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Wednesday. Grimaldi Place, Chevy Chase, MD.
Yvonne tip toed into the kitchen. She could hear Theodore’s voice echoing off the walls, doing his best to capture the attention of the family. He really was a great brother.
She grabbed bread, peanut butter, a banana and knife, stacked it on top of her laptop and headed for the stairs. Her to-do list was full of things she couldn’t write down like, find a doctor that wouldn’t tattle on her to her parents.
Loaded down with her bounty, she scurried across to the rear stair and up to the second floor. She held her breath all the way to her bedroom door and didn’t breathe until she’d ducked inside.
She dumped her things on the desk then changed back into her pajamas and out of her dusty wrap dress. So much for looking nice enough to escape criticism today. That done, she set about making herself a sandwich.
Or tried to.
She got as far as opening the jar of peanut butter before the scent had her stomach churning. Her shaking hands slid on the lid as she twisted it closed again.
Yvonne had always been sensitive to odor or strong fragrances, but peanut butter? This was getting pretty extreme.
A single tap at her door was all the warning she got it before it opened and her mother stepped in. Yvonne froze with the peanut butter in hand.
Mom had ditched her cardigan and wore the blue shift dress. She turned toward Yvonne, smiling far too sweetly.
“Back in pajamas? Vee, dear, are you still not feeling well?” Mom crossed the room, her cloud of perfume proceeding her, and pressed the back of her hand to Yvonne’s forehead.
“I’m getting better.” She set the jar down on her desk.
“Well, you don’t have a fever. I can have someone come to the house if you like?”
“No, thank you. No need to make that much fuss.” And Yvonne wanted confidentiality she wouldn’t get from the half dozen doctors Mom might call.
“Always my easy child.” Mom turned and gestured at the window seat. “Sit?”
She hadn’t mentioned the food, which was expressly forbidden in these rooms.
What the hell?
Yvonne’s better sense told her to run, but she couldn’t come up with a reason to explain bolting. She set the peanut butter down and followed her mother to the window.
Mom reached over and patted Yvonne’s knee. “We do always have to take care of the boys, don’t we?”
Yvonne’s mouth went dry and her hands clammy.
“I’m afraid it’s going to fall on us to help Doug this time. Your father is very upset with your brother.” Mom leaned toward Yvonne. “It’s up to us to fix this.”
“Is that even possible?” And what crazy plan had Mom hatched this time? Yvonne was curious, sort of like a person rubbernecking at a wreck. Except she was along for the ride on this disaster.
Mom smiled and her eyes lit up. “Of course it is. We can fix anything. All we need to do is go to the police and tell them you were the one doing the Lyme demonstration. Just tell them you let those people take the drone and then they did horrible things with it you’re only now learning about.”
Yvonne stared at her mother. Was she serious?
Mom smiled back, her eyes bright and far too many teeth on display.
“Mom, that’s not logical. All they have to do is look at my schedule—”
“Don’t make problems.” Mom waved her hand. “They’ll take your story. They’ll be sympathetic. Nothing will happen to you. It’s Doug we have to worry about. With that ugly business over New Year, we have to protect our family.”
“Why me?” Yvonne blurted.
Mom blinked at her as though she didn’t understand the question.
“Why not have Theo do it? Why me?”
“Don’t be silly.” Mom patted Yvonne’s knee. “Theo can’t be connected. It will look bad for the company.”
Yvonne stared at her mother in sick fascination. What was worse, Mom had no idea how deeply those words would sting later. She was proving Nolan right. Because while Mom thought protecting the family was an honorable thing for them to do, she was also proving the point that in the grand scale, Douglas and Theodore mattered more. Their reputations were valuable. Yvonne lived to serve.
“What do you say, dear?” Mom squeezed Yvonne’s hand, practically bouncing with joy.
“You think this will work?” Yvonne felt as though she were in a tunnel, headed somewhere she didn’t want to go.
“Of course it will.”
“When?”
