Endangered: A Delecoeur Mystery #1

by Harte, Jenna

  “I guess you'll find out this evening. If you do decide to partner with him, you can let me know.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “You bastard!” The shrill voice interrupted the relative calm in the room. “What are you up to now?”

  “Jesus, boy, did you invite her?” Asa said, turning on Philip.

  “He didn't invite me,” the woman said as she charged towards Asa, swinging her long silver hair over her shoulder. “But he told me you were having a business meeting. I may not be your wife anymore Asa, thank the Lord, but I am on the board.”

  “This doesn't concern you, Lauren. Leave before I have Walter escort you out.”

  Walter looked up from his place behind the bar. He picked up a tray and left the parlor. Tess couldn't blame him. Lauren Worthington was as much of a force as Asa.

  “If it's business, it does concern me.”

  “Tonight is for family only.”

  Lauren scanned the room. “Family my ass. They aren't family,” she said pointing towards Jack and Tess.

  “I wasn't aware there would be entertainment.” Jack whispered to Tess.

  “It makes you think twice about doing business with them.”

  He nodded.

  “I'm not going to ask again, Lauren. I will have you removed even if I have to do it myself.”

  “What's going on?” Senator Worthington said, as he entered the room in the distinguished way that older southern gentlemen did. “Ah, Lauren, you're looking lovely this evening. I didn't realize you'd be here.”

  “She's not staying,” Asa said.

  “Oh, well...”

  “Tell me what you're up to, Asa. You know I'll find out eventually and then I'll make your life miserable,” Lauren promised.

  “You've already made my life unbearable.” Asa moved towards her.

  “This could get bad.” Tess said.

  “My money is on Lauren,” Jack said.

  Tess snorted. “I don't think I'll take that bet.”

  “Asa. Lauren.” Tom moved between both of them. “You're making a scene.”

  “He's making a scene,” Lauren said, pushing Tom aside.

  “You'll see that Helen isn't here.” Tom made a second attempt to get between the couple. “Maybe you can stop by the house and visit with her.”

  “Just because she doesn't care about her inheritance, doesn't mean I don't.”

  “You don't get an inheritance,” Asa said tightly as he shouldered Tom out of the way.

  “Philip does and I intend to protect him.”

  “You are well planned for,” Tom said.

  Asa grabbed Lauren's arm, jerking her towards the door.

  Jack stood. “Asa!”

  “Get your hands off me.” She yanked her arm from his grasp. “You're a bastard!”

  “You've told me enough times. Now get out!”

  The two stood, eyes glaring. The guests held their breath as they waited to see who would make the next move and what it would be. Tess hoped it didn't involve bloodshed. Her stomach was already uneasy.

  “This isn't over,” Lauren said, throwing her scarf around her neck. “It's not over.”

  “It will be over soon enough,” Asa said under his breath.

  Lauren ignored the remark. She spun away from Asa, her scowl replaced by a shallow smile. “Kiss kiss, kids,” she said towards Philip and Shelby. Then with one last glare towards Asa, she turned and left. The room stayed quiet until the front door slammed shut.

  “I apologize for that outburst,” Asa said, as he headed to the bar and pulled out a bottle of amber-colored liquor.

  Tess noticed that Asa's near brawl with Lauren had cost him. His face was red and sweat beaded around his hairline. Downing a single shot of his drink, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the wetness from his brow.

  “Get yourself a drink,” Asa said to his father as he headed towards the foyer. “I'll find out how much longer it will be until we eat.”

  “Nice to see you again Senator,” Tess said when he greeted her. She stood to shake his hand and felt the world tilt.

  “You too, young lady. You're the one who's captured my grandson's eye?”

  Tess took a deep breath. “Yes sir.”

  The Senator looked at Jack and then to Tom. “Where is Daniel?”

  “He was called to work. This is Jack Valentine. Jack, this is Senator Arthur Worthington.”

  “Senator,” Jack said as he shook his hand.

  The Senator studied Jack. “You're the one who helped catch the Army hacker at the Pentagon a couple years ago.”

  “My company, yes sir,” Jack said.

