Payson stood too. “It was my pleasure, Harry. I’d like to do this again. Want to set a date for next week?” He broke out in laughter at the look on Harriet’s face.
“Not a date-date, my dear. Trust me, I know that I’m far too old for you, although if I was a younger man I would certainly try to woo you, Harry. No, I just meant pick a day and we’ll plan on a lunch date.”
The tension visibly drained from Harriet’s body even though the compliment made her blush. She liked the old-fashioned term ‘woo’. Did men actually still woo women? It was a lovely concept.
“I’d like that, Payson. How about Thursday? You can always call me to cancel if something comes up.”
“Thursday it is. When will you head to the mainland to shop?”
“I’m thinking day after tomorrow if I have the credits. I want to get the first ad campaign nailed down tomorrow and I need to check the air shuttle schedule so I can get to the mainland and back.”
“The credits will be there,” Payson assured her. “Thank you for the lovely company my dear, and please try to steer clear of any more trouble.”
Harriet gave a half laugh. “I’ll do my best.” She hesitated a moment before deciding to ask Payson if he knew how upset Mr. Wade was over the trouble she’d brought to the new resort.
Payson laughed. “Doug’s not at all bothered, my dear. He’s dealt with much more annoying bullshit, I assure. Don’t worry your pretty head about your job.”
Harriet thanked him and headed back to her office.
She found Lana arguing with Jeeves when she entered the lobby. Jeeves stood in front of the hall door refusing admittance while Lana railed at him, obviously steaming mad.
When she saw Harriet the kitchen manager rushed over to her and placed a hand on Harriet’s arm. Deep purple seemed to be the color theme of the day, from Lana’s purple curls and eyes to her long purple fingernails and shiny platform shoes.
“Harry, I’m so glad I caught you,” Lana gushed through purple lips. “It’s just terrible. I rushed right over as soon as I had the chance, but this clown wouldn’t let me in to your office. You must be so upset.”
Harriet looked down into Lana’s face and saw the glee mixed with malice in the woman’s eyes. She pried Lana’s hand off her arm and let it drop.
“I’m fine, Lana,” she said coolly. “Thank you for your concern. I have a lot of work today and asked Jeeves not to let anyone in.” She headed for the hall door where Jeeves still stood guard.
“Thank you, Jeeves. I’m heading back to my office. Please continue to see that no one disturbs me.”
“Very good, Miss Monroe.” Jeeves winked at her as he let her through the hall door. She heard him re-engage the door lock and smiled. Lana might be Alex’s confidant but she was certainly no friend to Harriet. She could see that clearly now.
Harriet had never been very adept at playing the games other people played with one another. She preferred relationships to be straightforward. If she liked a person it showed. If she didn’t care for someone, she didn’t pretend otherwise.
And she definitely didn’t care for the likes of Lana Tso.
Chapter Twenty-One
Harriet spent the night at Solly’s and arrived at the resort’s air shuttle pad with time to spare.
Mr. Wade had made good on his offer to replace her damaged belongings. A surprising amount of credits had appeared in her account soon after her lunch with Payson. Harriet figured she could easily replace her wardrobe and even buy a few extra pieces to replace what she had left behind in Portland–and still not spend half the amount posted to her account.
She would return the remainder to Mr. Wade with a thank you note as soon as she returned to the resort, she decided. And then she’d move back into her own cottage.
Solly would let her live with him as long as she needed or wanted, but she couldn’t hide from whoever was stalking her forever. The longer she hid the more her fear would take control. Feeling fearful all the time was no way to go through life.
Whoever destroyed her things was definitely a stalker–a different type of stalker from the way Bradley had stalked her–but still a stalker.
The fact that she hadn’t realized that Bradley had stalked her until recent events had made it painfully clear made her feel stupid. How could she not have known that her ex had gone to great–and even illegal–lengths to keep tabs on her?
Don’t go there.
