Making a run for it when the elevator doors opened was a gamble. The security guard didn’t have a weapon, but he did have a radio. Even if Derek eluded an entire battalion of Barneys, his home and employer were both at the mall. Running didn’t seem like a good alternative.
Which left him with no choice but to try to bullshit his way out of it, and his mind raced through possible scenarios as the guard directed him through the lobby of Rings of Uranus to a door marked SECURITY. He noted with relief that there was a different concierge on duty. At least Vienna and Christian were safe.
Another Barney was in the office, and the two men grunted at each other. Derek’s captor said, “No sign of forced entry. No one answered the door. There’s no noise now. Probably an alarm clock.”
“According to the computer, it wasn’t the smoke detector. Did you go inside?”
“Her apartment? Are you joking? Besides, I found him,” the guard said, pointing at Derek.
“In the vicinity?”
“No, on the elevator. Arriving. Not leaving.”
“Why am I here?” Derek asked. “I didn’t do anything.”
“All you gotta do is tell me which resident you’re visiting. I’ll check it, and you can go.”
“I wasn’t visiting anyone,” Derek said.
“Why are you in the building? It’s a private complex.” When Derek didn’t answer, the guard muttered, “Teenagers. No respect.”
Derek bit off his protest that he wasn’t a teenager, wondering if the misconception might work to his advantage.
“Give me your parents’ phone number,” the second guard said, his hand hovering over the phone. “We’ll let them straighten this out.”
Derek tried to imagine his parents’ reaction should he actually let the security guard call them. It was tempting. You’re holding him for what? Riding an elevator? What kind of Mickey Mouse outfit are you?
“Can’t you give me a break?” he asked. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“The number,” the security guard repeated, unmoved. His phone rang, and he picked it up, barking “Uranus Security” into the receiver.
Derek started giggling, which might have reinforced the idea that he was a teenager but provoked withering glances from both the guards. While the desk guard talked on the phone, his guard said, “Look, kid, do us all a favor. We ain’t gettin’ paid to babysit you. Give me your parents’ name and number.”
Derek sighed, knowing there was no way Vienna could pass as his mother. Even if she could fake being old enough, she couldn’t fake being white. He thought of Juanita, but he couldn’t fake being Spanish. There was no one else.
“Come on, buddy. We ain’t got all night.”
Buddy…
“Call the Congreve,” he said. “Ask for Sheree Sheridan.”
“Sheree’s your mother?” the guard asked with a shocked look. When Derek maintained a sullen silence, the guard went to another desk and dialed the number, asking to be connected to Sheree. Then he said, “Miss—er—Mrs. Sheridan, this is Uranus Security. We have your son here.” He winced at whatever her reaction was and said, “All’s I know is, we asked for a parent, and the kid gave us your name.” After another pause, he held out the receiver to Derek.
“Hi, Ma, it’s Buddy.”
“Oh,” Sheree said. “I guess you can’t tell me what this is about.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Does this mean I need to come get you?” she asked.
“I think so.”
“Tell them I’m on the way.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and handed the receiver back to the guard. “She’s on her way.”
The other guard had finished his call, and the three of them stared at one another without talking for what seemed like forever. Finally there was a rap on the door, and they let Sheree in.
“Buddy,” she said sadly, looking for all the world like a disappointed mother. She turned to the guard and said, “What did you catch him doing?”
“He wasn’t doing anything,” the guard said. “But he wouldn’t tell us why he’s here or if he’s visiting someone. He’s gotta be hiding something. And anyway, he’s breaking teen curfew.”
Sheree looked at Derek again, allowing her lovely blue eyes to fill with tears, and said, “You were here to see her, weren’t you? After her father told you to stay away. Oh, Buddy. You’re going to cost me my job.” She sniffed and turned back to the guard. “It’s just like Romeo and Juliet.”
