Her lips were trembling and every cell in his body was urging him to go to her, wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be fine. He’d take care of her.
She wasn’t ready for him to do that.
Instead, she took a deep breath and turned back to the towel rack, effectively shutting him out.
“You have this all wrong. I’m happy and content with my life. Once we get the truth about Alex, it can all go back the way it was.”
“You’re lying to yourself and to me. It will never go back the way it was because it all has changed. You know it has. You’ve changed.”
“I haven’t.” She shook her head but Willow wouldn’t look at him. “You’ll go back to your life and I’ll go back to mine.”
“Is that the plan?” Josh asked, keeping his frustration in check. “We find out who killed Alex and then we pretend we never met? I don’t think I can do that, honey, because I’m falling for you. I think you’re falling for me too.”
She was already shaking her head in denial and putting even more distance between them. Rounding the toilet, she used it as a shield but he wasn’t fooled. He’d shaken her safe little existence up but he’d gone too far to backtrack. Good or bad. Smart or stupid, he’d stepped to the edge of the cliff. He had no illusions, however, that she was going to suddenly capitulate and fall into his arms. No, this stubborn woman was going to fight until the bitter end. He might be back in Williamsburg before she admitted her emotions.
“If you want to leave, I understand.” She was looking into the distance, her chin lifted in defiance. “But…I don’t feel the same. I’m sorry. I certainly don’t want to hurt you but I simply don’t return your feelings.”
It hurt, her denial. He felt a sharp pain in the vicinity of his heart as if she’d slipped a dagger between his ribs but he wouldn’t let it show. She didn’t need big flowery speeches and declarations. His legendary calm and cool attitude was the order of the day. It was the only thing that wouldn’t spook her.
“I’m sorry too,” he admitted, deliberately keeping his tone as even as possible. “But I wouldn’t leave you to do all this alone just because you don’t feel the same. Forget I said anything. We need to start talking about our plan for tonight.”
If he was reading her right, there would be no way she could forget their conversation.
That was assuming they survived the ball. If Josh was caught in The Clubhouse, he doubted he and Willow would leave The Retreat alive.
Chapter Fifteen
“Which one is he?” Willow asked as they walked around the perimeter of the ballroom. Both of them were dressed to the nines, Josh in his tie and tails, and herself in a crimson ballgown with a big skirt and a tight, strapless bodice.
“I don’t see him yet.” Josh’s gaze moved from left to right. “Wait, there he is by the bar. He’s with a group of three other men—do you see them?”
She did and had to hold herself back from running right into the middle of them. “Let me guess which one he is. The tall one with the short dark hair?”
Josh shook his head and chuckled. “No, he’s the young looking one with the dark blond hair.”
He looked about ten years too young. “That can’t be him. According to the birth certificate, he’s the same age Alex would have been.”
Josh placed his hand on the small of her back in what felt like a comforting gesture. “Honey, Alex abused alcohol and drugs. Didn’t take care of himself. I’m guessing he wasn’t an accurate barometer of how someone should physically look at a certain age.”
“Good point,” she conceded. “I still think he looks young though. So, how to meet him? Maybe I should get us a few drinks and be clumsy and spill one on him. Then he’ll have to talk to me.”
Grimacing, Josh stared at the other man across the room. “I’m not telling you not to talk to him. But I am saying that I’m guessing he knows you’re here. Everyone seems to know who you are so I can’t imagine that he doesn’t. If he knows who he really is and he wanted to meet you, he’d already have done it.”
“You think he’s going to rebuff me?”
“It depends on what he knows. He’s not openly trying to avoid you but he’s not striding across the room to make friends. This might not be as easy as spilling a drink on his tux.”
There were so many things she wanted to know about Grant, Alex, and any relationship they might have had. Had they known of one another? Did Grant know he was Alex’s half-brother or had he been told something completely different? If they had known one another, what secrets might he know about Alex?
“He may not know anything about his actual parentage,” Willow sighed. “He may never have met Alex.”
“He’s worked with the family,” Josh reminded her. “I think there’s a decent chance they knew one another.”
The entire situation gave her a headache. “This just pisses me off. We don’t know that Grant knows anything about Alex and the other men. Archer could be sending us way off base on purpose.”
“We can’t overlook any leads.” Josh nodded toward where Grant was standing. “He’s a lead whether we like it or not.”
“Then there’s no time like the present, is there? I’m going to meet Mr. Hollister.”
With a swish of her skirts, she made a beeline for the bar, determined to introduce herself to Grant one way or another. If his tuxedo had to be sacrificed along the way, then so be it. She had to stop short when Archer Caldwell stepped into her path.
“Willow, you look lovely tonight. I hope you’re enjoying your weekend.”
Her gaze darted to the bar and her heart sank. Grant had moved on, but she didn’t know where. “I am, and thank you so much for inviting us. We’ve been having a wonderful time and I’m looking forward to horseback riding in the morning.”
