Hotshot

  “Especially young women,” her friend added.

  “He and Eileen try to stop the rumors, but I think they’re true. With him as boss, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to work here.”

  The lights framing the stage suddenly brightened, and the employees immediately stopped talking and sat up straighter in anticipation. The side doors opened, and Erik, his expression solemn, took a seat on the right side of the podium. At the same time Drew and his wife, Eileen, stepped out into the lights. They stood together smiling at the audience before making their way to the stage. Drew, acting like a politician up for reelection, waved to the crowd while Eileen smiled and nodded to several people in the front row. They took seats to the left of the podium.

  A cheer went up and everyone stood when Randolph Swift came onstage. He was tall and very thin. He had wide shoulders like his daughter and a firm jaw like his son. The lines in his face told the story of a life that had experienced a great deal, but there was a vitality in his step, just as the two women had said. He seemed touched by the ovation and raised his hand to acknowledge the affection. When the cheering and applause did not die down, he raised both hands and motioned for them to take their seats. Finally the noise subsided enough for him to be heard.

  He thanked everyone for the kind reception, and then said, “I have several announcements today.” He pulled note cards from the inside pocket of his suit and placed them on the podium. “I’d like to begin by saying that it was wrong of me to demand that you attend Miriam’s memorial. She’d have a fit if she knew I was doing that. She didn’t want me to mourn, either,” he said. “I’m still going to have the memorial, but you don’t have to attend. If you have other plans, that’s all right. She and I both know you loved her.”

  Another round of applause erupted, and he waited to speak again. “The memorial isn’t going to have speeches. It will be a party with food and drink and balloons for the kids. We’re going to celebrate her life.”

  Once again the crowd showed its approval by clapping. Randolph straightened to his full height, then glanced at Drew and Eileen. They were both smiling at the audience as though the adulation was for them.

  “And now on to the other changes I’d like to share with you. After much deliberation, I’ve decided to step down as head of this company. I know this doesn’t come as a surprise to most of you.” He added with a nod, “It’s time. And I’m confident I’m leaving you in good hands. Let me tell you about your new CEO. You’re getting a powerhouse. I believe he’s much smarter than I am, much more creative, and much more innovative. He won’t be afraid to try new ideas, so I have no concern that the company will become stale. He has wonderful plans for expansion and, most important, he truly understands how valuable all of you are to the company. His moral compass is straight and true, and it will guide him in making good decisions.”

  He paused to glance over his shoulder at Albertson, who was posing with the most sincere look of humility he could muster. Randolph turned back to the upturned faces in the auditorium and continued. “I would now like to introduce to you the new CEO of Swift Publications . . . Erik Swift.”

  The room vibrated as the crowd jumped to their feet in unison and began to cheer wildly.

  Finn watched Drew. He didn’t move a muscle, and Finn thought he didn’t quite grasp what had just happened.

  Eileen understood. Her face twisted in rage, and she nearly overturned her chair as she sprang forward and shouted, “That’s not right. You’ve got it wrong. Drew is the new CEO.”

  Her panic was explosive. Randolph ignored her, and that only fueled her anger. Turning to the audience, she screamed, “Stop it. Stop cheering. Shut up and sit down.” She roared the last demand, then turned to her father and said, “Is this a joke? Drew’s the CEO. You’re having fun, aren’t you?”

  Drew grabbed Eileen’s arm and jerked her back to her seat. His expression was stony now, but even from the distance separating them, Finn could see the fire in his eyes.

  Eileen’s horrific reaction to the news had quieted everyone. The air was thick with tension as they waited to see what would happen next.

  Randolph tapped the microphone to get their attention. “There’s more to share with you. Eileen and Drew Albertson will be leaving the company today.” He said the last with steel in his voice.

  Drew stood slowly and, with his hands fisted at his sides, asked, “Why are you doing this to me?”

  Scanning the audience, Randolph replied, “I could explain why, but I think it would be better if everyone just listened.”

  He raised a hand to signal the control booth, and Peyton Lockhart’s voice, as clear as a bell, came over the speaker.

  “Do you mind if I record our conversation . . .”

  TWENTY-SIX

  When Finn heard Peyton’s voice coming through the speakers, he felt as though his heart had just stopped.

  “Son of a bitch,” he whispered.

  As Randolph played the entire recording, Finn’s attention locked on the Albertsons. Eileen was tugging on Drew’s arm, trying to get him to look at her, but he stared straight ahead and ignored her. His face was cold and impassive. It must have taken every last ounce of his self-control to hold on to his emotionless expression. Finn knew he was boiling inside.

  Two security guards headed to the steps to escort Drew and Eileen out of the building. Drew saw them coming. He stood, carefully adjusted his tie, and rigidly left the stage. Eileen rushed after him.

  “I can take care of this, Drew. Let me take care of this for you,” she pleaded. “He’s a senile old man. He isn’t responsible. We could go to court . . .” The door closed behind her, muffling her voice.

  No one in the auditorium moved or made a sound. Mesmerized by what they were hearing, the employees hung on every word, stunned into frozen silence.

