His Lovely Ward

Chapter 2

“No, I don’t think I’m in trouble,” Angelica uttered, her blue eyes wavering.

He didn’t personally know her that well, but he was sure that she was hiding something. As an expert observant, he could very well tell for certain.

He could have just taken her words and walked out the door, free of responsibilities, but he knew Patrick and the old man wouldn’t have risked Henry’s identity being exposed by writing that letter if he was not certain about it. He could have just ignored the request as well if he did not have a debt to pay. What a blasted lucky day for me, he muttered sarcastically inside his mind.

“Where is he?” he asked, changing the topic. He could deal with his old friend’s daughter later.

She seemed quite taken aback by his question, but she stepped back and led the way without a word.

 *****

Angelica felt like she was walking through a dream. Everything happened so fast when you look at it at a non-sleeping time, but she felt she was moving through time in a very slow motion. She was not yet over the shock over her father’s sudden death and now she just found out that she had an instant guardian like she was some orphaned ten-year-old.

Yeah, sure, Henry Bell was one hell of a handsome, gorgeous man--one she could make as her next target now that Philip’s not available.

It’s not such a bad idea, the wicked side of her whispered mischievously.

It might scare him away and that’s what you want right now, the other anti-guardian part added.

But what if you’re in real trouble? That scared voice said almost in panic.

What are police people for? That smart part answered.

Yeah, that’s right. She didn’t have to tell Henry Bell anything. Those guys who entered her father’s room could just be burglars or something.

Ordinary burglars can’t just come and go inside your father’s house, you idiot, that annoying know-it-all part of her mentally slapped her.

“I have to talk to Cole about this outrageous situation,” she finally decided out loud, breaking the silence between them. “I’m sure he’ll have some kind of explanation.”

“You can do that,” Henry uttered, nodding his head. Angelica stopped when they reached her father’s bedroom door.

“Some guys are coming to get him. Take your time. I’ll be in his study,” she announced, already making her way further down the hall. She had to call Cole and demand for an explanation. It’s just freaking unbelievable and unimaginable to have someone like Henry Bell as her guardian. It was too ancient to have one for heaven’s sake!

And before she forgot what she had to do next after calling Cole, she reminded herself that she also had to call the police. She would handle this her way.

 *****

The first thing Henry noted the moment he stepped inside Patrick Dalton’s room was not his dead body lying on the bed, but the opened drawers and the gentle flap of the drapes of one window right across the door. His innate instinct both as a fighter and observer kicked in.

Someone got in.

It was possible that Angelica Dalton knew about it or the break in happened while they were talking outside. Anyways, this was not good. It meant Patrick was seriously in trouble before he died.

Reminded of his old friend, he turned his head to the right and found the man lying on his huge bed, eyes closed, lips pursed. His body was covered with a thick cloth from chest down.