by Joyce
"Oh, Rae.” He took the woman's cue. “This is Sandy Shore."
"Hi.” Sandy pushed her glasses up on her nose. “You two must be ... friends?"
"Yes.” Rae took her hand. “Nice to meet you."
Sandy sized her up quickly. “You're-er-different than Steve's usual friends."
"I'm sure I am."
"Rae?” Steve got her attention. “This way."
"Nice to meet you.” Sandy gave her a little wave.
"You too.” Rae sensed the other woman's curiosity. And a large case of employer crush.
Steve followed her down the long hall. She trailed her hand along the hardwood paneling, picking up impressions and traces of emotion. She finally stopped in front of a set of double doors.
"You know this is my office?"
She smiled. “Don't look so astounded. It wasn't much of a guess."
"What else have you guessed, Rae?"
"I guess there are a lot of wasted lives here. People spending too much time at work."
"You can feel that?"
"Your assistant has glow-in-the-dark garters hanging from her lampshade. The man in the corner office has a trashcan that racks up points when he hits the can the right way. It doesn't take any psychic abilities to see that."
"What about Bryce?"
"Bryce.” The girl's name came from her on a sigh. “She has a very strong presence here. Tell me again what happened that day. Was there anything unusual? Anybody missing who should have been here? Anybody extra?"
Steve watched while she prowled around his office. “There was no one unusual here that day. Everyone was here who should have been here. It was an ordinary day. I don't know what you're looking for."
"Take a deep breath.” Rae stood near the window. “Sit down. And tell me what happened."
He sat down in his chair and looked at his desk. “I don't know what to say."
"Close your eyes.” She drew a deep breath and did the same. “Help me see what you see."
Steve glanced at her uneasily but he closed his eyes. “We were working. No. We were having a meeting. Bryce was hungry and thirsty. She was looking for a pencil to draw with. We were going to a late lunch and she was bored. I knew Sandy was out at the front desk. She always keeps snacks there for Bryce. I told Bryce to go out and get something to eat and a pencil."
"And that was a normal thing for you to do?"
"Yes. Sandy didn't mind."
"But you didn't know anything was wrong until Sandy started screaming?"
"Sandy didn't scream. I was working and Bryce didn't come back. I sent Debbie, my P.A., out to see what happened to her. There was no sign of Bryce or Sandy. We all came out and looked and finally found Sandy tied up in a closet. She said she saw them for an instant. Two men. They came up from behind her and gagged her. They tied her up and put her in the closet. Then they waited for Bryce to come out."
"They didn't hurt Sandy at all?"
"No."
"Did Bryce always go out there for a snack or a pencil during a meeting?"
"Probably. That's why Sandy kept them there."
"Bryce would've been with you if you would've gone to lunch at a regular time or if you didn't have a meeting?"
"Yes."
"And this was timed so precisely that it was dependent on the information about what Bryce was doing being perfect.” She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Exactly.” He opened his eyes. “Whoever took her knew the place and the time. They knew my exact schedule. They knew I was bringing her to work that day."
"But that was normal for you?"
"Unless I was going out of town."
Rae walked away from the window. “And why didn't you think it had to be someone close to you?"
"Because no one close to me would do this to Bryce.” His voice was angry and emotional. “You might want to know that the kidnaper played around with the office videotapes during that time too. There's a five-minute gap. The camera takes pictures of everything outside the elevator."
"But you thought the kidnappers were just very good professionals who knew what they were doing?"
Steve nodded. “I know the people I work with. They wouldn't be involved with anything like this."
She couldn't believe it but his words held a ring of truth. “And you said I was other worldly?"
He put his hands into his jacket pockets and his mouth tightened. “Did you learn anything else here besides how to yank my chain?"
Chapter Five
"I'm not sure.” She was unapologetic. “I'll need some time to think about it."
"Time? You must have something."
"Nothing I want to discuss right now."
"But you do have something?"
She walked out of his office and back down the long hallway until she reached the elevator doors. “This isn't like putting information into a computer and getting something back. I'd like to see the closet where you found Sandy. And I'd like to meet Debbie, if she's here. Then I'd like to go to the house."
They met with Debbie. She was a nice young woman with very straight white teeth and a winter tan. If it was possible, she was even more innocuous than Sandy. And had an even bigger crush on her boss.
Steve showed Rae the closet. They looked at the drawer where Sandy kept snacks, pencils and toys for Bryce. Rae examined the video camera that should have recorded the whole thing.
"I haven't confused you with or acted like I thought you should be a computer,” Steve muttered. “Give me a break, Rae! Have you found anything?"
"Who watches this?” she asked him rather than answering his question.
"It's recorded and stored by my security firm that monitors the whole building."
Rae took a last look at the office then nodded. “I'm ready to go now."
He held the elevator door then stepped in quickly after her.
She scrutinized his face in the frail lights from the elevator. She saw fear and worry etched there as she did the first time she talked to him. There was no doubting the intensity of his voice. She felt his need to know and his sketchy psychic awareness. There was something else. Something intangible. Something he was keeping from her. David. It involved David.
