Victor glared at her. “In my day women knew how to use sex to get what they wanted from a man.”
Olivia’s face flamed. Aghast at his gall, she gaped at him. “Are you actually suggesting that I try to manipulate your son with intimacy?”
“Any fool, even an old one, can see the fireworks between you two. Make the boy crazy. Reel him in. Don’t worry about being so damned politically correct.”
“Forgive me if I don’t want a man I have to coerce into loving me.”
“Who said anything about love? Once he parks his boots, he’ll figure out that you and Cammie are good for him.”
“Like prunes and brussels sprouts? No, thank you. I deserve a man who will love me and my child and put us first.”
“Then fight for the boy, damn it.”
Olivia stood up, beyond finished with the circuitous conversation. “I appreciate your hospitality, Mr. Wolff, but my relationship with Kieran is none of your business. I wish I could give you what you want.”
He waved a hand as if dismissing her stilted words. “Any news about your house…or the stalker? I’m sorry about that, by the way. Must have been a damned shock.”
“Nothing yet. I’ll call my parents when it gets a little later.” His compassion touched her in spite of their adversarial meeting.
“You’re always welcome on Wolff Mountain. I give you my word.” His rheumy eyes glittered with tears.
Her throat tightened. This magnificent house was part of Cammie’s birthright. Whatever transpired between Kieran and Olivia, that relationship would never change. Victor Wolff was Cammie’s grandfather.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll bring her to visit when I can.”
He nodded, a single tear streaking down his leathery cheek. “See that you do, Olivia Delgado. See that you do.”
She escaped Victor’s study, and after checking on Cammie who was still elbow-deep in cookie dough, Olivia retrieved her cell phone from the bedroom and began making a necessary string of phone calls. The insurance adjuster, of course. And the neighbor to check on the cat.
That second call meant answering a host of questions. Mrs. Capella was a dear, but a notorious gossip. No doubt she’d be preening on the block since she had direct contact with Olivia.
Finally, when it was a decent hour to roust her night-owl parents out of bed, Olivia dialed their number.
Lolita’s sleep-thickened voice answered. “You do realize that a woman my age needs her beauty sleep,” she complained.
“You’re gorgeous, Mother…with or without sleep.” The implied request for flattery was received and acknowledged. “Are you and Daddy okay?”
Javier Delgado picked up the conversation. “She went to make coffee. We’re fine, baby. Are you and my granddaughter staying put?”
“Yes.” But not for long. She had another phone call to make that would set things in motion. Unfortunately every minute spent with Kieran made the inevitable parting that much harder. It was time to break free.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were flying out here yesterday?”
Her father’s pique made her feel guilty. “You said on the phone that Mom had gone to bed with a sedative. I didn’t want her to see my house. Not yet. We both know she doesn’t handle crises well.”
“We’ll get the bastard who did this.”
Javier often spoke like a movie character. But his vehemence made Olivia smile. “I know. I just called to say I love you and to tell you to be very careful. This man is obsessed with Mother. No one knows what he’ll try next.”
“Not to worry, my love. The house is surrounded with so much firepower, I feel like we’re hiding out at the Alamo.”
“That standoff didn’t end well, Daddy.”
“No. But it was a hell of a role.” Javier had played Davy Crockett once upon a time, and could still produce a creditable southern accent.
She wiped her cheek, surprised to realize she was crying. Her parents were eccentric and self-centered and prone to overdramatization in every situation, but she loved them dearly. “I’ll call again soon,” she promised. “Keep me posted.”
When she hung up, she gnawed her lip, worried that her mother wouldn’t take the threat seriously, despite the fire. Olivia was sure that a part of Lolita felt flattered that a fan cared enough to be irrational.
The three Wolff men were not back by lunchtime. Cammie pouted, missing Kieran’s attentions. Olivia felt much the same, but without the luxury of acting like a five-year-old. For the next several hours, Cammie was fractious and inconsolable. Refusing to nap, she sulked around her wonderful bedroom until Olivia was at her wit’s end. Was all this bad behavior a result of last night’s news? Would it help if Olivia coaxed her daughter into talking about the fire? Or would that make things worse?
