Don't Loo Lie a Seal

Thanks to

Devir Ginator

for the edits. Any errors found are all mine.

A special nod to my friend

Jessica

who has made me want to be a better person. Sometimes I believe it's working.

Thanks for reading, voting and commenting!

*****

South Myrtle Beach

The Voss Estate

The Voss Estate was a palatial property that sat by itself in the richest section of housing in South Myrtle Beach. It was made up of a large main house, a smaller guesthouse, pool, tennis court, wine cellar, several floral gardens and its own private beach. I whistled my appreciation of the place as I drove up the winding driveway. I spotted Alex's Jag gleaming in the sunlight and pulled to a stop beside it. Alex was chatting with one of his guys when he glanced at his watch then at me.

"I'm not late," I said as I got out of my car.

"Imagine my surprise," He commented as he walked over to greet me. "This place sure is something isn't it?"

"What's something is that pat down I got at the front gate. I think the gate guard and I are legally engaged in this state now," I complained.

"Their guys are being a little overzealous since the incident," He shrugged. "Can't say that I blame them all that much."

"No, I guess that I can't," I nodded.

"It was probably the most action you've seen in a while, am I right?" Alex joked.

"You always were an asshole, Alex," I answered him.

"I learned from the best," He nudged me. "Are you ready to have a look around now?"

"I'm already pretty familiar with the layout," I answered him.

"Just how are you familiar with this place?" He asked confused then shook his head. "You did your research, right? Did you stay up half the night or all of it?"

"Half," I answered. "I don't sleep well anyway. What else was I going to do?"

"Call up that waitress and wear yourself out on her. Just the first thought off the top of my head," He stated.

"It would be," I chuckled. "This place look kind of familiar to you?"

Alex shrugged, looked around then paused.

"Now that you mention it," He stated.

"Have you found a secret tunnel in the wine cellar yet," I asked him. "You're the one that sniffed it out last time."

"That guy had great taste in wine. I nearly wept when we had to set the charges to blow the place," Alex recollected.

"You managed to snag some great souvenirs from that cellar as I recall," I smiled at him.

"I may have procured a couple of bottles that I have somewhere in my apartment waiting for just the right occasion," He smiled.

"Speaking of apartments, what in the hell are you doing in living in one?" I asked him. "A smooth operator like you, I figured that you would have a place like this by now."

"Apartment is a loose phrase," He corrected me. "It's more of a loft and it's nice."

"I'll bet. That Jag of yours is pretty amazing too. Handles like a dream," I smiled.

"Ugh, don't remind me," He said as he rubbed his stomach.

"She was in good hands," I told him.

"Yeah, it seems like you haven't lost your edge when it comes to driving, I'll give you that," He commented. "When was that last time you went to the range?"

"My groupings are still tight if that's what you're asking. You think I'll have to shoot somebody?" I asked him.

"They didn't hesitate to put three into Scott," He pointed out.

"And I won't hesitate to return the favor if the opportunity presents itself," I assured him. "Are we going to meet the family now or do you want me to show off my shooting skills first?"

"Keep it holstered," Alex stated. "Mr. Voss is on the tennis courts. Come on."

"Lead the way." I gestured.

We walked across the manicured lawn with its lush green grass that was laid out before us like a carpet. Paradise turned out to be an apt description. The air even smelled cleaner but that could have been the overabundance of flowers that were planted all over.

"Thanks for dressing up by the way," Alex said and managed to sound only mildly sarcastic.

I tugged at the tie that was doing it's best to strangle me then rubbed a hand down the arm of my dress jacket while I hoped I didn't feel any frays. While I walked next to Alex, who looked like he stepped out of some men's fashion magazine, I felt even more out of place.

"Just be glad I'm not wearing a t-shirt and shorts," I informed him. "Not all of us can look like we stepped out of GQ.

"You look more like you stepped out of Mad Magazine. Clothes make the man, Grayson," He smiled at me.

"You cover the cost for those Men in Black suits your people are wearing right? When do I get my mind eraser thingie?" I asked.

"You're an idiot," He sighed. "They are going to love you around here."

"If they need me to dress up for some shindig or whatever I can rent a suit. They still do that right?" I asked.

"Don't you ever want to fit in some place, Grayson?" He asked.

"Look around you Alex," I said as I spread my arms. "This is your world I'm just visiting it."

