Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
I ended the call with Drake and turned to watch Sophie play with her plasticine.
Part of me felt I should have spoken to Drake about the photo in Page One, but I didn’t want to stress him out needlessly. He was working long hours during an emergency. The last thing he needed was to start worrying about some idiot billionaire’s son making the moves on me at a staff party.
“Feel like going for a walk along the boardwalk?” I asked Sophie.
There was a long boardwalk along the beach, and it was a lovely afternoon, so I felt like a bit of exercise before supper.
“Yes!”
Sophie left the kitchen table and came bounding over to me, excited to get out and see the seagulls. It was one of her favorite pastimes when we were at the beach.
“What are you two planning?” My father asked from the sofa in the living room where he was watching sports on the flatscreen while reading a newspaper.
“Just an outing on the boardwalk. When we come back, we’ll get supper ready. Then, I have to pack to get ready for tomorrow’s flight.”
“Sounds good,” he said and turned the page of the newspaper.
Sophie and I went out and walked along the beach to the boardwalk where there were a series of small change rooms, and several kiosks that sold food. The change rooms were used by surfers and swimmers alike. There was a large parking lot where dozens of cars and a few van campers were located.
It was then I saw a vehicle drive up and park and a man with sunglasses on watching. I thought nothing of it at first, but then something about the man struck me. He seemed familiar. Like I had seen him before. Parked outside the beach house on the crescent where the three big homes were located.
Two thoughts crossed my mind. One was that he was a neighbor and I had seen him because he lived in one of the houses on our street. The other was that he was following me.
Why would he follow me?
Was he a creep stalking me? Or was he a criminal thinking of abducting me for ransom? After what happened with Lisa Monroe, I remembered Drake talking to Kyle from Brimstone Security about the dangers that very wealthy people faced from criminals who kidnapped family members for ransom.
I planned on calling Kyle when I was back so I could see if he could send someone to watch over us until we left for Nairobi.
Part of me thought it was silly to do so, but the other part remembered what Drake had once said to me.
We’re rich, very rich. That means there are criminals out there who think we’re easy targets of certain kinds of scams and crimes.
Better to be safe than sorry.
I tried to put it out of my mind as Sophie and I spent the afternoon just walking the boardwalk, checking out the artists who worked there, inspecting the jewelry and clothes and art they displayed along the way.
On our way back, I was feeling much better about things. I saw that the same car was parked in the parking lot but the vehicle was empty and so I figured whoever had driven it was probably enjoying the beach like we had.
What a fool I’d been to worry so much…
Then, when I turned around to take another look at the boardwalk, I saw a man with sunglasses on, who turned away and stared at the beach like he was trying to appear uninterested in me and Sophie.
Was he following us after all?
The boardwalk was busy so there were dozens of people walking along and checking out the artist stalls, so I hadn’t noticed him before.
But now…
I took Sophie’s hand and walked a little faster back to the beach house, determined to call Kyle and speak with him about getting someone out to the island to watch us until we left for Nairobi.
“Come on, Sweetheart,” I said and pulled Sophie along behind me. “Let’s get home, okay? I’m getting hungry.”
“Okay,” she replied, her face placid. She didn’t need to know that I was worried. I didn’t want her to grow up afraid for her security. That was my job.
We arrived back at the beach house to find my father sitting on the patio, his sunglasses on and a book in his hand.
“Hey, Daddy. You enjoying the afternoon?”
“Always. It’s so peaceful out here. I love the sound of the surf. It’s comforting.”
“It is,” I said and bent down to kiss his cheek. “What do you fancy for dinner? Steaks on the barbecue?”
“Sounds heavenly,” he said with a smile.
“I’m on it.”
Sophie went inside and flopped down on the sofa, ready to watch cartoons on the flatscreen, so I spoke with Elaine about supper. Then, I excused myself and went into the bedroom so I could speak with Kyle alone.
I did a quick search of my contacts and there was his name and number. It was the weekend, but he had always told Drake and I that we could contact him any time of the day or night.
So, I did.
He answered his cell on the second ring.
“Hello, Mrs. Morgan,” he said. “How are you?”
“Hi, Kyle. Please call me Kate. I’m fine. I wanted to ask if you could provide me with security. Drake’s out of the country, and I saw a strange man who seemed to be following me today. I remembered what you and Drake told me about how the family members of wealthy people are often ransom targets. I know it sounds silly, but could you put someone on us until Sophie and I leave for Kenya? We’re leaving on Tuesday.”
There was just a brief hesitation. “You say you saw a strange man following you? Can you describe him for me? That way I can let my team know who to be on the lookout for.”
“Sure,” I said and described the man as best I could, including the vehicle he was driving.
“A dark grey SUV. You think maybe a Honda.”
“That’s right. I remembered seeing it in the neighborhood, so when I saw it at the parking lot near the boardwalk, I remembered it. Then, he was walking along, and I felt like he turned away when I saw him, like he was trying to avoid me seeing him.”
