Personally, he couldn’t imagine living in such a place, but his opinion of Lauren’s lifestyle didn’t matter. He stood to the side as Lauren used the key card to unlock the door.
“The same keycard works on the elevator and the main entrance?” He frowned as he stepped across the threshold behind her. “It would be better to have two different key cards.”
Lauren frowned at him over her shoulder, then turned to Lucy. “I’ll take your coat. Why don’t you run and let Clara know we’ll have a guest for dinner?” Lauren smiled as she ran her hand over her daughter’s silky hair. “Grady and I need to talk for a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay.” Lucy glanced at him, then turned to do her mother’s bidding.
Lauren shrugged out of her leather coat, then proceeded to hang them in the hall closet. He reached past her for a hanger to do the same.
“Please, have a seat.” Lauren led the way into a large sitting room that was bigger than his entire house. The entire wall of windows offered a breathtaking view of Lake Michigan. The buttery soft tan leather furniture was surprisingly comfortable, and he eyed the baby grand piano in the corner of the room with interest. Did Lauren play? Or was Lucy taking lessons? The décor of the penthouse apartment was plush, and he found himself examining the soles of his sturdy boots to make sure he hadn’t dragged dirt and debris inside.
This place was about as far from Cody, Wyoming, as a person could get, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he watched Lauren. She looked a little nervous now as she dropped onto the sofa beside him, crossing one black-clad leg over the other.
“I’m not replacing you. It’s probably my fault that the kidnapper knew where to find us. He must have followed my limo driver to the office building.” She grimaced, then added, “I know you have questions about who is behind the abduction. The person who would normally be on the top of my suspect list is my ex-husband, Nelson Derringer, but it just so happens he’s serving a seven-year stint for manslaughter and still has two more years to go before he’s eligible for parole.”
The news surprised him. “Who did he kill?”
“His best friend, Bobby, er, Robert Morton.” A flicker of distaste flashed in her blue eyes. “Bobby and Nelson were in the same college fraternity at Loyola. Nelson was driving under the influence, and since that was his second offense, and the fact that Bobby died in the crash, the judge threw the book at him.”
“I take it that worked out well for you in the divorce.”
“Yes, but we were already separated, and I had a solid prenup. Nelson wasn’t going to get a dime no matter what.” She stared down at her hands for a long moment, then looked up at him. “Nelson is the reason I wanted you to play my fiancé. He’s sent numerous letters from prison. I read the first few, thinking maybe I could save them for Lucy, but all he did was beg me to take him back. And he never once mentioned our daughter.”
“Lucy is better off without him.” Grady made a mental note to dig into her ex-husband’s background. Even from jail, the guy could have hired someone to go after Lucy.
“That’s correct.” Her blue eyes hardened. “He hasn’t seen her since she was a baby, and I plan to keep it that way.”
“So you want Nelson to believe you’ve moved on with someone else.” He held her gaze. “What happens when the kidnapper is found and we’re no longer a couple?”
“I’ll figure something out.” She waved that off. “The charade is not just for Nelson, but for other men who seem to think I might be interested. It’s a bit of a meat market out there.”
He could only imagine how men trailed after her. She was beautiful, rich, and likely seen as the hottest bachelorette in the city. “Okay, that’s fine.”
“As far as Lucy goes, I was granted full custody after the drunk-driving accident.” She shrugged. “The truth is that other than Nelson, I can’t think of anyone who would want to kidnap Lucy for ransom. Unless it’s some stranger, which will make him more difficult to find.”
“And you’re convinced ransom is the ultimate goal?”
Lauren frowned. “Yes, why else? Oh, you mean like sex trafficking?” She shook her head. “No reason to let Ariel go if that was the case. Besides, people who tend to kidnap kids for something like that look for easy targets. Not kids of wealthy parents.”
She had a point, so he nodded. “Okay, we’ll operate under the assumption someone wants to grab Lucy for money. Have the police fully vetted your house staff? Clara and whoever else you have helping you?”
“We have Clara, who has a key to get in and out of the penthouse. The rest of the staff, security guards like Trent, are hired by my father to keep the building secure. They’ve all worked here for years, hard to imagine any of them are involved.”
“Your father owns this building?” That surprised him. He’d grossly underestimated the magnitude of Lauren’s wealth. A building like this had to be worth a hundred million or more. It was a staggering amount of money. No wonder she’d assumed the goal was ransom. A kidnapper could ask for ten million without putting a dent in her father’s pocketbook.
“Yes. This building along with others.” She shifted on the sofa cushion to face him. “I have two charity events on Friday and Saturday. Lucy is upset that I won’t let her attend school until we catch this guy, but I think she needs to stick close to me where it’s safe.”
“Why not just cancel your charity events?” He didn’t understand why she would risk going out. “You could stay here with Lucy. I’ll work as a liaison with the local police and/or the FBI to make sure they continue their investigation.” The thought of doing that was far more appealing than showing up at her side for some silly dinner.
“February is Heart Month for St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital. It’s important for me to raise money for them.” She lifted her chin, eyeing him stubbornly. “They were amazing when Lucy needed open heart surgery a year after she was born. I currently have pledges for over five million dollars to support families in need. I expect that by Friday that amount could be doubled. Canceling the event isn’t an option. I’m attending, no matter what.”
He stifled a sigh. Okay, maybe it was for a good cause. He still didn’t think it was worth the risk. “What about having someone else stay here to watch Lucy?”
“I’ve considered that.” Lauren bit her lower lip. “I think it’s best if Lucy comes with me. We need to stick together.”
Grady didn’t necessarily agree, but since he didn’t have a choice, he nodded in agreement.
Despite the luxurious surroundings, he grimly realized that keeping Lauren and Lucy safe would not be as easy as it sounded.