She entered the shuttle pad waiting area, an open-to-the-air room with no walls, a woven palm frond roof, small round bamboo tables, cushioned seating, and a refreshment bar for travelers waiting for the shuttle.
Several people sat with drinks in front of them, furiously working their links or personal pcs. Business people, Harriet decided, noting the pressed suits. Probably called back to their offices after only two days of vacation to handle some pseudo-crisis, poor sods.
She wondered how many spouses or lovers had been left back in their rooms or cottages, disappointed or even angry at the interruption of their holiday.
She ordered a pineapple smoothie from the refreshment bar and found a comfortable seat away from the others. Pulling out the list of shops Cassie had provided her, she ordered them in her mind to make the most efficient use of her visit to the mainland.
Shopping was not something Harriet particularly enjoyed. She wished Solly had been free to join her–he loved to shop for clothes and would have breezed through the chore, but she hadn’t asked him because he was swamped with work now that the guests had arrived.
She sighed and told herself to buck up. Most women would be ecstatic over a shopping trip on someone else’s credits.
Resigned to the task ahead of her, Harriet blanked her mind and drank her cold smoothie, savoring the tart and sweet pineapple flavor while she idly watched the activity on the shuttle pad. The sleek blue and white air shuttles gleamed in the sun against the dark gray pad. Droid mechanics with blank faces were doing a visual inspection on two of the shuttles. A third shuttle sat under a canopy off to the side.
As she watched, a large man came out of the maintenance building and took the place of the droid inspecting the smaller shuttle. After inspecting the shuttle carefully the man went back inside.
What was that all about?
“Shuttle Resort Three is ready for loading.” A trim, female droid stepped into the waiting area with a small screen in her hand. “My name is Allison and I’ll be seating you. I need Mr. Burrows, Mr. Geelhood, and Miss Jacobs to follow me. Please have your identification tag ready. I’ll return for the rest of you in a few minutes,” she added in a clipped British accent.
The three people called followed the droid and disappeared inside the shuttle. She returned twice more, always taking three at a time, until nine people had been seated and the waiting area was empty but for Harriet.
Harriet slipped Cassie’s shop list into her rucksack and carried her empty smoothie pouch to the recycler. She stepped to the edge of the waiting area, ready for Allison’s return, but saw no sign of the seating droid.
“Where’d she go?” Harriet did a slow turn but saw only the male droid working the refreshment bar. She took a step toward the shuttle just as it lifted into the air.
“Wait! I’m supposed to be on that shuttle!” she cried, but it only rose higher and then zipped out of sight.
Harriet’s shoulders slumped. “Great. Freaking bloody great.”
No point in whining about it, but oh, how she wanted to! She’d just have to take the next shuttle and shop faster in order to make the last daily shuttle back to the island.
“Miss Monroe?” A short, dark man in a military-style resort-blue uniform approached her. When he got close enough Harriet saw that he wore a pair of silver wings pinned to his uniform lapel. A pilot?
“I’m Harriet Monroe.”
The man held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Captain Rodman. If you’ll follow me I’ll take you to the mainland.”
Harriet shook the
offered hand. “I don’t understand,” she said, hurrying after Captain Rodman. “Did they mess up my booking?” The Captain moved fast despite his much shorter legs and she had to work to keep up with him.
“No, miss. Mr. Wade requested his personal shuttle for you. Watch your step, please.”
They had reached the bottom of the smaller shuttle’s stairs. Harriet looked up. This was the second shuttle she had watched the man inspect when he replaced the droid mechanic.
Understanding dawned.
“Mr. Wade thinks–” she stopped, her throat closed with fear. She coughed and tried again. “Mr. Wade is worried someone would try to harm me on the shuttle?”
Captain Rodman smiled, his teeth white against his dark face. “I don’t know about that, Miss Monroe. I’m only following orders. Your companion is waiting inside for you. If you’ll just get in and fasten your seat belt I’ll get you to the mainland in no time. This baby flies faster than your typical commercial shuttle.”
