Undercover Bride

He looked torn for a moment, but her final sentence appeared to decide him. “I’ll do that and be right back.”

“Thank you.” Rachel waited until the sounds of his retreat receded before opening the door wider and walking into the hall. She’d have to make her search quick.

She was not surprised to find that the door closest to her own was locked. She’d already discovered that her bathroom adjoined to what she could only surmise was another bedroom. The adjoining door had been locked, as well. It would be logical to assume that Carpenter had the suite next to hers. The knowledge had her nerves prickling. There was no doubt that their proximity would grant her easy access to search his quarters. It was the access the proximity granted him that lent to her unease.

Continuing down the hallway, she swiftly inspected the rest of the space upstairs. There appeared to be eight bedrooms in all, and none of the rest were occupied. Other than the locks in Carpenter’s room, no other security devices were evident. Apparently the man was confident that the security at his front gate was sufficient to keep out unwanted guests.

She mentally took note of the number of windows and their distance to the ground. She would be most comfortable if she could plan at least three different escape routes from various regions in the house. But she’d need closer observation to measure exact drops and distances.

Returning to her room, Rachel entered the bathroom and picked up the hairbrush she’d set on the counter. Grasping it in both hands, she gave it a twist, and the brush separated at a barely visible seam. She reached inside the hollow handle and withdrew a slender wire. Without hesitation she went to the adjoining door and fell to her knees, wielding the flexible wire on the lock. Within seconds she had the door open and started on the one which would open to Carpenter’s room. She gave a mental tsk of disapproval when it opened just as easily. A man in Carpenter’s position should really be more careful.

She swung the door open and surveyed the rich furnishings, the desk strewn with paperwork. When her remote signaled the room was clean, she did a quick walk through. Another doorway in the room proved to be a large walk-in closet, and a third would lead to the hallway.

She strode to the middle of the room, turning slowly, her gaze sweeping the area. Something nagged at the edge of her consciousness. Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she mentally estimated the square footage of the area. It was a good size. But the next door down the hallway from this one had seemed farther away than this space would warrant.

Observing the room again, Rachel’s gaze finally fixed on the paneled wall behind Carpenter’s bed. Crossing the room to examine it more carefully, she found what she was looking for in the far corner—an almost invisible rectangular crack in the inlaid wood. Carpenter had built himself a secret room.

Again she was forced to revise her opinion of him. Clearly it would be a mistake to underestimate this man. Paranoia and a need for secrecy drove the leaders of these groups. Carpenter would be no different.

Rocking back on her heels a little, she eyed the paneled wall speculatively. There was no knob, no lock in sight. Most likely there was a spring mechanism hidden in the wood itself that would release the door. It would be complicated to break in, but not impossible. Rachel didn’t believe in impossible.

Her interest was piqued, but further exploration would have to wait for another day. The sound of voices drifted over to her.

“Next time you disobey a direct order, I won’t be so lenient.” The words were faint, but unmistakable. “You were told to stay at your post.”

Sutherland. Cursing mentally, Rachel hurried toward Carpenter’s bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. There was no longer any question in her mind that the colonel had set the young man outside her door to watch her.

She closed and locked her own bathroom door. With a quick adjustment of the shower, she had the water pounding down, drowning out the voices she’d heard. She slipped the remote into a pocket of the terrycloth robe she’d hung on the back of the door, kicked off her shoes and shed her pantyhose. She stepped under the spray fully clothed, then got out again. Wrapping the robe around her, she wrenched open the door and started into the bedroom, her hair dripping.

“Colonel Sutherland!” The shock in her voice wasn’t totally feigned. She’d expected him to be pounding on her door, not standing halfway into her bedroom. The young man who had accompanied him was waiting outside the open door in the hallway, his eyes wide at the scene unfolding before him. Righteous indignation dripped from her every word. “What possible excuse could you have for barging into my private quarters?”

The colonel stared hard at her. “You didn’t answer my knock.”

“I was in the shower, sir!” The stage had lost a valuable actress in Rachel Grunwald. She literally shook with false fury. “Am I to understand that I can’t bathe without fearing an intrusion?”

The soldier was taking in the scene with avid interest. Good. An audience only made the pretense more valuable. If Sutherland was going to align himself against her, she may need to discredit him in the future. The young man in the hallway could prove to be a witness if it came to that.

Sutherland had recovered. “I apologize. I mistakenly believed you were in need of assistance.”

Ice edged her words. “In the future, please wait until your assistance is invited.”

She thought for a moment she’d gone too far. Sutherland clenched his jaw and took a step toward her. Then he drew himself up, visibly reining in his temper. “Be careful here, Miss Grunwald. Be very careful.” After delivering the warning, he spun on his heel and marched to the door. As he was pulling it closed behind him, the soldier called, “Oh, and ma’am? You’ll dine with the general at six-thirty.”

Surveying the panels of the closed door, Rachel took a deep silent breath. The magnitude of the scene began to register. Earlier Sutherland had made it clear he didn’t approve of her presence here. Now it was obvious that in addition to Carpenter she had yet another powerful enemy to contend with in The Brotherhood. It only remained to be discovered why.

Chapter 3

She was exquisite in candlelight. As sounds of Chopin crashed around them, Caleb sipped from his glass, unmindful for the moment of the finely aged wine he tasted. Some would consider it sacrilegious not to savor every drop of the rare wine. It seemed even more sinful not to feast on the beauty before him.