Rae put it from her. Were things that confusing that she kept going back to the brother who died? It seemed like a bad lead to her. She knew Bryce was David's daughter. She knew Steve related to the girl that way. Well and good. But why the hell did everything keep rolling back to the dead brother? “I have a bond developing with Bryce. I know that she's alive. And I know that someone close to you took her. Have all the demands had something to do with Solutions?"
Steve was very still. “Yes. Except for the money."
"I can feel Bryce.” And you, she could have added but she kept her secrets from him. “You said there was a demand for each of the six days?"
"They told me there would be. They haven't told me what all of them are yet."
"They call you each day with a different demand?"
"And I have until the close of the business day to comply.” He pressed the button to start the elevator moving downward. “Did it do any good to stop here?"
"I don't think Sandy or Debbie were involved, if that helps."
"I know neither one of them would hurt a hair on Bryce's head. Both of them worked with David, too!"
"You can't vouch for anyone, Steve.” Rae denied his claim fiercely. “Why don't you understand that? Whoever orchestrated this was close to you. Very close. They knew your routine, your habits. They knew when you were going to meet and that you would be late for lunch that day. They played with your security camera. How many people have access to all of that information?"
He stared at her for a long moment then rubbed his hand across his eyes. “You're right, I suppose. It's just that I know these people. I've danced at their weddings and gone to their children's christenings. Debbie and Sandy took Bryce into their own homes when I had to be out of town and Sharin couldn't take care of her.
They've been my family since David died. I can't believe they had anything to do with this."
Rae folded her arms tightly across her chest to keep herself from reaching out to him in sympathy. She could feel his anguish and pain. But being involved with him personally would only make it worse. It would only cloud her vision of what needed to be done. She was here to find Bryce and help Lessie. “I know this is hard for you. But you have to face the truth. Someone you trust took Bryce and might be planning on killing her."
The information broke him. “What can I do?"
"I need a list of all the people close to you who could have engineered Bryce's kidnapping. People who know your schedule and habits. Then I need a list of all the demands so far."
The elevator door chimed. Steve's mouth tightened as he stepped back to allow her to get out first. “You'll get your damn lists."
The parking deck was cold. A stiff breeze rustled the small trees that were trying to survive the winter, hoping for spring.
This is too hard. You're not up to this. She should leave. Let him sue her for the money. It didn't matter. She wasn't strong enough to go through this again yet. Maybe not ever. She wasn't prepared to handle the job.
She definitely wasn't prepared for Steve. His passion and determination shone like a beacon around him. And when she touched him, she knew that all her hard won control was an illusion. She was starting to panic. The darkness was moving inside of her, filled with terrible images and memories. She didn't want to go there again. The only way she'd been able to find peace was with a bottle in her hand.
It was different on the island. She could live a normal life there. No one expected anything from her. There was nothing to hide from because the darkness stayed away. She faced it, then left it behind in her grandmother's drying shed. She pounded on the door and cried until she was hoarse. Lessie sat outside that door for hours. Singing old songs to her, bringing her herb flavored water, telling her old tales of Sullivan's Island and the Harris women.
Rae knew the water was spiked with lemon balm to help calm her. Lessie gave her bottles of Jack Daniel's to the sea. Rae walked out of the drying shed a week later. Her eyes were blurred from the darkness. But she was stronger, ready to face the world. Sober again.
Lessie was there for her. Lessie was always there for her. She knew that was her answer. She had to be strong for Lessie. Her grandmother needed her for once. She wasn't going to let her down.
She was starting to feel empathic with Bryce. To walk out at that moment could mean the girl's life. In this kind of kidnapping, timing was crucial. Bryce had already been gone for three days. It was doubtful that the kidnapers would keep her alive for longer than originally promised. That meant there was only three days to find her.
Steve and the driver were talking after they got into the car. Rae focused away from them, towards Bryce. She closed her mind to the darkness that was always waiting to assail her and reached towards the little girl.
* * * *
The driver buzzed through. The man at the gate smiled and nodded when he saw the car. Rae didn't move her head away from its place against the cool window. She followed the drive with her eyes.
She felt Steve's thoughts. Was she impressed with the house and the grounds that Solutions money had bought him? He was a long way from that basement he and David shared when they first started out. What had he gotten himself into going to Sullivan's Island for her? He expected to come back with a psychic ex-FBI agent but he wasn't ready for what he found.
Rae pushed herself away from his thoughts. It wasn't easy. She couldn't imagine his life. So much money. So many people waiting to scrutinize his next move. He called her an enigma. He said he found her attractive. She wasn't stupid enough to think it wasn't a two-way street. She could still feel his energy and taste his essence on her lips. His kiss was alluring.
If her heated visions were a warning, she was going to have to be careful. There was no margin for error with Bryce's life. Despite the fey quality to her work, it required stern emotional control.
Rae looked at the tall trees whose branches scraped the blue sky. The Georgia mountains rolled in the distance.
