Chapter 17
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. By seven, Skylar had eaten a quick breakfast with Rio and iPad in hand met with Patterson, Rio, and the men he’d assigned to mingle with the guests and guard the entry doors of the castle.
“No food or drink will be allowed past the doors into here. There’ll be wait staff on one side of the doors to take those items and wait staff on the other with drinks and finger foods when they leave,” Skylar said. “Stationed around the room will be students from St. John’s Music Department with computers connected to the Web site to assist with bids. Or the guests can do it themselves.”
She pointed to a large screen on the wall. “The items are listed alphabetically as they are in the catalog and will be updated as quickly as possible so bidders can easily see if their bid has been topped. Between eight thirty and nine, we’ll clear this room of guests so chairs can be brought in. Everyone will come back at nine when I, with the help of an auctioneer, will go through the bids. If no one tops a bid, we’ll move on to the next item. Any questions?”
There were head shakes and murmurs of no. “If you think of anything later, I’ll be the one running around like the Energizer Bunny.” She laughed, and everyone laughed with her.
“Although the invitation said seven, we know some will come early to beat the rush. For those of you in here, please be on duty by six thirty. The main dining room is where the buffet will be set up with tables and seating. Dancing will be in the ballroom next door.” She glanced at the house manager. “I’ve coordinated with Mr. Patterson for you to eat at six in the small dining room.”
The room erupted in applause. Skylar did a little curtsy. “Thank you. Rio.”
Rio stepped forward. He wasn’t smiling now, and neither were his men. “We’ve already talked this morning. I expect each of you to be on high alert. With family and friends coming in before the guests, it’s going to be an almost constant stream of vehicles and people. No one gets on this property or in this house without clearance. You know what to do. That’s all.”
The men piled out of the room.
Patterson stepped forward. “The small dining room will have an assortment of food and beverages for the arriving houseguests. All their rooms are ready. Jefferson will help with luggage and Mary will see that the dining room is kept stocked. The extra staff to assist is already here. At six this evening, Mary will assume charge of the children.”
“Excellent, Mr. Patterson. You’re a lifesaver.” Skylar touched his arm. “I would have been lost without you.”
The older man flushed. “Thank you, Ms. Dupree. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go check on things.”
“Certainly.” She turned to Rio. His expression was hard. “I’ll be fine.”
“I plan to make sure of it.,” he said, his voice tight. “My guts tells me that Tennyson will have his guy make a move tonight when so much is going on. I’m not risking it. Jason will be with you until you come down for the auction, then Hendrix and Marshall.”
“What! Rio, you can’t be serious. I can’t do anything with Jason trailing behind me, let alone two men tonight. I—” She snapped her mouth shut and stared at him. He stared right back, not saying anything. He didn’t have to. When it came to security, Rio had the last word.
“Why can’t it be you?” she asked, trying not to sound sullen.
“Because I’ll be doing other things.” Taking her arm, he started for the closed door. “Don’t worry, I’ll be nearby.”
“I’m not worried. You won’t let anything happen to me.” She placed her hand on his chest. “Promise you’ll take care of yourself.”
“I told you not to worry.” Rio reached for the door.
Aware he hadn’t given her his promise, she placed her back to the door, keeping it closed. “I need something to fortify me for the day.”
“What?” he asked.
“You get one guess.” Circling his neck with one arm, she lifted her lips to his. He did the rest, hauling her into the shelter of his strong arms, his mouth ravaging hers as his hands molded her lower body to his. Her body caught fire. She strained against him. They’d made love less than an hour ago, yet every nerve ending screamed for him to take her again.
Thunk.
Skylar resisted Rio moving away from her. Finally she opened her eyes, then palmed her face when she saw him pick up her iPad from the carpeted floor. “Is it broken?”
“Doesn’t seem to be.” He rose to his feet and handed it to her. “Check it. You have a backup disk, don’t you?”
She nodded as she ran through her files. “Daddy gave it to me.”
“I can fix it if there’s a problem,” Rio said. “Everything will be all right.”
