Forever Mine: A Fun and Flirty Romantic Mystery (Amber Reed Mystery Book 3)

by Zanna Mackenzie

  “What? But?” Dan grabs my hand and bundles me into the carriage and then says something in French to the man up front. I think it was ‘Allez!” which I seem to recall means ‘go’.

  “What on earth are you doing?” I gasp as the sleigh exits the car park and another huge gust of wind hurls yet more snowflakes into my face. “Dan! What’s all this about?”

  “Killing two birds with one stone,” he replies smoothly as he tucks a thick and very warm rug around us both. “This is something I suddenly fancied doing and I hate having things on my wish list waiting for me to experience them.”

  He flashes me a look as though I’m also one of the things on his ‘to be experienced’ list.

  “We’re supposed to be working! We need to keep an eye on Amelia!” I shout at him as the sleigh picks up speed.

  “Just relax,” he says, waving a hand in dismissal. “Amelia persuaded Ty to stay over and they made their excuses and disappeared off to their hotel suite. They’re perfectly safe. Don’t worry.”

  “But what made you decide to do this all of a sudden? You can’t just whisk me off for a sleigh ride in the middle of an investigation!” I can feel anger bubbling inside of me now.

  Men!

  “I was talking to Ty, asking how he was. He told me how being shot had freaked him out and how, from now on, he was going to grab life and live it to the full because, well, you just never know do you?” he replies.

  No. You don’t. You never know when your life is going to fall apart. Like when Charlie told me our relationship is pretty much over.

  “But this is crazy!” I gasp as the horses glide elegantly through the resort, their hooves clip-clopping a hypnotic beat on the road.

  Dan shrugs. “What’s wrong with crazy? I like crazy.”

  Curiosity fights its way through my grumpy mood. Had he planned this all along? Is this the surprise he mentioned about earlier? Is this all some elaborate seduction attempt? “But how did you manage to organise this so quickly?” I ask, trying to calm my voice and my emotions.

  He rests a hand on my knee. “Will you do something for me? Please? Will you just shut up, relax and enjoy this?”

  My mouth opens to argue with him but what’s the point? I’ve had enough of men and mixed up, messy emotions for tonight. Anyway I can hardly leap from a moving sleigh in protest can I? Especially the speed this one is going at.

  I settle back in my seat. The resort looks beautiful at night, especially with its fresh dusting of snow and a smattering of pretty white fairy lights in the trees. Plus, Dan and I have something in common. I’ve always wanted to experience a sleigh ride in the snow too. It’s so romantic. So special.

  My heart stabs with thoughts of Charlie. Do I wish he was the man sitting next to me right now rather than Dan?

  “OK?” Dan asks.

  I nod grudgingly. “This is pretty amazing.”

  He smirks at me. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Consider it a peace offering can you? For what I said earlier. Can we just forget about that?”

  “Which bit of what you said earlier?” I ask. I know full well what he’s referring to but a part of me wants to make him squirm. I’m in mean mode tonight thanks to Charlie.

  “The bit about being interested in you,” he replies easily.

  Mmm, maybe it’s not even possible to make a man like Daniel Stone squirm.

  Right now my fragile ego is in desperate need of a bit of a boost though. “So you’re not interested in me then?” I ask.

  “I don’t want things to be awkward between us while we work this case, or any future cases for that matter,” he replies, avoiding answering my question. “I thought we were getting along well until I opened my big mouth and said stuff I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry OK? There’s no reason for you to avoid me like the plague or tell Charlie Boy I’m coming on to you. All forgotten, right?”

  Looks as though my fragile ego isn’t going to get a boost after all. “You know you’re never going to get away with this sleigh ride on agency expenses though don’t you?” I say, trying to irritate him in a different way.

  Dan laughs. “You’re probably right. Though I do know a woman who works in the agency accounts department who might be able to bend the rules and help me out a bit on that front.”

  “I bet you do. I have the feeling you have women everywhere ready to help you out whenever you want.”

