Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2) (16 page)

If? He had to be kidding
. “Apology accepted. However, if you are planning to work for us, you’ll need to drop the titles and the attitude because both Steel and I have firing rights with the staff. That’s the only way to get a cohesive group who will take orders from either boss.”

She hadn’t discussed this with Steel and glanced to see how he was taking to her idea. His smile and nod assured her he was in agreement.

“Not happening,” Lionel stated.

Steel walked over and stood by Tess. “The matter is non-negotiable. You may either go in undercover as my security advisors and actually do the job, or I’ll requests better agents. I intended to make you guys drive up the worse road imaginable on a daily basis to ensure I was still alive and then drive back down. Now, if you don’t know anything about securing a forest from trespassers, that’s a different matter.”

“I do,” Dan stated. “And I’m familiar with woods. Use to hunt with my dad.”

Lionel glared at his partner.

“Great. Dan would you let your boss know I have requested for you to go undercover and that Lionel isn’t going to work out. I would have already fired him for his attitude.”

“We are here to save your damn life, not play boy scouts!” Lionel yelled.

“If you require a second guy, try to pull in someone with the appropriate qualifications and a better personality.”

He then gripped Tess’s hand and pulled her from the room. “There are much better rooms than this one.”

“Thank God, or I was going to start feeling sorry for these poor rich people.”

He laughed and shook his head. “You are fabulous. First, your idea to put the security guys to work was brilliant and second, I love your idea that both of us can fire someone. I was worried that we might get some assholes who didn’t want to take instructions from a woman, and I didn’t know how I was going to solve that. But if we warn them right off we both have the right to fire them, there won’t be any going around the boss they don’t like or respect.”

“Well, just for the record, I have no intention of firing anyone on your archeological staff. However, there will be staff we share.”

“Fine. But if anyone on my staff gives you trouble, I want to know about it.”

She rewarded him with a happy smile. They always seemed to be in lockstep.

They arrived at what appeared to be a jungle. When they entered the room, the temp and moisture increased significantly. A glass ceiling arched a hundred feet above them.

Tess laughed. “Is there, by chance, a beach in here?”

“Funny you should ask that,” he teased and led her to twenty square feet of sand laid before what appeared to be a natural pool nested in rock.

“This can’t be real,” she insisted.

“No more than the Atrium at the Minnesota zoo. Jackie hired the same company to build her a modified version.”

“Who’s Jackie?”

“The owner of this house. She’s an expat from Britain.”

Tess shook her head and then smiled. “Still, it’s a billion times better than the ugly parlor.”

He sat down in a fabric lounge chair. “I agree.”

Tess took the chair next to his and leaned over to untie her shoes. “Do you think anyone would like that parlor?”

“Actually, there are some who would think it extraordinarily beautiful.”

“Are they blind?” she challenged.

“No. They are antique aficionados. That room should be in a museum.”

“Why the hell would the butler put us in there?”

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes. “British people get a little crazy about their royals, even one as far down the ascension line as I am. Jackie is a friend of my mother’s. I met her just after her marriage to an American Tycoon. I had seen pictures of this house and the atrium, so when Secret Service brought us here, I feared…”

He stopped talking, so Tess filled the rest in for him. “That your mother would find out about me?”

“No!” He playfully smacked her head. “Not even close.” He sighed again. “I feared Jackie would be inside, insisting upon a party so all her new American friends could stare at me like a foreign and endangered species.”

Tess smiled at his explanation. She understood exactly why he’d hate that. “That would certainly make me groan. Surprised you didn’t jump out of the car and run away.”

“And leave you. Not a chance.”

The door to their jungle beach opened, and Dan entered. He rolled his eyes, swatted a palm leaf out of his way, and approached, frowning when his shoes sank in the sand.  “I talked to my boss. He wants you to stay here.”

“Not happening,” Steel replied.

“We’ve got a ton of work to do,” Tess added.

“In that case, then Lionel’s replacement, Brady Crawford and I will go undercover as security. However, our primary purpose is to protect you, so if you want your woods secured, you’ll have to arrange that separately.”

