10. CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10
L iam’s heart pounded in his chest, echoing the rapid tap of his shoes against the polished hotel corridor. He was only a stride behind Dawn, who stormed ahead like a tempest in full fury. Her hand was balled into a fist, knuckles white as she pounded on the door to Wade’s room with a force that Liam felt vibrating through the floorboards under his feet.
The door swung open abruptly, revealing Wade, his hair tousled, leaning sleepily against the frame. His expression changed from groggily annoyed to alert as Hicks peeked around him, tail wagging but his senses picking up the tension. Wade’s eyes widened as he registered the scene—his sister, eyes blazing with anger, and Liam, tense and protective, a step behind.
“What’s going on?” Wade’s voice was thick with sleep but edged with concern as he straightened up, his gaze flicking between Dawn and Liam.
Without a word, Dawn thrust the journal and the jewelry at Wade. “What is this, Wade?” she demanded, her voice sharp as the edge of a knife.
Wade looked down at the items in confusion. “A book and some jewelry,” he replied, his voice cautious, a frown creasing his forehead.
“Stop lying!” Dawn’s voice cracked like a whip in the quiet hallway. “I’m tired of the lies, the evasion, the walls you put up!” Her face was a mask of pain and fury, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she shoved the items closer to his chest. “Was this some twisted game? A way to get back at me for choosing the law, hoping that you might learn your lesson?”
Wade’s expression shifted from confusion to hurt as he took a step back, absorbing her accusations. “Dawn, I—“
She didn’t let him finish. “Every time I think things might change, you find a new way to break my heart all over again.” Her voice trembled, her emotional dam near bursting, as she continued, “I did everything to save you from sinking with Ben and Clem. But nothing, not even tough love, works for you, does it?” She sucked in a shaky breath. “This time, you’re on your own. No more bumpers to keep you from going off-course. Now, you’re bowling in the big leagues, and you’ve just thrown a gutter ball.”
Wade reached out, his hand hovering as if to touch her arm, but she recoiled and grabbed Hicks’s collar pulling him towards her and away from Wade. “No,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Think of this as your formal lunch cancellation call. I have a feeling you’ll be otherwise occupied at the police station anyway.”
Turning sharply to Liam, her eyes met his, “Liam, can you… can you change my room? I can’t—“ Her voice broke off, and she couldn’t finish her sentence, her gaze darkening as she glared at Wade and then back to Liam. “I wouldn’t put it past him to have a copy of my key card.”
Without waiting for a response, Dawn turned on her heel and dragged a bewildered Hicks down the corridor. Her shoulders were rigid, every line of her body screaming her anger.
Liam watched her go, the sound of her retreating footsteps like the fading beats of a drum. He turned back to Wade, who stood shell-shocked, staring at the space where his sister had been.
“What just happened?” Wade finally spoke, staring at Liam like a sleep-walker who had just woken up to find himself in a strange place. “What are these?” He held up the journal and jewelry.
Liam’s brow creased as he looked at the genuine confusion in Wade’s eyes. Liam scratched the back of his neck. Something in his gut told him that Wade really didn’t know what was going on, but that didn’t excuse Wade’s bestie, Ben. He didn’t want to get involved in a family drama, but he’d never seen such devastation on Dawn’s face as he had a few minutes ago.
“Where were you tonight, Wade?” Liam asked him.
“Here, in my suite.” Wade frowned. “Except for earlier when I took Hicks for a walk.”
“You didn’t go into your sister’s room to return those?” Liam pointed at the items Dawn had shoved at her brother.
“What?” Wade looked at Liam, now totally confused. “I haven’t gone into my sister’s room at all.” His frown deepened. “I even bought Hicks a new bed, bowls, and food.” He raised an eyebrow. Bitterness twinged his voice as he said, “I know better than to step foot into any of my siblings’ domains.”
Wade stepped back for Liam to enter. Liam walked into the suite. His eyes swept the neat living room, and he followed Wade to the kitchenette. Liam saw the costly, non-slip food and water bowl connected to an automatic time feeder. The water bowl was attached to a temperature-controlled filtered water gadget.
