin’ today.”He gave her an uncharacteristic hug.
Vic was so nonplussed by the hug she didn’t notice the woman coming around the corner.
“Ah! And here’s Marilee.”
Marilee’s blond hair was styled in the perfect bob. The black-and-white summer dress she wore paired perfectly with her wedge heels. Her chunky gold jewelry matched perfectly with her belt and shoes. In a word, she was perfect—and perfectly annoying because of it.
“Invicta, I’m so glad you’re all right, honey,”Marilee said as she stepped forward and gave her a quick hug.
She smelled like Chanel No 5, a standard on women of a certain age. Vic put Marilee in her mid-sixties, although through the miracle of modern surgical techniques and overpriced face cream, she didn’t look like she was more than late forties. She knew Marilee had had work done which is why her face was flawless. No wrinkles for her. Her uncle was slightly younger at sixty-one, but he knew Marilee had influence. They were a good team.
“Thank you, Marilee. It’s nice to see you.”She started to move out of the foyer, but her uncle caught her arm.“We’re already running late for our brunch reservation.”He turned her back towards the door she’d just walked through.
“We’re going out? I thought we were staying here.”She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice.
“Of course we’re going out.”Marilee took Vic’s arm.“We have to show the world what a survivor you are. You can’t hide away now.”She tugged Vic out the door and down the stairs to the waiting SUV.
Ryker was holding the door open. She shivered under his icy gaze. The steely determination on his face meant there’d be no help from that quarter.
She slid into the black Escalade and scooted across the bench seat. Marilee and her uncle climbed in next to her. A moment later, they rolled past the ostentatious gateposts.
Brunch was at one of the most popular spots in Georgetown. A place to see and be seen event. People approached their table and expressed their horror at the events of yesterday and made comments about how brave she was to be out and about today.
Austin answered each comment with some derivative of“By golly, my niece is a survivor.”
“She takes after her uncle,”Marilee would add.
The dog and pony show was brutal and she had no appetite. She tried to catch Ryker’s eye a few times, but he ignored her. The set of his jaw and his shoulders made her think he wasn’t any happier with this than she was.
Finally at eleven-forty-five, her uncle stood and said he had to go.“Why don’t you two stay here and discuss the surprise I have planned?”
Vic’s stomach muscles clenched. She couldn’t take any more bombshells.“What surprise?”
“Sugar, I’m throwin’ you a big thirtieth birthday bash.”He smiled at her.“Marilee here will tell you all the details. It’s goin’ to be amazin’. I’ve got a meetin’ so I’m gonna slip out, but you girls do your plannin’ and we’ll chat at the house later.”He bent down and gave each of them a peck on the cheek and then disappeared out the door.
Marilee rubbed her palms together with a dry, raspy noise.“This is what we’ve been thinking.”
Vic had a hard time concentrating on what Marilee was saying. This was her worst nightmare come true. How the hell was she going to get out of this one?
An hour later, Tony drove her back to her place. Her head was spinning as she waited for him to scope out her home, making sure the place was empty. As he left her at the door, he gave her a sympathetic smile.“Call Ryker if you need anything.”
She nodded and locked the door behind him then promptly crashed down on the sofa. What the hell had she done to deserve a party? This was the stuff of her nightmares. She would be on full display as if she were a prize filly. Her uncle would use her as the excuse to hold the mother of all parties. It was summer in D.C. People would be gone, wouldn’t they? She’d said as much to Marilee, thinking that might be the way to discourage her uncle. They could wait until fall to have the party when everyone was back in town. By that time, she’d be long gone and the point would be moot.
“But darlin’, everyone is coming back for the party. There are a few meetings that have to be held mid-summer and your birthday is the weekend before, so the Senators and their staffs will be back in town. It’s perfect timing really.”
Ah, so this was just another political play.
Seriously. She dropped her head into her hands. It was going to be awful, but it would be the last awful she reminded herself. After her birthday, she was out of here. She would pay her uncle back some other way. Making the wind farm a success was top priority and then paying her uncle back for all the money he spent on her education and taking care of her over the years. The mileage he would get from this party should help lessen that burden.
Shit. Be nice.Yes, she could accuse him of throwing this party for his own purposes, but he was also doing it for her. He wanted her to do well in D.C. He saw it as his way of opening doors for her. Too bad she didn’t want to walk through any of them.