Colton Family Bodyguard, page 16
With Hazel’s hesitation, Callum knew she was thinking twice about telling her former boss. “She’s somewhere safe.”
Carolyn eyed her peculiarly, as though not missing that Hazel had chosen not to tell her. “This whole thing must be so disruptive to your business. Without a kitchen to handle all that cooking.”
“Oh, no. It hasn’t slowed me down at all,” Hazel said. “Our suite has a full kitchen and Callum has lined me up with new customers.”
Callum wondered if she was aware of how unabashedly excited and happy she sounded to be so busy.
“He has, has he?” Carolyn looked over at him and then back at her.
“I’m supplying one of his brothers with food this week and that has already led to other customers.”
Ace had recommended a few to Callum, who had made some calls. Hazel’s business was thriving and would continue to do so.
“You always did seem charmed,” Carolyn said with a hint of resentment. “Some people are just born with luck, aren’t they? A great start to a new business and a handsome man to boot. Cute little girl. How do you do it? Is there a method?”
“I...” Hazel seemed perplexed. “I guess I just follow my heart.”
“That’s what I did and look where it got me.”
Hazel studied her for several seconds. “Carolyn, you aren’t angry with me for leaving your restaurant, are you?”
Carolyn waved her hand through the air. “Of course not. I understand people have their own lives to live.”
Her answer fell flat because she seemed to be overdoing her sugary tone.
“Yes, but my leaving put you in a difficult position. I wish you would have told me.”
“You were busy doing your thing. People do that. They move on without a second thought to those around them. I’m sure you did what was best for you and your daughter.”
“Carolyn. Maybe we should talk. You’re angry with me.”
Carolyn shook her head. “No. I just understand people.”
“People in the restaurant industry can be brutal. Not just cantankerous customers, either,” Hazel said. “Executive management and coworkers. It’s a highly stressful environment for a career. That was one of the reasons I left it. I’m not in a restaurant environment anymore. Maybe you should consider doing something similar.”
Carolyn scoffed. “You told me that was one of your reasons. You had a daughter to look after and wanted to be with her more. But that kind of choice won’t work for me. I’m not a chef.”
Did Carolyn now feel trapped in an unsatisfying career? She must prefer being the boss. Short of owning a restaurant, she’d still have to report to someone. Nobody liked that but most of them had no choice. Callum was lucky to have a boss who let him do his job and didn’t inflict any ego-driven power trips on him.
“The manager must be running late,” Callum said.
Carolyn turned to him and he saw that she recognized he didn’t believe her.
“I’m early.”
“I mean it, Carolyn,” Hazel said. “We should talk.”
Callum would not allow that unless he was right next to her. Second nature in his line of work was not trusting anyone, especially when there appeared to be a good reason not to. Why would Hazel suggest such a thing? Why did she want to talk to her? He got it that she had empathy for the woman, but maybe she was trying a little bit too hard.
“We have talked. I don’t think there’s anything left to say.”
But maybe there was something to do. And what would that be? What would Carolyn do in retaliation for Hazel causing the demise of her business?
Chapter 11
Hazel went with Callum to check on his father. There was still no change in his condition. Callum wanted to sit in the room awhile. Hazel sat on the couch, her bodyguard in a chair beside the bed, just watching his father’s still and pale face. Machines hummed around him and lines hung from Payne’s body.
Hazel could see Callum genuinely needed another chance to be close to Payne Colton. His tense mouth and eyes said that his thoughts ventured beyond worry.
“Who besides Ace do police think may have shot him?” she asked.
He looked at her, coming out of his deep thoughts. “They considered many, most in the family. They even considered Marlowe, since she is now CEO.”
Hazel wondered if all of this was related to Ace being switched at birth. “It seems like too much of a coincidence that he was shot so soon after that email was sent about Ace not being a Colton by blood.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I thought about that myself. We’re all trying to figure out who switched him—and if that same person sent that email via the Dark Web. Marlowe and I tried to find hospital records, but a hospital administrator told us there was a fire on Christmas morning, the morning Ace was born. All the records were destroyed. We thought it too much of a coincidence that the fire broke out then.”
“The person who did the switch must have set it,” she said.
“Yes. It would seem that way. What we all can’t understand is, why anyone would switch a healthy baby with one who wasn’t?”
“The real Colton baby wasn’t healthy?”
“No. He wasn’t doing well. That’s why Ace was called a Christmas miracle, because none of his symptoms were present the next day.”
Further proof—if the DNA wasn’t enough—that Ace had been switched. Someone really unbalanced must have done it. Hazel could see no other motive for Ace to shoot Payne than anger over being cast out of Colton Oil. Whoever had shot Payne had to have another reason—one related to the baby switching. Maybe she was wrong, she was no detective, but the motive had to be more complicated than that.
