Double Dealing (2013) (6 page)

The doorman, having seen the preceding party to their car, now approached Rae and Jed. Tipping his hat, he said, “Miss Barkeley. Did you enjoy the ball?”

“Yes, thank you, Bill.” She smiled at him, while reaching into the hidden pocket inside her cape. She pulled out a slim wallet and handed him a generous tip. “I hope the car wasn’t too much trouble.”

The doorman tipped his hat to her again, then
pressed a set of keys into her hand. He glanced over his shoulder to the antique Rolls-Royce parked to the right of the hotel entrance. “No trouble at all.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I told the police the Rolls was part of a display for the hotel.”

Rae grinned, as Jed turned and stared at her in astonishment. “That’s your car?”

“Uncle Merry’s, actually,” she admitted. “Surely you remember it. He’s had it for as long as I can remember.”

“Vaguely.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the car. “Teenage boys, Rae, are only interested in flashy new cars to impress girls. Men, though, have a more discerning eye for the machine itself.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” she said, smothering a laugh at his haste.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, when they halted in front of the car. He gently touched a finger to the gleaming shadow-gray finish on the front fender. “Just beautiful. I wanted to look at her earlier, when I first got here, but she was drawing quite a crowd.”

“It’s a ’56 Phantom,” Rae said, as Jed squatted down to examine the shining chrome of the spoked wheels. “I probably shouldn’t have taken it out, but I just couldn’t resist. I’ll be relieved, though, to get it home in one piece.”

“Merriman once offered me a ride in it,” Jed said in a far-off voice. “And I was stupid enough to hold out for that Maserati he had.”

“It’s still sitting in the garage. He liked his cars, didn’t he?”

“Mmmmm.” Jed rose to his feet and walked around the car, admiring it.

Rae grinned. Obviously, Jed liked cars too. At least, he was having a love affair with the Rolls. “Want a ride?” she asked, when he rejoined her on the sidewalk.

“Now?”

“Think of it as an early Christmas present.” She unlocked the passenger door. “Hop in.”

He grinned back at her, and she felt as if she
had
just given him a present. She decided there might be something in having him on her side—even if she had to give him the Rolls to get him there.

It would take more than a car, she dryly reminded herself, shutting the passenger door. She walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side, unlocked it, and slipped into the tan leather seat. Jed sighed audibly when she started the ignition, and the car purred to life. She pulled it away from the curb without a jolt.

“I must have been nuts.”

“What?” she asked, concentrating on the Center City traffic.

“To hold out for the sports car. I must have been nuts.”

She chuckled. “Did you ever get a ride in the Maserati?”

“Once. But it wasn’t like this.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him caress the wood paneling on the dash. “This is like ice cream on a hot day. Smooth, rich, and satisfying.”

“Oh, brother, are you hooked!”

“It doesn’t take much, when you’re around something like this,” he said, with a sheepish chuckle.

At his admission, all her earlier thoughts came back to her in a rush. Jed on her side … his word having weight with the company … getting the man to fall in love with the house …

Rae’s eyes widened in shock. Maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea, after all. Put the man in the house and let him fall in love with it. It might work. What the hell, she thought, he was already in love with the car. Coming to an instant decision, she swung the car around a corner and floored the gas pedal. The Rolls shot forward like an arrow from a bow—clean and fast.

“Rae!” Jed yelped in astonishment. “Are you crazy?”

“Runs in the family, Jed,” she said, swerving around the other cars in the street. “It gets worse during a full moon. Check and see if there’s a full moon, would you?”

“Slow down, or we’ll have an accident!”

“Oh, I hope not,” she said with a nervous giggle. “It would ruin the kidnapping.”

“What!”

She let go of the wheel with one hand and patted his knee. “I’m kidnapping you, Jed. So sit back and enjoy the ride.”

“You’re kidnapping me!” Jed exclaimed, positive he hadn’t heard her correctly. “This is a joke, right?”

“You can laugh after the ransom is paid,” she said as the Rolls screeched around another corner. “Besides, what’s a little kidnapping between friends?”

Although unconvinced about her seriousness, he realized the car was heading farther and farther away from the hotel—and at a rate of speed that was unsafe for the traffic. She was certainly going all out to pull off the punchline, he thought. Deciding to take her advice, he deliberately relaxed back against the leather seat cushion.

