Chapter 12 #2
“No, Grady, will you please take us home?” Lauren put her hand on his arm. “I need to make sure the penthouse window is fixed and talk to Clara and my father.” She flushed, and added, “There’s still time for us to make the charity event. If you don’t mind sticking around for a while.”
Attending the charity ball was the last thing he wanted to do, but he reluctantly nodded. “Of course. I think it’s best if we stick together until we know for sure that Curtis Handover has confessed.”
“Thank you.” Lauren impulsively hugged him, and for a moment, it felt like they were engaged for real. Then she stepped back, smiling brightly. “Let’s go then. I’ll make some arrangements while we drive.”
“Okay.” He escorted them outside. Out of habit, he looked for a black SUV but didn’t see one. When they reached the car, he drove out of the cute town and headed for the interstate.
But the timeline of Curtis Handover’s arrest and the black SUV shooting at them as they escaped via the crop-duster plane niggled at him.
Sure, they’d spent a little over two hours in Lake Geneva after leaving the Madison airport, but it still seemed too soon for Curtis to have driven back into Illinois to be arrested by the state patrol.
And why had the guy driven back toward Chicago?
Braun hadn’t mentioned an accomplice in the arrest, so Grady assumed Handover had been alone.
Had the two men argued after losing them at the farmer’s field?
That was the only thing he could think of that would cause the two men to go their separate ways.
His thoughts continued to whirl in his head. Curtis might have asked for a lawyer so he could make a deal, agreeing to testify against the second shooter for a lesser sentence.
Yet Grady knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until they knew for sure who Curtis Handover was working with and that both perps were in custody.
And if that meant attending the charity ball, then fine. He’d put on a monkey suit and attend, for Lauren’s and Lucy’s sake.
* * *
Lauren spoke to Clara, who thankfully had everything under control as usual.
Her super-efficient housekeeper had already arranged for the penthouse window repair and gladly agreed to arrange for a tux to be delivered for Grady.
When she asked Grady his size, he didn’t look overjoyed but provided the measurements she needed.
“I’m so glad you and Lucy are on your way home,” Clara gushed. “Do you want me to stay overnight tonight to watch Lucy?”
She hesitated, debating the pros and cons of doing that. Clara was sweet to stay overnight when Lauren had late-night charity events, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to leave her daughter home with Clara. Not when Curtis Handover hadn’t confessed to shooting at them or to kidnapping Ariel.
Besides, she could tell from Grady’s grim features he wasn’t convinced the incidents were over.
Agent Braun had mentioned having Curtis in custody, but what about the second man who’d been helping him?
Was he still out there somewhere? That thought alone was enough to sway her decision.
“No need to stay, Clara. Lucy won’t like it, but she can attend the ball with me. I mean, with us.”
“Okay, but I’m here if you change your mind,” Clara said. “How long before you get here?”
“I’m not sure. You know how traffic gets congested in the city.” She felt certain they’d get home just in time to change and leave for the ball. “If you don’t mind, set our things out before you leave.”
“Oh, I’ll stay until you get here. Drive safely.”
“We will. Take care, Clara.” Lauren lowered the phone.
“I’m surprised she arranged for the window to be repaired,” Grady said.
“She has access to our expense account.” When Grady arched a brow, she hastily added, “Clara is trustworthy. We have never had a problem with her spending too much money.”
“Okay, okay.” He shook his head wryly. “My friend Joel Sullivan has a housekeeper on their ranch who they trust with that sort of thing too. I guess I’ve never had someone I trusted that way.”
She eyed him curiously. “You must trust your boss.”
“I do, and my former army teammates.” Grady paused, then added, “I would trust any of them with my life, as they’ve always had my back. But living in my house and paying for things isn’t the same thing.”
“I guess not.” Lauren had never been targeted by a gunman like this before. Being kidnapped by Jerry Cromwell when she was a child had been a terrifying experience. One that had made her wary of her daughter suffering the same fate. Yet Jerry hadn’t hurt her, he’d just wanted money.
The two gunmen who’d tried to shoot down the crop-duster plane as they’d escaped the farm had gone to extreme efforts to get her daughter. To the point she wasn’t even sure this was about money for Curtis and his accomplice anymore.
Curtis must have done this out of revenge. When the kidnapping hadn’t worked, and shooting at the penthouse hadn’t caused the car crash, he’d given up on the kidnapping idea to simply kill them all instead.
Difficult to understand that logic, but she felt certain Agent Braun would find the evidence he needed to put Curtis and his accomplice in prison for the rest of their lives.
Which made her think about how Nelson was scheduled to get out of jail sooner than she’d anticipated. There’s been too many other things to worry about, but now that the danger was over, her ex-husband’s release flashed front and center in her mind.
Would Nelson sue for joint custody of Lucy? She wanted to believe he’d move on with his life, but with few job prospects and no money, she felt certain he’d be all over her to get access to his daughter.
“What’s wrong?” Grady put his hand on her knee, his expression full of concern. “You look upset.”
“I’m fine.” She forced a smile. Her concerns about her ex-husband’s release and his intent toward their daughter wasn’t Grady’s problem. Their fake engagement likely wouldn’t extend beyond the weekend. “Just glad to be heading home.”
He tipped his head to the side as if he wasn’t buying her explanation, but he didn’t press for more. Instead, he changed the subject. “What time is this charity deal?”
