22. MOVES
brYCE
Dale texted me during the meeting.
I need to talk to you. Important.
“Excuse me.” I stood up from the table. Regina Hernandez gaped at me—she’d been mid-sentence. “I have to take this call. I’ll be right back.”
I headed outside, knowing that the board members would be worried. What was the emergency? Was it my father? My wife? When everything was in crisis, everything seemed like a crisis.
But my assistant never interrupted me. So even I was worried as I called him. “Dale? What’s the matter?”
He sighed. “I don’t want to speak out of turn, but your wife’s worrying me.”
“What do you mean?” My stomach churned.
“She called me a few minutes ago—she’s worried about Noah.”
“Okay…”
“She said she doesn’t want him out of my sight. Is something going on? She even called Hazel.”
“What?” My wife wasn’t fond of the maid who’d been with me since I was a boy. And when I say she wasn’t fond, I meant that she’d always seemed petrified of her. “Start talking, or I’m coming up there.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong,” Dale continued, “just that she said she doesn’t want him alone with anyone. She said something about her father, that maybe he was trying to get custody back? And that she’s worried your father might help him—”
“The hell? What is she talking about?” I raked a hand through my hair.
Just then, Chloe texted that she was heading over for the impromptu photo shoot Olivia Jensen had organized.
“She’s on her way now. Listen, I don’t know what’s happening, but you absolutely have to watch Noah.
Tell Hazel to stay with him. I’ll call security and let them know we may have an issue. ”
I hung up and called Ted, my head guy. “Have you heard anything about a possible threat?”
“No, Mr. Windsor,” he said. “There’s been nothing unusual, except…”
“I’m listening. And remember, now that my father’s gone, I’m in charge of everyone. And everything, including your paycheck.”
Ted cleared his throat. “Mrs. Windsor—Mrs. Daphne Windsor—called earlier, she wanted to know who was on duty tonight.”
“Who is on duty, Ted?”
“Patrick, Mike, and Leo. Is something wrong, Sir? I can’t recall a time that Mrs. Windsor’s made an inquiry like that.”
“Nothing’s wrong—thanks for your help.” I didn’t want to say too much, not yet.
I hung up and immediately texted Dale, telling him the names of the guards on duty. I asked him to find them in person, confiscate their phones, and let them know they were needed in an urgent meeting in half an hour.
Regina Hernandez flew out of the conference room. “Bryce, are you coming back?”
“Absolutely. But we need to take a break for dinner, don’t you think? I’ll send my assistant in to take everyone’s orders. Do you want to order from the kitchen at The Four Seasons?” Regina loved The Four Seasons; she always stayed there for board business when she came into town.
“Sure.” But she frowned as she eyed me. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes—I just have to meet my wife downstairs for a quick PR thing. Olivia hired a photographer. She thinks having a picture of us in front of the building would look good.”
“Sounds like a great idea, Bryce. Much better than a picture of your wife getting into a fistfight. See you soon.” She turned on her heel and was gone.
I was getting pretty sick of Regina Hernandez. If I got voted in as full CEO, she might find herself out on the sidewalk instead of in a cushy suite at The Four Seasons and in need of a new board gig…
We’re parked out front, Chloe texted. I gave my assistant instructions for dinner—the team had been here since the sun came up, and I needed to keep them happy—then hustled to the elevator.
What was going on with my wife? I remembered her tears from that morning, the odd vibe I’d gotten from her after we’d made love.
And now she’d called Dale and Hazel and told them she was worried about Noah.
Something was definitely up. I could live with that, but it was a punch to the gut that she hadn’t come to me first.
Was she planning on running again?
Over my dead body…
Chloe waited for me out on the sidewalk. She looked lovely in a strapless dress, her long, thick hair spilling over her shoulders. But something was off about her face—she looked different. She smiled for the camera, but the smile didn’t go all the way to her eyes.
The photographer was instructing her to pose under the Windsor Enterprises sign. Chloe did as she was told, but she looked like a robot going through the motions.
Something was definitely wrong. But what the hell was it?
My heart started thudding as I went to her side. “You look pretty,” I said, trying to maintain control over my emotions.
She sighed as she relaxed against me. “Thank you. You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“You missed me, huh?” Heart still banging in my chest, I pulled her against me and smiled for the stupid photographer.
“Of course I did.”