The older man beamed. “I think you’ll find the scenery more than pleasing.” He leaned down and gave her a conspiratorial wink. “Have you given any thought to joining our organization on a permanent basis? You’ve fit in well and I think everyone would agree that you’d be an asset.”
Quirking an eyebrow, she looked out over the crowd in the ballroom. “I find that hard to believe. Most of these people wouldn’t give me the time of day until they saw me here. I was the town trash who married for money.”
“And now they know you didn’t,” Caldwell said, his smile disappearing. “They know you are serious about doing good works for our fellow citizens. We can help you with that, Willow. Together there is no limit to what we can accomplish.”
It was seductive. Being respected in Midnight Blue Beach instead of sneered at behind her back and yes, sometimes right to her face. Having a partner in her charitable works. There was so much need and she couldn’t begin to fill it all herself.
Am I really considering this? Wake the hell up.
She inwardly slapped her own face. “It’s something I’m considering, Archer. You make a very good case.”
The smile was back. “We’re trying. Just tell me what else we need to do to convince you and we’ll do it.”
She looked up at him from under her lashes and gave him her best flirty look. “A drink would certainly help your cause.”
Throwing back his head and laughing, he placed a hand on her elbow, leading her to the bar while she looked around frantically for Grant. “Then we must get you one immediately.”
She spotted her prey sitting at a table near the orchestra, only one other person with him. She’d get her drink and begin moving that direction. Everything was going as planned.
Willow was getting a drink with Archer Caldwell by her side while the guests laughed, danced, ate, and mingled. Since Josh was simply Willow Vaughn’s guest, no one was paying any attention to him. It was the perfect time while the party was in full swing.
He slipped out of one of the ballroom French doors to the outside, making sure to stay in the shadows as much as possible. The possibility of cameras watching the property was high. He zigzagged throug
h the trees, never walking on the pathways. The Clubhouse was about a mile from the resort and while that wasn’t far to walk, it was a long way to try and stay concealed. Luckily, it appeared all the guests were attending the ball and the staff was busy there as well. He didn’t see anyone on his way. There was nothing outside but him, some crickets, and maybe a few deer.
When The Clubhouse came into sight, he halted under the cover of a large maple tree and pondered his relatively few options. He could stride right up to the front door in full view of the windows and whatever cameras there might be. He could round the building and hope for a back door where it was darker. Or he could…
He really only had two plausible options. He wasn’t Spiderman.
Crossing his fingers, he headed for the back of the building where there were few lights. As he turned a corner, a small, empty parking lot came into view and he gave a mental fist pump. If this was where the employees parked, then there had to be a card-activated entrance in the back.
If I were going to put cameras out here, where would I put them?
On the little concrete path from the parking lot to the entrance so they could see who was approaching.
He could see a small overhang where the door should be. There were no lights illuminating it so it appeared that the staff didn’t work much – if at all – at night. Good news. There was less chance of him running into someone inside the building.
Reaching up overhead, he jumped and grabbed onto a slim branch and pulled down with all his weight until he heard the wood creak and snap, leaving him with a stick about three feet long and about an inch and a half around.
It would have to do.
Ducking his head, he pressed himself tightly against the building, his abdomen scraping the stucco. If anyone did see him, it would be difficult to tell who he was from the back in the dark. All the men tonight looked exactly the same. It was an advantage Josh hadn’t expected but deeply appreciated.
As he got closer to the overhang, he caught sight of the camera bolted to the underside. It was pointed directly onto the path. So far, luck was with him tonight. He still had to go into its path, however, and that was what the stick was for. He stepped closer and reached out with the slim branch, nudging the camera slightly so its line of sight was farther toward the parking lot. Not much, just a little. He only needed a few inches of clearance. If a security guard monitored this camera, hopefully they wouldn’t notice the change until morning.
If the camera had been a different type that didn’t move so freely? He would have been screwed. He’d have to brazen it out, pulling his coat over his head to cover any distinguishing features and dart to the door, praying no one actually watched the feed. This was much better but he didn’t hold out hope that things were going to continue to be this easy.
Standing in front of the door, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key card. He held his breath as he placed it next to the reader, not daring to move a muscle as he waited for the light to show red or green. He could hear his blood whooshing in his ears as his heart thudded against his ribs. It was go time. He could have explained away his presence on the outside of the building as curiosity.
The ballroom was stuffy and I went for a walk to clear my head. How did I end up here?
I’m fascinated by the building’s architecture. When was this built?
I’m how far from the resort? Wow, I’ve had way too much to drink.
Once he went inside, however, there was no pretending he was drunk and lost. He’d stolen a key card and broken into a secret building that even most members didn’t get to see. Archer Caldwell probably wasn’t going to let that go.
Green.
The fucking lights flashed green.
Exhaling slowly, Josh slowly opened the door waiting for an alarm to go off or a net to come down on him.
Nothing but the hum of the air conditioner.
