"Mr. Forrester, Mrs. Forrester, I'm Steve Harden," he said, extending his hand formally. "Thanks for calling me and my team in."
"Well, it might be nothing Steve, but glad to have you around," Dwayne replied, leading him inside. The other team members, four in all, unloaded their bags from the helicopter, which kept its rotors spinning. The Aura had no helipad, and they couldn't leave a helicopter in the middle of the tennis courts. The rest of the Delta team would come in by van the next morning, based off of Steve's assessment of the initial problem.
"I have my security office ready for you, and some of my senior staff and others to talk with."
"Thanks. Listen, I know this is a bit scary for you guys, but we can handle it. We'll keep this little one safe," Steve replied, smiling at Liz. It pleased Erica that he could so immediately find the root cause of their worries and reassure them. Then again, she reminded herself, that was a trick used by con artists as well.
"Mr. Harden," Erica asked, holding Liz in her arms. The little girl squirmed, wanting to be let down. She didn't understand the worry that was causing her mother to hold her so much, and like most three year olds, wanted to get down and explore the world by herself. "I don't want to sound mean, but what are your teams qualifications?"
"None taken, Mrs. Forrester. By the way, my guys love your designs," he said, with a smile. "If I had known in advance, we would have worn EW. Your men's line from last fall was a big hit with my men, who were able to adjust the suit jackets for concealed carry. But, to answer your question, I was a four year member of the Navy SEALs, before moving on to the Secret Service for another ten. I left both for the more pleasant and lucrative realm of corporate and personal security five years ago. I also have a Master's Degree from the University of Arizona, and am working on my PhD now. Most of my team is made up of former military and police, but all are screened extensively by me and by a team of psychologists. There are no loose cannons on my team, Mrs. Forrester. I guarantee you that."
Erica tilted her head. "Wait, so you've got twenty years of experience? No offense Steve, but you don't look like you should be that old."
Steve laughed pleasantly. "I'm actually 41. I graduated high school early, and got through college on a ROTC scholarship quickly. If you look closely enough, some of this blonde is actually a gray hair or two."
Erica liked him, straight away. He was confident, but not cocky, and she could see by the way he walked he knew how to handle himself. She had spent years watching how people moved, not just for her work on the runway, but in creating her designs. This was the sort of man designers wanted to have wear their clothes out on the street. He wasn't built like a model, but he would move in such a way as to make the clothes look good in the functionality of the real world.
Reaching the security office, Dwayne led Steve inside, where Tina, Elizabeth, and Peter were already waiting. Elizabeth had wanted Kelly there as well, but there wasn't enough room in the office for so many people. As it was, the place was already packed. Instead, Kelly greeted them at the door.
"Erica, how about I take Liz here for some playtime out on the playground?" she asked with a smile. "I don't think our little princess wants to hang around a stuffy old office with a bunch of grumpy adults."
Erica glanced at Dwayne and Steve, who both nodded. "It's fine," Dwayne reassured her. "The playground is open and safe, and Liz loved it there. What do you say, baby?"
"Yeah Daddy! Kelly and I can play on the swings!" Liz said, jumping up and down. "She's a good swinger!"
"I'll remember that," Peter said soto voce, causing Tina to smack him in the arm. "What?"
Liz, ignorant of Peter's meaning giggled, grabbing Kelly's hand. "I think I'm the one in danger," Kelly groaned, carefully disentangling herself. She led Liz off, breaking into a jog to keep up after they had reached the main lobby. Erica watched them go, before going inside the security office.
"Steve, let me introduce you to the senior staff you're going to be working with most," Dwayne said. "This is Tina Youngblood, Erica's chief assistant and more or less right arm. Anything your team needs from EW designs, she's the lady to talk to. Next to her is Peter Tanner, who's going to be coordinating all of the models for the event, and works for EW as a photographer and is a former model himself. Finally, next to him is my sister Elizabeth Forrester, our chief counsel and legal expert."
Steve shook hands all around, although the way his handshake with Elizabeth stretched a little longer than the others was noticeable by everyone. There was an instant attraction between the two, and Tina looked from the handsome security consultant to the beautiful attorney, a smile on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, when a sharp look from Peter cut her off. Still, an amused half smile stayed on her lips as Steve sat down.
"Thanks for having me, everyone. My team is securing the grounds now, but honestly, without knowing what is happening, there isn't much we can do. Mr. Forrester, you said you had security footage of the accident this morning. Can we take a look?"
"Sure," Dwayne said, fiddling with a computer on the side of the room. "Sorry it wasn't ready when you first got here. With it just being construction crews, I don't have my normal security staff here yet, and all of this has been pretty automatic. Let me get it working....." he muttered, until the large flat panel screen at the front of the office lit up. "Ah, got it!"
The video was remarkably good quality, considering it was only security footage. Dwayne had used the latest in security camera technology, giving pseudo high definition quality footage over digital links. The screen was divided into four quarters, each with a different angle of the pool area.
"This is about an hour before the accident, when the speakers were being set up," Dwayne said, starting the video.
In quadruple time, the video progressed, each of the people on screen moving in jerky, almost humorous rapidity, the speakers being heaved into position by a team using a small forklift.
