Page 34 of Fierce Seas


Font Size:  

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. There’s the house.”

A white two-story home with a wide verandah sat amongst the tropical foliage, but the prodigious plant life had been cut in the front and around the sides to allow for unobstructed views. Walking up the steps, she was surprised to see a code box on the front door.

“No keys?”

“No keys,” he replied, punching in a series of numbers, “and it would take a battering ram to break down the door.”

Intrigued, and following him inside, she found a comfortable home at odds with the high-security entrance. Large windows offered panoramic views, and the furniture was cozy. When he led her into an expansive bedroom, she kicked off her walking shoes and collapsed on the bed.

“This place is a slice of heaven,” she declared with a grateful sigh. “I’ll never want to leave.”

“Catch your breath,” he said, placing her bag on the floor. “I’ll get us something to drink.”

“No, I’ll come with you, I want to see the rest of the house.”

Moving down the hall and poking her head around each of the doors, she found the home much larger than it appeared from the outside.

“Why so many bedrooms?”

“I have guests from time to time,” he replied vaguely as they entered a large gourmet kitchen.

“Holy crap. This is crazy. When you say guests, how many people are you talking about?”

“It depends, and it’s not often, but when it happens I need all this,” he said, opening a two-door, stainless steel refrigerator and pulling out a pitcher of lemonade. “Emily always leaves this for me when I call ahead.”

“I assume Emily is your housekeeper.”

“Yep,” he said, fetching two glasses from an overhead cabinet. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“I think she’s also left you a letter,” Elizabeth remarked, spying a folded piece of paper on the counter with his name scrawled across it.

Pouring the refreshing drink, he handed Elizabeth a glass, then picked up the note.

“She just wants me to call her,” he said casually, then jerked his head toward the door. “Follow me. I need to show you something.”

Leading her down a second, short hallway, he stopped at a door with another keypad. Punching in the code, the door clicked open, and closed behind them as they entered.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room.

A wide desk held three large computers.

An impressive telescope positioned in front of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the ocean, and she spied a narrow patch of land between the house and what appeared to be the edge of the hill.

A conversation pit sat against the far wall.

Folding plantation doors could be hiding a closet, or an entrance to another room.

“One of those packets of money had a tracker,” he suddenly announced.

“What did you just say?” she asked, her heart skipping.

“Yeah, you heard right,” he replied, settling into the desk and powering up a computer. “Come and sit with me.”

“So that’s how Dan must have found me,” she exclaimed, sliding into a chair next to him.

“I don’t think so. If he’d known where the money was he would have picked it up long before now. Someone else has been pulling the strings.”

A shiver pricked her skin.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like