I clasped my hands together, afraid I might strangle one, if not both.
“I need to set ground rules.”
Looks of relief crossed their faces, but that was about to disappear. “The next time either of you lies, I walk.”
They shared a confused look.
I turned to meet Maxwell’s eyes. “You led me to believe she was aware of the situation. She wasn’t. She wasn’t convinced the threats were dangerous.”
“I’ve tried to shield her from the severity.” He raised a hand to his chest. “You have my word; it won’t happen again.”
“It better not.” I cleared my throat. “I want to meet with your security staff in the morning. I’ll be revamping your entire system to make your house a much harder target. I’d also like Cassandra and Rose to stay on the premises to help with Amelia’s and Petunia’s security details.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” they both announced together.
“The only way to deal with the threat is to attack first. While your sister and niece have security that I trust, I’m going to dig deeper into the person who’s sending the threats. If I can find them, I can neutralize them.”
They both stared at me, and the silence loomed.
“Okay then,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “Now that we have that covered… Counselor, you’re my date to the rehearsal and the wedding if I haven’t found the perp by then.”
“You think you can find him in less than a week?” Max asked.
I couldn’t help the “Are you serious?” sigh I made.
“Why him?” Carter asked. “No one would blink twice if I bring a mysterious, beautiful woman to the party. The guests wouldn’t even ask questions. Max is married to his work. They’ll notice if he brings a date.”
“He’s already played this game with me before,” I said, stepping around them. I stopped at the door. “I need full itineraries on both of you and a place for Rose and me to sleep. Cassandra will play sleepover in Petunia’s room for the remainder of our time here.”
****
I walked the perimeter with both Rose and Cassandra separately after all the party guests left. We each took our time looking for entry points and flaws in the security, and we’d found enough to warrant replacing the entire design and system. I sat in one of the dining room chairs with the house plans I’d pulled that morning open in front of me. I took a picture with my phone and fired off a text.
Ms. D., We need a full security reboot. Send the team in the morning with everything we’ve got. There are too many blind spots we can’t watch.
Already planned on it, dear.
“Of course, you have.” I slid the phone into my pocket and glanced up to find Max watching me. The way his blue eyes caressed me without a single touch, with a single word, made me all tingly. He might not be the brother that touched my pulse point, but he was definitely the one that was making it jump.
“Am I interrupting?” Max asked.
“Nope, I’m going over some last-minute plans. I’m not officially on the clock until morning. What can I do for you, Counselor?”
“Max,” he corrected.
“Counselor or Mr. Pierce, while I’m working. Take your pick.”
“You didn’t have a problem saying my name when I gave you a taste of promises yet to come.”
Heat claimed my body, but I didn’t answer.
“What are you going to call me at the rehearsal dinner and party?”
“I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” I said, picking up the present I’d wrapped in pink paper with a pretty ribbon wrapped around it. “I could always be inconspicuous and mingle around the guests.”
“You think they’ll talk around someone they don’t know?”
A grin slowly slid on my lips as I rolled up the house plans and stuffed them in the overnight bag. “You’d be surprised at what I can achieve when I set my mind to something.”
“Come, let me show you your room.”
I fluffed the pink frilly bow on the present. “I need to stop in Petunia’s room.”
“Of course.” Max gestured to lead the way. “I appreciate you taking our case.”
“I hate bullies, and Petunia is a sweet kid.”
“She is a great kid. I never asked, but do you have any of your own?”
“No, are you offering?”
Max’s mouth twisted into a sexy grin.
“Relax, Counselor. I don’t have time in my life for kids. My job as an FDG operative keeps me busy chasing bad guys, among other things.”
“What other things do you do for FDG?” he asked just as we reached the top of the stairs.
“Fairy Damn Godmother is unique. We handle all kinds of cases and requests. Two assignments ago, I protected a prince and dressed in fancy clothes. I wore diamonds that could buy a decent-sized island. Last week, I dressed as a bag lady. I’m adaptable, and so is the company.”
Max led the way to Petunia’s door and was about to open it when I stopped him.
“Always knock until we leave. Cassandra throws a mean right hook and has a tendency to ask questions later.”
“Noted.” He knocked.
“We’re coming in,” I called out before opening the door. Cassandra had the room set up with a sheet draped over furniture and chairs hanging to the floor like a tent. Beneath it lay a million pillows with snacks, children’s books, and coloring books inside.
“Are you sleeping here too?” Petunia asked.
“No, honey. I wanted to give you a special present.”
Petunia scrambled out from under the canopy. “What is it?”
I handed it to her and watched as it took five seconds flat to tear into the present. Slowly she opened the box. “This is so pretty. My mommy says I’m too young for jewelry and that I’ll lose it.”
“This one was made just for you.” I dropped to my knees and took the necklace and heart-shaped pendant out of the box. I turned it over to show her a little button on the back. “If you’re ever scared about anything or get lost, all you have to do is push this little button, and I’ll find you.”
“What if it’s an accident?” she asked.
“You push it again to stop it.”
“How will you find me?” Her eyes widened.
