It was as if they were alive, and she was being choked by their silky claws. She began to fight, and when one wrapped around her throat, she screamed as loud as she possibly could.
Her only hope was that someone would come save her and set her free.
As the hallway swam in grays and pale colors, she still fought for her life as the last of the air was squeezed from her throat. She fought to get back to her son and not to leave him motherless in the world.
At her panicked calls, the staff came running to her rescue. What they found was their mistress haphazardly wrapped amidst the curtains, flailing much like a fish on the bank of a river.
If the situation hadn’t been dire, she might have laughed at the sight herself. Her appearance as some distraught mummy was bound to elicit fits of hysterical laughter.
After all, it was bubbling up right now, threatening to escape. Only for her, it was fits of hysteria.
She struggled to get free. Now, that the wind was gone, and the malevolent entity had disappeared too, she was faced with their incredulous stares.
“Ma’am, are you alright?” asked the housekeeper, helping her mistress unwrap herself from the sheer curtains.
“Yes, I guess a wind came and I got tangled up,” she whispered, the fear filling her as the voice echoed in her ear.
‘I’m coming for you, Cherie.’
“Is my son safe?” she asked, staring at the people who came to her rescue.
The looks on their faces said it all. They believed her to be insane. Her husband must have gotten to all of them, warning the staff of her lunacy and mental condition.
“Yes, ma’am. The nanny is giving him a bath.”
She stood, trying to ignore the laughter. It was obvious that no one else could hear it.
Maybe she was losing her mind.
The cold icy fingers touched her neck as a reminder that she wasn’t crazy.
No, that wasn’t the issue.
The problem was that she was haunted by some unseen force, and it wanted her dead.
Chapter Three
Monday
Early Afternoon
On the flight to Kentucky, they split up into couples, making sure to go undercover early. If there were other donors on the flight, heading to the estate, they didn't want the jig to be up before it even began. The second their feet hit the airport, they no longer knew each other, even when they were sitting a few seats apart, waiting to board their flights.
The same held true once they landed and picked up their rental cars. The team decided to space it out a little, making sure that they didn't arrive at the Hesser estate at the same time.
Tori and Julian would arrive first, and text Christina and Kane when it was time for them to make an entrance.
They were working extra hard at keeping up their cover, and they knew the slightest inkling could make the guests and owners suspicious. Part of their job was to be unseen and to blend in.
That was exactly what they were going to do.
In their car, Tori let Julian drive as she sat there flipping through the files on her lap. Before they arrived on the assignment, she wanted to be fully versed in all the information.
Over the weekend, Christina worked on putting together a file of all the players in the game. It listed the family members and the stats on the property. That, in combination with the information they received from Jamie Montgomery, gave them the sense of being ready.
“Who are we again?” asked Julian, glancing over at his wife.
She pulled out the email from Jamie to read out loud. “You’re still Julian and I’m Tori, but our last name is Wilshire. You’re into investments, and I’m into fashion.”
Julian wanted to laugh at the way she said that. It was filled with such distaste. His wife was an ex-soldier, so fashion to her was army boots and camouflage. Granted, there was green camouflage and desert colored, but that was the extent. If anything, this should be an interesting couple of days.
“I can’t believe the list of things that she told me I needed for this shindig. I think you’re getting away easy on this one. I have to dress like someone who gives a rat’s ass about clothing.”
He squeezed her hand. “I feel for you, honey.” Secretly, he was enthralled. His wife was absolutely beautiful, and he couldn’t imagine what she was going to look like all dressed up. His heart skipped in his chest at the prospect.
Tori continued, “We’re just fortunate that we could keep our first names. Jamie assured me that she fixed them on her end. It’ll make our lives so much easier if Kane or Christina slip up.”
He agreed.
Tori glanced over at her husband. She couldn’t take it anymore.
“Are you going to leave me when this is all over?” she bluntly asked. It had the effect she wanted, because Julian glanced over in horror.
“Tori! Where the hell did that come from? Why would you ask me that?”
“Something is wrong between us, and I don’t know what happened. We solved the kidnapping case, and then you got cold toward me. Did I say or do something?” she asked, trying to keep the emotion from her voice. “Is it because I risked my life and went into that building? I keep trying to pinpoint what made you turn against me, but I can’t.”
Is that how she saw it? “Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” Julian didn't know he was torturing his wife with his self-induced silence.
“If the business is going to break us, we can scale back, or quit all together. I don’t want to lose you, Jules, but I can tell we aren’t in sync right now.”
So, he sucked at hiding things from his wife. That was good to know for future reference.
“Please tell me, Julian. I hate feeling this way every day. When you look at me, there’s this look of disappointment on your face. What did I do to make you lose that love you once had for me?”
He pulled the rented luxury vehicle off the road before facing her. “That I lost for you? I’m madly in love with you, Tori. Nothing has changed there.”
