CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
EVE DRESSED IN BROWN PANTS AND A LIGHTWEIGHT TURQUOISE sweater before joining Ran in his suite. Both of them had been working all morning: Ran on King Enterprises business; Eve making calls, one to her housekeeper to postpone this week’s cleaning, another to her CPA, then doing some online banking. She had checked on Donny, then called Bethany to see how she was feeling and confirm their upcoming appointments.
By that time, she told herself, all of this would be over.
Zane had told Ran the police had released the crime scene this morning. They were planning to go over to the asylum tonight.
The team had the day to themselves before meeting in his suite. From there they would drive over to the orphanage. In the meantime, Ran was taking her to a late lunch at a country inn called the Wayside Farm. Eve was grateful. Anything to keep her mind off the evening ahead.
Eve made her way down the hall, and Ran opened his door before she had time to knock. Cell phone against his ear, he motioned her into his suite, holding up a finger to tell her he’d be finished in a minute.
Eve wandered over to the windows that looked out on the sea. In the distance, ominous clouds hovered above the ocean. Rain and wind were predicted for tonight.
It figured, Eve thought. Everything about the task they faced had become more and more difficult.
She felt Ran’s big hands on her shoulders, gently turning her to face him. He bent and pressed a soft kiss on her lips.
“Sorry for that,” he said. “That was Amsterdam. A situation arose that needed to be resolved. Fortunately, we’re in the same time zone.”
Eve smiled. “It’s all right, I was enjoying the view.” They both turned to look out the window, stood for a moment just watching the swell of the waves. “Unfortunately, with a storm coming in, I don’t think tonight is going to be pleasant.”
“No, especially not with all the leaks in the roof and the broken windows in the asylum.”
“To say nothing of a demon who can turn a windstorm into a hurricane.”
Ran’s jaw tightened. “For now, let’s enjoy the day and worry about all of that later.”
He escorted Eve out of the suite and they took the stairs to the lobby. The limo waited out front. “You aren’t driving the Beamer today?” Eve asked.
Ran smiled. “Willard knows how to get to the restaurant, and this way I get to cuddle with you in the back seat.”
Eve laughed.
They had just settled themselves inside the Bentley when Ran’s cell phone rang. He took it out and looked down at the screen.
“It’s Tom Mason, the estate agent.” As the limo pulled away from the curb, he put the phone on speaker.
“Mr. King. Tom Mason here. Afraid I’ll be needin’ that key back today. Mr. Stanhope sold the old asylum.”
Ran frowned. “Do you know who bought it?”
“Somebody local. They’re gonna do a big remodel, use it for an ol’ folks’ home.”
Eve’s gaze locked with Ran’s.
“I was about to make an offer,” he said, “but to do that, I’ll need a few more days.”
“Sorry, deal’s done, Mr. King. The seller wants the key back right away. I’ll be over in just a few minutes to pick it up.”
“I’m on my way to lunch, Tom. I’ll bring the key by in the morning.”
“Beggin’ yer pardon, sir, but I stuck me neck out on this already. The buyer is comin’ over to get the key in an hour. Just tell me where ye are and I’ll come right there an’ pick it up.”
Ran sighed. “The key is in my suite at the hotel. I’ll meet you there.”
“All right, then. I’ll be seein’ ye soon.” The line went dead.
Ran turned to the limo driver. “Willard, you need to turn around and take us back to the hotel.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We don’t have time to make a copy of the key?” Eve asked.
“Even if we had time, as old as the lock is on that front door, it might not be easy to make one.”
“So what are we going to do?”
Ran flashed her a roguish grin. “We’re going to trespass. We did it once. In that place, another broken window won’t even be noticed.”
* * *
Ran returned the key to Tom Mason as promised; then Willard drove them out to the Wayside Farm, a lovely old country inn with dark wood paneling, quiet booths, and the incredible food of a two-star Michelin restaurant.
Afterward they strolled the open green fields surrounding the inn and enjoyed the brisk spring weather.
Back in Ran’s suite, they spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. Time for them was running out. They both knew it. There was a quiet desperation in their lovemaking, yet afterward, Ran felt a kind of peace he had never felt before.
He ignored a trickle of guilt. He didn’t want to think about Sabrina. What they’d had together was different. They’d been happy. They’d had a child they both worshipped. But Sabrina had built her set of friends and Ran had his own. They spent time together, but his work often kept him away from home.
With Eve, he felt a closeness, a bond that he and Sabrina had never shared. He was going to miss Eve badly when they parted.
Which sent his mind in a direction he had never allowed it to go. What if their relationship didn’t have to end? What if he asked Eve to consider a future with him? Was there a chance her feelings for him were as strong as his for her?
Ran had never believed in long-distance romances. Eve deserved more than that and so did he. There would be sacrifices involved. He couldn’t move to Sunderland. He lived in Seattle, had built a giant corporation, a business that affected the lives of hundreds of employees and their families.
He would have to ask Eve to give up the life she was building in England and make a home with him in the States.
The notion stirred a deep longing inside him. Was he actually thinking of marriage? They hadn’t known each other that long, and yet Ran felt as if he knew Eve better than any woman he had ever met.
You have time, he told himself. You don’t have to make a decision right now. At the moment, they had a huge problem to solve, and he was consumed by worry over putting his people in danger.
He looked up to see Eve walking out of his bedroom. Her dark hair was mussed, her makeup mostly gone. She looked pretty and sexy. Like a woman who had been deliciously tumbled. He wanted her all over again.
“I’ve got to go back to my suite to shower and dress,” she said. “What time are we going to the orphanage?”
“I need to talk to the others, bring them up to speed. Since we no longer have a key or the owner’s permission, we’ll be going in late, well after dark. No use risking a run-in with the police. I’m thinking we should all have dinner together at the pub down the block before we head over.”
“That’s a good idea. If tonight goes the way we hope, we won’t be together much longer.”
Ran’s chest tightened. “No,” was all he said.
Eve glanced away, as if their parting was equally upsetting for her. Ran could only hope.
“What time’s the meeting?” Eve asked.
“We’ll meet in my suite at eight p.m. We can talk things through, then go over to the pub. I’ll let the others know.”
Eve just nodded. “In the meantime, I have some things I need to do.”
Ran watched her leave, and the longing he’d felt before returned. Then a memory surfaced of his wife and daughter lying on the icy ground, a white sheet draped over their lifeless bodies, Chrissy just a tiny bundle next to her mother. He remembered the tears that had frozen on his cheeks, remembered wiping the blood off his forehead as the EMTs insisted he get into the ambulance. He didn’t remember anything after that. Not until he awoke. Not until he was forced to deal with the deaths of the two people he loved most in the world.
Ran swallowed and shoved the memory away, but his heart was pounding.
He raked a hand through his hair, settling himself, pulled out his cell and began texting Luke and the members of the team.