by Lara Earlman
“I’d find a safe place for this,” he suggested.
“Thank you – right,” she turned it over in her hand. “I’ll secure it in the office safe, for now. Can we make a copy to give Fenwick? I don’t really want to give this one away.”
“No!” Dane suddenly barked out.
“I hardly think you’re in any position to…” Lexi, still angry with him, started to point out. Dane came over and sat on the coffee table to face her.
“I didn’t get a chance to explain to you, Pips. I didn’t hire Jack Ferguson to keep an eye on you until after I’d heard that you pressed charges against Richard. I was worried that your bloody uncle might do something to force you to drop them.”
“Then you mean that man in the window…?” Chills crawled up Lexi’s back.
“It wasn’t him, liebling.” Dane took her hands in his. “Can you think of anyone who could have gotten into the building – someone who’d had access when it was still up and running?”
Lexi pulled her hands from his. “Don’t you think I’ve already gone over that in my head a thousand times?” she said irritably. “The employees didn’t have keys. No one was allowed in the building without security there to let them in. Dad, Mom, and I were the only ones with a key. Dad gave Mom’s to Reggie, but we’ve always trusted him. I’d trust him with my life, Dane!”
“Have you changed the locks since then?” Gretchen asked.
“Yes, of course, and the gate codes as well,” Lexi answered. “I can only figure that Uncle Richard could have given someone a key.”
“How about a separate entrance,” Dane posed, “maybe to the warehouse or the lab?”
“What are you getting at?”
“I’m just thinking that you should be very careful about trusting the employees that worked there when Richard was running things.” Dane held his hand up when Lexi opened her mouth to protest. “Except for Reggie,” he reiterated. “I get a bad feeling about the lab techs. If Aunt Alicia trusted Fenwick so much, then why did she feel the need to hide her invention in a place that only you could retrieve it? You told me that she passed everything she was working on to him – why not that?”
“Then you think I should have Fenwick continue her work in secret. Here, in my mother’s lab? But, we’ll still need the production staff, eventually.”
“Maybe it will lure the guilty party out when they become suspicious about what the head scientist is working on, here,” Greig concluded.
“I guess…” Lexi concurred, hesitantly. “But, what if he needs help? How do we know who to trust?”
“Actually, if you don’t mind, I would love to be part of it,” Greig volunteered.
“Seriously?” Lexi said. “Nothing would please me more! Are you sure you can spare the time?”
“Are you kidding, it would be a dream come true – I’ll find the time!”
“Droid,” Dane teased.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Ah-oh, she’s still mad at me, Dane concluded as Lexi side-stepped his attempted embrace. Ignoring him, she strolled into the bathroom to ready for bed. At least she hadn’t banished him off to his old room. Even though the Carstens had been invited to stay the night, it still left them with plenty of space. Yep, Dane counted it a point in his favor that he would still be sharing her bed, tonight.
“So, this evening’s just like old times, huh?” he said, as he stepped up to the second sink. He caught her eyes in the mirror’s reflection, as he pulled his toothbrush from the holder.
“Not quite,” she replied, her tone warning. Her eyes signaled a watch-your-step, before she placed her towel back on the rack and escaped back into the bedroom. Burrrr, is it cold in here?
Dane finished up in the bathroom, stripped, and climbed into bed. His beautiful little red-head was squeezed as far as she could to the opposite side of the mattress, with her back to him. He spooned in behind her and placed his arm around her middle.
“I’m sorry, liebling,” he murmured into her hair. His hand slid under her tank top to softly caress her abdomen. She gave a heavy sigh.
“Are there any more secret, protective schemes you’d care to own up to?” she asked.
“No baby.” His hand glided to her breast, caressing until he heard a quiet moan.
“So… ahh!” she gasped as he teased its peak. “So, is there a man outside right now, watching this place?”
