Caught in the Frame

by ReGina Welling

  Chloe wasted no time pouring a cup of coffee and filling a plate. “We got distracted earlier—you were going to tell us about Javier’s brother. What does he do?”

  Only because she was looking for it, did Chloe see how Lila tensed slightly. “He’s in security as well.”

  “Does he work with Javier?” Lila was holding back, Chloe knew it. EV knew it.

  “Not for the last few months.”

  “I hope they didn’t have a falling out.”

  “There’s time to talk about all that later. Let’s look at the rest of the options, shall we?” It will be easier to choose flowers when we have dress colors.” Lila left her plate of half-eaten food on the table. “We have final choices with the florist right after we finish here.”

  The sound of a sliding zipper meant the subject was closed. There would be no more prying today.

  “Shouldn’t the groom be helping choose the flowers?” Okay, there would be a little more prying.

  “Javier is doing those system updates today, so he’s left that decision in my capable hands.”

  “Okay then.” A new thought struck Chloe. At dinner, Javier had mentioned a theft. Was there some connection between holes in security and his brother?

  Lila blew through the second rack like a woman possessed. Only two more dresses made the cut before she started in on the last rack. Watching her mother cast a calculating eye over the contents of each bag, Chloe appreciated her shrewd dress sense. EV could relax, because Lila hadn’t been born with the competitive gene. She wanted everyone to look their best at all times. If there was a dress that suited EV’s willowy frame while making the most of Chloe’s curves, Lila would find it.

  Meanwhile, loathe to sit around waiting, Chloe grabbed a bag of possibles and pulled out a dress for EV and one in her size. “How did you know EV’s size? You never asked.”

  “Hmm?” Lila was absorbed in evaluating, “You sent me photos from Halloween.”

  “She’s a savant.” Chloe grinned at EV as she handed over a spaghetti-strapped number in dove gray. “If carnivals hired dress size guessers, she’d clean up. I bet it fits perfectly.”

  “Nothing ever fits perfectly,” Lila disagreed. Even on the rare occasion when she wore jeans, she had them tailored.

  In this case, she was correct. On EV the dress billowed too loosely over the hip, and Chloe’s snugged over the bust. Lila appraised the pair of them.

  “That’s a no.”

  The next two garnered a nose wrinkle from Lila, who was halfway through the last rack and had only added another two bags to the dwindling pile of possible choices. She’d better find something soon, or they were going back to square one. Unless there were four more racks somewhere. Chloe wouldn’t doubt it.

  Something about pulling dresses on and off had affected the static in Chloe’s hair; where earlier, it had stood on end, it was now plastered tight to her head. EV’s hair had dried every which way to begin with. The dressing and undressing process created further disarray. EV joked, “The only thing missing is raccoon eyes, and we’d look like the morning after a shotgun wedding.”

  Not liking the comparison, Chloe stomped into the bathroom to rustle around in her things. When she returned, she had a coated hair band and a tube of something. A few deft motions formed her shapeless mass into a charmingly messy chignon, and then, after squeezing a dollop of goo into her hand, she rubbed both hands together and turned on an unsuspecting EV. Moving fast, she ran her hands through EV’s hair with a ruffling motion that fluffed it back into attractive messiness.

  “There, all better now?”

  Lila spared a smile before she went back to perusing options; this was shopping, something she took very seriously.

  Three quarters the way through the rack, she finally found a style and color that made her go, “Ooh!”

  Lila lifted a spaghetti-strapped silk gown in a shade of blue-gray so muted it was almost silver. Whisper-thin chiffon covered the scalloped bodice in a bust-enhancing criss-cross pattern, and a darker gray, thin velvet sash tied around the ribs.

  “I think we have a winner, what do you think?” Lila tossed one dress to Chloe and one to EV. “Try them on.”

  “A little plain.” Chloe raised a skeptical brow.

