Chapter Five
Cole was already up, showered, and wearing nothing but jeans when JL made her way into the kitchen in the morning. She wore one of his T-shirts, hanging halfway down her thighs, her sun-streaked blonde hair a tangled fall of gold, eyes the blue of a summer sky and still heavy-lidded from sleep. He got out a mug and filled it for her from the machine, and she took it with a grateful smile.
“We slept late,” she pointed out.
He nodded. “We did.”
A tiny smile tweaked the corners of her mouth. “Someone wore me out last night.”
“Someone got a little worn out himself.” He chuckled. “I know you must be chomping at the bit to get to the lab. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll run you in.”
She glanced at the clock on the stove. “I texted Miles when I got up. He’s already there, as usual. Lordy, the kid must never sleep. Anyway, I told him what I needed him to do before I got there, so he’s good to go for the moment.”
“He certainly seems eager,” Cole commented and took a sip of coffee.
“He is. I was lucky to get him. He came highly recommended by his professors at Texas A&M.” She laughed. “He’s very excited to be part of this project.”
“Let me remind you again, if you’re successful, you’ll revolutionize the grain industry.”
“I hope.”
“I’m sure that’s why all these people are after you and your work.”
“And why it’s also a good reason for me to meet them face-to-face and see if I can get a sense of them,” she pointed out. “Although I haven’t heard from the Cervantes man for a while. Maybe he gave up and went back to Argentina.”
“Or maybe he’s just regrouping. Trying to scope out what the others are doing. Planning a more aggressive approach.”
Cole tightened his grip on his coffee mug. Just the thought of JL being around these people made him edgy. He’d seen the worst faces of humanity and knew what greed could do to people. The kind of danger they presented. He glanced out the big kitchen window. Outside, the scene was so peaceful: men doing ranch chores, working on horseback, a small group of calves being herded into a pen. Inside they spoke about the ugliness of human beings. “But I don’t trust any of these people.”
The best he could hope for, he thought, was to control the circumstances and take every safety precaution possible.
She nodded. “However you want to do this. I’ll agree to whatever you want as long as I can make it happen. I just want to see what kind of energy field each of them is wrapped in. Maybe one of them honestly wants to produce this for the common good.”
“And maybe tomorrow I’ll win the lottery. Come on, darlin’. Get real.”
“I know. I just . . .” She lifted a shoulder, let it drop.
Cole set his mug on the counter, took hers from her hand and placed it next to his, and pulled her into his arms. He loved the way her round softness fit against his body, the way her breasts pressed against his chest. He stroked a hand up and down the length of her spine, trying to soothe her, to ease some of the anxiety gripping her. Trying to create a formula like the one she worked on was hard enough in and of itself. To have all this other shit dumped on top of it would eventually take its toll if he couldn’t do something about it.
“Let’s try this,” he suggested, resting his chin on the top of her head. “Let me figure out the best place to meet. And I say lunch would be good because you can define the time parameters. I know it’s right in the middle of your workday, but—”
“No, it’s okay. I think that’s best, too.”
She tilted her head back, her mouth so tempting he had to brush a gentle kiss over it. Jesus, she just always tasted so good. He pulled the kiss back only with great effort.
“We’ll do them one at a time. Listen to what they have to say. And I want to ask any questions I think are necessary.”
“Okay. Yes. Whatever.” She blew out a breath. “But you have to promise to listen to whatever I tell you. Accept that I know what I’m seeing.”
He studied her expression. There was something more behind all this than just the immediate situation. He wanted to ask her about it but sensed also this might not be the time. Whatever it was, the same thing kept her from taking the next committed step in their relationship. Sooner or later, he’d find a way to get her to tell him.
Meanwhile, they had to get past this situation. All of his Spidey senses were at work here. According to JL, the phone calls had been persistent but polite. Nonthreatening. But he didn’t buy it. Especially when he’d found out someone had actually come to the lab twice, trying to get in to see her. He made a mental note to call Andy and see what else he’d turned up on these people.