“Look, Sheree, I didn’t even know you had a kid,” the guard said, handing her a tissue. “I don’t wanna cause you no trouble. Just take Buddy home, and we’ll act like this never happened.”
“Thank you,” Sheree said, giving him a melting look.
“And you, kid, stay out of Uranus. You should be ashamed, upsetting your mother like this.”
“I’m sorry,” Derek said, pretending to hang his head so they couldn’t see that he was on the verge of laughing again. Stay out of Uranus.
“I can drive you back to the hotel in the cart—”
“No!” Sheree and Derek objected simultaneously and avoided each other’s eyes. She thanked the guards profusely, then they were allowed to leave. Sheree glanced at him as they walked across the lobby and said, “You’d better come home with me. In case they’ve got surveillance cameras. A Congreve car can drive you around to the Galaxy Building later.”
“As long as Hunter doesn’t find out,” Derek said.
“He’s not likely to,” Sheree said. They crossed the mall in silence, then Derek went with Sheree to her suite. When she opened the door, her Italian greyhound pattered up to greet them. Derek rubbed his ears, then Sheree said, “Go lie down, Ajax. Make yourself comfortable, Buddy. Would you like something to drink? I was having wine.”
“Wine would be nice,” Derek said. “Thanks.” While she was gone, he glanced around with appreciation. Except for the soft leather sofa and tapestry armchairs, everything in the room looked like an antique. Subtle lighting illuminated what was obviously expensive art, and other than a few pictures in silver frames on the baby grand piano, all the surfaces were uncluttered. Her suite was elegant and comfortable. Everything that Natasha’s apartment hadn’t been.
When she returned, she handed him his glass and sat across from him, sipping her wine. Ajax, curled on a pillow at her feet, let out a contented sigh.
“This is really nice,” Derek said. “I’d never know we were in a hotel.”
“Thank you,” Sheree said. “I do like nice things.”
“I guess I should explain about tonight.”
“You don’t have to,” she said. “What you do is your business. I know you’d never do anything wrong.”
“Actually,” Derek said miserably, “you’d better hear this. Because I did something really bad. When it’s discovered, you might get stuck answering questions.”
“I see,” Sheree said.
She listened with a grave face as he told her about Natasha and the dolls. The only time she reacted was when he mentioned Dolly Parton’s name. Her gaze became intense, and she seemed to be contemplating something, but she remained quiet until he was done. He waited for her to chastise him for involving her in their blundering attempt at vigilante justice. The silence was oppressive as she continued to look stern, then she crumbled, throwing her head back and laughing until tears streamed down her face.
“Oh, Buddy, how I wish I could have seen the three of you when the stereo started blaring. I have to meet Vienna someday.” She began laughing again, wiping her eyes. Finally she composed herself and said, “I seriously doubt that you have to worry about Natasha reporting the theft. It sounds like she’s determined to keep her little collection a secret.”
“But the Congreve pillowcase—”
“You don’t live here anymore,” Sheree said with a shrug. “Anyone who’s ever been a guest of the hotel could have a pillowcase. What are you going to do with the dolls now?”
“I have no idea
,” Derek said. “If Vienna has a plan, she hasn’t shared it. I don’t know whom to fear more. Her or Natasha.”
“How much worse could things get at Drayden’s, even if Natasha does suspect you?”
“She could fire me, thereby validating Hunter’s poor opinion of me.”
Sheree stared at him for a moment, then stood and walked to the piano, saying, “Come here. I want you to see something.” Derek followed her and looked at photographs as she picked them up one at a time and handed them to him. “This is Randolph and me on his yacht. Have you ever met him?”
“No,” Derek said, studying the weathered face of Hunter’s father. He was striking, with gray hair and piercing blue eyes. Other than the eyes, there was no similarity between him and Hunter. Derek turned his attention to a much younger version of Sheree, whose long blond hair was blowing away from her face. “You’re so beautiful, Sheree.”
Sheree smiled and said, “Thank you. I used to be quite the thing.”
