No other jobs. Yet, the man was expensively dressed and drove a Maserati? According to a collection of clippings from newspapers and social media, he had an active social life, attending A-list parties. Must be inherited money, William concluded, or some shrewd investments. Either way, it warranted a deeper dive into Francis Kelp. As did a highlighted section of the report detailing two restraining orders against Francis, both placed by former girlfriends. Definitely a slime ball.
Before moving on, William checked the cameras. Cora was in the living room with the girls all gathered around her. A book was open on her lap, and she was pointing to things on the page. He pulled himself away, back to the investigation, ignoring how much he would’ve liked to be part of what they were doing. Focus on the job. That was his take-away from his meeting with Boswell.
As he dug deeper into the dossier, he found a list of potential enemies and people who stood to gain from Bob and Jeanie’s deaths. A particularly aggressive competitor topped the list. Yet that didn’t explain the current attacks. People had killed for business before, but how would it benefit the start-up company if the girls were targeted? That didn’t make sense.
He moved onto a couple disgruntled employees. One had been let go a year prior to the Lawrences’ deaths and the other six months later. Each had made scenes when they were removed from the company’s headquarters, threatening retribution. Alert’s research showed that one was now employed by a competitor, but the other had lost his home and his wife had divorced him. William circled the name, intending to come back for another look.
The head of the neighborhood’s homeowner’s association appeared on the list as well. He and Bob had had an ugly exchange at a meeting that almost came to physical blows. The man owned an upscale restaurant. Would he know how to stage a fire in a restaurant and make it look like an accident?
More research was required, William determined, before skimming through the rest of the list. Most of the so-called grudges were innocuous, minor disagreements with people who had moved on with their lives. William logged into Alert’s database and began searching for more intel on the HOA guy, the disgruntled ex-employee, and Francis.
“Hey.” Cora stood in the doorway to the office with a plate of food. “I thought you might be hungry.”
He was, but he hadn’t realized it since he’d been so busy. Checking his watch, he was surprised at how late it was. “Do you need help with bedtime?”
“The girls have been down for the past half hour.” She walked closer and pointed to the image of the nursery on the monitor. All three were sound asleep.
“I’m sorry.” And he was. He’d spent the day away from them. He had to for the good of the investigation, but he felt like crap for leaving all the work to Cora.
“They missed you today.” She put the food in front of him. “You should eat. You haven’t had anything in hours.”
He’d grabbed a quick lunch on his way back from Alert Security, but his focus since had been on making up for his lapses the day before. He looked again at the sleeping girls on the screen. He’d missed the opportunity of singing them a lullaby, of tucking them in for the night.
“Looks good,” he said, taking a bite of the lasagna Cora had brought. She’d included a salad and a piece of garlic bread.
“The girls helped me make it.” Cora sat in the extra desk chair, keeping him company while he ate. “I let them add the cheese.”
“It’s very cheesy,” he commented, pulling on a long string of mozzarella.
“They took their job seriously.” She smiled her easy smile, but he saw the strain of fatigue around the edges.
“I’m glad you kept them busy, and I’m sorry again about not helping.”
“You had other things to do,” she said, picking up a photograph of Bob and Jeanie. “I miss them, you know. They were great to work for. Serious about their business, but fun at home. It’s so sad the girls will never know them. I’ve been writing down every detail I can remember about them to share with the girls someday.”
“They’re lucky that they have you.” The kids were in good hands. He knew that from the weeks he’d lived in the house. Cora loved them, which, by his estimation, made them very lucky little girls.
“They have the both of us.” She rested her hand lightly on his arm and cocked her head, so she was facing him.
“I didn’t help you at all today.” He pulled away from her, refusing to meet her eyes. He knew what he’d find there. They’d be deep blue and beautiful. And they would see things he didn’t wish to reveal.
“I don’t expect it.”
She hadn’t from the beginning. He’d forced his scheduling and his assistance on her, telling himself that he was doing the right thing. But it hadn’t turned out that way. In fact, it had almost cost them Paige. He’d been too distracted. Yet, he couldn’t shake the guilt he felt about leaving Cora to do everything for the triplets that day.
“I got caught up in…” He shuffled papers on the desk.
“Protecting us?”
He winced, since he’d failed at that, too. Reviewing the dossier had been worth the time though. He had some leads to follow, some ideas he could pass to the team at Alert to investigate further. His successes didn’t negate the sense of obligation he felt toward Cora and the girls. He needed to keep them safe and he also needed to care for them. Doing just one or the other equaled an unsuccessful mission to him. But how could he do both? If he could only do one, he had to pick their safety. That was the job he’d been hired for—the one they needed him to do. Cora could look after the girls on her own. She shouldn’t have to…but she could manage it. But when it came to their safety…if he didn’t step up his efforts, who knew what might happen?
“I’ve got more to do here,” he said, hoping she’d take the hint to leave. He couldn’t accept the sympathy and trust she offered, not after the past few days.