“Not while I’m here to protect you,” he declared, pressing solid proof of his masculinity against her thighs. He felt her defenses melting and slid his hand lower. Kissing the back of her neck, his tongue flicked the sensitive spot just below her ear. Gliding his hand still lower, his apologies became more fervent. Her quickened breath and frantic whispered endearments affirmed Dane of her forgiveness.
Dane sat up in bed with a jerk – something had awakened him. A sound! Reaching for Lexi, he found the sheet empty. Shit! He jumped out of bed and pulled on his sweat pants. With bare feet, he opened the door and stepped quietly out into the hall. Louis was at the top of the stairs looking down, emitting a low growl. Fani joined them.
“What was that noise?” she whispered. “It sounded like glass breaking! I hope Greig is alright.” Her brother was sleeping in Aunt Alicia’s room.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Lexi had woken with a feeling of unease. No, it wasn’t because of Dane – she couldn’t really stay mad at him. After all, his intensions had been good. There was no doubt in her heart that he loved her. So, what was the unsettled sensation that had woken her out of a sated sleep? The computer chip! She’d forgotten to lock it away in the safe!
Slowly she eased out of bed, careful to not wake Dane. She would just go down to the office and place the chip in the safe, then she could go back to sleep with no worries. She threw on a robe and skittered down the steps to grab the chip from the front parlor where she’d left it. Lexi was surprised that she hadn’t got an earful of chastisement from one of the guys, when she hadn’t immediately place the valuable information into security. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they each enjoyed a slight buzz from inebriation. A soft giggle escaped in remembrance. It was so awesome being together again like that! Well, she corrected herself, not that they’d ever imbibed in alcohol when they were kids; no they’d just been intoxicated with the joy of friendship and youthful innocence.
Lexi stopped short at the sofa and played her eyes around the area. Or maybe they didn’t say anything because they couldn’t see it. Where is it? Lexi creased her brows, trying to remember. She tucked her hands between the cushions and voila! There it is – she pulled the small chip out and gave a winner’s smile. Shoot, that was actually a pretty good hiding place for it! Nope, she slipped it into the pocket of her robe – into the safe it goes.
She tiptoed down the green mile of carpet to the office, reminding herself not to wake up Greig. It worked out quite nicely to have a bedroom downstairs for him. That way he wouldn’t have to work his way up the long flight of stairs on his crutches. There was even a wheelchair in the room, which they’d used for her mother. Lexi never had gotten around to emptying out all of her mother’s things.
Wait – she stopped, hearing a noise. It sounded like someone closed a cupboard in the laboratory. Was Greig in there?
“Greig?” she whispered, opening the door. She stuck her head in. The lights were off, but she saw movement. “Greig?” she said in a normal tone. “Why are the lights turned out?” She flipped the switch on.
It wasn’t Greig.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Before Lexi could grasp what was happening, the man put one gloved hand over her mouth and wrapped his other arm around her neck, dragging her away from the door. She struggled to remain on her feet, bumping her elbow against the countertop. A small decorative glass vial, a gift from one of her mother’s colleagues, crashed to the floor. Why was he doing this?
“Give me the data chip,” he snarled. Removing his arm from her neck, he pulled a gun out of his coat pocket and held it to
her head.
What – how did he know about the computer chip? Lexi shook her head as if puzzled. Did he know she had it on her? No he couldn’t.
“Look, you stupid bitch, I know you found the information on Dr. Alberton’s last project. The micro chip – get it for me now or you’ll enjoy a nice reunion with your dead parents.”
“Why are you doing this?” Lexi asked when he removed his hand to allow her to speak. “I thought you were…”
“Happy?” he finished. “You thought I would be happy being the grunt to your big-shot mother? Doing all the work while she got all of the accolades? While Al-Tech raked in all the money? You thought I was happy? You stupid, stupid bitch!” He threw her against the wall. “And now you think you deserve the wealth that will come from Dr. Alberton’s last creation?” He leaned into her, his arm once again across her neck.
“Please,” she croaked, “we can work something out.” He put his weight against her neck, his foul breath in her face.
