By the time the detective left, Nicole had a much better understanding of how dire the situation was, “I wish I could tell you something different Nicole but my gut tells me that you’ve got to get out of town if you want to live to testify. You’re the only witness we have and Animal is going to try to eliminate you.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go.” She’d said, also thinking that she didn’t have any money to go anywhere with.
“We’ll take care of that. When you get out of here we’ll transport you to a safe house. You’ll have to stay there until you’re ready to travel, then we’ll find you a more permanent location.”
“You’re talking about witness protection, aren’t you?” Nicole’s heart sank, her life had been hard but it had been her own.
“I’m afraid that’s our only hope. We have to hide you.”
“But what about my brothers? What’s going to happen to them, I’m all they have. You can’t split us up.”
The detective raised his hand, “Don’t worry; the boys will stay with you.”
Nicole relaxed, as long as they were all together everything would be fine and now that she knew that they would be, she felt exhaustion taking over. “That’s what I was most worried about.” She said, weakly.
“I’ll let you get some sleep. We’ll talk more in a few days when it’s closer to time for you to leave.” She was asleep before the door had closed all the way, exhausted from her afternoon.
Nicole got out of bed and pushed the cart with her breakfast on it across the room. If she had to look at the congealed cereal for another minute she was going to scream. She’d been in the hospital for a week, endured one horrible meal after another, and been told for three days that she might get to go home the next day. Her chest was still tender, but she’d long ago given up any pain medication, unwilling to take it any longer than necessary.
She could walk around the floor she was on three times before getting tired and saw no reason why she shouldn’t be allowed to go home. Her guard had quickly made her feel like she was a prisoner, and she desperately needed some time alone. So, when Sandy came bustling through the door, her arms full of packages, Nicole took her frustration out on her.
“Looks like you’ve been out having fun.” She flung at her, gesturing to the packages.
“I’ll have you know that these are for you.” Sandy flung back.
Nicole’s attitude changed immediately and a huge smile spread across her face. “Please tell me that I’m finally getting out of here.”
“I’m afraid not. But you do need to take a shower and put these on.” Sand said, handing Nicole a pretty pair of pajamas.
Nicole’s heart sank, another day stuck in this place was the last thing she wanted, no way was she going to get fancied up to sit in bed all day. “I’m not taking a shower until I get to go home.” She said crossing her arms over her chest and turned her back to Sandy just like a spoiled child.
Sandy grabbed her by the shoulders and gently turned Nicole around to face her, “I’m your best friend, right?” She said, waiting for Nicole to answer. When Nicole reluctantly nodded her head, she continued. “Then trust me when I tell you that you want to go take a shower and make yourself look presentable. You’ve got a visitor coming and you’ll kick yourself if you meet her dressed like that.”
“Her?”
Sandy shook her head, “I’m not telling you anything until you go take a shower.”
An hour later she’d been waiting in a small waiting room with Sandy when a beautiful African American woman came into the room. Nicole felt like she should have known who the woman was, she looked so familiar, but her attention was drawn from the woman to what she carried in her hands. The unmistakable smell of doughnuts filled the air and Nicole’s stomach began to growl loudly. Nicole covered her stomach with her arms, but everyone had already heard it.
“Good thing I brought breakfast.” The woman said, pulling food out of the bags, including twelve fresh doughnuts and a big container of orange juice. “I’ve heard the food around here isn’t so good.”
Nicole gratefully took a plate of food from the woman when she offered it, then realized that she still had no idea who the woman was. “Thank you, this looks wonderful.”
“It was no problem, but you’re welcome. Now since Detective Alvarez hasn’t done it, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Marissa Terrell and I’m here to help you.”
Nicole could only stare at the woman open mouthed, finally understanding why she’d recognized her the minute she heard her name. What she didn’t understand was why the head of Coldwater Canyon Park and Preserve was here to see her. It just didn’t make any sense. She’d barely begun her courses in ecology, and although she’d applied for an internship for the summer it wasn’t to Coldwater Canyon.
Chapter 3
A nudge from the woman sitting next to her brought her out of the past and into the present. “Earth to Nicole.” Tammy said.
Nicole realized she’d let herself get distracted and lost the thread of the conversation. “Sorry, I didn’t hear what you said.”
“We’ve all been sharing where we worked before this.” One of the men at the table said, giving Nicole a strange look.
“Yeah and it’s your turn.” Tammy chimed in.
“Oh, well to tell you the truth this is my first job. I just got my bachelor’s degree last month.”
There was a round of congratulations from everyone at the table, then Tammy asked, “But didn’t you live in Coldwater Canyon?”
“I was Julie and Sam’s nanny.” She said, thinking about how simple she’d just made an extremely complicated situation sound.
When the group only stared at her, she added, “I finished my degree online then did my fieldwork in the canyon last winter. It’s a pretty fantastic place and I was lucky to get the opportunity.”
