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I’d caught enough of a glimpse of the second man to see a resemblance. The only difference was that the mystery man had long dark hair flowing to his waist. It was easy to see his Cheyenne heritage. There seemed to be more than one secret. “Brothers?”
He chuckled, darting a quick glance toward the road. “Yes, and that’s all I’m going to tell you. Every family has secrets, mine included. Sadly, the Wolfe family has more than their share. They’ve had more tragedies than anyone should be forced to endure. Why don’t you consider coming by later and I’ll get you on a horse? There’s nothing like seeing the winery from their point of view.”
Joshua walked away from me immediately, jumping over the fence as if there wasn’t a structure there. I returned my attention to the two men before moving toward the Jeep. Whatever Montgomery was hiding I was determined to find.
Even if it cost me the two hundred grand.
* * *
I took a deep breath, absently swirling the tip of my finger around the rim of the wineglass. The villa had its own wine cellar, the dozens if not hundreds of bottles all from the host winery. I’d selected a rose for a change, although it wasn’t my usual first choice. The bouquet was amazing, the taste exemplary. I was already on the second glass and I hadn’t been home long.
Home.
As if this would ever be my home. The place was far too glamorous, the detailed artwork evocative and obviously expensive. But at least I was comfortable in my surroundings. I had the laptop in front of me, searching through every scrap of information I could find on the winery or the man himself. There were dozens of articles, most of which from two years before.
I sat back after a few additional minutes, realizing the very reason Wolfe Wineries was on top for such a long time. My instincts had been right. Montgomery was exactly the kind of spokesperson the estate needed. His ratings for the various ads were off the charts. Then he’d stopped with no explanation. What few ads had been put out after that had been benign as hell.
“Huh.” Someone had even cancelled a festival that he’d put into action several years before around the same time. There had to be a correlation. A fire. That’s the only thing I had to go on.
I typed in a date surrounding the period of time in question. Sadly, within minutes, I found my answer.
And it horrified me.
* * *
Four days later
Heartache.
There was no reason for me to feel anything like heartache. What had occurred with Montgomery was never going to happen again. His silence and the fact he’d done his best to ignore me any time we crossed paths was startling. It also had pissed me off.
Yet I yearned for him in ways I was unable to explain to myself.
I’d been unable to work side by side, but I’d observed enough of the operations to believe it ran smoothly. The profits were down because the wines weren’t getting into the larger markets like they’d once been. Wolfe Wineries had lost their contracts with two of national big box stores as well as a handful of national grocery chains. I’d seen no reason for it. The contracts had simply not been renewed. Coupled with Montgomery’s lack of marketing, I was surprised the winery hadn’t gone under the year before.
At least I’d spent the better part of the time being productive. I’d had an amazing tasting two nights before, sampling enough of the different varieties of wines to know that the Wolfe product was spectacular. I’d developed what I thought was an excellent campaign, although all the chutzpa I’d been praised at having seemed lost in my mind.
I’d left out anything about him being Cheyenne. That was personal and I could tell he had mixed feelings about his heritage.
None of my hard work or ideas would matter if I couldn’t get into the big box stores again. The winery would slowly bleed to death. The question in my mind had been nagging me. Would he listen to a damn thing I had to say?
There was no doubt I’d be forced to face my fears sooner versus later, but not tonight. I’d drop off the jump drive I’d created at Montgomery’s office then sink into a tub of bubbles. I’d found a local grocery store, picking up some of my favorite goodies. It was time to enjoy the work I’d already accomplished with a pint of butter pecan ice cream. Maybe that would soothe the angst that remained.
As I’d hoped, there were no other cars located at the office. I could slip inside unseen, placing the envelope with the drive by his office door. What he did with it after that would be his choice to make. I hadn’t realized the front door’s hinges actually creaked until this particular moment. As I walked into the foyer, the warm glow of the interior lighting was no different than in the middle of the day.
Only as darkness fell, the lights gave me a sense of foreboding more than comfort. I’d learned enough about Montgomery’s enemies to realize Prescott Westfield was powerful in his own right. His website certainly made him seem like a god. He seemed larger than life, his vibrant ads in every newspaper, magazine, and broadcast indicating he had no issue spending copious amounts of money to push his winery into a successful position.
There was also something dark and demonic about the man’s eyes that had frightened me. While there was no reason why, I had a feeling certain secrets Montgomery had kept close to the chest involved Prescott. I’d made plans to attend a wine tasting at Westfield later in the week.
I took the stairs instead of the elevator, approaching his door. The moment I was within a few inches of his office, I froze, memories of the harsh spanking sliding into my mind. I tugged the envelope from my pocket, fingering it several times before bending down, prepared to leave it by the threshold. Then I laughed softly, reaching for the handle instead.
When I found the door unlocked, I bristled before daring to go inside. Montgomery was the kind of man who would accuse his employees of stealing from him, even if a careless employee had left the door unlocked. There was no light on in the room, but the shimmer of moonlight allowed me to get used to the shadows as I walked inside. I’d never felt like a trespasser before, but on this night, I was more apprehensive than I’d been on the first day. However proud I was of the presentation, I had suspicions he’d hate everything I’d done.
I pulled the drive from my pocket, laying it on his desk, pressing my hand over it for a few seconds. Then I sighed, second guessing what some experts would call a provocative concept of ideas. As I started to back away, a cold series of shivers skated down my spine.
I wasn’t alone.
I swallowed, the electric sensations coursing through me something I’d only felt around Montgomery. After a few seconds of dead quiet, I heard the clinking of ice in a glass. “You’re here.”