“I don’t mind being kidnapped, Rae,” he said in a casual tone, playing along with her. “But I would like to get to the hideout in one piece. Could you slow down a little?”

“As long as you promise not to jump out of the car at the first stoplight.”

“And miss my kidnapping? Heaven forbid!”

She immediately slowed the Rolls to a more normal speed, and they rode in silence. It wasn’t until she steered the car onto the ramp of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge that he began to wonder if she really was kidnapping him. Amused by the thought, he admitted he couldn’t think of a more beautiful kidnapper than Rae. The only question he had was why she would do it. It certainly wasn’t for the money. He chuckled to himself. It would be interesting to see what she intended to do with him once she got him to her “hideout.” He leaned his head against the back of the passenger seat and closed his eyes, thoroughly content to go along for the ride.

Half an hour later, Rae brought the Rolls to a stop in front of the portico of her new home. She glanced over at Jed, who hadn’t uttered a word since he’d asked her to slow down. His eyes were closed, his chin rested on his chest, and his body was slouched down in the seat. It was depressing to realize her kidnappee had fallen asleep.

“Wake up, Jed!” she snapped, disgusted with him and herself. Hell, she thought, her first kidnapping, and the victim had slept through most of it! She shut off the engine and yanked the key out of the ignition.

“Where are we?” he asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

“At the hideout. Come on.” Getting out of the car, she spotted Burrows opening the front door. The foyer light silhouetted his figure in the entry.
She slammed the car door shut and hurried up to him.

“Good evening, miss,” said the butler. “Did you enjoy the ball?”

“It was … different,” she replied. “By the way, I’ve kidnapped Mr. Waters. He’s in the car.”

“Very good, Miss,” Burrows said without hesitation. “Shall I put him in the cellar? I believe that is standard practice among kidnappers.”

“I think we can find better accommodations for him.” Annoyed that Burrows hadn’t even flinched at the news, she wondered if she’d skipped something important, like fireworks at the scene of the abduction. Still, very little fazed Burrows, she admitted. He was an old-school butler. “Put Jed in the trophy room. He’ll be company for Harvey.” She smiled in satisfaction at the thought.

“I doubt that Mr. Waters will be happy sharing a room with a tarantula.”

“Why not? Harvey won’t eat him.” Harvey had been a gift from Uncle Merry to his great-grand-nephews, her brother’s children. Her sister-in-law wouldn’t allow the spider in her house, so Harvey stayed at the estate. Rae suppressed a shiver, realizing for the first time that she’d been deeded custody of the pet along with everything else. She wasn’t exactly crazy about Harvey either, but the boys loved him. The inner tension that had given her the stamina to get home now drained out of her, and she suddenly felt tired and apathetic. Hearing the passenger car door open, she acknowledged that she just didn’t have the energy to face her kidnappee. “I’ll leave Jed to you, Burrows. I’m going to bed.”

As she stepped into the warmth of the house, she vowed that the next time she kidnapped someone she’d bring Harvey along as an accomplice. A tarantula was sure to liven things up.

The next morning, Rae sat in the breakfast nook in the kitchen and stared at the cup of coffee cradled in her hands. Before she turned in last night, Burrows had tapped on her door and informed her that Jed had settled into the trophy room with very little complaint. She had yet to see him this morning. Thank heaven for that, she thought, unconsciously hunching her shoulders in shame.

The same thoughts she’d had during her restless night returned, and she wondered where the hell her common sense had been the night before. How could she have even seriously considered kidnapping Jed? What if he had her arrested? She shuddered at the thought, knowing that the crime was a felony. What had possessed her to do it?

She would be facing him at any moment, and she had no idea how to explain her insane actions. She never would have conceived of the kidnapping, if he had truly been a stranger. That was the problem, she decided. She kept forgetting herself with him. Maybe her best bet would be to apologize for any inconvenience, and hope he would think it was all a joke.

Grasping at the idea, she bolted upright in her chair. That was it! Just treat the whole mess as a joke. He’d probably be annoyed with her, but he surely wouldn’t think of going any further than that.

Hearing footsteps, she glanced sharply at the doorway then slumped in relief as Burrows strode into the room.