“You’re staring.”

He inclined his head, unabashed to be caught in the act. Despite her accusation, she continued to eat the succulent pheasant. She was clearly used to male appreciation.

“You’re very beautiful.”

His words were a simple statement, and she accepted them with a shrug. “I’ve found that the true measure of a person lies beneath the surface.”

He nodded slowly, setting his glass down. “Usually, although with some people what’s on the surface is all there is. You’re different, though. There’s something about you, Rachel, that hints at layers, one wrapped tightly around the other, to conceal secrets you rarely reveal. It makes a man want to be the one to peel those layers back, one by one, and discover…everything.”

To disguise the slight tremor in her hand, she laid down her fork. There was no reason this man’s words should affect her. His seductive words were just that, not an indicator that he suspected she wasn’t what she seemed. But the shiver that skated over her skin wasn’t completely due to a fear of his mistrust. She reminded herself that he was a master of words, one who used them as weapons, to cajole, threaten and condemn. Just as her father had. Thought of her father had the tremors abruptly dissipating.

“And what about you, Caleb Carpenter?” Her tone was light, the reason behind the question wasn’t. “Is there a part of yourself that you seek to keep from the world?”

He chewed carefully, as if pondering her question. “I suppose many would regard me as a very private person, yes. It suits my purposes to keep important matters to myself.”

“Is that what caused you to advertise for a wife, rather than seeking one out in a more traditional manner?” Her words were almost a dare, although they were delivered innocently enough. The literature Sutherland had given her stated exactly what had caused Carpenter to search for a wife. He’d reiterated as much in his words to the troops shortly after her arrival today.

This time his answer was even slower in coming. He picked up a napkin and wiped at his mouth before answering. “I confess I never thought overmuch about the qualities I would look for in a wife.” His gaze warmed, and he reached over to enclose her fingers in his. “And only recently have I begun to discover what those qualities are.”

The heat in his look was mirrored in his touch. She smiled, but after a moment, removed her hand under the guise of reaching for her wineglass. She preferred to avoid his touch. It had a way of clouding her thoughts, momentarily blurring her intent. The unfamiliar feelings were no doubt caused by a combination of fatigue and adrenaline. However explained, they were annoying. Emotion had never been allowed to infiltrate an assignment. It never would be.

He was a man who would appear at home in a roomful of shimmering people, clad in a designer tux and cupping a cognac snifter in his hand. She didn’t doubt that he was cultured, but knew the veneer could be an effective disguise. Most would never question his charming, civil mask. Most would never perceive the underlying element of quiet menace about him that he strove to conceal.

Conversation lagged, and neither made a move to end it. Caleb was content to study her in the resulting silence. She’d chosen a pale-yellow sleeveless sheath that was a perfect foil for her hair, which she’d again pulled up in a knot. Despite his earlier words, he knew the value in taking it slow with her. He’d been only eight when he’d spent time tagging along with the gardener on his parents’ estates, admiring the roses. Anxious for the buds to unfurl into full bloom, he’d systematically peeled a full dozen of them, convinced that once he’d stripped the delicate petals aside, the rose would be fully visible. Instead, he’d been left with a path strewn with destroyed flowers, and a stern scolding. The man had learned much from the child; there would be far greater pleasure to be had if he peeled away the layers of Rachel Grunwald one filmy strip at a time. The patience it would take was no deterrent. Patience was a particular strength of his.

Her words interrupted his reverie. “You spoke of family earlier. Do any of them visit you here?”

His gaze dropped and he reached for his wine again. “No. I go to San Francisco to see them every month or so.”

His answer was just short of brusque, but it didn’t stop her from probing further. “Do they share our convictions for the future of the white race?”

The music changed, into something moody and melancholy. “My family is very traditional and extremely stubborn. We’ve agreed to disagree about what I’ve chosen to do with my life.” Because the admission was accompanied by a twinge of regret, he pushed his chair back and rose. “Are you finished? It’s still early. I could show you the grounds.”

Rachel stood, a genuine smile curving her lips. “I’d like that.”

The grounds, she soon learned, consisted of a lush, well-kept lawn surrounded by three hundred acres of land. The compound had been built on a plateau surrounded on two sides by the picturesque Sawtooth Mountains. As they rounded the house, Rachel saw again the buildings that dotted the vicinity, and asked about them.

“Some are living quarters for the troops. The few families here have their own homes. Kevin lives in one with his daughter. Careful.” His hand lightly touched her elbow. “The walk there is uneven.” The shiver his touch evoked was due to the rapidly cooling temperature, she assured herself. The sun was already bleeding across the sky. “The other buildings are for training purposes. The troops follow a daily regimen…weaponry instruction, hand-to-hand combat and so forth.”

He was describing a day much like any other she’d spent within various militias. “I spent quite a bit of time in the Comrades compound teaching hand-to-hand tactics and martial arts. I’d be interested in seeing your facility, even in providing some instruction if there’s a need for it.”

She caught him smiling, and arched her eyebrows. “You find that amusing?”

He held up his hands placatingly. “I’m not impugning your talent, believe me. But I don’t like the thought of you wrestling with some of these gorillas here.”

“Gorillas don’t frighten me.” Still intent on scanning the area, she started a little when he slipped his gray suit jacket over her shoulders.

“You’re shivering. The temperature drops quickly at night. Would you like to return to the house?”