  “Meaning?” He raises a questioning eyebrow. “You wouldn’t be jealous of those women by any chance would you?”

  “Of course not!” I retort then shiver and haul the blanket off of Dan so I can snuggle into it better. The night is distinctly bracing and I left my coat back in the hotel’s function room.

  Dan pushes all of the blanket in my direction and makes to get to his feet. I grab his arm. “What are you doing? You can’t stand up in a moving sleigh!”

  “Yeah, you can!” he laughs, spreading his arms wide and trying to balance. “I was going to try and take my jacket off to offer it to you, be all chivalrous.”

  The horses jerk to the side slightly away from a particularly noisy bus going in the opposite direction, jostling the carriage. Dan topples over and lands on his knees in front of me in the carriage. The sleigh stops for some traffic lights and a few pedestrians stare at us, curiosity evident in their eyes. One woman points and smiles. Then it dawns on me what they’re probably thinking.

  I grab Dan’s arm again and try to haul him back onto the seat. “Get up, you fool! People think you’re proposing to me!”

  Dan turns around and sees that we’re being watched. He waves and smiles and laughs while next to him I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

  “If I was going to propose I’d come up with something more romantic than this as the setting,” he laughs.

  The lights change and we’re on our way again.

  His words echo through my mind, surprising me. More romantic. “I’ve got to say, I’m surprised. With your reputation I wouldn’t have pegged you for a romantic kind of guy. I thought you were a love-them-and-leave-them guy. And I use the word love in its widest sense.”

  “I could take offence at that comment but I won’t. I can be romantic.” He waves his arms around us at the sleigh. “Exhibit A in my romantic defence. It’s just a shame this is all wasted on you isn’t it?”

  “Meaning what? Meaning you want something in return for your inappropriate romantic gesture? I knew it! Typical male!” I know I sound bitchy and grumpy and maybe I’m being unfair taking out on Dan my anger and hurt about Charlie. But I don’t care.

  He holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Whoa! I do not expect any such thing. I thought you looked upset tonight and I know there’s this issue with Charlie in the newspapers. Everyone was in couples at the party and then there was the proposal thing with Ennis, which I thought was a bit of a poor show to be honest. I just thought we could give ourselves a break and treat ourselves to something special - like this. With no ulterior motive, I swear!”

  “OK. Apology accepted,” I say quietly.

  “I didn’t apologise!” he replies, shaking his head in amusement.

  “So, come on then, Mr Know It All, if you rate Ennis’ proposal so poorly how should he have proposed to Siobhan? Whisked her off on a sleigh ride like this?” I ask, my nosiness making me wonder what The Great Daniel Stone considers to be romantic.

  He winks at me. “Oh, no, you can do much better than this for a romantic proposal, believe me. If you think this is romantic then all I can say is Charlie Boy must be sadly lacking in the romance department.”

  My thoughts flash back to Charlie. A while ago, when he told me he’s not the kind of guy who makes grand romantic gestures. Dan clearly is though. Surprisingly.

  Tears start to trickle down my cheeks and I look away from Dan. We’re turning down a small side road now away from the resort. I want to ask where we’re going but if I speak my voice will probably go all trembly thanks to the tears I’m fighting back and then Dan wi
ll notice and want to know what’s wrong.

  As the sleigh goes off road and heads out into the forest we move steadily along a track between pine trees. The snow has stopped and the sky is clearing, a full moon dancing between the batches of clouds supplementing the light from the carriage lanterns. This is stunning.

  I wish I was sharing it with Charlie.

  But we’re on a break.

  Or our relationship is completely over.

  Dan’s phone interrupts the quiet of the night. He reaches into his pocket and checks caller ID.

  “Sorry,” he says then flashes me an apologetic smile. “I hate to spoil our ride but I need to take this. It’s agency support. They’ve probably got the background research I requested.”

  “Of course, go ahead.”

  I stare out into the forest trying not to think about Charlie or about the things the fortune teller said.