It was far too hot to play outside. Huge thunderclouds built on the western horizon, and the sticky, oppressive heat shimmered in waves, obscuring the usual, far flung vistas.
When Cammie finally succumbed to a fitful sleep, it was after four o’clock. Olivia fell into a chair exhausted. It was always a mistake to let her offspring nap this late in the day. It meant Cammie wouldn’t want to go to bed at her normal bedtime, and battle would inevitably ensue.
But the child was clearly in need of rest. Olivia wasn’t about to wake her up, even for dinner. They could always raid the kitchen later.
At six-thirty, Olivia dressed in a salmon voile sundress that she had not yet worn. The filmy layers were cool, and the color flattered her skin tones. No bra was required. Her breathing quickened as she pictured Kieran’s reaction later when they were alone.
She owed him something for last night. After her insistence that they make love, she had flaked out on him in no time. Had he been terribly disappointed?
No matter. They had time for one last metaphorical dance. Then Olivia would go home. Kieran was who he was. He wouldn’t change. And Olivia couldn’t bruise her heart any longer hoping for a different outcome. After running a brush through her hair, she clipped it up in a loose chignon. Dangling crystal earrings added a note of formality to her appearance. If she had to play verbal badminton with Victor Wolff again, she needed all the armor she could muster.
Poor Cammie looked like an urchin when Olivia checked on her. She had shed her shorts and top and was wearing an old T-shirt Kieran had given her that said, Girls Rule, Boys Drool.
Grinning wryly, Olivia picked up the monitor and tucked it in the pocket of her full skirt. When Cammie awoke, it would be easy to hear her. The child usually demanded a snack before her eyes were open. More like her grandmother than her mother, she didn’t waken easily.
Olivia descended the stairs to the main floor, stopping short when Kieran came striding toward her. Something was different about him, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. There was almost a spring in his step.
He gave her a broad grin. “Hello, beautiful. Did you miss me?”
Fifteen
Kieran had thoroughly enjoyed the day with his brothers. Catching up on each others’ lives, sharing stupid inside jokes from their adolescent years…all of it had been comfortable and familiar and pretty damned wonderful. There’d been nothing touchy feely or emotionally intrusive. But Gareth and Jacob, by their behavior and conversation, had made it clear how glad they were to have him home.
Even in the midst of a testosterone fest, though, Kieran had missed his girls. He hugged Olivia now, inhaling her scent with a deep, cleansing breath.
She pulled back and smiled at him. “Yes. We missed you. In fact, Cammie was a spoiled brat today. Not having you here to entertain her was not fun.”
“Where is she now?”
“Taking a late nap.” She pulled the monitor from her pocket. “I’ll hear her when she wakes up.”
“Do you think she was acting out because of what we told her last night?”
“I thought about that. But she never mentioned the fire.”
“What have you heard from California?”
&nb
sp; “Nothing much. The man is still on the loose. Mom and Dad are fine…holed up with a phalanx of security guards.”
He squeezed her hand. “And how about you?”
“I’m fine.”
Her words weren’t all that convincing. The shadows smudged beneath her eyes accentuated her pallor. He had a feeling that she was running on nothing more than adrenaline and determination. Olivia was strong, very strong. But losing a home was a blow to anyone.
He put his arm around her as they walked to the dining room. “We’ll do whatever needs to be done,” he said quietly. “Try not to worry.”
Gareth had lingered, and Gracie joined them for dinner. With Jacob and Annalise present, as well, it was a lively meal. Annalise’s siblings and father were due back to the mountain in another week.
Surprisingly it was quiet Jacob who pressed Olivia for details. “When they catch the guy, what will you do?”
She took a sip of her wine and winced. “As soon as that happens, Cammie and I will head home.... I mean…”
Kieran’s hand tightened on hers beneath the tablecloth.
