Sam and Donna walked up to the main house. Alan answered the door. “Good afternoon, Dr. Rigden, Dr. Kaliea. Are you here to see Dr. Browne?”
Donna glanced at Sam and frowned. “Alan, please call me Donna. I don’t like titles.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Donna. Please, do come in. Dr. Browne is in the lounge. I’ll let him know you’re here. Sir Richard and Master Richard are out of town for the weekend. Would you like something to drink?”
“A scotch would be nice,” Sam spoke up.
“I’ll just have a glass of lemonade, over ice with a slice of lime, please. You don’t need to announce us,” Donna responded. “I know where the lounge is.”
“I’ll bring your drinks in shortly. I assume you wanted your scotch neat?”
“Yes, Alan. Thank you.”
Sam laced his fingers with Donna’s and led her to the lounge. Gary was sitting in the middle of the sofa. He looked up from his laptop and grinned. “So you two finally decided to come up for air?”
Donna’s cheeks showed some colour. “We decided to come pester you for a while. What are you doing?”
Gary slid down and made room. “Nothing really. I’m just about ready to choke one of my best friends - that’s all.”
Donna sat by Gary. Sam sat next to Donna and stretched an arm across the back of the sofa, resting his palm over her nape and massaging circles on the back of her neck with his thumb. “What are you watching?” Donna asked.
“A YouTube video of your autograph signing at HMV on Facebook.”
Sam studied her eyes. “You deserve that fame, but it wasn’t a wise decision on Richard’s part.”
Gary groaned. “I’m sure Forrest keeps up with the competition. Richard knows how dangerous that man is! He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants, and he wants a cure. I hope I’m wrong, but my gut instinct tells me he knows we have one. I don’t know what Richard was thinking exposing you like that.”
“I do,” Sam snorted. “He wants Donna. He figures if he puts enough pressure on her, she’ll give in. He’s halfway there now.”
Donna frowned. “Why do you say that, Sam?”
“Oh, come on honey….”
Donna flinched. Hearing Sam call her ‘honey’ was like a stake, driven straight through her heart. She stiffened and swallowed the lump in her throat. Gary shared a knowing look of condolence with her. Sam didn’t miss a beat.
“…Sir Richard has security cameras everywhere, including the guest house. Richard probably knows every move we’ve made.”
Gary closed his eyes and groaned. “God – I’m slipping. I forgot about that.”
Donna’s mouth gaped. “Richard would do that?”
“Oh yes,” Gary nodded, calling up the security system for the Hall. “Richard is cunning, but not quite… as cunning as I am.”
Sam grinned. “What are you doing?”
“Setting a trap,” Gary responded rapidly skimming his fingers over his keyboard. “Because John has to have access to the security system, no matter where he is, I can’t just shut down the cameras at the guest house. If something went wrong with them, just like me, he would be alerted. So… what I’ve got to do is fix it so if Richard tries to access them, I’ll know. I can’t guarantee what he may have already seen, but I can prevent him from seeing anything from now on.”
“But what about John?” Donna asked.
Gary grinned. “That’s the clever part. You know how an antivirus program works on a computer system? How certain things like popup ads and cookies can be blocked? Or how certain sites can be added to a blacklist?”
“Yes….”
“You remember my virus program that’s on your laptop and cell phone?”
A sly grin turned up the corners of Donna’s mouth. “Yes….”
“All I’ve got to do is tell it to look for a specific IP address.”
“What if he accesses it – say - using the Savoy’s network system?” Sam asked. “Won’t the hotel use a common IP address for all their guests?”
“Yes, they will - and Richard could use that - but I would still be able to trace the signal back to its origin, whether it was sent from London, or anywhere else in the UK.”
“But, by that time wouldn’t it be too late? Wouldn’t Richard have already seen more than he needed to?”
“Not if you and Sam are aware… of things. Due to network traffic, if the cameras are accessed remotely there’s a slight delay before the cameras start transmitting. I can lengthen that delay slightly so it sends a signal to your cell phones first, before it starts transmitting. John or whoever is trying to access the cameras will be expecting this. I probably could safely give you about a fifteen second delay, but I couldn’t risk much more than that.”
Sam narrowed his eyes. “What would be transmitting, during this delay?”
