by Maggie Thom
“I don’t know. I said I’d have you call him as soon as you got up.”
August scrubbed a hand down his face. He could just imagine what he looked like, definitely not fresh and bright like Tijan. A big yawn reminded him that sleep was not letting go of him easily.
“Okay. What time is it anyway?” He glanced toward the window, noticing it was getting light out.
“5:30.”
“Did you get any sleep?”
Tijan shrugged. “A bit.”
August looked at her and then at the bed. He vaguely remembered being sprawled across the bed. He hadn’t given her much space. “Sorry about hogging your bed. I guess once I crashed that was it. I remember thinking I should go back to my room but thought I’d just close my eyes for a moment.”
Tijan turned sideways to face him, resting her arm on the back of the chair. “Don’t worry. I got some sleep. By the way, Guy is sending over a friend today to do a sweep of the office. Since there always seems to be someone there during the day, he’ll come over this morning and do a check of my office, the parkade, the back stairs and elevator from Father’s office. That way we won’t have to be as secretive or paranoid. He’ll come back tonight when the office staff have gone home and go through every office. Guy said the man could get in even without all of the electronic codes but it would make it a lot easier if I could get them. I guess that means schmoozing Mary.”
“Or JT. He seems to like you and he seems to know a lot. A bit ambitious, I think.”
“Oh yay for me. He’s always there, isn’t he? He seems to be around every corner, always waiting, always ready to pounce. Did you see him with Tesimmon? I get the feeling they know each other.”
“Which means Tesimmon has been coming around the office a lot? What makes you say they know each other?”
Tijan seemed lost in thought. August was relieved she didn’t seem taken with JT, even though the guy poured on the charm when he was around her. He was definitely looking for his opportunity to move up the ladder.
“I don’t know. There was this kind of familiar look between them that raised red flags for me. I could have imagined it but... I don’t think so. Let’s just say it’s bugging me.”
“Could JT and this Tesimmon have a deal going behind your dad’s back?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t see JT as that smart. He obviously wants to get ahead, but to be part of taking someone down... damn I don’t know.” Tijan clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God. I haven’t even asked how my father is. What the—I need to call Tarin. She must think I’m the worst human being ever. It just never occurred to me.”
August knelt so he was looking at her at eye level. He put his hand on her shoulder. She turned wide, distressed eyes toward him. “It’s okay. I think anyone would have reacted that way. You don’t know your father. You’ve barely spent any time with him and then suddenly you’re in charge of a multi- million or even billion-dollar company. I think your sister understands.”
“I don’t want her to hate me.”
The barely whispered words were so soul-wrenching that August stood and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t say anything but only held her while she worked through a storm of emotions. The tears didn’t flow but he knew she was battling to keep them at bay. She laid her head on his chest and just stood silently, unmoving. Her pain radiated off her. He pulled her closer, trying to absorb that ache that came from deep within.
Time had ceased to matter and at some point, he realized he quite liked having her in his arms. His resistance was wearing down. He nuzzled his nose against her hair and took a deep breath. That’s when he knew he was in trouble. She froze. He closed his eyes, trying to reign in his wayward thoughts and actions. Adding to her distress was not something he wanted to do. Gently, he eased away from her, letting his arms fall. Before he could take a step back, though, she looked up at him with her big, beautiful, blue eyes.
He was pretty sure it wasn’t him who moved first but he did nothing to stop her from leaning into him and kissing him. His instinct was to wrap his arms around her and pull her tight but something in how gently her lips touched his, let him know she was exploring, testing the waters. So he did with his lips what he wanted to do with his hands. He let her know that he was very interested and he gave back all that she did and a bit more. She arched up as he leaned down.
She eased back but held his gaze for a long time. “Nice. You’re not a complication I need right now but—” She smiled before gently kissing him again.
It was over before he was ready for it to be but he understood her reluctance to jump in. He was definitely having some second thoughts himself; he wasn’t sure he was in a good place, emotionally, mentally or life-wise for a relationship, partly because he knew with her there would be no half measure.
Tijan had moved close to the window. He stood with his back to her, taking in deep breaths. He could hear her on the phone with Tarin asking about their father. By what he could hear of her end of the conversation, there was no change. He wasn’t doing well and although he was not in a coma, he wasn’t far from it.
“Pneumonia. Really, so on top of being shot, he’s as sick as a dog... You don’t remember him ever being ill...”
August quit eavesdropping and crossed to the adjoining door that led to his room. He’d unlocked his side the night before, just in case. Now he wasn’t so sure he shouldn’t lock it behind him.
One thought, however, that raced through his mind was, ‘I think Mom would have liked her’.
Chapter 44
The guy showed up at six o’clock. He buzzed from the private elevator to her father’s office.
“Hi; it’s Randal. I’m here to check your heating.”
His Australian accent sounded as fake as his name but Tijan was going to trust her sister and those her sister trusted.
Tijan gave the man the guest code so he could use the back elevator. The guest code was reset every twenty-four hours according to Mary.