“Well?” She nudged him. “You good with that?”
He pressed a light kiss to her lips. “I’m good with keeping you safe. We’ll make it work, though. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks.”
“I spoke with Grant about getting new security installed ASAP. I’m not budging on that.”
“It’s not as if we’re working on a national security project here, Cole.”
“This could be even more valuable,” he pointed out. “You’ve got all these money-hungry powerhouse companies hot on your cute little heels. I’m not taking any chances. Anyway, Grant agrees with me that the situation needs the best protection available.”
JL frowned. “I don’t want them to have to spend any more money than they already are. This lab setup is expensive.”
“I agree. So I had a conference call about it with Dan and Mark and Rick. Everyone else was out somewhere on a project.”
“Yeah? What did they say?”
He smiled and toyed with a strand of her hair. “They agreed with me on the need for high-tech protection. And it just so happens to fit in with agency plans.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “What kind of plans?”
“We’ve got some new high-tech stuff we want to test out before we start selling it to our clients. They agreed this would be the perfect place to try it out.”
“But—” she broke in again.
“But nothing. He’ll give me a call today and let me know when they can schedule it. And it won’t cost the association one single penny.”
She blew out a breath. “Can’t argue with that, can I?”
“Don’t even try.” He grinned, then touched his mouth to hers again.
Heat shot through him as it always did. A good thing she gave him a gentle shove before they could get sidetracked.
“Work first. Besides, you need to get a shirt on, and I need to shower and put myself together.” Then she gave him a slow look from beneath her lashes. “Fun and games later.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” He grinned.
She started to walk out of the room, then snapped her fingers and turned back to him. “Damn. I told Dad I’d be home tonight. You know I don’t like to leave him alone too many nights in a row.”
He yanked her toward him and wrapped his arms around her, the hardened thickness of his cock pressing against his fly.
“I don’t think you should leave me alone, either,” he teased.
“We’ll work something out.” She disentangled herself from him. “And, now, I really do have to get going.”
Cole was still chewing over JL’s idea, though, when he dropped her off at the lab. On the drive back to the ranch, he called Phoenix and got Andy on the horn.
“I was just about to send you a file,” Andy told him. “The Dragon and I always come through.”
“So noted.” Cole swallowed a laugh. The computer genius was a huge addition to the agency. They had found him through Faith Halloran, and the men believed him worth whatever they had to pay him. “I take it you found some interesting things?”
“The Dragon and I can breach every boundary.” Digging deep and finding hidden nuggets always got Andy excited. “The file is on its way to you . . . right now. There. You can pick it up on your tablet or phone. Call me after you read it.”
Cole had to fight the urge to pull over to the side of the road and access the information, but he made himself wait until he was back at the ranch. Sitting at the counter in the kitchen with a fresh mug of coffee, he accessed the file and scrolled through it.
“Damn,” he muttered. “Double damn.” Saving the file, he speed-dialed Dan on his cell.
“How’s the construction going?” was the first thing Dan asked. “I should be back in San Antonio by the weekend and thought I’d drive down and take a look.”
“It’s going great,” Cole assured him. “And I found a pilot. Mitch Parker. Jace recommended him, and we met yesterday. If you’re coming down here, we can get together, and you can check him out yourself. I sent Andy everything I had on him so he could do a deep background check. Just in case.”
“Then let’s make it happen. I’m thinking Saturday, if that works for you?”
“Just text me when you’re on the way.”
“I’m guessing that’s not exactly why you called, though. Right?”
“Right.” Cole took a swallow of coffee. “You now this problem JL’s been having with the phone calls?”
“Yeah, you mentioned something last time we spoke.” Dan’s voice turned serious. “They turning into something more?”
“I wasn’t sure. I just didn’t like the persistence, so I had Andy dig a little deeper.”
“And?”