"It is and it could be yours too is all I'm saying," He stated.

"Uh huh," I shook my head. "Sure it could."

In the distance, I heard what sounded like a basketball being bounced. I glanced at Alex who shrugged and continued to lead me on. We reached the fence that surrounded the tennis court where Mr. Voss was shooting hoops. He dribbled the ball, stepped back beyond the three-point line then took his shot. The ball rattled around the hoop for a second before it fell in.

"Nice shot Mr. Voss," Alex called out.

"Thank you, Mr. Kortesis." Mr. Voss nodded as he retrieved the ball and walked toward us.

Mr. Voss grabbed a nearby towel and wiped the sweat from his brow as he appeared to size me up.

"So you're the new guy Alex was telling me about?" He asked.

"Yes sir," I nodded and offered him my hand. "Kenneth Grayson. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Grayson," He stated as he shook my hand. "Alex tells me that you were on his Seal team along with Mr. Brannock."

"Yes, sir," I nodded.

"You were injured in the same incident as the others," He asked. "Anything that would impair you from protecting my family?"

"Nerve damage. Left forearm," Alex answered before I could. "It won't be a problem."

"It doesn't even affect my jump shot," I smiled.

Mr. Voss smiled at that and handed me the ball. I dribbled it a couple of times then took my shot. The ball rattled in and Mr. Voss nodded while Alex shook his head. I walked over, retrieved the bouncing ball and passed it back to Mr. Voss.

"Nice shot," He commented then passed it back to me. "Did you play much ball?"

"When I was younger, I spent a lot of time on the court. Anything that kept me out of the orphanage was a godsend," I answered as I took the ball, dribbled it then passed it back to him.

He spun toward the rim and popped a jumper that went in.

"Did you play any college ball?" He asked.

"No sir, I uh... enlisted when I turned eighteen. I was a pretty decent grenade thrower though," I smiled and Alex audibly groaned.

"Well hopefully we won't need that particular skill around here anytime," Mr. Voss chuckled.

"You won't have to worry about that, sir," Alex assured him.

"Alex, can you head up the house and tell my girls that we'll be up shortly?" Mr. Voss asked him.

"Yes sir," He said then looked at me quizzically for a moment before he walked away.

"I know it may look like I'm insensitive to the situation with your friend but I assure you that I'm not," He started.

"I would never presume to think you were insensitive, sir," I assured him.

"I appreciate that, Ken," He nodded. "While I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Brannock, Lissa is like a daughter to me. We are discreetly taking care of all of his medical expenses."

"I appreciate that sir and Scottie's as tough as they come. He'll pull through this," I said.

"I hope that you're right about that. Shooting hoops helps me think and I have a lot to think about," He stated.

"Like who wants to kidnap your daughter?" I put forth.

He handed me the ball and I took a shot that swished the net. He picked it up on the bounce, turned and put up a jumper of his own.

"Something like this and you look at your potential enemies list. It's worrisome when that number reaches double digits," He sighed. "It makes you wonder if this is all worth it."

"Alex is thorough, sir," I told him. "I'm sure that he's already narrowed the list down to the most likely candidates."

"How worried should I be?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure I should be the one to answer that, sir," I said.

"You strike me as a person that won't bullshit me, Mr. Grayson," he said. "So please indulge me."

"The threat level is pretty high right now simply because we don't know who we're dealing with," I stated. "Was this a simple snatch and grab for ransom or was this business motivated? Are you political in any way?"

"An occasional donation to a campaign here or there but that's all," He shared.

"Then we can probably begin to rule that out as a motive but not entirely since you are an influential presence. Sir, we just don't know enough yet," I said. "Hopefully Detectives Young and Lang find something more at the crime scene today they can use to find these guys."

"You've met with the detectives?" He asked.

"I stopped by the crime scene this morning on my way here. I wanted to have a look around for myself and see how it happened," I explained. "They found there was a third vehicle that looked to be involved with the kidnapping attempt. They called in their crime scene techs to go over the area. Hopefully, that will produce some leads."

He tossed me the ball and waited for me to shoot. I do and this one rims out.

"I need to know that you will be here to protect my family, Ken, and not off trying to get some vengeance for your friend," He said.

"Nothing is more costly, nothing is more sterile than vengeance," I quoted.

