With the opening of the door, the light from the hall spilled onto the carpet of Nichol’s lavender room. The golden rays illuminated allowing Claire to peer beyond the light and see her daughter sleeping soundly on the large canopy bed with her doll on the pillow beside her. Tiptoeing to her daughter’s side, Claire’s smile grew, just being near her filled Claire’s world with peace. It was obvious the ice skating had worn their daughter out. With her lips parted and eyes shut, she was lost in a dream world and oblivious to her mother’s presence. Since they were leaving early in the morning for New York, Claire was glad that Nichol was already asleep. After a gentle kiss to Nichol’s head, Claire made her way back toward the hallway, quietly closed Nichol’s door, and eased down the back staircase toward their office. As she neared, she heard Tony’s booming voice.
“…I don’t care where they go, one of you needs to be with them at all times.”
“Yes, Mr. Rawlings. They won’t be alone.”
Though she couldn’t see, Claire recognized Taylor’s voice as the person who’d responded.
“The last two mailings have had a connection to New York. If Claire weren’t so damned determined not to allow this person to interrupt our lives, I’d insist that they stay home,” Tony continued.
“With two of us,” Phil began, “we’ll keep them safe. One of us will be right with them and the other will stay back, watching the crowds. I’ll keep Eric constantly updated. You’ll know where they are at all times.”
Claire stepped into the office, clad in her nightgown and bathrobe. “Don’t mind me,” she interrupted. “I feel like the president, overhearing his Secret Service agents. I wish you wouldn’t all make such a big fuss out of this.” She looked at Tony. “And you. I’ll be honest. Your tone…” She pursed her lips. “…is a little intimidating. Give poor Taylor a break. You know they’ll do their best.”
Claire smiled in Taylor and Phil’s direction.
Tony’s eyes darkened. “Claire, my assistant bought the tickets for the play over a month ago. I didn’t think about it at the time, but that’s a red flag. We might as well have taken out a sign on Times Square and announced our arrival.”
Finding her Kindle, Claire picked it up and walked toward Tony. Trying to lighten the conversation, she replied, “Wouldn’t Nichol think that was special? Her name in lights on Times Square!”
“Claire,” Phil warned, his gaze mimicking Tony’s. “This is serious. Think about Patrick Chester—”
“I don’t want to think about him,” she snapped. “I don’t want to think about the possibility that someone could be targeting Nichol or me. However, I will not let that someone hold my daughter captive inside of her own house. It’s not happening.” Her eyes met Tony’s. Though she saw the darkness in his, Claire felt the fire in her own. Lifting her brow, she added, “She will never feel trapped in her own home. It’s not debatable.”
Her husband’s lips formed a tight line as he forcibly retained his response.
“Mrs. Rawlings?” Taylor asked, breaking the couple’s unspoken standoff.
They both turned toward Taylor’s voice. “Yes?” Claire replied.
“May I suggest changing your tickets?”
Claire shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. Nichol’s too excited about The Lion King.”
“Not changing the show,” Taylor continued, “just changing the performance. Your plans include being in the city for three nights. Could you go one of the other nights?”
Claire looked at her husband and tilted her head in question. “Can you change the tickets at this late of a date?”
His cheeks rose. “Hell yes. That’s a great idea. Taylor, thank you.”
“We’ll get it all arranged and have the tickets put in another name,” Phil interjected.
“There,” Claire said. “It’s settled. Now let’s all get some sleep. Someone I know likes to wake up way too early for these business trips.”
As Claire followed Phil and Taylor toward the door, Tony’s voice rang through the office. “No, Mrs. Rawlings, I don’t believe this conversation is finished.”
Turning back, she took in Tony’s demeanor. His tone and the piercing darkness of his gaze used to signal internal alarms. Not tonight. Tonight what caught her attention was the devilish grin he tried unsuccessfully to conceal.
When she turned back, Phil’s questioning eyes asked what his lips couldn’t. With a smile and a nod, Claire let Phil know that she was and would be fine. His shoulders relaxed as she said good night and closed the door. Looking again toward the dark eyes that filled her dreams, Claire walked back toward her husband.
“What do you possibly want to discuss that can’t be discussed upstairs?”
Tony reached for the tie of her soft robe and tugged it open, exposing her satin nightgown. “Do you really think that this is appropriate staff-interaction clothing?” His hands caressed her hips, taking in the slippery material.
“I wasn’t planning on seeing anyone but you,” she replied. “I just came down for my Kindle.” As she spoke, he stood. With each passing second, Tony’s proximity gravitated closer until he hovered above her, and Claire’s back arched over the desk. With a smirk to her voice, Claire continued, “You’re the one having a big powwow in here. At this late hour, I thought you’d be alone.”