Recluse (Wolfes of Manhattan 2)

“Sorry. You didn’t think he was a model citizen, did you?”

“Of course not. I knew none of you were fans, but…”

“You didn’t consider why none of us were fans?”

“But if Riley was his favorite, and he doted on her, why does she have…”

“Issues? Her diet, probably. Our mother always expected her to be the perfect little mini Connie Wolfe.”

“And she was your dad’s favorite?”

“God, yes. He whaled on Reid and me. Reid got the worst of it after Rock left. I was a loner. I learned how to avoid him. But Reid got his ass kicked regularly.”

“And Riley?”

“He wouldn’t dare lay a hand on his perfect princess,” I said. “She was everything to him. They went on special trips overseas and everything.”

“Wow. Really?”

“Yeah. Reid and I didn’t care too much, though. We hated the bastard, and he seemed to hate us. The last thing either of us wanted was to be alone with him anywhere.”

“Hmm.” She lifted her brow, looking pensive.

“What?”

“If she had such a good relationship with him, why hasn’t she been clamoring for a major memorial service sendoff?”

“Well, she’s not here, for one.”

“Why would she take off now?”

“Who knows? None of us knows why she takes off. Reid and I tried to help her when this first began, but we didn’t get anywhere.”

“It just seems, if they were so close, as you say, sharing trips and all…”

I shook my head. “Like I told you. I have no idea.”

But I did have an idea. An idea I couldn’t force to the forefront of my mind for fear of what I’d find there. Those images, those words… The things I couldn’t unbury…

But I had to. The time was coming.

If we were all going to find the truth, we needed all the facts.

Even those facts buried deep within my psyche.

The problem was…I wasn’t sure what bringing them to the surface would do to me.

And I didn’t want to find out.17CharlieI was riding in a limo. In a damned limo!

I’d come to Helena in a private jet, and now I was in a Hummer limo, going to the best hotel in the city.

Crazy, this life. So crazy.

Roy sat beside me, dressed in jeans, Italian leather shoes, a white shirt unbuttoned at the top, and a sports jacket.

And my God, he looked scrumptious.

He hadn’t come on to me on the plane, a fact which had surprised me quite a bit. We’d talked a lot, mostly about nothing in particular, but some about his family. His brothers and sister.

Riley Wolfe seemed to be as much of a puzzle to her brothers as she was to me.

If she and Derek Wolfe had been so close, why wasn’t she here mourning? Or if running off was her way to deal with stress, what had happened the other times she’d run off? How many times had she pulled this? I’d have to ask Roy. If he even knew. He wasn’t exactly family-centric.

We pulled into the hotel and the driver opened the door for me and helped me out of the limo. Crazy!

I didn’t like the fact that I was wearing the same suit I’d worn yesterday, but no one knew that except Roy, and he didn’t seem to care one bit. Why should I?

“Mr. Wolfe, Ms. Waters.” A tall and slightly masculine woman greeted us. “I’m Toni Franks, the hotel manager. We’re so pleased to have you as guests here. We’ve got a conference room set up for your meeting in an hour. In the meantime, the bellhops can get you settled in your suite.

Suite? What?

I must have looked surprised, because Roy said, “It’s a two-bedroom suite, Charlie.”

I jerked for a split second. He almost never called me Charlie. Usually silver, or if not that, honey or baby.

I’d have my own bedroom. In a suite.

A fucking suite!

I tried to contain my exuberance as the bellhop gathered our belongings and we walked into the hotel.

The suite was the ultimate in luxury. I’d thought the private jet was luxurious, but this…

Impeccably decorated with a modern flare, the suite boasted a full kitchen, a living area, a bar, and then closed doors which I assumed led to the bedrooms.

“Right this way, sir, to the master suite,” the bellhop said to Roy.

“The master is for the lady,” he said.

“Oh, I—”

“No argument, Ms. Waters,” he said, his dimples showing. “This is your first trip as a representative of Wolfe Enterprises, and I want it to be a memorable one.”

Ms. Waters?

Was that for show?

Roy Wolfe was just as much of a puzzle as his sister was.

The bellhop was tall and blond with a glint in his sparkling blue eyes. “Ms. Waters?” He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. Have you been to Montana before?”

His handshake was firm. “No, this is my first visit.”

“Get out and see it. Get out of the city if you can. There’s a reason we call it big sky country. It’s gorgeous here.”