Page 6 of Locked In

Running a hand over her gray skirt she replied, “I am well.” She gestured toward the stairs. “We’ve put you in the Seaview suite. If you’ll follow me.” She started up the long ornate wooden staircase. The carved spindles were beautiful and any other time, he would take a moment to admire the woodwork. He appreciated fine craftsmanship. Grabbing his bag he started up the stairs.

“I trust you have the appropriate clothing for this evening?”

“I’m sorry? This evening?”Now what? He wiped the water off his face with his hand.

“Yes. We are holding the first annual Halloween ball. Some will come in costumes of course but most will just use cocktail attire and a mask.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “You do have something suitable, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

Fucking Sterling didn’t bother to mention that part and the fucker knew. He had to know. He could have let Flynn wait one more day and miss it. Fly in Sunday morning and not have to deal but no. Here he was just in time for a ball.Fuckin’ hell.Flynn hated attending these types of events. Not his usual scene, not being much of a jacket and tie guy.

“How is it that the Lock and Key Society is hosting an event? Hard to be secret if you invite the world in.”

Reaching the top of the staircase, she turned and stared at him as he came to a stop beside her. “Here at Everlasting Manor, we interact with the local population much more than in most other Society locations. I would have thought Mr. Gray might have explained this to you.” She sniffed. “To the outside world, we are known as the Rainy Day Club. A place where people can come and spend a few days golfing, or sightseeing, or just resting. Our Society members venture into town and attend local events. They are cautioned to watch what they say and only refer to this as “the club”.”

“I see. And what happens when local people want to become members of the Rainy Day Club?” This was a dangerous move. The Society had purposely avoided being close to the public in the past.

“We refer them to our head offices in New York. The Rainy Day Club does indeed exist. Currently, our membership is full. I believe the wait list is several years long.”

Flynn kept his lips tightly seamed to hold back the vulgarities he was gagging to release. Another damn thing he had to keep track of. Honestly, this is why he hated going to these little outposts. He liked sticking to the big busy locations like Miami where the Society had a hotel within a hotel. Or the members-only island in the Caribbean. New York was good, too. Several locations around the boroughs and no one asked any questions. Small town shit was going to trip him up. It always did.

Mrs. Carruthers turned and walked down the hallway. They were heading toward the newer section. The carpets here weren’t quite as fancy and the paintings not quite as nice as the front part of the house. She stopped beside a door on the right. Gesturing to it, she said, “I’m sure you’ll find everything you need. If not, please let me know.” She held out a key to him. “Dinner will be a little earlier this evening. Six p.m. After that, hors d’oeuvres will be served during the party. The festivities start at seven-thirty.”

“Thank you,” he said.

She moved around him in the hallway and started to walk back. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Do move your vehicle to the back as soon as possible.” Then she moved on and disappeared around a corner.

Flynn ground his teeth and unlocked his door. No doubt working with her was going to be difficult. The room was larger and much more modern than he’d anticipated. There was a king-size bed and a nightstand against the one wall. The door next to the nightstand opened to a large bathroom with a huge walk-in shower. Room enough for at least two.

A flat-screen TV sat across from the bed on a dresser, and in front of the window was a wingback chair and a table. It was, like all Society locations, quite luxurious. He was sure the sheets had some huge thread count and the carpet was ultra-cushy. His feet sank into the thick fibers. It was the type of thing people paid through the nose for at high-end hotels. But he didn’t understand the appeal.

He walked over to the window and admired the view. The driveway and then the Atlantic beyond on the right and the lawn and the trees dead ahead. It was a good space for him if he needed to keep an eye on the comings and goings of the guests.

The rain lashed the windows and the wind whistled as the storm picked up. Great night for a party. He sent a text to the head of security, Ravi Shah, and told him he’d be down in a few minutes. He needed to get the lay of the land so to speak before the party.

He glanced at the bedside clock; four-thirty. Just enough time to go down and get acclimated before dinner. Flynn glanced in the mirror and realized he looked rumpled. No wonder Mrs. Carruthers had looked down her nose at him. His shirt was wrinkled, and his dark jeans were damp. It would have to do for now. He’d change before the party.

Pocketing his room key, he walked back the way he’d come and descended to the foyer. He wanted to get the floorplan of the ground floor in his head. He stood with his back to the doorway. To the left was a coat room and a little sitting area with a window over the drive. Further back past the stairs was an office.

There was a door at the back of the foyer that he assumed led to the new section. He started in that direction when Mrs. Carruthers appeared at his elbow.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

“No, thanks. Just learning my way around. What’s behind that door?”

Her stare was frosty. “Two bathrooms, a room for watching television, a game room for cards, board games, and billiards, plus a bit of storage.”

“I’ll check them out later.”

Leaving her and her chilly manner behind, he headed to the left of the staircase. The first room was a sitting room, filled on one side with several wing-back chairs positioned in front of windows. Each chair was flanked by a side table. The view was of the drive and the ocean beyond that. On the other side, plush sofas and coffee tables. A set of glass doors led to an outdoor deck. Those windows framed a large field rolling up to a tree line. The deck had some…he had to think of the word—Adirondack chairs. And the doors were French doors.Why the hell did they use so many place names when it came to decor?

“Are you sure I can’t help you?” Mrs. Carruthers hovered in the doorway.

“I am sure. I need to understand the layout of the house. The only way I can do that is if I walk around it.”

She sighed. “I can give you a copy of the floor plan.”

“That would be helpful.” Mildly annoyed, Flynn strolled into the next room. It was the dining room. Each round table was surrounded by eight chairs. The house was much wider than it appeared from the outside because there were eight tables in the room and there was still a clear path through the middle with room to move around without bumping into chairs.

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