Destined for Power (8 page)

CHAPTER NINE

Reid studied Mallory intently. The way she talked and the things she said didn’t match the fun-loving, carefree teenager he had fallen in love with. Standing in front of him was a rigid, cold woman with ice in her veins. Here he was worried about her, and she was making phone calls to deal with the threats.

“Yes, I guess we do. But it can’t be now. It can’t be here.” Mallory lifted her chin in a stubborn tilt he did recognize and marched past him.

Reid didn’t reach for her. He simply watched as she walked by. He turned and followed her down the hall. He tried not to smile at the view. The gown was flapping open, allowing him to gaze at her ass. He ran his eyes down to the bandages and then to that sweet ass of hers. After all these years, it was still perfect. Reid squinted and sped up to get closer. Peeking out from under the waistband of her panties was a scar that hadn’t been there before.

Mallory pushed the curtain to her bed open and turned quickly on him. “Later, I promise. I can’t talk about it here, and it would be good if you don’t mention anything you heard. Promise me.”

Mallory climbed back into bed and inserted the needle of her IV back into the port.

“How do you know how to do that?” Reid asked, watching her hook the IV back up.

“I know lots of fun things. Inserting an IV is one of them. Now, as soon as this bag is empty, I can leave.”

Reid took a seat in the chair next to her bed. “I’ll just wait until you’re ready to go.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Reid asked as he rested his ankle on his opposite knee and leaned back.

“Because I’m here now.” Bowie pushed open the drape and stepped into the small curtained room.

Reid clenched his jaw. It was the bastard from Stromia who was sleeping with Mallory. Great, just what he needed. Then Reid remembered Mallory's telephone call and her not fully trusting him.

“Sorry, Bowie. Not your problem anymore. I’ll take care of her. You have a young aristocrat still warm in your bed in Stromia.”

He noticed Mallory didn’t seem surprised or even angry. “It’s all right, Bowie. I’ve known Reid since we were kids.”

“Oh, I know just how well you know him, and I also know he’s an asshole.”

Reid jumped up with his hand clenched into a fist. The sound of a sharp clap stopped him from advancing. Bowie moved and there stood Reid's mother. She was dressed in her pressed slacks with their ever-present perfect crease. Her red hair was in an up do, and the smile on her face was the one that meant someone was going to be in trouble. Reid just hoped it wasn’t him. But it was her red-rimmed eyes that made him back down.

“Don’t worry, gentlemen. I’m here to take care of our Mallory.”

Mallory smiled and her whole body relaxed. “Thank you, Margaret. I hope we didn’t worry you.”

“Of course I was worried for my two babies. Excuse me, young man, but since you’re not family, the doctor has asked that you leave.” Margaret stared pointedly at Bowie and smiled.

“I’m Mallory’s fiancé. If anyone needs to leave, it’s you.”

Reid and Mallory sucked in a breath of air as Margaret’s smile grew larger and her eyes smaller. “Young man, I don’t give a fig who you think you are. Until you’ve sat at my dinner table, you’re not family. Now, shoo,” Margaret waved him away with her hands. Bowie stepped back, and Mallory’s mask slipped for a second. Reid saw her hide the smile behind her hand.

“Is there a problem, Mrs. Simpson?”

“Oh, Aiden! It’s so good to see you again. This young man was just leaving. Perhaps you can assist him with that endeavor.” Margaret batted her eyes at the sexy-as-sin doctor who towered over Bowie with his sculpted body and killer smile. No wonder he was such an expensive escort on the side.

“Anything for you, Mrs. S.” Aiden winked at her and Margaret blushed.

“Who do we have here? Oh, Dr. Starr, grr,” Shirley growled. She pushed her way into the small room. A sign stating
I Make Cougars Look Like Amateurs
was taped to her walker. Aiden winked at her before she turned her attention to Bowie. She gave him a slow once-over that had Mallory hiding her laughter. “Hello, sonny. And just who might you be?”