She took a breath. “Cammie and I will stay with my parents, I suppose, until we decide what to do…whether to rebuild in the same place or closer to my mom and dad. I haven’t really had time to think it through.”
“Speaking of Cammie, I thought she’d be awake by now,” Kieran said. He watched as she pulled the monitor from her pocket, listened a moment and shook it. He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“I think the batteries are dead.”
Olivia’s look of consternation mirrored his own gut feeling of trouble. “I’ll go get her,” he said. “Stay and eat your dinner.”
But he’d barely had time to stand up when Cammie appeared in the doorway—sucking her thumb, wearing an old T-shirt. Her hair was sleep tousled. Relief flooded him, along with amusement. “Hi, sweetheart. You ready for some dinner?”
She surveyed the assemblage at the table, her small face solemn. “I forgot Bun-Bun. He wants to eat with us.” Turning back, she ran out of the room.
“Put your clothes on,” Olivia called after her.
Kieran sat back down. “Don’t hassle her. As kids we showed up at meals in all varieties of threadbare shirts and jeans.”
Victor chuckled. “Not for lack of trying on my part. Vincent and I did our best to impart rules of etiquette, but rarely did they stick. It was a household of hellions back in those days.”
“Not me.” Annalise’s smile was smug. “Somebody had to have some couth around here.”
The men hooted. Gareth grinned, his arm stretched out along the back of his wife’s chair. “You were a goody two-shoes. But what Dad and Uncle Vincent didn’t know was that you came home from playing in the woods just as nasty as the rest of us. Unfortunately you had this feminine knack for turning grubby Cinderella into an infuriating, sanctimonious princess in the blink of an eye. Made us mad as hell.”
In the burst of laughter that followed, Kieran leaned toward Olivia. “Should I go get Cammie?”
She shook her head. “Not in the mood she’s in. I’ll deal with it. Just don’t eat my dessert,” she added as she went to retrieve her daughter.
Kieran had finished his meal and was having a second glass of wine when Olivia rushed back into the room, panic written all over her face.
“She’s not upstairs. I can’t find her. She’s gone.”
He grabbed her shoulders, easing her into a chair before she fainted on him. Her skin had gone milk-white. “Don’t jump to conclusions, honey. She probably got turned around and lost her way down a hall somewhere. You know how this house is.”
“Cammie has a perfect sense of direction.” Olivia gazed up at him, clutching his sleeve. “She never gets lost. Something’s wrong.”
Terror ripped at his chest, but he fought it back. There had to be a simple explanation.
Everyone at the table was on their feet in an instant, Victor included.
Kieran sucked in a breath and barked out orders. “Gareth, you and Gracie take the yard and your house. She loves the dog and the pool. Jacob, search this floor with Father. Olivia and I will start with the second floor and work our way up. Annalise, question the staff. When each of you finishes, come back. Does everyone have a cell phone? Call if you locate her.”
The next half hour was a nightmare. They tore the house apart, from basement to attic. Cammie was nowhere to be found.
When the search parties met, empty-handed, Olivia broke down finally, sobbing so hard Kieran feared she would make herself ill. Holding her close, he breathed hope into her, shoring her up with only his will. Deep in his gut, her anguish was his own.
She sank onto a sofa, her eyes haunted. “That man has her. I know it. He said he was going to hurt the people my mother loves, and my mother adores Cammie.”
Kieran’s hands fisted. “How would he even know how to find you here?”
“The police said he’s been watching my house. You came there. He must have figured out who you were.”
“I was in a rental car.”
“But you gave your real name?”
“Yes.” Dear God in heaven…
Jacob spoke, his words carefully neutral. “We at least have to consider the possibility.”
Olivia bowed her head. “There are no fences,” she said dully. “Only the one at the front gate. Anyone could walk in.”
Victor shook his head. “It would be a fool’s mission. We have four hundred acres.”
“Gracie made it up here,” Gareth pointed out, his face troubled. His new wife had once upon a time sneaked onto the property to confront Gareth on her father’s behalf.