The house was facing the west and the white tiger. Bad feng shui. It was an entrance that was too aggressive for most people to handle. Maybe that's why Steve's life was filled with unhappy relationships and loss. If it were her house, she'd find another. She didn't know a lot about the ancient art of Chinese placement according to balance and harmony. What she did know she practiced regularly. She attended a few classes to learn more about it.
The driver was quick to open the car door when the car stopped. Steve thanked the driver, told him to get some rest. He followed her out. “Welcome to my house."
Not his home. “It's very ... big.” She tried not to sound distasteful about the sleek lines and well-kept facade. It was red brick, two stories, fitted nicely into the hills around it.
"You don't like it."
"I didn't say I didn't like it.” The fibers of their thoughts meshed together too closely. It was irritating and tiring trying to keep them apart. “It's been a long night and a long day. I don't like anything."
He didn't press her. “Let's go inside."
They stepped into the foyer. The outside world was immediately smothered by the thick walls and deep shadows. Steve closed the door behind them and waited.
Rae looked around with interest. A house said a lot about its owner. She didn't recognize anything here that reminded her of the man beside her. She knew that he was waiting for her to say something. “This is nice."
He laughed. A low, deep sound that slid down her spine and made her more aware of him. Tendrils of it reached out to pool liquid fire in her belly.
"Nice? Sharin will love you! She spent a fortune decorating this area."
"That's right. She lives here with you, doesn't she?"
"I thought it was best after David's death. This way, I can keep an eye on her and Bryce."
"Oh."
Her single word remark apparently grated on him. “Is there anything else I do that you don't like?"
"Why? Are you so perfect you can't stand to look around you?"
They stood glaring at each other. The housekeeper, Mrs. Hamilton, bustled into the room and took charge of the situation. She offered coffee and lunch. Rae was too exhausted to take her up on anything except the offer of a chance to get cleaned up.
"We'll get you settled right away. There's coffee in the study and some messages,” she told her employer. “I'll get your guest tucked away."
Rae didn't want to think. But her brain kept pace with her up the long stairs to the first floor. Steve let his sister-in-law decorate his home. Sharin lived there with her daughter and Steve. Like a replacement husband.
That rang a bell in Rae's mind. The two of them might be waiting a respectful time since David's death to announce their romantic leanings. Steve was either worried about her or manipulated by her. Either way, she was a strong presence in his life. On the other hand, as the head of Solutions, he was gone a lot. He worked long hours. It would probably be easy for Sharin to put herself into his life without him really thinking about it.
What did that have to do with finding Bryce? Rae shook her head. Her attraction to Steve was already affecting her judgment. She didn't want to think that Steve was in love with his sister-in-law. It was easier to make excuses for him and pretend that he didn't notice.
The housekeeper was obviously accustomed to strange women showing up at all times. The older woman took it very much in stride. She turned down the covers on the big bed and closed the curtains. “When you're ready, just come downstairs and we'll find something for you to eat. I'll have your luggage sent up."
Just for her own satisfaction, Rae glanced at the housekeeper's happy face. “You're so well organized. Did you know I was coming?"
"Bless you, child, I never need to know Mr. Williams has someone coming. I'm always ready for his guests."
; "Thanks, Mrs. Hamilton. I'll see you later."
It was as plain as the seeds in rye bread. Mrs. Hamilton expressed her disapproval very well without saying a word. Sharin might have influence but Steve brought women home with him on a regular basis. His staff didn't question why the women were there. And just like Sandy and Debbie at the office, they thought she was one of those women.
Rae was too exhausted to care. He agreed to keep her secret. That was all that mattered. She didn't want to think that everyone there would lump her in with his other women. But she could straighten that out later. She looked longingly at the big shower in the bathroom, took off her jacket, and collapsed on the bed.
It was only a short time later that Steve went up to check on his guest. He found her asleep on top of the sheets and comforter. She was still wearing her shoes. He pulled a spare blanket across her legs and eased the shoes from her feet. She was sleeping so hard that she didn't even move. He smiled, turned off the light, and shut the door behind him.
* * * *
"I want to meet her. What's she like?"
"You'll meet her when the time comes."
There was silence again.
It seemed like only a short time later that Rae really woke up. She stretched and yawned, wondering what time it was. She saw Steve sitting in the chair near the door and scrambled to the edge of the bed. “What are you doing in here? Has something happened? What time is it?"
"About two-thirty.” He consulted his watch. “The kidnappers haven't called in yet today. I want to talk to you before you come downstairs."
"Oh God!” She fell back on the bed, her heart pounding. “I can't believe I fell asleep!"
"You were up all night."
She pushed a hand through her tousled hair. Her mouth was parched. “You didn't sleep, did you?"
"No. But sleep's been a luxury lately."
It occurred to her that he was sitting there, waiting for her to wake up. She blinked her eyes, trying to wake up. Her clothes felt old and wrinkled. She longed for the shower that she went without earlier. She was starving and she wanted to find out how her grandmother was doing. “You said that you want to talk to me?"