Bowie blinked a couple times in shock. “I-I’m Mallory’s fiancé,” he stuttered.

Shirley leaned over and checked out his backside. “Aw, isn’t he cute when he’s trying to lie?” Shirley reached up and pinched his cheek. “I’ll happily pinch your other set of cheeks if you want to lie again.”

Bowie’s eyes widened even more and Reid thought he heard a snort come from his mother.

“Mallory, tell them,” Bowie pleaded as Shirley winked at him.

“Bowie is an old friend from college. But we’re not engaged. We decided we weren’t suited as a couple when we were in Stromia. It’s okay, Bowie. I’m fine. As you can tell, I'm well looked after. I’ll call you later.”

“Need a ride, sonny?” Shirley asked.

“No, thank you. I have a car.”

Shirley’s smirk widened. “That’s not the kind of ride I’m talking about.”

Yep, his mother definitely snorted. Bowie’s mouth dropped open, and he started backing away, not daring to turn his back on Shirley. “I’ll call you later, Mal. Glad you’re okay.”

The drape closed and the sounds of a man running echoed off the tiled walls. Shirley shrugged. “See, told you I could get him to leave faster than you.”

Aiden just shook his head, his mom snorted again, and Mallory broke out in giggles. “Thanks, Shirley. I wasn’t ready to deal with Bowie. And thank you, Margaret. But really, I am okay. And as head of security for the resort, I need to get back and check on things.”

Reid’s brow creased in confusion. “You’re not the head of security.”

“She is now,” Elle said as she walked into the room with Bree and Allegra right behind her.

“Thanks for y’all leaving us like that,” Allegra said with mock hurt.

“Sorry. I ran into Mallory and wanted to see how she was doing,” Reid said apologetically to his sisters.

Shirley reached up and pinched his cheek. “Men really are so cute when they lie.”

Elle looked between Reid and Mallory. He saw her mind actually working to figure out what was going on between them. He wasn’t quite ready for that since he himself didn’t know what was going on.

“Look, Mallory. Your IV is finished. Dr. Starr, is she ready to go now?” Reid asked.

Aiden picked up her chart and looked it over. He signed some papers and looked up at Mallory. “You’re ready to go. Keep your bandages clean for the next week and apply the salve for two weeks. They should stop bothering you in just a couple days.”

“Thank you, Aiden.” Reid noticed that Mallory waited for Dr. Starr to unhook her from the IV.

“You’re welcome, Miss Mallory. Now a nurse will be in to assist you in getting dressed. She has a pair of scrubs for you to wear since your dress was ruined. Remember, keep the bandages clean.”

“Don’t worry that nurse. I’ll help her,” Elle said as she stepped farther into the room. “You all can leave now. Reid needs to be discharged, and we can meet you in the lobby.”

Reluctantly, Reid cast a quick glance at Mallory. He would just have to wait to talk to her. Urgency clawed at him as he forced himself to walk out of the room.

Mallory waited. She knew Elle’s boardroom voice and knew she wanted privacy to talk. As soon as the nurse arrived with the scrubs, Aiden gave her some last minute instructions and her discharge papers. He left with a wink to the two of them. Elle waited a full ten seconds to get to the point.

“What happened between you and Reid?”

“What are you talking about?” Mallory asked as she turned her back and stepped into the scrubs.

“You know exactly what I am talking about. Right before college, something happened, and it hasn’t been the same between you two since. In fact, it took me getting married before the two of you were even in the same room together. Now we come in here and he’s ready to deck the sleazebag you thought you were going to marry. Add that to the fact he decked Finn’s friend for talking about you . . .”

Mallory didn’t turn around as she slowly worked the shirt over her burns. Reid had punched someone for her? But, Reid hated her . . . right? “I didn’t know about any of that. I don’t know why Reid would punch someone. It’s my understanding he doesn’t like me very much. To spare you having to walk a tightrope between us, we kind of came to an understanding that we would stay apart.”