“I have earned the right to it all,” he spit out, “the respect and honor of my contemporaries, the wealth it will bring me, and the undying gratitude of those poor sightless people who will benefit from my brilliance.”
Lexi couldn’t breathe; the pressure on her throat didn’t even hurt anymore. She realized her attacker was crazy. The man she’d thought to be a genius, was out of his mind. She was seeing spots before her eyes, but then suddenly saw a metal crutch swing toward Fenwick’s head, before she finally blacked out from lack of oxygen.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
Dane and Fani crept quietly down the stairs and headed toward the voices. Louis growled and ran ahead. The light was on in the laboratory. A flood of urgency had Dane rushing toward the room. Just as he reached the door he saw Grieg swinging his crutch like a baseball bat, aiming for a man’s head. It hit its target, throwing the man loose from Lexi, but not knocking him out. Lexi fell to the floor and the angry intruder turned on Greig.
“Call the police,” Dane shouted to Fani. “And, an ambulance,” he quickly added, as she ran out to find a phone.
Louis was on the enemy’s ankle, digging in for all he was worth. Greig was seated in the wheelchair using his crutch like a fencing sword. Dane dove into the skirmish and swung a punch to the guy’s jaw, throwing all of his weight behind it. The intruder fell back and slammed his head against the counter on his way to the floor. Dane checked to make sure he was out before running to Lexi. Gretchen was already there, using her body to shield her friend.
“She’s breathing, and I think she’s coming to,” she told him. “Her neck could be injured, so I don’t want to move her.”
Stefan picked that moment to finally join the party.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked. His hair was rumpled and he had a crease across his cheek. Blurry eyes stared accusingly at them, as if they had planned the unwarranted interruption to his sleep. The tension in the room snapped and they started laughing.
“Sorry to wake you, bro,” Greig teased, slapping him on his arm. “We were just trying out our burglar attack strategy. I’m afraid we got a little carried away and a couple of us got hurt. Go on back to bed. Things will quiet down as soon as the ambulance and police leave.”
“What? Shit!” Slightly more awake, Stefan stepped aside to allow the police officers to pass.
Dane took a soothing swallow of hot coffee from the mug in his hand. Oh, yeah, that hit the spot. Actually, a shot of bourbon in it would have calmed the anxiety more efficiently. Now that the adrenaline rush had exhausted, his nerves had kicked in. The sight of that maniac choking the life out of Pips… well, it made his body weak with pain. And, now, even with her safe by his side, he still couldn’t get the image out of his head. She’s okay. He kept repeating that to himself – his mantra to keep from falling apart.
By the time the police and rescue squad had left, the whole household was up asking questions. They were all gathered around the dining table, fortifying themselves with caffeine. All but Harold, that is. The elderly caretaker had been visibly angered by the attack and needed to work it off, so his wife sent him to the local bakery to pick up breakfast.
“I knew something was niggling at my brain, about that necklace,” Edith confessed, when they were relaying the story to her and Oma. “It’s simply amazing,” she shook her head in awe, “amazing.”
“How did that man, Fenwick…?” Oma hesitated on the unfamiliar name, “how did he know about your discovery so quickly?”
Their eyes turned to Dane, but Greig quickly spoke up.
“I found a small listening device in the lab,” he explained. “It wasn’t very hard to spot from the angle of the wheelchair.”
“So, it was he who broke in and ransacked Dr. Alberton’s rooms after I’d cleaned and locked them for Miss Lexi?” Edith asked.
“Probably,” Greig agreed. “The police discovered that the window he’d used to enter the room had been rigged to bypass any security devices.”
“But, we don’t think he placed the bug in there, at that time,” Dane interrupted. He knew Greig was trying to defuse their suspicions to keep from upsetting Oma. “It wasn’t secured very well, looked like it was done on the fly, like someone was in jeopardy of getting caught in the act.”
“I didn’t notice anything different when we were cleaning the last time,” the housekeeper fretted, as if feeling responsible. “You know, after that woman insisted…” she let the sentence trail off when she realized where the guilt trail was leading.