Twenty
Cora moved a load of clothing from the washer to the dryer, annoyed with herself and William. He’d kept them on a tight leash for days, hardly letting the kids go out and play, even in the yard. She felt like a prisoner and the girls were getting restless.
Enough, she decided. She checked on the girls who were playing with dolls in the living room and walked back to the office where William worked.
“I want to leave the house,” she stated, entering the room.
“I can watch the kids if you need to go out,” he volunteered, looking up at her.
“We all need to go out.” She drew her finger in a circle, encompassing all of them. “You, me, the girls.”
“Not a good idea.” He turned his attention back to the screen, where footage from the backyard showed.
Nope, she wasn’t accepting that response. She’d let him set the schedule, but she was putting her foot down on this one. “Then you have two choices,” she said. “I take the girls and go without you or we can all go as a family. One way or the other, at least four of us are leaving the house.”
“We’re not a family.” His words came out quickly, annoying her even more. That was all he’d heard from her ultimatum?
“We’re close enough to one,” she countered, eying him. She wished he could see that they made a nice family, the five of them. Maybe it was too much for him, a man with no connections, no real family of his own, to suddenly have dependents, but he’d been adjusting well until the incident in the park.
She blamed herself for that. She’d been the one to lose Melody and step away from the bench where Haley and Paige had been waited. William had brushed her off when she’d tried to explain that and apologize, insisting safety was his deal. Regardless, if they went out today, she’d be more cautious. Ultimately, the girls were her responsibility.
And every maternal instinct in her told her that they needed to get outside beyond the confines of the terrace. She waited, trying to formulate an argument that would persuade him.
“William, please. It’ll be good for all of us.”
&n
bsp; He checked his watch, a sure sign he was relenting. “I’ve got security procedures to follow before we can go, and it’ll put the kids off their schedule.”
“So?”
“Cora, it’s safer if we—”
“I need to run, William, the girls need fresh air, and you could do with a break as well.”
He huffed out a sigh. “Give me thirty minutes,” he said, reaching for his phone.
“I’ll get the girls ready.” She left the room before he could change his mind and announced the outing to the triplets, who jumped up in excitement. She hoped he was watching their reaction. It was sneaky of her, but he’d be very reluctant to disappoint the girls.
A half-hour later, they had the girls loaded in the strollers. Cora noticed a black SUV parked down the street.
“Don’t worry—that’s our guys. We’ll have a tail,” he explained.
“Whatever works. I’ve got at least three miles in me,” she said, needing a run to release her tension.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
They ran hard and fast enough to get the happy endorphins firing in her brain. Her mood lifted as her muscles warmed with the exercise. As she took a turn onto a downtown street, she glanced back. William’s expression was calmer than it had been, and the girls he pushed in the double stroller were zonked out. Just like Paige was in hers. She hadn’t expected them to sleep, but that could work in her favor.
She slowed, letting William come up beside her. “How about lunch?”
“The girls?”
“All asleep. If they wake up, we’ll feed them. In the meantime, we can have an almost adult meal.” Kind of like a lunch date, she thought, but didn’t say. “That little bistro has outside seating, so we can keep the girls in their strollers.” Before he could disagree with her, she pushed Paige toward the restaurant and asked for a table.
As they were seated, she saw William look toward the black SUV that had pulled to the curb half a block away. “Maybe you can order something for them,” she suggested.
William grinned then. “They probably brought lunches. Those guys are pros.”
“What’s standard stakeout fare?”
“Ham sandwich and chips.”
“We can do better than that.” She opened the menu and scanned the selections. How wonderful to eat something she hadn’t cooked. It had been too long. Her social life had become non-existent if you didn’t count the sexy ex-SEAL she lived with and who sometimes shared her bed. Sometimes being the key word. William had done everything he could to avoid her lately.
As he settled into a chair, facing the street, he appeared to relax. This, she could work with. He couldn’t ignore her when she sat across the table from him.
When the waiter came, they ordered big glasses of water with lemon and an appetizer of fried calamari. She added a salad for her main course, and he got the pasta lunch special. With any luck they could eat before the girls woke up. She gave a contented sigh at the thought of not sharing her meal with toddlers.
“What’s got that smile on your face?” he asked.
“Having you and my lunch to myself.” It was a blunt statement, but he returned her smile. So, one point to her.
“Which is more important to you?”
She held her finger to her lips as Haley stirred. After a few seconds, her head dropped onto Melody’s shoulder, and the two snuggled closer together.
“Touch choice,” she responded to his question. “I haven’t eaten lunch by myself in months, haven’t been in a restaurant in even longer. But I wouldn’t enjoy the experience half as much with someone else.” She tapped his hand, running her fingers over his wrist. She wanted to do more, but eyes from the SUV were on them.
“I’d like to kiss you.” His voice was low and gravelly. His thoughts appeared to be tracking with hers.
“In public?” she teased, liking the way all his intensity was focused on her.
“Anywhere, which includes anywhere on you.”
