Chapter Seventeen #2
“We’re not checking in.” The voice was abrupt. “I didn’t appreciate the late night call saying your inn was closed. I spent half the night scrambling to change our plans.”
“What?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“Mr. Lopez, I assure you no one from Ivy House contacted you. We’re open and expecting you.
” This had all the earmarks of her brother.
She gripped the phone, reining in her temper.
“I apologize for any inconvenience.” Swallowing the loss, she pressed on.
“We would, of course, discount your night in compensation for your trouble.”
His deep sigh made her stomach clench. “As much as we were looking forward to our stay there, we’ve made other arrangements. We’re bypassing your town altogether, heading east instead.”
“I see. I apologize again for the mix-up and hope you and your wife have a wonderful trip.”
“Thank you.” The line went dead.
Disheartened, she went through the same thing with the second couple. Mr. and Mrs. Barclay were on a seven-day trip through North Carolina. He was a history buff and she loved antiques. While they regretted the error, they’d made other arrangements.
Tossing her phone down, Cilla laid her head on her desk and wondered if she should just give up. She almost groaned when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Of course, he’d show up now. She raised her head and pasted on a smile. “Did you sleep?”
Alex slowed his pace. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself about.” She closed out the reservation program.
Once she was alone, she’d change all the passwords and call every upcoming booking personally.
It was going to be a long afternoon, but it wasn’t as though she had anything else to do.
No paying guests were coming through the door.
Before any of that happened, she needed to get rid of Alex and maybe call an IT specialist.
Rather than leave it at that, he continued down the stairs and hunkered down beside her. “What happened?”
“It’s none of your damn business.” She would have jumped up and stalked off but the bulk of his body had her blocked in.
He caught her hand and turned her to face him. “Cilla?”
“Fine.” She threw her hands in the air. “You want to know what happened? Someone canceled today’s bookings.
The guests got calls last night from someone claiming to work for Ivy House, telling them we were closed and canceling their reservations.
I have pissed-off patrons who were forced to find other accommodations.
It’s not only me who’ll miss out, but local businesses, as both couples have opted to bypass Redemption altogether and go elsewhere.
” Her voice grew louder with each word until she was yelling.
It wasn’t fair to take her ire out on Alex, but too damn bad.
He could have walked away but chose to stick his nose in her business.
His dark brows lowered. “How is that possible?”
“Damned if I know, but I’m going to find out. Someone got into the computer system. The reservations show up as canceled. That’s the only way they’d have been able to get the clients’ phone numbers. Basically, we’ve been hacked.”
“Let me see.” Practically pushing her out of the chair, he sat. His fingers began to fly over the keyboard.
“What are you doing?” Resting one hand on the desk, she peered over his shoulder. Pages of code scrolled by.
“Checking for an outside hack.”
“You can do that? I thought you were in the custom car and motorcycle business.”
“I dabble in computers.”
This was more than dabbling. She had no idea what he was doing.
“Do you shut down the machine at night or let it sleep?”
“I just close the cover. Does that matter?”
“I’m not showing signs of an outside hack. It’s likely someone got into the computer itself. They’d only need one password and they’d have access to everything.”
“Last night. Whoever sabotaged the stairs had to have done this.” Which meant someone had been inside the house.
A cold shiver raced down her spine. What if she’d come face-to-face with the intruder when she’d gone to investigate? Her sense of safety was shattered. For that alone she’d never forgive whoever was responsible.
“Do you have your password written down anywhere?”
“Of course not.”
“I bet your password is something personal, something easy to remember.” There was no hint of accusation, but she felt it all the same.
“I’m an idiot. It’s my grandmother’s name.” She’d wanted to honor the woman who’d given her Ivy House.
“Anyone who knows you might have thought of that. Even without the password, a laptop isn’t that difficult to hack if you know what you’re doing.”
“You seem to know what you’re doing.” The words were out before she could stop them.
He leaned back, his frown deepening. “I do.” That was it. No attempt to deny or defend himself.
Doubt crept over Cilla, making her question everything. “You could have easily cut the stair tread while you were working yesterday.”
She expected angry denials. Instead profound sadness filled his dark eyes. “I am a lot of things, many of them questionable, but I would never do anything to harm you.”
It was the height of stupidity to believe him. “You’re practically a stranger.” One she’d taken to bed. “You’re part of Blackwell Enterprises, a business that buys property like mine. You’ve had full access to the inn. I should call Chief Johnson.”
He handed Cilla her phone.
She gripped it in her hands. “Why do I believe you?” she whispered.
“Because deep in your heart you know the truth.”
Whatever his reasons for being here, his motivation for staying, she believed him when he said he’d never harm her. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
Sighing, he rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”
She swallowed heavily, various scenarios playing through her mind. “You’re not a hitman.”
A smile flitted over his lips before disappearing. “You asking me or telling me?”
“You’re dangerous.” Which made it not smart for her to be confronting him like this.
“I am.”
There it was again, the lack of denial. He might be keeping secrets, but everything he did tell her was the brutal truth. This was a man who understood exactly who and what he was and faced it without flinching.
“But I’ve never killed a man.”
Again, it was the truth, but she sensed there was more—something she couldn’t pinpoint. Shadows crept across the room, making her shiver.
“I wanted to,” Alex continued. “When you told me what your ex said and did.” He gently touched the fading bruise on her arm. “If I was ever going to, that would have been the time.”
It was heart-warming that he wanted to protect her, but scary at the same time. Things were getting out of hand. Cilla had no idea how far those involved would go to gain Ivy House. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”
The shadows pulsed, as if they had a life of their own, before receding rapidly. It’s only clouds moving over the sun. The explanation fell flat. She had no idea what was happening. Her entire life was spinning out of control.
“If you want me to leave, I will.”
The relief was immediate. It was quickly followed by dread. “That’s great. Good.” She’d be facing whatever came next on her own, but she wouldn’t be responsible for Alex getting hurt. That was worth it.
“I’ll camp in the woods. Actually, the overgrown rose garden would be a great spot.” He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “But I’d rather stay here with you.”
“I shouldn’t let you,” she whispered.
“You can’t stop me.” There it was. The truth laid out in black and white.
She’d never believed in destiny but was beginning to believe Alex was somehow connected to her, was in some way a part of this.
She simply couldn’t figure out how. He wouldn’t harm her.
That much she trusted to the marrow of her bones.
It made no logical sense whatsoever. It was pure gut instinct.
“I’m with you until the end, Cilla.”
The finality of that statement sent a chill down her spine. Fear gripped her heart. He meant until the situation with her brother and ex was settled. That was all it was. That was all it could be.