That seemed to be enough to make the group happy and Nicole gladly let the conversation move past her to the next victim. She knew that there would be questions about her past; it was only natural when a new group of people got together, and it was a relief that they’d been happy with her abbreviated answer. The last thing she wanted to do was go into how difficult it really had been to leave her brothers in Colorado and go to California, even though it had always been her dream to live there. No matter how many times Marissa and Detective Alvarez told her that she was doing the right thing for the boys, she still felt like she’d abandoned them.
But when it became clear that Animal’s people were still looking for her, even staking out the boy’s school, she’d known that she had no choice but to leave them where they’d be safe until after the man was locked away in jail. When Marissa had suggested the job with Sam and Julie Montgomery, who besides being first time parents were also the lead scientists on the moose project in the canyon, she’d jumped at the chance.
When they’d decided to move to Alaska to help Seth Montgomery with the reclamation project, she’d been happy to go along with them, returning to the canyon only to finish her degree. It had been good for her to take care of baby Annabelle then, but that time was past and as much as she missed the baby, she was excited to begin her new career. Alaska was a new exciting world to her, but thanks to her time in the mountains of California, she was prepared to survive in this harsh landscape.
Jared stared at Gina, then asked sarcastically, “You think I should get even? Get even how? If the business goes bankrupt that’s my money too.”
Gina had been patting his hand like he was an old person but quickly drew her hand back. “Well, I just thought. I mean isn’t there a way you could get even?”
Jared wanted to roll his eyes at the stupid woman sitting across from him. “Don’t you get it? My money is tied to the family. If Montgomery Renewable doesn’t make money neither do I.” But then he realized that what he’d said wasn’t exactly true, in fact he had a sizable fortune of his own.
Gina was silent for a long time, she appeared to be hurt by Jared’s words but
in truth she was just waiting for Jared to figure out what she already had. It was then that Jared realized that he could indeed get even with Seth, and gain control of the family business in the process, it was so simple he wondered why he hadn’t thought about it before.
“I’m sorry Jared, I guess I don’t know what I’m talking about.” Gina said, looking down into her lap.
“Actually, I think you may have just given me a great idea. If I can find some way to bring Montgomery Renewable down, I can take over and put things back the way they were.” Jared wanted to kick himself for not thinking of it before, it was perfect. Not only would it get the men back in Juneau off his back, he’d finally be where he was supposed to be, at the head of the company and later governor of the state of Alaska.
“I’ll do anything I can to help. It’s just not fair what happened to you.” Gina said, visions of running this big beautiful house as her own flashing through her head.
“Just be quiet and let me think.” Jared ordered.
Gina did as he said for a while, trying not to smile as she nibbled on her food and feeling more secure about her place in Jared’s life than she’d ever felt before. Finally, though, she had to say something, had to make sure that she was a part of his scheme, show him just how much he needed her.
“Maybe I could try to get close to Lauren, use her to get information.” She suggested carefully.
Jared started to tell her to shut up, but then thought about her idea. “I haven’t had much luck getting Seth to trust me, maybe you’ll have better luck with Lauren.”
“People like me.” She said, more than sure that she could find a way to charm Lauren into telling her something important.
Jared nodded, then said, “I’ll try again with Seth, maybe I can convince him that I’ve changed my mind about the renewable energy thing, get him to lower his guard, give me something I can use to bring him down.”
Gina just smiled and nodded her head, things were going perfectly, just the way she’d planned. Soon she’d be able to forget the life she’d left behind, forget the cramped cabin where there were always too many people and not enough to eat. That life would be a thing of her past, something fondly remembered and referred to when she did television interviews as the governor’s wife. It was almost as if Jared was following a script she’d written for them, doing exactly as she wanted him to when she wanted him to do it, and the best part was that he didn’t even know it.
After breakfast, Jared left Nicole sitting on the deck to search for his brother. He didn’t have to go far, Seth was in the office, a room that looked nothing like it had when his father was alive. Gone was the huge wooden desk his father had so loved, in its place was a sleek metal desk with a glass top that Jared thought looked out of place in the room. When he knocked on the open door, his brother waved him in, a look of resignation on his face.
“I really don’t want to fight with you today.” Seth said, when Jared had taken a seat opposite him.
“I didn’t come here to fight with you.” Jared said, trying for a look of contrition. “I’m giving up on trying to convince you that this is a bad idea.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. Can I assume that you’ve had a change of heart?” Seth was goading his brother who was clearly up to his old tricks.
“Well, I’ve been listening to people talk for two days and I might have been wrong.” Jared said, pausing to let that sink in. “But what I’d really like to do is learn more about what you’re doing.”
Seth had been effectively blocking Jared from any information about both the reclamation and the renewable energy, so he wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear Jared’s request. It had happened sooner than he’d thought it would, but that was okay, he already had a plan in place. He almost felt sorry for Jared, there must be some very important people pushing him if he was this desperate this soon.
