Buch lesen: «Endangered Heiress»

Chapter One

Madelyn Kensington glanced at the screen of her phone as it vibrated. Her ringtone belted out. The screen read Unknown Caller and the number wasn’t familiar. Everyone had gone to lunch on her floor and she suddenly felt vulnerable.

The area code revealed the call came from within Texas. Her muscles corded. She prayed this wasn’t her ex trying to trick her into speaking to him by using a different phone. She had no plans to drop the harassment charges against him or ask the judge to lift the restraining order. She was still frustrated with herself for allowing Owen to slip past her jerk-radar. She’d walked away the instant he’d revealed his true colors and, based on his threats, she’d been too late.

A low sigh slipped out. This whole week had been one problem after another, and being without her convertible while the word skank had been removed from her hood—courtesy of Owen even though he’d denied it—ranked right up there with the time she’d been stranded for twenty-four hours with no bathroom during a road trip in college.

The ringing stopped and she stared at the device. Tapping her foot, she waited for the voice-mail icon to pop onto the screen. It was taking too long. She absently fingered the small dragonfly dangling from its chain around her neck as she waited. The necklace had belonged to her mother and touching it made her feel connected, comforted when her life felt like it was spiraling out of control. In times like these Madelyn especially missed never having known her mother.

Owen’s last words wound through her thoughts. Think you can walk away from me? You’ll never know when I’ll strike. Icy tendrils gripped her spine, shocking her with a cold chill that spread through her body. Either her ex was leaving the longest voice mail in recorded history or this was another frustrating telemarketing call.

Again, her ringtone belted out as the phone vibrated in her hand. The motion startled her. She dropped the device and pushed her chair back as her cell crashed against the tiled floor. Great—she probably just broke her phone over nothing. This needed to stop. She was jumping at every shadow ever since Owen’s reaction to the breakup.

This probably didn’t have anything to do with him anyway. Her father could be trying to reach her. She’d left three messages last week and another this morning to share the good news about her promotion as well as the special ceremony her old high school had planned for her.

Madelyn bent over and clasped her fingers around the phone. She hesitated. What were the chances her father was actually returning the call? It wasn’t the first of the month. His calls came like clockwork.

Okay, she’d answer and then get rid of this jerk.

“Hello,” she stated on a sharp sigh, deciding on balance that she needed to deal with whatever was on the other end of the line.

“I apologize for the interruption, Ms. Kensington, but I promise this call will be worth your time.” The slight Southern drawl sounded educated and from Texas. “My name is Ed Staples.”

“Okay-y-y.” She drew out the y as she geared up for her response to the sales pitch that was surely about to come. The name Staples sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn’t place him, so she spun around and typed his name into her laptop.

The man seemed to pick up on her frustration. “I’m the family attorney for the Butler estate.”

She studied her laptop screen and, yes, received confirmation Ed Staples was telling the truth.

There was a pause and Madelyn felt like he was waiting for some kind of reaction from her.

“Are you familiar with Mike Butler?” Mr. Staples asked.

“Maverick Mike Butler?” she said out loud, not really meaning to. Now she really was confused. Of course she’d heard of Mike Butler, aka Maverick Mike. Her job at the Houston Daily News as an investigative reporter assured she would at least be acquainted with the name. His story was no secret—son of a poor crop farmer who beat the odds and made something of himself. He’d done so well that he was one of the wealthiest cattle ranchers in the Lone Star State. His rise to riches was as legendary as his buck-wild reputation. If rumors were true, he won his first ranch at a poker table and lost his first wife to his gambling problem. And that was where his run of bad luck had ended. Everything else the man touched seemed like it turned to gold. It was no secret that he lived on his own terms, another fact widely known to pretty much every Texan. Last week, the legend from Cattle Barge had made even bigger news with his death.

“Ma’am,” the lawyer said.

The sound of his voice made her jump.

“Sorry—what did you say?” Outside of print, Madelyn had no idea who Mike Butler was. She’d never met him personally and they didn’t exactly run in the same circles. “What did you need from me, Mr.—?”

“Staples, but please call me Ed.”

Right. He’d already said that. Madelyn was distracted. Thinking about Owen had thrown her off.

“How can I help you, Ed?” she asked, refocusing.