Tess frowned. “That rather defeats the whole undercover thing. Don’t you think the head of security will find it odd that you won’t do anything he tells you?”

“Yeah, this isn’t going to work,” Steel said as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

“It will if Dan is the head of security,” Tess insisted and looked at Dan. “While you will have to take the time to tell others what to do, you’ll at least have control of the situation and the other security guys carrying guns.”

He frowned. “Park security shouldn’t be carrying guns.”

“This is Iowa. Even the hikers can and often will be carrying guns. While they are supposed to remove the ammunition and place the gun in a case if they bring it into a state park, most don’t. And the rangers now carry military assault rifles.”

“Shit!” Dan declared and stared up at the glass ceiling towering above them. “I’ll talk to my boss…again.” He stepped behind the giant elephant leaves.

“It’s Dan… No, it’s not. He refuses to stay here. He’s going back to the state park… Not sure. I’m guessing sometime tomorrow… He made a good point about me going undercover. If they have to hire a real security head, the guy will fire me for not obeying his orders. If I’m head, then I can ensure Brady and I remain focused on our package… Okay, I’ll let them know.”

He exited the plants. “You’ve got your way on this matter. I just hope to God it doesn’t cost you your life.”

“I’m never leaving home without my PC again,” Tess grumbled.

Steel kissed the top of her head. “I’m sure they have several here, but they won’t have your program.”

“Find me a computer. I sent Tom an update. I can talk him through converting the data to a program that everyone has, and he can email it to me.”

Steel walked to the door and spoke to a unit on the wall. “Please bring a laptop with guest privileges to the atrium.” He then returned to his chair.

“Glad one of us knows the secret handshakes of this place,” she said. “Any chance you can get Dan back in here so we can discuss security?”

Just then the butler entered with two laptops. “Mac or Microsoft?” he asked as if offering a choice of beverage.

“Microsoft,” Tess replied, now thirsty. “Any chance you have green tea?”

“Hot or cold?”

“Cold.”

“Sweet or unsweetened?”

“Sweet.”

“Bring two glasses and a pitcher,” Steel added. “And a table to work on.”

The butler frowned at that. “The master has a very fine library, Your Highness.”

Steel had tensed at his pretentious title. Damn thing had caused him nothing but misery most of his life. Technically, he should be addressed as ‘Your Royal Highness’, but that even annoyed him more.

“I will bring the table,” the butler quickly declared and escaped the room with the Mac. Evidently, he realized he’d pissed off Steel.

“Don’t become grumpy, or I’ll be forced to change your name to Your Grumpiness,” she teased.

His jaw relaxed, and he smiled at her. “Isn’t that what you were calling the Secret Service?”

“It was, and you
don’t
want to get thrown in with that group.”

He chuckled. “They do seem to hate their job…or at least this assignment.”

“Can you call Tom and tell him to read his email,” she added as she typed on the PC.

***

Steel marveled at Tess’s ability to multitask. She managed to cheer him up and be efficient at the same time.

When the butler returned with a small table, their pitcher and their glasses, Tess asked if he could locate Dan and bring him here.

“The gentlemen have retired for the night.”

“Grumpy One can retire, but we need Dan,” she said as she typed on the laptop.

Steel took over one of her tasks. “Tell Dan we require his presence. Also, bring a third glass and another pitcher.”

The butler nodded and left.

Tess watched the old man leave and then whispered, “From now on, you are responsible for all butler communication. He doesn’t like me.”

Steel chuckled. “I doubt he likes me either, but he knows that I know how a proper butler should behave.”

“Had to be awful growing up with such a grumpy, disapproving fellow following you about.”

A hearty laugh erupted from his chest. Never once had anyone felt bad for him having a butler, but in fact, she was correct. His disapproving butler had been a constant rain cloud on his life. He smiled at her. “I suspect my childhood would have been a great deal more fun if you’d been there to make acute observations.”

“Are there woods in England?”

“Very nice ones. How can you not know that?”

“The furthest from Iowa I’ve been was when I went to school in Wisconsin last year.”

“Speaking of that, why is it that you couldn’t get work experience credits for some of your classes?”