“None of them looks good as far as I’m concerned.” He rubbed his jaw. “Grigsby Industries is losing its hold on the grain-and-feed market. Getting this formula could give Cassandra Grigsby an international presence as well as be a huge shot in the arm for the corporation. She’s climbed over a lot of bodies to get where she is. Her old man was a bastard, and the word is she’s cut from the same cloth.”
“Strong motivation there,” Dan agreed. “And a dangerous woman.”
“She’s only the tip of the iceberg. Next up we have Thiago Cervantes. He’s one of three brothers with a huge estancia in Argentina. Also in the feed business and being shoved out by a company in Brazil. They have a lot of resources and not too many scruples. The word is they’ll do anything to stay on top of the hill. Tomas, the eldest, especially. People either get out of his way or sometimes even disappear.” He blew out a breath.
Dan made a rude noise. “Yeah, I’ve heard of him. We have clients in Argentina, and no one has a good word to say about that family. The kindest thing they call them is ruthless.”
“And finally we come to Damon Horner, the real asshole of the bunch. And known to be rolling in money.” Cole paused. “While he’s certainly not in the food-stamps line, at least not yet, Andy found some very shaky steps on his corporate ladder. He could use a real winner right about now, or his big house of cards might collapse.”
“So, what’s your plan? I assume you have one. And what can the rest of us do?”
Cole explained what JL had in mind, and the other man agreed it would be a good idea.
“I know this psychic stuff is new to you,” Dan said, “but trust me. All of us have benefited from our wives’ abilities more than once. Just make sure your ass is covered from all sides.”
“Oh, I plan to. She’s nervous about it, for a lot of reasons, but she agrees we need to know how serious each of the threats is. Since Jace is already on board, I’m going to tap him for backup. As soon as we have the meetings in place I’ll let you know.” He paused. “I told JL about installing new security.”
“She give you a problem on it?”
“Not when I told her it wouldn’t cost the association a dime.”
Dan laughed. “I’ll bet. Okay, I’ll make the calls, and by the time I see you on Saturday, I should have the information and a schedule.”
“I’ll look forward to seeing you.”
Cole sat at the counter for a long time after he disconnected the call, letting all the details Andy had sent him run through his mind. He’d only given Dan a brief overview. These people were smooth on the surface and slimy underneath. He’d have to make sure JL didn’t accidentally put her head on the chopping block.
Finishing his coffee, he rinsed the mug and set it in the dishwasher. He’d run down to check on the hangar, then drive into town to scope out places for the meetings JL would set up. When he had everything fixed in his mind, he’d give Jace Whitney a call.
Damon Horner stood looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office.
“Give it one more shot,” he told Leo Guerra. “Pull out all that charm you’re supposed to be famous for. Invite her to lunch. Dinner. Whatever. If she still turns you down, I might take a run at her myself.”
“And if she still says no?” Guerra asked.
Horner shrugged. “There’re a lot of ways to convince people to do something if money won’t buy them.”
Damon Horner had climbed over a lot of bodies to build his empire. He wouldn’t balk at adding a few more, if necessary, especially to save what he had. He’d never been particularly overburdened with scruples.
“You don’t even know how close she is to making the formula work,” the other man pointed out.
“I’m hoping that’s something you can weasel out of her.”
“And you aren’t worried about the guy she’s hanging out with? Cole Martin?”
Horner dropped into his desk chair. “Penny ante compared with me. He’s got a small ranch, about the same size the woman’s father has. He may have roots in the community, but money always talks the loudest.”
Guerra snorted. “It doesn’t seem to be working with the woman.”
“I told you, I have other options. Meanwhile, just to keep our asses covered, why don’t you dig up anything else you can find on this Martin guy. You said he’s a former marine, but what else do we know about him, except that he’s running that ranch now? And scope out the lab.”
“I’ll get on it right away.”
“And find out how tight his relationship is with the woman.”
