by Miley Maine
He’d texted and said, “I’ll be there soon. Get dressed for a night in the town.”
“I’m looking forward to some alone time,” I wrote back.
As I walked up the steps to the house, I heard a shout.
Who would have shouted? That was not normal. The Laurents weren’t quiet, but they never raised their voices. They always spoke in measured tones.
I picked up the pace, taking the stairs two at a time. Had someone had an accident? It would be impossible to rob the villa with all the bodyguards Mr. Laurent employed.
“Hello?” I called out at the back door. Mateo was usually lurking around the back door when anyone was out by the pool, but maybe he was off work.
But no one answered.
A chill passed over my body. Even the air inside the house just felt off. “Amelia? Mr. Laurent? Is everything okay?” I said, raising my voice.
I dropped my towel and book and rushed down the hallway. At least Mrs. Laurent and Gabriel were gone, and whatever was happening didn’t involve them.
“Hello?” I came into the living area and stopped short.
Then I froze. Owen stood next to Mr. Laurent.
And Mr. Laurent was holding a gun. A gun that he had pointed at John, who was Mrs. Laurent’s bodyguard.
“Kate,” Owen said. He didn’t look at me, or move toward me. “Turn around. Leave.”
I didn’t want to leave him, but the gun wasn’t pointed at Owen. I could run, and grab my phone and call emergency services.
“Kate. Do as Mr. Baxley says. Go to your room,” Mr. Laurent said. “Absolutely do not place any phone calls.”
I nodded frantically. If Gabriel had been there, I’d have called anyway, but thank God he wasn’t home.
I would do exactly as Mr. Laurent said if it meant Owen would be safe.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Owen
Why the fuck was Kate here? Laurent said she was gone. Was he playing games with me? Was this a way to test my loyalty? This had gone from bad to worse.
“Go,” I hissed in her direction. “Get out of here. I wanted to throw my body over hers, and drag her from the room, but I couldn’t risk setting Laurent or John off.
John’s fingers were still twitching. I was ninety-nine percent sure he had a gun.
Kate was thankfully backing out of the room, but she was moving far too slowly, taking tiny steps, with her eyes still glued to Mr. Laurent’s gun.
“Mr. Laurent,” I said, inching toward John. “I could help you secure John.”
“I have it under control, Mr. Baxley,” he said in his oily voice. “We will leave the physical work to the rest of the staff.”
Yeah, right. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot of control happening here.
“However, you should take Kate away from here,” Laurent said. “There is no reason for her to see this.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I said. I began to walk backward toward Kate, still keeping my eyes on John.
Before I could get to her, John pulled a gun from under the back of his shirt.
He aimed the gun at Laurent and fired.
While Laurent was still on his way to hitting the floor, I launched myself into action, pushing Kate to the floor at the edge of the hallway, blocking her from stray bullets. She tumbled forward, and my knees hit the floor.
I got my arms around her, blocking her as I dragged her backward out of the room.
She gasped, and I looked up.
Laurent raised his arm. He fired back at John, hitting him squarely in the chest. John crashed to the floor. Blood poured from his chest, pooling on the plush cream rug underneath him.
“Be quiet,” I whispered, gripping Kate’s arm and tugging her to her feet. “Don’t say a word.
“Shouldn’t we help him?” she whispered back.
“He can handle himself,” I assured her. I got my arm around Kate, but I didn’t turn my back to Laurent. I glanced down to check her face, and her pupils were round. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, but she struggled against me, pushing me away.
“Kate,” I said. “Be still and stay quiet.”
Kate’s hands covered her mouth. “Is he dead?”
“Yes.” There was no point in sugar-coating it.
“He’s dead. Dead because Mr. Laurent shot him.” She pointed. “He’s still bleeding.”
He sure was. His blood was still flowing, ruining the Laurents’ overpriced shag carpet.
Mr. Laurent was still on the floor. Voice shaking, Kate motioned at Mr. Laurent. “We need to see how badly he was hit.”
“I need to get you out of here,” I said.
“No.” She twisted, using one of the moves I’d taught her in Jiu-Jitsu to slither away from me. “Not until we see if he’s okay.”
Even though my skin was crawling with the need to grab Kate and run, I had to admire her strength in spite of this trauma.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll check on him.” I looked around the room. With both arms still around her, I pushed her behind the couch. My fingers dug into her shoulders.“You stay here. Do not move.”
I heard footsteps in the hallway. I peeked around the couch, where two huge men had come running into the room. These must be the security Laurent had summoned. I’d never seen them before. They had their guns drawn, pointed right at me.
I helped Mr. Laurent to his feet, but as soon as he was up, I held my hands in the air.
Mr. Laurent waved his hand at the men. “Lower your guns. Only John was trying to trick me.”
The men lowered their guns, but kept them in their hands.
Mr. Laurent rubbed his arm. “Thank you for your concern, Owen. But it was merely a graze. He turned his head toward Kate. “I do regret that our lovely nanny was here. She was supposed to go shopping with my wife. There must have been a miscommunication.”
