Take Me Now

by Nancy Jardine

  Aela had another sensitive question to ask since she’d liked Aran very much the day he’d ferried her to the island, and could only think good thoughts about him. “Is there any way Aran could be a suspect? Would he ever have any reason to be in London at your headquarters?”

  Nairn looked appalled. “Never. Aran worked with my father long before I left for university. He helped me start up Lanwater Whitecap here on Lanera. Managed it for me when I was elsewhere. He’s a mainstay on the island, and he’s never any reason to be in the London offices. He’s no motive to do any of this.”

  His thrashing arm-cast sent a tub of pencils and pens crashing to the floor, Aela quick to soothe as she gathered the fallen ones. “I’m sorry. Hey, I definitely liked what I saw of him, but I’m trying to help you. I can’t do it unless I ask these questions, even if they are awkward and seem inane.”

  Nairn’s apology was instant. He grasped her hand when she’d tidied up the pen tub, and pulled her in alongside him. Her chair whizzed into place, her leg nestled next to his, sharing far too much body heat for one small point of contact. Nairn absently stroked her fingers.

  Their conclusion was someone had to have overheard his conversation with Aran and Brian – because that’s when he’d given instructions for the bike ramp to be readied for use. It was always stored in the boatyard since there was no way he could get the motorbike up and down the cove.

  “I’m guessing your accident was the end of these incidents? Till today, that is?”

  Nairn’s head tilted to the ceiling, a momentary closing of his eyes before he answered. “Unfortunately, no. On Tuesday morning, a power failure shut down my whole complex in London for more than four hours till the energy company found the problem. They got it up and running again just before you arrived at the castle.”

  “Damaging to a lot of your business.” She nudged him with her leg, giving an encouraging display of sympathy.

  “You can imagine how much of an interruption that was. Most personnel were sent home, leaving only a skeleton staff. Just as well mobile phones are used by almost everyone, though by mid-day I’d fielded so many questions for office personnel my head was reeling.” Nairn’s eyes popped open, caught her glance, and he grinned – an apologetic rueful quirk of his lips. “You know just how much I was reeling on Tuesday.”

  Aela couldn’t deny it. What a ruddy awful time he’d been having, and she’d been so dismissive about him being a prat. She was now the one who felt chagrined; ready to beat the hell out of the perpetrator on Nairn’s behalf.

  A jangling of the phone jolted them out of their mutual remembering.

  “Thanks, Robert. Yes, I’ll speak to Detective Woods now.” There was a slight pause before Nairn replied. “Yes, I’m Nairn Malcolm.”

  Unsure if she should vacate the room Aela slipped from the chair, but Nairn’s plastered arm flaps indicated she should listen in as he gestured the speakerphone.

  “Our expert tells me that particular valve has been tampered with, sir, on all of the tanks. Now, your security guard has mentioned other incidents of a suspicious nature during the last week?”

  She listened as Nairn related everything that had happened, including his own accident that no-one in the London office knew about. “Detective Woods. I’m sure you can appreciate why I don’t want anyone in my London offices to know about my accident, not even Robert at present.”

  Detective Woods cleared his throat. “Do you have any suspicions about the integrity of your security guard, sir?”

  Nairn was quick to dispel the notion. “None at all. I’d just prefer no one knows yet.” He listened a bit longer. “Yes, detective, I did have a consultation from that security consultant yesterday.”

  “Was the nature of the visit with a view to improving your security measures, Mr. Malcolm?”

  The detective’s tone indicated that the event was a little too late. Nairn’s sigh before answering confirmed that he, too, was thinking along the same lines. “Yes. He’s gone off to get a quote together for upgraded cameras and a few other implementations to improve the monitoring of personnel movements, but I don’t expect completion for a couple of days.”

  “As you wish, Mr. Malcolm. In the meantime, we’ll say nothing of your own mishap. We have employees still to interview and I’ll report on that as soon as I can.” Detective Woods then explained he’d liaise with the Glasgow City Centre Police Office regarding Nairn’s accident. Aela jotted down the relevant contact numbers for both police stations.

