"Shut up!" I retort, punching him in the arm. "OK, I'm ready," I say, tying a towel around my waist and walking out into my room. Carter is sitting in one of my armchairs and looks up with a smile. "You've seen me in a bikini top before," I say, blushing.
"I've seen you in less than that. Doesn't mean I don't still enjoy it."
"Aren't you nervous at all?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"The worst that happens here is I get fired. That’s pretty low-stakes for me, comparatively." He stands and claps his hands together. "So, after you lie down, wait five minutes. If he comes back before you get my text—"
"Stall him. What if someone comes back to the office while you're in there?"
"They take their breaks at the same time every day, despite the fact that I told them how idiotic that was. Makes it so much easier for someone to break in."
"Someone like you."
"Exactly," he says with a smile. My insides contract even though we're in the middle of some serious business. I just can't help my body's reaction to him. He turns and walks down the steps of the boat house. I wait a couple minutes, then grab my book and head down to the pool.
I lay down on the lounge chair nearest to the security center and open my book. We waited until the rest of the family was out and only Roger was in the center so that he'd have to leave it empty. I glance at my phone, noting the time, and glance down at the page in front of me.
There's no chance I'll actually be able to read, but I do turn the page so that it looks like I am. It seems crazy to believe that I could actually be in danger, with the pool shimmering in front of me, and the palms blowing gently in the breeze from the ocean. But, the evidence of a real threat is all around me in my father's stepped-up security.
He never could be satisfied with anything. Burke already makes billions in revenue. He could have just payed the tariff or decided not to ship to those Mexican ports at all. That probably would have been the wisest, and most moral decision, avoiding giving any money to a vicious cartel. But he probably couldn't stand the thought of any of his competitors getting in on his business. I'm sure he was able to rationalize funding a cartel until it seemed like just another savvy business decision.
Lost in thought, I almost let five minutes slip past. I glance down at my watch. It's time. I take in a deep breath, then let it out in a blood-curdling scream.
I actually startle myself with the amount of noise I make, and my shock as I scramble to my feet is real. I look furtively back to the house. Do I need to scream again? No, here's Roger, hurtling out of the side door. My eyes widen as I see that he's brandishing a gun, and I shrink back instinctively.
"I saw a man in a mask, peering over the terrace there," I say, pointing to the side of the backyard near the ocean.
"Get inside and call Carter," Roger orders me, then takes out a walkie-talkie. He speaks quickly into it as he hustles in the direction I pointed in.
I pick up my phone and move toward the house, not wanting to go all the way inside in case I need to intercept Roger on his way back. I huddle by the kitchen door. No text from Carter yet. I peer toward the ocean. One of the security boats has cruised in closer to the shore, though I can no longer see where Roger is. I glance back toward the end of the house. No sign of Carter or a text on my phone from him.
Roger's head breaks the top of the terrace as he makes his way back toward the house. Shit. He can't go back into the security center and find Carter there. I walk slowly out to meet him, thinking of all the things that scare me until I'm actually trembling.
"No sign of him. You're sure—" he begins. I throw myself on him with a wail.
"Oh god, I was so scared," I weep. "I thought I was going to die!"
He places an awkward hand on my back. "Everything's OK, now," he murmurs stiffly.
"What if he comes back? There was something so sinister about him, I could feel it!"
"Have you been drinking at all today?"
"No!" I retort sharply, yanking my head back, before I remember I'm supposed to be traumatized. "I mean, no, I haven't. But I guess it's possible that all the extra security around lately has made me jumpy. Roger, promise you'll protect me!" That last line was probably overkill, but Roger seems to be genuinely touched.
"Of course I will. You have nothing to worry about, Ms. Stratton." I hear my phone beep with an incoming text. Carter.
I lean away from Roger and sniffle, wiping at my eyes as though I've been crying. "Thank you so much, Roger. That really means a lot to me." I feel a pang of guilt at my deception. "You're such a kind man," I add.