Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (13 page)

“What kind of an incident?”

“A little break-in, but
it was nothing. Probably teenagers or something. Neither of us was home so
we’re okay. We reported it.”

“Did anyone else in the
condo experience a break-in?”

“No. We thought that was
a little strange.”

“Did they damage
anything, take anything?” Katrina was frantic now.

“It’s so peculiar, Kat,
it seems all they took was our address book. You know, your mother’s pink one
that sits beside the phone. You can’t miss it. Other than that, nothing was
taken.”

“Hmm…” Katrina thought
for a moment. She’d left strict instructions that her parents not write her
current address down or discuss where she was with anyone. The only trace of
her was what she sent the first week she’d arrived to let them know she was
there; a postcard of sunny Bermuda with the words ‘
Safe and Sound
’ on the back.

“Dad, was the postcard I
sent in the address book by any chance?”

“Why, yes. I stuck it at
the back for safe keeping.”

Katrina’s heart sank.

                                   
<><><>

After discussing the newest letter with
Agent Kensing, Cole began his shift. He wandered the property, his senses
acutely heightened and alert to everything now. The agents knew they had to be
vigilant in their security efforts.

Lost in thought, Cole’s
attention came around at the sound of a woman’s voice in a hushed discussion.
He stopped when he noticed movement up ahead near the vine-covered pergola.
Stepping aside into the shadows, he saw Trudy the nanny sitting on a bench. He
realized she was talking on her phone. Cole found it strange that she was out here
in the first place.

“Listen, I can’t talk
long. I said I was going to get something in my room and I’m expected. Is
everything going as planned?” Trudy’s voice was soft, secretive.

Cole leaned in closer
and strained to hear without being seen.

“Yes, that sounds
perfect. He won’t know what hit him when he sees it. I want this to work out
perfectly. Everything’s falling into place. Won’t be long now.”

Cole heard her say
goodbye and then stand. He watched from a short distance as she looked around
to ensure she was alone before heading into the house. Doubling back, Cole
headed straight for the study.

“Sir, do you have a
moment?” Cole knew this would be a very sensitive and fragile line of
questioning.

“Yes, of course, Agent
Nielsen. Have a seat.”

“Thank you, sir, but
I’ll stand.”

Secretary Mitchell
seemed to study his face, “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like the
news you have for me.”

“Sir, another letter has
arrived.” Cole reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the folded envelope.
He handed it to The Secretary and waited while he read the vicious words.

“This is aggressive. But
again, it wasn’t addressed to me per say and it’s anonymous. What does that
tell us?”

“It’s not conclusive by
any stretch. But of course, we have to be on guard.”

“Yes, of course.”
Secretary Mitchell rubbed his chin while staring at the letter.

“I have to ask, how much
do you trust Trudy, sir?”

Stunned, Secretary
Mitchell looked up at Cole in awe. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, while on my
rounds outside I inadvertently overheard a discussion Trudy was having on her
phone. It sounded very suspicious and secretive. She’d asked the person on the
other end if ‘All the arrangements had been made’. Is there any reason for us
to suspect her involvement in a plot against you?”

Secretary Mitchell
chuckled and turned slightly red. Cole expected anything but this kind of
reaction to his news.

“Agent Nielsen, Trudy is
absolutely not involved in this. I am one hundred percent certain.”

“How can you be so
sure?”

“Well,” Secretary
Mitchell leaned in for some discretion. “I recently asked Trudy to marry me,
that’s how I know. She has been planning a private ceremony that will take
place next month. We were hoping to keep the matter private because of how
public my wife’s death had been. She was a very well known participant in
politics so the publicity surrounding her career and then her cancer had taken
a toll on Jimmy and me. I wanted this relationship to be different.”

Cole was at once
embarrassed yet relieved. “Forgive me, sir, I had no idea. I was following a
lead.”

“Oh goodness, please
don’t apologize. I appreciate your thoroughness. You’re just doing your job,
agent.”

“Let me extend my
congratulations to you then. Does Jimmy know?”

“Yes, we told him just
before leaving for Bermuda and he was ecstatic. He loves Trudy dearly, and the
feeling’s mutual.”

“Glad to hear it. But,
we still have a situation on our hands, don’t we.”

“Yes, I suppose we do.
What’s next?”

“Well, Agent Kensing and
I will be vigilant and continue to comb the grounds and keep abreast of any
suspicious activity. Many times, this kind of harassment leads to nothing, but
other times the person has gone to a lot of trouble to plan everything out. I
don’t mean to alarm you, sir, but we have to be prepared for anything.”

“Maybe we should leave.”

“No,” Cole said. “I
don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Should we tell the
staff then?”
 

“Absolutely. They can
act as extra eyes and ears around the mansion. I’d also like to see everyone’s
reaction to the news.”

“Then I’ll gather
everyone together in the living room if you’d like.” Secretary Mitchell’s face
was stern. The letters had given him a fright and it showed.

“I’ll go and find Agent
Kensing. Perhaps the boys don’t have to know anything. I wouldn’t want to scare
them unnecessarily. After all, they’re having so much fun.”

Secretary Mitchell
nodded. “Yes, you’re right agent. The last thing in the world I want is to
worry my son. He’s been through quite enough in his young life already.”

