“How remedial are the security measures?” Reece demanded. He was close and he’d been watching, but...that sounded worse than he’d assumed.
“It’d keep a common criminal out, but I don’t think we’re dealing with the common criminal.”
No, they weren’t. “What about files?”
“Reece, I only have two hands.”
“And I’ve got all day.”
“I’ve already told you it’d take all day to download anything on your hot spot. Unless you plan on getting closer to civilization and a better signal, you’re out. I could walk you through hacking into her computer and you could go through that yourself, but again, bad internet means slow hacking.”
It would have been tricky to find that kind of time even if he was still a guest at the Bluebird. But he was not, and he wasn’t ready for North Star to know he’d messed up yet. And hopefully wasn’t ever going to be honest about that part.
“So whoever planted the devices got around the cameras,” he said.
“Or she deleted the older footage, though usually I can dig that up, too.”
“She wouldn’t have deleted it.”
“Getting to know her, then?”
Reece didn’t say anything to that. He needed more to go on. He needed something. “What about reservations? Can you look into those?”
“Of course, but to what end?”
“I doubt someone broke in when they could easily be a guest and plant things. Find someone with a fishy background.”
“You want me to go back through almost a year’s worth of reservations and look at everyone’s background?”
“Why not?”
Elsie sighed. “Oh, no reason at all,” she muttered.
“Start at the beginning.” Reece thought of his conversation with Lianna on the porch. He hadn’t seen any listening devices outside, and he’d definitely looked. Still, it didn’t hurt to be cautious. “But check this weekend, too. Any new reservations this weekend I want to know about ASAP.”
“Anything else, sir?” Elsie asked dryly.
“I promise to keep you drowning in those disgusting sour candies you love so much when this is all over.”
She made a slight huffing noise. “You’re starting to act like Holden, you know that?”
“Well, there’s no need to be insulting.”
She chuckled. “All right. I’ll see what I can dig up. But I’m holding you to the candy.”
“Got it. Thanks, Elsie.” He hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket, then went about cleaning up his camp.
Though he planned on sleeping here every night until...well, until there was no reason to, he didn’t leave any trace of him behind on the off chance someone came out hiking this way during the day.
Once everything was packed into his backpack, he walked up to the road, where he kept out of sight but made sure Lianna got Henry safely on the bus. He watched the area to make sure no one else was paying too close attention to the woman and her child.
Then, as the bus rumbled away and Lianna walked back to the inn, he got in his car and drove the bus route, a plan he’d worked on all weekend. Everything went according to plan, including pulling into the subdivision next to the school where he could see through the backyards of houses and to the bus drop-off.
Once Henry was safely inside the school, Reece could convince himself all was well and return to be closer to the Bluebird.
He returned to his hiding spot near the Bluebird, parking his car in a wooded area he’d found that kept the car out of sight of any passerby. It was a good two miles direct from the Bluebird, and a five-mile drive since no roads went through the woods. Besides, as far as he knew, only Lianna was aware of the kind of car he was driving, and he’d never seen her drive anywhere. If she did, she’d be heading into town, he had to assume, and this was the opposite direction.
He was surprised when his phone went off and Elsie’s number was on the screen. She’d found something. God, he hoped she’d found something, to be calling back so soon.
“Got something?” Reece demanded, getting out of the car.
“I started with this weekend’s reservations,” she said with no preamble. “One reservation Friday night. Made late at night, which is kind of weird, though not unheard of. Still, I looked into the guy. His background is fake.”
“How do you know?”
“What do you mean, how do I know? I make up fake backgrounds for you guys myself. I know what to look for when it comes to fake records. He’s fake.”
“Who is he?”
“That I don’t know, and won’t be able to find out without a picture or a fingerprint or something more tangible. He’s checking in this afternoon, according to the reservation. Get me something I can use, and I’ll figure out who he is.”
Reece rubbed his free hand over his jaw. Late at night. Someone had overheard his argument with Lianna. Which meant she was in danger.
And it was all his fault.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lianna prepared the attic room for her new guest, erasing every last shred of evidence Reece—or whatever his name was—had ever been here.
Why should a man who’d spent less than a week at her inn leave such a...void? It didn’t make any sense, and it made her hate him even more than she already did. She’d been safe and happy, for the most part, before he ruined everything with his listening devices and heartbroken eyes.
He probably had a family. A big one. He probably had three wives and twenty kids and great parents.
If she kept telling herself that, maybe she could erase the memory of his expression when Henry had said, Like a family.
The alarm on her phone went off, signaling it was time to walk up to the bus stop to pick up Henry. He’d been sullen all weekend, with Reece gone and two older women exclaiming over how cute he was.
The cruelest of all comments, in Henry’s estimation. Still, he’d bounded off to school with his normal restless energy, eager to spend time with Joey and other kids his age. Even if reading was stupid.