“Is there any evidence supporting Ace’s innocence?” she asked. All the times she’d encountered him, he had not struck her as a violent man. She had a good barometer when it came to judging people. In the last two weeks they’d stopped by his room four times. Ace had never been anything but kind and gracious when she and Callum had delivered food.
“Not really,” he said. “There’s video footage showing a person who’s around five-nine wearing a ski mask and black clothes near the crime scene. If it’s a man he’s not very big. Ace also doesn’t own a gun. If anything, the evidence points toward him. It might not be Ace in the video but Ace had the resources and the motive to hire someone to shoot Payne. There’s no video showing him coming home the night of the shooting but there is video showing other Coltons arriving home at the mansion.”
“So, there was nothing wrong with the surveillance equipment.” If Ace claimed to be home, which he must be doing, then the video evidence contradicted that. “And then there’s the threat that the board all witnessed.”
“Yes, the threat. And a cleaning woman named Joanne Bates, who found Payne’s body, heard someone say mom just before he was shot.” He looked back at his father, clearly frustrated that his brother had to be in such a perilous situation.
Hazel stood and went to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He looked up and put his right hand over hers. Warm tingles spread through her as their gazes met and locked. She could feel him returning what she felt. With just a touch and the invisible energy linking them in a look, she fell into the magic of their chemistry.
If Evie had been there, she’d have acted as a buffer. Without her, there was none. Hazel might as well be floating through rapids toward a waterfall ahead. As soon as she reached the edge, there’d be no turning back.
* * *
Callum spent the next two days thinking about what he and Hazel had discussed about going to talk with Annabel’s parents. Avoiding them had been a burden in and of itself. Not telling anyone about Annabel’s death had, too. He had to agree it was long past due that he go and see them.
He had just finished making a delivery for Hazel. Driving in the car gave him more time to solidify his decision. He had also had time to make a few calls.
Entering the suite, he found Hazel relaxing on the sofa with her feet up. Something smelled really good.
“What’s for dinner?”
“Truffled bay scallops with celery purée, buttery potatoes and snap peas.”
“You’re going to make me fat.” He went to her, bent and planted a kiss on her mouth. It was something he had never done before—come home and kiss her, first thing. She looked up at him with startled but heated eyes.
“I made arrangements to fly to San Francisco to go see Annabel’s parents. I decided not to tell them I’m coming.”
After surprise turned to a warm glow of appreciation, she reached up and touched his cheek. “That’s good, Callum.”
“You’re coming with me.” He wouldn’t let her out of his sight. “We’ll be safer if we aren’t here anyway.”
“How long will we be there?”
“I got open tickets so we can come back when we need to. In case they aren’t home when we go there.”
“You want me to be with you? I don’t think—”
“Yes. I want you there. You’re the one who helped me get to this point. I want you with me.”
She tipped her head back, seeking his mouth. Still bent over, he obliged and kissed her. He kept his mouth pressed to hers, feeling her breath and the sparks that always started with just this.
Reluctantly lifting his head, he looked into her sultry eyes. “Keep that up and you’re going to rope this cowboy in.”
She smiled. “You’re not a cowboy.”
He chuckled. “I can be for you.” Seeing her smile slowly fade, he knew some sobering thought had caused it, something about the two of them. He walked around the sofa and sat beside her. “What’s the long look for?”
She sighed and snuggled closer to him. He put his arm around her, feeling this was so right.
“I can see a weight has been lifted off you,” she said.
It has. “I do feel that way. It feels good.”
“I love this,” she said. “You and me relating like we’re a couple, like this could last.”
He hadn’t thought much about the future. He had only acted on how good it felt to look forward to resolving something he hadn’t thought bothered him as much as it had.
“Well, what if things don’t go the way you expect in San Francisco? What happens after this euphoria fades and you begin to think about how serious you and I are becoming?”
“Are we becoming serious?” He wasn’t so sure. They had great sex. How could they know that would translate into compatibility in every other way? How did anyone know that without spending months, or even years, together?
She moved back from him. “Do you have any feelings for me?”
He knew he was falling for her and thought she was extremely beautiful. More. There was something about her that was different from any other woman. “I enjoy being with you.” And he truly meant that. He loved spending time with her and Evie. “We seem to be hitting it off really well. You make me feel good and I hope I make you feel the same. So, yeah, I’d say I have feelings for you.”
He didn’t want to ask if she had feelings for him. He didn’t want to know right now. What if something happened to her or Evie? He cringed with even the suggestion. He could not go through that again. Not ever. And given her situation, she was in a lot of danger. Something could easily happen to her.
Best to keep his distance—at least for a little while longer.
* * *
After they landed in San Francisco, Hazel drove with Callum to their hotel. They checked in and then Callum drove their rental to Annabel’s parents’ house. She was probably as nervous as he was, but for a different reason. He was about to face the biggest demon from his past and she would find out if there was any hope for them as a couple.
On the way, she called Evie. Her brother answered.
“Hey, it’s me,” she said.
