Bridal Jitters (14 page)

“So the Elf tossed me into your clutches,” Guinevere murmured. “Why?”

“He was simply going through every detail he could think of that might be helpful to me in my examination of the missing shipments. In the process he uncovered your manipulation of the benefits plan. He was on the verge of mentioning you to management. I persuaded him to let me have you instead. I think you might prove useful, Gwen.”

“I sound like an odd little tool you’ve discovered and aren’t quite certain how to use,” she snapped bitterly.

“Oh, I think I know how to use you. I’m offering to keep your name clear at StarrTech if you’ll give me a hand with this other problem.” Something a little fierce flared in his eyes for an instant. “Keeping your name clean should be important to you, Gwen. After all, independent businesspeople have to maintain spotless reputations, don’t they? It wouldn’t do at all to have potential clients thinking that you use your services as a cover for theft and other assorted
activities, would it?”

In spite of her resolve to stay absolutely cool, that stung. Guinevere sat upright, her hazel eyes narrowed, her mouth tight. “Camelot Services is utterly reliable, Mr. Justis. There has never been a complaint or a doubt about the ethics of my company!”

“Until your venture into StarrTech?” He leaned back in the black steel-mesh chair, apparently satisfied with the results of his accusation.

Guinevere fought a short, violent battle for control and surprised herself by winning. “My
venture
into StarrTech was a different matter. A private matter.” She picked up the brandy, her grip so savage that it was a wonder the glass didn’t shatter. She forced herself to drink.

“There was something different about your contract with StarrTech?” Zac inquired benignly. “Something that set it apart from other short-term temporary assignments?”

“If you’re going to make an accusation, I’ll get a lawyer. If you’re not, then I don’t need one, do I? Either way, I don’t intend to say anything further on the subject of my business at StarrTech.”

Zac waited for a long moment, watching her. “I won’t be making any accusations to StarrTech management, Guinevere Jones, because I think you’re going to cooperate. Isn’t that right?”

She made herself inhale slowly, seeking a way to calm herself. “Blackmail.”

“Just as I promised.”

“Do you always make good on your promises?”

“Keeping my promises is one of the few things in which I still believe, Gwen.”

She focused on the massive yellow bookcase across the room. “What is it you want me to do in exchange for your silence?”

“I want you to go back into the computer services department at StarrTech, doing pretty much the same sort of clerical work you did the first time. But this time around you’re going to be my eyes and ears in the department. I need some answers, and you’re going to get them for me.”

She moved her head in a vague denial. “What about the Elf? How do I know he’ll keep quiet?”

“As I said, Russ is a friend of mine. He’ll do whatever I ask him to do in this matter.”

“Somehow I find it hard to imagine,” Guinevere said.

“What? That you’re being blackmailed?”

“No, that you and Russ Elfstrom are such close friends. You’re not a friendly type, Mr. Justis.”

“Russ and I go back a long way together.”

“How unfortunate for you. That’s just about the most depressing thing I’ve heard since the last time I talked to my sister’s shrink.”

Justis blinked owlishly, assimilating that information and trying to make sense of it. “What’s this got to do with your sister?”

“Never mind. Tell me what you want, Mr. Justis. And then go back to your pond.”

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

Jayne Castle,
the author of
The Lost Night, Canyons of Night, Midnight Crystal, Obsidian Prey, Dark Light, Silver Master, Ghost Hunter, After Glow,
and
After Dark
, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty
New York Times bestsellers.
She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick. She lives in Seattle. Visit the author online at
jayneannkrentz.com
and
facebook.com/jayneannkrentz
.

Click here
for more titles by this author

Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle

Deception Cove

The Lost Night

Canyons of Night

Midnight Crystal

Obsidian Prey

Dark Light

Silver Master

Ghost Hunter

After Glow

Harmony

After Dark

Amaryllis

Zinnia

Orchid

The Guinevere Jones Novels

The Desperate Game

The Chilling Deception

The Sinister Touch

The Fatal Fortune

Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Amanda Quick

The Mystery Woman

Crystal Gardens

Quicksilver

Burning Lamp

The Perfect Poison

The Third Circle

The River Knows

Second Sight

Lie By Moonlight

The Paid Companion

Wait Until Midnight

Late for the Wedding

Don’t Look Back

Slightly Shady

Wicked Widow

I Thee Wed

With This Ring

Affair

Mischief

Mystique

Mistress

Deception

Desire

Dangerous

Reckless

Ravished

Rendezvous

Scandal

Surrender

Seduction

Other titles by Jayne Ann Krentz

Dream Eyes

Copper Beach

In Too Deep

Fired Up

Running Hot

Sizzle and Burn

White Lies

All Night Long

Falling Awake

Truth or Dare

Light in Shadow

Summer in Eclipse Bay

Together in Eclipse Bay

Smoke in Mirrors

Lost & Found

Dawn in Eclipse Bay

Soft Focus

Eclipse Bay

Eye of the Beholder

Flash

Sharp Edges

Deep Waters

Absolutely, Positively

Trust Me

Grand Passion

Hidden Talents

Wildest Hearts

Family Man

Perfect Partners

Sweet Fortune

Silver Linings

The Golden Chance

Specials

The Scargill Cove Case Files

Bridal Jitters

Anthologies

Charmed

(with Julie Beard, Lori Foster, and Eileen Wilks)

Titles written by Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle

No Going Back