Guarding Candy Kane Read online

  Guarding Candy Kane

  Book 3

  by

  V. B. Tenery

  THE 12 MYSTERIES OF CHRISTMAS series:

  BOOK 1: IN THE NICK OF TIME by Susette Williams

  BOOK 2: GABRIEL’S SECRET by Alexa Verde

  BOOK 3: GUARDING CANDY KANE by V.B. Tenery

  BOOK 4: MURDER: UP ON THE ROOFTOP by Tina Dee

  BOOK 5: JOY IN JEOPARDY by Lynette Sowell

  BOOK 6: HOLLY IN HIDING by P. Creeden

  BOOK 7: STARR WITNESS by Susette Williams

  BOOK 8: NOELLE ON THE RUN by Alexa Verde

  BOOK 9: GOLDEN BELLES ARE WRINGING by Gina Conroy

  BOOK 10: DEATH BY FIGGY PUDDING by Tina Dee

  BOOK 11: DANGER FOR GLORIA by Lynette Sowell

  BOOK 12: MERRY WITHOUT MALICE by P. Creeden

  Published by Family Friendly Fiction

  © 2018 by Susette Williams

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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  Other Books by V. B. TENERY:

  Broken Vows

  Works of Darkness

  Then There Were None

  Downfall

  Missing

  Deathwatch

  Against the Odds

  Angels Among Us

  Guarding Candy Kane

  The Watchman

  Dead Ringer

  Author Website: www.vbtenery.com

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  Twitter: http://twitter.com@teneryherrin

  Dedication:

  To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

  May all I do honor You.

  And

  Susette Williams for allowing me to join this project

  and for being a guide and infinite source of information

  in my publishing journey.

  Acknowledgements

  I hope you will enjoy this story, along with the other eleven books in THE 12 MYSTERIES OF CHRISTMAS series. I can’t thank you enough for your continued support and hope that you are truly blessed in the year to come.—

  Thank you!

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kane Chalet

  Christmas Tyme, Colorado

  S

  ean McGregor pulled his rented four-wheel drive Jeep Cherokee onto the last turn before reaching his destination. It had been a harrowing drive up a steep snowy two-lane road with the mountain on one side and a sheer drop-off on the other.

  The stress of the drive worsened his already bad mood. He hated driving in snow. His home was in Key Biscayne, Florida for a reason. He would rather deal with a category five hurricane than ice and snow.

  He came to this isolated area because he needed this job. The climate in Florida was not good for him right now…the business climate, not the weather.

  The lawsuit he lost emptied his bank account, ruined his business, and tarnished the reputation he spent a decade building.

  Despite his near-death experiences getting here, he had to admit the setting was beautiful. The forested mountain, covered in white powder, glistened in the Jeep’s headlights.

  He rounded a curve and the chalet came into view, its stone façade bathed in bright exterior lights.

  Sean took two deep breaths and his blood pressure dropped from stroke level to normal. Here the ground was level. He eased the vehicle to a stop at the front entrance.

  The chalet, known locally as Kane’s Kastle, was a private residence, yet it looked like an exclusive Alpine hotel. Three floors rose above the snowy landscape. In a place that big, he hoped they could find him a room for the night. Driving back down the mountain to find a hotel was not the way he wanted this evening to end.

  Interior lights that glowed against the dark overcast sky showcased the peaked roof and tall glass windows which extended to the second floor.

  A large man dressed in a black coat, scarf, and beaver hat stepped from the entrance and opened Sean’s car door.

  “My name is Doyle, Mr. McGregor. Just leave the keys. I’ll park the car in the garage in back. Mrs. Kane is waiting for you just inside.”

  A cold wind stung Sean’s face as he stepped from the automobile. Snow crunched loudly under his feet as he mounted the steps to the front door.

  Through the expansive double glass doors, he saw a tall stately woman standing before an enormous stone fireplace.

  His client, Mrs. Hilda Kane, no doubt.

  A roaring fire in the hearth welcomed him inside and a black-clad maid rushed across the open space and took his cashmere overcoat. A luxury he had afforded himself when his bank account was healthy. Probably a bad investment for anyone living in Florida.

  The elegant older woman, also wearing black, stepped forward to meet him with a graceful stride. From the information he had gathered on her, Sean knew she was seventy-one, but she looked ten years younger.

  Her skin was smooth, apparently without the assistance of a plastic surgeon. Silver gray hair pulled back into a flawless chignon accentuated bright intelligent cerulean blue eyes.

  She offered her hand. “Good evening, Mr. McGregor. I’m Hilda Kane. I hope the weather didn’t make your trip too uncomfortable. Denver is our closest airport and the drive here can be quite unnerving.”