When he knocked, she went down the hallway to let him in.
“Who are you?”
“Sent by Graham and Guy. I hear you have a heating issue.”
Tijan felt silly with the game they were playing, but she opened the door. He wasn’t what she was expecting. The first thing she noted was she dwarfed him. She stepped back to let him in, still wondering if he was the right guy or someone she could trust.
“Come in. I’m Ti—arin.”
He nodded as he passed. “Randal.”
She trailed behind him as he moved brusquely to her office. He didn’t waste time with explanations. Standing there awkwardly, she watched as he pulled a gadget out of the satchel he had over one shoulder. After punching a few buttons on it, he started walking around the room, slowly moving it over the walls and all the furniture.
“Do you—”
He spun around and snapped his index finger to his lips. Startled, Tijan jerked back, even though he was across the room from her as though he had thrown a ninja star at her. Why that came to mind she had no idea, except she knew they were small and easily concealed. And she had seen a movie once where the character, a repair guy, had gone into an office meeting, all casual and nice and next thing she knew, he was pulling ninja stars out of his uniform and was throwing them at everyone. And with her heating guy dressed the same, it fit his stealth attitude.
He ignored her as he went about his business and she returned to her desk. She realized with a start that she’d forgotten to return the computer. It was going to look awfully strange to be without it if someone happened to come in, and she didn’t want to get caught carrying the thing through the hotel. She also wasn’t about to leave her guest even if he seemed to know what he was doing and was trusted vicariously by her sister.
As she watched the guy work methodically and slowly, the thought entered her mind that she was trusting a lot of people she didn’t know. It wasn’t the first time. She’d always approached life that way. Whenever new hands arriv
ed at the ranch, she always trusted them to do their job and be honest—at least until they showed her otherwise. She truly hoped that her trust wasn’t being misplaced now.
The machine started chirping. Tijan looked up to see Randal peel the cover off the thermostat. As she joined him, he flipped it over so she could see what he’d found—a small flat disk. He carefully removed it and placed it into a lead vial he pulled from his satchel.
As he continued to search for more, Tijan realized at the pace he was going, he would be there a while. She pulled out her phone and moved down the back hallway. Knowing she couldn’t go into the parkade, she stepped into the bathroom, praying it wasn’t bugged.
She’d been about to text Tarin but the image of herself in the mirror caught her attention. She had never been one to do that but then this whole situation was showing her a side of herself that she never knew existed. Color had never been something she’d stopped to think about. If it was a t-shirt, plaid or jeans, then it was good. But she did have to admit that her sister was showing her a new appreciation for clothes. She brushed her hand over the silky pale yellow blouse, enjoying its softness and admiring its lightness and breezy feel.
She snorted. The men on the ranch would have a field day with razzing her if they knew where her thoughts were going. Really, they’d have been shocked at her attire—and so would her mom.
Her eyes popped open wide. Her mom. She hadn’t been in contact since arriving. As she peered at her phone, she realized she’d missed several texts and phone calls. She quickly sent off a text.
‘Doing fine. Busy. Will call soon. Sorry. Love you.’
Heading back to the desk, a noise from the outer office caught her attention. She looked at Randal and then at the door. Hurrying over to it, she opened it slightly. JT had apparently just arrived; he gave her his full white-teeth-blinding smile and headed her way. She eased out and closed the door behind her, casually leaning against it. Pretending to scratch her head, she hit the button that would automatically lock her door.
“Good morning, Tarin. Don’t you look stunning this morning?”
She gave him a half smile. “What are you doing here so early, JT?” Glancing at the clock in the lobby, she noticed it was only seven fifteen.
“I need to get an early start.”
“Oh? What’s so pressing?”
“Some things your father wanted me to do. Don’t worry about it. I’ve been doing this job a long time,” he said evasively.
“Oh, how long is that?”
“I think I’ve been here five years. Paid. But I worked here as a practicum for about a year before that. I started out in the hotel, learning from the ground up, until I learned enough to move into this position.” He smiled at her. “Why are you here so early?”
She saw August exit the elevator holding a big box. Relieved that he’d thought to hide the computer, she smiled at JT. “Because I run the business. Let’s go to your office and you can tell me what you’re working on.”
“Well, I—”
“It’ll give you a chance to show me what you do. And thank you, by the way, for getting the staff area set up so fast.”
She managed to steer him down the hallway toward his office. She signaled to August behind her back, hoping he understood her cryptic message.
“You’re welcome. We actually had that stuff in the back storage shed. I had them purchased a few years ago but your father wouldn’t hear of it. I had maintenance haul it out at the end of the day.” JT stopped at his office but before he punched in his code, he looked at her. “I didn’t even grab my coffee yet.”
“Why don’t I grab us each one while you get settled? I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for an answer, she headed back the way she’d come. When she passed the lobby area, she was glad to see August hugging the wall so JT couldn’t see him. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see JT disappear through his door. Stopping at her office, she punched in her code and shooed August inside.