  “Quite a feat. Your country owes you a debt of gratitude.”

  Jack shook his head. “He would have been caught sooner or later. He wasn't that good.”

  “Modesty. It makes me wonder why you're doing business with my son.”

  Tess couldn't tell if the Senator was joking or not. Apparently neither could Jack as he didn't respond.

  “Are you alright young lady? You're looking a little green around the gills,” the Senator said.

  Tess did her best to smile and assure him all was well, but failed. “Actually, I'm not feeling well. Tom, do you think you can drive me home?”

  She felt Jack stiffen next to her. “I told you I could drive…”

  “No one should be out now,” Walter said as he picked up glasses around the room.”Freezing rain.”

  Tess sank into the love seat. How did worse get to doomed?

  “Dinner is ready.” Asa stood at the parlor door. He'd regrouped and looked every bit like the man of the mansion.

  Tess' breath hitched as the mention of food sent a burning sensation from the pit of her stomach to her chest. She pressed her hand over her mouth, willing her water and her lunch to stay down.

  “Is there a place she can lie down until the weather is better?” Jack asked.

  “Yes. Daniel should be back shortly. He'll be able to take her home regardless of the weather,” Tom said.

  Tess wasn't sure Daniel's car was any more equipped to drive in freezing rain, but maybe he was better trained to drive in it. Like the postman, rain, sleet and snow can't stop the police.

  “There's a daybed in the library next to my office,” Asa said absently. Clearly he was more interested in his business dinner than a sick guest.

  Jack bent down in front of Tess. “Can you walk or should I carry you?”

  “You're kidding, right?” His grin told her otherwise. “I'll walk.”

  Jack's arm reached under hers and helped her to her feet.

  “Why don't you all go to dinner? I don't want to keep you,” Tess said, hoping to get rid of the audience as she made her way through the room.

  “Yes, dinner is getting cold,” Asa said.

  “You can go too,” she said to Jack. “I'm sure Walter can show me.”

  “Yes miss,” Walter said. “I'll ask Agnes to fix up something to settle your stomach.”

  “Thank you Walter, but I don't know if I can keep it down.”

  “I'll help you,” Jack said. “Walter, you can check with Agnes.”

  “Yes, sir. The room is just across the foyer.”

  “You don't have to do this,” Tess said, as they made their way across the foyer.

  “Worried about Daniel? What he'll think about a former…”

  “We’re not former anything!” The outburst was nearly her undoing.

  Jack wrapped his arm around her to keep her upright. “Worried he'll get the wrong idea?”

  “No.”

  They entered the library and Jack guided her to the daybed. She couldn't remember ever feeling more relieved to sit down. Now if the room would stop spinning.

  As he'd done in the parlor, Jack bent down in front of her. The amusement in his face was gone, replaced with bewilderment. And maybe hurt. “Why is it so upsetting that I'm here? I thought we'd been better friends that that.”

  Until you rejected me, she thought. “I'm
just not feeling well.”

  Jack made a sound that suggested he didn't believe her.

  She lay down while he took the throw blanket folded at the end of the daybed and covered her.

  “Ms. Madison,” Walter said. “Here is some fizzy drink. Agnes says it's what you need.”

  Tess could hear the fizzing drink from across the room and it nearly sent her stomach over. “Oh, uh…thank you, Walter. Just set it on the table.”

  “Do you need anything else?”

  “No. Thank you.” She appreciated his attentiveness. Her parents' butler would have been more likely to put her in the shed so she didn't ruin the expensive Oriental rug.

  Walter nodded and left the room.

  Jack walked across the room, picked up a waste paper basket and brought it to her.

  “Just in case,” he said, setting it next to the daybed. “I can sit here with you.”

  “No. Asa will be here any moment wondering where you are. You go eat and enjoy the dinner.”

  “I don't know about enjoy.”

  “I'll be fine. I just need to rest.”