Satisfied that her files were operational and the iPad undamaged, she lifted her head. “Will it? Then why can’t you promise to take care of yourself?”
Tenderly he palmed her face. “A promise infers that I will have full control over every situation. I won’t.”
She closed her eyes, then opened them. He wouldn’t lie to her; neither would he shirk his responsibilities. He was strong, courageous. She had to be the same way. “Do you think you’ll have any trouble coming to my room tonight with so many people in the house?”
“Nothing is going to keep me away from you,” he said, his voice deep, his hot gaze steady.
She smiled despite her fear for him. “Well, then. Let’s get this show on the road.”
* * *
Daniel Falcon arrived shortly before after ten with his wife, Madelyn Taggart Falcon, and their son, a hefty and rambunctious two-and-a-half-year-old Daniel Junior. With them were his sister, Dominique Falcon-Masters, and her husband, Trent Masters. The car following them carried Shane and Paige and her mother, Joann Albright, along with her son, Zachary “Rolling Deep” Albright Wilder, the renowned music producer, and his world-famous concert violinist wife, Laurel Raineau Albright Wilder.
They were barely out of the car before Luke drove up with Catherine, his mother, her brother, John Henry Falcon, and his wife, Felicia. Sierra, Blade, Rio, and Skylar were there to meet them. Jefferson couldn’t carry all the luggage. The men eagerly helped while the women talked and passed a grinning Daniel Junior around before he settled with his Granny Felicia.
“I have refreshments in the small dining room,” Skylar said. “There are two guest bathrooms on the lower floor where you can wash up, or I can show you to your rooms.”
All the women staying overnight opted to go to their rooms. While Skylar took them upstairs, Ruth showed Felicia, who, with her husband, was staying with her sister-in-law, to a guest bath.
It was a noisy, happy bunch that finally settled in the dining room. The doorbell rang and more guests arrived. This time it was Madelyn’s older brother Kane Taggart and his wife, Victoria, with their seven-year old twins, Kane Junior and Chandler. Behind them were Matt Taggart, his wife, Shannon, and their two-year-old daughter, Tempest. The little girl immediately wanted to get down and go to Daniel Junior.
Daniel and Matt looked at each other and shook their heads as the two cousin toddlers held hands and jabbered. Kane Junior and Chandler were asking Mary in Spanish if there were any soft drinks.
“I heard that,” Victoria answered. “No sugary drinks.”
The twins looked at their brawny, six-foot-plus father for help. “Sorry, guys. She’s the boss, but Sierra and Blade have horses. Why don’t you ask nicely if we can all go for a ride?”
The twins’ eyes widened. They rushed to Sierra and Blade. They received a yes just as Patterson let in more relatives. Morgan and Phoenix; Pierce Grayson and his wife, Sabra Raineau Grayson, Broadway and movie star; Brandon and his wife, Faith McBride Grayson, with her older brother Duncan McBride and his wife, Raven.
“Hi, Skylar.” Faith greeted her with a hug. “Cameron and his family couldn’t make it due to a NASCAR race this weekend, but he wishes the auction the best.”
“I understand. Your brother’s NASCAR package of a weekend with him at a race of their choice is doing fantastic. I’m pulling for him to win the Sprint Cup this year.”
“Thanks, I’ll tell him,” Faith told her.
Skylar glanced around the room to ensure everyone was all right and didn’t need anything. Rio, Shane, Blade, and Luke were talking quietly among themselves. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what the subject was. She hated that she had brought trouble to Sierra and her family, and had told her as much that morning. Typically, Sierra had responded just as her mother had the night the intruder broke into Skylar’s room: “I can handle trouble.” Then she’d added, “Good friends are hard to find.”
“Hello, Skylar.”
Skylar jerked around to see Felicia Falcon, the woman who might be working with Mrs. Grayson to try to take Rio away from her. Or try to push them together. Skylar wished she had enough courage to ask.
Felicia, as beautiful and as youthful looking as ever in one of her knockout dove-gray Chanel suits, frowned. “Is something wrong?”
Skylar mentally shook herself. “Mrs. Falcon, I’m sorry. I was thinking. It’s good to see you again. Thank you again for steering me toward Navarone.”
