Chapter 13
How Grady managed to utter a coherent sentence was beyond him. He’d nearly swallowed his tongue when Lauren glided into the living room wearing a form-fitting sequined red dress, Lucy at her side. And glided was the right word. Lauren looked as if she were walking on air.
She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known, and for what felt like the zillionth time, he had to force himself to remember his job was to protect her and Lucy.
Not to kiss her again.
It was no wonder she pulled in so much money for her charity events. He would donate everything he had just to spend time with her.
As Grady escorted Lauren and Lucy out of the penthouse and to the elevator, he tried not to remember that she’d asked him to act as her fiancé for the evening. Better that he focus on his role as their bodyguard.
“I have a car waiting outside the lobby,” Lauren said as she pushed the elevator button.
He arched a brow. “When did you arrange that?”
“Months ago.” She looked confused by his question. “I use the same car service for all my charity events.”
Her world was beyond his comprehension. He couldn’t imagine having a car service set up that far in advance. And the more he thought about her following her usual routine, the more he didn’t like it.
“Hold on. I think it’s better if I drive the rental.” He frowned when Lauren looked annoyed. “I’m sure the hotel has valet parking, right?”
“Yes. But I always take the limo . . .” Her voice trailed off as she suddenly realized his concern. “Okay, fine. You can drive, but I need to tell the driver so he’s not sitting there for hours.”
“We can do that.” As the elevator slid down to the lobby level, and the doors slowly opened, he swept a curious gaze around the area.
He’d only been in the parking garage and up in the penthouse.
The décor was fancier than he’d anticipated.
Lots of chrome and glass, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street.
There was a front desk manned by a security guard who nodded at them as they walked past. There were also several cushioned chairs scattered about.
Savion Enterprises was an impressive place.
And Grady knew it was only one of many properties her father owned.
A long black limo sat outside the front doors. Grady glanced at Lauren. “Stay here with Lucy, I’ll tell him to go.”
“Earl isn’t going to listen to you.” Lauren rolled her eyes.
“Lucy, wait here by the main desk. I’ll be right back.
” She strode to the main doors. Grady made sure to stay close at her side.
A cold wind blew in as she stepped out to the limo.
Grady scanned the street on the off chance the black SUV was still out there somewhere, but it was too dark to make out the make and model of the vehicles driving past. Traffic was still congested, and he was struck again by how different Chicago was from Cody, Wyoming.
“Ms. Lauren.” Earl looked to be in his early seventies, but the way the older man eyed him suspiciously was oddly reassuring. Grady was glad she had someone like Earl looking out for her.
“Hi, Earl, I’m so sorry, but I won’t need your services today.”
The older man scowled. “Are you sure about this?” There was no doubt Earl didn’t like the change of plan.
“I’m Grady McFarland.” Grady stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m sorry for the switch, but I’ll be driving Lauren and Lucy to the charity tonight.”
Earl gripped his hand strongly, nodding slowly. Maybe because of the handshake, but the older man’s suspicions had eased off a bit. “Nice to meet you. Okay, then. I’ll be here tomorrow, Ms. Lauren, unless you change your mind.”
“Thanks, Earl. You’re the best.” Lauren flashed Earl a warm smile, then turned to go back inside. Lucy stood waiting by the front desk as requested.
Grady escorted them to the elevator, where they went down to the underground parking garage.
As he had earlier, he scanned the parked cars around the rental.
He recognized a couple of cars as being there the day before, likely people living in various apartments within the building.
No black SUVs with tinted windows, though.
Maybe Agent Braun had the right perp in custody.
It could be that Curtis Handover had been the mastermind behind the kidnapping and shooting events, driven by revenge along with more cash than the guy could make in his lifetime.
And with Handover out of the picture, his accomplice may have skipped down.
Or be hiding somewhere, waiting for Handover to be released on bail. Depending on the evidence the feds had on the guy, it was possible Handover would be released until the feds built their case against him.
A possibility he wasn’t about to confide to Lauren. She’d been through enough trauma at this point. He’d wait until they heard from Agent Braun with an update.
Hopefully no later than tomorrow morning.
He opened the car doors for Lauren and Lucy, then slid in behind the wheel. He kept a keen eye out for anyone suspicious, just in case Handover’s accomplice was waiting nearby with the intent to finish the job.