“Can you meet me tomorrow afternoon here at the Butler ranch?” he asked.

“I’m afraid I’m working, but I might be able to arrange something if you tell me what this is about,” she responded, still trying to shake the creepy chill from earlier. Owen was right about one thing: he seemed everywhere to her.

“I’ve been instructed to offer to send a car,” he continued, unfazed by her work excuse.

“No, thanks. I have my own. Is there a reason we need to meet face-to-face? I mean, can you tell me what this is about over the phone?” she asked, mildly interested in what he had to say and at the very least thankful for the distraction.

“I apologize. My instructions are clear. If you want to know the nature of Mr. Butler’s request you have to be on the property.” He was steadfast. She’d give him that.

“Well, then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” she countered. Her frustration level was already high and she didn’t need another person wasting her time. Plus, it wasn’t like she could drop everything without a clear reason to give her boss and she didn’t cover the crime beat.

“Would it make a difference if I told you that it’s in your best interest to come?” he asked.

This guy was persistent. And frustrating with his cryptic message.

“Cattle Barge isn’t exactly a few minutes down the road. If you want me to make that drive I need something to go on. My boss will want to know why I need time off to chase down a story outside of Houston,” she said. When she really thought about it, the ranch must be swarming with media by now. Any news about Mike Butler’s death guaranteed above-the-fold placement in print and major promo for broadcast. “Plus, there must be dozens of reporters at the gate chomping at the bit for something to report. Why tell me? I mean, just walk outside your front door and pick someone if you want to get your story out.”

“This is personal,” he said. “In fact, you may want to take vacation days.”

Days? She decided to entertain him for just a second. “Okay, so let me see if I have this correctly. You want me to take off work at the snap of a finger for a man I’ve never met and a reason you refuse to tell me? Does that sound about right?”

“I’m afraid it’s better than it sounds,” he admitted.

“Who wants me there?” Maybe she could come at this from another angle to get an answer.

“Your presence was requested by Mr. Butler.”

She waited for the rest of the sentence but Ed Staples would’ve made a great poker player.

“Pardon my directness, but he’s...gone. It would be a little difficult for him to ask for me,” she stated.

“I’m aware.” He didn’t give up anything with his tone. And she wouldn’t even still be on the phone if he hadn’t thrown out the name Mike Butler. But her mild curiosity wouldn’t be enough for her boss to green-light an overnight trip. “This matter is urgent.”

Hadn’t she just read about his oldest daughter being targeted for murder? Was it possible the family wanted an objective reporter to confide in? Then again, that incident had happened after Butler’s murder and the lawyer had said this was personal. If it was, wouldn’t she at least know Mike Butler? And, again, why her? She exposed neglect in nursing homes and small business fraud.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you. I can recommend—”

“Your refusal will come at a hefty cost to you, Ms. Kensington,” he said firmly.

“No disrespect, but I have a good handle on what’s important to me,” Madelyn shot back.

“I didn’t mean that as a threat.” He sounded frustrated that he couldn’t pick the right words to persuade her. A few beats of silence came across the line. And then, “Are you sure you want to walk away without knowing what a man like Mike Butler wanted you to be aware of? Out of everyone he could’ve picked, he chose you.”

Well, when he put it like that she could admit the initial pull was becoming a stronger magnet. Walk away and she might never know what Mike Butler wanted to tell her before he died. Curiosity was growing the more she thought about it and a big exclusive could be huge for her career right now. She could prove to her boss that he’d made a good move in promoting her.

“Fine. I’ll talk to my boss,” she finally said, knowing full well she could get the time off.

“I’ll email the details of your stay.” The lawyer sounded pleased and a little bit relieved.

“I’ll make my own arrangements.” She’d learned a long time ago not to put herself in the hands of a source. And that was just how she’d treat this out-of-the-blue request, like any other news story she was covering.

“Be advised that you’ll need to take off several days. I’d suggest a minimum of three,” he said.

Wasn’t that cryptic? She thanked him and ended the call, figuring she would take it one day at a time. Pretty much her new mantra, she thought.

For the rest of the workday, her thoughts kept circling back to Owen. Not even a hot cup of coffee could thaw the icy chill that crept into her bones when thinking about him. Nor could she shake the feeling of being watched as she walked to her vehicle after work—a feeling that was becoming a little too familiar. Madelyn had always been able to trust her instincts. Until recently. Until Owen. He’d knocked her off balance and she was still trying to regain her footing.

