Page 20 of Controlled Chaos

Chapter 11

“Weapons are prohibited.”Thaddeus stepped into the cabin as if we’d invited him in.

“You should probably mention that to your armed guards. I guess they didn’t get the memo.” My statement earned me the weight of Thaddeus Foster’s penetrating gaze.

“My guards have extensive training, and those guns are for everyone’s protection.”

“I’ve been trained, and I want my weapon back.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. If a drug addict were to have broken in and gone through your belongings, it could have had deadly consequences. It’s a new rule we’ve established. You’ll get your weapons back when you leave the island.”

I rested my balled fist on my hip.

“Thaddeus, I’d like to introduce my fiancée, Clara Bennett. You’ll have to forgive me. I didn’t know about the new rules.”

Thaddeus’s blue eyes darkened and pegged me to my spot. He had a way about him. He commanded attention and probably discipline if I had to guess.

“Welcome to the Foster Foundation, Clara. I know that my wife is looking forward to spending time with you to get to know you better.”

“Likewise,” I said as Thaddeus moved to the door as if he were done with this conversation.

“Next time we’ll invite all of your brothers out with you, along with your sister-in-law and niece,” he said as a smile toyed at the corner of his lips. “Dinner is in an hour. Please wear the appropriate attire, which is in your closets. That’s a new rule too. Everyone wears the uniforms.”

He bowed his head and pulled the door closed behind him.

Of course he’d researched me. But he had no idea what me or my family were capable of. His comment should have made me apprehensive, but it didn’t. It wasn’t his threats that creeped me out. His weirdo vibe was ominous. The roaming eye. The twitch of his lips. He raised my creep meter and I’d just met the guy. “He gives me the willies.”

“Willies?” Porter chuckled, heading down the hall with me following him.

“You feel it too, right?” I asked. “A creepy vibe.”

Porter pulled the closet door open and cursed beneath his breath. “Where the hell am I supposed to hide my gun under that get-up?”

“I don’t suggest you leave it here. It will probably go missing like mine.” I moved to the window to peek outside to make sure that Thaddeus wasn’t waiting and watching as if somehow sensing we still had a gun in our possession. “If they went through our luggage, I’m betting there aren’t many boundaries these people won’t hesitate to cross.”

“True.” Porter slowly turned in place. His gaze moved across the room. Walking out into the hall, he cursed beneath his breath before returning and heading straight for the bathroom.

“We don’t have many options of good hiding places,” he called out from the bathroom before stepping back into the room. His gaze landed above my head, and he grinned and gestured with a nod to the air conditioning vent above the bed.

“There’s only one flaw with that idea.” I kicked off my shoes and climbed onto the bed, holding up my arms. “I can’t reach, and if something were to happen and I needed quick access, then we’d both be screwed.”

“True.” He walked around the room slowly until he found another vent. He unscrewed the piece holding the vent to the wall and slid the gun and holster inside before putting the grate back into place. “This will have to do until after dinner, and then later, we can find a different spot.”

I shoved everything but my toiletries back into my bag and re-zipped it. Picking up a chair across the room, I moved it in front of the grate then placed my suitcase on top of it.

Grabbed a long beige, boring dress out of the closet, I disappeared into the bathroom to change.

“So how many exes am I going to meet tonight?” I called out to Porter. The rustle of his clothes told me he was changing too.

“She’s the only one still here that lasted more than a night.”

“I bet she was upset that you decided to leave. How many times have you visited since then?”

“Only once, ten years ago, when my mother got married. They had their ceremony on the island, and I walked her down the aisle.”

I smoothed the beige material down my body. It was lightweight, and even though it landed at my ankles, the dress made me feel vulnerable without a weapon strapped within reach. I hated feeling weak.

A chill skirted down my spine being in this place. I should have expected the hesitancy knowing I might meet a killer, but there was something far more sinister that was just out of view. A view I’d need to get further away from Porter to see the bigger picture.

I stepped out of the room to find Porter had changed into one of the manly linen outfits too.

“You look very….”

“Stepford-ish?” I finished for him.

A smile spanned his face. “Beautiful. Almost innocent if I didn’t know better.”

A laugh escaped my lips. “Don’t let my looks deceive you, Agent Anderson. There’s a reason a bounty was placed on my head.”

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