Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LUCIEN
“Have a seat.” The following morning, I watch Ted Winwood come into my study, where I’ve been since the crack of dawn, and get settled in one of the chairs in front of my desk. Much as I’d love to be upstairs snuggled up with the drowsy and delicious Ms. Scott, who’s right where she belongs, naked in my bed after we wore each other out last night, I’ve got business to take care of. Sadly, there’s far too much going on for me to take things easy today, starting with beefing up security around the estate, which I’ve already taken care of, but I’m glad she’s getting a little more sleep. “Bring me up to speed.”
“Nothing new to report since my phone call, sir.”
Everything about Winwood’s bearing, from his squared shoulders and rigid posture down to his razor-sharp creases and pristine shoes, screams that he’s former military. Which is one of the reasons I hired him several years ago. I’ve always insisted on recruiting the best and the brightest for my staff, and I pay them accordingly. Rarely have I been as happy about it as I am right now, with Ravenna out there in the wild doing God knows what. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation, and I need all the hands I can get for protection. Not for me. I can take care of myself. For Tamsyn. I didn’t like the way Ravenna looked at her last night. I didn’t like it at all. I plan to do everything I can to keep Tamsyn safe. And with my resources, I can do a lot. So I plan to protect her or die trying.
“Like I told you on the phone, I got her settled in a suite at the Chatham Inn,” Winwood continues.
“Humor me. Run through the whole story again.”
“You got it, sir. I left here to trail Mrs. Winter last night at oh-three-ten?—”
I wave my hand to move him along. “Skip the military time. Just tell me what happened.”
“I followed Mrs. Winter into town, where she turned into the inn. I met up with her in the parking lot behind the building. She seemed surprised to see me. Maybe a little relieved, because it dawned on her that she couldn’t try to check in while attired only in her robe.”
“Her demeanor?”
He thinks it over and shrugs. “Calm.”
I nod, rub my hand over my chin and stare absently at one of my antique chess sets on the far bookshelf as I consider this for a minute. I can’t say I’m surprised. Ravenna’s moods change like the crowds in Times Square. You never know what you’re going to get from second to second. She rages, yeah, but her calm periods concern me more. That’s what you need to worry about. That’s when she’s planning shit.
“Go on,” I prompt him.
“I offered to get a room for her while she waited outside. She agreed. So that’s what I did. I spoke to the manager. When I mentioned your name, he was happy to play deaf and dumb and sneak her in through the back entrance.”
“He should be,” I say grimly. “We’ve thrown more than enough business their way over the years. Every time we have an event at Ackerley, we book the inn for overflow guests. I assume you gave him a slight monetary contribution for his discretion?”
“Hush money, you mean?” A crisp nod from Winwood. “Of course, sir.”
“Did anyone else see you?”
“No, sir. Not given the late hour.”
“Well, thank God for small favors,” I mutter.
“Indeed.”
“Anything else?”
“I got Mrs. Winter upstairs. Gave her the overnight bag. Asked if she needed anything else. She replied in the negative. I took my leave. Came back here.”
Every Mrs. Winter hits my ears like nails across a chalkboard, but I know from long experience that trying to get Winwood to drop the formalities is pointless. He handles every conversation as though it’s an audition to become a four-star general. “Good man. Anything else?”
There’s a thoughtful pause before he shakes his head. “No, sir.”
I stand. He stands. I reach across the desk and shake his hand just as I notice Daniel’s arrival in my doorway.
“I appreciate your loyalty and discretion,” I tell Winwood. “I won’t forget it.” Translation: I plan to give him a fat year-end bonus.
“I appreciate that, sir.” With that, Winwood pivots as though he’s the flag bearer in a Fourth of July parade and starts to head out. Whereupon he sees Daniel and grimaces. That’s Winwood for you. He’s always got a vague haughtiness about him, as though he’s inspected you and determined that your haircut isn’t fresh or your shoes shiny enough to pass muster. No one escapes this treatment, including my second-in-command, the man who’s in charge of overseeing everything here at Ackerley.
“Daniel,” Winwood says with his usual crispness as he departs without breaking stride.
