TRIGGERED: A Romantic Suspense Bundle (5 Books)

by Evie Nichole

  “A few days ago you didn’t want much of anything to do with her.”

  “I know, but after the hospital…I don’t know. I see a difference in her, and she really does seem to like you. Besides, the distraction may help her keep her mind off of my father.”

  “We can tell her then.”

  “And…”

  “What?”

  Barkley pulled her to his chest. “I want to take you to the Caymans for the rest of your recovery.”

  “You’ve been trying to get me to the Caymans since the night you met me.”

  “Now we have a legitimate reason to go. I want to take you and Mother, and that’s it.”

  “Not Betty?”

  “No.”

  Selene chewed on it for a moment, absently playing with a few strands of hair on his chest. “You think I’m in danger, don’t you?”

  “I can’t say that for sure, but I just don’t know who to trust right now. You and my mother seem like the only good candidates.”

  “And MJ.”

  “Yes, and MJ, but he’s not invited.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ll have to beat him off you with a stick if he sees you in a bikini.”

  Selene laughed out loud, but cut it off short as a knock sounded at the door.

  “Yes?” Barkley called out.

  “Dinner,” Betty answered.

  “Let’s go eat, I guess,” he said and pulled his shirt back over his shoulders.

  “Just tell them I’m not up to it yet.”

  Barkley tilted his head to the side. “You need to build your strength back up.”

  “Then after dinner heat me up some soup. From a can. That you’ve opened.”

  Barkley chuckled. “We will all be eating from the same dishes, baby, and I’ll be right there with you. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

  Selene couldn’t argue when he put it that way.

  Dinner was a tense experience. Betty was behaving worse than she had their first night at the plantation house. Her terse one-word answers finally caused everyone to ignore her. Mary was like a nervous caged bird, her eyes darting from one person to another then back to her plate. She barely ate a thing. The men talked whole-heartedly. Only Selene noticed the way Barkley was tense although he looked perfectly calm. His eyes were constantly roving.

  “Are you sure you won’t have a little more, Miss Gisele? You hardly ate a bite,” Mary worried.

  “My appetite is a little off, Mary. Everything was excellent though.”

  “Mother, please join me in the library,” Barkley said and took Selene’s hand. “No helping tonight, young lady.”

  They entered the library, and Barkley led his mother and Selene to the sitting couch while he took the winged back chair. Selene knew why they were in there, and she began to feel nervous twittering within her stomach. If they were going to let Ruth in on all of it, then it was time for Barkley to be brought up to speed as well.

  “I need to go and get something.”

  “Let me come with you.” Barkley began to stand.

  “You can’t protect me every minute, Barkley.”

  Barkley reluctantly sat back down.

  Selene carefully walked up the stairs and went to their room to retrieve her notes. When she was walking back down the stairs, she could hear Betty and Mary talking in hushed tones in the dining room.

  “I think she’s just a gold digger,” Mary said quietly. “She’s nice enough, and very pretty, but I still think it’s the money.”

  “Barkley’s a good-looking man. Maybe not,” Betty replied.

  “You said yourself, no more than two days ago…”

  They fell silent.

  “Let’s finish this in the kitchen,” Betty prompted.

  Selene listened as more dishes moved around, and then there was complete silence. She had an aching in her heart. She guessed the rich went through the gossiping of servants more often than not, but she had hoped that Barkley’s servants would love her as much as they did him. It was a foolish thing to wish, particularly since her initial visit there was a farce, as she was undercover. She supposed she was still undercover, as far as the staff was concerned.

  She went back to the library, closing the door softly but firmly behind her. Barkly and his mother were talking softly, both leaning forward in the intensity of their conversation. Ruth glanced up at her, her eyes holding a bright mischievous glint. Selene knew Barkley had already told her that she wasn’t who she said she was. She sat down on the couch and slumped a little, feeling like a naughty child whose actions were trying to be explained.

  Ruth sat back and gave her a wry smile. “My goodness, but you do keep surprising us, Selene.”

  Oh boy. She decided that cheeky was the best way. “I try my best.”

  Barkley grinned, his dimples popping out in splendid manner for Selene.

  “I must say that you’re not really the stripper type, thank goodness.”

  “Does my real profession make things any better?” Selene asked dryly.

  Ruth thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No, not really, but it’s better than taking your clothes off for strange men.”

  Selene could only smile and shake her head. “I have to appreciate your honesty.”

  “And I have to appreciate what you are trying to do for my son.”

  Selene nodded, feeling a new kind of bond happening between herself and Ruth Bailey.

  “Here,” Selene said and handed Ruth the notes she had been painstakingly taking. She handed Barkley the last page. The page of information he didn’t know about.

  Ruth looked over the notes, her face becoming darker the further she read. Barkley, on the other hand, jiggled his leg, his face crimson.

  “What does all of this mean for you, Barkley?” Ruth asked.

  “Here, look at this one. It’ll make more sense.”

  Ruth read and put a hand to her lips. “My God, Lucas was a grandson to the last Mitchell to own this place?” Her gray eyes were large. “But what does it mean?”

