The Queensbay Series: Books 1-4: The Queensbay Box Set

by Drea Stein

Caitlyn leaned back and took a sip. It didn’t matter; the woman had gotten her money, after all. Of course, it would be interesting to see if it was just a simple administrative error on someone’s part. The money was just sitting in Sully’s account.

  She looked a little deeper and then called Adriana.

  “Hello, I’m sorry to bother you,” Caitlyn said. She could hear the sounds of some people in the background.

  “No bother, it’s bridge night.”

  “I had a favor to ask. I was looking at Sully’s account.”

  “Well, it’s about time. She’ll be happy to hear that.”

  “Well, don’t say anything yet,” Caitlyn warned her, “but I was wondering if you or Sully could give me the names of anyone else with accounts at the firm that might have had this problem.”

  “Well, I haven’t heard anything,” Adriana said.

  “Well, I was thinking of people like Sully, you know…” Caitlyn hesitated.

  “You mean old biddies who don’t check their money regularly?”

  Caitlyn sighed. “Exactly. I’m sorry; I know there’s no right way to say it.”

  “It’s fine, dear. I’ll draw a list up tonight. I have a house of old biddies here to help me, and I’ll have it to you tomorrow.”

  “That would be great, but Adriana, don’t say what it’s for, okay, at least not yet?”

  “Are you asking me to lie, Caitlyn?”

  “Stretch the truth?” Caitlyn countered.

  “Ah, as you know, I am very good at stretching. You’ll have it tomorrow. And now I must get back. Who knows what Agatha is doing in my absence?”

  “You’re a doll, Adriana.”

  Caitlyn hung up with Adriana and let the apprehension settle. It was nothing more than a hunch she was following, but it could make sense – and explain Max’s erratic behavior over the last few months. And why he had decided to sell to Noah.

  Noah. Caitlyn thought of him and what this might mean. She had to be careful, had to be sure. Something like this was devastating, as she knew first-hand. But the truth had to come out.

  Chapter 47

  Noah walked up the hotel corridor slowly. He had agreed to this meeting, but now he wished he hadn’t. Still, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he felt compelled to find out what the man had to say.

  He knocked on the door, and it swung open. Noah found himself face-to-face with Michael St. John.

  “Noah Randall?”

  Noah nodded and followed Michael’s invitation into the suite. The door swung quietly shut behind him, a small breeze of air raising the hair that was growing over his collar.

  “May I take your coat?”

  Noah handed his overcoat and watched as Michael placed it on a hanger.

  “Tea, coffee, a drink?”

  They moved over to the living area of the suite, where full-length windows commanded a majestic view of downtown Manhattan.

  “I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Noah said. Michael was drinking scotch and soda, and he poured another one and handed it to Noah.

  There was a small silence between them, while Noah sipped his drink and studied Caitlyn’s ex-fiancé.

  Michael St. John was perfect. He looked, spoke and walked like an advertisement. His blond hair was straight and smoothed back. His shirt was thick cotton and perfectly tucked into his wool trousers. Expensive shoes, buffed to a high shine, were on his feet. When he smiled, he showed a whole mouthful of brilliant white teeth. Even now, in his hotel room, he wore a jacket and a tie.

  “I don’t know what Caitlyn’s told you about me.”

  “Not much,” Noah said roughly and then told himself to cool it. There was something about this man that got to him.

  “No, probably not. Things ended badly. I suppose you’ve heard?”

  Noah shrugged, not willing to commit.

  “Well, I can’t say it’s an easy story to tell. I’m here as a courtesy, really.”

  “A courtesy?” Noah said carefully.

  “As such. I understand that your father hired Caitlyn after she came home.”

  Noah nodded.

  “Truthfully, I’m a little surprised.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, certainly, you know Caitlyn’s background.”

  “Her background?” Noah tried to sound indifferent.

