Glow (13 page)

“If you so much as mention a word of this to your pillow, let alone another human being, I'll make you pay,” Dylan promised.

Alice turned, her mouth hanging open in shock. She'd realized he wasn't addressing her.

“Thad,” she gasped. She tugged on her hemline, trying to cover her exposed legs.

Schaefer stood there at the end of the hallway, looking bewildered. Who knew how long he'd been there, listening to them?

Shit.

“Alice, are you okay?” Schaefer asked.

“I'm fine.”

“What did you hear?” Dylan demanded.

“Nothing.”

“
What
did you hear?”

“I told you. Nothing! I just walked up.”

“You've given me no other choice. If you speak of anything you've seen here tonight or reveal to anyone what you know about Alice and me, I'll be forced to send you home immediately from Camp Durand. Your father wouldn't like that much, would he?”

“Dylan,”
Alice gasped, staring at him like she'd never seen him before, her eyes enormous. “What—”

“Do you understand me, Schaefer?”

“I understand
perfectly
.” He took several steps back, his gaze
darting to Alice's face and then back to Dylan's. “And my father might not like it if you sent me home, but he wouldn't be surprised that you acted like a ruthless son of a bitch. I know
I
wouldn't be.”

“I'm glad to hear you're not entirely an idiot.”

Dylan willed him with his stare to turn and walk away. Schaefer complied, if reluctantly. Dylan watched him as he grew smaller down the hallway, turned, and disappeared.

He became uncomfortably aware of Alice's disbelieving gaze on his face.

*   *   *

ONCE
she'd scooted off him, Dylan sprung up from the floor. She refused to take his hand when he offered it. Instead, she pushed herself onto her hands and knees and stood gracelessly. Once she'd gained her balance in her pumps, she stepped into him aggressively.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“No. And I'm not going to apologize, either,” he said in a clipped tone, and she sensed the residue of his cold, furious blast of anger at Thad. He smoothed his hand over his silk tie, straightening it, and then he hitched his jaw slightly, like someone readjusting his face after a fight. Despite her stunned anger, she recognized his edge—the thrilling paradox of the sophisticated executive and the street tough she'd been undeniably attracted to from the very beginning. A thrill went through her, amplifying her confusion and anger.

“You shouldn't have threatened him like that.”

“He could very well have overheard what we were talking about. Would you
like
him shooting his mouth off to the others?”

“He wouldn't have said a word if I asked him not to! Besides, he probably didn't hear, and certainly couldn't have understood if he did. How could
he
understand it, when
I'm
so confused?”

He shook his head once, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. “That kid is trouble.”

“Thad is one of the best counselors at Camp Durand! He's smart and funny and a natural leader,” she spat. “Everyone loves him.”

He stilled and met her stare slowly. A shiver rippled through her.

“Everyone?”

Despite the sudden glacial quality of his dark eyes, she couldn't look away. She grasped wildly for her resolve.

“Everyone,”
she managed in a choked voice before she broke his hold and followed Thad down the hallway.

D
ylan stood at the opened French doors in his den looking out onto the gardens and yard. The unseasonably cool weather continued. A fog had begun to rise over the distant limestone bluff. It was just past midnight. All was hushed and quiet on the Durand Estate. He could just make out the muted sound of waves hitting the rocky beach below the drop-off at the end of his yard.

“I'll have to bring in a couple other men from the security division, if you want Ms. Reed watched at night.”

“Only one for now,” Dylan replied. He turned and faced Sal Rigo, who stood in front of his desk. Like Dylan, he still wore his suit from the Alumni Dinner. “Bring in Janocek. I've already reviewed his file and he was on my original list before I narrowed it down to you and Peterson. I know I don't need to emphasize again the importance of absolute discretion in regard to this.”

“Of course. I'll see to it myself when I brief Janocek that he's completely on board. No one will lay an eye on him.”

“Make sure of it,” Dylan said, giving the other man a pointed glance. Rigo looked a little abashed. Dylan hadn't disguised his annoyance with Rigo and Peterson recently because they'd allowed Alice to see them during their surveillance of her. On one occasion in the woods, Peterson's ineptitude had caused Alice considerable distress when she'd thought someone was following her with malicious intent.

“I will, sir. I know we disappointed before, but it's fairly tight
quarters there at the camp. Plus, as you know, watching over Ms. Reed isn't our only responsibility. Kehoe keeps us pretty busy.”

“I realize that,” Dylan acknowledged. He'd originally directed Rigo and Peterson to observe Alice more than anything, not
guard
her. He needed to know if she was having any unusual or adverse reactions to the Durand Estate, any memories from her childhood. But he'd also wanted to be assured of her general safety. The problem was, despite his doubts about the direction of a threat, Dylan increasingly wanted Alice not just watched, but protected.

“Plus, Ms. Reed is very observant and . . . mobile,” Rigo added with a small smile.

“Are you calling her fast?” Dylan asked dryly.

Rigo shrugged. “She's a good athlete. And she notices things. She's more aware of her surroundings than most.”