  Selene launched into the story of the burned houses in the woods.

  “Let me get this straight,” Ruth said, her tone matter of fact, as she crossed one leg over the other and placed an elbow on her knee. Barkley raised his eyebrows and leaned back in his chair, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “Lucas goaded you to buy this place for Sarah, instead of just buying it for himself? Why?”

  Barkley shrugged. “Maybe Donovan wouldn’t sell to him. Maybe he wanted to ensure the property would return to the Mitchell bloodline through Sarah. I really don’t know.”

  “That would be my guess,” Selene said.

  “This is ridiculous.” Ruth looked at them both. “Barkley, how does your will read?”

  “My will? Well, it’s complicated.”

  “Just give me the short version.”

  “Well, there is a small trust set aside for each of my servants.” He ground down on his teeth when his mother rolled her eyes. “Then there’s you and Dad. If you were both alive at the time of my death, there are some antiques and trust funds for you both too. There’s some money to be set aside for various charities.”

  “The houses, Barkley,” she said impatiently. “Who would get the houses?”

  “Betty would get the Brownstone in the city, and the home in the Caymans and this one were for Sarah or any surviving children if she were already dead.”

  “Any clause about if there were no children, dead children, and/or Sarah was dead?”

  Barkley went pale. He licked his lips. “The properties would go up for auction. The money from the sales would then reroute to the charities.”

  Ruth sat back. “There is your secondary reason for Lucas wanting the property to be in your hands.”

  “That still doesn’t explain Sarah’s disappearance.”

  Selene felt sick. She swallowed thickly. Maybe it does.

  “I need to tell you both something else. It may mean nothing, but yo
u should know.” She told of Betty’s strange phone call outside. “I wanted to find out who she had been talking to. The day I was getting sick, I snuck into her room and looked at the call log on her cell phone. One number was definitely to Lucas two days prior.” She splayed her hands out. “In light of what you told me about Lucas having an interest in her, I didn’t think it was very usual.”

  Barkley pointed to the phone number she had scribbled on the last page of notes. “Is this the other number she had called numerous times?”

  “I think so, but I’m not sure I memorized it correctly. I didn’t exactly have time. I actually had to hide in the closet for a few minutes.”

  Ruth giggled softly. “My, but you are resourceful.”

  Selene looked at her helplessly. “I’m a PI; it’s what I do.”

  “So, let’s call the number.”

  “Use the landline and try hitting star sixty-seven before you dial it.”

  “Why?”

  “It will block your number from caller ID.”

  “Oh,” Barkley said and went to his desk to get the phone from inside the drawer he had hidden it in.

  “He keeps his house phone in a drawer?” Ruth asked incredulously.

  “So he won’t be disturbed when he’s working, I think.”

  Ruth lifted her eyebrows, but said nothing.

  Barkley dialed the number the way Selene had told him, but tossed the phone back down in frustration. “It’s not working.”

  “Well, it’s an old trick, Barkley. With all the technology today, I don’t know, maybe it just doesn’t work anymore. Or maybe it only works on certain phones. We can Google the number.”

  Barkley snatched his cell phone from the top of his desk. He opened a browser window. “Read me the number.”

  Selene did as he asked and waited patiently for him to see what he could find out.

  “Nothing. Two different white pages sites say that it’s a cell phone in the vicinity of the city.”

  Selene corrected him gently. “That means that’s where the cell phone originated. That’s where service was activated.”

  “Great. She could be calling people in the African bush for all we know.”

  “So, are we going to the Caymans or not?” Ruth asked as she stood.

  “I think it’s for the best, for a few days at least.”

  Ruth looked at Selene. “Are you up for that kind of trip?”

  “I should be within the next day or two, I’m sure.”

  “I can finish up things with Tim over the next couple of days. I’ll call Frank and have him fly the jet over to the little airport in the neighboring county the day after tomorrow.”

  “Frank?” Selene asked.

  “He’s the pilot Barkley commissions when we need to fly somewhere quickly.”

  “And he has a jet?”

  Ruth winked. “He only works for the wealthy, dear.”

  ***

  The following morning, Selene tried to shrink back into her chair as Barkley made the announcement at breakfast that he, Ruth, and Selene (whom he still referred to as Gisele) would be leaving for the Caymans the following day. The Sanders and MJ took it as business as usual, nodding their heads in understanding. Selene stole a glance at Betty’s pinched face. The fact that her name wasn’t mentioned hadn’t escaped her. Selene made a silent mental plea for her to not make any type of scene.

  “Just the three of you?” she asked tightly.

  “This time, yes,” Barkley replied, stabbing at sausage link with his fork.

  “I see.” She smiled coldly. “I hope you all have a nice time.”

  “Oh, we will,” Barkley commented.

  Betty gave Selene a long uncomfortable look. “And will you be feeling up to such a trip, dear? So soon after your near death experience?”

  “Barkley thinks the sea air will be good for me.”

  “Oh, it will be!” MJ cut in. “I had a cousin who suffered from the colic his whole life, one trip to the beach and he was cured.”

  There were snickers around the table, all except for Selene and Betty. They were still staring at each other. Selene refused to look away.

