Lachlan hunted down all his guests and explained what had happened to Mac and that there’d been threats made on the estate. Lachlan made it clear the threats were obviously geared toward him and that their security team was working around the clock to keep everyone safe. Half the members left, anyway. More than just Camille and Barton, which Stone would soon realize. Those who stayed valued the privacy the estate offered over the danger. That might sound crazy to some, but sometimes peace was worth any cost.
Lachlan hoped those who left the estate respected their membership enough to remain quiet about the situation. If his reputation was tarnished, if Ardnoch lost its reputation as one of the most prestigious members-only clubs in the world, Lachlan faced selling it.
An estate that had been in his family for centuries.
He shrugged noncommittally at Stone.
“You’ll notify me immediately if anything else occurs.” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand.
Lachlan bristled.
“I have to keep my fiancée safe.”
“You’re perfectly safe here.”
“Well, your head of security was stabbed, so I’m not too sure about that.”
“You’re welcome to leave.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Lachlan. “Shouldn’t you be groveling to keep us all sweet so we’ll stay?”
He strode toward Stone, towering a few inches above his six feet. Stone was a good actor. He didn’t flinch a bit as Lachlan bent his head toward him. “I don’t fucking grovel. Stay or don’t stay.”
“Nice attitude toward your members, Adair. Guess Gabriella and I will be leaving first thing in the morning. And I don’t think we’ll be back.”
“Do what you want. No refunds on your annual fee,” he reminded Stone as he walked away. And knowing how much Stone liked being top of the food chain, he threw over his shoulder, “And good luck finding a club with a reputation as illustrious as Ardnoch.”
Only the best of the best became members at his home.
And Stone knew it.
Lachlan doubted he and his pop-star fiancée were going anywhere.
Still, this day was turning into an absolute shit show.
First, Robyn Penhaligon showed up at the hospital and gave him cheek. The woman couldn’t make it any clearer how little respect she had for him.
Irritating woman.
And then he’d returned to the estate to discover word had reached Roman Bright about the incidents and he’d canceled his annual “May Stay” at the estate until further notice. Roman was Hollywood royalty. His membership was important to Lachlan.
Stone’s little dig had pricked his insecurities. But if he let any of these people smell blood in the water, they’d go in for the kill. Lachlan had to make them feel like they needed him and not the other way around. They admired strength, popularity, and prestige, especially if it came with that elusive thing called privacy. But they also weren’t morons, and Lachlan didn’t blame Roman for not wanting to be at Ardnoch.
They needed to solve the case of the mystery stalker.
Fuck. His life sounded like a bloody Nancy Drew novel.
Although Lachlan owned a house on the edge of the Adair land just outside Ardnoch, sitting on the firth next to Thane’s home, he rarely stayed there. Lachlan kept a room at Ardnoch, one of the smaller suites on the third floor. He liked to be on-site as much as possible.
“You need a life outside of this place, Lachlan,” Arrochar had said more times than he could count. She’d repeated the same words only yesterday. “You need more to your life than Ardnoch. I’m worried about you.”
There was no reason to worry.
They would figure out who was causing all the trouble, Robyn would go home, and everything would return to normal.
The door to the Countess’s Suite opened, and Lucy Wainwright stepped into the corridor. The suite was not far from his and was one of the best in the castle. It would be. As a board member, Lucy got dibs. Whenever he knew she was coming, he made sure the Countess’s Suite was available.
She gave him the glamorous smile that made her fellow Americans fall in love with her. “Hey, you.”
Lachlan slowed to a stop. “Afternoon. Heading down for lunch?”
“Yeah.” Lucy closed the gap between them and touched the stain on his shirt. “What happened here?”
“Malcolm.”
She chuckled, her blue eyes glittering. “Again?”
He gave a huff of laughter. “Yes.”
“You hired him.”
“You said it was a good idea.”
“It is. The members love all things Scottish. That’s one of the reasons they come here.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, maybe not for the haggis.”
“That’s a matter of opinion.” Personally, he enjoyed a bit of haggis. “How are you about all of this?”
Lucy heaved a heavy sigh as she pushed a hand through her red hair, holding it back from her stunning face. “I was okay until Mac. Do you think it would be weird if I visited him today?”
“Why would it be weird? I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”
Lucy Wainwright was a name synonymous with Hollywood. She’d gotten her break eight years ago starring alongside Lachlan in one of his last action films. While he would go on to retire, Lucy took on more serious roles and became the latest Hollywood sweetheart, bagging herself an Oscar within three years of breaking out. They’d remained friends because Lucy understood what was important in life. She hadn’t gotten swept up in the fame game and all the bullshit that came with it.
So Lachlan asked her to become a board member. She loved Scotland and adored Ardnoch. Their friendship swerved for a while two years ago when they began a casual affair. They’d had sex for months before Lachlan decided any longer would be dangerous to their friendship. Lucy was one of those rare people who, like him, didn’t want anything more serious; she agreed that to continue might ruin their friendship. They amicably broke off the affair. Lucy started seeing another actor, and Lachlan returned to casual dating. Not long ago, he’d begun a long-distance, casual thing with Leighanne, a makeup artist he’d met during a visit to Glasgow.
Having Lucy in his life for almost a decade meant Mac was well acquainted with her. He wouldn’t find it strange that she cared enough to visit him.
“Arrochar said his daughter is here,” Lucy prompted.
Lachlan’s earlier agitation rose to the fore. “She’s here.”
“You don’t sound too happy about that?”
“She’s a pain in the arse. And her being here … I just … he doesn’t need that right now, you know.”
Lucy patted his chest. “Lachlan, maybe she’s exactly what he needs right now. Don’t you want Mac to spend time with his daughter, finally? I know if it were me and I had a chance to work things out with my dad, I’d want to.”
That surprised him. Lucy came from a crappy home life. Her father had abandoned her when she was a kid, leaving her with a selfish mother and a stepfather Lucy wouldn’t even talk about, she hated him that much.
“So you’re saying I should just let them get on with it.”
She grinned. “I know your need to manage people comes from a good place. I’ve never met anyone as protective as you. But yeah … you need to let them get on with it without any interference.”