“Those things cost a fortune,” Liam pointed out, amazed.
Wade didn’t say a thing. He just shrugged. “Hicks seemed to get a kick out of it. He spent hours playing with the food feeder.”
Liam noted that Wade hadn’t spared any money on the food either. That’s when his eyes turned to the folder on the dining table, but it wasn’t the folder he was interested in. It was the card key on the table. He walked closer, and it was clearly marked with Dawn’s room number. Liam picked it up, looking at Wade.
“Where did you get this?” Liam asked.
“That’s Dawn’s,” Wade told him. “I forgot to return it to the reception.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Shoot. I knew I was forgetting something.”
Liam’s eyes widened as he examined the card. There was one way to prove if it was the original card key. “Mind if I take this?”
“Go ahead.” Wade watched him wearily. “Care to explain why my sister attacked me and hurled more accusations at me?”
“I think I may have had something to do with that,” Liam confessed, and he explained the thefts and what the detectives had told him.
Wade stood staring at Liam. His expression was blank, but Liam had seen the flash of pain before the shutters went down. That’s when Liam knew his gut wasn’t leading him astray, and he was right not to give into the doubt that had crept into his mind as the evidence stacked up against Wade.
The silence hung heavy in the air as Wade continued to stare at Liam as if the man was sizing him up before he sighed, turned, and walked to the table, picking up the folder and then handing it to Liam.
“Here,” Wade said. “Show that to the police.”
Liam took the folder, looking at Wade curiously. “Look, man, I’m not trying to get involved in your family business.” He cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable. “But Dawn is my friend, and my hotel’s reputation is taking a beating. I have to ask.” He glanced at the folder.
“Then ask,” Wade suggested. “It’ll be a first.”
Liam looked at him curiously before asking, “Did you or do you think any of your crew could’ve been involved in what’s going on at my hotel or could be tormenting your sister?”
“No.” Wade shook his head. He indicated toward the folder. “Everything you need is in that folder.”
Liam frowned and nodded. “I’d better go check on Dawn.” He started moving toward the door, and Wade walked with him.
“I’ll need that back by tomorrow afternoon,” Wade told him, pointing to the folder.
Liam opened the door and stepped into the hall, stopping to look at Wade. “What did you mean it will be a first?” He looked questioningly at Wade. “In response to me asking you a question.”
Wade’s laugh had a bitter edge. “It’s just that no one ever just asks me things directly. They usually demand answers or expect me to say what they want to hear, never just a simple question expecting a truthful answer.”
Liam nodded, understanding more of the complex dynamics at play. He held up the folder. “I’ll get this back to you.”
Wade nodded, and Liam heard his door click shut while Liam headed back toward Dawn’s suite. The door was slightly ajar. Liam knocked softly, and Dawn called for him to come in. He pushed the door open and stepped in. Dawn was curled up on the sofa. She watched him walk in.
“I’m sorry you had to witness that,” Dawn apologized. “Please, don’t feel bad about having to hand my brother or his crew over to the police.” She gave a derisive snort. “Trust me, I’m used to my baby brother being tangled with the law.”
“Dawn,” Liam said softly, moving to sit beside her on the sofa. His attention was caught by the card key on the kitchenette counter. He frowned and stood to go get it. He walked back over to her. “I don’t think Wade was the one who put those items in your room.”
Liam sat beside her again.
“Why are you taking his side?” Dawn asked, looking at Liam wearily. “Please don’t tell me you fell for his lies. My brother is a master at deception.”
Liam knew he was probably about to destroy any chance of forming a relationship with her. But he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t say something. “No. Because of this.” Liam pulled the card key he had taken from Wade’s suite. “The card key you got from the reception wasn’t yours.”
“But it opened the door to my suite,” Dawn pointed out.
“It is yours,” Liam explained. “But not the one you use. It’s the spare key.” He pointed to the code on top of the card. “This code means it’s the spare.” He held up the original. “This is your card key, which was still in Wade’s room.”