  After the call, she made coffee before resuming their earlier speculation over who might be a suspect. Her next question was sensitively phrased. “Could anyone else on Lanera have a grudge to settle? Someone who comes and goes to the London base?”

  Nairn made no hesitation. “Nobody ever goes down to London from Lanera. Not even Ruaridh. He’s entrenched on the island, and happy to be so.”

  “Okay.” She changed the subject back to the bike. “Could someone have accessed your bike before Saturday morning?”

  Nairn couldn’t deny it might have been possible, but the garage alarm system was operating as normal, so there’d been no reason for him to suspect anything untoward.

  “Well, it sounds most likely that somebody tampered with the bike at the hotel in Glasgow.”

  Nairn readily concurred. Scooting her chair all the way around the desk, she sat closer again, her knees almost touching his thigh.

  “What motive would anyone have for putting you out of action? Or causing such pandemonium your business integrity would be questionable?”

  Nairn said he’d thought of that aspect. “Or, do you mean something aside from me losing business?”

  “No.”

  She gnawed on her bottom lip. “Let’s stick with loss of business. What are your most lucrative propositions at present? What would you be reluctant to lose, or muck up?”

  Nairn’s gaze appeared riveted on her lips, his answer slow to materialize. “I’ve already told you this Malaysian deal is a big money venture. The first order was successful, and I’m now supplying for a second. Being a chain of hotels, they could put huge amounts of future business my way. That’s why this gas tank meddling has to be dealt with rapidly.”

  “Anything else?”

  Nairn explained other commitments. “Gale Breakers has a prestige order for Prince Khalid. It’s an expensive yacht, though it’s more the cachet of getting orders like his that’s important; good business is often generated by word of mouth.”

  Aela agreed since her Uncle Harris’s business often had huge boosts from people of note using their services. Yet, neither of those two contracts sounded like the underlying cause of the incidents. “Have you potential business that’s very competitive, that other companies might want so desperately they’d resort to corporate espionage?”

  “Espionage? Nobody’s tried to steal from me.” Nairn laughed.

  “Well, okay, maybe espionage isn’t quite the word. Corporate sabotage or serious delaying tactics.”

  He mentioned a proposed meeting for the following week, in the Caribbean, that he’d probably have to abandon due to his condition. “An upgrade of craft for a newly formed consortium of hotels. They’re presently serviced by different American firms, but the intention is to have a corporate image regarding water sports facilities.”

  “So, if you can’t go next week, a competitor could win the bid instead of you?”

  He suspected at least three other companies were bidding and told her that although he would present a good package, it was no dead cert he’d get the work. Another silence pervaded, yet it was a comfortable one as Aela wondered what the saboteur’s motive was. The respect building between them the last while was still there…but a certain reserve had returned. She sensed a different sort of pressure was creeping in, and it was grasping Nairn in an invisible stranglehold.

  He next called the Glasgow City Centre Police Office and was informed that Lanera police officers would visit the castle later that eve
ning. Without even touching him, she felt waves of agitation gripping him by the time the call was over.

  Chapter Ten

  “Still want to continue?”

  Nairn felt nauseated, though it had nothing to do with his physical ailments. Bad conscience churned his gut as he stared at the beautiful woman he’d embroiled in his troubles.

  Aela’s glare, he guessed, mirrored his own as she faced him down. “I don’t go back on my word, Nairn Malcolm – not ever.”

  “Get the Range Rover. We’ll see how Prince Khalid’s order’s progressing.”

  His bark might have been heard down in Mariskay and deafened even himself. It was a pathetic excuse, but he had to get out of the castle. Frustration mounted. He hated being inactive, hated being injured, and most of all hated he could do little to protect his new employee should even more incidents occur.

  He forced a compromise. Going down to the boatyard might jog some memory of the previous Friday.

  “How do I access the car?” Aela got up and approached the door.