“I’ll get right on it. Rest assured there will be someone watching you tonight. I’ll call you with the details.”
“Thanks, Kyle. Don’t say anything to Drake about this. I don’t want to worry him. He has enough on his plate right now.”
“I won’t say a thing.”
I ended the call and exhaled in relief. It felt good to know there would be someone watching us until Sophie and I left on Tuesday.
For the next couple of hours, I spent the time cooking and enjoying a meal with my parents and Sophie. Then, around eight, I corralled Sophie into bed and kissed her goodnight after reading her a story.
I closed the door behind me and went down the hallway just in time for my cell to ring.
It was Kyle calling me back.
“Hey, Kate. Just wanted to let you know that you have a team on you. When you go out, just look for the red cup on the dash or the red button on the lapel and you’ll know it’s our guy.”
“Thanks, Kyle. This makes me feel so much better.”
“You’re very welcome. Is there anything else?”
I hesitated. “Do you have someone who could find the man who was following me? And why? I’m just worried that someone is targeting us because of Drake’s wealth. Do you have a PI or someone with investigative background?”
“We most certainly do. The man I sent is a former Military Police and has done some private investigating for families before. I’ll ask him to monitor the neighborhood for anyone who doesn’t belong there and look into it for you. How does that sound?”
“Sounds perfect. Thanks, Kyle. You’re a Godsend.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll take the compliment.”
I ended the call and sighed heavily.
One less thing to worry about. Now, I could enjoy the next couple of days with my family before heading out to Kenya. If Kyle’s security head could find out who might have been following me — if anyone had — maybe we’d know more about the risks we faced.
I went out the front before going to the living room to sit with my father and Elaine for a while before bed. Sure enough, down the street, was a dark SUV parked under a streetlight. On the dash? A red coffee mug.
I smiled to myself and closed the front door, feeling much safer now. I wouldn’t tell my father or Elaine.
I didn’t want them to worry.
Of course, it was then that I worried about maybe my father and Elaine being a target. Why wouldn’t someone try to hurt them or abduct them for ransom?
It was Drake’s money they would be after, and they could use anyone in the family as bait. I’d have to call Kyle and ask if we could put a permanent detail on my family.
It would be costly, but if I was married to Drake, anyone in my family could be a potential target. I knew Drake wouldn’t mind, once I told him about what happened.
That night, I went to sleep and for the first time in a few days, I felt safe, knowing there was someone outside watching.
The next morning, I woke to the sound of Sophie speaking with Elaine in the kitchen. The beach house was large, but the main living room and kitchen was below the bedrooms and the sound of them speaking, with Sophie’s high squeaky voice filled with enthusiasm, I couldn’t help but hear it even at the top of the stairs. I smiled to myself and got up and had a quick shower so I could start the day. When I got downstairs, they were playing in the sand at the base of the property, and so I sat on the deck with my father, who was busy reading the morning newspaper.
“I want to get permanent security for you and Elaine,” I said, sipping my first cup of coffee.
“Security?” He frowned. “What brought that on?”
I told him about the strange man I thought I’d seen, and we discussed the matter for a while.
“I don’t want Drake paying for security,” he said, his voice sounding tired.
“It’s only because you’d be a target because of Drake so it’s only fair that Drake would pay.”
I could tell my father didn’t like the idea of someone paying for him for anything. He was so used to being independent.
“I can afford it,” he said with a shrug.
“It’s not that you can or can’t afford it,” I said, insistent. “It’s that it would only be because of Drake. It’s only fair that he pays for it.”
He said nothing, but I could tell he didn’t like the idea. I reached over and squeezed his hand affectionately.
“Let me talk to Drake and see what he thinks. Maybe I’m overreacting, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least entertain the idea. We can speak with Kyle and if he thinks there’s a reason to have permanent security, you should just agree. It would make me feel a lot better…”
He glanced at me, and I made a sad face.
“Oh, all right,” he finally said, giving me a reluctant smile. “I’ll speak with this Kyle fellow and see what he says. But remember, he’s likely going to recommend that I get a security detail because it’s his bread and butter.”
“Then talk to Drake,” I added.
My father didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he sighed. “If Drake thinks I should have security, I’ll agree. But I want to share the cost.”
I shook my head and smiled. “You are so stubborn…”
He laughed. “Must be where you got it from, right?”
I nodded and turned to look out at the beach where Sophie and Elaine were sitting, digging in the sand.
I had a couple of days before we left New York for Nairobi.
I was going to do my best to enjoy them. I’d call Drake later and speak with him about Kyle and my concerns and get my father to talk with him as well. Maybe then, with Drake’s advice, my father would feel better about the security detail.
I would tell Drake about Page One at that point, so that he wasn’t blindsided about it in case he ever read the news. Not that I thought he would, but I wanted to be open and honest with Drake about everything.
I sighed and sipped my coffee, determined to put all the drama behind me so I could enjoy the rest of my stay without stress.