  Randolph and Erik had already left the stage. They slipped out the second Drew’s voice filled the room with his vile insults toward Miriam.

  Finn reached for his phone and called Braxton as he headed out of the auditorium and into the office next door.

  “Where’s Peyton?” There was an urgency in his voice he couldn’t control.

  “She’s in the conference room working,” Braxton answered.

  Finn quickly filled him in on what had just happened and said, “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “This Randolph guy threw Peyton under the bus playing that recording, didn’t he? He could have exposed what kind of pervert Albertson was without pointing the finger at Peyton.”

  “Albertson would have figured it out. You should have seen the look in his eyes.”

  “We’ve got Peyton covered,” he assured him. “I’ll let Drake know . . . and Christopher. He might want to add one or two more men to our security team.”

  “Good idea,” he said.

  “Do you want to talk to Peyton?”

  “No, I’ll call her later. Just tell her I’m in Dalton.”

  As soon as the call ended, the door opened and Agent Hutton walked in and blurted out his bad news. “I just got the ballistics report. That bullet doesn’t match any of the weapons we took from Swift’s house.”

  “Damn, I had hoped . . .”

  “Yeah, me too,” he said. “Lane is really taking the news hard. He took an instant dislike to Parsons and was looking forward to locking him up. Now we don’t have one thing to hold him on. Zero,” he stressed, frowning. “But we aren’t going to give up. Before we took the guns out of Swift’s house, we followed procedure. We itemized each gun and got Erik’s signature. He hadn’t told his father he’d given us the guns to test until this morning. He showed him the list and promised he’d have them back in his cabinet soon. Anyway, his father went over the inventory and is insisting that a handgun and two rifles are missing. Both the rifles had scopes,” he added. “He thought we messed up and forgot to put the
m on the list, but Erik convinced him the count was accurate. He then told him about Peyton and how Parsons went after her. He said his father was shocked and angry because he didn’t realize until that moment how far Drew and Eileen would go to get what they wanted. Erik said he got a real peculiar look in his eyes, and he thinks that’s when Randolph decided to use the recording to publicly humiliate him.”

  “Did you know they were going to play it?” Finn asked.

  Hutton shook his head. “Neither Randolph nor Erik mentioned that was the plan. Albertson looked crazed when he left the building. I think he’s gonna go postal on us. We’ll keep an eye on him, and Parsons, as well.”

  “Where is Parsons?”

  “He chased after the Albertsons shouting Eileen’s name until she stopped and waited for him to catch up.”

  “You’ve got to keep surveillance on them.”

  “I hear you. They’re probably going to go somewhere and brainstorm how to fix this. All that money? They won’t give up.”

  “This isn’t fixable. Albertson knows that, and in his twisted mind it’s all Peyton’s fault.”

  Finn spent the afternoon helping Hutton and Lane interview employees. There were several who were loyal to Drew and Eileen, though God only knew why. One of the employees was a woman named Bridget. She was so distraught she could barely keep it together during the interview.

  “That recording we listened to was all a lie,” she insisted. “Drew’s innocent. That horrible Peyton Lockhart set him up. She trapped him,” she said in a near shout. “She made it all up and put it on a recording.”

  Finn held his patience. “And how did she accomplish that?” he asked calmly.

  “She had her ways. Ask Eileen. She’ll tell you all about Peyton Lockhart. She figured her out right away.”

  “And what did she figure out?”

  Bridget wiped the tears away from her face with the backs of her hands before answering. “That Peyton was a slut. A bitch and a slut,” she added with a nod. “And now Drew’s gone and it’s all her fault.” She began to sob and was barely coherent.

  Finn decided to let Lane deal with her while he and Hutton went through Drew’s and Eileen’s offices. They had already posted security guards in front of their office doors after obtaining permission from Erik and his father to search the premises. They didn’t find anything incriminating in Drew’s office, but they confiscated Drew’s computer to search his encrypted files.

  “I’ll bet the only thing we’re going to find is porn,” Hutton wagered.

  Finn thought he was probably right. “I wish I could stay here and find the evidence to take these guys down, but I have to get to D.C.”

  “We can’t stay in Dalton, either,” Hutton said, “but we’ve got the local law cooperating with us now. They’ll do what they can to help.”

  Lane poked his head in the doorway. “Just heard from surveillance. A courier delivered a copy of Randolph Swift’s new will to Drew and Eileen a couple of minutes ago. That ought to top their day.”

  And give Drew yet another reason to go after Peyton, Finn thought. He needed to talk to her, to hear her voice, to know she was okay. He waited to make the call until he was out of Dalton and on his way to Minneapolis. As soon as she said hello, his entire body relaxed and the tightness in his chest eased. He felt as though he could take a deep breath again.

  “How are you doing?”

  Peyton didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries. “Braxton told me you were in Dalton. I couldn’t believe it. Did you get there in time to hear Randolph’s speech?”

  “Yes, I did. It was something else,” he admitted, and then he told her exactly what had happened. When he finally finished, she grilled him with questions. Her reaction wasn’t what he expected. He described how enraged Drew became and how lethal he looked when the recording began, and she laughed.

