Secrets and Seduction: 5 Romance Novels (28 page)

His black brows drew together in thought as he spooned more rice onto his plate. “I suppose we have to work the investigation that way.”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath, reached down for the file on the seat next to her and held it out to him. “Here’s the information you need.”

He took the manila folder, his face solemn, his blue eyes darkened with some thought she couldn’t read. “Thanks. I know what this cost you.”

“No, you don’t.” She hated the almost bitter edge to her words, but she couldn’t shake the fear that even handing him the file was jeopardizing a possible promotion. What if they fired her for actually investigating with Ziko? The insurance community was insular, almost inbred. Everybody knew everybody, either by name, reputation, or company. She had too many years experience to want to change professions now.

But her conscience wouldn’t allow her to sleep at night if she didn’t give this new investigation the same thoroughness she’d given the first part of it. How could she blithely pay her mother’s bills with what would amount to blood money?

“Well, I appreciate what you’re doing anyway.” Christian moved his plate aside and paged through the file. “Here’s one subcontractor we can rule out. St. Claire Shores Contracting was the primary builder for the project. That’s my brother’s company.”

Damn. She had to disillusion him once more. She pushed her plate away, her appetite suddenly gone. “He can’t be exempt because he’s your brother for the same reason your partner isn’t exempt.”

Christian’s face reddened. “I’d trust him with my life.”

“That’s not proof.”

“How could I justify to Paul that I’m investigating him?”

“Then I’ll investigate him. You won’t have to.”

His jaw muscles bunched. “I’m telling you he didn’t do it.”

“Are you going to fight me on every suspect? Take off those rose-colored glasses and think for a moment that someone may have even tried to frame you.”

“Jesus, what world do you live in that you’d jump to that conclusion?”

His comment stung. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, not if a desperate person wanted to hide his or her culpability by deflecting suspicion onto Christian. She wasn’t jaded or anything like he hinted.

“I live in this world, Mr. Ziko. The one that put you in a jail cell yesterday.”

He flinched. Good. She didn’t want to be the only one being hit by barbs.

She had to pull herself together. She’d never felt such antagonism toward someone she hardly knew. Nor had anyone been able to wound her with words the way he had. Clearly, she needed to keep her distance from him.

“Why don’t I do the investigation by myself? I won’t be squeamish about interviewing your partner and your brother. After all, I’m a disinterested third party — ”

“Not disinterested,” he interrupted.

“Neutral party — ” she continued, only to be interrupted again by his scoff. She bulled onward anyway. “I’ll be able to get at the truth without emotions interfering.”

“Are you like this all the time?” he asked.

“Like what?”

“Unfeeling?”

Christian watched Gabrielle flinch from his harsh words, then her blue eyes narrowed and a bristly sort of armor rose up around her. Whether she did it to protect herself from hurt or to keep him out, he didn’t know. But it made him sad. He’d never met anyone whose first instinct was to assume others would do bad things. Had someone hurt her so now she was wary like an animal that’d been beaten?

How could she live in this world without hope and trust? He had firm foundations of trust in Roger and Paul. Didn’t she have anyone who loved her like Paul loved him?

He’d like to get to know her better. She was pretty, vibrant, and intelligent. What red-blooded man wouldn’t want to get personal with her? But with this indictment hanging over his head the timing was terrible for any kind of involvement. For now, he’d have to stick to a professional relationship with her. And that meant not letting her investigate alone.

“I’m going with you when you talk to my brother and my partner. I want to see your face when you learn I’m right about them.”

“Fine. We’ll try your office first, talk to your partner and the other employees.”

After agreeing to meet outside his office building in Troy, Gabrielle excused herself to call her office.

Christian wondered what she needed privacy to discuss. Then he was irritated with himself for wanting to know everything she said and did. Even though her blue eyes warmed with feminine interest when she looked at him, she did nothing to give him the go-ahead. In fact, she seemed to find his proximity disturbing. Why did he continue to be attracted to a woman who didn’t want him?

