Reclaiming His Bride (DiCarlo Brides book 3) (The DiCarlo Brides) (21 page)

“No one?”

“Well, besides me, of course.” He grinned cockily. “Don’t worry, we’ll catch them.”

Blake had been on the phone with corporate when Vanessa had taken Lana out of the office, but as soon as he hung up the phone, he stepped out to speak to the office manager. “Where did Lana and Vanessa go?”

“To housekeeping, I think. It sounded like there was another
incident
.” Gina had become increasingly nervous over time with the growing rumors in the hotel and she looked more than a little anxious.

“Great. Thanks.” Blake headed straight for housekeeping, Vanessa still comforting the crying maid. “What’s going on?”

“Mr. Watts is checking the hall outside 243,” Vanessa said. “Miss DiCarlo was going to meet him in his office. I think.”

Grim determination filled him as he nodded, then headed toward that hall.  It was empty, so he turned around and made a bee-line to the security office. He found Joel sitting at his desk, rubbing his knee with one hand and clicking his mouse. Lana sat in the chair beside him, watching the monitor with him.

“I heard there’s a problem, care to fill me in?” Blake asked. 

Joel gave him the quick overview. “I checked out the hall but didn’t see anything on first inspection. I thought I’d check the cameras and hopefully it’ll show us more so I have something to go on.” He shifted the monitor and gestured for Blake to come around the desk so he could see it easier. Blake leaned against Lana’s chair, setting a hand on her shoulder.

The video feed was empty for several seconds and then the maid came out of a room down the hall. There was a slight shadow movement on the right-hand wall, and then the tomahawk slid into view and out again. The maid’s mouth opened in a silent scream before she hit the ground, covering her head with her hands. After a moment she got up and stumbled her way back toward the housekeeping office. No one else entered the frame until Joel came to check.

“Don’t you have a better view than this?” Blake asked.

“I’ve already checked the other cameras in the adjoining halls. There’s nothing on them. Someone has been covering their tracks carefully. This is one of the extra cameras we added a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, the angle isn’t right to catch whoever is responsible.” He backed the recording to before the maid came out again, then paused it, pointing to the shadow on the wall. “See that?”

“Yeah. Since ghosts don’t have shadows, that’s definitely not one.”

“And it’s in the wrong place to have been a tomahawk-wielding spook,” Joel agreed. “It’s definitely human. “That’s room 244,” he said, pointing to a fuzzy door number. “Let’s go take a more thorough look at that hall.”

“I’m heading back to my office,” Lana said. “Blake can give me a blow-by-blow when you finish investigating.”

Blake helped her up, holding her hand. He studied her for a moment. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Headache. I’ll be fine in a little while.” When he touched her cheek, she leaned into his palm, as if soaking in the comfort he offered.

Warmed by the change in her attitude, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Rest and take something for it. I’ll be in when we finish here.” The headache must have been a doozy or she wouldn’t have walked away from checking it out herself.

The three of them rose and exited the room. Joel locked up tight behind him. “I don’t know how they’re getting into the system to take out those cameras, but at least the new ones are working.”

“It didn’t help much. It’s barely better than nothing,” Blake said, discouraged.

“I know. I’ll have to see what else I can figure out.” Joel’s brows turned down in a V and his forehead furrowed with irritation.

They poked around the hall for several minutes without any luck. Finally Joel found a divot in the wall behind a potted plant, like there had been something attached to the wall in that spot, but he couldn’t find any sign of what it had been.

He grabbed Blake by the shoulders and shifted him back so he stood just under the extra camera. “Turn to the angle the shot was from and see if this is in your line of sight.”

Blake tried to remember the image he’d seen and shook his head. “Nope, the plant is out of the shot. I didn’t see it in the recording.”

“Right.” Joel played with the foliage in the tall grass-like plant. “Some of these blades are broken, and they’re fresh breaks.” He pointed one out to Blake.

Blake nodded and returned to the spot under the camera. “The tomahawk came from,” he turned, “up there.” He pointed at the light fixture in the middle of the hall, noticing a few white flecks on the floor beneath it. Determined to see what was going on, he pulled out his cell phone, dialing the front desk. “Yes, Kristi, I’m in the hall by room 244, are any of these rooms empty right now?” When Kristi verified that 245 was unoccupied, he thanked her and hung up.

“You have a master key, right?” Blake asked Joel and pointed to the room. “Let’s get a chair and see what’s going on up there.”

Joel opened the door and they retrieved a chair from the room. Joel stood on it and gave the light fixture a little nudge upward. It went into the ceiling, revealing a metal contraption attached to the ceiling joist beside it. “Yeah, here we go. It’s a remote that will pull the light fixture up, and there’s a scrape up here, like something got dragged. And some fishing line.” He pulled out his phone and took a couple of photos. “Time to call the sheriff’s office. We’ve officially got something to report.” He stepped off of the chair. “This is definitely not a ghost.”

Blake nodded and pulled out his phone again. The sooner they found the culprit behind this, the better.

Snow had been falling all day and Lana looked out the window, wondering if they were clearing the roads enough that she would be able to get home. Vince’s truck had four-wheel drive and snow tires; if she couldn’t get down the snowy streets, he could. She made a mental note to find out what time Cami was leaving and coordinate her departure.

