with a small group.
“Did you tell anyone else we were coming?” he asked her as they turned towards the park.
“No,” she answered with a slight frown. “Why?”
He debated telling her about the sedan, but before he could respond, the car stopped.
“I’m starved,” she said as they stepped out onto the curb. “About the only thing I’ve missed in this city is Mrs. Grimaldi’s sandwiches.” She motioned to the small shop.
When they stepped in the sandwich shop, she stopped and took a deep breath. “Ah, I’ve missed that smell. Nothing against Isaac, but Mrs. Grimaldi’s soup is the best thing ever.”
She motioned to a small table, and he followed her and sat down.
They ordered sandwiches and soup and talked about their plans for dealing with her father.
“I don’t know how this is going to go down, but the only thing I can do is warn you that there will be a serious lack of emotion on his part.”
“And you?” he asked.
She frowned down into her soup. “I’ll play my part.” Her eyes moved up to his. “Which will annoy Harold,” she added with a slight smile.
He chuckled. “Looking forward to that part?”
She shrugged. “And setting him straight finally.”
They finished their meal. He had to admit, the soup was pretty amazing. It surprised him that she knew a couple of the waitstaff by name. They acted like it had been weeks rather than years since they’d seen her last.
“We can walk from here,” she suggested as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.
He took her hand and enjoyed the cooler air as they headed away from the shop area.
“Show time,” she said, stopping on the sidewalk. She took several deep breaths and closed her eyes for a moment. “Ready?” she asked when she opened them again.
“Are you?” he asked her.
“No, but this has to be done.” She straightened her shoulders and glanced over at a massive home.
He followed her gaze and held his breath. He’d seen pictures of the twenty-thousand-square-foot place when he’d researched her father. But pictures didn’t properly show how truly massive the home was.
A huge iron gate that surrounded the entire front of the five-story sandstone building had no sign of who lived inside on it. Aubrey stepped up to the security camera and rang the bell.
“Yes?” a man’s voice sounded moments later.
“Carl? It’s Aubrey,” she replied. “And guest.” She looked back at him.
The gate buzzed and he easily pushed it open. He held it for her until she passed through it, then stepped in behind her.
“Just… go with it,” she said with a slight shake of her head.
“Going,” he agreed as the tall iron front door opened for them. A short woman with silver hair waited for them to enter.
“Martha.” Aubrey nodded her head and started to remove her jacket.
Aiden rushed to help her and then handed it over to the older woman.
“We weren’t expecting you, Miss Smith,” Martha replied.
“No, I suppose not.” She glanced around. “I would have thought that after everything the estate would be in disarray and the wolves would be knocking down the doors.” She motioned around the large marbled entryway.
There were three stairs that led up to another marbled sitting area. Gold iron gates under a massive arch blocked the entryway from the rest of the home. It reminded him of a lobby in a bank instead of the entrance to someone’s home.
This is where she’d been raised? No wonder the camp was her favorite place in the world. Anywhere was better than living in a stuffy museum.
“What… has happened?” Martha asked with a shake of her head as her eyes ran over Aubrey’s face.
“So,” a loud voice boomed through the hallway, “you’ve finally come back to collect.”
He watched Aubrey closely. She was an amazing actress and even paled slightly as her father walked towards them.
“They…” She cleared her throat as she shook her head, all while her hand rose slowly to her throat. “They told me you were dead.” She leaned on Aiden as he wrapped an arm around her as if to steady and support her.
Harold Smith was as old as she’d described. His white hair was neatly cut and styled, and he wore a dark grey suit that made him appear as if he was ready to head into work.
He walked like a man still in good health even if he moved slower than most.
The man’s silver blue eyes, which matched Aubrey’s perfectly, ran over him slowly then dismissed him quickly to respond to his daughter.
“They told you what I wanted