This, too, shall pass. The saying that had gotten her through so many sad or frightened nights as a child provided no comfort.

By six thirty the next morning, Madelyn had eaten breakfast, picked up her convertible from the shop and was on the road. She wanted to get out of Houston before traffic was too bad. The call still had her scratching her head and her imagination running wild. Dozens of scenarios had zinged through her mind when she should’ve been sleeping. But then, sleep had been as realistic as a unicorn sighting since Owen had made those threats. He’d been stalking her, too, and that had her scanning faces wherever she went, expecting him to pop up at the grocery store, gas station and every other place she visited.

Her thoughts returned to the call from Ed Staples. The lawyer had said this was personal but that wasn’t exactly a new tactic to get a reporter’s attention. It ensured she’d agree to the meeting without asking too many questions. Her mind ran around the same hamster wheel.

Even though she was a reporter, she didn’t work the crime beat. Furthermore, she worked in Houston, not Cattle Barge, although Mike Butler’s money seemed to reach all parts of Texas.

Did the lawyer want to leak information to her? Or was this truly personal as he’d suggested? She searched her thoughts and couldn’t think of one logical reason she’d plan to stay on for a few days. What could be so important? Why her? Those and other questions that had kept her awake when she should’ve been sleeping had her yawning as she maneuvered onto the highway. Possibilities churned through her mind.

She tapped her fingers on her steering wheel, keeping time with the music on the radio. There was another good reason to get out of Houston. His name was Owen Lockwood. Dating him had been a mistake. He came from Houston oil money, family money, which she had promised herself she wouldn’t hold against him when they first met. He’d been charming and polite on those first couple of dates. And then work had gotten even busier leading up to her promotion. Before she really processed their relationship, he was bringing her six-month anniversary flowers.

When he wanted to celebrate their milestone, all she could think about was how she’d lost six months of her life to nonstop work.

Owen had planned out an elaborate date and said he wanted to talk about their future. A future? She’d almost laughed at him until she realized he was serious. Working fourteen-hour days, she barely had time to shower. The last thing she needed was the complication of a real relationship. And, face it, her time with Owen had been winding down anyway. He’d started to become possessive when they were out to dinner and another man smiled at her or looked her way.

When she’d asked why they needed to do more than enjoy each other’s company, he’d blown up. His reaction seemed over-the-top. She’d told him as much. That was when everything started heading south.

Madelyn gripped the wheel tighter with her left hand and brought her right to her mother’s dragonfly necklace. A migraine threatened and that reminded her even more of those last few weeks with her ex. He’d been the one to point out that she’d been getting them more and more frequently as their relationship had progressed. He’d insisted that she’d been spending too much time at work and insinuated she wanted to be with her coworker Aiden Creed. Owen had demanded that she spend all of her time off with him. And then he’d dropped the bomb that he’d been following her.

They’d fought. She’d told him it was over and he’d come unhinged. A man like Owen was used to getting what he wanted. He didn’t take the breakup news well.

She’d filed a report when he broke her bedroom window. Another when he’d spray-painted the word skank across the hood of her new convertible. She’d saved an entire year for the down payment on her blue two-door sedan. Nothing had been handed to Madelyn and that was okay by her. She’d learned how to do things for herself at an early age.

It wasn’t until she’d filed the police report against Owen last week that she found out about his past. The officer who’d taken the report looked her in the eye and asked if she was wasting his time. It turned out that similar charges had been filed and then dropped before anyone set foot in court.

Madelyn had been indignant and the implication that she’d cave under pressure fueled her determination even more. Owen wasn’t getting away with his antics this time. She had every intention of standing up for herself and the other women who couldn’t do it for themselves, for future women who would encounter the man.

Anger burned through her as she flexed her fingers around the wheel. Her grip intensified. When she really thought about it, spending a couple of days several hundred miles away sounded like enough time to let Owen cool off and get a grip. His bad deeds had been intensifying lately.

Besides, she really was curious about why she’d be summoned to the home of Maverick Mike. Maybe he’d read one of her pieces and wanted to set the record straight about his personal life. Stranger things had happened.