Gary grinned. “Whatever I wanted, but we would need to make it believable.”
Donna’s eyes twinkled. “Grab your cell phone. I’ve got an idea.”
------------
“Well, that’s the last of them,” Gary said with a mischievous grin. “Now all I’ve got to do is reprogram the cameras to run these feeds.”
“How long will that take?” Donna asked.
“About forty minutes.”
“That long?” she frowned.
“Well, look, D. There are fifty cameras dedicated to the guest house.”
Donna’s mouth gaped. “Fifty!”
“Sir Richard is thorough,” Gary sighed. “Now, as I said before you interrupted me. There are fifty cameras dedicated to the guest house. Each one of these cameras has to be programed to use the right feed at the right time of day. That’s why we took more than one feed for each room. I have to praise you two for the sex scene in the bedroom, and in the shower. Very nicely executed and very convincing.”
Donna grinned. “It’s amazing what a few discreetly placed pillows and sheets can hide.”
“Well, I can tell you this. If I hadn’t known what you were doing, I would have been convinced, and so will Richard.”
Donna locked her eyes with Sam’s and pressed her lips together. “That’s as close to the real thing as you’re ever going to get.”
“There is one thing I’d like to point out. If someone is trying to spy on your private moments, it might not be Richard.”
“There’s another thing that’s bothering me,” Sam interjected. “Whoever was playing target practice with you and Richard at the cemetery may not have been trying to kill either one of you. They may have been trying to drive you away.”
Donna furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”
“Sweetheart, whoever shot you had to be a marksman. He wasn’t aiming with the site on his rifle. A little more toward the centre of your upper arm and the bullet would have shattered your humerus, severed your brachial artery and if it had gone between your fourth and fifth rib, penetrated both your lungs. It was too sloppy. They would have shot you in the back and…” Sam broke off, unable to continue. He pulled her close and held her.
“Sam is right, baby. Their goal was to drive you away.”
“Forrest or another one of Triplet International’s adversaries was behind that.”
Donna snorted. “Well, they were convincing enough for me. Bullets were flying around us like mosquitoes. The only warning we had was a spray of earth or shattered granite fragments. We couldn’t even tell where the shots were coming from.”
“They must have been using a silencer,” Sam added.
Donna’s eyes widened. “No shit! And a pretty effective one, to boot.”
“What I don’t understand is why?” Sam mused. “Why would a dying man do everything he could to drive you away if he was depending on you and your research to find a cure for him? If Forrest wanted Donna kidnaped, then why not just shoot Richard and John, grab her and be done with it?”
Gary looked incredulous. “Are you suggesting that Forrest wanted Donna in the UK?”
“Somebody apparently did.”
Gary got quiet, mulling things over. “If Forrest wanted you in the UK, then that means he knows exactly where you are. If the shooters were working for him, they would have known you left with Richard.”
“Forrest also would have known if Sir Richard was involved, the first thing he would have done was get Donna back to the UK,” Sam groaned.
“What has that sick bastard got up his sleeve?” Donna asked, swallowing the fear at the back of her throat. “Is he watching us now?” She looked up at Sam. “Maybe Richard is not the one we need to be worrying about.”
“Look, I think we all might be getting a little paranoid,” Gary offered. “You’re safe here. If Richard is spying on you, so what. I’ll have that problem solved in less than an hour. Why don’t you and Sam go for a walk, or a ride to clear your minds? Just don’t go too far. Maybe no further than the duck pond, or the river. Take your cell phones with you, and I’ll ring you and let you know when I’m finished.”
Donna leaned close to Sam’s ear. “I’d love to go for a… ride with you,” she whispered. “I’ll go change and meet you at the stables.” She kissed him and left.
Sam grinned, his body responding to the promise in her sultry voice. He turned to leave. “Hold up!” Gary said and went behind the bar. “Here – take this. Put it in your saddlebag. I assume you know how to use it?”
Sam took the 9mm pistol and clip of bullets from Gary’s hand. “Yeah, I do, but why do I need this?”
“Just in case. If Forrest is behind this, I’m not sure anywhere is a hundred percent safe. Unless you have to use it, don’t let D see it. She hates guns.”
Sam groaned. “So much for UK gun law.”