His gaze darted around his surroundings, a small lobby that led directly to two elevators, looking for more cameras but he found none. Hopefully now that he was inside that would be the case everywhere. Did they trust their employees? Did they trust anyone? Josh was pinning his hopes on the officers wanting as much privacy as possible when they arrived for their meetings.
Eyeing the elevators distrustfully, he looked for a doorway to the stairwell. It would be quieter and more out of the way. Maybe. Frankly, he didn’t want to be surprised if the elevator doors slid open and there was someone standing there waiting for him. Like in a horror movie.
He finally spotted the door to the stairs in the far corner. Carefully pushing it open just enough to slip through, he closed it softly behind him and bounded up the stairs two at a time. His destination? The third floor. He’d start at the top and work his way down.
As quickly as possible, before anyone noticed he was gone.
Chapter Sixteen
Archer had to have planned this. For the last hour Willow had been trying to get within three feet of Grant Hollister and had failed. Each time she thought she was close someone would step in and divert her until Grant had moved on. It was maddening, frustrating, and her patience was stretched beyond its breaking point. It was only years of iron self-control that kept her from stomping her foot like a three-year old and throwing a tantrum.
She was back at the bar getting a fresh drink and regrouping. Clearly her original plan wasn’t going to work. She needed to figure out a new way to meet him, and soon. He might leave the party and go to his room at any moment.
Keeping an eye on Hollister out of the corner of her eye, she accepted her martini and stepped away from the bar, murmuring greetings to a few guests that she’d seen in town but had never spoken to. They’d always turned up their noses whenever she’d walked by. They certainly weren’t doing that tonight. There had been a great deal of ass kissing and Willow couldn’t help but wonder how much any of these people truly knew about Evandria. Would they blindly do whatever Caldwell asked them to? Was the “mission” that important to them or was it something else? The power and prestige. The connections. It had been made quite clear to her tonight that if she decided to join she could expect her fortunes to do nothing but rise.
“Where’s your friend, Willow?”
She whirled around to see Archer standing there, a highball glass in his hand. He appeared perfectly sober but he’d had a filled glass as an appendage all evening. It might all be for show and that could be the same drink. A man like Caldwell wouldn’t get drunk in front of others. She knew his type from her dancing days. He was a man that took his pleasures in private, keeping the facade up in public.
“Josh? He ran up to the room for a moment to take a call. He should be back soon.”
She was turning into a big liar and she had the sweat on the back of her neck to show for it. She’d never pass a polygraph but all she had to convince was this man right here.
Where was Josh anyway? She’d known he would go off to try and break into The Clubhouse but he’d been gone much longer than she’d expected. She’d been too busy stalking Hollister to worry but now that she’d glanced at the clock, he had been missing a little too long. Archer had noticed.
“I hope he doesn’t miss the rest of the party. These things don’t really get going until after midnight.”
“That’s far past my bedtime,” Willow giggled and took a sip of her fresh drink. “Little girls should be tucked in by then.”
“We wouldn’t want you to turn into a pumpkin.”
“I think my fairy godmother might drink,” she confessed with a sly smile. “She’s probably somewhere in this crowd doing body shots off of a waiter’s abs.”
Archer’s brows rose and then he threw his head back and laughed, his palm pressing his stomach. “You are quite something. I do hope you decide to join our group.” He glanced at his watch and tapped the face of it. “If you will excuse me, Willow, I need to duck out of the party for a few minutes. I have some business at The Clubhouse.”
There was no way she
could allow him to go there. Not yet. She used the one thing that had always been powerful with men.
She ran her hand up Archer’s arm and batted her eyelashes. “Just a few more minutes? I have so many questions and frankly, you’re the only one I trust to answer them. You seem to have such a…command of the inner workings and mission of Evandria. Admit it, you’ve made Evandria what it is, haven’t you?” She leaned forward so he could catch a glimpse of her cleavage. “Don’t be modest. There’s an air about you, Archer. You simply exude power and control.”
A slow smile spread across his features. She had him. It had been easier than she’d thought it would be.
“Do you find that attractive?”
She licked her lips and let her gaze flicker from his head to his toes and back up again.
“Very much so.”
Just one more file to photograph and Josh could get out of here and back to the party.
It had taken way too long to find the file room, located in a far-off corner of the second floor. By the time he’d found it, he’d been in the building almost thirty minutes and as far as he was concerned he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
It didn’t take long to put his hands on Frank Scott’s file, then Greg Nelson’s, and now he was finishing up with Alex’s. With nervous sweat pooling on the back of his neck and back, he snapped a picture of each page, not even bothering to read any of it. There would be time later to decide if the risk had been worth it.
He clicked the camera button for the last page, then closed the file and placed it carefully back into the cabinet.
One more precaution in case he was caught on the way out.
Quickly, he transferred a copy of each photo to Ellis. If for any reason they took his phone, his friends would still have the information. It was a paranoid move, but this was Evandria. Nothing about this organization made Josh feel complacent.
Midnight Of No Return (Midnight Blue Beach Book 2) Page 11