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When a woman on the other end of the line answers, I immediately ask if she’s the owner.
“Yes, I’m the owner. How may I help you?” I tell her who I am and the delivery that was just received.
“Can you tell me who sent the flowers?” I ask.
“The gentleman who called wished to remain anonymous and paid for everything with a prepaid card,” she explains.
“And this order didn’t raise any red flags or warning bells for you?”
Sounding indignant now, she tells me, “Of course it did! But I’m a small business owner trying to make ends meet. The rarity of the flowers pulled in a $400 price tag, not including delivery or tip. I wasn’t about to turn that down for a gag gift. At least that’s what he told me it was.”
“You don’t have a name or number to go with the flowers, just a prepaid card?” I ask once more to clarify.
“Yes. I’m sorry if it caused any distress. Please don’t leave a bad review.” I’m floored by the woman’s audacity to worry about such a thing when I’m standing here holding a dozen black roses that symbolize one thing—death.
Chapter twenty-six
Leanna
Ican’tseemuchfrom where I’m standing, and no one will let me near the window until they know the coast is clear and it’s safe to go out there. My dad, Nick, is peeking through the curtains but refuses to tell me what’s happening. After what feels like hours, but couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, I hear him, Savannah, and Patrick all gasp in unison.
“What is it? What’s going on? Is Carter all right?” I ask, nearly frantic.
“Yes, Leanna. Carter is fine. He’s just not too thrilled about the delivered items and what it could mean,” Savannah tells me.
“And what was delivered?” I ask her.
“Black roses,” Dad says from across the room.
“Why would someone send me black roses? Don’t those symbolize death?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, understanding dawns on me. “Oh. Now, I get why Carter is upset.”
Savannah chuckles. “Upset doesn’t even come close to describing what is going through his mind right now. If you could see his expression, you would want to run for cover and hide. I’m surprised the poor delivery boy hasn’t wet himself from fear yet. You can come see for yourself, Leanna, if you look at the feed on Carter’s laptop.”
I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I could have been watching the whole thing unfold instead of staring at the door, wondering what was happening on the other side of it. I sit in the chair and watch Carter pace back and forth across the front porch while talking on the phone. When he hangs up, he gestures for the boy to leave. Not waiting to be told twice, the kid runs away as fast as his legs will carry him.
“Ahh!” I hear Carter yell through the door, and I watch on camera as he throws the flowers all over the front yard in frustration. He runs a hand through his hair, and though he is angry, he looks downright sexy with his “Don’t mess with me” disposition.
“I’ll just state for the record that I’ve never seen Carter lose his cool on a job before, and this isn’t the toughest one we’ve had by far,” Patrick states apologetically, as if we might think this is Carter’s normal behavior while working. I know Carter better than that.
“Can you blame him? How would you react if someone you loved was being threatened and had no idea where it was coming from or why?” I ask him.
Patrick stares at me unblinking, as if he’s looking through me and not at me. Finally, he clears his throat, “No. I can’t blame him, and I can tell you from experience that I have reacted the same way. If you’ll excuse me, I need to finish getting ready.”
Savannah slides into the seat Patrick had occupied with a worried and confused expression on her face. Did she even know that Patrick had once loved someone he was protecting? Is he thinking aboutherwhen the word “love” comes up and he gets that far-away look? Is he still in love with her? It’s a mystery that I hope we get answers to someday.
“Can everyone hear me?” Savannah asks, and the family gathers behind me to hear whatever she says. “Patrick and I will not be here to monitor the surveillance feed. Those of you staying behind will have access to it on the laptop. Still, I want to assure you that an operative at headquarters will also be watching it and can communicate with you through the computer and Sebastian’s cell.”
A door slams behind us, and several of us jump in surprise. Carter raises his hand in surrender, “It’s just me, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you or let the door slam.” He lets out a long breath, and I’m in his arms before he even has time to drop his back down to his side.
With grim determination, Carter states the facts for us as he knows them. “The flowers were ordered three days ago, about the time of the ski incident or right before. Although it’s been quiet since then, I believe this is a sign that he’s about to make his move. Joe, Melissa, and Mark are expected to attend the event tonight. We assume that Brayden and Amanda will be there with their father.”
“If everyone with a motive to harm or harass me will be at the gala, maybe we should just stay here?” I suggest.
Patrick returns and addresses everybody present. “We can do that if it’s what you want to do, Leanna. Or we can end this sooner rather than later so you can move forward with your life. We have nine sets of eyes tonight, three of which are professionally trained. We know who to look out for, except for the man who was randomly meeting Melissa. We don’t know if he was flirting with her or working with her. My gut says he’s the latter, and Melissa is the key to all this.
“That does not mean that I’m right and that we should discount the others. We all know what happens when you assume.” There are a few chuckles, but Patrick doesn’t wait long to continue. “Keep your eyes peeled for anyone that seems out of the ordinary or a single man watching the crowd. Do not let your guard down, but don’t forget to have fun. There are no guarantees that this person will make their move tonight.”
We say our goodbyes and head out. Carter and I ride together in his F-350 while Brody, Ansel, and Daphne ride in Callum’s Dodge Ram. Callum pulls into the valet parking area, but Carter goes to the self-park. I’m grateful it’s not much more of a walk because it’s cold outside, and my jacket is dressy rather than functional.