Cole stood in the center of the massive steel building, looked around, and nodded in satisfaction. With the work nearly completed, there was more than enough room for the helicopter to be headquartered there, the smaller of the two Phoenix planes when necessary, and three SUVs. Those vehicles currently sat at Texas Armoring Corporation—TAC—in San Antonio, where they were being made as bulletproof as humanly possible.
TAC had an international reputation for doing it better than anyone in the world. Cole knew Mark Halloran had turned the agency on to them; now every vehicle Phoenix owned, including the personal ones the wives drove, was thoroughly armored and bulletproof. Phoenix dealt with some nasty people, and even the women could be targets. What better company to use than one whose client portfolio included prominent heads of state, politicians, religious leaders, business executives, diplomats, celebrities, athletes, and royal families. As soon as Cole could wrestle JL’s car away from her, he planned to have them do their thing with it.
A storage shed outfitted with biometric locks sat at one end of the new building and held a full array of weapons and ammunition as well as other equipment that might be needed, like night-vision goggles. Next to it was a small bathroom and the office Abe Ludwig would use. The longtime foreman on the ranch was turning sixty-five and had eagerly accepted Cole’s offer to step into a less strenuous situation.
As they walked through the facility today, the man sounded as proud as a new father. It was a win-win situation for Cole: he was able to give a productive job to a man who had been with the Martin family for years, while putting someone still sharp and alert, and who was a crack shot when necessary, in place.
The crew from the security company arrived while Cole was there, and he went over the specs with them before they started to work on a state-of-the-art system. Then, after checking in with the new foreman at the ranch, a ranch hand who had been with them since before Cole deployed the first time, he took off to scope out locations for JL to hold her face-to-face meetings.
What he wanted, he thought as he drove around, was someplace with plenty of people around yet an air of privacy.
Yeah, right, he snorted to himself. Like an enclosed booth on the Riverwalk?
Should he keep the meeting in Clayton or move it into San Antonio? Big crowds, or more contained space?
Drive yourself crazy, why don’t you?
He didn’t trust any of them. But then he’d naturally become suspicious of a large part of the population. Two tours of duty with the marines in Afghanistan had taught him exactly how untrustworthy human beings were. He had wished from the beginning this whole project had been kept under wraps. Someone could have come up with a good cover story for why she worked in a privately funded lab. Hell, he’d have come up with one himself if push had come to shove. But because funding came in from other statewide associations across the country, they hadn’t tried to hide what she was doing. The Texas association was determined to share the miracle grain if the formula worked.
He certainly had no idea how long something like this could take to develop. Some projects took years. He hoped that wasn’t the case here. He wanted JL done and finished with it. Then, maybe he could find out what kept circling in the back of her mind and how to get her to move forward with the rest of their lives.
He had no idea what that could possibly be. All he knew was she’d lived in Seattle for a few years, working for a lab there, then suddenly quit her job and come home. He had done as much research on her time there as he could with what he had immediately available, but no matter what search engines he used, nothing out of the ordinary popped up. He sensed something had happened, something she would not talk about.
He could, of course, put Andy on it. The Dragonslayer, as he liked to call himself, could find out how many freckles a man had on his ass. He didn’t feel comfortable, though, using Phoenix Agency resources for his personal projects. Maybe he’d try digging a little deeper. He was aware the risk he was taking, If she found out she’d be furious. But if it was something screwing up her life and he could help her with it, he wanted to know.
He finally stopped for lunch in the early afternoon and discovered what he thought would be a perfect place. Sandino’s was located on the northwest side of San Antonio, a stand-alone building in an open-air shopping center. Busy outside, very quiet inside, and with booths that were constructed for maximum privacy but easy egress.
And good food, he was happy to note. Although he didn’t think that would make much difference to JL. She’d be focused on something else entirely.
He took out his cell to call her and see how things were going today. He tried not to interrupt, knowing how much concentration the work required, but all this outside pressure made him edgy. He’d also feel a lot better if he could convince her to move in with him. He wanted to be able to protect her at all times, even if she still held back on making the commitment permanent.