  “Trust me.” Lila insisted. “They don’t look like much on the hanger, but when you put them on, you’ll see. This color will be stunning on Faith as well.”

  She was right. Even with the wonky hair, Chloe had to admit she looked fantastic, and so did EV.

  “I told you, a savant.”

  Lila circled Chloe, twitched at the fabric at the back of her waist, “A little tuck here, and take the hem up a half inch,” she pinched at the top of the wide shoulder strap, “nip this a smidge, and you will be the most beautiful maid of honor to ever walk down the aisle.”

  She turned to EV, tweaked the material here and there and watched as the small changes subtly enhanced curves that would ordinarily go unnoticed.

  “Perfect,” Chloe pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos, including a couple selfies. The occasion seemed to call for a duck-lipped shot.

  “We’re meeting Baylee for lunch, and the florist will come in after that. I need to make a call while you get dressed. Chop chop,” Lila called over her shoulder while she rehung the bags of unwanted dresses on their respective racks.

  “You don’t need me for this part, I’ll just…” EV made an attempt to get out of the lunch meeting.

  “We are meeting Baylee for lunch.” Lila emphasized. “And then we are going to pick out flowers.” Attempt denied. “My dress will arrive by courier tomorrow morning, and I’ll want to have my seamstress check the final alterations. She can take measurements for yours, then, too.”

  “And after that, you can stomp down a few villagers, Bridezilla.” EV softened the barb with a smile. “Just think how you’ll look in a plaid flannel bridesmaid’s dress at my wedding.”

  “Should fit right in with the hoedown atmosphere—you know, with the pig scramble and all. Just make sure my dress is loose enough not to rip when they fly out of my butt.”

  “Oh, you are too funny.”

  * * *

  “Keep your cop eye on him. I expect a full report when you three get back.” Nate recalled Chloe’s parting request—if you could call it that—as he, Dalton, and Javier headed to the castle’s tailor for tuxedo fittings. Even though Nate wasn’t in the wedding, he would inevitably wind up being photographed next to Chloe throughout the event, and Lila wouldn’t hear of him attending in anything other than a custom-tailored suit.

  By that reasoning, Nate couldn’t understand why the same wasn’t expected of Dalton. Just one more hoop Lila expected him to navigate. When he spied the decade-old suit his deputy planned to wear, Nate couldn’t decide between saying nothing and hoping Lila didn’t get a glimpse of it until it was too late, or doing the decent thing and stopping the man from looking like a country cousin. He also made a note to spend time with more male friends when he got back to Ponderosa Pines. This preoccupation with another man’s clothing wasn’t exactly butch.

  “Do you really want to be shown up by Remy Vincent in the wardrobe department, man?”

  Dalton blanched. “You’re right. I think I’ll go with you guys, if you don’t mind.” Just like that, Nate got what he wanted; maybe it would put Chloe’s mind at ease if Dalton could also attest to Javier’s character.

  Rounding the staircase down to the castle entrance, they spotted Javier leaning casually against the front desk as he chatted with a couple of security staffers. He waved amicably, bid goodbye to the gentlemen behind the counter, and gestured for Nate and Dalton to follow him down a long corridor.

  “Come, come. We have quite a walk ahead of us. They manage to put everything a woman would want within arm’s reach, while all the amenities designed for men are relegated to dark corners at the far ends of the castle.” Javier’s accent couldn’t be described as thick by any means, but the cadence of his s
peech combined with somewhat unusual word choices reminded Nate that English was his second language.

  “So, your company installed the security system in this place, huh?” Nate asked Javier casually, while shooting a pointed look at Dalton to indicate that this pairing was to double as a reconnaissance mission. Dalton’s answering nod proved once again how lucky Nate had gotten when Dalton became a deputy; they required very little communication to be on the same page.

  “My technicians handled the installation, yes. My job was to oversee the process, troubleshoot, and sign off on the work.”