“I’ve got to get busy. Check your cell phone and make sure the battery is charged.”
“Full bars.”
“Good. I’ll ring you when I’m done. Have a nice ride, but stay alert. If Forrest planned this and he knows where Donna is, we don’t know when he might decide to make a move.”
Sam nodded and left. As he stepped off the back portico, he glanced toward the guest house. Donna was just about to the edge of the concrete walkway. Sensing him she turned and blew him a kiss; Sam’s heart turned over. He swallowed hard and picked up his pace.
He saddled the Appaloosa mare and led her out of the paddock, latching the gate behind him. Checking the safety again to make sure it was secured; Sam dropped the pistol into the saddlebag and mounted the mare. Instead of waiting for Donna at the stables, he rode down to the guest house and tied the mare to a bush in the front garden.
“Donna!” Sam called out as he neared the stairs.
“In the kitchen!”
Donna had changed into her black suede knee-high moccasin boots, a loosely fitting sheer black mid-calf skirt, and black and white crinkle cotton, midriff shirt. Sam blew his breath out in a whistle. “When you said you were going to change, you weren’t kidding,” he said in a broad Australian accent. He shook the front of his jeans as he stepped through the doorway to the kitchen. “What are you doing, Pretty Lady?” he asked and sidled closer.
“Getting us a snack.” She turned, holding up a bag of his exotic homemade trail mix in one hand and a thermos in the other. Donna had loosely tied the shirt under her breasts. The little gold heart and key pendant hung neatly between her cleavage. She locked her eyes on his and softly grinned. “Do you approve?”
One side of Sam’s mouth turned up in his sexy grin. He groaned, shook his head and pulled her into his arms. “What have you got on under this?” he asked in a husky whisper as he nibbled the side of her neck and cupped her bottom in his palms.
“Very little,” she gasped, a slow seductive smile spreading her full petal pink lips.
Sam set the trail mix and thermos on the counter. “We won’t need those,” he groaned, dipping his head to kiss her as he moved a hand to her breast, squeezing and circling the pad of his thumb over her peaked nipple through the thin fabric of her shirt. “You’re not wearing a bra, either. Are you?”
Donna kept her eyes locked on his and slowly shook her head.
Sam slid his hand inside her shirt and cupped hot satin skin. “I will never find anyone more perfect for me than you,” he moaned and kissed her again, slowly and deeply, stealing her breath.
Donna wrapped her arms around his waist. “Why do you think I’m perfect for you?”
Sam counted the reasons off between kisses as he worked his way from her lips to the top of her jaw and down the side of her neck. “You’re a doctor. You’re intelligent. You’re a musician. You love to sing. You’re incredibly sexy, and…” he said kissing her mouth again, thoroughly, exploring her with his wayward tongue, “…you are undoubtedly the best lover I have ever had.”
Donna slid her hands into Sam’s back pockets. She lifted a leg and pressed her body against his bulging erection. She gazed up into his eyes. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she panted. “Let’s get out of here before we give our peeping Tom another free show.”
Donna took one look at the barefoot saddle and grinned. “Where am I going to sit?”
“On my lap,” Sam replied, putting his foot in the stirrup and mounting the horse.
Donna looked up at him. “This could be tricky.”
Sam held out a hand. “Yes, but I’m willing to try if you are.”
“You’ve never done this before?” she asked dubiously.
Sam arched an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading across his mouth. “Have you?” he countered.
Donna tucked her chin, her cheeks showing some colour. “No, I haven’t…” she said, looking back up at him, “…but it sounds… exciting. How do I get up there?”
“Put your right foot in the stirrup and swing your left leg over.”
Donna grabbed his hand. “Good thing I’m not wearing anything… complicated,” she whispered as she settled on his lap, pressing her pelvis against his throbbing arousal. “Feels like you need to… loosen up a bit.” She rubbed his hand over the satin bow over her right hip.
He reined the horse around and nudged her toward the trees next to the river bank. “Let’s get away from these fucking security cameras, and I’ll see if I can’t … pull a few strings.”
Donna slid back a bit and reached for the button on his jeans. “I’ll just make things a little less… complicated… for you,” she teased, inching down his zip and closing the gap between their bodies.
------------
At random, for a few seconds, the wall of monitors connected to the security cameras at the Triplet Hall guest house showed nothing but static.