Leo Guerra sat at a window table in Feed Me, sipping his coffee and pretending to eat a wedge of pie and read the newspaper. His third time eating at the place, he figured he was about at the end of his visits. Clayton was such a small town. Strangers like him stood out like a sore thumb. The middle-aged waitress had done her best to engage him in conversation the first time, and he’d had to come up with a good cover story, fast. And not be rude to her. Rudeness always lodged in someone’s mind. As far as the town knew, he was looking for some land in the county. He’d even visited a real estate agent—once—to keep up his cover.
But he couldn’t be too active about that, either. Too much familiarity, and if—no, when—something happened, the first face people would remember was that of a stranger nosing around. He was only glad in the meetings he’d attended for Horner he’d found out where they’d decided to set up the lab.
The small restaurant was near the end of the block, a convenient location for him. Across the street on the corner stood the limestone-and-stucco building housing the lab where the grain Horner was hot after was being developed. No sign marked the outside of the building, and the windows had been painted black.
Three cars were parked in the lot adjacent to the building, the ones he’d checked out before lunchtime. Probably belonged to the same three people he’d seen the morning he first came to the lab. One of them was the woman, the other was probably her lab assistant, and the third looked like a security guard changing shifts.
In the hour or so he’d been sitting there, he hadn’t seen one other person enter or leave.
He really wanted to check out the area more, from all angles. He couldn’t exactly ask questions, but nosing around an unmarked building presented a sure way to put him on everyone’s radar.
And that damn Cole Martin had showed up again. Didn’t he ever stay at his ranch, for the love of God? Leo didn’t like having him thrown into the mix.
He could only stretch out reading the paper for so long. When the waitress came to refill his cup yet again, he shook his head and asked for the bill. Time to hit the road and figure out when to try again.
But as he approached his car at the curb, he saw an SUV turn in at the building containing the lab. The one the guy in the Stetson drove. How lucky could he get? Maybe today he could find the man’s involvement.
He strolled down the street, casual in his gait yet moving fast enough to catch sight of his prey. Sure enough, the man climbed out of the vehicle and walked to the front of the building. And he wasn’t wearing his Stetson, although he had it in his hand. Before he could clap it on his head, Leo managed to snap a quick series of shots. Sticking his cell in his pocket, he climbed into his car, cranked the engine, and pulled slowly out into the street.
Although he hadn’t gathered any additional information, he did have a picture of the wildcard, and maybe he could identify him. When he got back to the office, he’d run them through some of the software programs Horner had invested in. A man as paranoid as his boss used every electronic and technical means available to identify and keep track of his enemies, the number of whom seemed to multiply regularly. Maybe this guy could help them get access to the lab.
He knew Horner would take any edge he could get.
Cassandra Grigsby stared out the window of the company SUV she’d borrowed. The coffee she’d picked up at Starbucks after she exited the interstate was long gone, along with the brownie she’d bought as a spur-of-the-moment indulgence. Still she sat, studying the building on the corner.
She certainly had come a long way since the day her father had died and left the reins of a small company to his daughter. A lot of the years since then had been filled with struggles, first establishing her knowledge and legitimacy to run the business, and then expanding in the face of skepticism. But she’d done it. Made it pay off big-time.
Of course, she’d sacrificed anything resembling a personal life to do it. The corporation had been her mate, her lover, her everything. When she had the occasional sexual itch, she scratched it with discreet strangers. And then, just when she was convinced she could relax and concentrate on herself for a change, the economy had shifted, forcing her again to fight for what was hers. Not merely to grow it but also to save it.
Well, she’d done it once. She could do it again. And she wasn’t about to be thwarted in this, a project that could put her company in a select circle. She’d rule the industry, expand internationally, finally be the one calling all the shots. Nothing would stop her. People who thought her soft made a huge mistake. She wasn’t above destroying anyone to get what she wanted. She might look like a lady on the outside, but inside she was a cold, hard bitch, and she enjoyed every minute of it.