“That only proves my point that Wade must’ve used it to get in here and put those items beside my bed,” Dawn said stubbornly.
“There’s one way to prove it,” Liam told her, taking her hand and standing, pulling her with him. He reached down and picked up the folder.
“Where are we going?” Dawn asked. “I need to put my shoes on.”
Liam stopped and looked at her feet. “Then put them on.”
Dawn slipped into her room and got her sandals. She was back out in a few seconds, slipping them on. Dawn called Hicks as they left her suite. Liam took her to his office, where he switched on his computer and logged into the new security system to which he had access. Liam punched in all the card-key access codes to Dawn’s room.
“Look here,” Liam said. “Your card hasn’t been used to access your room since five-thirty this afternoon.”
“What?” Dawn said, her brown knitting together in disbelief. “Look again; there must be a mistake, or Wade found a way to get past the system.”
“No, your room was accessed at five minutes past nine this evening, though,” Liam looked at the screen with raised brows. “With the spare card.” He flipped to the safe access where the spare vital cards were kept. “I don’t recognize this access code to the safe, though.”
“What?” Dawn said, leaning in to see. “That’s the new code that Mary gave me today.” She frowned. “I thought no one could see this?” She looked at Liam. “Like the pin to your bank card.”
“Like a pin to the bank card, I can see the codes,” Liam told her. “But only me.”
Tiny prickles of dread tingled up his spine as realization dawned on him. Neither the hotel nor Liam was the target of whatever was going on—Dawn was.
“I didn’t access the safe,” Dawn told him.
“I know,” Liam said. “I can see when it was accessed, but we weren’t at the hotel. We were in Newbury Port.”
She frowned and looked at the folder. “What’s in the folder?”
“Wade gave it to me,” Liam told her and opened it. “This is kind of weird.”
“What is?” Dawn leaned closer, nearly making him lose his attention.
Liam forced himself to concentrate. “These are your brother’s docking papers as well as his GPS report to show the distances the boat’s traveled, where it’s been, etc.”
“I know that,” Dawn told him. “What’s weird about it?”
“This yacht hasn’t been to Newbury Port,” Liam told her, giving her the records before pulling the police folder from his drawer. “These are the papers the detectives gave me.”
Dawn took both papers and examined them. “The one the police gave you isn’t the Black Ocean Two.” She showed the boat specifications to Liam. “First, Alex’s boat is a lot bigger than the one that docked in Newbury Port.” She pointed to the name. “Also, Alex hates Roman numerals. And if you looked at my brother’s papers, you’ll see that the original boat is Black Ocean Two while the one in Newbury Port is Black Ocean II.” She cocked her head as she looked from one document to the other.
“You’re right,” Liam said, going over what she had pointed out. “There are subtle differences meant to trick the mind.” He flipped through the rest of the reports. “What’s this?” He looked at the report. “Bio Tracker Report.”
Dawn’s eyes widened, and she grabbed the report from him. “Which folder did you get this from?”
“Wade’s,” Liam told her. “What is it?”
“No, no, no,” Dawn hissed. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I’m such an idiot.”
Liam glanced up at her and saw her face drop as tears gathered in her eyes. He stood and took the top of hers. “Dawn, what’s wrong?” He glanced at the report. “What is that?”
Her voice was barely a whisper, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “A bio tracker is a device designed by my older brother.” She swallowed and swiped at the few tears that had escaped. Her voice wobbled. “Scott makes all his security detail wear them when they’re assigned to a detail. It tracks the person’s whereabouts and can only be taken off by someone with a special device.” She held up the page. “In this instance, the only one with the key is Scott.”
“Okay,” Liam looked at her questioningly. An image of a small band on Wade’s arm flashed through Liam’s mind, and his eyes widened with realization. “Is it a small band?”
Dawn nodded. “You’ve probably seen it on Carl.”
“And Wade,” Liam stated.
“I didn’t even see it.” Dawn sniffed as she pursed her lips, trying to hold back the tears. “This report states that each one of Wade’s crew members, including him, has one.”