“You’re still quite the thing,” Derek insisted. She took the photograph from him and replaced it, then handed him another one, taken on the lawn of a house that reminded Derek of pictures of the Kennedys in Hyannisport. A group of people of various ages dressed in shorts and polo shirts were squinting at the sun as they faced the camera. The girls were pretty and long-legged, and the boys had the same ruddy good looks as Randolph Congreve.
“Who’s who?” Derek asked.
Sheree tapped the glass and said, “That’s Randy—Randolph Jr.—who’s now at the Washington Congreve. Then Elizabeth, who’s married to a symphony conductor. Dinah and her husband manage the Manhattan Congreve. Peyton is at the London Congreve. These are cousins; they’re all at Congreve hotels, too. The two boys standing back-to-back, refusing to look at the camera, are Hunter and his friend Garry, who were inseparable from prep school through college.”
Derek wished Hunter was facing the camera; he looked like a young teen. He tried to remember if he’d ever heard him mention Garry, whose face was indistinguishable because of Peyton’s shadow.
“They’re a handsome brood,” Derek said, “but they’re not exactly…”
“Jumping for joy?” Sheree finished his sentence after he trailed off. “Heaven only knows what they’d been up to. Randolph’s idea of developing character pitted them all against each other at various sports. Here; this is one of my favorites.”
Derek smiled as she handed him a picture of Hunter standing next to a bike in front of a stone building. He looked happy. “How old was he?”
“Seventeen,” she said. “He was at school. He sent me this picture himself. Hunter is the only one of the children who…I guess I always felt close to him because I met Randolph about the time Hunter was born. In some ways, we grew up together. I was delighted when his father sent him here. I think the world of him.”
“He thinks highly of you, too. He’d be horrified to find out what I’ve been up to tonight,” Derek said ruefully.
“He might surprise you. He and Garry were such a handful as boys. There was a time or two when I got them out of a jam.”
“Really?” Derek asked. “For doing what?”
Sheree smiled and said, “Do you know why Hunter called me when he was in trouble?”
“Because he was afraid of his father?”
“The same reason you did. He knew I’d never tell.”
“But the statute of limitations has to have run out on Hunter’s misdeeds,” Derek wheedled.
“There’s no expiration date on trust,” Sheree said firmly.
Derek sighed and went back to his chair, picking up his wine. When Sheree settled across from him again, he said, “Is there anything you can tell me about Hunter?”
“Such as?”
“I was with him for three years, and I never heard of Garry. Are they still friends?”
Sheree frowned and said, “They’d have to be. Nothing could ever break up those two. Garry is a Prophet.”
“Like a holy man?” Derek asked, bewildered.
Sheree laughed. “Have you ever heard of Seventeen Provinces Gin?”
“Sure.”
“That’s the Prophet family. They started making gin in the Netherlands in the seventeen hundreds and brought it to the New World not long after the Congreves arrived from England. After he got his MBA, Garry was sent to Europe to work in one of their distilleries. That’s also about the time I came to Indiana. So I’m a little out of the loop, but I’m sure that Hunter and Garry will always be friends.”
“Oh,” Derek said. It was just one more thing Hunter hadn’t shared with him. “Is Garry gay, too?”
“No,” Sheree said.
“Were Hunter’s parents upset when they found out he was?” Derek regretted the question as soon as it was out of his mouth. It was glaringly inappropriate on so many levels. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
Sheree seemed amused and said, “You’re always such a gentleman. I can’t speak for Charlotte, but Randolph is a pragmatist. He won’t waste his time trying to change what can’t be changed. It helps that Randy and Peyton have supplied him with an ample number of Congreves to carry on the name and the business. It also helps that Hunter has always been fearless. Even as a child. If he wanted something, he went after it. If he wanted to do something, he did it. When he knew he was gay, it became a fact of life for everyone. When he decided not to work for Congreve after he got his MBA, he didn’t. In some ways, he’s like his father.”