  “That must have been difficult; this place is huge. There must be hundreds of rooms to monitor, not to mention all the places guests aren’t allowed access. Are all the staff areas monitored as well? What kind of crew did it take to complete a job this big?” Dalton’s questions didn’t seem to phase Javier; the three had crossed the line into Man Territory, where it was perfectly acceptable to discuss the technical aspects of their work.

  Javier grinned, and launched into detail without hesitation. “There are a few remote areas that aren’t monitored with video; those are secured with other methods. And of course, there are no cameras in the guest rooms, or in any of the restrooms or changing areas; that would be a breech of privacy. My crew includes five upper-level security experts, who report directly to me. Each of them supervised a team of six technicians along with the requisite craftsmen needed to maintain the ambiance. Even still, the job took nearly four months. I’ve seen every nook and cranny of this place. More than once.”

  Both Nate and Dalton were intrigued at this point; they would have continued digging for information regardless of whether they had been asked to do so. Spurred on by their eager expressions of avid interest, Javier continued rambling on.

  “The cameras are actually a small part of the system, though there are over two hundred positioned throughout the public areas of the castle, and thanks to some local artisans, they are virtually undetectable unless you know to look for them.” Javier stopped to point out what looked like a pinhole in the cornice above them.

  “They’re the eyes, but without the mainframe—or brain, as I like to describe it—they’re useless. All of that information is recorded, backed up, and compiled in the event that it needs to be reviewed. The castle’s permanent security team monitors certain areas continuously—mostly high-traffic parts of the castle—but the rest is only accessed when the cameras detect movement. We also installed a new key card system, not only for guest rooms, but also for staff. Everyone is assigned a photo ID badge; they each hold a chip that grants access to certain areas, depending on that person’s clearance level.”

  “Undetectable? Then I assume you must get some very interesting footage. People often do the strange when they think no one is looking,” Nate mused.

  A quick grin flashed across Javier’s face. “On that, we are agreed. You must see plenty of that type of thing in your own line of work.”

  “I did when I worked in Portland. Ponderosa Pines has its own brand of weird, but it’s very subdued.”

  “Most of the time,” Dalton reminded him, “we had some outside strange come to town recently.” He and Nate between them went on to describe the invasion of the Sasquatch hunters, their inevitable rout, and Chloe’s part in driving them away.

  “Now that would have been worth seeing,” Javier allowed amiably.

  Feeling more comfortable now that they had shared some bonding experience, Nate asked, “How did you happen to get into the security business?”

  Apparently, Javier’s candidness was exclusive to discussing only the technical side of things, he sidestepped the personal aspect of the conversation adeptly. “That’s a long story, for another time. We have arrived.” Whatever nefarious intent Chloe thought she sensed in the man, Nate wasn’t seeing anything other than a desire for personal privacy.

  In contrast to Lila’s time-intensive focus on choosing the correct wedding finery, Nate and Dalton made their decisions rapidly with a minimum of fuss. An hour and a half saw all three men enjoying a Guinness in the pub. Nothing—but nothing—would induce any one of them to go looking for the women until absolutely certain the dress choosing was over.

  Chapter 11

  “Come with me, I know a private place where we won’t be found.” Chloe tugged at Nate’s hand, leading him around a corner and through a door marked for staff use only. She had an hour—two tops—away from Lila and wedding planning; she intended to make the most of that time.

  “Lead the way!”

  Several more twists and turns deposited the pair in a deserted hallway. Sconces adorned the rough stone walls every few feet, ancient dried wax dripping from the candle holders. Rejected portraits of past ruling family members quietly decomposed on the walls; these particular pieces had been commissioned by less talented artists. Something about them just seemed off—a too-long nose here, an unsightly mole overemphasized there—or perhaps the renderings had been too close to reality, and therefore relegated to dark corners out of self-consciousness.

  “This is the section of the castle the staff uses for storage. There’s a balcony up ahead; should be deserted.”