“Insisted on seeing the rooms,” Dane finished for her. “And now we know why.”
“The device was meant to look like the trim under the rest of the cabinets,” Greig explained. “But when viewed while sitting in a chair, you could tell it was crooked. Of course it helps if you’re looking for discrepancies.”
“You believe it was Cara,” Oma said, speaking to her grandson.
“I would stake my life on it,” he answered gruffly. An uneasy quiet pervaded the room. Edith left to await her husband in the kitchen.
“What I’d like to know,” Fani’s voice burst through the silence, “is how Lex knew someone broke in. I only woke up because Louis wouldn’t stop growling and scratching at the door to get out. When I heard glass break downstairs, I worried that Greig might have bumped into something in the unfamiliar room.”
“I didn’t know anyone broke in, I just remembered that I hadn’t put the chip in the safe,” Lexi croaked with her sore throat. “I was just going down to take care of it so that I could go back to sleep, but I heard someone in the lab and went in to check it out. When I turned on the light, he grabbed me. I knocked over a vial, which is what I guess woke the rest of you. Thank goodness for that!”
“Well it is a fine example of your fond friendship for one another,” Oma said. “Now, I would like to go back to my bed and rest for a while longer.” She rose from her chair and exited the room.
»ɞ»ɞ«ɞ«
“Is she alright?” Lexi worried. The sweet compassionate woman had just found out that her daughter may have been helping a criminal. One who had threatened the life of someone she loved. She stood up to follow Oma.
“She’s used to being disappointed in Cara,” Dane said, pulling her back down into her chair. He hadn’t let go of her since the police left with Albert Fenwick. “Oma wanted to give us some privacy to think about the little hint she slid our way. She reminded us of how we’ve always had a close bond, and tonight proved once again how much we care about each other. I vote for forming the ABC’s incorporated, pledging to always be there for the rest of you.”
“I second that vote,” Greig agreed. “We’ve always made a great team.”
“All those in favor,” Fani shouted, jumping from her seat and raising her hand, “Aye!”
Gretchen and Stefan raised their hands in a more solemn agreement. All eyes turned to Lexi.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said. She still felt embarrassed about all of the rescuing the
y’d already been called to do for her.
“The vote on the table is if you would like to join in the incorporation of the junior ABC’s,” Gretchen said, sternly. “We have already voted the choice we want, and now it is your turn – yay or nay.”
Lexi knew what she wanted. She wanted to remain close to her childhood friends, forever. Yes, incorporating would be like a marriage, a legal bonding. She wanted the chance to bail them out when they needed help. She wanted to have dinners and parties, and be an aunt to their children. She wanted the ABC’s Inc. to be a force worth reckoning with!
“Yes,” she agreed quietly. She raised her hand and lifted her chin, “Yes!”
They all whooped, each knowing that there was a smile on Oma’s face as their exuberant cheer floated upstairs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
So, this was it – The ABC’s Inc. coming out party. Sort of. It was another formal affair sponsored by the International Merchants Society. One more meet-and-greet rubbing of elbows, being held under the guise of charity. As always, the evening launched off with the obligatory boring speeches. Yet, it was the perfect opportunity to reveal to the industry the amalgamation of three highly respected and successful corporations. Lexi smiled proudly as Dane stood behind the podium and made the announcement.
The room was filled with prominent businessmen, women, and their spouses, the upper echelon from around the world. Dane appeared at ease and sincere; he even picked out acquaintances from the crowd, teasing them as if at a roast. Lexi had never seen that side of him before. He had the audience in the palm of his hand, especially the women, she noticed. And why not, he had the chiseled good looks of a male model, not to mention the way the tailored tux showed off his broad shoulders and slim hips. Her thoughts wandered to the image of him unfettered by the finery, and her own body reacted with symptoms of withdraw from his touch. She watched him laugh with good humor as a heckler in the audience responded to Dane’s jibe, with one of his own. Lexi turned to enjoy the hilarity with her friends.