I pulled out my phone and pulled up the app. “Push the button, and I’ll show you.”
She pushed the button, and my phone buzzed in my hand, showing two blinking lights on the screen. I pointed to them. “This one is you, and this one is me. These other ones belong to everyone else who is looking out for you.”
“Status report.” Rose’s voice filled my earpiece. I pushed the button.
“Stand down. I’m showing Petunia what happens.”
Petunia’s eyes crinkled. “Why are you talking to yourself?”
I pulled out the piece in my ear. “I’m not. I can communicate with my friends through this. She was just making sure you’re okay.”
“I want one of those.” Petunia stared up at her uncle. “Can I have one for me and my friend?”
I smiled and rose from my spot, tucking my phone back into my pocket. “That toy is for grownups. Maybe when you’re bigger.”
“My friend is big. Can he have one?” she asked, lacing her fingers together. “Please.”
I shared a concerned look with Cassandra, who climbed out from beneath the canopy. “I want to meet your friend. Does he work here?”
She shook her head. “Oh no. I only see him at the playground sometimes, but he does come by my school.”
“Aren’t you a little young to be in school,” Cassandra asked.
“She’s in Pre-Kindergarten,” Max answered.
“Next time you see him, introduce him to one of us. If we think he’s old enough, then we’ll give him one too,” I said to Petunia.
This family was in more trouble than we’d thought. If the guy from the park was a stalker, and he was getting access to Petunia, then he might already know everything about her.
I took Max by the arm and led him out of the room. “You two have fun.”
“We will,” Cassandra said.
Max
Chapter 15
Max slept in one of the spare bedrooms in Carter’s house. After Petunia mentioned having an older friend, he couldn’t leave. Anger had stirred in his gut. How had they all been so clueless? And Amelia. What the hell had she been thinking? Petunia was only five years old. She wasn’t big enough to take care of herself; she needed constant supervision. Maybe this was just as much his and Carter’s fault as it was Amelia’s. Maybe Carter had it right from the beginning, knowing that Amelia and Petunia needed better security.
Max stood at the kitchen sink sipping his black coffee and watching Gwen take charge outside as a security team followed her around. She was pointing in various directions. Focus and determination were etched into the delicate lines on her face. This was the working Gwen. The professional side she let others see. Max was starting to understand why Ms. Delany and Carter had called her a chameleon. Gwen was a mixture of a thousand different personalities, and Max was just understanding the extent of that.
“I take it you’ve already slept with her?” Carter asked, stepping up beside Max.
“That’s none of your business,” he answered.
“If she catches the two of you talking about her, you better run,” Cassandra said as she and Petunia walked into the kitchen. Cassandra pulled out a chair for Petunia and helped her up into it. “What do you normally eat for breakfast?”
“Frosty cereal,” Petunia said.
Both Carter and Max glanced at Petunia with a disapproving stare.
“Pet, what did we tell you about lying?” Max said.
Petunia frowned and puffed out her bottom lip. “The chef just fixes me oatmeal and eggs. Every day eggs, eggs, eggs. I want something different.”
Cassandra was making herself at home, checking the cabinets. She might have squealed when she pulled out a box of pancake mix. “How about pancakes?”
“You don’t have to cook for her,” Carter said. “Chef Robin can cook anything you’d like.”
“I can manage just fine. Besides, does your chef know how to put a smiley face on pancakes?” Cassandra asked.
“I have no idea,” Carter said. “But you should really stick to Chef Robin’s nutritional plan for her. She’ll be here any minute. She lives in the pool house.”
“Oh, live a little, Carter,” Cassandra said.
Max let their voices drift away as he returned his gaze back to watching Gwen. Her phone rang, and she answered while holding his gaze. She frowned, turning so he couldn’t see her face.
Interesting.
“Don’t you have something better to do than ogle the security?” Carter asked.
“If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be here,” Max said.
“Actually, if it weren’t for her need to get on your island, she wouldn’t be here. There’s something you two should understand about Gwen. She’s got a heart of gold, but she’s a hard nut to crack. She doesn’t do relationships.”
“Neither does Max,” Carter said. “Now I, on the other hand, enjoy breaking down barriers.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “It’s hopeless when she’s working. She’s laser focused, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t get distracted. She works.”
“I see that,” Max said. “But tell me, Cassandra, you know her so well, who the heck is she yelling at on the phone?”
Cassandra peeked out the window and chuckled. “She only gets that upset when a mission goes south or she’s pissed at one of her sisters. Seeing how the job just started, I’d guess the latter.”
“She has more than one sister?” Max pried.
“She has several but one died when Gwen was younger. I’ve only met the rest of them once, by mistake. I dropped off work stuff at her home, and they were there. She doesn’t mix her personal and professional life like other agents we work with. There are only a few people she lets see both worlds.”
“Sounds like Max,” Carter said.
“She’s told me,” Max said, turning back to the window to find Gwen gone.
Gwen was a mystery he wanted to solve. And he would. If he had to dig a tunnel underneath her shell to get to the woman inside, he would find her.
