Devin’s heart felt like it had stopped beating, his fear was so consuming. Then he managed to focus on the scene in front of him and the man who now lay sprawled on his father’s hotel room floor. Devin turned to see Ghost standing behind him, a gun in his hand.
“What . . . ?” Devin stammered the word and took a deep breath before trying to speak again. “What are you doing here?”
Ghost pushed past him, retrieved the fallen weapon, and checked the man for a pulse. He stood and faced Devin. “I guess you didn’t see my text.”
“I heard it come in.” Devin waved a hand in the direction of the man on the floor. “Unfortunately, so did he.” He drew another deep breath. “Is he . . . ?”
“Dead? Yeah.”
Devin crossed to stand beside his dad, a wave of relief crashing over him when he confirmed that his father hadn’t been caught in the crossfire. He looked up at Ghost again and waved at the dead man. “Who is he?”
“Albert Wendell. He’s been on our watch list since a security breach in London last year.” Ghost leaned down once more and riffled through the man’s pockets. For the first time, Devin realized Ghost wore fitted gloves. When Ghost stood once more, he held a sheathed knife, a car key, and a flash drive.
As Devin stared on, Ghost continued. “I was monitoring the security camera in the hall when I caught a glimpse of him at the door.”
“And you texted a warning?”
“Yes.”
“Any idea of what he was doing here?”
He held up the flash drive. “Since he had this, my guess is he was after the same thing we are.”
Devin looked over at his dad, who was still blissfully unaware of what had transpired. “What is my dad into?”
“We’re about to find out.” Ghost pocketed the items he held and retrieved his cell phone. After typing a message, he asked Devin, “Did you already copy your dad’s hard drive?”
“Yes.” Devin pulled both flash drives from his pocket and handed Ghost’s to him. “I want to see what’s on there.”
“I’ll make a copy for you as soon as I access the information and upload it onto the guardian server.”
“Are you sure you want to upload the information? Isn’t that risky?”
“This system has failsafe procedures that would make your head spin. It’s secure.”
“What about him?” Devin motioned to Albert and then looked over at his father. “And how do we explain everything to my dad?”
“I have a cleanup crew heading over here now. They should be in and out long before your dad wakes up.”
“A cleanup crew? As in people who will come in here and dispose of the body?”
“And make everything look exactly as it did before he arrived.” Ghost put a hand on Devin’s shoulder. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
“At this point, I don’t think I have a choice but to trust you.” Devin’s body trembled as he exhaled.
“Go to your room. Your dad will be fine.” Ghost pointed to the door. “I’ll stay here until everything is put back together.”
“How do I explain to my father why he passed out?”
“He’ll be confused when he wakes up, but stick to the plan. In the morning, you tell him he wasn’t feeling well and you helped him back to his room. After he fell asleep, you left.”
Tension settled somewhere deep in his gut, but Devin forced himself to comply. “Will I see you before I leave?”
“You won’t see me, but I’ll see you,” Ghost said. “Be careful tomorrow.”
“I will.” Devin took one last look at his father and then headed for the door. The questions continued to whirl, but maybe now that they had a copy of his dad’s hard drive, they would finally get some answers.
* * *
Grace was grateful when Sean helped her out of the plane in Sedona and she once again had her feet on solid ground. Though she didn’t particularly care for flying, she most certainly preferred larger planes over the little four-seater Sean flew. Although she could admit she much preferred the hour-and-a-half flight to the six-hour drive it would normally take between Vail and Sedona.
“Come on.” Sean started toward the parking lot. “The car is parked over here.”
Grace was grateful Sean had someone at the airport to take care of his plane so she wouldn’t have to wait around for him. With the sun already lowering in the sky, she was ready to find something to eat and a place to lie down.
“Any idea what Mom has planned for dinner?” Scott asked Sean when he stepped beside them.
“She said something about making lasagna. I guess they’re having a few friends over for dinner.”
Feeling awkward about staying with Sean’s family, Grace asked, “Are you sure your parents are okay with me staying with them?”
“Yeah. Dad thought it was a great idea. He’s basically on vacation this week, so it will be much easier than usual to find out how he really wants to invest his money.” Sean opened the front door for her and waited for her to get in. “Besides, you’ll enjoy the scenery of their place.”
Grace wished a change of scenery was all she needed to put her life back on track. Without comment, she clipped her seat belt in place and tried to get comfortable. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a large cabin in Oak Creek Canyon, with a half dozen cars parked in the driveway and along the street.
“I guess Mom understated the size of her dinner party,” Sean said. He climbed out of the car and grabbed his bag and Grace’s suitcase. “Come on. I’ll show you your room, and then we can get something to eat.”
Grace followed him inside, the chatter of conversation carrying to the door. The scent of lasagna and garlic bread wafted through the air.
“It’s this way.” Sean led her down a hall to the right. He passed two doors before he pushed one open and set her suitcase inside. “Here you go.”
She peeked inside to see a modest-sized bedroom furnished with a queen-sized bed and a tall dresser. She had hoped to find a desk as well so she could work in her room, but at least she and her growing stomach wouldn’t have to manage a twin bed.
“The bathroom is across the hall, and there should be clean towels in the closet.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s get some dinner. You must be starving.”
They made their way to the center of the house, where more than a dozen people were scattered throughout the living room and kitchen. Sean greeted a few as they walked by but didn’t stop until he reached his father. The tall, balding man stood near the corner of the room chatting with a couple who appeared to be in their seventies.
“Dad.”
“Sean. Glad you made it.” Clayton moved forward and hugged his son. “You know Susan and Dick, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course. So good to see you again.” Sean motioned to Grace. “This is Grace Harrington. She’s my dad’s new financial planner.”
“It’s good to see you again, Grace.” Clayton extended his hand. “And I appreciate your willingness to come work here at the house this week.”
“I’m glad the timing worked out.”
“How did you get into financial planning, Grace?” Susan asked.
“I started with a brokerage firm in New York after I got my MBA, but I decided I preferred to work more closely with my clients.”
Dick turned to Clayton. “You’ll have to let us know how things work out with Grace. My portfolio didn’t do nearly as well as I’d expected last year.”
“Looks like you may have a bigger client list than you planned,” Sean’s dad said.
Despite the excitement rippling through her at the prospect, she managed to keep her voice professional. “I promise to do my best for all of my clients.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
Sean escorted her into the kitchen. “Looks like dinner is ready.”
They joined the others in the buffet line, some guests finding seats at the table in the open kitchen and others moving onto the wide deck. Grace and Sean were nearly to the front of the line when she saw a familiar face.
“Miss Grace.” Jun stood behind the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area, a serving spoon in her hand. She bowed her head slightly. “It is good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too.” Grace smiled warmly, a feeling of hope fluttering inside her. Devin’s parents might not want her in his life, but Jun had always put Devin’s happiness above everything else. “I hope we can talk later.”
“Yes.” She bowed her head again. “I will find you before I leave.”
“Please do.” Grace picked up her plate and accepted the offerings of salad, lasagna, and bread.
“How do you know her?” Sean asked as they moved toward the deck.
“Believe it or not, she’s Devin’s old nanny. She lived with his family until a few years ago.”
“Small world.”
“I’m starting to realize just how true those words are.”