by Debra Webb
“It’s unfortunate,” Lawton said. “The grandson could be an asset in French government. He’s smart as a whip and well-respected. I’m currently checking to see if he shares his grandfather’s old ideals, or if he is as ignorant of the truth as the rest of the world seems to be. No charge for that, it’s my own curiosity.”
“Any idea if the journalist had a safety valve on the story in case he died?”
“If he did, it fell through. The man’s been dead for weeks and so far there’s not so much as a whisper anywhere in Europe about this story.”
Meaning Kathrein had every reason to believe controlling the content of the Gray Box would clear up everything. “All right.”
Lawton bounced his fist on his knee. “My guess is the hard evidence connecting Dieter Kathrein to the Nazis by his real name is still buried in war tribunal records. Using the French Kathrein family tree I did a fast track through the German branch and called in a favor, as well.” He cleared his throat. “To be fair, there were several men on that side of the family who joined the Nazi party. In particular, a young officer never returned from his assignment in Mauthausen and was presumed killed by Allied forces when the Austrian extermination camp was liberated. It would have taken time, but it’s entirely possible for a young man to trek through the mountains and escape into France. If you want him prosecuted, I can track down his service record.”
Rush scrubbed at his jaw, two days’ worth of stubble rough against his fingers. “Not today, but I definitely intend to see him prosecuted.” There was no statute of limitations on the crimes Kathrein committed.
Lucy would be furious when he explained Lawton’s visit. He respected her concern about more people becoming targets, but asking the right questions was the only way to understand their enemy. They needed solid intel before they attempted a rescue. As she’d said last night, Kathrein would believe the only way to guarantee his family continuing generations of peace would be to eliminate Lucy. Not a stretch considering Kathrein’s cruel and merciless past and present. Rush would not allow the old man’s plots to end in tragedy for any of them.
“Thanks for your time and discretion,” Rush said, coming around the desk to shake Lawton’s hand.
His friend hesitated on his way to the door. “Can I ask how you came across this?”
“Only if I don’t have to answer,” Rush replied.
“I know you and your assistant, Grayson. She worked for Kathrein. Speaking hypothetically, if you take action on this, it won’t be long before someone tags her as your source.”
“It wouldn’t be true,” Rush stated.
“We both know truth doesn’t always prevail.”
He wasn’t worried about Lucy’s standing in the media. His priority was keeping her and her family alive. “We’re also both well aware that having more money than God and dozens of lawyers on retainer can do a great deal to scrub away any mud.”
“Billionaire against billionaire.” Lawton cocked one eyebrow. “The press would make that interesting.”
“Hypothetically speaking, what you’re suggesting won’t make the news,” Rush replied. “When I move on Kathrein, it won’t be public.”
Lawton rocked back on his heels. “Good. My speedy verification isn’t enough to take those documents public. I’d like more time.”
Time was the only commodity Rush couldn’t afford. Impatience snapped like a whip across his shoulders. “It’s a delicate negotiation,” he added, with a calm he didn’t feel. “Things go better when I know the nature of the person calling the shots.”
“Better you than me.” Lawton rolled his shoulders. “I feel nasty just from the research. Why aren’t you reporting him and walking away?” Lawton stared him down. “What are you and Lucy really up to?”
Rush swore. Lawton always saw too much. “I didn’t give you all of it,” he admitted. “The dead journalist stumbled on this story when he discovered a money trail from a Kathrein charity to a defense fund for a recently found war criminal, Alfred Portner. He went looking for an explanation.”
“Holy crap.”
Rush could see the wheels turning as Lawton made connections. “That’s putting it mildly, my friend.”
“You need more than a PI if you want to pin him for murder.”
“Yes, I will, and soon.” He’d intended to raise the topic with Lawton after he and Sam narrowed down a location, but a head start would only help. “What are you prepared to offer?”
“Anything you need.”
“Sit down.” Rush filled him in on the kidnapping and together he and Lawton reviewed the information he’d gathered on the European estates and assets. When they had a basic plan in place, Lawton agreed to go down and spend time with Sam.
Rush ushered Lawton past Lucy’s desk and straight to the elevators. “Thanks for your time,” he said.
“Be careful, Rush,” Lawton said under his breath as he stepped into the elevator.
“You, too.” He clapped his old friend on the shoulder. If everything went well, they’d see each other soon.
Returning to his office, he paused at Lucy’s desk. “Cancel the next meeting. We need to talk.”
“All right.” She took care of it and stood, gracing him with a cool, professional smile. “I’m all yours.”
With those three words, he was immediately aroused. Closing his office door behind them, he switched on the privacy glass and pulled her into his arms for a deep, lingering kiss.
“Stop it.” She made a small effort to pull away. “We’re at the office.”
“I’m aware.” He stepped back and tucked his hands into his pockets. “Thank you for coming to me, for trusting me.” His pulse raced at the looming danger, though she was right here, safe and whole. He believed her sister and nephew were still alive and yet his entire being wanted to give in to panic.
“I came to your company to break into your system.”
