by Gina LaManna
“I’m so sorry,” I gushed, leaning over the table. “I got a call in the bathroom; an emergency came up at work. I have to go. If it wasn’t important, I wouldn’t leave… Please, can we reschedule this?”
Luke stood up, tossed a bunch of money on the table, and faced me with a look of urgency on his face. “What can I do? I’ll come with you—I’ll drive you.”
I paused, my breathing loud. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. I leaned in, brushed a kiss against his cheek, and murmured in his ear. “I need to go alone on this one,” I said. “But trust me when I say that I want a rain check.”
He nodded, which was all I needed as confirmation. I gave him one last peck on the lips, then let my feet propel me through the front doors to the waiting car. I flew into the backseat and had barely closed the door behind me when Semi took off, screeching toward the castle.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, once I’d managed to situate myself correctly into the seat. “Why the lockdown?”
“Later.”
“No, now. Is it Dane?”
“An employee has gone missing,” Semi said. “And it’s all hands on deck until we find him.”
“Dane?!”
“Mr. Clark is safe.”
“Who is missing?”
“Mr. Nicolas Flanagan.”
“Sir, I respectfully disagree.” Semi’s shoulders tensed in the driver’s seat of the large, black SUV. “Open the gates. I’ll bring her with me.”
A few seconds later, Semi pulled the walkie-talkie away from his mouth, the motion punctuated with a violent bout of swearing.
“Who was that?” I asked, pretending I hadn’t been eavesdropping on Semi’s conversation with Mr. Clark. When Semi didn’t respond, I tried again. “Why won’t he let us in?”
We’d rushed through the Sunshine Shore to find the gates at the bottom of Castlewood closed to all vehicles. We were the only car waiting for entry. Guards paced up and down the driveway, their eyes swiveling between our vehicle and the rest of the property.
“He wants me to stay with you.”
“And you want to go to him,” I said. “Which is fine by me. I can come with you.”
“No.”
“But—”
“Mr. Clark has given his orders. We are to wait here until the property has been declared secure. It shouldn’t be more than twenty minutes.”
“I’m not very patient.”
“Now’s the time to learn.”
For all Semi’s advice to be patient, his knuckles held the steering wheel tight, his fingers tapping an annoyed pattern against the dashboard. I tried to be patient too, but I failed. Boredom soon set in. Then antsiness. A few seconds later, the questions started.
“So how long have you worked here?” I asked. “For Mr. Clark, I mean.”
“Long enough.” Apparently, boredom didn’t make Semi any more talkative.
“Do you like your job?”
“What happened to patience?” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “It’s been seven minutes.”
“I’m just trying to get to know you.”
“Well, don’t.”
Another few minutes passed in silence. When there was still no sign of an all clear, my questions resumed. “I hear you have a brother in Warehouse 5. He’s an engineer?”
Semi shifted in his seat to face me. “Yes.”
“That’s cool.”
“What are you doing, Miss Pink?”
“I’m just trying to get to know you. And pass the time. If you don’t want to tell me about yourself, talk to me about Mr. Clark. What’s he like? I work for him now, and as his personal assistant, I should really learn as much as I can about him.”
“Fine. You want to know about my relationship with Mr. Clark?” Semi must have decided my request wasn’t so horrible after all. “Why I work for him?”
“Yes!”
“He rescued my brother,” Semi said with a nod. “And that’s why I work for Mr. Clark.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. That’s…great, I guess. I can understand why you’d want to work for him, then.”
“No, Miss Pink, I’m not sure you do.” Semi turned around in his seat, his figure so large he seemed to use all of the space in the vehicle. “I would die for Mr. Clark.”
I swallowed, though it was difficult. I could see the truth there in his big, dark irises, the white shocking against his stern glare. He would do anything for Dane.
“If anyone crosses Mr. Clark, they’re going to have to deal with me,” Semi said. “Can you understand that?”
There was a note of unwavering loyalty in his voice, and I gathered that Semi would do anything to protect him from danger.