“Hey,” Liam said, his voice softening. “This is a good thing, isn’t it?” He wiped a tear from her cheek. “It means Wade had nothing to do with what’s happening at the hotel.”
She drew in a shaky breath. “Yes, but it means I did it again.” Her face crumpled as she hiccuped and could hold back the tears, and she closed her eyes. “I just judged my brother and instantly thought the worst of him.”
“Dawn!” Liam pulled her to him. “You’ve obviously had a lot of issues with Wade, or I doubt whether you’d be so quick to condemn him.” She nestled her head on his chest, and he felt her shoulders shake. “Hey. We’re going to sort this out,” he soothed.
“I think I pushed too far this time.” Dawn’s voice was shaky.
“Why is Wade still here if he’s delivered the boat?” Liam asked.
“He has to stay with the boat until it’s been handed over,” Dawn said and stilled. She stepped back and looked at Liam. “Where is the crew list?”
Liam reluctantly let her go and leaned over to give her the list. “Here you go.”
Dawn scanned the list, her eyes widening. “May I use your computer?”
“Sure.” Liam nodded and stepped aside.
Dawn slid into his chair, and he watched as she pulled up the Vanderbilt Security page and then logged in. She pulled up each name on the list. They were both surprised at what they found. The crew, with the exception of three of the eight members, were all full-time Vanderbilt Security employees with very impressive service records.
“That’s not a crew,” Dawn stated. “That’s a small army.”
“Why would your brother crew his boat with ex-military Vanderbilt employees?” Liam asked.
“These changes to the crew were made just before the boat set sail a few days ago,” Dawn pointed out the date of assignment to Wade’s crew. She shook her head. “What the heck is going on?”
“Maybe Harriet’s family are coming for another visit?” Liam hedged, a sinking feeling creeping over him.
“This is something else,” Dawn said, shaking her head and staring at his screen. “Look at this. She pointed to the screen as she pulled up a few of the crew members’ personnel files. “It lists all of them on suspended leave.”
“Does it say why?” Liam was confused.
“It has a disciplinary hearing pending,” Dawn said. “But for each of them. Then, they were each assigned the newest design for bio trackers. They are so different I didn’t even recognize them.”
They were so involved with what they were finding out that they both jumped when Dawn’s phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket. “Uh-oh.” She pulled a face and whispered. “Busted.”
“Busted?” Liam frowned, and she pointed to the screen—Scott.
“Hello?” Dawn answered the phone wearily.
Liam could hear her brother without it being on speaker as he bellowed. “What the heck are you doing in the restricted system, Dawn?”
“Hi, Scott,” Dawn said sweetly. “What are you talking about?”
“Dawn, I can see you,” Scott reminded her. “Did you forget to cover the laptop’s camera?”
“Shoot,” Dawn said and put her finger on the camera.
“Too late, little sister. I know you’re on the other side,” Scott said. “What are you looking at those files for?” He paused. “Was that Liam Gains behind you?”
“Yes.” Dawn nodded, removing her finger from the camera, and she waved.
“Put your phone on speaker,” Scott said.
“Sorry,” Dawn whispered. “I’ve dragged you into the poop with me.”
“It’s okay,” Liam assured her. “We’re in this together, remember.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before pulling up a chair and sitting beside her. “Hi, Scott.”
“Hi, Liam, it’s good to see you again,” Scott greeted him. “I take it if you’re fiddling with these files, Wade’s on Plum Island?”
“You knew he was back?” Dawn accused Scott. “But you never mentioned it?”
“If you’d read your company emails from time to time, you’d know,” Scott told her.
“Do you know that there are two other crew members that are not on your security team on Alex’s new yacht,” Dawn told him, ignoring his jibe. “And if you’ve sent your small army of disgraced staff to protect Alex’s yacht, then you’ve done a poor job because they haven’t told you that our little brother’s bestie is on it.”
“If you’re talking about Ben,” Scott said, “I cleared him to be on the yacht.”
“Why?” Dawn asked.
“Turns out we might have been wrong about Ben after all,” Scott wouldn’t elaborate.