"Why does that sound familiar," he asked me.

"Winston Churchill. An odd choice I know but we had some training with the British SAS and their team leader told me that one time. Guess it stuck with me," I explained.

"I was always partial to if you go out searching for vengeance dig two graves, one of your enemy and one for yourself," He shared.

"I like that one too, reminds me of an old Clint Eastwood western. All I'm saying is that revenge isn't something I go out looking for. So while I may assist the police in catching these guys I won't be going off like some action movie star looking for a showdown," I assured him. "My job is to protect your family and that's what I'm going to do."

"A man's got to do what a man's got to do. That I can understand and I appreciate your honesty," He nodded then looked at me for a few moments as if evaluating me. "All right, son, let's go introduce you to the family."

****

He led me to the backyard where the pool was located. I spotted Alex standing next to a table where three women were seated. Detectives Young and Lang were standing there as well along with a couple of men that I didn't recognize. The one in the dark suit that wore sunglasses and a stern expression when he saw me I figured was the head of Voss' usual security team. The other man was in an expensive looking but rumpled suit. He looked worried but most of the people here looked to be on edge. Kidnapping attempts had that effect on most people.

"We've got our crime scene guys going back over the attempted abduction site at the moment," Det. Young was stating to the others as Mr. Voss and I walked up.

She looked at us and nodded toward me.

"Since Mr. Grayson here was so helpful to point out the possibility of a third car being involved so we're hoping that discovery will yield some new clues," She finished.

"They just happened to be there this morning as I was driving by. I just stopped to see if I could help," I stated mostly to Alex who glared at me for sticking my nose into the investigation.

"He was very helpful. Mr. Grayson gave us something new to look for and thankfully we found it," Det. Young said and glanced at her partner. "We should be heading back out there to see if the techs found anything else."

"Detectives, if you'll allow me to introduce Mr. Grayson to my family and then we'll walk you out," Mr. Voss told them.

They nodded in response and each accepted a glass of tea that was offered by Mrs. Voss.

"Anna, Addison, Karly, this is Mr. Kenneth Grayson as you've no doubt figured by now. He's going to be working the night shift on our security detail," He said by way of introduction.

I nodded at the three women gathered at the table. Mrs. Anna Voss looked as though she could be royalty the way she held herself but I could see lines of worry playing across her lovely features. The daughters could both be fashion models. The eldest daughter Addison whom I'd already met had dark auburn hair like her mother and was curvy and on the short side. Karly, their youngest, had dyed her hair a strawberry blonde with darker red streaks in it. She was clearly the rebel of the family with her Ramones T-shirt and torn black jeans. The family resemblance was strong between mother and daughters. Before I could greet them the guy in the dark suit spoke up.

"Mr. Voss, we need to run a background check and discuss bringing in new people first," Cassidy Williams, head of the Voss' normal security said.

"Ken, this is Cassidy Williams," Mr. Voss introduced. "He's the head of our security as you most likely have figured out."

"Nice to meet you," I said and offered my hand.

Mr. Williams glanced at my offered hand then glared at Alex who just smiled back at him. He reluctantly shook my hand then folded his arms back across his chest and glared at me.

"You can run your checks on Mr. Grayson at any time, Cassidy," Mr. Voss stated. "As of right now, he's on the night shift until further notice. Understood?"

"Understood, sir," Mr. Williams nodded curtly.

"It's nice to meet you both," I said as I turned to Mrs. Voss and Karly then turned to Addison. "Nice to see you again, Miss Voss."

"Jesus Addison, don't you have enough guys watching your every move already!" Karly snapped as she got to her feet before she stomped off clearly upset by all the attention her older sister was getting.

"Karly Renee!" Her mother called out as the door to the house slammed shut.

"I'm so very sorry Mr. Grayson, Detectives, she isn't normally like that," Mrs. Voss assured us.

"No worries ma'am," Det. Young smiled. "Lang and I both have little sisters and know what a handful they can be."

"And the stress of all that has happened doesn't help matters," I added.

"Agreed," the man I hadn't been introduced to said. "This has all been exceedingly stressful for everyone."

"Ken, this is my CFO, Frank Nelson," Mr. Voss stated. "He's here to go over some things since I'm taking some time away from the office."

"Mr. Nelson," I offered my hand.

