Defender. Diana Palmer
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kidnapping attempts before. You foiled one yourself. The girls don’t have any street sense, especially Merrie. They’d be sheep among wolves, literally, if they had the kind of freedom you’re advocating.”
“They’re young and pretty. Surely they’ll want families one day,” he said, and his eyes darkened as he said it.
“Sari wants a career right now,” she said evasively. “And Merrie’s just graduated high school. She doesn’t know what she wants to do just yet.”
“It’s not a normal life,” he replied.
“It wouldn’t be, under the best of circumstances. They’re worth millions. Mr. Darwin would have problems if they ever wanted to marry, depending on who they wanted to marry. He’d be wary of men who wanted the money instead of the girls.”
He knew that. But he wouldn’t permit himself to think about it. Isabel wanted a career. She wouldn’t be interested in a future with anyone just yet, anyway. Not yet. It was…a relief, although he wouldn’t let himself wonder why.
He found the other two surveillance cameras. One was at the back door, one at the front door and the only bug had been the one in the dining room. Paul took note of where they were.
* * *
Darwin flew home a few days later. He called Paul into his office and closed the door.
“I want to know who’s been in this office since I was away,” he said at once.
Paul raised both eyebrows. “Just me and the girls, when they had to use the encyclopedia—” he indicated volumes on a bookshelf “—or the computer.” He nodded toward the desktop computer. “Nobody else.”
Darwin glared at him. “Somebody wiped part of a surveillance log I was keeping.”
Paul frowned and managed to look completely innocent. “A surveillance log?”
Darwin realized his mistake at once and backtracked. Paul was head of security. He should have known about the cameras.
“I meant to tell you that I’d installed a new set of cameras,” he said, averting his eyes. “I’ve had a threat just recently, one I didn’t tell you about. I ordered the cameras installed and forgot to tell you. Sorry.”
“No harm done, sir, it’s your house and your equipment. But it helps if I know what you’re doing, so that I don’t duplicate efforts and cost you money.”
“Yes, of course.” Darwin hesitated. “I’m involved…with a woman,” he confessed, his back to Paul. “She works for the federal government. Just lately, there have been people following her.” He turned and caught the surprised expression on his security chief’s face. “The girls don’t know, and they’re not to know,” he added firmly. “It’s a long-standing relationship. I don’t want to remarry, but I’m a man. I have needs.” He shrugged, averting his eyes.
“That’s your personal business, sir,” Paul said respectfully.
Darwin cleared his throat and seemed to relax. “Yes, it is. However, I can’t rule out the possibility that we might have a threat here. I don’t want my daughters involved, but I want you to be aware of the threat.”
“What sort of threat is it, sir?”
Darwin looked briefly uncertain. He hesitated, running a hand over his balding head. “She has contact with some unsavory people, in the course of her job.”
Paul’s eyes narrowed. “Unsavory.”
“Yes. Her superiors don’t know. She’s doing some groundwork for a…regional director.”
Paul just watched him. “I still have contacts at the agency…”
“No!” Darwin lowered his voice. “No. I don’t want any federal involvement. She’s in enough danger as it is. You won’t mention this to anyone. But you’ll add on more security, especially in the house. More hidden cameras, microphones, whatever it takes.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get on it today,” Paul promised.
Darwin drew in a breath. “More security. Yes. Many more cameras. Put them everywhere!”
Paul was hesitant.
“Not in the bathrooms, obviously,” the older man said when he read the consternation on Paul’s features. He grimaced. “And not in the girls’ bedrooms. Or yours or mine or Mandy’s. Obviously, nothing going on there that will affect them.” He hesitated. “We can leave the ones at both front and back doors, although you can remove the one in the dining room. But get those cameras installed outside the house, everywhere. Today.”
Paul relaxed. He managed a faint smile. “Yes, sir. I’ll get to work.”
“Monitor the cell phones, too,” he added curtly. “The girls’ especially.”
That would be dead space, Paul thought, because the girls had no friends to call. But he didn’t say so. He just nodded.
Darwin hesitated. He drew in a breath and put a hand to his head. He swayed a little, but caught himself. “Funny, these dizzy spells,” he murmured, drawing in a breath. “Drives me out of my mind.” He turned to Paul, and seemed oddly disoriented. He wiped at his eyes. “Forget what I said about putting more cameras in the house. I don’t know why I wanted them in the house in the first place,” he said suddenly. “Nobody needs to know what goes on in here, anyway. Get rid of the bugs and the indoor cameras. There are only three cameras, actually—one at the front and back doors and in the dining room,” he added. “I had the other two put outside at the stables. In fact, we only need them outside, to monitor who comes and goes. No need to give up my privacy for an external threat,” he added, and Paul relaxed even more.
Darwin’s eyes narrowed. “Cameras can be hacked. I don’t want men staring at my daughters. Any men.”
“Of course not, sir.”
“They’ll make good marriages eventually, when I decide on their husbands,” he continued absently. “Not for years, though. They’re just children.”
Isabel was twenty-one, Merrie was eighteen. And Darwin still thought of them as children, Paul wondered.
“They won’t have the freedom their mother did,” he said to himself. “Tried to sell me out. Damned slut, running to another man with information…” He caught himself and glanced at Paul. “You didn’t hear that.”
“I only hear what you tell me to hear, sir, and I never repeat anything,” Paul said.
Darwin nodded. “I know that. It’s why you’ve lasted here so long. Never had a security chief before who could keep his mouth shut.”
Paul just nodded.
Darwin stared at him. “You don’t mention anything about me to any of those contacts you still have. Got that?”
“Why would I, sir?” Paul asked, frowning.
“Well, of course. No reason to, after all.” He checked his watch. “Have Danny fuel up the Learjet and do the walkaround. I have to be in Denver tonight for a meeting with some…contacts.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.”
“Good man.”
Paul went to make the arrangements, giving a silent thanks for small blessings. He’d wondered how he’d ever manage to do his job with cameras watching every move he made. He wouldn’t admit that having Isabel come in and sit on his bed at night to chat was one of his few guilty pleasures. He’d have hated sacrificing that in the name of extra security.
Meanwhile, he wondered why Darwin Grayling was such a fanatic about his privacy. The man obviously had things he was trying to hide. Paul wondered if he was involved in anything illegal. But he didn’t pursue that question, even in his own mind.
*