“Why do you have undercover agents on Alex’s new yacht if you think we were wrong about Ben?” Dawn asked.
“Because Wade asked for them,” Scott told her. “Just like he asked for the new bio bracelets.”
“Why?” Dawn persisted.
“Because he doesn’t trust us,” Scott told her bluntly. “And after what I’ve learned recently, I can’t say I blame him.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Dawn asked her brother.
“Let’s just say we were so busy looking for the bad in our baby brother because of a few incidents that I don’t think were even his fault, that we put blinders on to the truth,” Scott said cryptically. “I’m running an investigation into this. But please don’t tell Wade, as he coldly told me to leave it alone. The past should stay just that: the past!”
“So now we’re the bad guys in his story?” Dawn said in disbelief.
“Yes, Dawn, I’m afraid we are,” Scott told her in no uncertain terms. “We should’ve listened to Aunt Faith and Harriet.”
“Why?” Dawn was like a dog with a bone. She was not letting go of finding out the answers she sought.
“I’ll tell you when I know more,” Scott answered. “Now log out of my system, please, as Liam’s systems are full of holes, and I can see the system has been recently accessed remotely.”
“What?” Liam said in alarm.
“Do you want me to trace the connection?” Scott asked him.
“Yes, please,” Liam said.
“Okay, give me a few days, and I’ll get to you,” Scott promised. “For now, I’ll get my IT team to lock your system down for you if you give us access to it, and when I’m there in a few weeks to fetch my daughter, we can talk security.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Liam said. “I think Lila is going to be sad when Harper goes home.”
“Harper has already introduced me to Lila and your delightful Aunt Betty,” Scott told Liam. “Sam Donovan sends me daily updates on Harper and Lila.”
“Thank you for getting your security team to keep an eye on my daughter and aunt as well,” Liam said to Scott. “It gives me great peace of mind, especially with everything going on at the hotel…” Ow , he mouthed when Dawn kicked him. “Your brother already knows about it.”
“How?” Dawn glared at Liam. “I told you to keep this from him.”
“I can still hear you, you know,” Scott’s voice came through the receiver. “Come on, Dawn, did you think that Carl wasn’t going to report back to me about this?”
“I’m surprised you weren’t on the jet zooming here to drag Harper home,” Dawn said.
“Sam and Carl assured me that Harper and Lila were out of harm’s way at Liam’s aunt’s house,” Scott said. “And I wouldn’t do that to my daughter when I’ve seen and heard the changes in her, for the better, already.” He paused. “I knew sending Harper to you, Dawn, would set her on the right path again.”
“Why are there so many security guys with Wade?” Dawn suddenly asked.
“I told you, Wade asked for them,” Scott repeated his previous answer.
“Seriously?” Dawn said. “You don’t think I’m not going to find out?”
“Fine,” Scott sighed. “Wade wanted him and his crew’s movements tracked to ensure if anything went wrong, everything would be recorded.” Another sigh. “Our little brother didn’t want to take this job, but the Blackwells and Travis Danes basically pleaded with him to do it.”
“Why Wade?” Dawn was still suspicious. “Especially after everything that happened ten years ago.”
“Maybe, like me, they’ve started to realize we may have been too hasty to point fingers, judge, and convict Wade and Ben,“ Scott said.
“Why the sudden change of heart?” Dawn’s eyes narrowed.
“Dawn, just drop it, please,” Scott begged. “All I can tell you right now is that we’ve reopened the investigation that led to Wade’s house arrest and Ben going to jail. But I’m imploring you, do not mention this to Wade or Ben.”
“A bit late to reopen the investigation, don’t you think?” Dawn’s eyes widened. “If what I think you’re trying to say is that Ben wasn’t guilty, then we were all instrumental in putting an innocent man in prison and ruining his life.”
“I think of it as we were just as set up as Ben was,” Scott told her.
“And that’s what’s helping you sleep at night now that you know Ben may have been innocent?” Dawn spluttered.
“I can’t change what was done,” Scott pointed out. “I can only try and figure out the truth. I know it will never make up for what happened to Ben or Wade, but it can clear their names.”