“You’re welcome, although for a while Meredith wasn’t thrilled with me,” Felicia admitted, sipping her mimosa. “It’s not good when you’re at odds with a good friend and sorority sister.”
Skylar hadn’t known. “I’m sorry, but Mother seems happy for me.”
“Now. She mentioned you were meeting them for dinner and bringing someone special,” Felicia said. “Anyone I know?”
“Rio,” Skylar said proudly, her gaze intent, hoping Mrs. Falcon would pass the message on to Mrs. Grayson to back off. Expecting at the very least mild annoyance, Skylar was surprised to see a flash of excitement in the other woman’s eyes.
“Rio is an interesting man. I don’t recall seeing him with a particular woman,” Felicia went on to say.
“I guess it took the right woman,” Skylar told her, aware there was more than a little pride and a hint of naughtiness in her voice.
Mrs. Falcon laughed softly and touched Skylar affectionally on the shoulder. “Well said. It takes a strong woman to grab the attention of a strong man. What time is your mother arriving?”
“Around six.” Skylar wasn’t sure why, but she felt as if something had gone over her head. Perhaps the two women were on her side after all.
“I won’t keep you. John Henry gets lonely if I’m gone too long.” Lifting her glass in a salute, she walked straight to her husband. He curved his arm around her slim waist and kissed her on the cheek. Their marriage might have been rocky once, but it certainly wasn’t that way now.
“Can I have everyone’s attention please?” Sierra tapped a knife against her juice glass. “That means you, Brandon.”
Brandon grinned. Faith blushed.
“Navarone, over here.” Sierra beckoned to her husband.
“I’m coming as fast as I can pull this ball and chain.” Blade dragged his leg for a couple of steps, then hurried to his wife’s side.
“Ha. Ha,” she said.
Unrepentant, he grinned, kissed her, and threw his arm around her shoulders. “It’s wonderful having family and friends together under one roof. Sierra had an idea that she wanted to tell you about.”
“Catherine had the first Christmas with family and friends before Brandon, Pierce, and I were married. It was wonderful. We’re so happy you’re here to help Mama and the Music Department at St. John’s, but also to get together as a family. Time will be limited this weekend, but Blade and I would like to invite everyone in this room, and a few not here, to spend next Christmas week at Navarone Castle.”
Husbands and wives looked at each other, and couples began accepting the invitation. Less than a minute later, everyone had accepted except Rio and Skylar.
“Skylar, I know you’ll want to spend Christmas with your family in Boston, but I hope you can spend some of the week here,” Sierra said. “We’ll get you there on time, even if the small jet has to take you.”
Rio and Christmas, playing in the snow, skiing, sitting in front of a fire talking. “I’d love to. Thank you.”
Sierra pinned Rio with a narrowed gaze as he stood with Luke and Catherine. “Rio, I have something very special planned for you for Christmas.”
Crossing his arms, he grunted.
Sierra just grinned.
* * *
Skylar had a nonstop day. Surprisingly, Jason, her bodyguard, didn’t slow her down in the least. Most of the time she forgot he was with her. She was too busy making sure the band, the caterers, the delivery service, the florist, the wait staff, and the gift boxes shaped like Navarone Castle with chocolate musical instruments inside all arrived on time.
One thing she didn’t have to worry about was Mrs. Grayson’s students. They arrived eager and excited in the luxury van Blade had arranged for them. She and Felicia greeted them. Skylar felt they were watching her, but she never caught them. Too busy to worry, she went to check the dining tables.
They were draped in white linen with fresh-cut rose centerpieces. If desired and present, the highest bidder of the night could take his or her centerpiece choice, and continue until all were gone. Napkins and flatware were already on the table, and would be removed and replaced with a fresh place setting when the draped seat was vacated.
In the kitchen, she again checked over the menu with the catering company Brandon had recommended. There would be smoked salmon, roast tenderloin, avocado spheres, mushroom risotto fries, assorted vegetables, breads, raspberry macaroon lollipops, raspberry cake with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce.