Blowing out a heavy breath, she took a moment to gather herself. There were too many things she had to do and figuring out what JT was up to just wasn’t that high on her list. When she returned to his office with coffee, his door was closed, so she quietly eased it open. When she heard him talking to someone on the phone, she hesitated.
“...you found someone...”
“...what do you need...”
“...if you can get into that comp...”
“...soon. He won’t be...”
She pressed closer but couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. She made a point of pushing open the door and while her heels clicked noisily against the ceramic floor. He had his back to her but spun around quickly, eyeing her suspiciously before jerking his phone away from his ear and abruptly hanging up.
“Sorry if I interrupted anything.”
JT immediately smiled but it didn’t touch his eyes. “No. Just talking to my mom.”
“Here’s your coffee; but now I see you have your own Keurig machine. I’ll catch up with you later, DC. Something’s come up but I do still want to talk to you.” She softened her words with a smile and left.
Was she paranoid or was he planning something? He seemed eager to move up in the company. Could he have shot her father?
Chapter 45
“He’s guilty of something.”
August looked around the office. Randal assured them that he’d found all three bugs, but he’d be back to do another full sweep of the office as well as all the others. August still wasn’t comfortable discussing business there. Instead, he played some music on his phone. Tijan frowned at him as she returned to her desk. Then carefully she looked around. Miming to him, he got the gist that she was asking if there were more listening devices. He shrugged as if to say he really didn’t know. She joined him on the sofa, kicking off her shoes to arch and curl her toes.
“Damn these things are awful.”
She was the first woman he’d met who was honest about the heels but since it was an area he knew better than to wade into, he didn’t reply. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “I’m going to take a guess and say you mean, JT?”
She nodded.
“I don’t like the guy but I’m sure it’s for very different reasons than you. What makes you think he’s guilty of something?”
“He’s cagey. Always there. He was on the phone to someone when I walked into his office. He brushed it off as his mom but I truly believe he was planning something. Could he be behind Dad’s shooting? If so, why?”
August wondered if she realized what she’d said. She’d struggled with calling him Father and now she casually threw out Dad. Her mind was definitely a little preoccupied.
“I don’t know. Graham and Guy are doing a background check on everyone here. They haven’t been able to get into your father’s laptop yet. But then they’ve only had it a few hours. They said to see if we can find a password. Graham is going to catch up to Tarin and see if she knows.”
“Alright. But I’ve been through everything and I can’t find anything. He really doesn’t keep a whole lot of paper. I mean there are all the legal files but most everything else is done electronically—or at least, from what I can tell. I can’t believe just two weeks ago, I was riding Tango at full gallop across an open field and not worried about a soul. And now, I don’t know who to trust, who I can even pretend to know.”
There was a knock on the door. August looked at Tijan questioningly. She shrugged, slipped on her shoes and made her way to the door.
“Who is it?”
The door opened slightly and Mary poked her head in. “Hi. Sorry to bother you. Did you sign those forms? The ones I left on your desk the other day? The lawyers are asking for them.”
“No I haven’t. I’ll get them to you. Was there anything else? Wait. Mary, come and sit down. Since you probably know this place better than anyone else, I’d like to ask you some questions.”
With her hands clasped tightly in front of her she made her way to the
couch, standing awkwardly beside it. August watched her with curiosity.
“Have a seat, Mary. Can I get you a water or coffee?”
Mary, who was the epitome of efficiency, stood woodenly with her hands clasped in front of her. Tijan had already gone to the side cabinet and was pouring a glass of water. She carried it back and handed it to Mary before sitting down. Mary remained standing.
Tijan stood up. “Is something wrong?”
“I’ve never sat on the furniture in here and I’m not sure that I should.”
Tijan blinked a few times, obviously taken aback. She gave her a full smile. “It’s okay. Have a seat, I promise not to tell. Besides, I’m the boss right now.” She waited until she perched awkwardly on the edge before continuing.
“Here’s something to drink. I’ll make you a coffee, if you’d like one? Although to be honest you’d have to show me how to use the Keurig thing.” Tijan set down the glass of water she was still holding.
Mary smiled wanly as she patted down her short, stylish, salt and pepper hair. It reminded August of something his mom would have done when nervous. It dawned on him that they would have been about the same age. That jolted him but he pushed away those thoughts.
“Water’s fine. What would you like to know?”
“How long have you been here?”
“Well I’ve known you a long time.”
August realized immediately Tijan’s mistake and he was pretty sure she was aware of it as well by the way she tensed up.
She cleared her throat. “I know that but how long would you say it’s been since you started here?”
“I think I started working for your father in... I’m not sure of the year but let’s say twelve years or so.”
“Has anyone been here longer than you?”
“Hmm. You might have to ask Personnel that one. None in management have been but I do think there are some staff that have been.”
“Okay. I don’t think I’ve met everyone though, right? I mean in key positions?”
“You’ve met Chris—”
“I’m sorry, Chris?” August frowned; he did not remember meeting anyone named Chris.