“Yeah, because there’s no stigma attached to being in prison for ten years and then getting your name cleared,” Dawn said sarcastically, taking in a breath and closing her eyes. She covered a hand over her face. “Scott, can you do me a favor, please?”
“Okay,” Scott said.
“Can you give me the whereabouts of Wade and Ben for the past three days?” Dawn asked.
“A detailed breakdown?” Scott asked. “Because you know I can’t send any recordings, but I can tell you their movements.”
“The bio bracelets record them?” Liam’s eyes widened. “Everything?”
“Just conversations, and it has voice recognition. If the device detects a familiar voice, it logs the person’s name,” Scott explained. “They can turn off the recording at any time. They can’t turn off the tracking system, though.”
“What if they take it off?” Liam asked
“They can’t,” Scott told him. “It’s put on in the same fashion as an ankle monitor.”
“Oh!” Liam said.
“Scott’s the only one that can take Wade’s of his crew’s bands off.” Dawn shook her head. “I thought they were really invasive and proved that Scott didn’t trust his staff.”
“No!” Scott said. “My staff all sign a form stating that they agree to wear the device. It’s more to protect my team against false claims about them and to protect the clients.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Liam agreed with Scott. “Especially in this era of touchy situations among the younger generation.”
“That’s the same throughout the generations,” Scott assured him. “What do you want to know about Wade and Ben’s movements?”
“Where were they yesterday morning?” Dawn asked Scott.
“They had just passed New York heading toward Plum Island,” Scott told her. “All crew were accounted for on the boat.”
“Seriously?” Dawn said, her face going pale again as her eyes darkened with emotion. “Shoot!” She breathed. “And I don’t suppose you can tell if Wade went into my room anytime during this evening?”
“Can I please access your hotel system, Liam?” Scott asked.
“I’ve already said you can,” Liam told Scott. “What do you need from me?”
“Not much,” Scott said with a chuckle. “My sister already gave me access when she opened the portal to my system.”
“How nice.” Liam looked at Dawn and laughed. “Go ahead. Do you need my login to the Hotel system?”
“Nope,” Scott said. “I’ve already accessed through a login that was granted to my sister yesterday.”
“Hey!” Dawn hissed.
“Little sister,” Scott told her, “how many times have I told you not to use the same password for everything? BigBlueWhaleTail777.”
“I like that password, and it’s a good one,” Dawn defended her choice.
“Not if you use it for everything ,“ Scott scolded. “Ah… Okay. I got it.” He went quiet. “Here we go. As far as I can see, Wade didn’t go into your room at all. Nor did Ben.” He went quiet again. “But Carl did.”
“What?” Dawn and Liam spluttered in unison.
“Yeah. This is strange.” Scott said. “It looks like he was in there for a few minutes. Then, he left and walked down toward the end of the hallway. Away from the elevator.”
“Toward the wall?” Liam asked, confused.
“Yeah. Are there stairs anywhere there?” Scott asked Liam.
“No, the stairwell is near the elevator side of the hallway,” Liam told him. “Is there some sort of access to the floors below on that side of the hotel?”
“A large glass window!” Liam shrugged, a frown marring his brow.
“Well, he went down to a below-ground area by the look of this.” Scott paused. “There’s nothing marked on the hotel diagrams. It looks like he walked beneath the floor to the opposite wing and stopped somewhere behind the kitchens.” Another pause. “He is still there and hasn’t moved for a couple of hours.”
“That’s weird,” Liam said as he and Dawn glanced at each other.
“Hold on. I’m going to do something I shouldn’t here,” Scott said. “Here, it’s the recording for Carl for the day back to when he was in Dawn’s room.”
Liam and Dawn sat close to listen.
Carl: Hey, stop!
There was a noise like a struggle.
Muffled voice: Move and don’t try anything. You have about six hours and will die without the antidote. If you want that, then you’ll move.
“What the…” Dawn’s eyes widened as her eyes met Liam’s equally startled ones.