She saw Rio at a distance in the early afternoon with Shane. She waved and he waved back before getting into one of the speedy golf carts. Continuing, she met with the man in charge of valet service. Thankfully, an area behind the garage was paved as the original owner had planned to entertain lavishly.
Then it was back to the house to speak with Patterson on checking the guests’ coats and wraps. On and on the day went. She saw little of the houseguests as they were scattered over the estate riding, boating, on the archery range, or just relaxing out back.
“It’s five thirty, Skylar.”
Skylar looked around at Jason, then at her watch. She couldn’t believe the day had rushed by so quickly. She’d asked him to remind her of the time. She wanted to be dressed so she could recheck everything before her parents and grandparents arrived. She was already cutting it close. She hurried to the stairs. “Thank you, Jason.”
At her door, Jason said, “The boss said to tell you that he’d see you before you went downstairs.”
“To give me my accessory, I suppose.”
Jason’s lips twitched. “That would be my first guess.”
Wondering what his second guess would be, Skylar entered her room. She headed straight to the bathroom. By the time a knock sounded on her door twenty-two minutes later, she was zipping up her gown.
“Yes?”
“Rio.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Unzipping her dress she answered the door. “Come in.”
His gaze swept over her in one hot sweep. The emerald-green, high-waisted gown was hand-embroidered with a bateau neckline. Green chiffon peeked from beneath the elbow-length sleeves. The silk skirt flared from thighs to end in a short ruffle train.
She did her own looking. With his muscular build and broad shoulders, Rio was magnificent in a black tux. And for the time being, all hers.
She presented her back and thought, hoped, she’d heard a sharp intake of air. The V draped to the middle of her bare back. She’d piled her hair on the top of her head so nothing could impede his view of all that naked skin. “Can you help with the zipper, please?”
She didn’t know he’d moved until she felt the warmth of the back of his fingers on her skin. She shivered, fought the urge to lean back against him, then turned around and let them feast on each other.
“I’m going to enjoy taking this off you.”
“That’s the idea, and I’ll enjoy it as well.”
He kissed the middle of her back, letting the tip of his tongue lightly graze her skin. “I’ll make sure of it. Zipped.”
Her breath trembled over her parted lips. “Now, if my legs weren’t shaking.”
“You can sit while I put this on.”
She frowned on seeing the ankle holster. “I still think I’d like the one on my thigh better.”
“Do you want to sit or stand?”
“One of these days you’re going to meet someone who can stare you down.” She lifted the hem of her skirt and extended her right foot.
Rio knelt, slipped off her shoe, placed her foot on his leg and strapped on the ankle holster. He stared up at her. “I hope you don’t have to even think about using the gun, but if the time comes, don’t second-guess yourself, don’t try to reason, just place the bullet where he won’t get up. Understand?”
He was worried again. “We have a date back here tonight. If necessary, I won’t hesitate.”
He slipped on her shoe, came to his feet. “You look beautiful.”
Her smile trembled. “Because I’m with you.”
He reached into his pockets. “Wear these. They have a transmitter. You won’t be able to hear me, but I’ll be able to hear you in case you get separated from the men.”
Skylar gasped when she saw the emerald earrings. Oval in shape, they were at least three inches long in a gold setting. “They’re exquisite.” And very expensive.
“I picked them up while I was in Chicago.”
Skylar blinked rapidly and put on the earrings. “If I ruin my mascara, I’m going to be very annoyed with you.” She sniffed. “How do they look?”
“No one will be able to tell.”
She started to swat him before realizing she was looking for compliments and he was concerned about her safety.
He reached for her door. “Ready?”
“Ready.” She preceded Rio into the hall, her skirt rustling. She had no idea what the night might bring; she just prayed that when it was over, she and Rio would be safe in each other’s arms.
She looped her arms through his as they went down the stairs. She had another surprise waiting. A few steps from the bottom, one of the photographers she’d hired stepped forward.
“One moment, please.”
Rio stopped and stared at her. He wasn’t pleased.
“Please turn this way, sir.”
