wavy hair and ran his fingers through it, creating a tousled, sexy style. Prematurely greyed by thirty, his hair was nearly white at fifty-two. He was strikingly handsome, and his smooth skin had just enough wrinkles to appear distinguished.
With impeccable timing, as always, his personal assistant handed him a plush terrycloth robe and a towel. “Your robe, Mr. Wentworth.”
“Thank you, Jonathan.”
After drying his tall, toned body, he tossed the towel aside, slipped into his robe, and settled into the chair in front of his usual place setting. Reading his morning paper by the poolside with a steaming cup of coffee was his favorite ritual of the day. Other than this reprieve, he rarely had a minute to himself. Although family money had passed down, his keen skill with international investments, predominantly in the Netherlands, had tripled his wealth.
As Jonathan was about to return to the house, Xavier pulled away from his steaming black coffee and motioned with a raised hand, getting his attention. “Jonathan, would you get Olivia on the phone for me please?”
“Yes, Mr. Wentworth, certainly.”
Jonathan was strictly professional, in both habit and personality, and he only doled out wisdom or opinion if specifically asked, which was often. Xavier trusted him more than he trusted anyone. He considered him a friend.
Jonathan returned promptly and handed him the phone. “She’s on the line now, sir.”
He took hold of the receiver and nodded a thank you to Jonathan. “Good morning, Olivia. Were you able to talk to Jackson?” Phone to his ear, he leaned back into the overstuffed patio chair and settled his elbow on the armrest to get comfortable.
Olivia, the youngest and first female captain of the Le Grand Police Precinct in Florida and his longtime friend, answered. “Yes. Jackson’s at Lakeside now. He’ll make first contact at breakfast. Kinsley’s fine. Don’t worry. Lakeside’s a renowned private wellness center for the elite. People travel from all over the country to be there, and Jackson’s the best private investigator I know. You’ll get your information, and she’ll be well cared for.”
“Good, very good. He got there fast. Has he been able to find anything out?”
“Details will take time. Dr. Pierce was leery of Jackson’s being there to watch her, but he knows Jackson. He’s his uncle, from what I gather. They’re not on good terms according to Jackson, but Pierce agreed he could stay. He’s stretching the law, but hell, he owns Lakeside, and I assured him no one would ever find out he authorized anything. I set up full cover for Jackson, and only Pierce will know why he’s there.”
He put the call on speaker, laid the phone on the table, and leaned over to spoon some blueberries into his oatmeal as Olivia continued talking.
“Jackson will be keeping close contact throughout her stay. He asked me to flag Wayde’s address when he began the job. I thought flagging was overkill on a surveillance case. Good thing he did, though. The officers called me right away; I would’ve never gotten to you so quickly if they hadn’t. I’ll keep the address posted in case anything else goes on at the house while Max is there without Kinsley.”
Jonathan picked up the used towel Xavier had strewn over the patio chair. Before Jonathan left his side, Xavier mouthed silent words to get a pen. “Glad you got to me right away. I informed Dr. Pierce I’m her father-in-law, and I wanted to be sure she’s okay and that my main concern is for her comfort until he thinks she’s well enough to leave. He assures me she’s doing fine medically. I need Jackson to find out if she’s all right otherwise. I didn’t get into anything personal. Apparently, the EMT’s report stated she suffered an anxiety attack and fainted. When they arrived, her blood pressure was extremely low. They had no choice, but to transport her for further evaluation. Pierce understood why I don’t want her to know I’m the one who arranged and paid for her stay. He said he’d keep me updated.”
He scribbled instructions onto the paper Jonathan laid in front of him, passed it back to him, and continued with his conversation. “Have someone else cover Max until Kinsley returns to Wayde’s house, and I want audio in there as soon as possible. Max’s safety is essential. Keep me abreast of what’s happening. If the information’s important, you tell my staff to interrupt me.”
“What should I tell them?”
“It doesn’t matter what you tell them. Just get through to me.”