She still couldn’t believe they’d set the lab up right here in the middle of this little town. If this had been her project, she’d have everything hidden away in a secure location. The damn fools even had a phone listed in the name of the association chairman, Grant Summerfield.
Idiots.
But, of course, none of them seemed to think either the woman or the lab needed secrecy of any kind. The project had been discussed openly at meetings, probably because of the votes needed to allocate funds to a project of this magnitude. This was a good thing they funded, they told each other, anxious for all the ranchers who constantly fought drought to be aware of it.
She was surprised there hadn’t been a horde of people trying to do exactly what she was. Although, she thought, if others chased after the prize, they wouldn’t discuss it any more than she would. Or make their efforts obvious. She had cautioned everyone on her team to be completely circumspect in attempting to set up a meeting with JL Mitchell, so why should she expect less from anyone else?
Unfortunately for her, they’d all hit a wall. Each one had taken a turn calling, adhering to her low-key mandate. But with no results, Gene had finally come out here and tried to see her. Cass had tapped him to make the meeting because of his high success record in situations like this, but he hadn’t even gotten past the guard. Maybe this took a woman’s approach, as sexist as that sounded even to her own ears.
So, today, she’d decided to check things out for herself. On the drive from San Antonio, she had turned a lot of ideas over in her mind. Call first and let the woman know she’d made a special trip to see her for a few minutes of her time? She wasn’t sure anyone would even be at the lab on a Saturday, but Gene had been there twice on a weekend day and seen activity. So, better to scope out the situation first. Check for any activity in and out of the building. Plan her strategy. She spotted two vehicles parked at the back, visible in the wide space between the building and the adjacent strip of shops. So yes, someone was there.
Finding a parking spot in the street, she locked her car and took a leisurely stroll past the shops. Dressed down in jeans, sandals, and a pastel T-shirt, she wandered up and down the sidewalk for a two-block stretch.
She’d been in plenty of towns like Clayton—small, friendly to tourists who helped fill their cash registers. When people smiled at her, Cassandra smiled back. Casual. Moving past them. Window-shopping like any other tourist on a warm day. But she stayed out of the shops, keeping her eye on the building standing by itself at the end of the block.
She thought about strolling down to the building and on the chance they’d let her in. According to her people, they had one guard who looked bored sitting behind his desk and didn’t seem to be too much of a threat. Maybe he was only there for show, to scare off people who wanted access. She’d even stopped in for iced tea and a pastry at Feed Me—and what a dreadful name for a restaurant—and managed to score a window booth so she could keep an eye on the building. Sometimes you could pick up tidbits overheard in conversation. If she got a chatty waitress, that was easy. She never pushed, though. Never said anything to make herself stand out. But today the place had been so busy the waitress was hustling her butt to keep up, so Cassandra got nothing there.
She had just taken a bite of the pie when a stranger pulled into the parking lot next to the building, driving an SUV much like hers. Dropping some cash on the table to pay for her snack, she hurried out to her vehicle. Taking out her cell phone, she managed to snap a few quick shots before he entered the building. She watched him open the door and waited for the guard to send him back out. But five minutes passed, and he remained inside.
Interesting.
He had a familiar look about him, but when she tried to place him, nothing came to mind. Maybe when she had time to study the pictures, she’d figure out his identity. She certainly wanted to know who had such easy access to the inner sanctum. It wasn’t Grant Summerfield, so who the hell could it be? She wanted to get a shot of his license plate, too, but she couldn’t do it without pulling into the lot, and someone would certainly spot her if she tried.