“Ted,” Daniel says, scowling after him. Then he turns to me as he sinks into the chair next to the one Winwood just vacated. “You wanted to see me?”
“I did,” I say, opening my top drawer.
“One second.” Daniel clears his throat, a sure sign that he’s about to bring up some uncomfortable subject I’d rather not be bothered with. “I want to mention something. About Winwood.”
I pause what I’m doing and look up. “What about him?”
“I’m not sure he has the know-how and discretion needed to be helpful with your current situation.” A diplomatic pause. “He’s very young. We may need someone with more experience now that things have escalated a bit.”
I frown. What did I tell you? “I don’t care how old he is. He’s been with us for years. He’s got a military background plus the training he’s received from the senior members of the security team here. I trust him to stand at his post and make sure no bad people get through. Especially Ravenna. I also trust him to handle the occasional extra task or field trip for me. Unless you know something about him that I don’t know…?”
“Not at all,” Daniel says, his expression clearing. He’s been around more than long enough to know which battles to pick with me and when to keep it moving. “I’ll keep an eye on him. Make sure nothing falls through the cracks.”
“Good.” I return to the drawer and pull out an envelope full of cash, a credit card and a phone, all of which I slide across the desk to Daniel. I also hand him Ravenna’s purse from before she disappeared, which I grabbed from the basement safe. “I need you to run these over to Ravenna at the inn.”
He blinks. Hesitates. “Of course.”
He looks less than thrilled, so I force myself to slow down and focus on staff relations for a minute. “Look. I know it’s not in your job description. If we were in the city, I’d send my personal assistant to do it. I don’t want to go myself and escalate the situation right now. I need Winwood on security. So that leaves you as the only other person I trust at Ackerley with these personal matters.”
He seems touched as he nods. Maybe he’s thinking about his father, who ran the estate for my father back in the day. Or maybe he’s thinking about the way he, Roman and I grew up together, roaming the grounds like the hooligans we were and getting into all manner of mischief and trouble. Matter of fact, there was one memorable occasion when the three of us played hide-and-seek in the greenhouse, and during my mad scramble to discover Roman’s hiding place, I knocked over a whole table of my mother’s prized orchids. Let’s just say that chaos ensued. Daniel wound up taking the fall for me because he knew that while Mom would level the wrath of God on my head, she’d let him slide.
The memory makes me smile inwardly. I’ve never forgotten our many adventures. Nor will I ever forget his loyalty.
“Understood,” Daniel says.
“Good.”
I run through my mental checklist again, determined to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I plan to divorce Ravenna, yeah, but I also plan to give her some resources in the hopes of minimizing her anger and vindictiveness toward me. Maybe it’s a pipe dream, but money is nothing to me, and I’m happy to throw a little her way if it will help deescalate the situation. Plus, I need to be able to live with my conscience on the outside chance that there really is a benign explanation for her disappearance and reappearance. God forbid I throw her out without a penny, only to later discover that she was, I don’t know, trapped in a sex-trafficking ring and trying to escape this whole time. I don’t imagine that’s the sort of thing a divorce court would smile upon.
“Winwood gave her the overnight bag with some clothes and toiletries from her hospital stay last night, so she’s covered there,” I continue. “The cash and the credit card will be enough to get her going with the inn and meals. And she can grab more clothes at any of the boutiques in town if she needs them. I’m thinking she’ll stay at the inn for a few days while she figures out where she wants to live. She’ll need me to sign off on any longer-term housing arrangements. And the lawyers will hash that out as part of the divorce. I can’t think of anything else for now. We’re all set.”
“She took the Jag last night?”
I snap my fingers. “Good thinking. I assume her license is still good. It should’ve been in the wallet in her purse. If she wants some other car, I can get her a new one. Up to her.”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks.” I stand and lean across the desk to shake his hand. “Appreciate you.”
“All in a day’s work,” he says, also standing and gathering the items for Ravenna.
“What’s all this?” says a new voice from the doorway, startling us. I glance over to discover my brother Roman walking in with his usual banked mischief. “I didn’t miss anything, did I? Another quiet week at Ackerley?”