She really needed to plan another playdate for Henry and Joey, but her schedule was so packed, and she hated feeling like she was making the Hendersons’ lives difficult by always needing them to handle transportation.
It was weirdly nice to have the normal worries in her mind as she began her walk to the bus stop. She’d much rather worry about mom stuff than...danger.
Hopefully her new reservation wouldn’t arrive early, but if he came in before she got Henry home, she’d be able to wave him down from the road. No one came down her road unless they were looking for the Bluebird.
As if on cue, she heard the pop and rumble of tires on gravel. A sleek black car with tinted windows appeared around the curve. It looked like a very... official car. But it was the make and model the man had given her on his reservation form.
She waved and the car slowed, coming to a stop next to her. The window rolled down and the driver leaned toward her. He wore big aviator sunglasses and he made no move to take them off, despite the gloomy weather.
“Hello,” Lianna offered. “Are you Mr. Adams?”
The man smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
She had to ignore the jitter of nerves. Reece couldn’t make her distrust every single man who came to her inn. She forced a smile in return. “I’m Lianna Kade and I run the Bluebird. I’m just picking up my son at the bus stop. You go on ahead and let yourself inside. I’ll be there in just a moment to check you in. There’s coffee in the common area. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks.”
She gave a little nod, then continued walking up to the main road. She looked back once at the car. It was just a car. He was just a guest. Just a man.
But she was beginning to wonder how she’d sleep at night every time a lone man came to stay at the inn. How was she going to
ever let Henry out of her sight? How was life ever going to be normal?
“Thanks a lot, Reece Conrad, or whoever you are.”
She reached the road and glanced at her watch. Just another minute or two and the bus should show up.
She took a deep breath. She’d be extra cautious when it came to having strange men stay at her inn, but that didn’t mean she had to ban them entirely. She’d just protect herself. And keep Henry completely separate.
She didn’t like the way he’d looked at her. It had been...cold. A very fake friendliness. Reece had—
Good God, Lianna, you cannot live in fear.
Sheriff Reynolds had always been kind enough to offer a deputy or even himself if she ever felt uncomfortable. She knew in part because he’d been good friends with her grandparents and they’d asked him to watch after her, but also because he was a nice man. Always had been.
She wouldn’t be too proud to ask for help. In fact, maybe she’d offer a free room to the sheriff and his wife for tonight. Or Joey and his parents. Yes, she’d fill up the inn with friends. Make it a party.
And drag them into what Todd started and Reece brought up all over again?
No. She wouldn’t think like that. She’d—She whirled around at a noise—a crack, a footstep, something.
And there he was.
Reece held up his hands as if she had a weapon trained on him. She certainly wished. But all she had were too ineffectual fists. “What are you doing here?”
He dropped his hands and stepped closer. When she jumped back, he paused his approach. “Lianna, I’m going to need you and Henry to come with me.”
Go with him? She forced a caustic laugh out of her mouth even though she felt shaky with fear. What was he doing here? What was he playing at? “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Your new guest isn’t safe.”
It sent a bolt of icy fear down her spine, but she refused to show it. “And you are?”
“I know you don’t believe me, but yes. I am.”
“I told you to go, Reece. If that’s your name.”
“It’s my name.”
“Sure.”
“Lianna... The man who made this reservation... There’s too much of a coincidence to the timing. I didn’t find any listening devices outside, but maybe he overheard our conversation.”
Lianna stilled. She had taken the listening device off the smoke alarm and shoved it into her desk drawer. Would whoever was listening know she’d tampered with it? Obviously. It would have changed what they could hear.
“Wait. How do you know about this man’s reservation?”
Reece’s expression didn’t change, but she thought she saw a flash of something like guilt in his eyes as the bus rumbled around the corner.
“You and Henry. Come with me. It’s for your own good. I promise.”
“You’re insane to think I’d do that. To think I’d leave my business. When you admitted to lying to me.”
“Yes, admitted, and I’ll gladly admit a lot more. But you have to come with me.”
“Neither Henry nor I will be going anywhere with you, and if you keep pestering me, I will call the police.”
“You can go back to the inn. Fine,” Reece said, and impatience was snapping at the edges of his calm, controlled voice. “You’re an adult and you have free will to put yourself in danger, but you can’t put Henry in danger.”
“I am Henry’s mother.”
“You’re right. And, honestly, I’m not letting you go, either.”
“Not letting me? What are you going to do? Force me?”
“If I have to.”
“You are out of your mind.” The bus door opened and Henry bolted out, already yelling Reece’s name and rushing toward him.
“Reece, you’re back!”
“I am. And you know what, Hank? We’re going to play a game.”
“We are?”
Lianna moved to step in between them. “No.” She should be afraid, but she couldn’t seem to access fear over the hot sputter of fury. “We are not going to—”
In a move she didn’t anticipate, Reece was behind her and then effectively throwing her over his shoulder. It was all very smooth and sudden and even gentle.