She was back in her vehicle, getting ready to send her photos to the office when a car pulled into the parking space ahead of her. Yet another SUV. Well, why be surprised? Pickups and SUVs were the vehicles of choice in cattle country. The car stopped, but for a long moment no one got out. Then a dark, lanky man eased himself out and moved casually down the sidewalk, trying his best to blend in with the shoppers. Although he made every effort to be unobtrusive about it, she could tell he snapped pictures. What bothered her was the subject of his photography: the building housing J. L. Mitchell’s lab and the man heading into it from the parking lot.
He took shots at first of some of the stores, the picturesque benches and flowerpots lining the sidewalks, and the clever display in the clothing store window. Then he shifted so he could focus on the building getting a lot of interest today. Cass believed no one but her would realize he was taking a bunch of photos of that place. Leaning back in her seat, Cass lifted her cell phone, brought up the camera, and captured the stranger and his license plate.
Damn, damn, damn. So someone else was trying to poach the territory, validating her belief that however silently, the wolves howled at the door. The man she’d seen enter the lab building earlier stepped outside, got something from his truck, and jogged back inside. The stranger photographed him as well as the building, so Cass took a few shots of her own. She sent the pictures to Gene, asking him to try for identification on both, and settled back in her seat.
She kept her cell phone in her hand, and when she rolled past the building in question, she managed to capture the other stranger’s license plate. As soon as she was far enough down Main Street, she pulled over, put the car in Park, and pressed a speed-dial number on her cell to connect with Gene.
“Any luck?” he asked.
“Not in getting to see her. But I spotted what might be some competition and another man who piques my interest.”
“Someone we know?”
“We will,” she told him. “Did you get the pictures I sent you a few minutes ago? I’m heading back to the office, and I want the identifications and all information you can find by the time I get back.”
“I’ll do my best,” he assured her.
“You always do. By the way, have you dug up any more information about why on earth JL suddenly decided to come home to Texas?”
“Working on it. The lab where she worked had only the highest praise for her and hated to see her leave. My source told me they even offered her a substantial hike in pay if she stayed.”
“Hmmm. And her private life? That’s got to be where the catch is.”
“So private she never discussed it. Only had a couple of close girl friends, who aren’t very talkative. Otherwise, she might as well have lived in a black hole.”
“Keep at it. My tingling senses tell me something’s there. You may have to work through the weekend on this one.”
“You got it. See you shortly.”
When the last picture had floated into cyberspace, she started her car and pulled out into the street. She needed to get back to the city. It shouldn’t take Gene long to put names to the pictures she’d sent. Maybe then she could strategize with him about a new approach. And figure out the new players in the game.
JL glanced up from her microscope as the guard buzzed Cole through the inner door. He dropped his Stetson on her desk, then pulled a straight chair around and straddled it, waiting for her to finish up. That was one of the things she really liked about him. He never expected her to drop whatever she was involved in whenever he walked in. He had enormous respect for her work and would wait patiently for as long as it took until she had time to talk.
At the moment she was studying the bonding of two elements she and Miles had worked on this morning. They’d changed the formula slightly, and she was anxious to see the results. They were getting so close—she could just feel it. The elusive proximity of success made her edgy and apprehensive, and she had to work to maintain her calm.
She made notes on the little pad of paper next to her microscope, then walked over to the computer where they kept all the reports of their work. They actually had two computer stations in the lab, one connected to the Internet for searches and emails, and a second stand-alone one, not hooked to anything and double-password-protected. She logged on, entered her data, and closed it out before turning to Cole.
“So.”
She smiled at him. Smiling was easy whenever she looked at him. Not only was he easy on the eyes and sexy but there was something so solid and dependable about him. If, she thought, you ignored the air of danger always surrounding him. So often, when she forgot to put her shields in place, she saw traces of a red aura surrounding him or shimmering from him. Clear red was an indication of power, passion, energy, sensuality. That certainly described Cole, along with a hint of orange for self-control and courage.
“Any calls today?”
“No.” She stuck her little notebook back in the pocket of her lab coat. “Thank the Lord. Maybe they’ve given up and none of this will be necessary.”
