Chapter 41
It was like listening to an old-time story podcast, and it required some focus. Colby couldn’t tell exactly what the quietly speaking—and probably timid, knowing Liz—woman who’d answered the door said, other than something about Liz having just arrived and wasn’t ready for visitors.
But Teague very politely, and with the same assumption of joyous welcome Liz always had, explained that she would be delighted to see and talk to him. And managed to provide them valuable information in the process.
“I’m more than happy to go to the third floor to see her, just tell her on that intercom that I’m here and who I represent. She’ll want to see me.”
Third floor and there’s an intercom. Just like that we know where she is and something to be wary of.
The woman gave in, clearly unsettled. After a moment when Colby could only hear the woman’s voice as a muted sort of sound in the background, Teague whispered into his hidden mic that the front door was now unlocked, and he would make sure she didn’t think to go back to secure it.
“I imagine you should take me to her,” Teague said normally, his tone firm but genial. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble for letting a stranger roam the house.”
“I… Thank you,” the woman said, sounding surprised. “There’s an elevator over here.”
“Of course there is,” Teague said in that same amiable tone. “Perfect.”
“Indeed,” Quinn muttered. He gave them all a quick glance, and Liam and Gavin both nodded.
“Who’s that outside, over by the hot tub?” came Teague’s voice. “I was given to understand Mr. Hollen wasn’t here?”
“Oh, he’s not, no one else is. That’s just the security man.”
Colby barely had time to register how good Teague was at this when he made a comment on the brand of elevator, indicating they were there and stepping inside.
Then Quinn left at a swift but silent pace toward the other side of the house, clearly knowing exactly where the target was. Colby listened tensely, half expected the sounds of some nasty fight. But all he heard was a low grunt and the sound of something—or someone—large hitting the ground.
“Guard down,” came Quinn’s voice. “We’ll have half an hour before he wakes up. Liam and Ali, set Cutter on the search.”
Colby hated seeing Ali leave, but trusted Liam as he trusted all of Foxworth now. Particularly that black-and-brown furry critter. It was going to take time to search the massive residence, and the dog would make it so much quicker.
“He’ll ignore anywhere there’s no sign of Grace,” Quinn had explained, “unless he comes across something dangerous, like weapons or explosives.”
Colby remembered his startled reaction at the idea of the Hollens hoarding such things, with all their public declarations about them, but they were hypocrites about everything else, so why not this, too?
Besides, the laws never applied to them, and even if they did, they would, as they had, hire someone else to do the dirty work.
“This is it? Second door on the left?” Teague asked, as if merely curious.
“Yes,” the woman answered. “It’s the family gathering room.” She said that last as if she was surprised he was being allowed in.
Colby had sat in on a few business encounters with Liz early on, before he realized she wanted him there not in support as her husband, but to see his future path. Now he listened to Teague, talking as if he were exactly what that business card said he was.
But he listened more closely to Liz.
He pressed the button to activate his own mic, and said quietly, “She’s fired up to pull this deal off. She wants to be the one to do it. To be able to tell her father he has her to thank for it.”
He heard Teague work the word copy into his next sentence, and knew he’d heard.
The wait resumed. He knew Quinn was circling the outside of the house, looking for signs of other people, security or otherwise.
Meanwhile Liam and Ali, led by Cutter, searched for his precious girl, although she hadn’t been here long enough to leave much of a trail. But at least they were looking.
While you sit here doing nothing.
He fought down the long-instinctive guilt. He had his role to play today, and it was crucial. He just wasn’t used to having help, that was all.
“Clear outside,” came Quinn’s voice. “Coming around.”
So there were no other guards outside. Inside, they couldn’t be sure.
The thought of what else Quinn had mentioned, that she might have brought a guard along solely to keep Grace in line, made his jaw tighten, and he clung to the fact that she’d done this in such a rush there likely wasn’t time.
But that didn’t mean more armed help wasn’t coming, especially since he was sure there were security people at the office in Denver.
They listened to Teague work the situation, so perfectly Colby would have sworn the guy was exactly who Liz thought he was. And then Quinn was there, looking exactly as he had when he’d left.
“That guy have any clue at all what happened to him?” Colby asked.