“Why didn’t Carl hit the panic button?” Scott’s question was rhetorical.
“Shhh,” Dawn shushed everyone as the shuffling and noise finally stopped.
Carl: What were you doing in Miss Vanderbilt’s room?
Muffled voice: Returning something.
Carl: Why break in if you were returning something?
Muffled voice: You ask too many questions.
There was more shuffling.
“I’ve heard that voice somewhere before,” Dawn said, frowning as she strained to hear the other person’s voice.
Muffled voice: Keep moving. We’re almost there.
Carl: What did you give me?
Muffled voice: Something called Luminotoxin.
Carl: What the heck is that?
Muffled voice: It’s a potent neurotoxin that is fatal when administered into the bloodstream, and without the antidote, the toxin inhibits the nerve signals transmission, causing progressive paralysis that will eventually cause respiratory failure.
“What?” Dawn’s face dropped and paled. “Scott, have you heard of this?”
“No.” Scott’s voice held a hint of urgency. “But I’m getting onto researching it.”
“Why didn’t you pick this up?” Dawn hissed.
“I only check the record twice a day if no alarm has been hit,” Scott told her.
“Carl is probably paralyzed by now and can’t hit the alarm.” Dawn’s voice rose a bit in her panic. “He obviously didn’t want to draw attention to the bio band, and that’s why he didn’t hit the alarm.”
“Hold on,” Scott told her as the voice came back.
Carl: I thought all these passages had been closed and secured?
Muffled voice: There is a whole network of tunnels in this old hotel. It was once used as a smuggler’s hideaway.
Carl: Where are we going?
Muffled voice: Just keep going. We’re almost there.
Carl: As I’m probably going to die anyway… his voice got raspy, and he coughed.
Muffled voice: Having trouble talking? That’s the toxin.
Carl: What were you doing in Miss Vanderbilt’s room?
Muffled voice: Like I told you, I am returning something with an added surprise for her.
Carl: Why?
Muffled voice: Leverage.
Carl: For what? His voice was getting weaker.
Muffled voice: She has something we need and for some payback for an old friend.
Carl: Coughs. His voice is being forced out. Payback for what?
Muffled voice: I’m not sure, and I don’t care. She’s going to give back what she took from us.
Carl: What?
Muffled voice: You should save your strength.
There was a pause and shuffling.
Carl: Where are we?
Muffled voice: At the end of your journey.
Carl: There’s no antidote, is there?
Muffled voice: Oh, there is. I just don’t have enough for everyone.
Carl: What’s that supposed to mean?
Muffled voice: We need Miss Vanderbilt alive in order to get back what’s ours.
Carl: Tell me what it is, as I’m going to die anyway.
Muffled voice: You really shouldn’t have muddled with the other tunnels. We didn’t plan to use this part of the plan.
Carl: Who are you?
Muffled voice: Your friends will find out soon enough.
There was more shuffling and then quiet.
“What did that mean?” Dawn asked in confusion.
“That we have to find Carl,” Liam said. “Scott, do you have a location where he is?”
“Yes,” Scott said. “I’ve just managed to find some plans for your hotel. He’s beneath some old shed at the back of the kitchen. Do you know what was put into your room, Dawn?” His voice was filled with urgency.
“The journal and jewelry,” Dawn’s eyes widened in realization. “You don’t think…”
“It wouldn’t be on something. It has to be ingested or injected,” Scott told them. “I’ve found the toxin. It’s from a rare plant, the Luminara, found in the Amazon rainforest. It’s a bioluminescent plant. Its sap was used on arrows and spears to kill predators of some indigenous people. It was used in some military experiments as well in the nineteen hundreds.”
“Great!” Dawn drawled. “This gets better and better.” She blew out a breath. “We’d better go find Carl.”
“No.” Liam and Scott said in unison.
“I’ll get someone to help me, and I’ll find Carl,” Liam told her. “You need to figure out what extra was left for you from whoever took Carl.”
“No,” Dawn said stubbornly. “Hicks will be with me, and he’ll look after me.” She patted the big dog’s head. “Won’t you?”