  “Of course. Yes. It does. Right. Thanks, appreciate that. Great stuff. Thanks again.”

  “Have they found something useful?” I ask, turning towards Dan as he ends the call.

  “Yep. Tom Williamson has far more money in his bank account then he would earn from the work he does.”

  “Oh? So where is he getting it from then?”

  “Amelia. The research guys have traced regular large deposits into his account from one of Amelia’s.”

  “You mean he’s blackmailing her?” I gasp.

  Dan nods. “Starting to look that way. But if he is, then what does he know about her that he’s using to get her to pay up?”

  My mind goes into overdrive. “So all of this stalker stuff and the threats could be related to Amelia getting fed up of paying him and refusing to co-operate so he’s been doing this stuff to get her to toe the line again.”

  “Could well be. Though the other night, that scene in the bar, they didn’t look like a blackmailer and his victim, there was no obvious hostility.”

  I pull my hands out from under the blanket and start to count off a summary of the case on my fingers. “So, we have money and employment linking Tom and Amelia. He has opportunity thanks to regular unquestioned access to the chalet, plus he has keys and knows the security codes. If she’s trying to stop paying him then we have motive. Do we think Tom is the stalker?”

  “I think we need to go and have a little chat with him, don’t you?”

  I nod. Dan leans forward and speaks to the man up front in rapid French. The horses slow and when we reach an opening in the forest the man turns us around and we head back towards the road and the resort.

  “Sorry,” Dan says. “But at least we got to experience all of this for a little while.”

  I remain silent, staring out into the night.

  “Are you drunk enough on red wine and numb enough from the cold night air yet to tell me what’s wrong? Are you still worried about the photos in the papers? Because, and I’m not defending the guy here, these kinds of things do happen in this line of work. You said he’d called you earlier when we were working and you’d ignored him. Hasn’t he tried to call again? I thought he had more about him than to just give up on stuff.”

  “Apparently not,” I mutter and realise I’ve said too much.

  Dan leans forwards and fixes those dark eyes on me in an intense gaze. “What does that mean?” he asks.

  I shake my head and look away. “Nothing.”

  “Amber, come on, we’re friends and colleagues. If something, or someone, has upset you I want to know about it.”

  Ignoring him I stare ahead where the lights of the road are now coming back into view. Dan speaks to the carriage driver again and he slows the horses, eventually we slide to a stop.

  “What’s wrong? I thought we needed to get back to the resort and go and talk to Tom.”

  “We do.”

  “Then why have we stopped here?”

  “Because we’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  Pushing aside the blanket I get to my feet. “I can easily walk back to the resort from here.”

  OK. If I was dressed appropriately I could, but in party dress and heels, it would be a lot more of a challenge.

  Dan puts a hand on my arm. “But you’re not going to try to, are you? Because you’ve got more sense than that.”

  “Maybe I haven’t,” I say, pulling my arm away and clambering out of the carriage.

  “Come on, just tell me what’s wrong and then we’ll get going again.” He follows me out of the sleigh and we stand facing each other as the patches of cloud allow the moon to light everything up and then fade just as quickly.

  “Charlie broke up with me,” I shout at him.

  “He did?” Dan looks surprised. “Why? Is he really playing away with Diva Delilah? I thought he had more sense and more taste than that.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know anything he’s doing or thinking. All I know is he’s fed up with me and my insecurities. He said he didn’t have time for all this, justifying the photos, making excuses, placating me. He said we should take a break.”

  I don’t know what reaction I expect from Dan at this piece of news. For him to laugh? For him to see a chance to hit on me? Once again he surprises me.

  “I’m sorry,” he says softly. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  He helps me into the sleigh and we carry on down the road without another word being said between us.

  I’m relieved to be back in the resort and to have work to tackle. Tracking down and interviewing Tom will provide a much-needed distraction. Dan gets the sleigh to drop us off near Tom’s house and I spot his car in the drive. The lights are on too which suggests Tom may be at home, making it easier for us to go and do our job.