“Max, she’s too much woman for you,” Carter said.
He was probably right. It would take a special kind of man to make her happy. She had a blatant disregard for the law, not that Max was complaining. He’d do anything, including break the law, to protect his sister and niece. He had every intention of fulfilling the promised tryst.
Amelia appeared in the kitchen, the lines of her face riddled with anger. “They want me to have a bodyguard, someone to follow me around all damn day.”
“It’s necessary, Amelia. You agreed to this last night,” Max said.
“It’s just until we catch the guy,” Carter added.
“Mommy, you’ll get to have a sleepover too,” Petunia said.
Amelia’s face softened, and she looked at her daughter, but only for a minute. “Mommy is too old for sleepovers.”
Gwen walked into the room behind Amelia. “Try to ditch your detail one more time and we walk.”
“Great.” Amelia tossed her hands up. “I didn’t ask for you guys. You can leave.”
Gwen met Max’s gaze before she moved it to Petunia.
“She’ll do no such thing,” Martha said as she entered the room.
“Mom, when did you get here?” Max asked.
“Thirty minutes ago,” Gwen answered. “The new security guards I stationed wouldn’t let her through without my clearance.”
“It’s about time someone is running this show. Amelia, you’ll cooperate and quit giving Ms. Bennett and her associates a hard time,” Martha said.
She draped her coat on the back of a chair, grabbed a plate of pancakes, and sat next to Petunia. “Hey my sweet girl.”
“Mother, these threats are just threats. No one has acted on them or even attempted to get near me,” Amelia growled.
“Not you, but they have your daughter. She told me about the man at her school and the park,” Gwen said.
Amelia’s eyes widened in horror, and she covered her mouth with her hand. “Pet, what man have you seen? What does he look like?”
Petunia shrugged. “His name is Larry, and he’s my friend. He’s tall like Uncle Max.”
“Baby, what have we told you about talking to strangers?” Amelia asked.
“He’s not a stranger. He’s my friend,” Petunia said.
“She’s safe,” Gwen said, resting her arm on Amelia’s.
Amelia slung it off before she stomped from the room.
“Grammy, I had a sleepover,” Petunia announced.
“I know, sweetie. I’m sorry I missed your birthday. I tried everything I could to make it here on time.”
“It’s okay. Ms. Gwen colored with me and gave me a necklace, and she sent Mr. Johnny home, and Ms. Cassandra and me had a sleepover,” Petunia said without taking a breath.
“It sounds like you had an eventful day,” his mother answered.
The room turned silent when Chef Robin walked in through the back door. Her gaze scanned the new crowd. Carter had people over all the time so the new people mustn’t have been a shock. When Robin’s gaze landed on the plate of pancakes, her eyes twitched as she lifted her gaze to Carter’s. “Pancakes aren’t healthy for Petunia.”
“Sorry, that’s my fault,” Cassandra announced. “She was hungry, and I scoured your cabinets. I hope it’s all right.”
“It’s fine,” Carter answered, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I’ll help Cassandra do the dishes, and you’ll never know we were even in here, Robin.”
Her mouth parted, yet she didn’t speak as if words escaped her.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Robin,” Petunia added.
Robin’s face softened at the sound of Petunia’s voice. It always did. Robin and Petunia spen
t a lot of time together. When Robin wasn’t cooking, she was helping around the house with other duties. Carter depended on her for much of everything.
“It’s okay, Petunia. Your birthday was yesterday. Tomorrow you can eat healthier again. You are a growing girl,” Robin finally answered.
Gwen whispered into Cassandra’s ear before heading for the door.
Max followed behind her and stopped when he spotted Rose standing guard outside Carter’s office door. Gwen and Rose spoke in hushed tones before Gwen headed toward the front door.
“Where are you going?” Max asked, following her out the door and down the driveway. She jogged across the street to a car, and he followed.
“I’m going to the park,” she answered. “Petunia goes to the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So, if I catch the guy who watches her, then FDG can close your case.”
“You in a hurry to close the case,” he asked stepping near her. Max stared down into her eyes and leaned in to kiss her. That fine line between pleasure and business was getting blurrier.
Her hand on his chest stopped him. “I’m on the clock, Counselor.”
“You’re right,” Max said, jogging around to the passenger side of her car.
She slid behind the wheel. “Don’t you have a court case or something?”
“Both Carter and I agreed we would take this time off until the wedding was over. Amelia’s and Petunia’s safety come first. Work and money are replaceable; blood isn’t.”
As if she agreed, she turned the ignition and threw it into gear, heading down the road. She glanced in his direction and sighed. “If you’re going hunting with me, that suit isn’t going to get us far.”
“You don’t like my suit?” he asked.
“I’ll like it more on my bedroom floor when this is over, but for now, I suggest you change into something less…you.” She grinned. “Your suit is like a barrier and that’s the last thing we need.”
“Now you’re the one underestimating my ability to get people to talk.”
Gwen shrugged. “First one that clams up, I’m taking you home.”
Chapter 16
Rotten Apple (Bennett Dynasty Book 1) Page 7