He looked up at her and whined.
“I agree that Hicks should go with Liam,” Scott said. “He’ll be able to sniff Carl out. I’ll get some of the crew members that are with Wade to go with you, Liam.”
“I’ll call the Plum Island Clinic and warn them,” Dawn said, looking at Liam. “And I’ll check my room.”
“Why are you giving up so easily?” Liam asked her.
“I’m not,” Dawn told him. “We can cover more ground this way, and I’d like to … uh… check on Wade.” She swallowed. “I also owe him an apology.”
“We can go over this later,” Scott said. “I’ll call you back, Liam. Dawn, be careful and, for goodness sake, listen to the security detail.”
“Sure,” Dawn said.
When they hung up. Dawn and Liam left his office, locking up behind them. They’d just stepped into the foyer when three men met them in the foyer. Liam noted they each had a big band.
“Is Wade not with you?” Dawn asked them.
“We can’t get hold of him,” the one man told her as he introduced himself and his team. “We’re here to assist you to look for Carl, Mr. Gains.”
“Thanks,” Liam nodded.
“I’m going to find Wade,” Dawn told him. “Here, take Hicks.”
“Be careful,” Liam said. Their eyes met and locked.
He didn’t know what came over him, but he stepped forward and kissed her.
“I… uh…” Dawn looked dazed as Liam pulled away. “I’ll call you as soon as we have Carl.”
Dawn nodded and he pulled her back into his arms before leading the men toward the kitchen.
“This way.” He started to lead the men through to the kitchen.
Hicks whined and pulled against Liam’s hand in his collar as he turned toward where Dawn was now walking toward the elevator.
“It’s okay, boy,” Liam told him. “We need your help to find someone.”
Liam managed to pull Hicks with them as they walked through the kitchen and out to the shed, which he once again found unlocked. Hicks pulled away from Liam, a low growl rumbling from his throat. Liam let Hicks go, and he shot into the shed.
“I’m guessing it’s this way?” the one man said, following Hicks.
They walked into the shed and saw Hicks scratching and whining at a panel on the far side of the wall.
“That must be what we’re looking for.” The man pointed to where Hicks was.
Between all of them, they managed to find how the panel opened, and the four men, led by Hick and Liam, traversed the tunnel and came to a cavern, where they found Carl passed out. Liam breathed a sigh of relief and prayed that Carl would be okay. The next few minutes went by in a blur as Carl was eventually taken away in an ambulance.
Liam and Hicks watched the ambulance depart. Two of Scott’s employees went with Carl, and the other two waited with Liam. He tried to call Dawn, but she didn’t answer. Liam tried her suite, but she didn’t answer. He tried Wade’s suite, but there was no answer. An uneasy knot twisted in his gut, tightening with each passing second. Liam asked one of Wade’s crew members to call his mobile, but there was no answer.
“What about Ben?” Liam asked.
“There’s no answer on his phone either,” the one crew member said, frowning.
Scott called as Liam hurried toward the elevator with Wade’s crew following him.
“Hey, Scott,” Liam answered. “Carl is on his way to the hospital. The doctor who’s standing in for Daniella is going with them to Newbury Port.”
“That’s good to hear,” Scott sounded relieved. “Have you heard from Dawn?”
“No.” Liam shook his head and was distracted when Donna, the night desk attendant, walked up to him. “Hold on,” he said to Scott.
“Mr. Gains,” Donna said to him. “This was left for you while you were in the back.”
Liam frowned and took the envelope. Alarm bells started to ring in his head as a cold feeling crept down his spine.
“Thanks, Donna,” Liam took the note, and Donna retreated.
“What’s going on?” Scott asked.
“I’m not sure,” Liam told him, balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder as he opened the door and froze. “No!”
“Liam?” Scott asked.
“I’ve just received a note,” Liam told Scott. “I know why we can’t get hold of Dawn or Wade.”
“What’s going on?” Scott’s voice became more frantic.
Liam read the note to him: Wait for our call. No cops, or you’ll have two dead people on your hands. Bon voyage for now.