  “He did! I swear it!” MJ said with a grin.

  “I usually come with you,” Betty pressed, her eyes sliding to Barkley.

  “This time I would just like Gisele and Mother to come along. Maybe you can next time,” he amended.

  Betty silently ate the rest of her breakfast, chewing as if the food was tasteless.

  ***

  “I want you to rest and try to stay in the room for most of the day,” Barkley said as he placed a small stack of papers within his briefcase.

  “Will you be finished today?”

  “Hopefully, yes. This deal should be finalized by the time I come home.” He smiled broadly. “If all goes well, within two years I will be even richer.”

  “Yay,” Selene said with no enthusiasm.

  Barkley came to her and kissed her cheek, his hand rubbing up one arm. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Mother will keep an eye on you.”

  “Actually, I won’t be able to most of the day.” Ruth spoke as she glided into the library. “She can come with me if she likes.”

  “Where are you going?” Barkley asked, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.

  “Shopping, of course. I’m going to spend as much of your father’s money as I can before I divorce him.”

  “Won’t you want a healthy settlement?”

  Ruth adjusted two bangle bracelets dangling from a slim wrist. “I started squirreling away money the moment your father lost interest in me. I have a private bank account offshore that he knows nothing about.”

  “Mother, that’s stealing,” Barkley chided.

  She looked at him innocently. “Through marriage I’m entitled to at least half. I haven’t even smuggled a quarter.”

  Selene covered her mouth and giggled.

  “See, even she sees the prudence of my actions.”

  Barkley impatiently checked his watch. “What on earth do you need to go shopping for?”

  “A new swimsuit and some cutesy little beach towels.” Ruth looked at Selene. “Really, darling you should come with me. I bet we could find a swimsuit that you would look very sexy in.”

  Selene laughed. “If you see something good just pick it out and I’ll pay you back. I wear a size seven pants, if that helps. I really don’t feel up to it.”

  “My treat,” she replied. “No need to pay me back.”

  “Lock the bedroom door,” Barkley said and kissed Selene again.

  MJ stuck his head in the door and apologized for interrupting, causing Barkley to look at his watch yet again.

  “What, MJ? I need to get going.”

  “Jim and I are going into town for the horse supplies. Do you need anything else?”

  Barkley blinked twice in rapid succession. “No.”

  “Ok. See you later.”

  Barkley looked at the Ruth and Selene with worry in his eyes. “Today is Mary’s shopping day, too. Selene will be alone in the house with Betty. I hadn’t thought this through very well.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Ruth assured him. “We don’t even know for sure that Betty has anything wrong with her currently other than menopause. We don’t know anything for certain.”

  “Right. That’s what scares me,” Barkley replied.

  ***

  Selene propped herself up in bed and opened the computer. Late-morning sunlight slanted through the room. She wanted to research one last thing before taking another nap. She hadn’t locked the door as Barkley had suggested. If anyone came to the door, it would only fuel the fire of resentment, especially if that person was Betty.

  She wanted to see who owned the current deed or deeds of property for all of the land surrounding Barkley’s property. It might shed some innocence on Lucas Mitchell, or it may damn him. Either way she wanted to know. She went to the same county website and looked. Other than the original fifteen acr
es sold during the Civil War, there appeared to be one current owner for the rest of the original land. Selene closed her eyes. She hoped she had only misread. Lucas Mitchell had bought all of the surrounding land over the course of the past ten years.

  A knock sounded at her door.

  “Yes?”

  Betty opened the door, her face impassive. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything.”

  “No, I’m fine. Thanks.” It should have been Betty’s hint to leave, but instead she came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Still researching, I see.”

  “I’m just looking at a few things,” Selene replied easily.

  Betty nodded. “You know, I really liked you from the start, but now…”

  “But now what?”

  Betty turned cold eyes to Selene. “But now I see that you are just meddlesome. I guess you can’t help yourself though, can you…Selene, considering your real profession?”

  The room went completely still. Selene could feel her heart hammering in her chest. “What did you call me?”

  “I called you Selene. That is your name, isn’t it?”

  “It is. But how did you know that?” The hairs were standing up on her arm.

  “Lucas told me.” She dropped his name like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. Selene supposed it should have been.

  “What do you want?” Selene asked quietly.

  “For you to sleep,” Betty said and stood. “Robert?”

  Selene leaned forward as Robert marched into the room with a handkerchief in his hand. He never broke stride as he came to the bed and shoved the cloth over her nose and mouth. She fought against him, with bulging eyes, raking at his hands and face. He only grunted as her nails claimed a long streak of his skin. The smell from the cloth was bitter and sweet smelling, and Selene could feel her body losing the fight for consciousness. Her eyes slid closed, as Betty patted her ankles.

  “That’s a good girl,” she said softly.

  Chapter Six

  Ruth arrived back at the house just after two, satisfied that she had a trunk full of bags and had spent several hundred dollars of her husband’s money. She noted that MJ’s truck was still gone as well as the Sanders’ car. It seemed everyone else was busy spending someone else’s money that day, too.