by Ciana Stone
"I know she isn't interested in what I have. Naomie has plenty. But maybe I am still hesitant because of the age difference."
DeLyn stood, put both hands on the table and leaned over to look him square in the eye. "Well, here's what I think. I think it's damn time you decide what you want and let her know so she can get on with life, whatever that getting on involves. But get off the damn fence, boy. Your daddy and I didn't raise cowards, so stop acting one. And finally, you hear me on this, Russ. If you hurt that girl, you're going to answer to me. You get it?"
"Yes, ma'am," Russ might be a man past the half-century mark, but he knew when to give his mother her due. He also knew that despite the rancor her words raised in him, she was right.
Step up or step back, boy, his father's voice rang in his mind, and this time, Russell didn't just listen, he agreed. It was time. The question now was did he wait for her to come back or did he go after her?
Chapter Sixteen
"I don't mind telling you it was the longest ten days of my life," Kal said and smiled at Cici. "I'm sure I just about drove you crazy."
"I think we're about even on that score," Cici looked around the table. Her family was assembled, along with Bailey and Harley, who were quickly becoming part of the family. All they lacked to be complete was Delaney who claimed she couldn't get away, and Naomie, who'd been gone for ten days.
"And in case we haven't said it enough, thank you, Harley," Kal raised his glass toward her. "Without you, the charges might not have been dropped."
"I didn't do anything but present the facts, based on the evidence," Harley said. "But I'm sure glad it ended up in your favor."
"Amen to that," Mace spoke up. "Here's to Harley's help and the court's decision. Now you and Cici can move forward with your wedding plans."
Everyone toasted except Cici, who held up a water glass. "Is everything okay?" Kal asked. "I thought you'd want to celebrate. Are you okay? You haven't had anything to drink in a while. You're not sick or–"
"No," she interrupted. "But I think we need to make the wedding sooner rather than later. If I'm going to fit into the dress I picked out."
"Huh?" Kal wasn't the only one confused.
Cici smiled at him. "I'm pregnant."
"You're – oh my god, we're having a baby?" He grinned, pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap to hug her. "We're having a baby!"
Cici laughed and hugged him in return. "Yes, we are. About a month after Josie's baby is due."
"Another baby," DeLyn said and clapped her hands together. "Oh my goodness, this is so exciting. And how about we have your wedding here? We could do it on the lawn out among the flowering trees. If you plan it for May, the landscape will be glorious."
"Could you pull it off that quickly?" Kal looked at Cici.
"Are you kidding? Absolutely. But do you want to have it here?"
"Yes. This is your family home, and our child has roots here. It'd be perfect to start things here, don't you think?"
"I do. Thank you." She looked at Russell. "If it's okay with you."
"It's more than okay," he replied.
"Then let's get to work planning a wedding," DeLyn said.
"And on that note, I think it's time to leave the room to the ladies," Russell commented.
"I'm with you," Mace said.
"Same here," Nash agreed.
"Can I go play on the Xbox?" Rusty asked.
"Sure, why not?" Russell answered then looked at Nash who nodded.
"Cool!" Rusty took off.
"Can I go with the guys?" Kal asked.
"That depends on whether you're going to let me make all the decisions," Cici replied.
"Absolutely. Whatever you want is fine with me."
"Oh, you say that now," Cici teased.
Kal laughed and kissed her, then followed the rest of the men out to the back patio.
"I wish Naomie was here," Cici said as she watched them go, then looked at DeLyn. "Has he talked to her?"
"No. Have you?"
"Yes, she said she's not surprised one bit. She knew Harley would prove Kal's innocence."
"Did she say when she's coming back?" Bailey asked.
"No. She said soon. To be honest, I get the feeling something's wrong, but when I ask she says she's just using up some accumulated vacation time and chilling."
"But you don't believe it?" DeLyn asked.
Bailey looked at Harley. "You know her as well as I. What do you think?"
