Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
“That sounds like a little girl’s dream,” Sadie said with a smile.
“Definitely. Sammi—that was the owner’s daughter—and I were the best of friends. We had all sorts of adventures here.”
“Is there something special about that window?” Sadie asked.
“Oh, not really. We carved our initials in the wood. I checked to see if I could feel the letters still, but it’s been painted a few times. There’s nothing there.”
Another man approached in a Danger Bluff T-shirt and shorts. He looked as tanned and fit as the first guy. Juniper inwardly shook her head as the heat level in the room kept rising.
“Hey, Cookie,” he greeted Sadie as he approached and kissed the side of her neck.
“Hi…Rocco,” Sadie said. Her gaze was focused entirely on the hunk touching her.
Did Sadie just hesitate between those words like she usually called him something else? Juniper knew she hadn’t imagined it.
“Who’s this?” Rocco asked, smiling at Juniper.
“Hi! I’m Juniper. I was just exploring, and I’m obviously interrupting,” she said, edging toward the door. She’d have to come back later to see if she had been right about the lever moving.
“Juniper. Good morning,” a deep voice said from the doorway.
“Oops,” she apologized as she bumped into Magnus. “Good morning. Er, thanks,” she said as he steadied her.
“I’m glad to see you,” Magnus said at a volume meant only for her.
“Um. I’m glad to see you, too. I better get out of here before anyone else arrives,” Juniper said, shifting around his muscular form toward the door.
She escaped into the hallway and dashed out the door. Why did she feel like she’d almost gotten caught? They had to know about the secret passages. Right?
Chapter Four
“That was Juniper,” Magnus said, staring after her. “What happened before I got here?”
“She was just exploring,” Sadie said. “Juniper said something about a big dollhouse that used to sit in that corner.”
“She did play here as a child,” Magnus said, nodding.
“I think we startled her when everyone kept arriving,” Sadie added as she scanned the gathering of attractive men. “You guys are an interesting collection.”
“Eyes on one guy,” Rocco growled, tugging her close.
“Give your Daddy a kiss so he can calm down,” Phoenix suggested from his chair at the table. “Is Caesar coming?”
“I’m here,” the Danger Bluff scuba guide announced, walking in dressed in shorts and flip-flops with his official polo.
“Does anyone know why Kingsley wishes to speak to us?” Magnus asked.
“Not a clue. He just told me to gather you all together at this time, back in this room,” Sadie told them.
“Now, that isn’t ominous at all,” Hawking said from the doorway.
“Hey, big guy. Keep it moving,” Kestrel urged from behind him.
“Sorry, man.” Hawking stepped into the room. His large body moved more gracefully than anyone would ever suspect.
In a short while, they were all assembled around the table. Sadie waved and headed out. When the phone rang, Magnus was the closest. He pressed the button that would broadcast the call through the speaker.
“Kingsley, we’re all here. What’s up?”
“Good morning, Magnus, and to all of the team.”
As they responded to the greeting, the guys exchanged amazed glances. How did Kingsley recognize Magnus’s voice just as he had when they’d first talked on the day the team had met? Rocco made a signal, asking if a camera was in the room, and Magnus shook his head quickly. He had not detected any video feed connecting the conference room.
“When you see Sadie next, please tell her that I appreciate her finagling your schedules to have everyone here at the same time.”
“Will do,” Rocco answered. Magnus could tell by the look on his face that he thought the quick answer would stump Kingsley.
“Thank you, Rocco.”
Even Magnus felt his eyebrows rise in shock. Kingsley had each of them identified. Magnus focused the group back on the facts. “Juniper is here, Kingsley. We’re figuring out that her father must have been involved with the man jailed for the bank robbery.”
“Yes. Edmund Rivers gained his freedom and delayed a short period before heading for the last address he had for Kyle Hazen, Juniper’s father. Their meeting must not have gone well. Kyle was found the next day, dead of an apparent heart attack.”
“Are you suggesting it wasn’t a natural death…?” Magnus murmured.
“There was no official investigation. The authorities were unaware that Edmund Rivers had visited,” Kingsley explained. “The body was cremated.”
Magnus exploded from his chair to pace the floor. If the bank robber suspected Juniper knew anything about the robbery, she was next on his list to track down. “So, we don’t know if the stress of the visit brought on a heart attack or if something more nefarious happened.”
“We do not,” Kingsley agreed.
“We’ll need to circulate Rivers’ photo among the staff to keep an eye out for him,” Magnus said as his mind raced to create a plan to keep Juniper safe.