Chapter Thirteen
“Out of all the men who came to my grandfather’s last gathering, Donald Benson is probably the scariest.”
Jonah glanced down at his notes. “Businessman out of Chicago?”
“Yes. I hacked into one of his bank accounts.” She shrugged. “It’s not under his name but his stepdaughter’s. Anyway, a couple of years ago, he sent twelve payments over a three month period, all under ten thousand dollars, to a bogus company in the Caymans. I think he had someone killed.”
Depositing a hundred thousand or so dollars to a secret account in the Caymans could mean just about anything, including payment for a hit, but Jonah was learning that Gabby had excellent instincts about her grandfather’s business associates.
“Why do you think he had someone murdered?”
“His first ex-wife died in a boating accident that same year. The boat exploded. The authorities blamed faulty wiring.”
Jonah jotted another note beside Benson’s name. Even though he was recording the conversation and Gabby had already written some of this stuff down herself, he was making his own notes, too. With all the info she had provided over the last couple of days, Justice was going to have a field day.
They were sitting in the first floor den. Gabby was curled up in a chair, sipping a cup of cocoa, gazing into the fire. After that first, uninformative interview, Jonah had moved their location to a more relaxed setting. And those types of interviews were over. They’d progressed from his blunt questions and her vague answers to real conversations.
He had made a mistake, treating her as if she were in some way responsible for her family’s antics. Gabby had no involvement in their illegal activities and without a doubt the things she was sharing would go a long way toward ending them.
“Oh, and there’s Marcel Dubois. He hasn’t been to a gathering in a couple of years. I’m not sure if he and my grandfather had a falling out or what happened, but about three years ago, the two had a secret meeting in Paris. About two weeks after that, my grandfather made a sizeable investment to Marcel’s corporation. About a year after that, my grandfather received a payment that was more than double his investment.”
“And you know this, how?”
“My grandfather uses an accounting firm in Caracas to handle many of his international transactions. I hacked into their system and accessed his accounts.”
She said the words casually but he saw the gleam in her eyes. She knew the information she was providing would cause an uproar. As much as he was glad to get the information, he wasn’t nearly as happy with the danger that would follow Gabby, not only from her grandfather, but other, possibly even more dangerous men.
“Did it ever occur to you what you might be opening up by digging into these men? The danger you’d be placing yourself in?”
“Yes and no.” Her eyes took on a distant look as she continued slowly, “At first it was like solving a puzzle. Seeing all the different pieces and figuring out how they fit together. The more I uncovered, the more outraged I became. Then it became a quest.”
She refocused on Jonah and gave him a solemn look. “It just wasn’t right.”
And that was the Gabby he was coming to know. She had a distinctly high moral code. It was little wonder she had been so isolated from her family. They were opposites in every way.
She set her empty mug on the table beside her and then shifted in her chair, reminding him that they’d been sitting for several hours. A break was definitely called for.
“Why don’t we take a breather until this afternoon?”
She sent him a grateful look. “Thank you. Talking about these people always makes me tense and out of sorts.”
“There’s a hot tub and sauna in the gym. That might help.”
“Sounds perfect.” She lifted her slender arms above her head and stretched in an effortless, graceful movement. The white turtleneck sweater she wore tightened against her chest, outlining her full breasts.
And just like that, Jonah was no longer thinking of criminals and the shitty things they did. Instead, his mind veered to the image of a beautiful woman with long, black hair, golden creamy skin, and luscious breasts. She was sitting in a steamy hot tub, her eyes were closed and a sensuous, dreamy smile was curving her lovely lips.
He surged from his chair like a rocket. “I need to do some things. I’ll see you later.”
“Wait.”
He’d already been striding toward the door but her words stopped him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was just wondering if there are any books or magazines here that I could read?”
Jonah cursed his lack of foresight. He’d been so focused on getting what he needed, he hadn’t given much thought to the restlessness Gabby must feel. She had asked for nothing since she’d been here. When he’d given her a spiral bound notepad and a writing pen, she’d acted as if he’d given her keys to a castle.
Glad to be able to give her something else, he said, “Follow me.”
Without hesitation, Gabby followed. Each day she knew this man, the more she liked him. She couldn’t say he was easy to get to know. He didn’t use pretty words or fake emotions. There was no double meaning to his statements. In fact, on more than one occasion, he had been painfully blunt. His lack of artifice was both refreshing and exhilarating.
They walked across the large foyer and headed up the stairway. “I can’t believe I still haven’t explored this house.”
“Go anywhere you like. The third floor’s got some good views of the mountain range. Kind of hard to see with the snow we’ve been having.”
It had been snowing for days. Even for a person who spent the majority of her time in seclusion, Gabby was feeling closed in. She had walked out onto the balcony of her bedroom a couple of times but had only been able to stay for a few minutes. The icy wind had almost taken her breath.
“It’s a beautiful house. Does it belong to the organization you work for?”
“Actually, no. This one belongs to the man himself.”
“And I still can’t know his name?”
“I think he wants to introduce himself. As soon as the weather calms down, he’ll come meet you.”
Before she could ask more questions, Jonah opened a large door on the second floor. Speechless, Gabby walked into one of the loveliest libraries she’d ever seen. The room was huge and circular in design. As she made a slow 360 degree turn, she gazed up in wonder at the tall wooden shelves stacked with more books than a person could read in several lifetimes.
On one side of the room, a beautiful spiral staircase led to a second level. On the other side were a massive stone fireplace, a large leather chair, and a giant sofa. From the gleaming cherry-wood shelves to the thick Persian rugs on the dark, hardwood floors, the library screamed elegance, grace, and comfort. Whoever had designed this library had the soul of a dreamer.
“I can’t imagine owning all of these books.” She returned her gaze to the silent man who still stood at the door. “Do you like to read?”
“Used to. Hated it when I was a kid but it grew on me when I got into college. Haven’t had time for it lately.”
“What did you study in college?”
“Business.”
“Did you go to a large school?”
“Yes. University of Texas.”
“Longhorns. Right?”
“How did you know?”
“Just a bit of useless trivia I picked up.”
His mouth tilted in an almost smile. “Hey, there’s nothing useless about the Longhorns.”
A shiver of excitement zipped up her spine. If just a half smile had that kind of impact on her, she could only imagine what a full smile from Jonah would do to her.
“So you think you can find something to read?”
She laughed, gazing up at the treasure trove. “I’m sure I can find one or two I haven’t read.”
She looked at Jonah again and almost stumbled. Any trace of amusement had disappeared from his face. She had no idea what he was thinking but his granite hard expression told her something was bothering him.
“Jonah? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
He stood silently for several more seconds, his eyes almost burning into hers. Then he abruptly shook his head and backed away. “Nothing’s wrong. I’ll see you later.”
“Thank you, Jonah. For this.”
Shrugging, he said, “Sure,” then disappeared out the door, closing it behind him.
Gabby stared at the closed door. She had never felt like this before. She was breathless and lightheaded but also felt amazingly, wonderfully alive. Exhilarated. All because of one intense look from Jonah Slater. If the man ever really did turn on the charm, she wasn’t sure she would survive. She was, however, quite sure she would enjoy every single moment.
Turning away from that sizzling thought, Gabby took in her surroundings again. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the wonderful fragrance of books, and smiled.