Companion? Had Payson decided to join her? Delighted with the idea, Harriet stepped onto the stairs.
The pilot took her elbow to help her up the steps and Harriet found herself propelled into the main cabin before she could ask more questions.
Harriet stopped at the door, causing Captain Rodman to nearly walk into her.
Sorry,” she muttered, embarrassed.
Mr. Wade’s private shuttle was all jaw-dropping opulence. Unlike the commercial shuttles that packed riders in elbow to elbow in hard plastic seats, the private shuttle held only a dozen deep-cushioned reclining seats, each with a small table set beside it.
She stepped further inside the cabin and sank into thick blue carpet. The walls and ceiling were padded white leather. She could see a large bed through an open door in the rear of the cabin.
The captain passed her off to the human flight attendant and went forward to the cockpit.
Harriet looked around the cabin but didn’t see anyone else. Had Captain Rodman been referring to the flight attendant when he said “companion”? She gave the attendant a quick study–compact and pretty and as dark as the captain. Were they a husband and wife team?
“Welcome aboard Wade One,” the attendant said with a wide smile. “Please choose any seat you wish, Miss Monroe. My name is Amaryllis and I’ll be serving you today. Can I get you a drink while we wait to take off?”
Harriet felt absurdly pampered. First the credits. Now one of Mr. Wade’s personal shuttles? She smiled back at Amaryllis. “I’m all set, thank you. I think I’ll sit by the window over there.” She moved to her chosen seat and settled in.
“If you need to contact anyone you’ll find a link in the seat arm.” Amaryllis leaned over to show Harriet how to slide the arm open to reveal not only a link but a miniature comm unit and pc.
“Wow. Thanks, but there’s no one I need to call.” She closed the arm and fastened her seatbelt. What a treat. She had never been in such an opulent, comfortable shuttle in her life. Mr. Wade really knew how to travel in comfort and style.
Other than the resort shuttle from the mainland to the island–which had been comfortable but paled in comparison to Wade One–Harriet had only ridden the air shuttles commonly known as cattle cars when she left Portland to take the resort’s PR job.
She took a deep breath and noticed the fresh bouquets of flowers set in vases attached to the cabin walls and wondered if Solly had provided them.
Of course he had. Where else could they have come from? She bet Solly installed the bouquets personally so he could check out the Wade One.
“Pretty nice, huh?”
A large male body dropped into the seat next to Harriet’s. She looked, first in disbelief, then in anger.
“What are you doing here?” she asked between gritted teeth.
“My job. I told you I didn’t want you to be alone until I catch whoever killed your boyfriend and destroyed your things.”
Harriet’s scowl seemed to have no effect on the security manager. Alex fastened his seatbelt, stretched his long legs out in front of him, and settled back into his seat.
He smelled good. Like fresh air and musky male. He looked good, too, his blue chambray shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing tanned, muscular forearms. The shirt color intensified his blue eyes.
Harriet folded her arms across her chest and tried glaring at her unwanted companion. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’m not letting you travel around the mainland alone, so get used to the idea.” Alex reclined his seat and closed his eyes. His thick, black lashes looked like smudges of soot on his sharp cheekbones.
Harriet felt an irresistible urge to hurt him in some way. She wanted to pull his thick long hair, bite his sensuous bottom lip–no! She almost groaned out loud but caught herself in time.
Bite his lip? She felt her face flame as she turned away to stare out the window.
She didn’t see Alex slit his eyes open to watch her. Nor did she catch the slight smile on his face. He was feeling pretty smug. Arranging permission to leave the resort and keep an eye on Harriet had been easy. Wade wanted her protected.
He knew she would have cancelled her shopping trip if she had known he was to accompany her so he’d snuck on board the shuttle while the Resort Three was loading. He had no doubts that he’d taken her by surprise.