  He nodded. “I'll be back to check on you soon.”

  ~~~~

  Tess hated naps. She always had weird dreams and woke up not knowing where she was. This time she was on the verge of being sick, but couldn't find the waste basket or make her way through the darkness to a restroom. Any minute she was going to ruin her family's rare Oriental rug.

  She heard arguing. At first it sounded like her parents, but then it changed to two men, one threatening, the other sounding unconcerned. She didn't want to interrupt them, but she needed a bathroom. Now.

  It was dark. The world was wall-less as she groped in the darkness, but found nothing to help her find her way. Since she couldn't see, she listened, trying to find the voices. But they'd stopped. She was lost in a black world. And tired. So tired. Giving up, she curled into a ball.

  Tess woke to the sound of movement in the room. “Daniel?”

  “It's Jack. How are you feeling?”

  “You don't want to know. Is dinner finished?”

  He came and sat on the daybed next to her. “We're on a break of sorts. We're supposed to meet Asa in the front room in five minutes. But I've come to take you home.”

  “Asa won't be happy about that.”

  “The hell with Asa! You're not feeling well and I'm sick of his games.”

  Asa must be drawing out the anticipation, Tess thought. He was like a cat that enjoyed toying with the mouse before going for the kill. She could understand Jack's frustration and desire to leave. She wanted to leave too. Enough so that she was willing to let Jack take her home. Unfortunately, she didn't trust her stomach to remain calm enough during the trip. “I'm not ready to get up yet.”

  “I'm leaving. I can carry you out of here or you can stay with this pack of wolves.”

  Her body wouldn't comply. Any movement made her stomach feel like she was on a ship in troubled waters. “I need a little time to pull myself together. Why don't you go hear him out and hopefully by then I'll be up to moving.”

  He didn't say anything at first. The room was dark, so she couldn't see his face to guess at what he might be thinking.

  “You said you wanted to know what he's up to. You're about to find out,” she added.

  “I'll be back in a few minutes. And if you're not ready, be prepared for me to carry you.” His annoyance toward her sounded like it equaled his irritation at Asa.

  “So leave then. Don't let me stop you.”

  She couldn't see him, but imagined he was inwardly groaning. “Just be ready when I come back.”

  When he left, Tess closed her eyes again. Now she wished she was in a dream and that any moment she'd wake up in her own bed at home and that this night, especially the part about seeing Jack again, hadn't happened. She knew she needed to get herself upright or suffer the indignity of Jack carrying her out. But she was so tired. She'd found the one position in which she could lay and nothing would hurt or threaten to come up. She closed her eyes, and drifted.

  ~~~~

  It could have been minutes or it could have been hours. Tess wasn't sure how long she'd been out when she heard movement again.

  “Jack?”

  The figure stopped. “No Miss, it's Walter. I was just checking if you needed anything.”

  The room was dark except for the light that slipped beneath the doors on two sides of the room. She heard him move away from her. One of the doors opened, letting in a stream of light that flowed around Walter's figure and forced Tess' eyes shut.

  “Is Daniel back?”

  “No miss. But I think Mr. Showalter heard from him. Shall I go get him?”

  “No. I'm just going to lay here a minute longer and then I'll get up and join the others. Are they still in the parlor?”

  “They're just gathering there now.”

  So she'd been out only a few minutes. She breathed a sigh of relief. She still had time to pull herself together before Jack hauled her out of there.

  “Thank you, Walter.”

  “I'll let Mr. Valentine know you're up. He seemed keen to take care of you.”

  Leave it to the help to notice the nuances of the people they work for. “That's okay. I don't want to disrupt Mr. Worthington's meeting.”

  Tess lay in the dark, thinking about hiding until Jack showed up. She could stay where she was and avoid the Worthington angst. It was a good idea. Too bad her pride had other ideas.

  Determining she needed to salvage her image, Tess risked opening one eye. It was dark again except for a line of light under the doors. She knew one door led to the foyer and figured the other one led to Asa's office.

  Slowly she rolled to her side and pushed herself to a sitting position. Her stomach lurched, reminding her that her situation was still precarious. She reached out towards the coffee table in search of the fizzy drink. It was there, but no longer fizzing. Deciding it still might help calm her stomach, she picked up the glass and took a sip.

  “Ugh!” She nearly spit out the chalky brew, but caught herself before she could ruin the daybed or carpet. They were probably nineteenth-century antique originals. She didn't need the night to get any worse by ruining priceless pieces of history.