  Nate performed a quick search and officially cleared the area, then pulled Chloe behind a curtain and began nuzzling her neck. A low moan escaped his lips as her fingers brushed lightly between the waist of his slacks and the taut line of his stomach muscles. Before the tryst could turn into anything serious, they heard a voice ringing out from somewhere above.

  Chloe released herself from Nate’s grip and shuffled quietly toward the balcony’s edge. He grasped her by the wrist and pulled her back into the shadows, finger to his lips to let her know that silence was necessary. She returned his gesture with a hand wave meant to convey the sentiment, duh.

  “That’s Javier. He must be directly above us.” Nate whispered. His cop instincts took over, letting him know there was a reason to listen to the conversation that must have been important enough to carry Javier to this remote area of the castle. They both stood still as statues, muscles tensed, straining to make out every word of the conversation.

  “… disabled, you’ll have five minutes. That should be enough time. Are you positive you want to go ahead with this? It could be dangerous. No. I said I would help, and I won’t back out now. Yes, the safe, too. Yes. I’ll be ready. Win or lose, this is it—our last chance. I want this to be my last job. I fully intend to spend the rest of my life next to a sandy beach somewhere…yeah, I know I hit the jackpot. Okay, be ready, and wait for my signal.”

  Chloe didn’t breathe until Javier had retreated into the upstairs room, and didn’t speak until they had followed the path back to the main part of the castle. Her cheeks flamed red as Nate stabbed the up arrow next to a small bank of elevators; he could tell she was about to launch into a patented Chloe-rant.

  “Wait until I get my hands on that slimy bast—” Nate’s lips softly interrupted her tirade, but she was angry enough to break the kiss before it turned into a distraction.

  “Let’s find Dalton and EV, and then you can start plotting his demise. For now, we need to keep this to ourselves. We don’t know what’s actually going on; let’s not jump to conclusions or be overheard by anyone.” He chastised gently, looking pointedly at the few guests milling about the hallway.

  Chloe held her tongue until all four of them had assembled in Nate’s room, where Lila’s prying eyes and curious ears wouldn’t interrupt the conversation. EV and Dalton, assuming the urgent matter that had dragged them from a few moments of hard-earned serenity had to do with Remy, sat side by side. His face mirrored her expression of resignation. As soon as Chloe’s tirade began, they both relaxed for a moment before reacting to this newest twist.

  “That son of a bitch, Javier, is up to no good! Nate and I were, um, exploring some of the more remote parts of the castle…” her eyes flicked to Nate, who bore a sheepish expression of his own, and quickly continued, “when we overheard a conversati
on between him and someone on the other end of the phone. He’s planning some kind of break in—he’s going to abuse his position in security to steal something from someone, and then he’s going to screw over my mother and take all her money. This isn’t the first time he’s ripped someone off, either; he said this was his last job, and that he was planning on retiring on some beach with all of his cash! We have to take him down; he won’t get away with this!” Chloe began pacing back and forth, muttering under her breath.

  “Are you sure that’s what’s going on?” Dalton, always able to see both sides of a story, wondered out loud, directing the question toward Nate.

  “I hate to admit it, but it seemed pretty cut and dried to me.”

  “Great, now we have two situations to deal with. And Lila seemed so happy. This is going to crush her.” EV lamented.

  “I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about this; we have no jurisdiction here, and it’s not like I can go to the head of security and ask for help.” Nate swiped a hand through his hair for about the tenth time; he was beginning to look like a troll doll from the ‘90’s. “Dalton and I’ll keep an eye on him, but he’s got more resources than we do. Man, I really thought he was a good guy. The only other course of action we can take is to tell Lila.”

  “EV and I will take that particular bullet. C’mon, let’s see if we can find her.”

  * * *

  Miles of hallways, dozens of rooms, and fifty acres of grounds made tracking down any single guest into a chore. Not to mention, Lila had a long list of errands and a jam-packed wedding planning schedule, so there was no telling where she had run off to.