Yeah, I’ll say.
On shaky legs, Kate pushed herself up. “Do you need medical attention, Mr. Laurent?”
The men whirled to face her, but didn’t draw their guns.
“I am fine, Kate. Thank you for asking,” he said.
I left Mr. Laurent and wrapped my arm around her. “Sir, do you mind if I take Kate so you can finish your business here? She’s a little shaken up.”
“That will be fine,” Mr. Laurent said in an even more menacing voice. “And both of you remember; do not call anyone. Do not speak of this to anyone. Ever.”
And on that note, I finally got Kate out of there.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Kate
How was Owen so calm? He’d just referred to John’s dead body as taking care of business.
I’d seen plenty in my life. Plenty of hardships, plenty of violence. But I’d never seen a murder.
Mr. Laurent had killed him right in front of us, because John shot at him first. It had been self-defense, but why had John shot him first? Why would he do that?
Owen took me by the arm and led me away from the house. “Where are we going?” I asked. “I need to get my stuff.”
“Not happening,” he said, not slowing his walk.
“Why?”
“Not a good idea.”
I stopped walking, refusing to budge even as Owen pulled on my arm. “I just saw a man get shot,” I said. “How are you so calm? What’s going on?”
“We’re leaving.” He opened the passenger door of his car.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on,” I insisted.
“I’m not going to argue with you. Get in the car.”
“Fine, but start talking,” I said. I got in and Owen slammed the door.
He drove, but he didn’t start talking. “Owen, please tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Not entirely.”
“You must know something.”
“John planted a bug in Laurent’s office. Laurent took exception to it. That’s it.” His fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “I need to concentrate,” he snapped.
“To Laurent’s beach house. He gave me a key, and told me to take you there for a date.”
“When was that?” I asked.
“Last week.”
I had no idea what to say to that. I looked down at my hands. They were trembling. My skin felt hot and cold at the same time, and I couldn’t seem to take a deep breath.
I’d never seen a murder. I was pretty sure I wasn’t processing this at all. I probably wouldn’t for quite some time.
We drove for at least thirty minutes. Owen didn’t say a word. I leaned my head against the car window and tried to take deep breaths. It wasn’t working.
“You’re in shock,” Owen said.
“I wonder why.” The next ninety minutes passed in a blur. Finally, we arrived at a picturesque house on the beach.
“Where are we?” I asked as Owen tugged me from the car.
“Vina del Mar. Ritziest beach in Chile. Come on. Let’s go for a swim.”
I looked down. I had left the house in my swimsuit. Yes, I had a cover-up over it, but it was hardly the equivalent of a dress.
“You don’t have trunks on.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said.
“Isn’t the water cold?” The weather was warm enough during the day, but Chile wasn’t a tropical country. I’d heard the locals talk about the bracing ocean water plenty of times.
“We’ll walk on the sand then. The sound of the waves will be good for you. Grounding.”
“Why just me? Won’t it be good for you too?” I asked.
“Yes. It will.”
I studied his face. He looked far from happy, but he wasn’t rattled. Not like I was. I had to ask.
“Has this happened before? With Mr. Laurent? Does he regularly hold his employees up at gunpoint?”
“Let’s just walk.”
“Owen, stop trying to manage me. Yes, I am freaking out, but you being evasive is not helping. And I don’t appreciate it.”
“Fine. Maybe I need a minute, okay?”
Maybe his outward composure was an act, and he was actually losing it on the inside, just like I was. I could respect that.
Hand in hand, we stepped onto the sand and walked to the ocean, where the waves were lapping gently. Overhead, the moon glowed in the sky. Owen was right. The sound did help. During my internship, I was taught to have teen clients find a calming corner, or a certain tree to focus on when they were struggling. The ocean proved to be even better.
I stepped into the water up to my ankles. It felt like it was freezing. Owen didn't seem to notice. He stared up at the moon and the stars.
We kept walking, stepping through the icy water until I shivered.
“Let’s go up,” he said. “We can get in the hot tub.”
That sounded even better.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Owen
When I told Kate I needed a minute, I wasn’t lying. It must not have shown on my face, but I was on the edge. I could have strangled Laurent with my bare hands. I wished I had.
I didn’t want him arrested. I wanted him dead. Laurent considered himself sophisticated, but tonight he’d behaved like a low-level mobster. I hadn’t anticipated that he’d use such a crude tactic to threaten his employees.
He’d put Kate at risk, and I’d let it happen.
The sight of her in the same room with him had sent a feeling like ice cubes down my spine. By not telling her the truth, I was leaving her in danger. And yet I couldn’t confess. Not yet.
An uncomfortable truth settled over me. I didn’t just like Kate. I was in love with her.
Kate dunked her hand in the hot tub’s water and frowned. “This hot tub is the perfect temperature. And it’s clean.”
“They have someone clean it,” I said, shedding my clothes and plunging into the water in my boxers.