Maybe it was the desire to see her smile. Maybe he thought he could give her some hope to fan the flames of optimism in her. Or maybe he recognized a wounded spirit when he saw one and wanted to make things better.

At his office, Gabrielle parked next to him and came around to his door, scrutinizing his face. “You don’t have to do this.”

Christian wasn’t sure he saw sympathy in her blue eyes. “I’m going to do it. I called Roger and told him I was coming to talk to him.”

She nodded and walked beside him into the building. The silence was funereal. How did one go about doubting a friend and not feel this sickness in his stomach? Maybe people who didn’t have a deep friendship like what he shared with Roger would feel nothing because they had nothing to lose. He surely did.

Gabrielle had affixed her plastic Michigan Casualty ID to her shirt. When they entered the offices of Barrett and Ziko, Brittany’s gaze zoomed in on the ID and she frowned, pursing her full red lips.

“This is … ” Christian began, only to be overridden by Gabrielle.

“Gabrielle Healey. I’m with Michigan Casualty, the firm that insured the Densmore. We have an appointment to see Roger Barrett.”

Brittany glared at Christian, making him feel like a traitor. It was supposed to be Barrett and Ziko against all comers. He wasn’t supposed to join the opposition.

“Just a minute and I’ll tell him you’re here.”

She pushed the intercom. “Roger, Christian’s here, and he’s brought someone from Michigan Casualty with him.” There was definite accusation in her voice.

After a pregnant pause, Roger’s voice came through the intercom. “Send them back.”

Christian led the way to Roger’s office and held the door so Gabrielle could precede him inside. Roger’s expression was confused, wary and accusatory, all at the same time.

Gabrielle approached his desk, identified herself and held out her hand.

Roger shook her hand, looking from her to Christian. “Kit, you didn’t say you were bringing someone with you.” His tone was accusatory.

“Something’s come up, Roger.” He might just as well spit it out. “Someone forged my signature on the revised drawing of the Densmore.”

“Forged your signature?” Roger’s frown turned to incredulous disbelief. “It can’t be. I saw it. It’s your signature.”

“No, it’s not. I took it to a handwriting expert this morning. He says someone else signed it.”

“Was this guy a quack? Is he trying to put us out of business? And why did you take it to him anyway?”

Gabrielle interceded. “I sent Christian to him. And he’s no quack. He’s a certified expert who testifies regularly in court. He’s going to give a deposition about the signature on the drawing.”

Roger sank into his seat and ran a hand through his thinning hair. “Jesus. No one here would do such a thing. I thought you did the revision, Kit.”

Had everyone thought he was guilty? “No. I knew I hadn’t drawn it and I didn’t remember signing off on it. It doesn’t look like your work, either.”

“I told Brittany to have you revise it. I assumed you’d done it.”

“Why did you want it revised?”

Roger glanced at Gabrielle. “I’d prefer to tell you in private. This is business.”

Gabrielle lifted her chin. “If it’s related to the Densmore collapse, it’s not business. It’s evidence.”

Roger rubbed the side of his face. His shoulders slumped. “We couldn’t get the materials to meet the drawing specs.”

“What do you mean?” Christian said. “I’m not aware of any material shortage.”

“The thirty-foot girders. Kit, we couldn’t get them. When we placed our order, the price had tripled. We couldn’t afford them.”

Christian couldn’t believe it. “We could have cut corners someplace else. We had to have those girders.”

“No. Paul tried every way he could work it. The length had to be shorter.”

“Jesus, Roger, the design doesn’t work at any other length. We could have decreased our profit margin or something to absorb the price increase.”

Roger slammed his fist onto the desk. “Dammit, Kit, we couldn’t.”

Christian got a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was going on in their business, something he should have been aware of. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“This isn’t for outside ears.” Roger turned to Gabrielle. “And it isn’t related to the Densmore, either.”

For a moment, Gabrielle looked mulish, like she’d demand to stay and hear what Roger had to say.

“Would you mind giving us a minute?” Christian needed to know what was happening at his company.

“All right.” She turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.

“Okay, spill,” Christian said.