“He’s taking everyone’s picture as they come downstairs, and of the children playing upstairs,” Skylar said. “I’m giving the album to Mrs. Grayson, but I’m keeping ours for myself. Now, please, look at the camera.”
“I don’t like my picture being taken.”
“I’ll make it up to you later, and that’s a promise.”
His expression stoic, Rio looked at the camera. The photographer took several rapid shots. By the time they reached the bottom, her mother and grandparents were coming though the front door. Skylar hurried to greet them.
“You look beautiful,” her mother said. “Those earrings are stunning. Where did you find them?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Skylar evaded. “Why don’t I show you the auction room?”
“Let’s go,” her grandmother said, patting her small evening bag. “I’m ready to shop.”
Her husband laughed. “She checked twice to make sure the credit card was in her purse before we left the hotel room, and once in the car coming here.”
“As if you’re not interested in that signed baseball,” his wife teased back.
Her grandfather turned to Rio. “I hope you’re coming with us. At least I won’t be so outnumbered.”
Rio glanced at Skylar. “For all the good it will do. I’m learning that some women don’t always play fair.”
“Took me two years of marriage to figure that out.” Her grandfather studied Rio. “Smart man, Skylar.”
“I think so. This way.”
They weren’t in the auction room three minutes before the houseguests, led by Mrs. Grayson, joined them. Introductions were made and then people wandered around the room marveling at the various objects up for bid. Soon they were joined by newlyweds Richard and Naomi Youngblood with their daughter, Kayla, as well as Richard’s cousin Lance Saxton and his wife, Fallon. Patterson took Kayla, Naomi’s daughter, up to play with the other children.
When the first guests arrived at six twenty-nine, everyone on duty was in their place and Sierra, Blade, Mrs. Grayson, and Skylar were there to greet them. So was someone to take their wraps, offer drinks, and show them to the auction room. People probably thought the two men behind them were there for Blade and Sierra instead of for Skylar.
There was a steady stream of people afterward, all thankful to be invited, excited about the auction, and marveling at the beauty of the castle. By seven, the hosts decided to mingle. Skylar received compliments on the wonderful collection up for bid, her gown, and her stunning earrings.
Every once in a while she’d catch a glimpse of Rio, but he seemed always to be moving or watching. He didn’t even have time for a short dance with her on the ballroom floor. She knew neither of them would eat and had already asked the caterer to leave food for them in the refrigerator for later tonight. Afterward they’d feast on each other.
“Things are going very well,” Mrs. Grayson said.
Skylar started. Lost in her naughty thoughts about Rio, she hadn’t heard anyone approach. “Yes, they are.”
“I knew you were the one to pull this off,” Mrs. Grayson went on to say.
“You and your students are a great help. They seem to be having fun.”
Mrs. Grayson warmly smiled. “They are. They’re my honors students. I’m so proud of them. I’m hopeful that those who haven’t pushed themselves will want to strive to do better once they hear about tonight. If this turns out the way I believe, this could be a yearly event.”
Skylar agreed. “The last time I checked the minimum bid on anything was twenty-five hundred and seventy-five dollars.”
Mrs. Grayson took her hands. “You’re a strong, resilient woman, Skylar. Your courage served you well. I knew you were the one when I first saw you. You never know when an act of kindness will change your life. By the way, lovely earrings. We’ll talk later.”
Her heart thumping, Skylar watched Mrs. Grayson disappear into the crowd mingling in the hall and touched her earrings. I knew you were the one.
Skylar was no longer unsure. Mrs. Grayson had definitely been talking about Rio. She’d been almost afraid to hope even with Mrs. Grayson’s comment about them being well matched and the hair clip. She wanted to hug herself. Rio was all hers, just as soon as she could change his mind about marriage.
“Ms. Dupree, this letter is for you.” Patterson handed her a small sealed envelope on a silver tray and left.
Still thinking about what Mrs. Grayson meant, Skylar opened the letter. Her world crashed. Her mouth dried. Her body trembled.
If you want to see Rio alive, ditch the bodyguards and come out the back door of the solarium. Tell anyone and they’ll find a corpse.