“I’d like for it to happen today, but tomorrow or the day after will give us time to plan.”
Yvonne nodded. That part of her mind that was always working out problems spun away, an idea already taking form.
She had a little time to put things in order.
“Well, if that’s all settled I’ll be off. Things to do and all that.” Mom leaned over and kissed Yvonne’s cheek. “The things we do for these boys, am I right?”
“Right.”
Mom stood, smoothed her dress down then walked toward the door, talking about something Yvonne wasn’t listening to.
Yvonne pulled her feet up onto the cushions, made the appropriate farewell sounds and stared at a spot on the wall.
She’d always been content playing her role, being in the background, because she was part of the great family business. The thing her father had created from nothing at his kitchen table after work because he had a solution no one would listen to. It had been her dream growing up to be part of that.
Was she happy? Were her dreams worth all of this?
Before she answered any of those questions she needed all of the information. And that meant going to a doctor. But she couldn’t make an appointment herself. The Krieger last name was well-known enough that she couldn’t just call up a clinic.
Would Nolan—?
No. She didn’t want to think about him right now. He’d been right, and that stung.
Melody.
She’d been Yvonne’s go to in Kyoto. With any luck the woman would help Yvonne now.
She got up and retrieved her phone, then shot off a text. Her insides were too shaky to trust her voice. Within a minute she’d received a reply from Melody and a promise to be there in five minutes.
Five minutes to decide how to share information Yvonne was still denying.
Two out of three tests had been positive.
Those odds weren’t...what? Good? Bad?
She wasn’t sure one way or the other what she wanted.
If she was pregnant, her whole life would change focus. She didn’t want to spend all her time working, like her father had, and leave someone else to raise her child. That was, in her mind, the first step that had gone wrong with Douglas. Dad had focused more time on work and been around less.
If she was simply sick, well, she had to consider what she really wanted. She was twenty-eight. Young enough to reinvent herself and figure out what fit her better than her father’s dream.
The five minutes flew by. A soft tap at her door signaled the end of Yvonne’s respite. It was time to take her head out of the sand and face reality.
She opened the bedroom door and Melody stepped in. Like before, she wore a blouse, jacket, slacks and heels Yvonne’s mother would be proud of.
“Ms. Krieger, is there something I can do for you?” Melody asked.
Yvonne shut the door and blew out a breath. She was entrusting this woman—a stranger—with a lot. Did they have to be so formal?
“Please, call me Vee?” She gestured at the window seat. “I’d offer you something, but...”
“It’s perfectly fine.” Melody crossed to the window seat and perched on the edge.
Yvonne remained standing. She’d sat and lain around enough today pondering her life and what she wanted. It was time to do something.
She pushed her shoulders back and stared at Melody. “I need your help for something completely unrelated to your job. Mostly.”
“The parameters of my job are fairly broad.” Melody laced her fingers together.
“I need to visit a doctor who won’t go running to my parents. I need to try to not use my real name. Everyone here is related or knows someone and I want my private business to be private. This needs to happen as soon as possible and that means I need to leave the property without letting my family know.” Yvonne paused. There was one last bit, but did she trust Melody with it?
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Melody didn’t bat an eyelash.
“Would it be a problem if it was just me and you going? No one else?” No Nolan. Not yet.
“That’s not ideal.”
But Melody wasn’t saying no.
Yvonne remained standing, saying nothing, while Melody studied her.
She had to know why Yvonne was going in secret to a doctor. Buying pregnancy tests pretty much pointed all fingers at one conclusion.
Melody’s shoulders dropped a bit, and she leaned forward. “I can do it, but we go to the clinic I pick and we come straight back.”
“Yes. Agreed.” Her knees nearly gave way, and she sat on the side of her four poster bed.
“Is there anyone else you want me to call? Track down?” Melody asked slowly.
“No.” Yvonne wasn’t ready to involve others.
“The father? I could find him for you.”
