“So why do you think Mittens would do that to your stepdad?”
“In the guard dog division, my sister trains everything with four legs, including other exotic cats. She trains each animal with attack commands. The doctor said he believes the marks are from a canine, but I’m not sure how many animals were involved. It was hard to tell with all of the bite marks. That’s where you come in.”
“Okay,” I said, thinking about this. “If this psychic told you that you can hear and I can see by touching pictures, why not just give me a recent picture of your stepfather instead of that Christmas picture? We wouldn’t have even had to leave town.”
Harlon’s deep sigh filled the cabin. “The psychic told me the connection would be even stronger if we touched the live person. I need to know what happened so I can help my sister.”
Assuming his sister hadn’t done this. “How do you know it’s not an animal your sister trained for one of her clients?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “That’s why I need you to help me see who did this, even if it’s just seeing the animal. That can help narrow it down. I need to find my sister and make sure she doesn’t end up with the same fate, and in order to do that, I need answers.”
That was something I could understand. I’d do more than kidnap someone if it meant saving my sister’s life. I got that, even if I didn’t like it.
“You saw what it did to me last time. It knocked me out,” I said.
“I promise I’ll keep you safe, Nina.”
“I’m not worried about me. I know how I’m going to die; you just promise not to put me on a plane again or let anyone else try.”
His lips quivered at the edge. “You have my word.”
“Good,” I said, turning my gaze out the window, watching the world pass by below as I continued to remind myself, four passengers instead of five. Four instead of five.
The plane landed on a private airport where an SUV was parked and men were waiting.
I stepped out onto the plane stairs. My nose twitched at the scent of hot sidewalk trash mixed with a hint of salty air. It wasn’t the foul smell that had me pausing on the steps. Two men stood in the distance. The bulges created by the guns in arm holsters were evident under their suit jackets.
“Welcome to New York.” Harlon said.
“I wouldn’t have pegged a big guy like you in need of bodyguards,” I said and continued walking.
“They aren’t my bodyguards.” He huffed. “You think I need bodyguards?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t.” He responded as a voice of authority.
I fought back a smile at his defiance.
“They’re my best friends and coworkers. They’re security specialists like me. And those guns will keep us safe, not kill us.”
He rested his hand on my back, and it sent a shock wave of tingles down my spine.
“It’s about time you sealed the deal.” One of the men clapped Harlon on the back, and I quickly stepped away from Harlon’s touch. I didn’t want to know what that man was thinking.
Harlon swung his gaze to mine, and I lifted a brow. “We’re not quite sure how all of this touching stuff works yet.”
“Right.” They exchanged a confused look. “Let’s get you two on the road.”
“Nina Bennett, I’d like you to meet Quinton and Milton Fields.”
I held out my hand and shook both. They each stared between Harlon and me as if I were going to break out and tell their futures.
“I only get premonitions and visions. Nothing remotely like Harlon.”
Quinton and Milton were good-looking guys if you liked city slickers wearing the latest expensive suits and high-end jewelry. Both were shorter than Harlon, but each guy seemed a bit surprised that I was here. How did I know? I had to wait for them to clean out the crap in the backseat.
“Harlon, can I use your phone?” I asked after getting settled inside.
“Sure.” He handed it over.
I dialed Mercy and turned my gaze toward the window.
She answered on the first ring again. “Nina Marie, you better not hang up on me again like that; it’s rude.”
“Sorry, Mercy, it wasn’t a good time to talk. Now really isn’t either, but I wanted to let you know that we landed.”
“In New York I see,” she said.
“How did you know I’m in New York?”
“Who is she talking to?” Quinton asked.
“Never mind how I know. You need to buy a bus ticket, rent a car, or hop on the next train home.”
“These people need my help. He’s looking for his sister, Mercy. You know I can’t walk away from that. It’s his sister,” I repeated for emphasis.
“Who are you talking to, and how does she know where you are? My phone is encrypted,” Harlon said.
I covered the speaker. “Not from my sisters. Sorry. They know all, and what they don’t know they’ll beat out of everyone until they do know. This is me saving you guys from a southern butt-whooping.”
They all chuckled, and I uncovered the phone.
“Listen, I’m safe but I don’t know when I’ll be home. I’ll keep in touch just don’t tell Gwen or the other girls.”
“Nina, you know I can’t keep a secret like that.”
“Just try, Mercy. I’ve got to go.”
“Fine. You’ve got three days to handle your stuff, and if I don’t hear from you, I’m sending Gwen, and her goonies, to hunt your ass down.”
“Perfect. Love you.”
I hung up before she could change her mind. I handed the phone back to Harlon. “We’ve got three days to figure this out.”
“Three days? Is she for real?” Milton asked from the front seat.
Chapter 9
We traveled through the streets of New York for two hours before we pulled into a parking garage. The Fields brothers unloaded our stuff and left us at the elevator. Was this the equivalent to New York curb service?
“They aren’t coming up?” I asked.
“No, they’re following other leads to track my sister until we need the muscle.”
Harlon used a keypad by the elevator and punched in numbers. Within seconds the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Harlon didn’t even press a button, but the car rose, as if by magic.