She stopped typing. “Believe me, I asked. But all that did was piss my professors off.” She then grimaced. “In retrospect, I probably should have dazzled them with my brilliance for a few weeks of school, then asked.”

“Would you mind if Tom and I try to get you credit for working here this year? Honestly, I don’t see how I’m going to do this without you.”

He wished she’d look at him, but her focus seemed to be her lap. Damn it! He shouldn’t have blurted that out…but he had no idea how to ease into this topic.

“Tess, talk to me,” he pleaded.

“You are certainly welcomed to try. I would offer to put my education off a year, but I’m pretty sure if I leave, they won’t let me return.”

“For God’s sake, why not?”

“They don’t like me. I keep correcting them.”

He covered his face with his hands. She could have very well muddied that pool beyond repair. “Would you consider a different school?”

“Wisconsin was the only one who would accept me into their program.” Her voice sounded both ashamed and angry.

“But you lacked connections then. Now the head of the Iowa State Parks and the forest manager of the largest park in Iowa both believe you walk on water. I know Tom’s got friends at the University of Minnesota.”

“That was my first choice,” she muttered and sniffled.

“What courses have you completed thus far?”

She listed them from memory, and Steel wrote them down, frustrated by the year she wasted. “And what do you have planned for this year?”

“Mostly general classes. My advisor evidently thought if I took real classes last year, I’d discover I couldn’t do forestry and switch to another major. So this year I only have one forestry class. Everything else is general stuff—biology, communications, economics, math…”

Finally, she looked up. “If I can’t get everything planned out so you can reasonably do this by yourself, then I’ll drop out and try Minnesota later on. You’re right. Maybe they’ll want me now that I have real credentials and people recognized in the field to recommend me.”

He pulled her out of her chair and wrapped his arms around her. “I need you here. You’ve no idea how valuable you are. But I’m not giving up on you doing both, the right way. If you are willing to go to Minnesota—

“More than willing.”

“Then I’m sure we can work this out in a manner that does not require you to drop out of school.”

Just then a disapproving voice spoke from the palm tree. “Platonic and professional, huh?”

Tess tried to push out of his arms, but Steel refused to let her go. He glared at Dan, causing the man to shut up. He then kissed her temple. “We’ll do this. Trust me.”

When he released her, she smiled at him with pure adoration. A lot of women had given him such smiles, but Tess’s was the only one that meant anything to him.

Tess turned to Dan. “He was cheering me up. I’m sure if you get in the dumps, he’ll give you a hug, too.”

Dan’s look of horror made Steel burst into laughter. “Grab a chair from behind the screen. We’re going to be planning for the next few hours. Securing all the archeological sites is our first priority.”

Tess added, “Followed immediately by securing the whole park. Some kids tried to set fire to the place today.” She paused and looked at Steel. “This has to be the longest day ever.”

“It’s been a full day,” he admitted. They’d help Helen die, then brought her home, saw her body off, put out a fire, rescued Helen’s ashes, and now they were on a fake beach ready to work on their security issues.

“I’m going to need to see maps with terrain markings,” Dan insisted.

“I can pull those up. I sent them to Tom a few weeks ago.” She glanced at Steel. “Any chance they have wireless printers?”

“I can almost guarantee it. Try it.”

“It says it’s printing,” she replied. “Can you ask the wall to bring it to us?”

Steel chuckled, not just because she was funny, but because Dan was utterly baffled by her statement. He walked to the wall and requested the items printed be brought at once.

Tess grinned at him. “I’m guessing the butler is muttering this wouldn’t be necessary if we’d just go to the library.”

Steel ruffled her hair as he walked by. “No doubt about it.” When she continued to type rather than fix her hair, he finger-combed it down.

Dan had managed to acquire a smile until he fixed her hair. Then he sobered.

“What?” he snapped at Dan.

Tess placed her laptop on the table. “He’s probably thinking you shouldn’t fix my hair, even though I appreciated it since you’re the one who messed it up.”

Dan nailed him with a glare. “Saying matters are platonic is insufficient. If I worked for Don Benito, I’d be reporting there’s a thing between you two.”

Tess turned towards him. “That would probably turn out bad for you. My father expects accurate information.”