“I know where he is.” Yvonne stared at the carpet while the room seemed to shrink. “I want all the facts before I tell him. It’s going to be one hell of a surprise.”
And she still wasn’t sure how he’d take the news.
WEDNESDAY. LOCATION, City, State.
Lee stared at the six thugs lined up staring back at him.
Christ.
These guys didn’t know what they were part of. If he had to guess, his contact had shoved money at these guys for them to show up, not ask questions and pull a trigger a few times.
He could work with this.
He had to.
What his team needed were a handful of warm bodies to distract while he did the real work. His plan was taking shape, all he had to do was be prepared for the opportunity to strike.
WEDNESDAY. GRIMALDI Place, Chevy Chase, MD.
Nolan stared up at the ceiling.
He’d gone to bed fixated on one thing, the image of Yvonne’s face, the surprise and hurt etched into her features at his words. It was clearer now that he’d had some sleep.
Why did he have to open his God damn mouth?
He rolled out of bed and onto his feet.
Yvonne was under his skin. He didn’t know how or when it had happened, but that was the truth. There were no rules for how to handle this situation. At least not rules he knew.
He checked the time.
Dinner was scheduled to be there soon, which would leave a few hours for him to do other things before he went on shift.
The need to talk to Yvonne ate at him. But she’d never shared her phone details, and he wasn’t keen on talking to her through a device. No, he wanted to see her in person.
None of the guys had cracked on him about the activity report findings, but the way they looked at him said they’d all drawn their own conclusions. If he were Vaughn, he’d saunter into the house in full view of the cameras and maybe even the family. But that wasn’t Nolan.
What would he even say to her?
Sorry, obviously, but what else?
His plan for replacement shoes were a bust. He didn’t recall what size she wore.
He stretched and put on shorts and a T-shirt. A run might be the best way to sort out his thoughts.
Nolan passed through the kitchen, grabbed a water and paused by the floor to ceiling chalk wall. Someone—Melody if he had to guess by the neat handwriting—had drawn out a grid with duties, their names and a blank spot.
Across from Riley’s name someone had scrawled jog.
Nolan grabbed the calk, added is an asshole below Vaughn’s name then jog on his own line.
That done he headed toward the front door. He could hear the sounds of voices and a TV but wasn’t yet in the mood to be around the others.
Outside, the sky was still overcast. The light hadn’t yet begun to fade.
Riley stood on the sidewalk outside the brick and wrought-iron fence stretching. Nolan blew out a breath and joined Riley.
He pulled his ear buds out and glanced at Nolan. “Hey, just get up?”
“Yup.”
“How far you going?”
“Don’t know.” It depended on what path his thoughts took.
“I’m doing the long loop if you care to join.” Riley slid his ear bud back in and turned right.
Nolan wasn’t keen on company, but a longer run would give him more time to formulate a plan. He set off after his team mate and fell into pace with him. Riley didn’t invite conversation. They just kept putting one foot in front of the other, but still Nolan’s thoughts remained jumbled in his head. It was like trying to pick apart a knot that had four different ends sticking out of it.
He had no idea how to continue with Yvonne.
Riley slowed his pace to a walk after two miles. His face was splotchy, and he breathed harder. They each took long draws on their water bottles.
“Someone’s not hitting the gym enough.” Nolan glanced sideways.
“Fuck you.” Riley swiped his hand across his brow.
“Two miles?”
“Shut it.”
Nolan chuckled and let it drop. He had other things to think about and as much as he didn’t want to discuss his personal life, Riley was the only person he could ask.
“You’re gonna bust my balls, but I’ve got a question.” Nolan knew he had it coming, and he deserved it.
“I’m not sure I want to hear it.” Riley pulled the other ear bud out and glanced at him. “What?”
“You and Erin? How’d you make that work while we were extracting her?” Nolan needed guidelines, a model, something that told him where all the pieces fit.
“Fuck, man.” Riley grimaced. “I try to not think about that week.”
Nolan frowned.
