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I sat next to him on the couch, and he inched closer to show me the documents on the tablet. His scent was unmistakable—like oiled wood mixed with the smell of very old books. It seemed to match his dry personality. And it may have been my imagination, but I thought I could feel the heat coming off his muscles.
Archer explained the contract terms. I would be working for them for a period between sixty and ninety days. The pay was substantial, on the high end of what nannies earned. And there was afatbonus upon completion.
“To make up for the contract being shorter than you desired,” he explained.
Overall, I was happy with all of it. More than happy. If I was going to accept a shorter job, at least I was going to get paid well for it.
“Is that everything?” I asked after I signed it.
One of Archer’s blond eyebrows rose a degree. “We have eleven more documents to sign.”
“Oh.”
Next came a series of waivers involving my personal health and well-being. Then two separate non-disclosure agreements. After that was a document explaining my health insurance coverage during the period of my contract, and travel insurance.
“What aboutlifeinsurance?” Lisa called from just outside the room.
“Are you seriously eavesdropping from the hallway?” I asked.
There was a long pause. “No.” Then we heard her tip-toeing away.
Archer gave the doorway a wry grin. “Do you have any questions, Trish?”
“I’m concerned about the danger aspect of this,” I admitted. “Is there legitimate danger? Or are these waivers just a cover-your-ass procedure?”
Archer’s grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. “We would never put our daughter in any appreciable amount of danger. That same concern extends to you by default. You have nothing to worry about.”
I sighed with relief. “Okay, good. I thought so, but… You haven’t even told me where we’re going. So my imagination has run wild.”
“We could not tell you before you signed the non-disclosure agreements. Discretion is important. And on that note…” He glanced at the hallway again. “You will not be permitted to disclose your location while we are gone. To anyone.”
“Oh come on!” Lisa moaned from the other room.
“While we complete our contracts, we do not wish for anyone to know the location of Kaylee. I’m sorry, but this is not negotiable.”
“Why not?” I asked. “Would she be in danger if her whereabouts were known?”
Archer studied me for a long moment. It felt like he was seeingallof me, even my thoughts. Finally he shook his head, short-cropped blond hair swaying gently.
“Almost certainly not,” he said. “Butalmostis not the same thing asdefinitely. So we are taking all appropriate precautions. Is this a problem?”
“No,” I said, and I realized I meant it. “I won’t tell anyone where we are. Not even my extremely nosy friend.”
“Very well.” He sounded weary, like he had this conversation ten times before breakfast. “Sign this final document agreeing to that, please.”
“Have you done this before?” I asked.
Archer’s passive green eyes blinked slowly. “No.”
“You seem like you’ve done this before. Hiring someone to bring Kaylee along on whatever mission you’re doing.”
“We have not. In fact, I’ll be honest with you: I don’t fancy this plan at all. But Jordy…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Just sign the last document, please.”
What does Jordy want?I wondered.
I took the tablet and scrawled my signature with a finger. Archer closed the tablet, put it under an arm, and then stood.
“We are done here. We leave on Saturday. Be at our house at ten in the morning. We have a long flight ahead of us, and we’ll go over more details then.”