Semantics. “And you did.” That she’d succeeded made him far happier than it should. “We knew about the breach, but you actually did it.”
She gawked at him. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” He moved toward his desk, drawing the file on Kathrein’s properties out of her reach. “Never mind. That meeting just made me think.”
“Uh-huh.” She folded her arms over her chest and stared him down. “That was Parker Lawton.”
“You remember him?”
“I remember you’re good friends. I remember how he’d dig up the background on people you planned to deal with.”
He sank into his chair. “That still holds.” She was perfect for him. He should have taken better care with her the first time around. If there was any constancy in his life, it was his refusal to repeat his mistakes. Once this crisis was resolved, he would convince her they belonged together. Not for a night or a few more weeks, but for a lifetime. She might not realize it, but they were the ideal team. Love had nothing to do with it, he reminded himself.
She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You asked him to investigate Kathrein.”
He swallowed, sensing this was the defining moment. This was the time to start a new habit of complete honesty with the only woman he’d ever trusted with his true self. Twenty, hell, fifty years from now he’d look back and realize this was the moment his life changed. “I did.”
“Rush!” Fiery temper blazed in her eyes. “What if—”
“Hear me out.”
“Then talk fast. When did you even reach out to him?”
“I checked his availability before you woke up this morning.”
“So much for teamwork,” she said with a sexy little snarl.
“I called him before we discussed teamwork.” He sobered. “Are you going to listen?”
She mimed locking her lips and tossing away the key.
“Great. It bothered me that Kathrein chose this particular week to send you on mission impossible.”
“As you pointed out, not so impossible.”
“Noted,” he agreed with a wink. “Still, why now? So far, his money has kept his past buried.” He held up a finger when she started to answer him. “It’s more than the grandson’s political bid. Look, I asked Lawton to verify two pages of documentation I claimed I’d received on Kathrein. I didn’t tell him where it came from.”
“He recognized me and assumed.”
“You know, he worried you’d get blamed if I released any of the nasty skeletons in Kathrein’s closet.”
“How thoughtful.”
“Just logic,” Rush corrected. He’d prefer it if she didn’t aim warm compliments at other men when she’d been kissing him as recently as two minutes ago. “Sit down, Lucy.” He waited for her to take the nearest chair. “You saw the files. Kathrein gave money to support the defense of one of his old Nazi buddies. Garmeaux followed the money. While there’s no real proof, we agree with you that Kathrein silenced him.”
She pressed her fingers to her lips. “What if the spy tells Kathrein a man with Parker’s history met with you today?”
“Lawton can take care of himself,” Rush said. “This company has enough things going on locally and globally that Kathrein can’t be sure I had him here to help you.”
Her gaze dropped to her lap. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am.” He was betting everything on his being right. Despite the disturbing news about the timing and increasing threat to Lucy, he would beat Kathrein at his own game.
She sat back farther in the chair and crossed her legs at the knee. “What other steps have you taken in your role as team captain?”
He eyed her cautiously. “Are you mad at me again?”
“No,” she said, resigned. “But I’m not happy. You promised me we’d handle this together.”
“We are. We will. Did you expect my part to be sitting back and holding your hand while he tormented you? Should I just watch quietly from the corner while you throw yourself on his nonexistent mercy?”
* * *
“STOP IT. NEITHER of us can afford to be mad. It gives him the advantage.” Lucy knew her reactions were unreasonable. Rush cared for her. Whether as an old friend or as a new friend with benefits, the result was the same. “I’m overwhelmed. Yes, I need to stay in the loop, but it all feels insurmountable. He could have my family stashed anywhere.” She didn’t give voice to her worst fear—that he’d staged the pictures and already disposed of Gwen and Jackson. Her heart twisted painfully.
Rush looked to the ceiling and tapped his fingertips lightly on the desktop. His hands, so strong, so capable of creating blinding pleasure, had always captivated her.
“Everything I have is yours, Lucy. Every contact and favor owed me, every dollar and resource will be allocated to save all three of you from Kathrein. He’ll put up a fight. It’s what survivors do.”
“Please...” Her voice trailed off as her heart fluttered in her chest. Words failed her that he would make such a complete pledge. “Enough.” She swiped a hand through the air as if the grim images of the looming fight could be erased. “Just tell me how we can beat him. There are only three days left,” she finished, though neither of them needed the reminder.
“Background always helps me, right?” It was a rhetorical question. “I’ve been thinking Kathrein made a mistake taking hostages. For seventy years he’s escaped discovery, hiding behind his fortune and support network. His habit of arrogance will be our advantage.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” she mused. “In France, everyone is loyal to him.”
“Everyone he let you meet, anyway.”
“Oh, I’m an idiot.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Yes, the man’s been a recluse because he’s afraid to be identified. During my short tenure, the minimal staff wasn’t simply about his preferences, but about who he trusted to keep his deepest secrets.”
Rush nodded, encouraging her as she reviewed her time with Kathrein and his staff through this new lens. “I don’t think he’s taken your family out of France.” He reached for a file folder. “We’ll pack up some gear from R & D and take my plane. Once we pinpoint where he’s holding your family,” he added, “we can devise a rescue.”