  Despite his foul mood, Sean gave her his most charming smile. “I admit I had more than a few tense moments getting here. I don’t have to deal with snow in Florida, and I like it that way.”

  “I’ll see that Doyle is available to drive you while you’re at the chalet. Having lived in Colorado all his life he’s an expert at driving in its varied weather conditions.” She turned to the maid. “Mary, bring a coffee and sandwich tray into the library, please.” She glanced at Sean. “If the only meal you’ve had was on the plane, I’m sure you’re hungry. No one eats on planes anymore. Not even in first class. Follow me, Mr. McGregor, we’ll have more privacy in the study.”

  “Please, call me Sean. Less formality will be more comfortable for both of us.”

  “As you wish. Please have a seat.” She pointed him to a chair near the fireplace. “I deliberately didn’t give you any information other than I needed your security services. I didn’t want to put anything into writing or over the telephone until we could meet in person. With hackers getting into the most secu
re government data, nothing is safe anymore. I hoped the sign-on bonus I sent would be incentive enough for you to make the trip.”

  He nodded and smiled. “That’s why I risked my life on your mountain to get here.”

  The library door opened, and Mary entered with a tray of coffee and an assortment of sandwiches and cake slices. Hilda poured the coffee, handed him a cup, and passed him the tray. He took two sandwiches. She had guessed right. He was hungry.

  Hilda waited until Mary was gone before she continued. “My solicitor researched various security firms and advised me to contact you. You were highly recommended, namely because you had never lost a client. I asked for you personally because I was intrigued by your special ability. It’s my understanding you have total recall of anything you hear. Is that correct?”

  He nodded. “It’s called an autographic memory but I didn’t know it was common knowledge.”

  “It isn’t. My contact did a lot of digging and that piece of information came up. The fact you won’t need to take notes or record what I’m about to tell you is a plus.” Hilda took a long sip of coffee, seeming to organize her thoughts.

  “Mr. McGregor, Sean, my son Gilbert was killed in an automobile accident six months ago. He never married. Gilbert was something of a playboy, and we thought he had no children.

  “As my son, Gilbert, grew older, he started to think about an heir. That’s when he told me that sixteen years ago, a woman with whom he had an affair notified him that he had a seven-year-old daughter. He ignored the claim at the time thinking it was a scam.

  “Six months before he died, my son began a search for the presumptive daughter he’d never met. The search was unsuccessful before his death. However, four months ago, my attorney located the girl.”

  “You’re sure her claim is legitimate?”

  “Oh, yes. It wasn’t her claim. Our search team found her. We have irrefutable DNA evidence she is the daughter of my son, Gilbert Kane and a fashion model, Nikki Norton. The mother died of cancer when the child, Candace, was eight. She grew up in an orphanage.”

  Candy Kane. How cute. “Why do you think she needs a bodyguard?”

  “My son was a billionaire, Sean, and Candy is his sole heir. Since this was made public, she has had two questionable accidents. She was almost run down by a truck, and two weeks ago, someone fired two shots at her as she left her apartment.”

  “What did the police say?”

  Hilda shrugged. “They said they would look into the matter. The first incident they thought was merely an accident. The second they wrote off as a drive-by shooting by local gang members.”

  “Where did these incidents take place?”

  “She lives in New York in not the most respectable neighborhood.”

  “She’s a billionaire and she lives in the hood?”

  “She says she doesn’t want the money. Candace harbors some deep-seated anger at her father because he wasn’t there to help her mother get the care she needed.”

  “What happens if she doesn’t accept it?”

  “Control of Kane Industries will go to some very unscrupulous people. As a board member, I don’t want to see that happen.”

  “Surely your son made provisions for you in his will?”

  “It’s not my welfare that concerns me. The firm employs thousands of people, many of whom have been with the company since its conception.”

  “And you want Miss Kane to take over the helm? It’s none of my business, but does she have any experience running a large corporation?”

  “She has a master’s degree in business.”

  “That’s rather young to have completed her Master’s. How old is she?”

  Hilda placed her cup on the coffee table and took a deep breath. “She will be twenty-three on December 24. Her birth certificate lists her name as Candace Norton. I understand from her background, she’s exceptionally bright. She finished high school at sixteen.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “On her way here. She was reluctant to make the trip, but I persuaded her to come until the authorities can investigate the attempts on her life. That’s where you come in. This is a remote area and the population of the village you drove through is about five thousand so strangers tend to be noticed. As you might expect, there is an influx of tourists as Christmas draws nearer.