  After a few deep breaths, she worked her way up to a stand and made her way to the nearest door. She'd never been in the room before. She couldn't remember which door she'd entered from. She reached for the handle, hoping it was the door she'd just seen Walter exit. She was sure Asa wouldn't appreciate it if she invaded his inner sanctum. She pulled the door towards her and peeked into the room.

  The dark colors of the room, along with the long mahogany desk with the white light glowing from a laptop, told her she'd found the wrong door. She started to leave when the smell of smoke caught her attention. Stepping inside the room she saw a pillar of smoke being drawn outside to the frigid February air by the open door behind Asa's desk. But what worried her most was seeing Asa slumped over his desk.

  She moved towards the smoke first and discovered the dwindling fire was contained in his waste paper basket. She wondered what sort of evidence he'd been trying to burn. She went to check on him, remembering his flushed face after his altercation with Lauren. Perhaps his heart was bad. Tess tried to remember the CPR she'd learned. Was it two breaths and ten compressions? Or one breath and fifteen compressions? Why were they always changing it? She was in the process of determining that maybe it wouldn't matter so much as long as she did something, when she saw the blood. It pooled on the desk around his head and was dripping onto the floor. Oh God, was her last thought, as her world spun away into darkness.

  Want to find out happens next? Check out Deadly Valentine, available in print and Kindle versions.

  About Jenna Harte and Upcoming Works

  JENNA HARTE is a die-hard romantic, writing about characters who are committed to each other and frequently getting into trouble. She is the author of three romantic mysteries featuring T
ess Madison, a chocolate and French underwear connoisseur and Jack Valentine, her handsome, environmentalist love interest, and a novella involving Max and Madeleine Delecoeur. When she’s not telling stories, she work by day as a freelance writer and blogger. She lives in central Virginia with her husband, two teenage children and two cats.

  Learn more about Jenna at http://www.JennaHarte.com

  More Books By Jenna Harte:

  Deadly Valentine: A Valentine Mystery, Book One (Print and eBook) - Tess Madison walked away from her two-timing fiancé, a multi-million dollar trust fund and a cushy corporate law job to pursue the single life indulging in chocolate and fancy French underwear. But her newly reordered life comes unraveled when she reluctantly accepts an invitation to a dinner party and stumbles upon the host’s dead body. Now Tess is in the middle of a murder investigation pitting her wannabe-boyfriend police detective against Jack Valentine, a man from her past with blue-green eyes and sinful smile that causes her to rethink her self-imposed celibacy. Tess has many reasons to avoid Jack, including the fact that he’s the prime suspect in a murder. But Tess doesn’t believe Jack’s the murderer and with an honest attempt to keep her hormones in check, she agrees to represent him. With Jack’s help, she uncovers a thirty-year-old secret someone is killing to keep hidden and discovers sensual delights that don’t include chocolate or French underwear. But when her professional and personal relationship with Jack threatens to ruin her career and end her life, Tess has to decide if Jack, is worth the risk.

  Old Flames Never Die: A Valentine Mystery, Book Two - Tess Madison is jobless, homeless and hopelessly in love with the sexy, blue-green-eyed Jack Valentine. But their new love is put to the test when the husband of an old flame of Jack’s is murdered. Jack thinks she is innocent and vows to help her. Tess isn’t so sure and with the help of her friend and Jack’s nemesis Detective Daniel Showalter, she joins the investigation. Now Tess is pitted against Jack, and as they each seek answers, not only do they put their love at risk, but their lives as well.

  With This Ring, I Thee Kill: A Valentine Mystery, Book Three - Wedding bells are in Jack and Tess’ future, that is, if the people trying to kill them for Tess’ engagement ring don’t succeed. Together Jack and Tess research the ring to discover why people are willing to kill to possess it. Their investigation takes them back to 18th century France, when black magic and potions were used to secure love, power and status. Tess’ friend, an expert in French antiques, agrees to help, but is she really helping or is she behind the plot? And will Jack and Tess make it to their wedding day or will fate tear them apart forever?