I stood at the living room window and looked out over the vineyard. With the harvest finished, the estate had a different rhythm to it. The entire place was quieter, more settled. The full-time workers were back to working during the day, tending the vines and producing the wine. Ramon had taken me on a tour earlier in the week, and I'd been impressed by his knowledge of the processes involved in creating the perfect vintage.
He'd offered to find me work to keep me occupied, but cooking was my area of expertise, and without three dozen hungry workers to feed each day, Eileen had the kitchen covered. It left me at a bit of a loose end.
The longer I stared out at the beautiful countryside, the greater the desire to escape the confines of the house became. I put my phone in my pocket and headed out through the back door.
The moment I stepped outside, the sun warmed my face. I wandered over to the edge of the kitchen garden where Eileen grew a variety of vegetables and breathed in a scent that combined sweetness with something earthier.
I stayed close to the house at first, then started to make my way down the hill leading to the neat rows of vines. Surely it would be fine as long as I stayed within sight of the house. The security team had every inch of the estate covered by high-tech equipment that would alert them the minute an intruder set foot on the property. As long as I didn't wander off Nate's land, I'd be safe.
At least that's what I told myself. I carried on walking past the enormous buildings where the wine was produced and made my way slowly up the hill.
My sneakers weren't ideal footwear for the task, and I soon realized that five sessions a week on a treadmill had not prepared me for hiking such uneven terrain. I carried on, enjoying the intoxicating sense that I was getting away with doing something I shouldn't.
About halfway up the hill, before the trail disappeared into the trees, I stopped to look back over the route I'd taken and realized I was farther from the house than I'd intended to go. This was not good. My calves burned, and the sun was too warm on my neck. My mouth was like sandpaper. Why had I not thought to bring a hat and a bottle of water? The answer was simple. I hadn't been thinking. I just put one foot in front of the other and kept going.
If Nate knew I'd walked all this way, completely unprepared for the elements, he would be furious. I had to get back to the house before he emerged from his office and realized I was gone.
As I began to make my way back downhill, I spotted a dark SUV on the road along the western boundary of the vineyard. Something about the way it crept to a stop made me uneasy. A moment after it stopped, a glint of light off a reflective surface told me the occupant of the car either had binoculars or a camera. The realization that someone was watching the house sent a chill through me. Until now, the notion of Kane's men lurking around the vineyard had been abstract. Now it was worryingly real.
I took a step back, intending to seek cover among the trees, when a voice from behind caught me off guard.
"Miss Caldwell."
I turned to find Corrigan, one of the new security guards, standing five feet farther along the trail. His face was professionally neutral, but the tight set of his jaw conveyed displeasure.
"Where did you come from?" I demanded as though he was the one who needed to account for himself.
"Up there." He pointed to a spot a couple of hundred feet away. "It's a great vantage point."
He studied me carefully then reached into his backpack for a bottle of water, which he held out for me to take.
"Drink," he said with a quiet command that didn't hit me quite the same way as Nate's authority did.
I unscrewed the cap and drank half of it.
"There's a vehicle down there," I told him.
"I've logged it. Now I need to get you back to the house."
I capped the bottle and fell into step beside him. We went quickly back down the trail, through the vineyard and up to the house.
"Does Nate know about the car?" I asked as we entered the kitchen.
"Yes, he does."
"And he knows I was out there?"
Corrigan offered me a sympathetic grimace. "I'm afraid so."
My shoulders slumped. Nate appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. He didn't need to say a word for me to know I was in trouble. Corrigan made a discreet exit.
"Upstairs," Nate said, a little too quietly for my liking. "Now."
I walked ahead of him with all the enthusiasm of a woman going to the gallows. He followed, saying nothing. Somehow I'd have preferred if he'd shouted at me.
When I got to my bedroom door, he reached past to open it. He gently pushed me inside. The soft snick of the door as he closed it behind us made me jump.
I whirled around to face him. "I know what you're going to say."