  Michael retreated a little, his chin pulling up and in. “Ah yes, I see. You’ve heard rumors. Well, she could hardly escape them. Your father gave her the benefit of the doubt, gave her a position, and now you’re committed to justifying his decision.”

  “He’s dead.”

  “Yes, I am terribly sorry. I did hear. My own father remembers him a bit. Apparently they had done some business together at one point or another.”

  Michael didn’t say it, but the implication was clear. A point long before Maxwell had gone off the deep end.

  “Thank you.” Noah took another sip and waited, sitting back casually on the sofa, legs crossed, trying to look for all the world like nothing this man could say to him would cause any amount of concern.

  “As I said, I’m here as a courtesy to you.”

  “Yes, you said.”

  Michael leaned in and put his glass down. “Caitlyn Montgomery is not a well woman.”

  “Excuse me?” Noah stopped mid-swallow.

  “I can see that you’re surprised. Yes, you see, I knew her quite well once. We were engaged.”

  “Yes,” Noah said through gritted teeth. Stay cool, he told himself, don’t let the bastard get a rise out of you.

  “You probably heard what that was like as well. It ended badly, no other way to say it. And Caitlyn couldn’t handle it. She went, quite literally, crazy. I mean, I always thought she was a little melancholy, a private one, you know. Happy face to the outside world, crying on the inside. The death of her grandfather, she seemed to blame you for.”

  He paused and looked at Noah.

  “Me?” Noah couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Well, you, your father. It sort of all got jumbled together when she went off on one of her rages. Swearing revenge to her dying day on you.”

  “Revenge?” Noah was losing his taste for his drink, but he didn’t put it down, couldn’t let Michael St. John know he was getting to him.

  “Yes, went off the deep end at some point, as I said. Went after me.” Michael St. John gave a small grunt of laughter. “Well, she seemed to lose it, after that. It was no good. I tried to help, but she seemed to be intent on revenge of some sort. Making me look bad. She used my name to get several clients, and then she stole from them. Almost like she wanted to be caught. And she was, of course. It could have been bad, very bad. But, luckily we were able to help her, as much as we could. She left London, of course. She couldn’t stay, not after what happened.”

  “No. Not after that story made its rounds, I would imagine,” Noah managed to say.

  “No one would hire her. I tried to help her find a job, but she didn’t want help. And then she disappeared. Back to her homeland.”

  “Why are you telling me all of this?” And why now? Noah wondered.

  “This pains me, but I think she may be at it again. I think she’s ready to do something that will destroy you. I think it’s like a compulsion with her. Doing something like this, so she’ll get caught. Maybe she wants the attention. I don’t know. I am not a doctor, just a banker, of course.”

  “Of course,” Noah said.

  “She’s been calling me, leaving messages, sending things to my apartment, my office. I think she wants to get back together. I mean, she’s a lovely girl and all, and well, she can be quite a good bit of fun, if you know what I mean.”

  Noah couldn’t help the flush of anger that spread across his face.

  “Oh my.” Michael St. John leaned back. “I’m sorry. I had no idea. You’re, well, you’re involved with her.”

  “No,” Noah tried to say and found his voice was gone, “we’re not really that involved.�
�

  “I see she is developing a pattern. Not only with the money, but also with men. I mean, I’m sorry. I’ve been hearing some things. I just wanted to give you a little bit of a warning. Common courtesy. It can be so difficult these days to really say anything against anyone.”

  Noah looked at him. He seemed to be telling the truth. Every inch of his face radiated sincerity.

  “I’m afraid,” Michael said, his eyes dropping to the glass in his hand, “I still love her. I know it’s pointless. But I just want to help her.”

  “I knew her. I thought I knew her,” Noah said. His drink was gone, and Michael poured more.

  “Here, to falling under the spell of the lovely Caitlyn Montgomery.”

  Noah clinked his glass and felt the hot liquid burn down his throat. All he could think about was her and what she hadn’t told him. What else was she keeping from him?