Even though she’d started this conversation on its current path, she felt a blush rise through her cheeks. She shot a discrete look at their fellow diners. No one was paying any attention to them. Good.
“Don’t worry about them.” He dismissed everyone else and leaned across the table. “Shall I tell you where I’d start the kissing?”
“Yes, please.” Parts of her body not already happy from the exercise started to zing.
The moment was put on pause when William’s phone buzzed with a message. “Francis,” he said, looking at the screen. “I requested an interview with him about the company.”
“Should you answer?”
“Later.” He flipped his phone over and focused on her. “I’d start with that little spot behind your ear.” Automatically, she put her hand there. “Yeah, that one.”
“Why?”
“I like the sexy sound you make when I kiss you there.”
She was on the verge of denying she made any such sounds, but she knew perfectly well he’d coaxed anything from a sigh to a near scream from her while in bed. “Where else? Darn,” she ended when her phone chimed. “Francis for me this time.” She read the message. “He wants to know if he should come over for the interview now.”
“No.”
Out to lunch. Talk soon, she texted, hoping that would end the interruptions. Having a flirtatious William to herself was a rare treat. She wanted to get back to their conversation, so she set her phone aside and gave him a sultry smile.
“Ready to continue?” She nodded in response. “I’d go for your collarbone next on my way…down.”
“You skipped my lips.” She liked the idea of down, but he was an amazing kisser. She didn’t want to miss out on that.
“Nope. Just saving them for later. A man has to have something to look forward to.”
So does a woman, Cora thought. She was happy where this lunch had taken them and not just geographically. “I enjoy kissing you. A lot.”
“Shall I tell you where my lips are headed next?”
She considered begging him for a detailed plan. Because he probably had a plan when they made love. He was a man who thought through possibilities. He was on the backs of her knees, having skipped the central part of her body when their appetizer arrived.
“We’ll finish this conversation later,” he said, giving her a grin that set her insides on fire.
“I hope so,” she answered back. “You missed some of me.”
“I’d never do that.”
They ate the calamari and were halfway through their entrees when Haley woke up followed by the other girls. They ordered three kids’ meals and included ice cream for dessert. The lunch out was a treat to be savored for so many reasons. Her relationship, or whatever it was, with William felt stronger, and she loved watching him interact with the girls. He understood when to tease them out of a bad mood and when to soothe their ruffled feelings. A rare skill, but then he had many of those.
They set a more leisurely pace for the trip home, stopping at a pond so the girls could watch the ducks. The black SUV stayed with them, and Cora saw William continuously sweep the area, but she still felt relaxed when they reached their front door. After they pushed the kids through, Cora reached into the mailbox and grabbed the handful of letters. One dropped to the floor, catching her attention, as she placed them on the entryway table.
“That’s odd.” The envelope that had fallen had no address or stamp.
“What is?” William turned after releasing the kids from their strollers. “Don’t touch it,” he warned as Cora bent to retrieve the paper. He jogged to the office, returning with a pair of latex gloves on, and stooped to get the letter.
The girls had gone into the living room. Cora could hear them chattering. In the foyer, it was deadly silent as William opened the letter. His face paled before going red in anger.
“Let me see,” she said, leaning against his shoulder to get a view. One sentence was typed across the white paper.
Keep
the Lawrence brats well hidden if you want them to live.
“Oh, god,” she breathed, all the shakiness she’d felt after the attempted kidnapping returned. “Someone’s been to the house.”
“I need to look at the security footage. We might still be able to catch the person in the area.” He took the letter to the office, leaving Cora with the girls.
Too shaken to think of a game or project, Cora put Frozen in the DVD player. Their favorite movie would keep the girls engrossed and give her an hour and a half of peace. She wanted to know what William was doing, but she feared leaving the kids alone, even in the house. She sat on the edge of the sofa, ready to jump up at any time.
Ten minutes later, Cora heard William in the hall, speaking in a low voice with two men. Outside in the driveway, she saw the SUV. These must be their backup security detail from Alert. With a quick check on the girls, who were absorbed in the action and songs, she went into the hall. William was shaking hands with the men and ushering them out the door.
“They’re going to stay out front,” he said when they were alone. “Another team will pick up the letter and footage for analysis.”
“You’ve looked at it already,” she stated. It wasn’t a question—she knew him well enough to know it was the first thing he would have done. “Could you see anything?” The idea of someone who threatened the girls standing on the front porch sent a chilly wave through her.
He shook his head. “Not much. The guy wore a baseball cap and kept his face down over his phone. The lab at the office might be able to see a reflection in the screen and get an image of his face, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Whoever this is is getting bolder.” More threatening, she meant, but didn’t want to say.
“I know.” William ran his hand through his close-cropped hair. “I should have been here. I might have seen something.”
“You can’t blame yourself for this.” She stepped closer, putting her hands around his neck to comfort him and herself. She wanted to feel his arms around her, to bury her face in his shoulder for just a moment.
The SEAL’s Unexpected Triplets Page 14