“You could’ve called.” I couldn’t help it: my tone turned accusatory.
Chloe glanced at me, eyes open wide, then looked away.
“Or is there some reason you didn’t?” I plastered another fake smile onto my face as the photographer ushered us next to the building so he could get a different angle.
“I knew you were busy.” Her tone sounded neutral and carefully controlled.
She was hiding something from me.
My palms started to sweat.
“I’m never too busy for you, Chloe.” As the cameraman adjusted his equipment, I dropped the fake smile from my face. “I’d like to know what’s going on with you.”
“One more shot over by the entrance,” the photographer called.
“I have to get back to my meeting,” I snapped. I was out of patience after only five minutes. “Do you have something you can use?”
“Sure, Mr. Windsor. Thank you for your time.”
I didn’t bother to return the niceties as he headed for his van. I turned to my wife. A sick feeling swept through me, from my gut to my heart. “What’s happening?”
She shook her head, still pretending. “What do you mean?”
“I think you know exactly what I mean.” The sick feeling persisted; I wanted her to talk first. Would she reveal anything? Why was she worried about Noah? What was she planning?
My head thudded. And my heart…
I thought about the last time she’d left, how she’d blindsided me.
I couldn’t go through that again—the surprise of it, the shock, how bad it hurt.
“Are you leaving me again?” The question tumbled out before I could control myself. I had to know.
Chloe took a step back. “What? No! Of course not. Bryce—”
“Let’s go.” I took her by the arm and headed for the SUV.
“Don’t you have to get back to your meeting?”
“They can wait.” I didn’t look at her as I maneuvered her into the back seat. “Take us home, please.”
I whipped out my phone and texted my assistant.
Tell them I had to deal with a staffing issue at home and that I’ll be back.
And make sure they have plenty to eat! Send in some wine and some bourbon, I added as an afterthought.
We would need to keep working for a few more hours.
If they could relax a little, it would help.
Maybe they’d drink so much they wouldn’t notice I was gone.
Regina Hernandez wasn’t going to be happy, but heading off another potential disaster with my wife would be better than more drama.
The driver slipped into the light traffic, taking a right onto Federal Street and heading back through the city toward Beacon Hill.
“Dale called me earlier,” I said.
“Oh?” Chloe didn’t look at me. She seemed transfixed by the city lights flying by. “What’s going on with him?”
My stomach flipped. You’re lying, Chloe. “Why don’t you tell me, huh?”
She sighed. “Why did you bring it up?”
“No reason.” She wasn’t offering anything, so I had to show her my cards. “But then I called the head of security and had a chat with him.”
Chloe froze.
“He mentioned something about Daphne.”
She whipped her head at me. “What? What about her?”
I shrugged.
“Bryce, tell me!” Her voice rose. “Tell me now!”
“Not until you tell me what you’re afraid of.”
“Please.” She grabbed my hands. Her eyes were suddenly bright with unshed tears. “What did he say about Daphne?”
“She called security tonight.”
“Fuck! Oh my god.” Chloe whipped out her phone. Hands shaking, she scrolled through her contacts.
“Can you close the privacy screen, please?” she asked the driver.
She found Daphne’s number, and as she was about to click it, she turned to me. “You are about to hear some shit. This could be the beginning of something bad. You need to know that.”
“You’re going to have to explain yourself—”
“I will, but you’ll have to hold on.” She didn’t wait for me to answer, she just made the call.
I sat back, stymied, as I watched her.
“Daphne? I need to talk to you. Get your maid’s phone and call me right back.” She hung up, clutching her phone, waiting for it to ring. “Okay, I need you to go into one of the guest bathrooms and lock the door. Make sure no one follows you.”
What the hell was going on? And who was this woman beside me? I’d never heard Chloe so commanding—or paranoid—in my life.
I could hear Daphne squawking on the other end of the line, probably complaining about using a maid’s phone and being so thoroughly bossed around.
“Daphne, listen to me,” Chloe interrupted. “I need to know something.”
She hesitated for a moment. Her gaze skittered to me and away again. “How much is Gene paying you?”
Her brow furrowed as she listened. “Don’t play dumb—I know you called security tonight.”
Daphne squawked some more. Chloe took a deep breath and switched the phone to her opposite ear.
She grabbed my hand as she said, “We can do better than that. We can do much better than that. But I’m going to need you to switch teams.”