There was no doubt in Seth’s mind that Jared would try to sabotage the renewable energy project, it was exactly what their father would have done, and Jared was their father’s son in every way. Any time Seth had tried to do anything on his own, Jared had gotten jealous and set out to destroy it, but that wasn’t going to happen this time. If Jared wanted to learn about what Seth was doing, he could start with the reclamation, let him spend months in the middle of the mess their family had made and see how he felt then. A few months in the back country would do his brother some good, get him out of the boardroom and into the real world, then maybe he’d understand what the project was about.
“Well, it might be possible for you to spend some time on one of the project sites if you’re really serious.” Seth said slowly as if he was weighing the honesty of Jared’s words.
“Really, that would be wonderful. I don’t know anything about renewable energy.” Jared said, thinking he’d have Seth on the run before the summer was out, just like when they’d been kids, he’d come out on top.
“I might be able to talk Sam and Julie into taking you with them when they go out to do their survey.” Seth said, as if the possibility had just occurred to him.
“Sam and Julie?” Jared was confused.
“Sam and Julie Montgomery. Our cousins from California. They’re working on the reclamation.” Seth said.
“But, I thought I’d be with you.” Jared protested, thinking this might not be going the way he’d planned.
“No, I think to get a real understanding of what we’re doing you should familiarize yourself with the reclamation.”
“The reclamation? I don’t see how that has anything to do with the renewable energy.” Jared said, wishing now that he hadn’t made the request.
“I’m sorry it’s the best I can do.” Seth said, making it clear that it was that or nothing.
Jared was so desperate to get into Seth’s good graces, knew that it was the only way that he’d be able find some way to stop him, “I guess that would be fine.” He finally answered, plastering a false smile on his face. “Would it be okay if Gina stayed here while I was gone?”
Seth was surprised to hear the request, Gina wasn’t exactly the kind of woman he’d expected Jared to be involved with. She was much too common and unsophisticated for a politician’s wife, but if Jared was asking then he clearly had a purpose for wanting Gina here. Knowing his brother, he’d have Gina spying on them the whole time, but it might be interesting to see just how far his brother was planning to go to get information.
“I suppose that would be fine. I’m sure we can find something interesting for her to do while she’s here.” Seth said, thinking he’d have to have Lauren and some of the other women keep an eye on Gina who might be just as dangerous as his brother.
There was something in Gina’s eyes that he didn’t like, a raw desire that had nothing to do with passion and everything to do with money and status. He knew a gold digger when he saw one and that’s exactly what that woman was, she had big plans and the Montgomery money and status had everything to do with them. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that her only interest in his brother was for just those two things, and that she’d have to be watched very carefully.
“Go home for a few days Jared, I’d like to spend some time with my new wife before construction on the wind turbines starts.” Seth said, clearly dismissing Jared.
Jared walked out of the office and nearly collapsed on the carpet in the hall. He hadn’t realized just how tense he’d been throughout the entire exchange. But at least now he’d be able to go home with some good news for the men who’d sent him. It would buy him some time before they started clamoring for him to put a stop to what Seth was doing again, and hopefully he’d have enough time to do just that before they did. His plan had to work, or his political career would come to an end before it had ever begun, then he’d be completely lost, no family business and no political career.
Nicole was holding Annabelle on her hip watching as Lauren struggled to get her baby seat strapped onto the four-wheeler. Even with the adaptation
s they’d made, it wasn’t an easy process. When the last buckle snapped into place, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Now they’d be able to leave, only an hour behind schedule. It was never easy to gather a large group of people together and their group numbered twelve, including Annabelle.
Nicole was more than ready to get her first official research trip started, excited that this time instead of staying behind in the village with Annabelle she’d be riding out with the rest of the party. Of course, there had been times when she and the baby had traveled with Sam and Julie but then she’d been the nanny not a researcher, and watching the baby in the wilderness had taken up all her time.
She was just about to strap Annabelle into her seat when a car came roaring up the road and screeched to a halt. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched as a tall man got out of the car and went around to the trunk, removed bag after bag of gear then walked toward them. Lauren cursed under her breath, then took Annabelle from Nicole and began to walk over to where Sam was standing.
Nicole followed her, “Who’s that?”
“That is Seth’s brother Jared.” Julie said, clearly unhappy that he was there. “I was hoping he wouldn’t show up.”
“For what?”
“He’s going with us.”
That was the last thing Nicole had expected, “But he’s not a scientist.”
“No.” Julie said with a sigh, then stopped. “Seth doesn’t trust him, he thinks he’s trying to sabotage the project, so we’re supposed to drag him around behind us. Seth figures he’ll either get tired of camping out and go home or that he’ll understand what we’re trying to do and get on board. Since I doubt he’s ever going to approve of this project, I have a feeling that he’s going to cause nothing but problems.”
Nicole thought back to their first meeting and remembered quite clearly how she felt when Jared Montgomery had taken her hand, it had been an odd mixture of distrust and attraction. It had made her uncomfortable and the last thing she wanted to do was share a camp with him.
Have My Twins : BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 16) Page 3