  <<>>

  Noah waited until he was safely in his own hotel suite, much father downtown than Michael St. John’s, before he made the phone call. It was earlier in California, so he caught Ted Waters at his desk.

  “I need some help?”

  “Of the legal kind? Or something else.” Ted was a former employee, ex-military and a brilliant software hacker. He done well with his TechSpace stock and had turned his unique talents to starting a security business. He had specialists in computer hacking, accounting, protection and security. Noah couldn’t think of anyone else who would be more perfect for this kind of job.

  “Remember how I told you I bought this company awhile back?”

  “Sure, I remember, the one on the East Coast. Something happening out there?”

  “Yes,” Noah said, looking out at the lights of the city below him. “I think there’s quite a bit going on there. But first, I need you to run a check on a few names.”

  Noah rattled them off and gave a few more pieces of information to Ted, who promised to get on it right away.

  After hanging up the phone, Noah collapsed in the chair and just stared out the window, wondering if he had done the right thing.

  Chapter 48

  “I missed you,” Caitlyn said and went into Noah’s arms as if she belonged there. She still hadn’t decided what to tell him about what she had found out the other day. Adriana had given her the names, but so far, Caitlyn hadn’t done anything with them. It was cowardly, she knew, but she was afraid of where it would lead her, lead them.

  He had come back from the city, and she hadn’t seen him at work. But here he was at home, and she had come to him to reassure herself that they were okay. Because all of a sudden, no matter what had happened in the past, what was happening in the present, she wanted him.

  “Me, too,” he said, hugging her back, but she sensed a hesitation, a reserve.

  She looked at him carefully. “What is it?”

  He motioned her into the house, back towards the kitchen. It was late afternoon, but he had a fresh pot of coffee on. He poured her a cup of it, finding her cream, one sugar, just as she liked it. All the while, he remained silent, and she felt a corresponding heaviness come down on her.

  “You have to tell me what’s wrong,” she pleaded, needing to know what he was thinking, no matter how much it hurt.

  Noah looked at her, his eyes dark, impenetrable. “What really happened?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When you left London and your job? Something else happened that you haven’t told me. Not just about Michael cheating on you.”

  She looked at him, feeling her skin redden.

  “What is this about?” She thought she could leave that behind. Maxwell had told her not to worry, told her he didn’t care.

  “It’s about you and us, Caitlyn.” Noah made as if to reach out and touch her hand, but he drew it back. “About why you really came back. About why you’re with me.”

  “With you? I’m with you because…” Caitlyn trailed off. She couldn’t say it, could barely admit it to herself. “Because I like being with you. You make things feel right,” she finished.

  “And is that it?” he asked, looking at her, waiting. When she said nothing, he shook his head and started to walk away. “I don’t know what he did to you, over in London, or what you think Maxwell did to you, but I’m not either one of them. And until you figure that out, maybe, maybe … just show yourself out, will you? I have work to do.”

  “Wait.” Caitlyn couldn’t let him walk away. “There is more to it. But I didn’t tell you because I’m embarrassed by it.” There, she had said it.

  “It can’t be that bad, can it? You didn’t do anything wrong, did you?”

  Caitlyn shook her head and sat down. “I think I might have.”

  Noah walked back, stood closer to her, but still didn’t touch her.

  “Tell me.”

  And Caitlyn knew she had to.

  “After I found Michael sleeping with my best friend, I was upset. I moved out, into my own place. I was unhappy, upset, angry and basically not much good to anyone. My friends snubbed me, and Michael tried to persuade me to come back. He was quite forceful, threatening even. And when that didn’t work, he told lies. He became the injured party, and I became persona non grata – not very good when your job is to be out there, mingling, going to parties, getting clients. It seemed that a lot of my good fortune had rested squarely on Michael’s shoulders. But I still had a few loyal clients and, well, things did seem to get a little better.