"I think if she wanted to tell us she would have and we all just need to respect her privacy. Naomie spends a hell of a lot of her energy and time looking out for all the people here on Heritage. Heck, it's why I'm here. She gives all of you more consideration than she does herself and that's not a criticism, just an observation.
"Still, there are times we all need to step back and regain our balance and our strength and maybe this is one of those times for her."
"Maybe," Cici agreed. "And you're right about her. I just miss her."
"I think all of us do," DeLyn agreed. "But back to this wedding. Now, what did you have in mind?
*****
"Have you heard anything from Dr. Randolph, the geologist?" Kal asked as he took a seat across from Russell.
"I have. He called and said his reports would be ready by Friday and he'll messenger over the paper copies and send an email with pdf files for us."
"You think it will be in layman terms or will we need an interpreter?"
"He said it's pretty clear but that if we had questions, we could call."
What Russell didn't say was that Adam was puzzled why he hadn't heard from Naomie. He claimed to have called her several times, but the calls always went straight to voice mail and she hadn't gotten back to him.
As much as he hated admitting it, Russell was starting to feel concerned. It wasn’t like Naomie to blow off work and she'd been gone longer than what she'd said. Add to that the fact that he couldn't get her on the phone and that left him with a growing sense of discomfort.
"Did I tell y'all that Harley is now the owner of the old Jones place to the east?" Nash asked.
"I guess that makes you happy," Mace replied.
"You guessed right bro. And Rusty's over the moon excited."
"He has quite a crush on her, doesn't he?" Kal asked.
"Oh yeah."
"Sort of like his dad," Mace added.
"Guilty as charged," Nash admitted and looked at Dillon. "Hey, change of subject. Have you and Josie seen Delaney lately?"
"No. She's always tied up with that new client."
"Who is this mystery client that's so important?"
"Beats the hell outta me." Dillon looked at Kal. "You and Cici would come closer to knowing. Have you seen Delaney?"
"No. Well, yes, we did see her in passing. A couple of nights ago we went to dinner, and she was there with a man, but no one I recognized and when Cici waved at Delaney, Delaney didn't smile or return the gesture so Cici said we shouldn't interrupt and we didn't."
"Strange," Dillon commented. "It's not like Delaney to blow off family events."
"Maybe this is just a big paying client and the job will boost her rep," Mace offered.
"Maybe," Dillon agreed. "Okay, change of subject again. Mace, I get the feeling things are getting serious with you and Bailey. You thinking of taking it to the next level?"
"I'm thinking that if and when I do, I'll let you know, little brother. You're getting as nosey as a girl. Hey, I heard a rumor that a certain university was courting you for a possible quarterback coaching position. Any truth to that?"
"We've opened a dialogue. This coming season is the last one for the current coach, and I've been approached."
"Pretty big opportunity," Russell commented.
"Yeah, but would it be as rewarding?" Dillon asked. "Where I am now I get to work with the whole team, build a team. As a quarterback coach, well, I'd be limited."
"But paid a lot more, I bet," Nash remarked.
"
Yeah, but money isn't everything. Hell, I've got enough set aside that if I never worked again, I could live just like I do now and not hurt for money, so it's not about that. It's about what makes me happy. I talked to Gramps about this before he died and he said I should follow my heart and I'd never go wrong."
"And what does your heart tell you?" Russell asked.
"That I love what I do, I love Josie and I can't wait to be a father. I don't want to move away where our child has no family. I want him or her to grow up surrounded by family."
"You're a wise man, Dillon." Russell stood. "And I'm proud of you. Now, if you all will excuse me, I need to make some calls."
Once he left, Mace looked around at everyone. "I bet you a ten right now he's trying to get up with Naomie."
"She's not answering his calls," Kal said. "Cici talked with her and Naomie said she wasn't taking calls from anyone but her, Harley or Bailey. But you knew that right?" he looked at Mace.
"Yeah, I knew."
"Does he?" Nash jerked his thumb in the direction Russell went.
