Page 16 of Behind These Four Walls

Kim tutted under her breath, then said, “I mean, buddy, do you know who you work for?”

He mumbled into the tiny communications unit on his shoulder.

She held the lanyard out the window. “Or I can leave it with you? Do you have one of those big yellow envelopes or something? She can come get it later when she has a moment, but I gotta get back to town, and these rideshares only have a five-minute wait before they have to go.”

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Kim said. “I’m here to see this little drama to the end.”

Isla waved the lanyard at the guard, beseeching him to take it from her and relieve her of this responsibility. He backed away even farther, as if the lanyard was the president’s football with all the codes to send nukes.

“Just give us a moment to get the word, ma’am.”

Isla balked.Ma’am.She touched her face, displeased with his choice of label.

“Ma’am,” she whispered. “Do I look like a ma’am?”

Kim chuckled. “Honey, they have to call everyone that. I think they even call kids ‘little miss’ or ‘young such and such.’ They’re super proper here, I heard. I have a cousin who used to work in the kitchen for them.”

The guard watched them warily as Kim and Isla switched to discussing the pros and cons of both rideshares.

A second guard jogged over to them. Beyond the gates, Isla spotted tiny headlights heading toward them.

“Barnwell, what are you doing? They’re waiting at the house, and a car will be here soon to take her.” The second guard was an older man in his forties and clearly the senior guard.

Isla asked, “Take who?”

Barnwell tried explaining, but his words were nothing more than hand gestures toward the locked door and at the two women, one glaring from the driver’s seat and the other looking as if she wanted to run.

“I just wanted to return the keys. I said I’d leave them at the gate,” Isla offered.

“Get back to the station and monitor the screens,” the older guard said to Barnwell before redirecting his attention to her. “Yes, my apologies, Miss Thorne.”

How he knew her last name was lost on her, and hearing him say it so easily threw Isla off.

“Miss Corrigan asked that you bring her belongings to the house. She’ll meet you there.”

Holland. That’s right,Isla thought with relief. They had introduced themselves when they first met.

Kim whistled, restarting the car’s ignition with gusto. “I should play numbers in the lotto, because what?” Exactly. Which was why Isla needed to play it cool and like getting inside was never in her plans.

Kim continued, “But we are in there. Hell, I just knew they were gonna turn us away faster than a hot flash at the country club’s garden party.”

The guard’s face colored. “Not you, ma’am, just her.”

Isla asked, “We can’t just drive in and out, then? I’m already in this car.”

He shook his head, his expression conveying his familiarity with doling out rejection and disappointment. “No, ma’am. No unapproved and unregistered cars on the premises.” He flicked his gaze at Kim, then back to Isla. “Ma’am.” His hand inched toward the door handle, prompting her.

A dark-silver sedan arrived and came to a stop inside the gate. Guard number two was much nicer. He offered Isla a smile as Kim unlocked the doors, clearly disappointed that she wouldn’t get to see the famed estate up close and personal.

Isla gathered her things and stepped from the air-conditioning into the mugginess. “Look, I’m just dropping this off. Can’t I just leave it with the person in the other car? Because how am I going to get back home, Mr. Groyer?” She sounded out the name written on his tag.

He stood straighter, and the smile he gave her went from polite respect to genuine kindness. Isla had learned from her father long ago that names were important. Referring to people, even those who served you, by their names let them know you saw them, because it was too easy for many to be unseen.

“They’ll find accommodations for your return.”

“I don’t feel right about leaving her like this when that wasn’t the plan.” Kim spoke up, in a true mama-bear move that Isla found touching.

“We’ll get her home safely, ma’am. You can turn around right here and have a safe drive back down and a good night, ma’am.”