“Mr. Semi, I’m just the assistant. I promise.”
“Okay then,” Semi said. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“Why are you warning me to stay away when he—”
I never got the chance to finish because right then, the attack began.
Thunks sounded against the side of the car, the impact hard enough to rattle the vehicle. I flew down in the seat while Semi withdrew a gun from his pocket and pointed it out the window.
We screamed. Or rather, I screamed and Semi hurtled a slew of curses out the window, some of them scorching my eardrums in their vulgarity. My heart raced, adrenaline cascading through my veins.
Semi was just lining up his sights when it hit me—something was off. “Stop!” I yelled. “Those aren’t bullets, they’re eggs!”
“Why is someone throwing eggs at us?”
The flash of blond hair gave me all the confirmation I needed. “They’re my friends! Stop, Semi! Stop, Babs!”
“Babs?” Semi called over his shoulder. “What’s a Babs?”
“Two eyes, a nose, the rest of the normal girl parts,” I said. “Please put down your gun, this is a huge misunderstanding.”
Semi didn’t lower his weapon. “Show yourself,” he yelled out the window. “Who’s there?”
The blonde hair popped up first. Babs stuck a hand out of a row of thick bushes and gave a wave. “Surrender,” she yelled. “Truce!”
“I’ll tell you if it’s a truce,” Semi said. “Stand up. Drop your weapons.”
Babs stood first, a carton of eggs cradled in her arms. She let both hands fly above her head. The eggs crashed to the ground. Yolk flew everywhere, bits of egg shell scattered with it.
“Is there anyone else with you?” Semi asked. “Reveal yourself, or I’ll shoot.”
“Get up,” Babs hissed out of the corner of her mouth to an invisible figure. “This guy is big and mean-looking. I don’t think he’s kidding.”
A slender wrist made its way into the air. “Please don’t shoot,” Annalise kept her eyes squinched shut as she rose to her feet. “We were just trying to help.”
Semi’s eyes scanned the two girls. “That’s all of you?”
“Yeah, now can you please put the gun down? It’s dark and I can’t see who I’m talking to,” Babs said. “We were just trying to help our friend out. Lola, you there?”
“Yes,” I said. “What were you guys thinking?”
Semi slowly lowered his gun as the girls stomped their way through the pile of broken shells. “You threw eggs at us?”
“Well, we thought you kidnapped our best friend,” Babs said. “Our girl goes on her first date in like, a zillion years—of course we’re gonna spy on her.”
“You spied on me?” I asked faintly. “On my date?”
“Anyway, Annalise and I are sitting in our car drinking McDonalds milkshakes,” Babs said, ignoring me, “when all of the sudden, Lo gets dragged out of a fancy restaurant by a big dude. You. She’s kicking and fighting you—what were we supposed to think? You’re just lucky we only scrambled your car and nothing else.”
“Scrambled the car,” Semi echoed, as if he couldn’t believe his own voice. “With eggs.”
I pushed open the back door and climbed out of the vehicle, ignoring Semi’s protests. “You
guys could’ve been hurt,” I scolded. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Babs and Annalise gave each other an uneasy stare. “I, uh, guess we didn’t think,” Babs said. “We just assumed the worst. I went grocery shopping during your first course with Luke, so I had the eggs ready to go.”
“The eggs were quick thinking,” I admitted. “It was a nice, non-lethal touch.”
“Annalise, what were you...” I trailed off. Her eyes had locked onto Semi’s face, and he stared right back at her. I elbowed Babs. “What’s happening?”
Babs glanced toward Semi. “Hubba hubba,” she said. “He’s a handsome fella.”
“No, Annalise. She looks scared stiff.”
Babs sized up the tiny gymnast. “I think Annalise has been knocked over the head with the lust stick,” she said. “That’s not fear, baby, that’s love.”
“Well, whatever stick bopped Annalise on the head, it hit Semi, too.”