“He almost never talks about his family with me,” Derek admitted.
Sheree sighed and said, “They aren’t a warm family. They’ll close ranks quickly against any kind of outside threat. But by and large, they stay out of one another’s private lives. The Congreves are a well-run corporation whose highest ranking members happen to be related.”
“How did you end up here?” Derek asked.
“You mean, why was I banished? Or, why to Indiana?”
“You must think I’m so rude.”
“No. I understand your curiosity. I was young when I met Randolph, and it’s true that we had a love affair for many years. He made me very comfortable financially. Without going into detail, it was time for me to leave. I grew up in this area; I chose to come back. I don’t have to live in the hotel. I certainly don’t have to work here. I’m here because I want to be. Randolph and I are still quite good friends. And I enjoy being close to Hunter.” Derek jumped when someone knocked on the door, and Ajax rose from his pillow. Sheree looked at her watch and said, “That’s one of the bellhops here to take Ajax for his last walk of the night.”
“I should be going,” Derek said. “Sheree, thank you so much—”
“It was no trouble, and I got an entertaining story and good company in return,” she said. “I’ll call the desk and arrange for someone to drive you to the Galaxy.” As they walked to the door, she put her hand on his arm. “One more thing, Buddy. Don’t confuse your situation with mine. They aren’t the same.”
Derek was pondering her words as he crossed the Congreve lobby. He finally realized someone was calling his name, and he looked toward the desk.
“Hi, Derek,” Liz called. “Come here.” When he got to the desk, she reached over and clasped his hand, saying, “We miss you.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I miss everybody here, too.”
“Come back and visit us,” Liz said. “Or if you ever want to go to Pluto with us, or hang out, just call.”
“I will,” he promised.
She looked past him and said, “Your car’s ready.”
He nodded and walked outside, where Benjamin opened the limo door with a flourish and said, “It’s good to see you, Derek.”
“Can I just sit in front with you?” Derek asked.
“Sure you can.” They settled into the car, and Benjamin pulled out, saying, “You should visit more often. Juanita sure does miss you. Everybody at the hotel misses you.”
Derek smiled faintly, wishing he could know
whether that was true.
31
Diamond in the Rough
One of the advantages of Riley’s position at the Hotel Congreve was the inside information he had about Mall of the Universe. Thus he knew that the security cameras on the top floor of the largest parking garage were connected to nothing. Nor was that level commonly patrolled by mall security, unless a guard sought the area for the same reasons other mall employees did. It was a good place to park one’s car to avoid dings and scrapes, because shoppers used it only during the busy holiday seasons. Since it had no roof, the only smokers it attracted were mall employees who liked to occasionally light up a midshift joint to take the edge off their workdays. But its major appeal was in providing a place for quick and anonymous sexual encounters.
It was the last that drew Riley after a particularly long, irksome day of taking orders from Hunter. He was only halfway through his first cigarette when a Jeep Cherokee with darkly tinted windows circled the perimeter before coming to Riley’s corner to idle a few feet away. The driver lowered his window and made eye contact with Riley, who tossed his cigarette and slid into the passenger seat. Conversation was eschewed in favor of getting right to business. Within a half hour, Riley was back inside the mall, wearing a smirk and the faint scent of another man’s cologne.
One appetite taken care of, Riley decided that dinner could wait for a drink or two, so he returned to the Congreve. He settled at the bar in the Aurora and made small talk with Steve the bartender while he looked idly around the lounge. He spotted Sheree Sheridan at a corner table talking to Drayden Lvandsson. He frowned, wondering again if Drayden was someone he should worry about. Drayden lived in Minnesota, and Riley had a sudden horrifying fear that Hunter might drag him from Mall of the Universe to Mall of America. Then he reminded himself that there was no Hotel Congreve in the Twin Cities area.
Someone Like You Page 31