“What a bunch of malarkey. You’ve done a lot of things in your life you haven’t told me about. But when did you start lying to me too?” Elle snapped.

Mallory spun around. “About sixteen years ago. There, are you happy?” Mallory stepped into her shoes. When she straightened up, Elle was glaring at her with hurt in her eyes. “What?” Mallory asked briskly.

“I have a right to know. Reid is my brother.”

“Then ask him. Now, if you would excuse me, I have a crash site to get to. Unless you want to fire me too?” Mallory suddenly felt bad as Elle seemed to deflate.

“No, of course not. I’m just worried about you.”

“I’m sorry,” Mallory said softly as she walked passed Elle. “I’m fine, Elle, I promise. Just let me do my job.”

Mallory plastered on her fake smile and headed to the lobby. She made her excuses to the Simpson family and felt a sharp pain in her heart when she got into a cab. She wasn’t their family. As Elle pointed out, Reid was her brother. For all they called each other sisters, they weren’t. It was time for her to leave. It was time for her to give herself a chance to find her own happiness. As soon as this case was solved, she was out of here.

* * *

Reid fumed as he drove the truck back to the resort. A bush still hung from the grill, but as soon as he found out Mallory had already left, he didn’t bother taking the time to pry it off. The conversation he overheard kept playing in his mind as he took the far entrance to the resort and drove toward the airfield.

Flashing lights and emergency vehicles filled the airstrip. The NTSB, FBI, and local authorities were all working the scene. Reid stopped the truck and stared dumbstruck at the remains of the plane. Troy was still in surgery. His mother was at the hospital waiting for news. How he’d even survived this long was a miracle.

He spotted Mallory instantly. She was on her hands and knees with a man who looked to be from the NTSB. She was crawling along the remains of the fuselage examining tiny bits of debris. Reid saw her point something out at the far end of the plane, and when the official looked away from her, she snapped some pictures on her cell phone.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this is a restricted area,” a uniformed deputy told him.

“I’m Reid Simpson. I own this plane and resort. It’s my pilot and friend in the hospital, so I would really like to know what’s going on.”

“Mr. Simpson.” Agent Hectoria stepped from the crowd. She had helped his sister Allegra with her stalker. Actually, it was Mallory who had saved her life. And now it was Mallory who was trying to find out what had happened to his plane. It was always Mallory.

“I’m sorry to see you again under these circumstances. I let your head of security examine the wreckage as you requested. Mallory is very informative. She and the NTSB investigator are looking over some of the details now.”

“Was it an accident?” Reid asked as he watched Mallory over Agent Hectoria’s shoulder. She distracted the investigator again and took some more pictures.

“We won’t know until the investigation is complete. The black box was recovered and has already been sent off for analysis,” she told him noncommittally.

Mallory stood up and shook hands with the investigator and paused when she saw Reid. “Please keep me up to date. If you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with my head of security.”

Agent Hectoria handed him her card and went back to the group of investigators as Mallory slowly made her way toward him.

“Reid.”

“What did you find? You said on the phone, to whoever this Ahmed guy is, you would know instantly.”

“Not here. Let’s go back to the hotel. You drive.”

Mallory walked past him and got into the passenger seat of the truck. He paused when she winced in pain. By the time he got in, she was on her phone sending all the pictures she had taken to someone. “Would you please . . .?”

“Hold on,” Mallory reprimanded as she typed out a message. Moments later the phone rang.

Mallory’s heart pounded. She had known it the second she saw the wreckage. The plane had been taken down by a SAM. The phone rang, and she answered it immediately.

“I got your pictures,” Ahmed said. “We are of the same conclusion. My wife is looking at them now. Bridget has experiences with bombs as well.”

“What did Nabi find?”

“An employee of Luxus was found murdered. Single gunshot to the front of the head. He was an assistant to their head of security. Dario was his name.”

“There must be a link.”

“Yes. And Bridget says it was a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile for sure. One of the newer generations, too, since it hit the side of the plane as opposed to tracking the heat source and hitting from behind.”