“She had to be, where she grew up,” Dylan muttered. “I assume you and Peterson can trade off tonight until you bring Janocek in?”

“Yes, sir. I'll take over for Peterson in a few hours, so he can get some rest.”

“And you? When will you get your rest?”

“After tomorrow is over. There were plenty of times in the Army I went two nights without sleep.”

Dylan nodded slowly, well aware of Rigo's stellar Army special operations record before being hired in Durand's security division. “Anything else significant happening at the camp?”

“Thad Schaefer is still meeting up with the Seifert girl at night, but he's all eyes for Ms. Reed every day at the camp.”

“And Ms. Seifert doesn't appreciate that much, does she?”

“No, sir.”

“Is she a threat to Alice?” Dylan asked bluntly.

“I don't believe so, but I learned early on in my training that one of the most unpredictable things in nature is a jealous woman. Schaefer is more of an issue. He's following Alice at times.”

“With what intent?”

“The obvious one, I think,” Rigo said with a bland glance. “I've never seen him behave in any aggressive manner toward her.”

“He's a problem. More so because Alice refuses to see it,” Dylan mused. “She leaves herself wide open to him, and that kid is being poisoned by someone.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dylan scowled. They both knew to whom he referred. He hadn't briefed Rigo or Peterson on the Alice Reed–Addie Durand connection. He'd only emphasized that Alice was important. Rigo and Peterson were also aware that Kehoe and his interactions with Alice were a prime object of interest for Dylan. He knew that the two men were probably frustrated by a lack of more solid information for their mission. The fact of the matter was, however, Dylan didn't have a specific reason for suspicion when it came to Kehoe. True, Kehoe was generally known to be bitter and disapproving of Dylan's position as CEO. But he wasn't the only one who was a Fall dissenter at Durand. Universal popularity was rare for a person in a position like his. But Kehoe was also a top-level performer and leader for Durand Enterprises. Just because Kehoe wasn't a cheerleader for Dylan was hardly damning evidence against him.

He hesitated to tell Rigo or Peterson that he'd given the two security operatives a mission mostly based on intuition and a hazy but powerful feeling of unease.

“Have you seen Schaefer with Kehoe much?” Dylan asked.

“I see him talking to Schaefer at times, but maybe only a little bit more than the other counselors.”

“Is Kehoe still giving Alice a hard time?”

“It's more of a silent disapproval than anything too overt. He's not as open and friendly with her as he is with the other counselors. He knows you've taken an interest in her.”

“Nobody ever accused Kehoe of not being intelligent. And after yesterday in the woods, he
definitely
suspects that you've been given the job of keeping an eye on Alice.”

“Yes.”

“It was inevitable. If he gives you a hard time again, please let me know.

“I can manage Kehoe.”

“Good. I realize it's not an easy position I've put you and Josh in, having to report both to Kehoe and myself. Anything else about Kehoe?”

Rigo hesitated. “I catch him looking at Ms. Reed at times.”

Dylan narrowed his gaze. “Like Schaefer
looks
at her?”

“No. More like . . . he's trying to figure something out about her or see some characteristic that's invisible. He
studies
her.”

Dylan nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think I've caught him at it a time or two.”

“Sir, I'd like to suggest again that we consider phone surveillance.”

Dylan closed his eyes briefly at Rigo's familiar urging. “I'm the CEO of Durand Enterprises, not the head of the FBI, Sal.”

“You're the CEO of an extensive, privately held company. You have a right to know what's happening in your domain.”

“You call it ‘right to know,' but
I
call what you're talking about corporate espionage. I have no grounds for ordering something like that at this point. The other problem with your argument is that I'm not worried about Durand Enterprises. I'm worried about Alice. And unfortunately, no one, including the sheriff of Morgantown, believes I have any solid grounds for being concerned about Sebastian Kehoe at this point. By all accounts, he's an upstanding, respected citizen.” He noticed Sal's upraised brows. “We'll proceed with my plans for the present,” he said levelly. “Did you have any other observations?”

“Just one other thing. I noticed Sidney Gates talking very intently to her tonight at the cocktail party, but I couldn't get close enough to hear what they were saying. I do think Ms. Reed became . . .
upset
in a subdued kind of way at one point.”

“I noticed that, too,” Dylan said thoughtfully. He'd also wondered what his good friend had been saying to Alice when he noticed her stiff expression and tense posture. He exhaled. “Well, I think that's it for now. Thank you for the briefing. I'll see you out,” he said, starting to walk around his desk. He noticed Rigo's hesitation and paused. Is there something else?” Dylan asked.

“I was just thinking it might be best to bring in
two
other people from Durand security for Ms. Reed's night watch so they could have days off. I could recommend another good man.”

“That won't be necessary. The fewer people involved in this the better. I don't expect this situation of Alice sleeping beyond the security of Castle Durand to last for long,” Dylan said grimly.

“Of course, sir. And I can see myself out. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Dylan doubted very seriously it would be a
good
night. Certainly it'd be a sleepless one.