Chapter
Ten

The guests had turned in and the staff
had shut their doors to the world. The latest letter had spiked the stress
level of the entire entourage and the permanent staff members had never
experienced anything like this type of threat. Their calm, relaxed existence at
the mansion had quickly become a hotbed of anxiety.

Cole and Agent Kensing agreed they would
patrol the grounds throughout the night instead of turning in at midnight as
they had the first couple of nights. With the mounting threats, they couldn’t
take any chances. Someone was trying to make a point, and if history were
correct the threats would surely increase into something more sinister.

After deciding to take the second shift
from three to six, Cole brushed his teeth and retired to his room. He crawled into
bed, setting the alarm for 2:45am. His eyes grew heavy, but his mind drifted to
the way Katrina had looked when Agent Kensing had read the letter aloud to the
staff that afternoon. A look of panic had spread across her face. There was
definitely something troubling her. Beneath her strong, resilient façade, she
was a bundle of nerves over something. Her beautiful green eyes hid a
mysterious secret that was bubbling to the surface. Her eyes, those jade green
eyes that Cole swore he could look into the rest of his life. His mind drifted
to an image of her full mouth smiling, her long hair, and her curvy taught
body. Then he thought about the things he wanted to do to that body, fun
things.

Cole’s fantasy was interrupted by a light
knock at his door. Sitting up quickly, he assumed it was Agent Kensing wanting
to report something. He crossed the floor and opened the door without
hesitating. But it wasn’t Agent Kensing. Katrina stood in the darkened hallway
in a thin white robe. Cole felt a pang of discomfort when he realized he was
wearing his boxers and nothing more.

“Um, sorry to bother you,” she whispered,
her eyes dropped to his bare chest and widening with admiration.

“No, no, it’s fine. What can I do for
you?”

“I know who’s sending the threatening letters.”

Her point-blank confession took him by
surprise. Taking a closer look at Katrina in the darkness, Cole finally saw her
furrowed expression and red eyes. She’d been crying. He stepped aside and let
her in, closing the door behind her. They stood motionless for a moment in
semi-darkness; the room’s only light came from the bedside lamp turned on the
lowest setting.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you
at this late hour, but I thought this was important. And…”

“And?”

“And you’re the only person I can trust
with this information, the only person here who can actually do something about
it. Can I trust you?”

Cole held her intensely pleading stare.
“Of course.”

With no chair in the room, Katrina sat on
the edge of the bed. As she did, Cole opened the dresser and grabbed a white
tee shirt, pulling it over his head in haste. He debated whether to pull on
some pants too, but decided against it since she was wearing her robe and the
matter was obviously urgent. He could sense her need to confide in him as soon
as possible, like her secret was eating away at her. Cole eased onto the bed
beside her, close, but not too close.

“Okay, tell me what you know.” He looked
into her eyes. They were already beginning to brim again. They seemed to search
his face, like she was debating what to say.

“There’s someone from my past who wants
to hurt me. I’m convinced he has finally found me. He sent the letters, Cole.
They’re meant for me, not Secretary Mitchell.”

Cole took a deep breath, letting it sink
in. He felt a rising tide of anger trace up his body. The thought of someone
wanting to hurt Katrina made his blood boil. The feeling was so overpoweringly
unexpected it caught him off guard. “Who is he?” he demanded through clenched
teeth. He tried his best to hide his rage.

“My ex-boyfriend.”

“How long have you been running from
him?”

“Five months now, since I came here. I
phoned my parents this evening and they told me about a break-in at their condo
last week. They said their address book was stolen with the one postcard I’d
sent inside. That’s how he found me.”

“And what made you run from him?” Cole
tried to ask with caution; almost afraid to hear the reason for fear he may
lose it.

“When we first met three years ago, he
was charming; the perfect gentleman. He pursued me with a vengeance, taking me
to fine restaurants and buying me gifts. It was a completely different
lifestyle than I was used to. And I must confess, I began to like it. He was
very wealthy and treated me like I was something precious, important. After six
months, he insisted I move into his luxurious loft in Tribeca. I was so
overwhelmed by his attention that I couldn’t refuse. He began abusing me
shortly after our first anniversary together. It started with something as
small as forgetting to pick up his dry-cleaning one time after he’d asked me
to. He exploded and lunged at me, punching me in the arm as hard as he could. I
thought he’d broken it. I was so shocked, so humiliated, but he apologized and
said it would never happen again. He even cried that night and held me,
apologizing over and over again. I think that’s when I went numb. I started
attending Pilates classes as a way to escape any prolonged time with him. You
see, Cole, I had to work along side him all day.”

“He worked in the same office as you?”
Cole asked.

“Yes.”

Cole sat thinking about everything. And
then it donned on him. “Wait, is your ex-boyfriend Cameron Kilroy?”

“Yes,” Katrina said reluctantly. “So, you
can see my predicament. His public persona at Kilroy Financial is very
reputable, powerful, and rich. He has an entire well-oiled team behind him. I
didn’t stand a chance. My best option was to run and hide.”

“You did what you had to do, Katrina. No
one can fault you for that.”

“But don’t you understand, Cole? I stayed
for almost three years. I let him control me and make decisions for me and
own
me. I
allowed that to happen for so long because I thought he loved me.”