He shook it briefly without looking at me.

"I know, Frank, I know," Mr. Voss waved his hand before Mr. Nelson could speak. "Just a few more minutes."

"Thank you all for your understanding," Mrs. Voss stated then decided to ignore the outburst for now and question me. "Mr. Kortesis tells us that you haven't worked for him long. Is that correct?"

"No ma'am I haven't," I answered and intended to tell her that I haven't worked for Alex at all but he interrupted me.

"We were on the same SEAL team with Scott and Mr. Grayson is a private investigator also, so he's well qualified for this sort of thing I assure you, Mrs. Voss," Alex told her.

Mr. Williams let a dissatisfied grunt slip out but he was mostly ignored.

"He's fine Anna," Mr. Voss said to his doubtful looking wife and smiled. "We can trust him."

"Had a little bonding moment already did you?" She asked with a slight smile.

"You know how I like to conduct my interviews, honey. Mr. Grayson here passed muster just fine," Mr. Voss answered.

"Mr. Grayson, I don't shoot a basketball like my husband but I do crochet so if you want to bond with me I guess you'd better grab your knitting needles," She smiled at me.

"While I can do a little sewing I'm afraid knitting is beyond my grasp," I smiled back.

"It is a learned skill but with sewing, you are well on your way to knitting all sorts of things," she said. "It seems as though I'll have some time to teach you since you are going to be around. When do you start."

"I'd like him to start tonight," Alex answered and glanced at Cassidy. "I'm sure that you can work him into your rotation, Mr. Williams."

"I'll see what I can do," He answered through gritted teeth.

"If I may make a suggestion," Det. Young chimed in. "If there isn't anyone currently staying in your guesthouse why not have Mr. Grayson move in there for the duration of this. It will give Mr. Kortesis his own onsite security twenty-four seven to compliment Mr. Williams crew."

"We're currently remodeling the guest house I'm afraid. We're making it a gym so most of the amenities have already been taken out," Mr. Voss explained.

"It still has the bedroom upstairs that hasn't been disturbed along with the bath that's attached," Mrs. Voss added. "There isn't a kitchen but ours is more than adequate here in the house."

"I suppose that it is though we should ask Mr. Grayson his thoughts on the matter," Mr. Voss stated then looked over at me.

"I really don't see the need since you already have your head of security onsite already," I nodded toward Mr. Williams. "I'd just be in the way I'm sure. It's not that far a drive for me to get here anyway."

Alex gave me an odd look but I chose to ignore him.

"If you think that's for the best but know that the offer still stands for you if you change your mind. I'd only need a day to have construction stopped so they won't be barging in on you the next morning," Mr. Voss stated.

"With this threat I would suggest that you stop construction today," Det. Lang interjected. "Limiting the number of people who have access to the estate would give the kidnappers less of a chance to slip in unnoticed."

"I'll contact the company as soon as I get in and let them know," Mr. Voss nodded.

"I can do that for you," Mr. Nelson said.

He pulled out a cell phone and stepped away from the group to make the call.

"Excuse me. I should take this," Det. Young said as her own phone began to ring.

"Karly isn't going to like that. Stopping the construction I mean," Addison pointed out having noticed her younger sister taking a shine to one of the construction workers.

"I know that she was eyeing one of the workers but she'll just have to get over it," Mrs. Voss stated. "It's only a few weeks until she's off to London for school anyway so it's for the best."

"That was one of the techs at the crime scene," Det. Young stated as she hung up her phone. "They have some questions for Lang and me."

"We should get going then," Det. Lang nodded.

"If anything comes from what we found this morning we will be in touch," Det. Young assured us all.

"Thank you, Detective," Mr. Voss said. "We appreciate all of your efforts in this matter."

"I should show Ken here around before his shift starts unless there's something else that you need to discuss," Alex commented.

"Nothing I can think of. Do you have any more questions for him, Anna?" Mr. Voss asked.

"None that I can think of but I'm sure if I think up something he will make himself available to me this evening," She stated.

"Yes, ma'am," I answered her with a nod.

Mr. Williams led the detectives toward the house so Alex decided to take me back to my car by walking around the outside of the large house.

"Avoiding Williams," I asked him once we were out of earshot of the family.

"He hasn't been all that welcoming of my guys," Alex pointed out. "And he seems to really dislike you already."