“Of course they do.” She climbed into the water and settled onto the bench.
That was the first time I’d heard any type of scorn in her voice directed toward the Laurents. I guessed tonight’s events would alter her perception of them being the perfect bosses.
She leaned her head back. “It seems like such a waste. I’ve never begrudged people the money they made. I’ve never been jealous. But it’s ludicrous that some people have homes they only visit a few times a year, and millions of others don’t have a decent place to live.”
“I know,” I said.
“I’m not going to start ranting about poverty. I want to know what happened back there.”
Kate was innocent, and naïve in many ways, but she wasn’t sheltered. I didn’t know if it was a result of her rough childhood or her work with disadvantaged people, but she was not falling apart, not the way I’d expect most people her age to do.
“What do you want to know?” I asked.
“What exactly happened? Have you seen this before?”
“I have never seen this before from Laurent,” I said, which was true enough. “I’m not sure how it all unfolded. I showed up at the house, ready to take you out on a date, and the door was open. I walked in, and Mr. Laurent told me to come into the den. He had the household staff lined up in a row, and he was holding a gun.”
One of her hands came up and covered her heart. “The staff? You mean the chef, and the butler? And Amelia?”
“Yes. And Mateo.”
“Oh no. I thought I saw Amelia run by when I was sitting by the pool. She must be crushed. I need to check on her,” Kate said, standing up and reaching for one of the towels the Laurents kept rolled up near the hot tub.
“No,” I barked. “You’re not calling anyone there right now.”
She sat back down in the water and glared at me. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I really can.” I rubbed my eyes. Kate wasn’t my employee. She wasn’t even my girlfriend. But I had to make her understand what was at stake here – her life.
“Kate. I have no desire to control you. But what I walked in on wasn’t safe.” I kept my voice low. Laurent likely had video or audio surveillance on this back porch, but with the hum of the pump from the hot tub, the words probably wouldn’t be audible. “What Laurent did was terrible. And, I don’t want you back there.”
“Of course I’m going back there. But please, keep telling me what you walked in on. This time I won’t interrupt.”
I described the scene for her, watching her face closely as I told her what Laurent had said and done before she’d walked in.
“I can’t believe he would do that,” she said. “Why would he do that in front of all of us? Why not confront John alone? Why not call the police?”
How much should I tell her? Screw the job, I wanted her safe in the States. “Kate, if you want to go back to your home in Alabama, I can make that happen. Tonight.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What? I am not going back. I am committed to this job, and to Gabriel. I’m staying.”
“It’s not safe.”
“Most of my life hasn’t been safe,” she said through clenched teeth. “No, nothing like this happened. But I can’t leave. I won’t.”
I admired her grit, even if it was foolhardy right now.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kate
Something was off. Yes, I was shaken up, but I wasn’t stupid. I’d spent the last few years learning to observe behavior, and not just take someone’s word at face value.
Not even if that person was Owen.
My feelings for Owen had grown. But I couldn’t keep going if I didn’t trust him. What if he was involved with Mr. Laurent as more than an accountant? What if they had some kind of illicit dealings under the table?
If a client had told me she was planning to go through her partner’s wallet, I’d have told her that snooping was a terrible plan when dealing with another adult.
But I was past caring about right or wrong. If this made me a hypocrite, so be it. I’d given Owen the chance to talk, but he
chose not to. He didn’t owe me every detail, but he’d hinted more than once that I shouldn’t work for Laurent. Even when we were in Europe.
That kind of evasion was unacceptable. When I heard the shower turn on, I went straight to the bag Owen had brought in from his car.
I’d never seen it before and I didn’t know why he had it, but he’d carried it up from the car. The bag wasn't locked down in any way. I unzipped it. There was no wallet inside, no papers, nothing that would give me any clues to what was going on. There were zip ties, some cash, a compass and his passport.
Then underneath, several gadgets. I picked one up. It was a black box with antennas sticking out. There was a phone, but it didn’t look like a regular cell. It was thicker, with antennas attached. This was not the briefcase of an accountant.
I put everything back just as Owen came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. On a normal day, I’d want to rip that towel right off. But today was not normal.
“What do you really do for Mr. Laurent?” I asked.
Owen stopped. “What do you mean?”
I pointed at the bag. “What’s all the gear in there?”
“You went through my bag?”
“Yes. I did. I won’t try to defend it. It was wrong, but I had no choice. You won’t tell me the truth. I can’t tell when you’re lying, but I know there’s more going on than you’re telling me.”
“Kate-”
“Do not try to lie to me again. If you do, I’m leaving right now and I’m calling the Santiago Police. I’ll tell them everything. Mr. Laurent might be my boss, but I’m not willing to cover up crimes for anyone. Not even you.”
I was ranting, but I meant every word. If Owen was a criminal, then I wasn’t going to stand by and not intervene.
Owen sat down on the bed. “Okay.”
“Okay what?” I asked.
“Okay, I’ll tell you the truth,” he said.