“Do you know where the Chicago Cultural Center is located?” Lauren asked as he exited the parking garage.
“Not exactly.” He belatedly realized they should have replaced their phones while they were in Lake Geneva. “Can you give me directions?”
“Yes. Turn left at the next intersection.”
They inched with maddening slowness through the congested city streets. There were several black SUVs, and he found himself tensing up every time one of them got too close. But the drivers behind the wheels didn’t look at them twice.
After the third false alarm, he tried to relax, flexing his fingers from the deathlike grip on the wheel. He doubted a high-profile charity event would be considered a good time to try kidnapping a child.
By the time they arrived at the Cultural Center, Grady understood why Lauren had a car service pretty much on standby. He figured he could have walked the distance in the same amount of time it took to drive there.
As they waited in line for the valet attendant, he glanced at Lauren. “Anything I need to know about the people who will be here tonight?”
She glanced back at Lucy, then shrugged. “There are a few persistent men who I’d love for you to keep away from me. But otherwise, it’s just a fancy dinner.”
“I hate fancy dinners,” Lucy muttered.
Lauren sighed. “I know you do, and I appreciate you being on your best behavior, young lady.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy reluctantly agreed. “Smile and be polite.”
“Exactly.” Lauren nodded at the red taillights moving up ahead. “You’re next.”
“I know.” He eased forward. When the next valet attendant bent to look inside, the kid’s eyes widened when he saw Lauren.
“Ms. Chandler.” The kid ran around to open her door. “I didn’t realize you were arriving on your own tonight.”
“Hello, Tony. Yes, my fiancé, Grady McFarland, wanted to do the honors.” She smiled brightly at the kid. “And we’ve brought my daughter, Lucy, with us too.”
The young kid hastily opened the back door for Lucy. Grady had to admit it was nice that Lauren was so well known by the people who worked at these venues. No doubt she’d been there dozens of times before.
He handed the kid the keys and hurried around to escort Lauren and Lucy inside. As they stopped to remove their winter coats, he tried to pretend he’d done this before, but the glitz and glamour were as foreign to him as the sandy and deadly desert of Afghanistan would have been to Lauren.
The environment was slightly better, but Grady didn’t doubt that there were many wolves dressed in fine clothing pretending to be upstanding citizens in the crowd.
The party was in full swing by the time they entered the grand ballroom. It was a little like being with royalty as the moment Lauren stepped into the room several people rushed forward, gushing with enthusiasm.
“Oh, Lauren, you look stunning as always. And you brought Lucy too!” The woman who’d gotten there first eyed him with a mixture of admiration and suspicion. “And you have a guest!”
“Good to see you again, Patrice. This is my fiancé, Grady McFarland. Grady, Patrice Miller is the vice president of St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital.”
“You’re engaged!” Despite her role as a hospital vice president, Patrice squealed with joy. “That’s marvelous news! Where did you meet?”
“We share friends in common, Suzanne and Eli White,” Grady said, remembering Lauren mentioning them.
“Well congratulations! I know a few of the male attendees will be devastated to hear you’re taken.” Patrice eyed him with glee. “I’m so pleased to meet you, Mr. McFarland.”
“Likewise.” Grady forced a smile and tried not to tug at his tie that suddenly felt too tight. If he were a drinking man, he’d belly up to the bar. But he wasn’t, so he did his best to stay alert as they made their way through the crowd.
A waiter walked by with a tray of champagne flutes. He shook his head, noticing Lauren did the same.
“What do you usually drink at these shindigs?” he asked in a low voice.
“Ginger ale.” She smiled up at him. “You hate this, don’t you?”
“Nah, I’ve been in worse places.” He hadn’t realized his feelings were telegraphed on his face. “I’ll get us some ginger ale. Excuse me.” He patted her hand, then slipped through the throng of people, many who stared at him with blatant curiosity.
No doubt news of his and Lauren’s engagement had already zipped like a live wire through the crowd, and these rich people were wondering how he’d snagged the prettiest girl in the room.
If this were a real engagement, they’d have every right to wonder. He tugged at his tie, then smiled at the bartender as he requested three glasses of ginger ale, assuming Lucy would want one as well.