She turned back to her monitor with a sigh. It had already been a long day and there were a few hours to go, but she was having trouble focusing on her reports.

There was a knock on her open door and she looked up to see Blake entering the office, wearing his heavy winter coat. He grabbed her pea coat and came around her desk. “You’ve been sitting down too long. Time for a walk.”

“I have a lot to do, and it’s snowing out there,” she protested. The previous day’s ghostly activity had taken a lot of scrambling for them to cover and she was behind on her paperwork.

“Yes. Perfect for what I have in mind.” He gave her hand a little tug, mischief on his face.

“Should I trust you?” Lana asked, though she was more than a little tempted to give in and see what he had in mind.

“Always. Come on, I promise to behave. This will be a good surprise.”

She stood and turned so he could help her with her coat. “Ah, so now it’s going to be a surprise, not just a walk, huh?”

“Of course. Surprises are what keep things interesting.” He held the coat while she slid into it, then pulled it closed, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck as he buttoned the coat.

“I am capable of doing it up myself,” Lana complained, slapping his hands. There was a note of laughter in her voice even she could hear, so she wasn’t surprised when he didn’t stop.  It had been so long since she’d seen this fun, light side of him, totally excited about some new plan. She’d loved that about him.

She also loved the feeling of being in his arms, so when he finished the buttons and squeezed her back against his chest for a moment, she couldn’t help but savor the feeling.

Blake released her before she had reason to ask him to, took her hand, and led her out of the office. He smiled at Gina. “We’re going for a walk in the snow. We’ll be half an hour or so. If the place isn’t about to burn to the ground, don’t call us.”

“You got it.” Gina grinned back at them and returned to her work.

Lana hadn’t wanted to raise curiosity in their complicated relationship among the employees, but she allowed him to hold her hand as they walked through the foyer to the front doors. “Where exactly are you taking me?” she asked.

“Just outside for a walk. And a snack,” Blake added.

“You look smug,” she said. “What kind of secret are you keeping?” She smelled something familiar but didn’t dare believe it.

“You’ll have to wait to find out. Don’t worry, I won’t keep it to myself for long.” He squeezed her hand. “How have you been feeling now you’re past the first trimester? I haven’t seen you run for the bathroom lately.”

“The nausea is pretty much gone—no vomiting in the past few weeks. Definitely better.”

 “Good. I’m really glad. So you feel fine now?”

“Yes.” Lana looked at his again and caught his eye. “Okay, seriously, what’s the deal?”

“Hold on, we’re not there yet.”

“Where?” When he just grinned, she pulled on his hand some more. “What’s going on?”

He let a long moment pass before answering. “Do you remember the night we went to see
Wicked
and then took the long stroll home?”

She did, vividly. “How could I forget?”

“It was snowing,” he picked some of the falling snow from her hair, “and you looked so beautiful in the street lights, that red hair like a copper halo around your head, the snow creating a lacey veil. Like the one you rented when we were married.” He reached out and brushed away a flake that fell on her cheek. “I couldn’t help but stop to kiss you every few feet.”

Lana saw him move in, and could have backed away. Instead she lifted her face, tipping it up so he could kiss her. His lips were warm, molding over hers. He pulled her closer, and for one moment she allowed herself to sink into his embrace.

Then she pulled away, not wanting to let herself get too steeped in the moment. “I seem to remember something else about that night.”

He let out an unsteady breath. “Yes, there was one more thing.” He turned back in the direction they had been walking. “Check my pocket.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Really?” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to trust her memory. She slid her hand into his pocket and found a warm paper bag. Hardly daring to believe it, she pulled it out. The scent of roasted chestnuts hit her nose and she grinned. “I can’t believe it.”

She opened the bag and took a deep sniff. Perfect. “Where did you get them?”

His smirk grew. “I have my secrets.” He squeezed her elbow, pulling her to a stone bench that had been buried for weeks, but was now available for sitting. He looked like he expected it, so he must have arranged for it to be cleared.

She tasted the nuts and her eyes rolled back in her head in appreciation. “These are terrific.” She held the bag out to him so he could take some.

They ate them in silence for a couple of minutes and she stopped, looking at him. “Why did you do this for me?”

 He brushed the hair away from her eyes and trailed his fingers down around the shell of her ear, making her shiver a little. “Because I like to see you happy. And I wanted you to remember that we did have a lot of good times, even if things ended badly.  No matter what happens, no one can take away what we meant to each other. We could mean just as much again if you’d give us a chance.”

There was a sharp ache in her chest, and Lana couldn’t stop herself from leaning over and kissing him. Just a soft thank you. “I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed her back.

“Why do you keep trying so hard when I push you away?” She hadn’t been able to figure him out. If he’d cheated on her, why fight to make things work again? Wouldn’t it have been smarter for him to just to take part of her inheritance and run? Find someone easier to live with?

“No one else is you. I miss you. And when I’m with you, everything seems a hundred times better. I know I can deal with anything when you’re here for me, being my staunchest supporter when my parents talk down to me, by my side when things go wrong and I need someone I can count on. And just being my friend. You’re the best of everything.”

Confusion swirled in her mind. Everything said that she could trust him, but that tiny voice of caution wouldn’t completely let her go.