He did have doubts about how she felt about him and he found that irritating. Alex knew he was no beauty, but he had never had a problem attracting women. He tended to have the opposite problem–how to make them leave him alone.
Harriet was another story. There was something about her that tugged on him. He inspected the sharp blade of her cheekbone and the set of her firm jaw as she stared out the shuttle window, the honey-colored hair with so many shades of blonde it dazzled the eye. The small bump that gave her nose character.
How did she get that bump? he wondered. He bet there was a story behind it. He knew if she turned to look at him that her silver-blue eyes would be filled with intelligence and whatever emotion she was feeling.
Harriet was terrible at hiding her feelings. There was a kind of innocent honesty about her in spite of having lived on the streets at a young age. Despite what she must have seen and experienced she still seemed to possess a belief in the innate goodness of man.
He knew he’d pissed her off with the underhanded way he’d wormed his way into her shopping trip.
He also felt fairly certain that he’d seen lust flash in her eyes before she turned away. That cheered him immensely.
Yes, Harriet Monroe was different from other women and he fully intended to get to know her better.
But first he had a murderer to find and put away.
After they shopped for clothes. Alex grinned to himself. He was going to enjoy this.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Harriet kept her eyes focused on the view below during the entire flight, uncomfortably aware of the large man seated next to her while trying to ignore him–an impossible task. Alex’s presence seemed to envelop her in a cloud of essence of strong male. The fact that she was secretly grateful for his company only added to her irritation.
The Wade One landed forty minutes after taking off from the island on a private air pad on the outskirts of Miami.
They were quickly whisked through security and deposited in the traveler’s long term parking lot. It was only then that Harriet realized she had no transport. For the guests’ convenience, the resort shuttles used the central Miami air port with its surrounding modern public transport system. She had planned to take an airbus from there into downtown Miami and shop only the stores she could easily walk to.
The hot sun beat down on them, reflected and magnified by the quiet paved lot. The light cotton shirt that Harriet had borrowed from Solly the day before and had worn again that morning was already sticking to her back. She felt a desperate need to power through this shopping trip and get back to the island as quickly as possible.
Harriet reluctantly turned to
Alex. “I was expecting to land at the Miami Air and Sea Port and take an airbus from there,” she said stiffly. “I don’t have a ride here.”
“Not a problem.” Alex grabbed her hand. “Mr. Wade arranged for a vehicle for our use today.” He scanned the lot. “I see it over there.” His heart did a happy dance when he saw the sleek sports car in the familiar resort blue.
He led Harriet to the car, ignoring her attempts to pull her hand free. “Here we are,” he said, smiling. He disengaged the locks and security and opened the passenger door for her.
Harriet looked at the sporty two-seater and tried not to show her excitement. The car was a honey, a sleek road rocket that she imagined handled like a dream. Too bad she had never been licensed to drive.
When other teens were getting their learner’s permits she was struggling to pay for food and find a place to safely sleep. By the time she finally made enough money to consider owning a car she hadn’t needed one. Portland was a small city and she could walk or bus anywhere she needed to go. Buying a car and paying for a parking slot made no economic sense.
She slid into the tan leather seats and wiggled her bottom. The seat fit her like a glove. Since he couldn’t see her, she took a moment to ogle Alex as he rounded the front of the car. The man was built and gorgeous. Ignoring him on the flight had taken a great deal of effort. She had forced herself to stare out the window so he wouldn’t see the lust she felt sure showed on her face.
He slid into the seat beside her and moaned. “Oh, baby. This is going to be fun. Where to first, my lady?”
Harriet took the list of shops from her bag and chose one at random. Now that she wasn’t walking she could take them in any order.
Alex started the car. The engine purred. “Navigation program,” he commanded.
“Navigation engaged. Please state your destination.” The car responded in a husky female, somewhat British voice, similar to the resort’s drones.
“Mr. Wade sure likes his British accents, doesn’t he?” Harriet murmured.
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