“I lost my fucking mind, is what happened. I’m not proud of the shit I did.” Riley glanced at him. “This about you and...?”
Nolan didn’t answer.
“I didn’t know Erin before we rescued her. You and Yvonne have a whole other thing going on. Not sure what to tell you. Something happen?”
“I opened my mouth.”
“Fuck.” Riley drew that one word out.
Yeah, Nolan occasionally said too much or went too far. Like back when he’d called Riley pussy whipped or told Yvonne she was Cinderella.
“Well, in your shoes, I apologize, accept blame and grovel.” He shrugged. “Even if I didn’t do it.”
Nolan snorted. “You really are pussy whipped.”
“Yeah, well, takes one to know one. Any other questions?”
“Nope.”
Riley picked up the pace, and they dropped the conversation.
Nolan was going to have to accept that this job blurred the lines. He didn’t like it, and there were no rules for how to move forward. He’d just have to watch his mouth. But first, he had to fix things with Yvonne, and that meant going to her.
He and Riley finished the run, but neither spoke again. Nolan left Riley doing his cool down stretches with another goal in mind.
Nolan had to do this carefully. His team might be aware that he’d known Yvonne prior to the job, but her family didn’t. And he wasn’t keen on informing his team just how well he knew her. There was one person he’d gone to for help, and he hoped she’d be willing to cover for him once again.
He found Melody in one of the sitting rooms with her laptop. She didn’t immediately acknowledge him so he waited until her fingers stopped moving.
“Something I can help you with?” she asked without looking up.
He spoke slowly, still uncertain about how to execute this plan. “I was hoping you might take a turn watching the cameras.”
Her gaze went from her laptop screen to his face.
Melody was a hard woman to read. She had this professional mask that hardly budged, even when Grant was on his worst behavior. Nolan grit his teeth and forced himself to stand there as she studied him.
“You met Yvonne six weeks ago in Vegas, is that correct?” Melody asked.
“What I do on my personal time—”
“Yes or no. The cost of my cooperation is an answer.”
“Fine. Yeah, it was something like six weeks ago. Why?”
“Curiosity.” Melody shut her laptop. “I’ll go relieve Brenden.”
“Thanks. I’m going to clean up then head over.”
“I recommend avoiding the pool and kitchen entrances. This time of night the family congregates there.”
“Thanks.”
Nolan doubted Melody wanted to know the details of his life. This was probably for some write up in her files on the job and now he was a footnote. Nolan didn’t like it and he didn’t have to. What mattered now was putting things to rights. After all, he couldn’t allow their one cooperative family member to shut down on them because he’d decided to speak out of turn.
He made it back to his room without running into the others. After a quick shower he was presentable enough to go make his apology. His ugly mug could have done with a shave, but he wasn’t willing to lose the window of opportunity Melody’s assistance offered.
His cell buzzed with a text from her as he tightened the laces on his nicer boots.
You have fifteen minutes.
That was nothing, but he’d have to make do.
Nolan slipped out a side door, secured it and hoofed it across the lawn, through the trees and on to the house. Sure enough, the windows around the living room and kitchen were lit up. He could see figures moving around, but not who they were.
A few other windows were illuminated, including the three pane bay window on the second floor.
Yvonne’s room and hopefully his destination.
There were three stairs that led to the second floor. One in the kitchen, a sort of servant’s stair. The main stair leading from the foyer up. And one that served the wing where the family resided.
His plan formed, Nolan cut right through the grass. A small utility entrance put him into the house’s laundry facilities. Much to his annoyance, the security system didn’t even beep. He checked it and found that the whole system was disengaged.
The Kriegers had ousted their team from the house and couldn’t be bothered to turn on their measly security system. It was like they were asking for something to happen.
Nolan would make note of it to bring up to Grant later. Right now Nolan had another objective just one floor up.
He tip-toed through the darkened room and peered out on the hall. Voices drifted from the kitchen, one rising above the others.
“I’ll just stick this in the wash.”