  He watched her turn as she awaited his answer, her cool not ruffled in the slightest by the potential danger he put her in. Her professionalism had been exemplary. He ordered: she carried out. Hell! The woman had been his sounding board for hours, been supportive, her theories astute. Her soothing massage had kept him calm and rational. He enjoyed her presence and found he didn’t want anything to hurt her.

  Wheeling out into the corridor, he barrelled along till just short of the mud room where he indicated a large watercolour on the wood panelled wall. Behind was a container storing numerous keys. “Top level, first left, there should be a spare key for this back door.” He reeled off the relevant keys, finishing with the garage and security gate remotes. Aela listened, selected the necessary keys and pocketed them. “The key for the boatshed is top row first right. You’re not likely to need it yet, but at least you’ll know where it is.” Having fired out the information, he wheeled out to the garage. “You can use any of the cars for personal use, though at present the only one I’m going to fold into just now is the Range Rover.”

  As she towed behind him, she blithely remarked she didn’t expect she’d use either of the two high performance vehicles to travel a few miles to Mariskay, but she’d like to use them to explore the island…if she ever had time off.

  Nairn ignored her jibe, in no mood to respond to her banter. He couldn’t quite ignore her, though, when she shunted the passenger seat back as far as it would go and reclined it.

  “Your carriage awaits, sir. Fold yourself in while I fold this down,” she joked. The wheelchair was soon plopped into the boot.

  At the boatyard, Aela trekked alongside the wheelchair since he insisted on wheeling himself. She was greeted in far too familiar a manner by some of the younger males, who all seemed to have valid reasons for being introduced to her, and shake hands with her. He could barely contain his aggression when yet another man hovered.

  “How’s progress on this one, Aela?” Aran asked as they stood by Prince Khalid’s order.

  “Is this a trick question?” She was grinning but Nairn didn’t get the joke.

  “Not at all.” Aran snorted as she climbed into the hull.

  Nairn listened to their repartee from the wheelchair where he sat feeling like a rat in a trap. A moment later her eager voice floated out.

  “You’ve added a marine GPS Chartplotter and an autopilot system.” Her head popped out of the hatch as she climbed back out. “Has it been water tested yet?

  Aran spoke of the full trials which wouldn’t happen for a couple of days, other internal fitments needing to be added first. Nairn’s mood was sour as he noted Aela’s interaction with Aran who appeared impressed by her knowledge and interest. How could she know those systems had been added by just looking at the interior? They’d made a couple of phone calls during the morning regarding the order, but failing that it must be she knew much more about boats than he first thought.

  Or – and he liked this thought much less – had she been down here already visiting Aran?

  Or Ruaridh? God forbid!

  Had he been wrong to almost bare his soul to this woman? Could he trust her with his problems? She turned her charm on everyone, becoming their best friend in a matter of moments.

  He’d earlier thought her concern had been personal. Maybe he was totally deluded? Yet being suspicious of everyone’s motives didn’t sit well with him either; he hated mistrust.

  “Get the car please, Miss Cameron.”

  ***

  Aela wondered what the hell had got up Nairn’s butt as she drove back to the castle, the tense silence able to be cut with a blunt knife. She was miffed again with his tendency to black moods.

  “You’ve done enough today. Take a break. I’ll see you at dinner.”

  His attitude as he exited the car was dismissive, as though he couldn’t stand her company any longer. It rankled. “Not sure what your problem is, sir, but you look like a piece of…dog’s dirt. I suggest you have a nice lie down while I go and do something interesting. After I put the car away, of course.”

  Her words accompanied a simpering-sweet smile. The grunt she heard as Nairn lurched out of the door didn’t mask his rude comment about cheeky, insubordinate bloody women. Her laugh echoed around the courtyard as she whipped the folding wheelchair back into use and set it beside him.

  “Sweet dreams, your eminence.” Her cheeky chauffeur salute was obviously not appreciated as Nairn’s good fingers twitched in a rude gesture as he slid into the wheelchair.