"No, and we're not telling him."
"Fine, but why is she avoiding him?"
"Not my business," Kal commented.
"Mine either," Mace agreed.
"Well, I'm not involved," Dillon said, "And since we've got time, how about some backyard driving practice?"
"Grab the golf clubs and your cash, little brother," Mace said and grinned.
"Oh yeah like you can outdrive me?"
"Hell, bro I was gonna bet on Kal."
Everyone laughed, and the tension was broken, but Kal cut a look at the house, wondering if Cici was right and what Russell was really fighting was his feelings for Naomie and his fear that she just might not come back.
*****
Just as Russell pulled his phone from his pocket, it rang. He glanced at the screen and answered. "What's up, brother?"
Richard's voice sounded strained. "According to Mom, Naomie went to Cancun with Amber. Correct?"
"Yes, and?"
"So where the hell are they? We've been calling Amber for four days and can't get an answer. Her voicemail is full so we can't leave any more messages and she's not responding to texts."
"From what you said when you were here for dad's funeral, that isn't uncommon for her."
"It's not. At least when she's on assignment, but she's supposed to be on vacation. Can you get up with Naomie and ask her to have Amber at least check in with her mother?"
"No. As a matter of fact, Naomie isn't answering calls either."
There was a long pause, long enough to concern Russell. "Okay, what aren't you telling me?
"Last year, I was instrumental in having half a dozen Russian oligarchs banned from entering the United States, due to accusations of collusion and other matters of national security. One of them, Aleksei Petrov, managed to have that ban lifted and recently returned to the US and has been buying up property and businesses like a kid in a candy store.
"Several other members of the Senate and I appealed to have Petrov's ban reinstated, and we were rejected. Petrov sent a message to each of us that he'd extract his pound of flesh for the disrespect we showed. Two weeks ago, one of the other Senators lost his wife in quite a freak accident that's being investigated as a possible homicide."
"And you think it's just the first of this Petrov's retaliatory acts?"
"I'm afraid it could be and not being able to reach Amber…"
"I get it. I'll find her. Let me get my pilot to file a flight plan, and I'll leave as soon as possible."
"I hate asking Russ."
"Don’t. We're family. I'll find her."
"And bring her home."
"That might be harder than finding her."
"Well knock her out if you have to, but get her back on home soil."
"I will. Talk to you soon."
Russ ended the call and then called his pilot. "I need to fly to Cancun today. Yeah, call me back when you have a time."
With that done, he headed upstairs to pack a bag. He had no clue how long it would take to find Amber and Naomie but would stay as long as required. There was a way he might be able to find out where to start the search.
He called Cici's number. "Seriously? You're calling me from inside the house?" she answered.
"I need to speak with you in private. I'm upstairs in my room packing."
"For what?"
"Come talk to me." He tossed the phone onto the bed and continued packing. It wasn’t long before she tapped on the door.
"Come in."
"What’s up?" she asked as soon as she entered, then looked at the luggage on the bed. "Where're you going?"
"Do you know where Amber and Naomie are?"
"Cancun."
"This is serious, Cici. Rich is concerned for reasons I can't reveal. He hasn't been able to get up with Amber for days. I told him I'd go to Cancun and find her, make sure she's okay. It would make things immeasurably easier if you'd tell me where they were staying."
"You don't think something's happened to her?"
"I don't know. When's the last time you spoke with Naomie?"
"Wednesday. She said they were still planning on returning on Saturday, but when they didn't, I figured they'd just decided to stay a few more days."
"I need to find them, honey."
"Okay," she gave him the name of the resort hotel.
"Thanks. And keep this under your hat, will you?"
"Can I tell Kal?"
"In confidence. I don't want to make the knowledge public."
"Fine, I'll wait until we're alone. We were planning on spending the night."
"That's good. Gigi won't be alone."
His phone rang and he snatched it up. "Hey, what's the news? Good. Be there in five."