"The foreman said that each of these speakers weighs about two hundred pounds, and while he can get his guys to muscle them up or use a winch attached to the piping, it's a lot faster and easier to use the machine. Here they are strapping the speakers in, about a half hour before the accident."
Nothing seemed out of place, until Peter spoke up. "Wait just a second. Dwayne, can you take it back to normal time, and back it up about two minutes or so? Just something I saw."
Dwayne nodded, slowing and backing up the video. Peter leaned forward, his lips muttering silently, until he pointed at the screen.
"There!" he said. On the screen, two workers were near the speaker that had fallen, strapping it in to its pipe, when one seemingly reached out casually and drew his hand across the nylon webbing. While nothing seemed out of place, Peter was incensed. "Those ублюдок!" he spat, closing his eyes.
"What did you see?" Erica asked, concerned.
Peter sat back, and turned to Steve. "Did you see it too?"
Steve nodded, his face grave. "The worker there partially cut the strap. It wasn't going to let go right away, but that strap was sabotaged. Why?"
Peter opened his eyes again, and looked at the video. "Because that's an old Russian Mafia trick. The way he passed his hand over the strap, on old style video or on rope would not have looked out of place. My father taught me all about it."
Steve turned to Peter, his gaze level and professional. "Who are you sir?"
Peter laid it all out for him. His father, his background, and how he was living in Miami now.
"If you can get a facial shot of the workers, I bet you can match them to known Russian associates," Peter concluded, sighing. He looked up at Dwayne and Erica sadly. "I'm sorry. I seem to have brought trouble on you again."
"I don't think it's just that," Dwayne said. "The problems started before you arrived, and that crew hasn't been near the other accidents." Dwayne explained the other incidents that Gerald had brought to his attention, a fire in one of the hotel kitchens and a water leak in one of the rooms.
While there was no footage of the water leak, the fire was definitely set, but the workers were totally different.
"All right, let my teams get to work," Steve said. "In the meantime, I will bring in a full security team. Since they seem to be trying to cause damage rather than direct threats, this seems to be a matter of disrupting the event, and damaging your hotel and your reputation. Peter, I would like to talk with you to find out more. Maybe something you forgot can help."
"As the lawyer of this whole thing, I insist on being in the meeting as well," Elizabeth spoke up. "To protect Peter's legal options."
Steve looked like he wanted to say something, but shut his mouth quickly. "You're right. Okay, you and of course Mr. and Mrs. Forrester can be there too if you want. But the less interruptions the better so that we can work efficiently."
Tina, who had been excluded from most of the conversation, spoke up.
"Well then, that leaves me. Mr. Harden, if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of your staff, so I can start to coordinate with them. It's what I do best, after all."
CHAPTER 21
O n the playground, Kelly was oblivious to the problems going on in the security office. Instead, she was enjoying playing with Liz, who had stolen her heart almost as effectively as Peter. They were bouncing a ball back and forth, giggling as Liz tried to throw the ball to dubious results, when she saw Peter coming towards them.
"Hey!" Kelly waved, her arm dropping as she saw Peter's facial expression and the way he walked. Behind him was Erica and Elizabeth. "What's going on?"
"Well, we're not sure, but my father may be involved," Peter replied, sitting down on a bench nearby in the sand pit. He stared off into the sky, his eyes filled with concern. "At least one of the accidents was caused by what I think is one of his men."
Kelly paled, her skin going ashy gray at the thought. She remembered Tokyo, and the terror she’d felt there. Standing up, she sat down next to Peter, taking his hands.
"Are you all right?" she asked quietly. Looking at Erica, who had taken up Kelly's place of playing ball, she raised her voice. "Shouldn't we cancel the event then?"
"Dwayne and Steve don't think so," Elizabeth replied. "There's something more going on, and they both feel like if we back out now, whoever is behind all of this is just going to take their shot later on. At least here, on the Key at the Aura, there can be some control of our environment. If they decided to take their chance later in Miami, the possibility of damage is much higher."
"Yeah but..." Kelly started, before Peter cut her off.
"He won't stop, Kelly," Peter said, the faintest hint of his original Russian accent coming into his voice. It only ever came out when Peter was very stressed or scared, and Kelly's worry grew in hearing it. "And he won't let it alone with just me, either. If it was that, I'd leave today, just to protect you and everyone else. But after Tokyo, he's going to be coming after everyone here. Dwayne insulted him, hurt him. My father is not the sort of man for forgiveness in that area. But, Mr. Harden is a professional, and he is bringing in the finest team. They will keep us safe."
"Yeah, but for how long? What happens if we stop Ivan this time? What is preventing him from trying it again?"
"Steve is making some calls to the mainland, having his people at Delta get in touch with their government connections. We hope this might be enough to get people to move on Ivan Zhubukov." Elizabeth's fist was bunched in her lap, her eyes fiery with intent.
"You're the lawyer, Elizabeth," Peter remarked. "Yet you sound like you're willing to break a few laws on this matter."
"Your father and I have something in common," Elizabeth replied with a chagrined smile. "When it comes to family, laws are no barrier."