“But?” she asked, knowing there had to be something. She could see it in his face, and her gut instinct screamed nonstop.
“I think that you’re keeping something from me, and it’s killing me inside. I’m trying to not be paranoid, but I’m failing.”
Tori stared at him as she tried to think back to what he could possibly be talking about. “I don’t know what you think I’m hiding, Julian. I don’t ever keep secrets from you.” She knew that he had a few cracks in his soul from a past girlfriend and her cheating, but he couldn’t possibly think that she was having an affair.
There was no man on the face of the earth who she could love more than her husband.
“After the kidnapping case, I went in my office and found something.”
She stared at him, still not sure where this was heading. It was like he was talking in circles. “Okay, and?”
“In the garbage, I found a pregnancy test, and it was positive.”
Tori remembered that day. She and Vivian had found Christina in there crying, the test clutched tightly in her hand. They tossed it and helped her calm down before anyone found out.
“And you think it’s mine, and that I haven’t told you that I’m pregnant?” That horrified her.
He stared at her hopefully. “Are you pregnant, Tori, and just afraid to tell me? Are you scared and not leaning on me?”
Okay, she could see why he was worked up. “It wasn’t mine, Julian. I’m not the one having a baby.”
His heart was crushed at her words. He wasn’t sure which was worse, her lying or Tori still not carrying their child? God, he wanted a family in the worst way, and it just seemed to be out of his reach. “Okay, thank you.”
“No,” she said, touching his arm. “It’s not okay, Julian. You actually believed that I would keep something that big from you when I know how badly you want kids?”
He didn't answer.
His silence said it all.
“I see. Well, for future reference, I would
n’t. I would have told you immediately. I would have celebrated and danced around the room like a maniac in joy.”
That had his attention. “I know the idea of motherhood scares you, but…”
She cut him off.
“It terrifies the hell out of me, but I wouldn’t ever be disappointed that I was having our child, Julian. I’m finding that I’m less afraid of being a mother and more scared that I’m going to be a failure when I can’t get pregnant.”
He heard the emotion in her voice as he stared into her stormy eyes. There were unshed tears, and obviously this was heavily weighing on her mind. Now, he felt bad for putting pressure on her when she didn't deserve it. Julian forgot to think how all this was making her feel too.
“You’re not a failure.”
She wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “I know you want this more than anything in life, and I can’t seem to give it to you. I’m trying to figure out why I’m faulty. Why I’m broken,” she added.
Holy hell!
What a mess he had just made. It never occurred to him that his wife was carrying all this on her shoulders on top of everything else in her life.
Now, he felt like an asshole for even doubting her.
He lifted her chin to stare into her eyes. “You’re not faulty, and I’m so sorry that I’ve put this much pressure on you. Please forgive me, Tori. It wasn’t fair that I make you bear this burden alone.”
“I’m trying, Julian. If I could give you a child, I would. I just don’t know how to fix me. I’m at the end of my rope, holding on with fingertips. I even contemplated calling your mother and asking about a medicine man.”
How could he not love her? God, she was trying so hard to make him happy, and Julian lost sight of that.
Slowly, he brought his lips to hers and offered her some reassurance. “I’m sorry that I didn't see this was damaging you. Sometimes, I just get blinded by my own insecurities.”
Tori didn't reply.
“I won’t dump this on you anymore. When we get back from this assignment, we’ll talk about other options. There are lots of little Native kids out there that we might be able to adopt and give a good home.”
She laughed a watery laugh. “Okay, Julian.”
He hugged his wife, burying his face in her neck. It felt good to get this all off his chest, and now he could release that pain and focus on his happiness. His obsession with having a kid was tearing apart his marriage, and in that moment he had to let it go, or lose Tori.
It was a no brainer.
“I love you,” he whispered, leaving kisses across her cheek to her lips. “I’m sorry that I upset you,” he offered.
Tori tucked the strands of brown hair behind his ears and stared into his eyes. The gold flecks made her feel like she was falling into the warm depths. “I love you too, Jules, and it’s okay. It was just a misunderstanding.”
He knew she let him off easy. If she had skinned him on this one, he would have deserved it.
Leaning back in his seat, he pulled back onto the tree lined road, and this time he held her hand tightly clenched in his own. At least they had worked this out before they ended up walking into a new case. The last thing they needed was to have this kind of stress brewing between them as they focused on an assignment.
“Do you feel better?” he asked her.
“Yes, I do. I don’t want anything to ever come between us again.”
He thought about it. “If it’s not your test, then whose was it?”
Tori made a promise not to tell anyone, but surely she could trust her husband not to spill it. “You can’t tell the father,” she stated. “Promise me. I swore I’d keep it a secret, and that matters to me.”
He glanced over at her, unsure how he felt about her being so stirred up over it. “Okay. I promise.”
She spilled it all, because they were married and there should be no secrets. “Christina is pregnant.”
Wow!