“What the hell is going on? What happened to the sound?”
“It could be a cascading network failure.”
“You said this method was fool proof!”
“Well, considering the conditions and the poor quality signal in this area, I’m surprised you’re able to pick up this much.”
He rewound the video and timed the signal drop. “Fifteen seconds exactly before the picture clears,” he mused. “That can’t be coincidental. One or two cameras, maybe even three – yes, but not all fifty.”
“Notify the look out – find out where they are and what they’re doing!”
He opened his cell phone. “It’s me. Where are you?”
The reply came over the speaker phone; both could hear. “On the other side of the Tyne, about quarter of a mile from the bridge.”
“What’s going on at the Hall?”
“Nothing – why?”
“Where are the two doctors?”
“Horseback riding in the edge of the trees along the opposite bank.”
“What are they doing?”
“They’re partially hidden, but they look extremely cosy to me. I wouldn’t mind a piece of her.”
“Wouldn’t we both. Think we ought to off the Aussie and see how sweet her honey is?”
“Touch one hair on either of their heads and you will experience the real meaning of pain! Are they… engaged?”
“Let’s just say they’re getting hot and heavy in an extremely erotic and unusual way.”
“What do you mean by extremely unusual?”
“Ever got it on the back of a horse at half trot?”
------------
Sir Richard and John were watching reruns of ‘One Foot In The Grave’ on telly. Richard was busy planning out the entertainment section for the complex. He had no intention of talking to Donna about it. He would have it built and present it to her as a gift – or incentive, depending on how you looked at it - to choose him. For Richard, there was little difference between a kind gesture and covert blackmail. He wasn’t accustomed to losing, especially to Sam, and he always took measures to ensure his success.
Richard’s cell phone rang, momentarily catching John and Sir Richard’s attention; their heads turned in his direction. Richard glanced at the name on the display, groaned and accepted the call. “I’ll be with you in a couple of seconds,” he said, pressing hold without waiting for a response. He saved what he was doing on his laptop and stepped out into the corridor. Walking a few steps from the door, he took his cell phone off mute. “What do you want?” he forced through his teeth. “I was busy!”
“What are you doing in London while Sam and Donna are playing husband and wife in your guest house?”
Richard clenched his fist. “It is not my guest house, and I’ve been properly rebuked and reminded of that fact. What Sam and Donna do is of no concern to me.”
“What do you mean no concern to you? Have you given up on her?”
Richard grinned. “Quite the contrary. I’m taking steps to make her drop Sam like a hot cake. I’m going out today to buy her engagement ring. When the right time comes, I’ll put it on her finger.”
“So it doesn’t bother you that Sam and Donna are mating like rabbits on the back of your appaloosa mare in broad daylight?”
Richard tightened his jaw. “I’m not worried about how many times Donna has sex with Sam. I already know what she has to offer. In the end, she’ll give him up.”
“You’ve slept with her! When?”
Richard frowned. “I am not going to discuss my personal life with you, especially when it concerns Donna. In fact, I don’t need your help anymore. I have everything under control. When Donna sees that I can give her everything she could ever possibly want - no matter what it is or how much it costs – she’ll kick Sam out of the guest house and out of her bed. Once that happens, I will put Sam Kaliea in his place, away from Donna. Now, if you had something important to discuss with me, could you make it snappy? I have work to do.”
------------
Richard entered the room and closed his laptop. Sir Richard gave him an expectant look. “I’m going out for a while,” Richard volunteered.
“One of your girlfriends?” he asked, motioning to the cell phone in Richard’s hand.
“That’s what she’d like to think,” Richard grinned wryly. “I’m just fanning an old flame.”
Sir Richard raised an incredulous eyebrow. “An old flame…?”
“I’m just going to have some fun, Dad. We don’t get to do that a lot lately. I’d rather be with Donna, but then she’d rather be with Sam. I’m stepping down. I want her to be happy. If that’s with Sam, then I’ll just have to live with that.”
“Will you be back tonight?”
Richard grinned again. “Depends on how much heat it takes to get her fire going,” he said and shut the door behind him.
Sir Richard glanced at John and unlocked his cell phone. “Gary, it’s Sir Richard. Is everything all right at the Hall?”