Cole snorted. “Fat chance.”
“Well, I didn’t need the distraction today. We’ve been busy this morning.” She waved a hand at her computer. “I entered the latest results a few minutes ago, and we’re looking good.”
“I’d ask you to explain it to me, but science was never my best subject.”
“All you need to know is we’re ready to move on to the next stage of the project. So let’s hope whoever these people are, they call again soon so I can get them out of the way. I don’t want any distraction.” She smoothed her ponytail and tightened the band holding it.
“Today’s Thursday. I’m sure they’ll be back at it tomorrow. We can try to set up the meetings next week. I did some exploring and checking and I think Sandino’s would be the best place.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Here in Clayton?”
He shook his head. “No. I want to do it away from town. Away from the lab. Somewhere protected but in the middle of a crowd. I also nasked Andy to dig deeper on each one of them to see if there’s something we should be aware of.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “You see villains everywhere, don’t you?”
His lips curved in a lazy grin. “That’s my business, darlin’.”
“Well, I still think these are just people trying to cash in on this.”
“Think again.” He pulled out his phone and scrolled through to the text Andy had sent him. “Every one of these people is in trouble. Even big-ass Damon Horner. They need something that will drive a boatload of business to them very quickly. I’m not sure exactly what lengths Grigsby or the Cervantes brothers would go to, but Damon Horner is a devil in hand-tooled boots.”
“And that’s why I need to see them,” she pointed out. “So I can judge the danger for myself.”
“I spoke to Dan this morning,” he told her. “He gave me a two-second course in the importance of psychic abilities. That’s one of the reasons I’m agreeing to this. I believe whatever you sense can give us a good read on things.”
She stared at him. “Truly? You don’t think I’m nuts or some kind of freak?”
He lifted her out of her chair and pulled her toward him, caging her with his thighs. “Nuts? Maybe.” He chuckled. “But I’m not about to write off something people I trust and respect believe in, so yes, we’ll do this little dog-and-pony show.”
“They need to know I’m not for sale and neither is the formula. That’s not why I wanted to do it.”
“I know. And I’m determined to make sure nothing derails this. Maybe when you tell them face-to-face, they’ll finally believe it.” He ticked a stray hair behind her ear. “Listen, Dan’s probably coming down here Saturday to check out the new facility.”
“Oh, great. How about asking him to bring Mia, and I’ll get my dad to do his famous barbecued ribs?”
“Okay, I’ll see if they can stay that long. Anyway, he’s getting all the information on the new security system they want to check out. When he gets here, he’ll have the schedule for installation. I’m hoping they can begin next Monday.”
“I keep telling you we’re fine as we are.” She waved her hand around. “The windows are all painted over so no one can see into the building, and we’re right in the middle of town. What could possibly happen?”
“Don’t get me started,” he growled. “Just nod and say, ‘Thank you, Cole.’”
She gave him an impish grin. “Thank you, Cole.”
“Speaking of your dad, how is he? I should stop by and see him.”
“You could come over for dinner tonight. He texted me he’s got some juicy steaks ready to grill.”
“And then give you a chaste good-night kiss and go home, right?”
She laughed. “A little restraint is good for the soul.”
He had become good friends with her father as the relationship with JL flourished. If it had been up to her dad, she’d already be living with Cole and probably planning their wedding. But she wasn’t quite ready to change addresses yet, for a lot of reasons. She wasn’t sure she liked having her dad rattle around in that house by himself, even with the foreman and the hands within shouting distance. She also didn’t want something of that magnitude distracting her while she and Miles worked to perfect the formula.
But, most of all, she was afraid. She didn’t like to think of herself as a coward, but she’d given her heart completely once with disastrous results. Everything with Cole felt like so much déjà vu, and she had to convince herself it wasn’t.
She swallowed a sigh, telling herself to see what happened when they met all these people face-to-face. And it would be different this time because he believed her. Believed in her.
She hoped.