Neither Semi nor Annalise seemed like they could hear us. Which was impossible, since we were all standing within a few feet of one another.
“I wonder how long they won’t notice us talking about them,” Babs said. “I think Annalise stopped breathing.”
“I think Semi—”
The crackle of the walkie-talkie interrupted our commentary. “Semi, you there?”
Semi dropped the device, then disappeared from view of the car window as he retrieved it. When he re-appeared, he looked straight ahead, speaking into the walkie. “Here, sir.”
“Is Lola with you?”
“Affirmative.”
“The gates are opening. Please bring her straight to my study.”
“Yes, sir...”
“Semi, is everything okay?”
“There’s one problem, sir.”
The walkie-talkie remained silent.
Semi sighed. “Two of Lola’s friends are standing next to the vehicle.”
“What are they doing here?”
“They threw eggs at my car, sir.”
A sigh came over the walkie-talkie that was so emphatic it sounded like static. “Bring them up. Have Mrs. Dulcet prepare tea. You stay with her friends, Semi, but first bring Miss Pink to my study.”
“Yes, sir.”
Babs fanned herself. “That Mr. Clark’s got a ridiculously sexy voice. And Semi’s got a nice looking face. What is it with this place? Maybe I wouldn’t be so upset if I was kidnapped to live here.”
“Get in the car,” Semi said, having recovered some semblance of his composure. “All of you. Now. You heard Mr. Clark’s orders.”
“Shotgun!” Babs cried, sprinting around the back of the car.
“No,” Annalise murmured, then raced Babs around the car. Thanks to hours of daily gymnastics training, Annalise won by a long shot.
Babs took the second place seat next to me. Sliding across the seat, she reached for my hand. Squeezing my fingers, she gave me a mischievous wink and whispered in my ear. “I bet this isn’t how you expected your date to end.”
“Not even close,” I said. “Not even close.”
He stood with his back to the doorway, hands tucked into the pocket of a beautifully tailored suit. I paused for a moment and watched him stare out the window, a king in his castle.
I stepped into the room without a sound. I should’ve spoken, should’ve indicated my presence, but I couldn’t.
The moment felt fleeting. Like I’d caught sight of a rare creature in the wild, the starlight glinting off his cheekbones, his lips curved into a contemplative frown.
“Thank you for coming,” Dane murmured.
I pretended not to be surprised, straightening from my post at the door. “You wanted to see me?”
He turned, the beam of moonlight catching in his eyes like magic. “Yes.”
I glanced around the room, his study, according to Semi. It was in the tallest tower of the building. Over Mr. Clark’s shoulder, I could see a picture perfect view of the courtyard through a circular window, and I realized with stunning clarity that from here, it did resemble a snow globe.
“How are you doing?” I asked across the silence.
Confusion met my question. “How am I doing?”
“With this whole lockdown thing. I heard you over the radio. Nick is missing, isn’t he?”
“Nicolas isn’t here.”
“It’s okay to feel something.” I took another step into the room extending my hand, brushing my fingers along his arm. “Nick is your friend. You can feel scared he’s gone.”
“I don’t feel scared.”
“Frightened, angry, sad...” I said. “Anything. I can’t tell you what to feel.”
“I don’t suppose you can tell me how to feel, either.”
“What do you mean?”
Mr. Clark sighed, then paced around the edge of the room. The ceiling was vaulted, the tip driving toward a point in the sky. The space itself was not huge; a desk sat in front of the circular window, old, the wood gleaming. Antique furniture surrounded the outskirts of the tower—a tea table set with empty cups and a decorative pot, globes from years past, a chest pressed against the wall with its lock firmly closed.
“Nicolas is gone,” Mr. Clark said. “He was discovered missing after dinner this evening.”
“How do you know he’s missing?”
“He’s not here, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Maybe he’s at a movie.” I cleared my throat. “How do you know he’s not doing something for fun?”
“Such as a date?”