He really expected Tori to tell him that it was Vivian’s. A part of him believed that if it wasn’t his wife, then it was his brother’s wife. That would explain why no one was spilling it. Justin knew how hard they were trying, and he wouldn’t want to hurt him by flaunting their miraculous creation.
“Kane doesn’t know?”
She shook her head.
“Why not?” he asked, confused by it all. “He would marry her in a heartbeat. The man is so honorable that there isn’t a question that he would take care of them both.”
“That’s the problem,” she stated. “Christina doesn’t want him to marry her out of obligation. She wants him to just ask her because he can’t live without her.”
“That’s crazy.”
“I don’t blame her,” Tori added. “I wouldn’t want to think that the only reason someone was with me was because I was a baby making machine.”
He tried to see it from the woman’s point of view, and it still didn't register with his male brain. “This is going to get damn ugly,” he stated.
“Yeah, if it gets out it will. That’s why you and Justin weren’t told. Kane can’t find out. This is Christina’s secret to tell, not ours. She didn't come to us. We walked in and found her crying.”
It made him feel better that it was an accidental discovery, and his wife didn't have much choice. “My lips are sealed.”
She pointed at him. “If you spill it, they will be, and I mean for eternity.”
Julian simply laughed. It was really good to have his wife back. It seemed everything was normal once again. He was glad they had that moment.
Now, if he could just do his damn job and stop obsessing about having a baby.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Arriving at the gate, they pushed the button and waited to be cleared. When they heard the familiar voice come over the intercom, they announced themselves.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wilshire,” he said, scanning the area ahead of them. This place was even bigger in person. There was wealth, and then there was WEALTH. This was definitely the latter.
“Welcome, Julian and Victoria. It’s our pleasure to have you at the estate. Follow the road to the main house, and I’ll meet you there.”
The gates slowly slid open, and they started on their way.
“Holy shit, this place is crazy.”
Tori was too busy staring out the windows at the horses in the pastures. They were absolutely beautiful. “I can’t wait to go riding,” she said, happily. “Will you go with me?”
He grinned. “Absolutely, honey.”
That made her incredibly enthusiastic about this case. For that alone, she’d overlook Jamie Montgomery staring at Julian.
Maybe…
When they pulled up to the house, their client was outside, dressed impeccably in a suit as she waited for them. Getting out of the Mercedes, Tori waited for her husband to join her in front of the car. Holding hands, they approached the smiling woman.
“I’m so glad to see you,” she said warmly. “I hope that you both had a good flight.”
They nodded and Julian continued, “We did, and we can’t wait to look around this beautiful estate. It’s spectacular.”
Tori agreed. “The horses are gorgeous.”
Jamie waved her arm, ushering them toward the grand plantation. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll give you a tour, and then show you to your room. If you give our butler your keys, he’ll have your luggage brought immediately to your room.”
It was hard to not be impressed by that. The sheer magnitude of the home was breathtaking. Julian grew up in poverty on the Rez, and Tori was an Army brat. Neither was accustomed to luxury quite like this, including hired help. In their lives, you carried your own suitcases.
At the door, he handed the butler their keys. “Thank you,” Julian stated, as the man offered a nod before walking toward their vehicle to take care of business.
Once inside, they were faced with a massive foyer. The chandelier alone was the size of their rental car.
Okay,
so this was how the other half lived.
“If you’ll follow me upstairs, I’ll show you to your room,” she said, as the other staff milled around like bees in a hive. They were all immaculately dressed in matching uniforms, smiling like their lives depended on it.
Julian and Tori followed Jamie up the stairs to one of the many rooms. The place screamed of old elegance.
“This place is amazing,” Tori said. “How many guests are staying here for the event?”
Jamie glanced down at her checklist. “We have five couples that are scheduled to be here within the next few hours. That includes you both.”
Lowering her voice, she stopped at the top of the staircase. “I gave you the rooms with the most privacy. It will allow you and your team to come and go whenever you want. Each room has a balcony, and they sit beside a big tree. If you have to sneak out, you can disappear without being noticed.”
Julian grinned at how sneaky their client had been. The woman was taking this to a whole new level of investigation. “Thank you. We appreciate it.”
She handed them an envelope. “Here’s a map of the estate. Each couple is given one, and they’re free to explore as much as they want. If you need any help, you only need to ask someone who works here to show you the way. We work for you for the next two weeks,” she added, winking.
Tori wanted to roll her eyes. The woman only wished she could service her husband.
“Thank you,” Julian said, squeezing his wife’s hand. He didn't have to look at her to know she was biting back a comment.
Opening their door, she escorted them inside. “This used to be the main bedroom. After the birth of Cherie and Joseph Hesser’s only child, they moved out.”
Tori placed her purse on the bed. The room was gorgeous and couldn’t imagine why. “Was there a problem with it? Maybe it was too big, and they couldn’t find each other?”
Lost & Broken (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 2) Page 5