“But Gracie didn’t try to get into the main house, kidnap a child and leave again.” Kieran’s fierce shout cowed no one. In the faces of the people he loved, he saw compassion, concern and his own bubbling fear.
Olivia gathered her composure with a visible, superhuman effort, her chest heaving as tremors threatened to rattle her bones. “Do we call the police?”
A momentary silence fell over the room. The Wolff family had suffered terribly at the hands of the press over the years. Privacy was practically inscribed on the family crest. And for Lolita and Javier, this kind of publicity was not desirable, either. The tabloids would have a field day.
Kieran squatted in front of Olivia. “We’ll do whatever you want. You’re her mother.” He took her hands in his, trying to warm the icy skin. She was close to being in shock, and he was damn glad Jacob was on hand.
“It will take them a long time to get here, won’t it?” The words were barely a whisper, spoken through bloodless lips.
Everyone nodded. Victor’s breathing was harsh and labored. “The nearest law enforcement is forty-five to fifty minutes away.”
Olivia shook free of Kieran’s solicitous grasp and stood up. “We’ll give it an hour, then…before we make a call.”
Gareth spoke up, pacing restlessly. “I scouted the perimeter of the house. No sign of forced entry, no footprints, nothing to indicate an intruder. But that doesn’t mean anything. Psychopaths are often brilliant. He would try to cover his tracks.”
A blinding flash of lightning lit up the room in which they all stood as a simultaneous crack of thunder roared across the mountaintop and rattled glass in the windows.
Kieran made a decision. “If he has her, he’ll use one of the trails. It would be too hard to travel through the underbrush. I’m going to walk the closest sections to look for signs that anyone has passed by recently. I’ll start with the north and the east since that portion of the property is nearest a road.”
Jacob nodded. “Gareth and I will take the west and south quadrants.”
“I’m going with you.” Olivia in her dainty, feminine dress held her stance as aggressively as a bulldog.
“It’s too dangerous,” Kieran said through clenched teeth. “Trust me.”
“I do trust you,” she said. “But that’s my baby out in the storm.”
&
nbsp; He eyed her low-heeled sandals. They were flimsy at best, but the clock was ticking. She was close to collapse, and the knowledge that he had not been able to protect her or his daughter flailed him like a whip. “Fine,” he ground out, his anger self-directed. “Suit yourself. Let’s move out.”
Olivia stumbled behind Kieran, trying to keep up with his loping stride. She knew he was angry with her, but she couldn’t stay inside the house and wait. She couldn’t. Not when Cammie was terrified of storms.
Who had her? What was his intent? Ransom? Kieran’s mother had been murdered in just such a situation. Was Kieran thinking of Laura Wolff right now? Did fear turn his limbs to jelly as it did Olivia’s?
All around them lightning danced. Rain poured from the skies relentlessly, drenching Olivia to the skin and blinding her. Kieran called to Cammie again and again, until his voice was hoarse and exhausted.
There were at least a dozen trails crisscrossing the mountaintop. None of them showed a single sign that anyone had walked them recently. But the rain was rapidly turning everything to mud, so even if there had been shreds of cloth or remnants of footprints, they would soon be eradicated completely.
In a clearing, Kieran stopped abruptly. During a brief flash of illumination, Olivia saw anguish and grief on his face. But when she touched his arm, his expression morphed into determination.
Had she imagined his emotion?
He strode on, giving her no choice but to follow.
When they finally met up with Jacob and Gareth, the four adults looked for signs of hope in each others’ faces. Huddled against the wind, they wordlessly acknowledged the truth. If an intruder had taken Cammie out in this storm, the chances of finding her were slim to none.
Stumbling back into the house with the others, Olivia struggled not to collapse in hysteria. Annalise and Gracie had prepared hot coffee. Olivia grasped a warm mug, trying to still the trembling that threatened to drag her under.
Annalise tugged her out of the foyer into a side chamber. “I brought down dry clothes. You need to change immediately. It won’t help Cammie if you make yourself sick.”
A Touch of Persuasion Page 14