“I suppose,” I said. “Or grabbing a beer, or going bowling, or... I don’t know. Doing things people do to blow off steam after work.”
“He’d have told me. Part of his job is to provide me with a schedule when he’s unreachable. I’ve checked several times—he has not requested time away from the phone.”
“Is it urgent to get ahold of him? Maybe he had a craving and ran to the store for ice cream. We’ve all been there.”
Mr. Clark shook his head.
“Do you need him for something?”
“Yes. I have a meeting in thirty minutes, and I’d like him to be there.”
“Is it last minute?” I asked. “Or did he know about it earlier today?”
“He did not know about it. It came up suddenly.”
“Then I guess we have to find him. Let’s pretend he’s gone somewhere willingly. Where would he go?”
“He wouldn’t,” Mr. Clark said. “He would tell me if he had plans. He didn’t leave voluntarily. I’m sure of it.”
“Well, maybe he popped into the Sunshine Shore for a bite to eat. I’m going to have my friends put out feelers around town, just in case.”
“But he didn’t—”
“It won’t hurt to have people on the lookout,” I said, raising a finger to silence him. “Give me a minute to make a few calls.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets as I made a quick call to Babs. As succinctly as possible, I explained the situation for her and asked for her help.
“You need lookouts on the Sunshine Shore?” she asked. “You got it, Agent Pink. Over and out.”
I faced Mr. Clark. “Now, let’s pretend he didn’t leave voluntarily, as you suspect. Who would have a need for Nick?”
“Nicolas knows a vast amount about this business,” Mr. Clark said. “Several of the passcodes, the project itineraries, the budgets... not to mention the layout of this place.”
“Hence the lockdown?”
“Hence the lockdown,” he confirmed. “All warehouses are sealed shut. Nobody is allowed in or out of the grounds without explicit permission, and I’ve re-set the alarms on the castle to high alert—only I can disarm them.”
“Do you think it’s related to the missing blueprint?”
“It could be,” he said. “My meeting tonight is with Graham Industries.”
“The people who want to buy the Clark Company? The same guy who visited the other day at breakfast?”
“One of sever
al. Graham Industries will have questions that need answering, questions that I don’t have answers to,” Dane said, his voice rising. “Questions that Nicolas should be here to handle.”
“Can you stall? Reschedule?”
“No.”
“You’re not considering selling the company, are you?”
Mr. Clark expelled a breath. “No,” he said finally, but it took a second too long.
“You hesitated.”
“If we don’t finish this project in time, we are ruined. If the blueprint is stolen, our credibility will be destroyed. This might be the last time to sell and make any sort of profit.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what they want you to think!” I said, surprised by the vehemence in my voice. “All of this timing is too coincidental. And now Nick—your right hand man—disappears during an important meeting? Dane, either Graham Industries took Nick to get him out of the way, or...”
“Or what? You can’t still be suggesting Nicolas left of his own accord. He’d never.”
“What happened with his father?” I asked, my voice a near whisper. “Why does Mrs. Dulcet dislike Nick so intensely?”
“She dislikes him?”
“The air freezes when they’re in the same room.”
“Curious.”
“She mentioned something about Nick’s dad. I’m wondering if that could be related.”
“Nicolas’s father...” Mr. Clark found his way to the desk, eased himself into the large chair. “He and my father had a falling out.”
“So I hear.” I took a seat opposite him. “What happened?”
“My father uncovered incriminating evidence from Mr. Flanagan Sr.’s desk. Evidence that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Flanagan Sr. was planning to take my father’s designs, steal them, and start his own company.”
“Oh, no.”
Mr. Clark nodded. “He was fired, of course. Things did not end pleasantly between the pair.”
“I’d imagine not. And Nick decided to stay despite his father’s… legacy?”
“Nicolas took a few years off then to travel, study, learn things far away from here. As you can imagine, hostility hovered in the air, and that sort of hostility doesn’t die overnight.”
“Or even years later,” I said, thinking of Mrs. Dulcet. “I have one more question.”