That brief grin flashed, and Colby had a sudden image of how deadly this guy must have been in a war zone. “I left him snoozing peacefully in one of the patio chaises. Hoping he’ll wake up thinking he just dozed off.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if—”
Colby cut himself off sharply as something changed in the feed coming in through his earpiece. It wasn’t much, just a shift in Liz’s voice, an undertone he recognized. He keyed his mic again.
“She’s ready to close this. She thinks she’s going to pull off what her father couldn’t, and she’s euphoric about it.”
“I think that’s your cue, gentlemen,” Quinn said. “I’ll follow and be right outside. Liam?”
“Still nothing. Second floor now.”
“Then let’s proceed.”
Colby couldn’t help it, he was looking forward to this. Looking forward to seeing the look on Liz’s face, not just when someone dared to interrupt this crucial victory, but when it turned out to be him…
De Marco didn’t even knock. He simply shoved the door open.
Colby heard a click and whoosh as the automatic closer kicked into action.
De Marco ignored that, too, just strode into the room as if it were his.
And Colby realized he was now looking not at the caring, empathetic Foxworth man, but the firebrand lawyer who had made headlines around the world.
Liz stared in shock. But then she saw Colby, and the shock turned to fury. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Colby couldn’t help himself; he grinned.
Her expression was even better than he’d hoped.
She seemed to have forgotten her business meeting altogether.
Teague was on his feet now and, Colby suspected, ready to move in any direction in the large room.
It was a nice room, Colby noted out of habit, with a fireplace over by another entry door, and French doors leading out onto a deck that probably had a fantastic view up here on the third floor.
Nicer than the Hollens, anyway.
“He’s here,” de Marco answered silkily, “for his daughter. The child you have smuggled out of state without notifying her father, after breaking the custody-sharing agreement two days before.”
“She’s my daughter,” Liz retorted loudly. “And I have every right to bring her with me.”
De Marco smiled, as if he knew that would only set Liz off more. “Not without notifying her father.”
Liz gave Colby a look of utter disdain. “Avoiding any time with the likes of him is good for her.”
“You might want to rethink your attitude, Ms. Hollen,” de Marco said, his voice still smooth and unruffled.
Liz swore, loudly. Considering whom de Marco had come up against in the past—and beaten—Colby thought she ought to be a bit more careful. But he was very glad she didn’t see it that way.
“So you lied,” she spat out. “When you said you wouldn’t fight me anymore.”
Colby smiled. “I leave the lying to you, since you’re an expert. I only said I wouldn’t fight you anymore. Not that the fight was over.”
“But it is now,” de Marco said.
“I don’t care how unbeatable you think you are, de Marco, you picked the wrong side here. Judge Boras will slap you down with fines and maybe more if you interfere with me.”
Colby tried to stifle a laugh, then realized nothing would push her over the edge faster, so he let it out.
De Marco’s smile widened. “If you mean your bought-and-paid-for judge, you’ll want to rethink that, too.
He was charged with multiple rather salacious crimes just an hour ago, and his time as a judge is over, for good.
And he’s going to take you and your family down with him. ”
Liz’s eyes widened. “I don’t believe you.”
De Marco shrugged. “Check. It’s all over the news. We’ll wait.”
She did just that, picking up the phone that lay on the arm of the chair she’d been sitting in when they strode in. A few taps and a half scroll and she stopped. She paled as she read, and Colby knew she’d found the story.
She looked up at them again, and this time in addition to the fury, there was a touch of fear. Just the idea of being held to account clearly frightened her.
“Well,” Teague said as if he were still that businessman, “obviously you’re not the kind of person my company wants to be associated with. You can consider this discussion over, and the deal officially dead. And I’ll make sure everyone we do business with is warned off.”
She let out a little sound as she spun around to look at the man she’d clearly almost forgotten was here. She wasn’t used to being afraid, and she did not handle it well. She let loose a tirade so loud it made Colby’s ears ring.
A noise came from another entry door he’d noticed by the fireplace. Colby saw Teague spin around, then take a long stride to put himself in front of both him and de Marco. The assistant coming to check because of the noise? Or worse, more security they’d missed? Or—
His mind went blank and his every muscle went taut as the door swung open and the person on the other side rushed in.
Grace.