Roger rose to his feet. “How dare you bring her here. You’re a partner in this firm. Your first interest is the firm.”

Stung and feeling guilt over neglecting the business, Christian’s reply was sharper than it should have been. “My first interest is in staying out of jail, but I seem to be the only one concerned with that.”

Roger scrubbed his face. He looked old and tired all of a sudden. “I’m sorry, Kit. I’ve been so busy trying to hold our heads above water, I haven’t had time for your problems. We’ve got so many projects happening at once and not enough hands here to help. I had to send Jeremy out to the West Park jobsite.”

That news shocked Christian. Roger’s son wasn’t that good yet. “Jeremy’s not ready for that.”

“What else was I supposed to do? We’ve got commitments to meet. I’ve covered as many as I can, but I’m only one man.”

Christian was drowning in guilt. He should have been able to handle life’s ups and downs, not fallen apart like some child. Roger hadn’t gone into a decline. No, his partner had been strong and done more than his share of the work.

Christian thrust his shoulders back and lifted his chin. He was here now. “I’m sorry I let you down. What do you need me to do?”

“I need you to carry a partner’s share of the load. I need you to take the heat off our company. I need you to make the damn rain stop long enough so at least one of our projects can come in on time and at budget. I need you to convince me what you’re doing now isn’t part of some psychosis you’re experiencing that means you’ll be back in Crittenden within the week. And I need to know why you brought that damn woman here.”

His partner had been under too much strain for too long. Christian tried to give him the answers he deserved. “I can’t control the rain, but you’ll have to tell me how badly the weather is hurting us financially.”

“It’s bad. Every project in process is late, so payments to us are late. Foundations are late because the ground is a soaking mud pit. We can’t keep the concrete dry. We’re spending extra money on pumps to empty water out of foundations. The wood’s in danger of getting warped. We’ve already had to replace some of the boards at the Water Towne project. God, was that one aptly named. And we have to pay a thousand bucks a day fine on the government building on Pinewood for every day we’re past the deadline. We’re already a week overdue.”

“And that’s what you didn’t want Gabrielle to hear?”

“Damn right. I don’t need word spread all over town that we can’t pay our bills or meet our commitments.”

“I don’t think Gabrielle would tell anyone that.”

Roger glared at him. “She’s out to pin the Densmore disaster on us.”

“She’s trying to help me find out who forged my name on the drawing.”

“Then what the hell is she doing here?”

Christian rubbed the back of his neck. “It could have been someone who works or worked here.”

“We’ve got five employees, Kit. If you didn’t do it, that leaves four, including me. Don’t tell me you suspect me?” His voice rose at the end.

“We’d better let Gabrielle back in if we’re going to talk about this.” Christian moved to the door, but Roger’s next words stopped him.

“Jesus, you believe it could have been me?”

Christian’s face heated with shame and guilt. As much as he wanted this discussion to be private between Roger and him, Gabrielle needed to hear it. He opened the door to her.

She stepped through, looking from him to Roger. Then she quietly closed the door.

“Do you suspect me, too?” Roger pointed at her.

“I need to rule out everyone to find the guilty one. Did you forge Christian’s name on the drawing?”

“Jesus Christ, I can’t believe this. You’re my goddamned partner. I invited you into my business and this is the way you repay me? Your brother’s my best friend. What’s the matter with you? Did those drugs fry your brain?”

Roger stalked back and forth behind his desk. “I took you into my business because your brother asked me to. I taught you the ropes. I made a place for you when you graduated because you added something to this company it didn’t have before. I can’t believe you’d accuse me.”

It was worse than Christian had imagined watching trust fracture. He could never call back the words, nor make Roger forget he’d heard them. He felt helpless to ease Roger’s pain, but he was angry, too. He’d sweated as much blood for this firm as Roger had, yet Roger made him sound like a green intern instead of a partner.

Gabrielle spoke before he could say something else to Roger he’d regret. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“You go to hell.”

“If Christian Ziko is such an integral part of your business, why won’t you assure him you didn’t forge his name?”

“I didn’t forge his name.” Roger growled through his perfect white teeth.