  The pool was one place domineering Nairn Malcolm wouldn’t be visiting for a while. The water was a beautiful temperature, just right for fast laps and then a more leisurely swim before she splashed water onto the sauna coals and relaxed in the steamy haze. It’d been ages since she’d had a sauna; her backpacking holiday hadn’t included places so luxurious.

  Tranquil elegance surrounded her, the lush hydro-planting maintained by the pool attendant. Soothing to the nerves, it was heaven to be away from Nairn’s bad temper; his indifference; and also his occasional affability of the afternoon. Away from his attraction. For a while.

  “I’ve set the dining room, Miss Cameron,” Kirsty informed her as she arrived at the kitchen door. “Mr. Malcolm’s already there waiting for you.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t realize I was late.”

  “Och, no. You’re bang on time.”

  Although Kirsty had chopped the beef into small chunks, Aela noticed Nairn found it difficult to saw through his pastry left-handed, his sour look not much better than earlier.

  “I’ll cut it before you mangle it to a pulp. My fault, sir. Kirsty chose the menu for me, said I couldn’t be here without tasting her traditional steak pie.”

  As she drew his plate closer, a grudging thank you reached her ears. It was expected since she’d already gleaned he hated to be defeated by anything. She avoided any inadvertent brushes of fingers or arms.

  A strained meal followed where they discussed Nairn’s plans for the coming week.

  “Take the rest of the evening off. You’ve already put in plenty of hours, and the police will be here soon,” Nairn declared after their coffee.

  His terse dismissal grated, but he was the boss. She knew she shouldn’t feel rejected.

  “In that case, I’ll go walkabout.”

  She wasn’t sure whether to feel glad or miffed by his abrasive attitude but she was becoming all too aware the dratted man’s attraction was increasing, not diminishing as it should be due to his mercurial moods. It was obvious he wasn’t feeling the same pull because he wanted rid of her, now barely tolerating her when she was in the same room.

  The wander down to Mariskay was ideal. Since it was a warm June evening, there were plenty of patrons of the harbour bars sitting at outside tables, enjoying the evening sunshine. Aela found a space, ordered a glass of wine and contemplated what a strange situation she’d got herself into. Within minutes a couple of the younger boa
t-builders she’d met earlier in the day strolled past and expressed delight in keeping her company.

  The next hours were the most relaxed she’d been for days, although she was careful to be confidential when Nairn’s name cropped up. It was evident that though he didn’t tolerate fools gladly he was admired in the local community for generating economy.

  Jamie was full of praise for her new boss. “Aye, Nairn wis born and raised here. Did a Mechanical Engineering Degree in Edinburgh, tho’, and then went tae Harvard Business School, but he nipped back to see Ruaridh and checked on Lanwater Whitecap during his long holidays.”

  As the evening progressed more information was uncovered since both of the men had other relatives who’d been employed by Nairn.

  “Och, ye’d never have credited it, Aela. Four years ago Garvald Castle was jist a ruined shell wi’nae roof. Nairn brought much needed work fir craftsmen on the isle when he bought it and restored it tae how ye see the day.” Colm was then happy to tell her about the boatyard’s current financial viability, which gave the young locals some reassurance they’d have jobs in the near future.

  She filed away the information as useful to her temporary job: nothing to do with her desire to know everything she could about her well-respected, workaholic, annoying boss. She returned to Garvald Castle warmed by the wine and the congenial company.

  The door to Nairn’s bedroom was shut tight as she walked past. The office was empty, but at her desk she found a brief, impartial message. The police had called. She went to bed feeling very much the outsider, someone in the know, yet barely involved.

  Professional politeness ruled from first greetings the next day. Sometimes Aela looked up to find Nairn’s gaze on her then he would open an unnecessary conversation. His eyes betrayed something else before he veiled them – though she did wonder if she read more into his regard because it was what she was beginning to want. Yet contrarily also didn’t want.