  Dan doesn’t ask if I’m feeling up to doing this as we make our way to the door of Tom’s house. He doesn’t make me feel like a hysterical female dumped by her boyfriend. He acts as though everything is fine and I am perfectly capable of doing my support officer job beside him as we tackle Tom.

  I don’t know if it’s because he’s not keen on talking about emotional stuff, or if it’s because he believes me capable of rising above personal issues and focussing on my job. Whatever his reasons, I’m grateful for his trust and his lack of fuss.

  “So how do we play this?” I ask as we knock on Tom’s door.

  “We hit him with the facts and see how he reacts. That will determine what happens next.”

  I nod as we wait for Tom to answer the door. He appears a moment later, dressed in jeans and a sweater looking surprised to find Crazy Woman and the architect on his doorstep at midnight.

  “Something I can do for you?” he frowns, blocking the doorway and not inviting us inside.

  “I think there probably is,” Dan replies cryptically. “Any chance we can come inside for a minute? I think you’re going to prefer it if this particular conversation takes place indoors rather than on your doorstep where your neighbours might hear you.”

  Tom still blocks the doorway. “I’m not so sure. Who are you guys really? There’s something weird about the two of you. I’m not sure I want to let you into my home.”

  “Yeah, you do.” Dan pushes forward and lifts his jacket just enough to show Tom he has a gun.

  Tom backs off and lets us inside looking understandably worried. I close the door behind us and Tom holds up his hands in surrender. “You’re robbers? Seriously?”

  He looks frightened. But then, if I didn’t know Dan, and a man built like him and carrying a gun turned up on my doorstep, I’d be scared too. Plus, I think Tom is a little scared of me as well, but for entirely different reasons. He just thinks I’m a bit doolally.

  “The safe is upstairs,” Tom says, backing away from us. “Upstairs, main bedroom, third door on the left. It’s in the back of the wardrobe. The code is…”

  Dan moves his hand from his hip where he’s been holding back his coat and displaying his handgun. “I know where your safe is and I don’t need your code.”

  “Wha
t? I don’t understand! What do you want?” Tom has now backed so far away from us he’s come up against the living room wall.

  Is this the behaviour of a blackmailer and stalker? Something doesn’t quite add up.

  “Why don’t you take a seat?” Dan says but it’s clear it’s much more than a suggestion. It’s an order. Is that another thing they teach at CCIA special agent school training? How to intimidate your suspects? Charlie can do it too and every bit as effectively as Dan can.

  Tom nervously slides onto a sofa and doesn’t take his eyes off Dan, fear etched on his face. “What do you want?”

  “I want to know why you’ve got so much money in your bank account. Far more than you could ever make at your three jobs, doing the ski lessons, the mountain guiding and the chalet handyman stuff.”

  “How do you know how much money I have in my account?” Tom gets to his feet, looking angry and confused.

  “Sit down,” Dan instructs and Tom immediately reclaims his spot on the sofa.

  “Who are you?” Tom asks again.

  “We’re the ones asking the questions, not you,” Dan replies. “Money. Where did you get it?”

  I step forward thinking a softer approach might yield some better results here. I flash my agency badge. “Tom, we’re investigating a crime and right now evidence is pointing at you. So we’d be grateful if you could answer our questions.”

  “CCIA? I’ve never heard of you,” he replies.

  “That’s not relevant.” Dan’s hand goes back inside his jacket and rests, visibly, on the top of his gun. I guess these are the ‘maverick tendencies’ that Dan is so well known for. No doubt he’ll get the desired results but maybe I can achieve them too, just using a different approach.

  “CCIA stands for Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agency. Amelia hired us to investigate a few incidents which had got her worried. We need your cooperation to solve this case and keep Amelia safe.” If he does have a crush on Amelia then hopefully this will appeal to his sensible side and he’ll help us out.

  I think I detect a touch of relief in his eyes. Who did he think we were, showing up at his door in the middle of the night with Dan doing his macho man with gun stuff? I dread to think.