  “Oh, I so wish I had been there,” she said.

  “For God’s sake, this isn’t funny.”

  “No, of course it isn’t. I keep picturing Drew waving to the audience and then getting sacked.” She laughed again. “Sorry,” she said. “I’ll try to control myself. It’s over now, isn’t it, Finn? Drew’s been ousted, and his record will follow him. I can let it go now.”

  “I don’t think Drew’s going to let it go,” he warned. “You have to be careful.”

  Reacting to the worry in his voice, she said, “I’ll be careful. And if he comes after me, I’ll be ready.” She didn’t have the faintest idea how she would accomplish that feat, but she wanted to put his fears to rest. “Please don’t worry about me. That isn’t your job now. Braxton and Drake will be on guard until Drew calms down, and so will I.”

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “I know,” she said. “I’m going to be all right. Besides, my safety isn’t your problem any longer. You’ve done so much for me, and I really appreciate it, but now you need to get on with your life.” Without me, she silently added. You made that perfectly clear.

  “Peyton . . .”

  Her voice was whisper soft. “Good-bye, Finn.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Peyton held the phone against her heart and bowed her head. She would not cry. If only she could garner some anger now. She did better being furious at him than feeling as though she was going to break down and weep every other minute.

  He did not deserve her tears. He did not deserve her. Lately, those words had become her mantra. It was time for her to get on with her life, too.

  She had a long list of things she wanted to get done before Mimi and Lars arrived. They needed temporary housing until they were settled, so she called maintenance and asked them to empty one of the two-bedroom condominiums behind hers that they’d been using for storage. She scheduled painters to go in on Monday, and as soon as they finished, she planned to have the floors polished. The unit was already furnished, and she would make sure there were fresh linens on their beds and food in the refrigerator. She wanted to make them feel welcome.

  Mimi was staying in Minneapolis with one of her brothers while she waited for Lars to finish packing. She promised to call Peyton as soon as they were on the road, but she didn’t plan on that happening for several days. In the meantime, she was enjoying being with family and told Peyton she’d forgotten how much she enjoyed her sister-in-law’s company.

  Peyton had taken over the conference room. She liked being able to spread out all her papers. She had a whole stack of notes for menus she wanted to talk to Lars about once he got settled. She didn’t have any idea if he could cook, a fact she didn’t mention to her sister. Lars had told her he wanted to become a chef, but that didn’t mean he knew how to put a recipe together. She discussed the matter with Christopher, and they both decided it would be a good idea to start Lars at the smallest of the hotel’s restaurants, Oceans, under Chef Geller’s supervision. Aside from being extremely talented, Geller also had a rare trait—rare for a head chef, anyway—of being patient. Once Lars had gained some experience at Oceans, they would consider moving him to Leonard’s, their fine-dining restaurant, where he could work under one of the finest—albeit one of the most temperamental—chefs in Florida. Peyton was excited to be able to give Lars this opportunity and hoped it would be the start of great things for him.

  As the days passed, Peyton began to enjoy her work at the resort more and more, and she could actually see the light at the end of the tunnel when the staff began to return to put the finishing touches on the hotel. For the most part, she stayed within the confines of the resort, but either Braxton or Drake was always somewhere nearby, never letting her out of sight. When she suggested that they may no longer be needed, they insisted that their duties would end when Christopher and Finn dismissed them, and no sooner. Since the matter was taken out of her hands, she decided to acquiesce and make the best of the situation by accepting the fact that the bodyguard
s were going to be part of her daily activity. Drake, it turned out, had a refined palate when it came to food. He could sample new dishes and tell which herbs and spices were needed and which had to go. Braxton had hidden talents, as well. One day, while she was poring over the proposed plans for the new pool, she asked his opinion on the layout and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had several really good ideas, one of which included the building of a cabana in an otherwise unused corner of the space. Having them around became routine, and after a while she actually enjoyed their company and considered them friends.

  Most of the time they tried to remain out of sight, but on the days that she had to leave the resort, they drove her car and stayed near her the entire time. Whether she was in an office or a shop, one of them was just outside the door, waiting.

  She had just come back from one of those afternoons in Port James and returned to her work in the conference room when Lucy stopped in to say good night.

  “Scott Cassady called today,” she told her.

  “Still wanting to make a deal?” Peyton asked.

  “Yes. I think he found out we’re working with Dan Miller and he’s afraid he’s losing his leverage. He was very cordial and complimentary.”

  “It won’t do him much good.”

  Lucy started to leave but stopped. “I forgot to ask. How was the doctor’s appointment?”

  Peyton was sitting with her back to the door. She faced a row of windows. She didn’t bother to turn around when she answered. “She put me on birth control pills and said that they would help me have normal cycles, and that will be a first for me. She also gave me a shot and told me I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant for six months. By then the pills will also protect me from pregnancy.” She couldn’t resist adding, “And as a bonus, because of the shot I can become sexually active right away.”

  “And whom do you plan to be sexually active with, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “Christopher. I’ve had the hots for him for a long time now,” Peyton said, keeping her head down so her sister couldn’t see her mischievous grin.