Madelyn kept her eyes on the stretch of road in front of her, ignoring the tingles of excitement that always came with working on something big—and this had to be huge. Everything involving that man was immense. Traffic had slowed to a crawl and she couldn’t see what was up ahead holding everyone up.

On this expanse of highway, she was beginning to see why everyone believed the whole state was nothing but oil derricks and tumbleweeds. The only oil derricks she’d ever seen in the city were on cocktail napkins. And, to be fair, she’d only seen a handful of tumbleweeds on the road so far. The closer she came to her destination the landscape began to change and she noticed there were more cows than she’d ever seen in one place. But then, Madelyn rarely left the city willingly. And she was going to a cattle ranch, she reminded herself. There’d be livestock.

Traffic had finally opened up on the 248-mile stretch southwest on a drive that had crawled out of Houston despite leaving early.

Her job had netted more than a few interesting assignments over the years but this request topped the list, literally coming out of left field. For one, she hadn’t been working on a story that involved cattle, ranching or dead maverick billionaires. In fact, she’d had no association with the senior Butler although she might be one of the few women in Texas who hadn’t, she thought as she rolled her eyes. What could she say? The man had a reputation.

Speaking of which, Butler’s lawyer hadn’t given her anything to work with, either. The man who’d identified himself as Ed Staples had kept the call short and sweet, promising her the message he needed to deliver would be worth the trip to Cattle Barge. Not even her editor, Harlan Jasper, could get answers. He’d made a few phone calls to see if he could dig anything up and had gotten zero. He’d thrown his hands in the air, pulled her off her current assignment, a piece on the real story behind the new districtwide alcohol-free campaign being implemented at local high schools, and had told her to make a story out of whatever information came out of the meeting. Even in death Maverick Mike Butler was news. Or maybe she should say especially in death. His demise had already created a media circus.

Leave it to a man with a big reputation to go out with fireworks, she thought. And even though her relationship with her own father was strained—well, that was probably a generous way to put it since she hadn’t spoken to him in three weeks—she appreciated the fact that she knew what she was getting into with him. He lived in the same bungalow-style house she’d grown up in on the outskirts of Houston. He mowed the lawn at eight thirty every Sunday morning—no matter how many times the neighbors had begged him to push back the time even a half hour later. And he’d never remarried after losing her mother shortly after childbirth to negligent hospital practices, although he had dated the same woman for twenty-six years since. He was as reliable as fall football in Texas. And just to prove it, he still hadn’t called her back. Her father phoned on the first day of every month, and any news—no matter how important to her—could wait until their monthly phone call, in his opinion.

Even though she desperately wanted to share her good news, her father didn’t operate on the same excitement scale as her. There’d been more than work news. A few days before her promotion, her former high school swimming coach had called to say that she was being inducted into the school’s hall of fame. Thanks to generous alumni donations, the school was getting a new wing. They wanted her to bring her family to the celebration. She’d almost choked on her mouthful of coffee. Even though she’d called her father right away, she was still waiting for a response. She seriously doubted he would change his schedule. He didn’t like to upset his routine.

Madelyn wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to ask him to go with her to the high school event. Maybe it was because he was getting older and she saw less and less time to repair their relationship. And she could never exactly pinpoint how it became broken in the first place. Her father loved her in his own way. She’d never doubted that. Her friend Aiden thought it was because Madelyn resembled her mother a little too much. She glanced into the rearview for a quick second. Did she remind him of what he’d lost?

Exiting the highway, she decided to table the thought. She pulled into the parking lot of a small motel. She was roughly two towns over from Cattle Barge.

Madelyn desperately needed a place to cool off and regroup before the meeting with Ed Staples. It was hot. A drive that should’ve taken four hours had spread to a hard six and she still hadn’t reached her final destination yet. She could already tell that the media circus surrounding the death of Maverick Mike had brought in news outlets from around the country. Traffic had thickened the closer she got to the small town.

Even though it was a very real possibility that Madelyn might be turning around and going right back home tonight, she’d learned a long time ago it was best to grab a room when she had the feeling a big story was about to break, and this one, two towns over, was the only one available.

All these reporters swarming couldn’t be wrong.

Where there was smoke, there usually was fire. And she was curious just how big this blaze was going to get.