“Hazel. How are you?” Owen asked. “Is everything okay? I was about to call you to check.”
“We’re doing fine. We are going out of town for a little bit, hopefully to find information. How’s Evie?”
“She’s good. Keeping busy.”
“Is that Mommy?” Hazel heard her daughter almost screech in excitement. She missed her so much.
“She’s about to grab the phone from me.” Owen chuckled as Hazel listened to him hand the phone to Evie.
“Mommy?”
“Yes. Hi, honey, how are you?” Being without her had been a lot harder than she thought. Not having that bundle of energy around all the time created a big hole.
“I miss you. When are you coming to get me?”
“I can’t yet, but I hope to real soon. Are you having fun?” She would try to steer her daughter away from talk of when she could go get her and bring her home.
“Yes. We went on a picnic and the movies. I got to see Tinkerbell.”
“Oh yeah?” Adoration and love filled her to overflowing. And gratitude for her brother keeping Evie entertained.
“Yeah. And they took me to work. I got to ride in a police car.”
“Wow. That’s exciting.” Owen wouldn’t have taken her on any emergency calls. He must have just given her a ride.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I want to be a police girl when I grow up.”
Evie had been getting a lot of exposure to policewomen, first Kerry and now Jessica. “That’s a good profession. You’d make a fine one. And you’re already getting experience.” Hazel believed that children could not get enough encouragement. It allowed them to focus more on the positive than the negative, what they could do as opposed to what they couldn’t.
“I like Jessica. She bosses all the boys around.”
Hazel laughed and saw Callum pull to the side of the street. They had arrived at Mark and Loretta’s home.
“She’s a good role model for you then. I’ve got to go, Evie. You be good for me.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Hazel would never get tired of her kiddie voice, high and sweet. She’d miss that when Evie grew up. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Hazel didn’t hear any disconnect and in the next couple of seconds her brother came back on. “Hey,” he said.
“She sounds really good.”
“Yeah. She’s a good kid. You’re doing an amazing job with her.”
“Give her a kiss and a hug for me.”
“Will do. Are the police any closer to catching that shooter?”
“No. We’re trying to track down information on the victim and hoping that will lead to something. All we know so far is he liked to flirt and he went to a bar a lot. The sooner we find out more, the better.” She wanted Evie back by her side.
“Well, don’t worry about Evie. She’s warm, safe and dry here.”
Warm, safe and dry. “I like that. Thanks, Owen.”
“Take care.”
She ended the call and looked over at Callum, who must have been watching her and listening the whole time. He had a soft expression, his eyes full of admiration or maybe envy. For a man who shied away from mothers and children, he sure seemed to yearn for exactly that type of family life.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Yes.” He got out of the car and so did she.
They walked to the house, a three-thousand or so square foot two-story home. A rock water fountain bubbled beside the front door. Callum rang the bell. After a few moments a lanky man with a headful of gray hair appeared. He looked from Hazel to Callum and froze. He was surprised to see him.
“Hello, Mr. Rubio.”
“Why are you here?” Mark asked.
“I’d like to talk if you’re okay with that.”
Mark Rubio stared at him awhile.
“This is Hazel Hart,” Callum said without any further explanation as to why she was there with him.
“Who’s here, Mark?” a woman called from inside.
A remarkably youthful woman appeared, blue eyes widening and then going rather chilly as she stopped beside her husband.
“Well, you’re here, so you may as well come in.” Mark moved aside.
“Thank you.” Callum stepped in, putting his hand on Hazel’s lower back.
She wasn’t sure if the contact gave him reassurance or if it was an automatic gesture. Either way, she felt the touch all the way to her toes.
The house was clutter-free and painted in shades of gray and earthy tones with white trim. Mark led them into a formal living room toward the front of the house. Hazel got the distinct impression that was no mistake, as though Annabel’s father did not want to welcome them into their home.
Mark and Loretta stood on the opposite side of the entry, facing Callum and Hazel.
“First, I want to apologize for not coming to see you sooner,” Callum said. “When you sent that invitation to the year memorial of her death, I should have at least called you.”
“You vanish from our lives as though Annabel didn’t matter one bit and you expect us to believe you? You discarded her like trash. Were you glad she was gone? That’s how it seemed to us.”
Callum shook his head emphatically. “I never meant to make you think that. I just... I just couldn’t...”
Mark’s brow creased in confusion. “You had nothing to do with her murder.”
“I should have protected her. I could have.”
“How?” Mark asked.
Callum pinched the bridge of his nose and then let his hand drop. “I should have known she would still be in danger after I finished protecting that witness.”
“You did your job.”
“You should have been with us during that time,” Loretta said. “You abandoned us. You were all we had left of her.”
“I’m sorry.” Callum breathed out. “I’m here now. I’m here the soonest I could be, largely thanks to this woman here.” He put his arm around Hazel. “She helped me see what I had been doing, which was burying extreme pain.”