  “Our local authorities know the residents and can help in that regard. The police chief is a friend and will assist in any way you require.”

  Sean polished off the sandwiches and sipped the coffee. It was cold. He set the cup back on the table.

  “I have a few more questions, if you don’t mind. If your granddaughter were out of the way, who would inherit the estate?”

  A shadow passed over Hilda’s face. “I have two other sons, Tyler and Morgan, and they each have two children. Both my sons are on the board but have no interest in taking over, even if they were qualified, which they are not. However, they would love the money and the power.

  “I don’t think they are involved in Candace’s accidents, but I can’t rule it out.”

  Her candor surprised him. “Did your son leave a will?”

  “Yes. Even though he hadn’t found his daughter he left everything to her except the individual inheritances to other family members. He left very generous amounts to each of them, so they wouldn’t contest the will. He knew his family well.”

  Hilda passed an envelope across to him. “If you’re interested in the job, look over the contract, and if the salary and terms are agreeable, sign the form and return it to me in the morning. There is an intercom extension in your room that goes directly to Doyle. If you need anything, anything at all, just let him know. He’ll take care of it.”

  He wondered if Doyle was on duty 24/7.

  “I’ll need a list of names of the family members and the key players at Kane Industries.”

  Hilda nodded. “I’ll have a list for you tomorrow morning.”

  Sean was shown to his room down a long hallway on the second floor, with doors on both sides. There were at least eight rooms in this corridor or a lot of broom closets.

  Expecting to be stuck in an attic or basement, Sean hid his surprise when instead he was led to a luxurious suite. It sported a king-size bed, sitting room, full bath, and wonder of wonders, a fireplace with a cozy fire ablaze.

  His personal effects had been put away, including his toothbrush in the holder in the bathroom cabinet.

  Doyle must have brought up the luggage and he or someone else unpacked for him.

  He wasn’t sure if Doyle was merely taking care of a guest or snooping.

  Sean spotted an unopened bottle of Remy Martin XO

  on a side table and a tray of glasses. Someone had done a bit of research on him as well. He poured a small amount of his favorite brandy into a glass and set it on the nightstand.

  Where had they picked up the information on the brandy? Must have interviewed the liquor store near his home. Checking to see if he had an alcohol problem? Liquor had never been important in Sean’s life. With alcoholics hanging from both sides of the family tree, he had a healthy respect for moderation in all things. Two ounces at bedtime was his limit.

  He figured if the Kane family knew about something as small as his drinking habits, they knew everything and had hired him anyway. Good to know.

  For now, he had a call to make.

  Bella Jackson was his executive assistant before his firm, Guardian Security, went belly-up. He managed to keep Bella on at her salary. It had been difficult. He paid her well and she was worth every penny. She was a genius at a computer keyboard.

  The strain on his budget was eased by the fact he lost his home along with the business so he no longer had to worry about a mortgage.

  Bitterness was not an attractive trait in anyone so he straightened up and pushed Bella’s number.

  She answered with her usual sweet disposition. “What are you doing calling me at midnight, Sean Angus McGregor? Just because you nev
er sleep doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t.”

  Sean chuckled. “You know you always want me to call and tell you goodnight.”

  “Says you. You must have some research you needed yesterday.”

  “You are wise beyond your years. Remind me again why I keep your disrespectful self on the payroll and at such an exorbitant salary?”

  “Because you couldn’t make a living without me, and because I’m the only woman on the planet who doesn’t fall at your feet. Give me a minute while I get to my laptop.”

  Sounds over the airwaves told him she had hefted her slightly overweight body out of bed and into her office. After a minute she spoke. “Okay, shoot.”

  “I have three people I want you to research for everything you can find.”

  “That’s what research means.”

  He ignored her sarcasm. “I’ll have more for you tomorrow. The names are Candace Norton and Tyler and Morgan Kane.

  “Good night, Bella. I love you.”

  She snorted.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kane Chalet

  Christmas Tyme, Colorado

  C

  andace Norton Kane leaned back against the limousine’s plush leather seats and exhaled long and hard. Since the day she was notified she was the Kane heir, her life had been in chaos.

  In the first week alone, a truck barely missed her, two shots were fired at her, people she barely knew called to borrow money, and she received four marriage proposals.

  She didn’t want Gilbert Kane’s money. Her mother reached out to him once and he totally ignored her. His money could have saved her life, or at least have made her more comfortable during the last year before she passed away.

  When Candace was eight, she walked to the library near her home and researched Gilbert Kane on their computer. She found Kane Industries home office located in mid-town Manhattan, New York and tried to contact him.