“Welcome home, Mr. Simmons,” a voice said.
“Thank you, Ruby. It’s good to be home.”
“How is your computer going to order things for me that you forgot to pack?”
He leaned down to whisper. “Ruby is my assistant. She’s a real live person, who thought it would be fun to insert her voice pattern into my security system.”
Seeing the aggravation on his face made me smile.
“It’s not funny,” he growled as the elevator doors opened on the tenth floor.
“Of course, it is,” I said, stepping out and following him down an expansive high-ceilinged entryway. Gorgeous crown molding ran along the perimeter. I only got a glimpse of the kitchen as we passed, but it was enough to see that it was huge too.
The space opened up to spacious rooms with patterned walls, heavy curtains, area rugs, and expensive paintings, which made me pause. It was the opposite of the log cabin in the woods. The complete opposite.
Expensive-looking dark furniture was neatly situated around the room. A large painting above an ornate fireplace was the focal point of the room. This place was bigger than my entire house. No way had he decorated this. Unless I had sorely miscalculated him.
It was big and airy, unlike the mountain cabin he’d been staying in.
Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out on the city that never slept. Lights shined from the monuments and tall buildings nearby. Down below, people, people, and more people walked the streets.
“That’s bulletproof glass in case you’re worried,” he said, walking past and carrying the luggage.
“I’m only here for three days. Should I be worried?”
He mumbled something beneath his bre
ath that I didn’t catch. “Come on, let me show you around.”
He read off each room like a shopping order, starting off with what was special about the security and where panic buttons were hidden. Every room was like that, including mine. The one he had put me in looked out on another portion of the city. Just as beautiful and just as bright.
He dropped my bag on the bed and gestured. “I’m right across the hall.”
I followed him into the hallway, where he opened his room to show me. The largest king-sized bed I’d ever seen sat on a platform connected to the wall. Everything in this room, including the bedding, looked like something that would come from a five-star hotel.
“You had a decorator, didn’t you?” I asked, stepping into his personal space and opening doors until I found the closet with a long line of designer suits. I stepped inside. Everything was pristine, color-coded. “Admit it. You’ve got a split personality, don’t you?” I called out.
I misaligned a hanger and watched with a smile as he stepped in and corrected it.
“I can assure you that I only have one personality.”
I chuckled. “Says the man wearing flannel who has a beard in mid-growth and nothing but a closet of suits. You’re a contradiction.” I tilted my head. “Are you a closet lumberjack? Is that what this is?”
Harlon ran his hand over the stubble growing on his chin. “When I’m not working, I don’t shave, and I don’t wear suits. Jeans and flannel are more comfortable.”
“Judging by the decorations, I’d think your part girly too,” I said, heading for the door.
He grabbed my hand and twirled me back into his chest. “There’s nothing girly about me, Nina. You feel the connection between us, too, don’t you?”
“Well, you’ve seen me naked. I’m sure it brought all kinds of things… to the surface.”
His lips twisted into a smile as his gaze softly caressed my face, and then his smile fell. Something changed in those seconds quicker than flipping a light switch. He dropped his hold on me and slid his hands into his pockets. “Let me get cleaned up and we can go see my stepdad. The quicker we get this done, the quicker I can have my driver take you home.”
Harlon walked into the bathroom, leaving me in the big empty space. I glanced around the room once more, seeing it in a different light. It was still beautiful, but it seemed lonely. For a brief second, I felt sorry for the man. I felt sorry for myself, too, knowing my room would reflect the same thing. My place might be smaller, but it was similar in quietness.
I walked back into my room, dug out my sketchbook, and stared at the drawing of the landscape full of wishes and dreams.
I’d only sketched three-quarters of the paper when I looked up to find Harlon in the doorway staring at me. Only it wasn’t the Harlon who’d saved me, nor was it the Harlon who’d kidnapped me. This was the Harlon who occupied this apartment.
This was clean-shaven Harlon, wearing a suit minus the coat. “Wow. Lumberjack to Wall Street in less than twenty minutes. That’s impressive.”
I climbed off the bed, ditched my book, and glanced in the mirror. “I look like a drowned rat, and I’m severely underdressed. You didn’t even pack my makeup.”
He crossed the room and held out his hand. “You’re beautiful, Nina.”
“Says the man who needs my help.” I chuckled. “You don’t need to butter me up. I’m here, and I’m going to help you.
His eyes slowly slid down my body, making the heat creep up into my cheeks. “You help those who can’t help themselves.” His eyes softened. “That makes you a beautiful train wreck.”
Get it done and get gone, I whispered in my head as I grabbed my sketching materials. If I was going to be knocked out, it was possible I’d wake up ready to draw something, much like when I woke from sleeping to sketch the kid’s hiding spot in the woods.
One thing was for sure though; I might have belonged in lumberjack’s world, but no way did I belong in Wall Street’s. “Let’s go see your stepdad.”
I followed him into the elevator and down to the garage. This time when we stepped out, there was no SUV waiting on us. Only a Town Car and a driver.