“The cocktail hour is at six; dinner is at seven.” She didn’t mention the open bar, simply because she didn’t drink. And somehow, she didn’t think Grady would indulge either. Not when he was there to watch over her and Lucy.
“So if we get there before seven, we’ll be fine.” He nodded. “Okay, I think we can make that happen. I take it Lucy is coming with us?”
“Yes—”
“I don’t wanna go to the charity ball,” Lucy interrupted with a wail. “I hate those things. Can’t I stay home and watch a movie with Clara?”
“Not tonight.” She and Grady spoke at the same time, which made her smile. She turned in her seat to look at Lucy. “Grady was nice enough to take you to see the magic show, right? And maybe you can have a friend over tomorrow. We’ll see how things go.”
“But I hate those charity things,” Lucy repeated, her lower lip stuck out in a pout. “They’re boring.”
“Hey, I’m going to be there too,” Grady said. “And you don’t hear me complaining.”
Lauren glanced at him, realizing he wasn’t necessarily thrilled to be attending the event either. She turned away to stare out the passenger-side window. There was no reason to be upset by his reaction. She and Grady weren’t dating. Their relationship wasn’t real.
And it never would be.
Their brief kiss seemed like eons ago. No doubt he’d kissed her out of some misguided attempt to make her feel better about the danger they were in.
Whatever. She might have grown to care about Grady, but that was her problem. Not his. She’d always known he would be heading off to another job once she and Lucy didn’t need him anymore.
They made good time until they got closer to the city. She knew it didn’t really matter if they were late for the ball, but as it turned out, Grady pulled up to the parking garage entrance of her building at 5:45.
That left them plenty of time to get dressed and catch a limo or a taxi to the Cultural Center for the ball.
“Good evening, Ms. Lauren.” The security guard peered into Grady’s open driver’s side window. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, Timothy, we’re fine, thanks for asking.” She knew the security guard was just being overly cautious. “This is my fiancé, Grady McFarland.”
“Nice to meet you, Grady,” Timothy said politely.
“Nice to meet you too,” Grady said with a grin. “I appreciate you looking out for Lauren and Lucy. They’re very important to me.”
“Of course. You have a wonderful evening.” Timothy Freeman leaned back and opened the gate. Grady drove into the parking garage to her usual parking spot.
“Thanks for treating Timothy with respect.” She realized that Nelson’s snide approach to the working class should have been another giant red flag.
Grady arched a brow. “Always.”
She pushed out of the car, then opened the back door for Lucy. Her daughter was still pouting about being forced to attend the ball, but Lauren ignored her. Someday, Lucy would understand that there were worse things in the world than being forced to attend a boring charity event.
They took the elevator to the penthouse apartment. As Lauren used the key to unlock the door, Clara was there to greet them. “Welcome home.”
“Thanks, Clara.” She gave the housekeeper a quick hug. “And thanks for getting everything ready for us.”
“I take it that’s my tux?” Grady asked, eyeing the suit that was draped over the sofa.
“Yes, Mr. Grady. If you need anything altered, let me know.” Clara beamed. “I’m handy with a needle and thread.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” Grady crossed over to pick up the suit. “I’ll change in the guest room.”
“Ms. Lauren, I have your dress and Lucy’s laid out in your room,” Clara said. “I assumed you wanted the red dress.”
“Yes, thanks, Clara.” She turned to Lucy. “Let’s go, Lucy.”
Her daughter rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “There’s still time for you to change your mind, Mom.”
“Let’s go,” she repeated sternly. “I mean it, Lucy. I’m tired too. I promise we won’t stay for the entire ball, just long enough to mingle a bit before dinner. We’ll come home right afterward, okay?”
“Fine.” Lucy dragged her feet as they headed into Lauren’s room. Then her daughter brightened. “Oh, I get to wear a red dress too?”
“Yes, you’re going to look beautiful.” She was glad Clara had remembered this charity was for the pediatric cardiac care program at St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital. Hence the red dresses. “Give me a minute to change and I’ll help you.”
Fifteen minutes later, she and Lucy were ready to go. Normally, Lauren would have had her hair done special, and Lucy’s too, but that couldn’t be helped. It was nothing short of a miracle that they were back in time to attend at all.
When she and Lucy stepped into the living room, she stopped short upon seeing Grady standing there in his tuxedo. If she thought he was attractive before, with his longish dark-brown hair and five o’clock shadow, he was downright gorgeous now.
“Wow.” He whistled. “Lauren, you and Lucy look amazing.”
“Thank you.” She felt herself blush, even though she knew he was just playing along with his role. “And you look dashing yourself. I really appreciate you escorting us tonight.”
“Absolutely.” His eyes narrowed a bit. “There’s been no word from Agent Braun. I left him another message. Hopefully, he’ll call back soon.”
“He will.” She forced herself to sound confident. She imagined Braun was working out a deal with Curtis Handover at this very moment.
“I know.” Grady stepped forward and picked up her long leather coat, holding it so she could slip her arms into the sleeves.
“Thanks.” She hoped couldn’t help but smile when Grady held Lucy’s coat for her too. Ever the gentleman. More so than Nelson ever was.
When Grady offered his arm, she tucked her hand in the curve of his elbow. Glancing up at his handsome profile, she wished again that this were a real date.
Apparently, she was destined to be like a reversal of Cinderella. She wasn’t poor, and she would have her night at the ball. But at the stroke of midnight, Grady would cease to be her Prince Charming. Tomorrow, he would be gone.
Leaving her and Lucy alone once again.