Several images flashed into his mind's eye like a video clip: Alice's pale, shocked face when he'd threatened to send Schaefer home, her determined refusal to meet his eyes as she left the house tonight. As she'd walked out, she'd been surrounded by Schaefer and her friends in what irritably struck Dylan as a protective cadre.

He recalled her disembodied whisper emanating from the darkness.

I remember Addie.

He was desperate to know what she'd experienced, but she'd denied him. One look at the stubborn tilt of her chin and the suppressed fury on her face had said it all. Alice wouldn't be returning to the castle for any clandestine meetings with him for the time being. She was angry, yes, but he knew her well enough to recognize her confusion, as well. She was having trouble telling up from down in this new world in which she found herself.

For now, he had no choice but to accept defeat. But it would definitely be a temporary one.

*   *   *

THE
night after the Alumni Dinner, Kuvi walked out of the bathroom and caught Alice peering between two closed blinds.

“Do you think he's out there?” Kuvi asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

Alice started and the blinds snapped shut. “Jesus, you scared me.”

“You've been awfully jumpy. You didn't sleep last night, did you?” Kuvi asked as she crossed over to her dresser.

“I don't know how you can possibly know that since you were sleeping like a baby,” Alice said, rolling her eyes.

“This morning, your bed looked like you'd been holding a wrestling match in it,” Kuvi said loftily, shutting a drawer with a snap. “As if your grouchy mood today wasn't enough to tell me that I wasn't the one you wanted to be spending the night with. And you never answered my question. Do you think Dylan is out there in the woods?”

“No,” Alice replied quietly. “Not Dylan.”

Kuvi did a double take at her solemn answer. Somehow, Alice would know if Dylan was nearby. Maybe she knew that because part of her wished like hell Dylan
was
nearby. She hated to admit it, but she was disappointed that he hadn't come to claim her last night in the cabin like he had several nights ago, when he'd made her face up to her promise.

She missed him. Bad. And Alice knew what that made her. A spineless hypocrite. She was still confused and angry about what he'd said to Thad. She wanted to apologize to Thad for her flash of temper at him, as well as console him about Dylan's threat. Thad wasn't giving her much of an opportunity, however. Since this morning, he'd been avoiding Alice. Thanks to Dylan, he'd probably decided his friendship with her was a black mark on his record.

There was something else bothering her. She longed to return
to the castle for another reason. She kept reliving the memory of playing hide-and-seek with Lynn Durand. That memory continued to amaze her. Nourish her.

As she stood there in her cabin with Kuvi, she thought of the woman in the memory as Lynn Durand. But when she'd been experiencing it, Alice thought of her as
mommy
. The warm, sweet sense of absolute security that unfurled inside her at that memory continued to be a source of wonder. Alice had never known she'd been capable of such a feeling.

The fact of the matter was, she craved more of it. Another part of her dreaded recalling, though, fearful of
needing
those memories, afraid of the moment they evaporated like mist and she realized she was alone.

“Do you think it could be Sal Rigo out there?” Kuvi asked presently, walking toward Alice. Kuvi had been with her the time Alice caught Rigo secretly observing a group of them while they were at the Lakeside Tavern. Later, Alice had learned that Dylan had sent Rigo to watch over her—Alice—not the whole group of counselors. But if she explained that to Kuvi, she had to elaborate on a lot of other things, like why Dylan was so paranoid about her safety.

“It might be,” Alice said, flipping back her covers. “There's someone out there, though. I can feel it.”

“Maybe it's just your nerves,” Kuvi consoled, getting into her own bed. “Like I said, you've been crazy jumpy since last night.”

Alice heard the unasked question in her friend's tone. She knew Kuvi was curious about what had happened after the Alumni Dinner. It was clear to both Kuvi and Dave that something had gone wrong last night. Alice and Thad had been unusually tense and uncommunicative as all of them walked back to camp. If Kuvi couldn't guess from that, Alice's presence in their cabin last night told her loud and clear that
something
was wrong between Alice and Dylan.

“It's not just my nerves,” Alice said shortly, reaching for her bedside lamp switch. “And it's not just a feeling. I saw a shadow out there last night and the glow of a cigarette. Whoever it is sits out there just past the tree line, smoking and watching. He's out there again tonight. I saw his cigarette. I'm going to figure out who it is in the morning.”

Kuvi shut out her bedside light.
“How?”

“I'll find a way,” Alice replied doggedly.

“Let's suppose what you say is true, wouldn't confronting the person be dangerous?”

“They're not dangerous,” Alice said scornfully under her breath.
They're just following orders.

“Alice, do you think Dylan Fall sent someone to spy on you?” Kuvi asked, as though she'd read Alice's mind.

Alice hesitated. “Yes. Probably,” she finally replied.

Kuvi was silent for a moment. Alice sensed her puzzlement and amazement. “
Why
in the world would he do that? Is he some kind of stalker?”

“He's not a stalker,” she defended bluntly. “It's a long story.”