  “But then somehow, one of my clients, an older man, ancient really, who couldn’t be expected to know what was going on in the gossip pages, sent a check. And supposedly it got misplaced. In the wrong account. His money went missing, and there were some errors in my accounting. He called about it, of course, and the whole thing was taken very seriously. There was an investigation. I couldn’t remember getting the check, didn’t know what happened to it.

  “But my assistant swore she had seen it. She said it came across her desk, I endorsed it and then had it deposited in an account I had control of. I demanded a full investigation.”

  “What happened?”

  “The paper trail led back to Michael. He wasn’t very smart about it.”

  “And what happened to him?” Noah’s voice was rough, angry.

  Caitlyn shrugged. “Michael’s father is a very important man. The whole thing was hushed up, I was cleared of any wrongdoing, and after a little while, everything died down, or at least I thought it did. But the rumors were out there. I could tell that I was going nowhere at the company, or in London. A fresh start seemed the best thing. Maxwell knew that. He saved me.”

  “So, you didn’t come back out of revenge?”

  Caitlyn looked at Noah and laughed. “Revenge?”

  “Against my father. For stealing the firm, for ruining your life.”

  Caitlyn put her hand on Noah’s arm, and he let her. “No, that’s not why I came back.” But she couldn’t help thinking of what she had learned. Perhaps if she had known then what she knew now?

  She looked into Noah’s eyes and saw that he was confused. He believed her, but he had his doubts, and how could she blame him? She had been very angry and bitter for a long time, and he didn’t know the whole story. She couldn’t tell him yet – it would be too much and not quite believable.

  “Just hold me,” she asked, and he did. He kissed her softy, at first, and then it became more intense. His hands were more insistent, stroking her, finding her sensitive spots, his mouth clamping down on her nipples, pebbling them against his tongue. He pushed her against the counter. His teeth grazed her neck, and his hands lifted up her skirt and pulled her panties down, lifting her up so she was braced against the cold marble. She was ready for him, ready as he touched her and his fingers worked her, steadily, unremittingly to a climax. She came quickly, a burst of need, and then he was inside her.

  He was thrusting deeply, holding tight to her, and she clung to him, not wanting to let go, hoping that this would make things right between them, that
they could get back to the place where they had been. Somehow she could sense things were unraveling between them, that they could no longer bury the past or not face the future. But she moaned as he emptied into her and tried to focus, just for a little while longer, on the present.

  Chapter 49

  They had spent the evening together, finally making it to the bedroom. They had made love again, barely speaking a word, simply letting their bodies do the feeling. Still, she could not sleep, and it was close to the middle of the night when Caitlyn dressed and let herself out of the bedroom, leaving a note. She tiptoed across the hall and down the stairs. What she had to do wasn’t right, wasn’t pleasant, but she needed to know if she and Noah were to have a future together.

  She went to the study, to Maxwell’s desk. The drawers were unlocked; Noah had already been through them. But found what she wanted easily enough, in the second drawer, the master set of keys to the office and the small index card with Maxwell’s personal passwords to the firm’s computer system on it. She left the house and went out to the car. It was pitch black; dawn was still far away. She looked up at Noah’s window and then got in the car.

  She drove down into Queensbay, to the parking lot of the office building. She was only half-dressed. She had on her skirt but no pantyhose and no coat, and it was cold as she hurried across the parking lot and let herself into the building. She used her ID card to let herself in and she took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Only dim emergency lights were on as she opened the doors of the office and made her way towards what was now Noah’s office. The key was in there; she felt it.

  Caitlyn slipped a key into the door of the office. It took a few tries, but she found the right one and let herself in. It was so perfect in here. Noah hadn’t done much to make it his own, and Maxwell’s computer was still there. She turned it on, waiting for it to boot up.

  <<>>

  She left the office just before dawn and went to her own house to shower and change. She knew she would need to go back into the office, as if everything were still fine, to face what she needed to face, and then she would be free to go. She could put it all in Noah’s hands.