* * *
T hat night, Elizabeth used the computer connection in the security office, a hard line that was much faster than the normal hotel WiFi to use her own connections. She had made connections when she was an executive in the Forrester Hotel empire, and more as a lawyer, and was using them now. There was something tickling at the back of her mind, something in the work orders or some of the other the paperwork, and she wanted to lay her concerns to rest. She didn't even want to bring Dwayne in on it yet, the implications were too monstrous.
Elizabeth was startled when the door to the security office opened and Steve entered, carrying his own laptop.
"Oh, Ms. Forrester, sorry," he said, setting his laptop down. "I didn't mean to disturb you."
"You're not disturbing me at all," Elizabeth said, clicking to send her final e-mail and shutting the lid on her computer. "Please, come in."
Steve sat down, taking one of the CAT cables and connecting it to his laptop. He opened it up, and sent a few mails himself before looking over.
"Ms. Forrester, I know I'm being forward, but would you like to get some dinner with me? I could use a little break. My team is on the job, and I trust them. There isn't much more I can do tonight."
Elizabeth looked Steve over, liking what she saw. He had been professional all day, but not a stuffed shirt, a quiet calm competence that attracted her. "I think that would be nice. But please, call me Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth, I believe the restaurant is still open," Steve said, standing up, "and from what your brother tells me, they have a nice pork chop. I hope you're not vegetarian?"
"Hardly," Elizabeth replied, taking his offered arm. "Although I do try to watch my weight. Working around all these models and fit people like my brother, I do have to watch my figure."
Steve looked at her out of the corners of his eyes, his mouth twitching in humor. "You look in great shape. You look as pretty as any of the models that have been around today."
Elizabeth felt herself blush, then laughed. "All of the models are men, you goofball!" she said, realization washing over her. Steve chuckled, and led her to the restaurant. There were almost two dozen people, with the first members of EW designs filtering in to take up their rooms. Still, the restaurant was less than a third full. Also, the restaurant currently ran more like a diner, with orders made at the door, and the chefs bringing them to the order up line for pickup. The head chef had declared that the pre-show days would give his crew a chance to stretch their legs, and give the younger and less experienced chefs a chance to shine. So it was casual but still elegant, a unique mix that made for easy dinner.
"So, what has you living in Miami?" Steve asked. "Your brother is in the news pretty frequently, but not much about you. I've seen your name a few times in the business pages, but nothing else."
"Divorce," Elizabeth replied, matter-of-factly. Steve looked around uncomfortably, and she laughed. "Don't worry, Steve. It doesn't hurt any more. It was a loveless marriage for years, and I'm happier now than I have been in years. Although paying him alimony is a pain in the ass."
"You pay him alimony?" Steve said, surprised. "That's rare in divorce cases."
"Well, I was an executive of Forrester Hotels for years, and my stock options and such made for quite a bit of marriage estate to be divided up. Since I initially sold all of my shares to Dwayne to give him safe control of his hotels, that meant a lot of money to be divvied up. He walked away with a rather comfortable nest egg."
"You don't seem too upset," Steve said, slicing his boneless chop into small bites. "That seems tough."
"Moving around family," Elizabeth said, "and really finding out who I am has been the best reward to mitigate the drawbacks. I've made good friends, and really stood up on my own. And I've been able to watch my brother and my friends find love."
"What about yourself?" Steve asked, his meaning clear. "You're a smart, attractive woman. Why not see if there is still something out there for you?"
Elizabeth shrugged, and chewed on a spear of asparagus. "What about you, Steve? You seem to be quite the catch."
She was pleased to see Steve actually begin to blush, and lower his eyes to find a duck fat confit potato.
"Well, I've never lived the sort of life that is right for settling down,"
he said. "The SEALs and the Secret Service don't give much time for a relationship. Not to mention I was in harm's way a lot of the time. That's no way to have a relationship, when you know your spouse can’t be the most important thing in your life. Then when I moved to the private sector, I spent the first three years just trying to establish Delta, and only really had a chance over the past year to even begin considering my dating life. To be honest, I've found myself as inept as I was back in high school. And I was no BMOC back then either."
"You weren't that bad at asking me for dinner," Elizabeth said with a smile. "In fact, you seemed like a natural.”
Steve looked at her flabbergasted for a moment, then a soft smile spread across his face. "Really? I guess the initial surprise and focus on work got me past my nervousness."
The dinner conversation flowed easily from there. Elizabeth found herself more and more attracted to Steve, edging closer to him as they shared dessert. Wiping her lips with her napkin, she looked over at him. As the two finished, they went out to to the beach for a walk.
The stars were bright, with wispy bits of cloud drifting across the blackness to give contrast. The sand was still warm from the daytime sun, and they walked along the high tide line, shoes left by the back deck of the hotel for later retrieval. For Elizabeth, it felt like she was twenty years younger, before she had gotten married, on a romantic evening with a handsome man.
The waves lapping against the shore distracted her, and she missed what Steve was trying to say. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I said, this is a wonderful walk," Steve repeated, barely visible in the starlight. "And this is the best beach I've been on since.... well, I'm not supposed to officially say."
Mr. Forrester: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 14