So much so that she didn’t even protest immediately. She could only blink at the grass bumping along underneath her head.
“That’s funny,” Henry was saying, and she could see his tennis shoes happily prancing next to Reece’s steady strides. She didn’t even bump against him as he walked with her over his shoulder.
His shoulder. She managed to break through the shock and confusion and twisted in his grasp.
“Put me down! This isn’t funny. I’m going to...” She didn’t know what. Kick him? Scream?
Henry was prancing beside them, laughing hysterically. They were being kidnapped, essentially, and her child was laughing.
And you’re allowing it.
* * *
REECE KNEW IT wasn’t a laughing matter, but Henry’s sheer joy at Reece lugging around his mother had his own mouth curving into a smile.
“You’re going to be in so much trouble when you put her down.” Henry giggled as Reece led them into the woods.
He didn’t know how much time they had, but Sabrina would arrive shortly to take care of the man at the inn.
Ideally the man poked around a little bit first, giving Elsie a chance to fully ID him. Then Sabrina could swoop in and take care of him. If things didn’t go ideally? Well, they’d roll with the punches.
Lianna twisted in his grip. He could feel her tense her body as if she was going to punch or kick, but she never did anything. Except demand he put her down as he carried her into the woods.
“What are we doing? Where are we going?” Henry asked.
“We’re going to take a secret trip.”
“We are not. We are absolutely not taking a trip. Henry...” She trailed off, and Reece realized she didn’t know how to yell at him without scaring Henry, and Henry was her first priority.
He couldn’t even imagine what it would have been like to have a mother or any foster parent who cared that much if he was afraid. How different his life would have been.
Didn’t matter. His life was the way it was, and he’d made some mistakes here, but he would not allow Lianna and Henry to pay for them. Even if Lianna ended up hating him.
“I promise. Once we get to my car, Lianna, you’ll have as many answers and reassurances as I can give you.”
“Yes, that’s known advice,” she muttered into his ear. “Go with the crazy man to a second location and let him explain everything to you.”
He chuckled in spite of himself and all the danger he was in. She was in. Maybe Elsie couldn’t prove the new reservation was after Lianna yet, but the timing was too suspect. Reece was sure that once Elsie ID’d him, they’d be able to pin him to the group that North Star’s client was after.
Lianna didn’t say anything else, and she didn’t fight him. Oh, he could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. She was probably paying attention to the surroundings and planning her escape once he let her down.
Reece could hardly blame her.
He reached the car and gently put her down on her feet, knowing she’d grab Henry and try to bolt. Except, maybe she wouldn’t, because that would scare Henry.
“I’ve got a computer in the car,” he said, before she could grab Henry and run. “It has all my files. Who I am. Missions I’ve been on, both in the military and for the group I currently work for, including this one. The only thing that’s been redacted is the name of my group and the people I work with—which is for your safety as much as theirs. You can listen to phone calls I made while I was staying here. They’re all recorded. I know... I get it. You can’t trust me. You shouldn’t, but I want to help, and I want you
to understand that... I’m here to help you.”
“Why do we need help?” Henry asked, blinking up at Reece. His face clouded. “Is this about my father?”
As someone who was adequately familiar with that acidic feeling toward one’s father, Reece still felt his heart pinch. He wanted to assure Henry he was safe, and Reece would make sure everything was taken care of, but...
Reece glanced at Lianna. He didn’t want to step on any toes. He didn’t want to hurt Henry or Lianna.
Lianna slid her arm around Henry. “Yes, sweetheart. But it’s going to be okay.”
“You’re going to make it okay. Right, Reece?” Henry asked, smiling up at him, hope and something like adoration lighting up his features.
Reece wished he’d turn into primordial ooze right then and there. “I’m going to do everything I can. I just need you both to trust me, and you know, that’s rough, because you shouldn’t trust people you just meet. Trust should be earned, and I haven’t earned it.”
“That’s okay,” Henry said, with a seven-year-old shrug.
Reece looked at Lianna again, knowing it was very much not okay. “The computer is in the back of the car.”
“Why would I get in the back of your car?”
Reece sighed and pulled the computer out of the back seat. He handed it to her, along with some headphones. “Sit wherever you like. Look at whatever you like.”
“You could have made all this up. It could be fake,” she said, not taking either device.
“You’re absolutely right,” he agreed. He stepped close enough he could lower his voice so Henry wouldn’t hear. “But it’s an awful lot of work to convince you I’m a good guy when I could just as easily throw you and Henry in that car and drive you where I want to take you.”
Her scowl was so deep, her blue eyes practically a flame of rage, and yet she said nothing. He stepped back and waited for her response.
“What about the man who I’m supposed to be checking in?”
“We’re getting a clear ID on him. Then, if he’s who we think he is, we’ll handle it.”
“Who’s we?”
Harlequin Intrigue May 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Page 25