“I believe our ‘prisoner’ will be downstairs shortly,” he said, as he moved to the ten-burner range. On its own island in the middle of the work area, the range was the focal point of the kitchen. Burrows lifted a copper pan down from among the cookware hanging over the stove. “Might I suggest mulberry pancakes, miss.”

“No thanks,” she mumbled, her stomach flipping at the thought of food. “I’m not hungry. Jed would probably like some, though.”

“I believe, miss, that haute cuisine is unacceptable fare for a kidnap victim. I have taken the liberty of preparing bread and water for Mr. Waters. You, however, must eat something more substantial.”

“Burrows!” she gasped. “I did not kidnap Jed—”

“Could have fooled me,” Jed said, coming into the kitchen.

Rae whipped around to face him. He had on the pants and shirt from his tuxedo. The silk sleeves were rolled up to expose the corded muscles of his forearms. His hazel eyes were gleaming with amusement, and the grin under his mustache was positively rakish. He took the seat to the right of her. Inhaling the clean sharp scent of him, she swallowed back a wave of butterflies. “Jed. I was just kidding last night about kidnapping you. It was only a joke, and—”

She interrupted herself as Burrows set a plate with several slices of bread on it and a glass of water in front of Jed. “Your repast, sir.”

Jed glanced up at the butler. “You’ve got to be kidding, Burrows. How can Rae return me in good condition if I don’t eat properly?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I hadn’t realized. Of course, if your stay with us is to be a short one …”

Burrows’ voice trailed off, and both men turned questioningly to Rae. Jed asked, “How long will it take to get the ransom money? By the way, who are you going to ask for the ransom?”

She groaned aloud. “I’m not asking anybody!”

“Then I’ll be around for a while.” Jed picked up the plate and glass and handed them back to Burrows. “Eggs over easy and bacon, please. And coffee.”

“Would you care for some mulberry pancakes, sir?” Burrows asked. “I have the batter already prepared.”

“Great!”

Rae groaned again.

“Very good, sir.” Burrows returned to the range.

Turning to her, Jed rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Now that breakfast is settled, we’ve got to figure out who you’re going to get the ransom from. Like most companies, Atlantic has a policy of not paying ransom money for their employees, so they’re out.”

“Jed—”

“My parents are retired now, so their income is limited,” he continued. “My brother just graduated from med school, so he doesn’t have a thriving practice yet. Gee, I’m beginning to feel like the kid in the O. Henry story who nobody wanted back.”

“Dammit, Jed!” she exclaimed, waving a hand
in the air. “The kidnapping was just a joke, okay? After breakfast is over, I’ll drive you back to the hotel so you can get your car.”

“You were very serious last night, weaving in and out of traffic like the entire Philly police force was after us,” he pointed out. “Why would you bring me here otherwise? Or lock me up with a tarantula as a guard?”

“Well, I … uhm … see …” Humiliated at her own sputtering, she lamely said, “You can go now.”

“But I can’t,” he protested. “I’ve got to stay here until a ransom is paid. That’s Article Four, Section One of the Kidnap Handbook. By the way, Harvey is a good guy to bunk with. He doesn’t snore.”

“Cute, Jed,” she snapped. “But you’re not staying. You are supposed to be looking for a new site for the complex, and you can’t very well do that if you’re kidnapped, can you?”

He stroked his mustache for a moment, then said, “As long as I have a phone to keep in touch with my people, I can, and it’d be a damn good way for you to make sure I do. What’s the matter, Rae, are you chickening out?”

She glared at him. “There’s nothing to chicken out of!”

“Then I’ll just hang around until we can figure out who’s going to pay the ransom. I assume I have freedom to move around the house and grounds. After all, you can always set the dogs after me. Where are they?”

“Outside,” Burrows said, before she could give a caustic reply. He set a cup of coffee in front of Jed. “Your breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes, sir.”

“Thanks.” Jed glanced down at his lap. “I’ll need a change of clothes, and my car is still at the hotel. If they haven’t already towed it away. Have you had it moved, Rae? It’s a dead giveaway that I’m missing.”

“Damn you, Jed,” she muttered through gritted teeth.

“After I have finished here, I can retrieve your car for you, sir,” Burrows volunteered, returning to the work area. He expertly flipped the eggs over in the pan. “Mr. Coe, our next-door neighbor, owns a bookstore in Center City. He can drive me in. Miss Rachel really shouldn’t return to the scene of her crime.”