“Oh, there is definitely something going on between you,” Dan insisted.

“Yes, but it’s not the ‘thing’ you’re implying, and my father wouldn’t like you misleading him. Fortunately, he’s very clear about that when recruiting new thugs. So I don’t expect they will make the same mistake. As you will discover, I get my hair ruffled a lot. For some reason, guys love to mess me up.” She then turned to Steel. “But you are the first guy to clean up his mess…so maybe you shouldn’t do that.”

God, he loved her.

“Okay, that look right there,” Dan challenged.

“Looks don’t count,” Tess declared. “Father will tear anyone’s head off who mentions them as evidence of anything. Evidently, everyone in the mafia attempts to deceive their true intentions by portraying false expressions.”

Dan’s head tilted. “You probably have something there.”

“This is my father’s theory. With normal people, I tend to believe their expressions.” She then leaned forward. “So why don’t you want to work with us?”

Her question clearly shocked Dan. Steel had expected him to lie and insist she had misread him, but after a sigh, he replied, “Because I think there’s a good chance Dr. Castile is going to die, and my career will be destroyed, through no fault of mine.”

“You can stop there,” Steel snapped. “Trying to get Tess on your side, just so this becomes an easy assignment, isn’t going to work.”

Tess nodded. “I agree. But thanks for letting me know your career is on the line. It gives me greater confidence that you’ll work with us to keep Steel alive and the project successful.”

Steel chuckled. Leave it to Tess to find a positive thread in that grim reaper weaving.

The butler arrived with a pile of paper, pens, pencils, and tape.

“Thank you,” Tess said as she latched onto the tape. “I needed this. You are a very good butler.”

Steel was glad she was preoccupied with her tape dispenser. It meant she missed the outraged glare. Still, he cleared his throat, catching the man’s attention. The lifting of a single eyebrow sent the man scurrying from the room.

After a moment of confusion, Steel realized why the tape had made her so happy. She had printed out the terrain map in twenty pages which now needed to be taped together. He was about to challenge why they needed such a large map but silenced his voice as he realized that with this magnitude of detail they could actually plan the exact placement of cameras and fences.

Since the pages had to be laid in proper order, the only help he could offer was to place the next page and hold the seams while Tess taped.

Once done, she placed the archeological sites on the center of the table, allowing the forest ends to drape down like a table cloth.

Dan leaned over, fully engaged, as Tess gave him an overview of the woods. When discussing the cabin, she raised one corner and pointed out its location, drawing a small box there.

“From here, we have a decent view of seventy-five percent of the forest. Steel, can you lift up your side so he can see the Mississippi river.”

Steel did as requested, then pointed to the location of the village site.  “When the Paleo-Indians lived here, this river was their source of water, small game, and fish. But it was unprotected, so they built a narrow path up this ridge.” He then ran his hand over the area on the table. “The terrain is steep and rough, giving them a significant advantage against any tribe who attacked. It’s also why these sites haven’t previously been discovered.” He glanced at Tess to see if she was really okay with him taking the credit for finding the mounds.

Her eyes sparkled with admiration, so he continued. “We will need this entire hill secured before roads are cut into these woods.”

Dan frowned. “How do you plan to get the equipment and fencing in without roads?” He ran his hand through his short stubs of hair. “We have to have fencing. You mentioned steep rocky ridges. That is guaranteed to tempt hikers. So not only do we need twenty-foot fencing with angled barbed wired tops, but cameras within the protected area to alert us when these guys”—he glanced at Tess—“and women decide to defy all warnings and try to clip the fence so they can climb.”

Tess nodded. “I can put the trail for regular hikers far enough away they won’t see the tantalizing rocks. That should reduce innocent traffic to the area.”

“Good differentiator, Tess,” Steel said. “My main concern is once these sites become public knowledge, people will try to slip in and scavenge stuff to sell on eBay. They can do tremendous damage.”

Dan rubbed his face. “And it’s this area you plan to spend most of your time in?”

“Yes.”

“But he’ll walk from here” —Tess pointed to the cabin— “to there via this trail.” She drew a wiggly line connecting the cabin to the area.