He shoved the phone into his pocket. "I have to go. If anyone asked, I had some business to attend to and will be back in a couple of days."
"I've got you covered."
"Thanks, Little Bit," he gave her a hug. "Gotta go."
Russell hurried from the house, grateful he didn't encounter anyone on the way out. The helicopter was waiting, rotors spinning, when he pulled up near the landing pad. Russell ran to it, climbed in and took a seat beside the pilot. "Sorry for the short notice, Jim."
"No problem, Mr. Walker. I need to keep my flight hours up, anyway. They'll have the plane fueled and on the tarmac when we get there."
"Then let's do it."
Russell was grateful his pilot, Jim, wasn't the type of person who needed chatter because he wasn't in the mood to talk. Richard's fear had crept inside Russell, and he was starting to let the what if's plague him.
He had to stop that. There was every bit as strong a possibility that Amber and Naomie were partying it up in Cancun, blowing off everything and everyone and were fine except for perhaps a hangover, or in Naomie's case, a major buzz.
At least that's what he told himself over and again, all the way to Cancun. When they landed, three and a half hours later. Russell told Jim to check into a hotel, and he'd be in touch when he was ready to leave.
Then he headed for the Hotel Riu Palace Las Americas, a glitzy resort on the beach, where Cici said Amber and Naomie were staying. When he reached the hotel, he went to the front desk.
"Hi, could you please call Ms. Amber Walker's room and tell her Russell is here?"
"One moment, sir." The attractive woman gave him a smile then typed away on her keyboard. "I'm sorry, we don't have a guest by that name registered here."
"Oh, they probably registered in Naomie's name. Dr. Naomie Taylor."
She checked again. "Yes, of course, but Dr.Taylor is not in her room. She stopped by on her way to the beach and left an envelope to be mailed. Would you care to wait in the lounge?"
"Actually, I think I'll check in if you have availability?"
"Let's see." Her fingers danced over the keyboard again. "I'm afraid all we have available is the penthouse."
"That'll do," Russell pull
ed out his billfold and placed his credit card on the counter. The woman took one look at the black card, smiled and quickly got Russell checked in.
"Would you like help with your luggage, Mr. Walker?"
"No, thanks, I'm fine. I appreciate your help. Which way is the elevator?"
She gave him directions, and he made his way to a bank of elevators, took the first available car to the penthouse, stowed his bag and then headed right back out.
Chapter Seventeen
Russell felt a little foolish when he walked outside. Most everyone was in a swimsuit or shorts. He wore jeans, a button up shirt, boots, and a Stetson.
Yep, you fit right in.
Not that he cared. He wasn't there on vacation. Russell spent nearly an hour walking around, searching the lounges, pool, and beach, looking for Amber or Naomie. The afternoon was wearing on and people were starting to come in from the ocean, so he walked out across the sand, looking down the beach to see if he spotted a familiar face.
When he reached the water's edge, he looked out over the sparkling ocean. One moment he was staring at waves and the next she rose from the sea, her skin glistening. She shook her head and used her hands to move her hair back over her shoulders.
The sight took his breath. Naomie spotted him and stopped. For a few moments they were frozen, their gazes locked and neither of them moving. Then she dove back into the water and disappeared.
Russell scanned the water, waiting for her to surface. She didn't. He looked up and down the beach. Where the hell was she?
He kept looking but after ten minutes gave up. No telling how far in either direction she'd gone, so there was no point in walking the beach. The best way for him to find her was to go back to the hotel and find out what room she was in. She'd return sooner or later and when she did, he'd be waiting.
*****
Naomie's heart pounded in her chest as she ran across the sand. She'd emerged from the water at the far end of the resort. It was imperative she get back to her room before Russell found her. She had to call Amber.
Hoping he would be searching the beach, she opted to take the walkway to the street side of the hotel and enter through the front. When she made it into the hotel without encountering him, she enjoyed a moment of relief. Then it hit her. The key card to her room and her phone were in a beach bag laying on a lounge beside the pool.