“That sounds fabulous, until you remember he’ll kill Gwen and Jackson if he discovers I roped you into helping me.”
“Roped me into it?” Rush stopped himself, staring at her with something that might have been pain in another man’s eyes. “We’ll clear that up later. As for Kathrein, you can count on me.” He tapped his chest, showing a great deal of his own brand of arrogance. “I’ve been a master of diversion and illusion since my first hack as a kid.”
She trusted him with puzzles and solutions. She trusted his mysterious resources—having seen an aging billionaire, she could only imagine the protection a man with Rush’s modern, technical savvy would have in place. Oh, she trusted him, with everything...except her heart.
Emotions were the one life lesson Rush hadn’t bothered learning. He knew how to get along, when to be tough, how to play fair or fight dirty, and he could woo women and clients with almost equal expertise. She knew enough about his childhood to understand his reluctance to let people get close enough to hurt him. Compound that with the fact that in order to maintain his place as a leader in the industry he had to shelter his feelings the way his company protected data.
She’d often wondered if he realized how well he cared for the people who depended on him. Not only Gray Box clients with the product, but the employees who loved working for him. Melva had been the first to give Rush and Sam legitimacy as they turned an idea into a thriving enterprise.
As the king of data and analysis, he had to know how rare lasting partnerships were. In study after study during her grad school days, partners split over big and small disputes. Rush and Sam, both ambitious geniuses, continued to beat the odds.
“Lucy?”
She was startled to discover he’d pulled a chair close to hers and was holding her hand between his larger palms. “My mind wandered.”
“I noticed. What’s the last thing you heard?”
She squinted, thinking. “You’re a master of diversion.”
He grinned with approval and gave her fingers a squeeze. “Well, while you were lost in thought, Sam sent a text message. He’s on his way up with news.”
“Great.” What a relief she hadn’t missed the entire rescue plan while her mind catalogued Rush’s admirable qualities. Why did she love the one man who didn’t ever want to be in anything more than lust?
He’d told her more than once that her acceptance of his priorities was as much a turn-on as her adventurous sensual curiosity. She’d been careful not to expect or hope for him to change, just as she’d been very aware of the generous spirit he hid behind layers and layers of personal defenses and alternate vocabulary. He was capable of loving; his actions proved it repeatedly though he’d kick her to the curb if she phrased it that way.
And she’d fallen in love with him anyway. She still loved him, despite his autocratic tendencies and his conviction that love wasn’t a viable option for his life. Why? Probably those bone-melting kisses.
He’d shown tremendous affection and care when they were dating. If last night was any indicator, the chemistry between them remained, as did the mutual respect. Maybe closure sex wasn’t a good idea, after all.
He got up and crossed to a cabinet on the far wall that turned out to hold a small refrigerator. He returned with a bottle of water. “Here, drink up.”
She did as he asked, the cold liquid clearing the last of the cobwebs from her mind as Sam walked in. Of course Sam had something. The man could find a needle in any remote haystack of the internet without disturbing the haystack.
Sam gave her a warm, rocking hug and then held her at arm’s length and studied her with concern from behind his black-framed glasses. “How are you holding up?”
She glanced past Sam to Rush. “It’s good to have friends helping me.” Helping her family. “Thank you.” She
sidestepped, forcing her lips into a smile. “Rush said you have news.”
“I’ve found all kinds of dirt on the wealthiest recluse in France.” Using the tablet in his hand, he entered a command and a panel slid back, revealing the bank of monitors on the far wall. “Did you have any idea you were working for such a tough old bastard?” he asked while pictures and data filled the screens.
“I knew the old part,” Lucy said. “Tough was implied based on his business accomplishments and holdings. As for bastard, he was kind to me. At first.”
Sam gave a dismissive grunt, a trait she remembered from the days when he and Rush would tackle one idea from two different angles.
“I worked the timeline backward from your arrival. Your sister and nephew must still be in France. In fact, I don’t think they can be far from the estate near Chantilly.”
She stepped closer, examining the list of properties owned by the extended Kathrein family. There were estates scattered around Europe. “He only had a few hours,” she murmured. “With planes and helicopters, that doesn’t narrow it down much.”
“This will.” Sam changed the displays to a sky view of France. Small squares of various colors had been added to mark Kathrein’s personal properties. There was a red square around the estate where she’d worked and lived, and another farther east near Strasbourg. Everything else had a different color.
“This winery.” Sam zoomed in on the second red square. “It’s one of the oldest properties in the deck. Production ended decades ago. When the Kathrein girls were young, the family vacationed there regularly. The views must be amazing,” he said on a wistful sigh.
“Sam,” Rush interjected.
“Right.” Sam cleared his throat. “The family last visited more than five years ago and yet power was turned on last week. The family, aside from Mr. Recluse, of course, has been accounted for, going about their business in other parts of the country.”
Pictures of Kathrein’s daughters and their families filled the far third of the display.
“What about homes in urban areas he might be using?” Rush asked.