“Dean, this is Nina Bennett. She’ll be staying with me for a few days,” Harlon said.
“Three,” I corrected. My sister had only given me three days to help before Mercy tells Gwen and then the rest of them show up here to take me back home. They knew I was a sucker for helping people in distress and I had a feeling New York was riddled with them. I leaned in to whisper to Harlon, “You have a driver?”
“Parking is a bitch in the city,” he said as if I should have known.
“Welcome, Ms. Bennett. I’m at your service.”
“A polite driver,” I said, sliding onto the leather seat in the spacious back seat behind the tinted windows. I’d sorely underestimated the lumberjack. I was no longer in my element. Lumberjack calmed my nerves. Wall Street and his toys did the opposite.
The door shut after Harlon followed me into the backseat. “I shouldn’t have sprung all of this on you.”
“You shouldn’t have,” I agreed.
“Technically, had you been paying attention, you should have figured it out. I brought you here on my private jet.”
“Your jet?” I asked.
“I have a bigger one, and a helicopter, should you decide to lose your fear of flying.”
“Not likely, but you go right ahead and ride in your death traps. I’ll keep my feet firmly on the ground.” The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could arrange transportation home.
I turned away and watched out the window until I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore. “So, what was all that with the lumberjack and the log cabin? Why the ruse?”
“No ruse,” he said with a shrug. “I love the outdoors, and when the psychic told me where to find you, I settled in, not exactly sure what day you’d show up.”
“Right, the psychic,” I said, turning my gaze back to the window.
“I’d like you to meet her before you leave. She helped me find what I was searching for. She can help you, too.”
I snapped my attention back at Harlon. “What makes you think I’m searching for something?”
His face softened. “It’s written in the depths of your eyes.”
Chapter 10
Who says crap like that? He didn’t know me, and my eyes weren’t saying anything. I turned my attention back to life floating by while cocooned in my little world. Okay, maybe he was a little right. Not that I’d give him the satisfaction of knowing.
“Have you ever been to New York?” Harlon asked, tearing my attention away from the sights.
“No. Most of my sisters have, but I haven’t.”
“Why, because of your fear of flying?”
“I don’t fear flying, Harlon. I fear being led to my doom under someone else’s control. It’s why I took flying lessons growing up. I faced my fear head-on.”
His mouth parted. “You’re a pilot?”
“Of course,” I said. “I refuse to be at anyone’s mercy when I die.”
“Including a pilot you don’t know?”
“Exactly. If the guy at the controls has a heart attack and keels over, I know how to take over. I’ve trained for it. I’m the maestro of my life, which is why my sister knew I’d never get on a plane willingly as a passenger.”
“Well, welcome to my hometown. After we find Suzie, I’ll show you the sights.”
“We have three days,” I reminded him.
Dean paused the car outside a gate before being let in. A canopy of trees covered the long well-lit driveway. There was only one way to describe the house in front of us; it was a mansion. The kind you only see on television.
“Wow. Did you grow up here?”
“I was about ten when my mom remarried,” he answered as the car rolled to a stop. Harlon opened the door and held his hand out for me to take.
“Was that your first Christmas together that I saw?”
“Ou
r second. Our first was ten times worse,” Harlon said, approaching the door.
He didn’t even have to knock before the door opened.
“Harlon,” a redheaded woman said in greeting. She had a clipboard pressed to her chest.
“It’s about time,” the man standing next to her announced. “Your father has been acting out, and we need to sedate him, but we were trying to wait until you arrived.”
“Thanks, Gordon,” Harlon said, guiding me into the house with his hand on my back, ushering me while making introductions.
“Ruby, Gordon, this is Nina Bennett. Nina, this is my assistant, Ruby, and Gordon is my father’s doctor.”
I smiled at both.
“Where’s Fitz?” Harlon asked, leading us through a maze of hallways.
“In your father’s bedroom,” Gordon answered.
“Fitzgerald Carpenter is my father’s personal assistant. He’s been with the Manny’s family since before Manny and mom married.”
I hadn’t known this was going to be a group project. It was awkward enough being led through a house by a man I barely knew with others following us. Only a handful of people knew what I could do. I wasn’t quite ready to share my gift with a ton of strangers.
Harlon knocked twice before opening the door into a large room. Blackout drapes covered the windows and only bedside lamps and a fireplace illuminated the space.
A man with his face and head swathed in bandages was lying on the bed. Medical machines beeped. The display on the monitor glowed steady green.
An older man with gray hair had been sitting in a chair by the bed reading a book. He snapped it shut when we entered. “Is this her?”
“Fitz, this is Nina Bennett.”
The dignified older fellow rose and crossed the room. His hand engulfed my hand. “Welcome, dear, I hope Harlon has been a gentleman.”
“If you call kidnapping me being a gentleman, then yes.”
“Don’t forget I saved your life,” he added.
“I had bear spray,” I argued. “I saved my own life; you just saw to my shower.”
Ruby snickered behind me, breaking me out of my argument. “Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Harlon and I see things…differently.”
Hard to Hold (Bennett Dynasty Book 4) Page 4
