LITMIR.BIZ

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      The look that came Toby’s way begged him not to let her down. He wanted to tell her he wouldn’t ever, but couldn’t while Zeke was within earshot. And damn him for watching as Laura walked away, down the long corridor toward Piet’s suite.

      “Very nice!” Zeke turned up his mouth in a smug smile.

      “She’s marked and she’s mine!” He snarled it and didn’t care. Hospitality be damned. The riot of emotion all but curdling his brain stunned Toby. If Zeke as much as breathed on her…

      “Hey! It’s cool, man.” Zeke stepped back and raised both hands in a gesture of submission. “Nothing in it. She’s yours. I respect that.”

      “I trust you will.” If he didn’t, he’d rip out Zeke’s guts and hang him with them.

      “Well, man, I’m here and ready to take care of this Radcliffe dude.”

      Abel help him! Zeke made Toby feel like an alien in his own country, but they had to work together, and if Vlad thought he was the vamp for the job, he’d not question the Lord of Wallachia. “Better come into my study.”

      Perhaps not the best choice. Zeke stared at the bare desk, the wide-open filing cabinet, books obviously swept off shelves, and a couple of overturned chairs.

      “Hey, man! You been broken into?”

      “No, just a visit from the FBI!”

      “No shit!”

      “I rather disagree. In my opinion, it’s a pile of shit!”

      Zeke threw back his head and laughed. It reminded Toby the lad had only been eighteen when transformed, if gossip were true. “You said it! Why are they on your case?”

      Toby put his finger to his lips. Zeke’s nod conveyed he understood the room might be bugged. “Have a seat,” Toby said, crossing the room and picking up an overturned Sheraton chair and tossing it to Zeke, who caught it deftly, set it upright and sat down, waiting. Toby brought the other over.

      “They have some bee in their bonnet that Connor Inc. is/was/has been involved in money laundering. It’s my belief that the old CFO, Laran Radcliffe, gave them some false information, no doubt to cause us even more trouble.” Toby shook his head. He doubted they’d installed closed-circuit TV, but he was rather getting into the spirit of this. “The man runs off. They keep asking me where he is. As if I’m likely to know! Hell! I’ve done nothing the past three months but sort out the books and try to make sense of the mess.

      “I offer to cooperate. Agree to give them anything they want, and in reply they come barging in here when I’m out, scaring the willies out of the nurse and pestering poor Piet.” Another pause for emphasis. “At least now they can’t suspect him of conniving to flout any laws. The old chap doesn’t know what day it is half the time.”

      “You said it, man!”

      Zeke looked ready to elaborate. No point in risking overkill. “Hold on, Zeke. If you want to smoke, let’s go outside.”

      Had to hand it to him, the lad picked up clues fast. “Oh, man! I thought you Left Coast people were laid-back.”

      This could get to be fun. “Not when it comes to smoking on an Aubusson. Outside.”

      “This is something else.” Zeke leaned against the balustrade and looked out over the ocean. “And I thought Lake Michigan was big.”

      “In point of fact, it is. The Pacific happens to be vast.”

      “You lucked out getting this job.”

      “Maybe.”

      Zeke gave him a knowing smile. “Nice house. Cushy job. A bit of excitement from the Feds and a very nice companion. You lucked out, man.”

      Right! The so-called companion was just around the corner of the house with Piet. In spite of the brisk ocean breeze and Zeke’s pungent aftershave, Toby swore he could smell her. Yes, he was losing his grip. A few tastes and he was claiming her! Just would not do. Back to business. “Vlad did not send you here to enjoy the ocean breeze.”

      “No! What’s happening? Another rogue poaching on our territory?”

      “I suspect so. I only heard about it this morning, but the circumstances combined with the coincidence of the name was enough to concern me. Vlad, I gather, agrees.”

      “He told me to find out all I can and report. So?” He shrugged. “Where do I start?”

      Unfortunately, with Laura. “I’ll get the nurse. She mentioned it to me.”

      Laura jumped up as Toby entered Piet’s screen porch. Elizabeth had added this on, right on the corner where it caught both land and sea breezes. The old man seemed to enjoy it here. Laura was less relaxed.

      “Mr. Wise?” she asked, her face pale and taut with worry. “What happened? Amy was saying the FBI had a search warrant and…”

      He should have known this would happen. “She’s right. They had a search warrant and took my computer and armloads of papers.” Not that it would do them any good. “In the ensuing chaos and mess, I didn’t get together what I promised for you but…” He went on fast, seeing her bite her lip and frown. “We have something even better that you can feed your bothersome newspaper man.” Better not call him a vampire. “Tell him the Feds took the place apart, so there has to be something going on. Should keep him happy and he can’t expect you to find anything when it supposedly is all in the hands of the FBI.”

      “I’ll tell him.” She looked Toby right in the eyes. “Why are you helping me? Why didn’t you just fire me and be done with me?”

      Not the moment to tell the truth. “Because you are a good nurse and Piet likes you.” And I love your blood and spirit. “I believe your story. You were wrong to pry but weren’t acting off your own bat but to help your father and…” Better pick the fragments of truth carefully here. “You mentioned the name of your father’s new partner: Axel Radcliffe. I suspected he might have some connection with our missing CFO.”

      “Oh! The man who ran off with money.”

      Toby nodded. “You think Axel Radcliffe is going to do the same? Dad has no money. That was why he sold the interest in the paper and…”

      Toby touched her shoulder to calm her. It was a bit of a mistake. Feeling her warmth put too many good ideas into his brain. “I’m not sure of anything, Laura.” Other than that he wanted her skin under his lips. “But the name caught my attention. It’s not particularly common, but not rare either. I’ve called in a private detective from Chicago to investigate. Would you be willing to tell him all you told me this morning?” Had it only been this morning? Abel! It had been a long day and was nowhere near ending yet.

      “The man who arrived just before I did?”

      The lout who’d eyed her with hunger and presumption. “Yes. His name is Randolph, Zeke Randolph.”

      “And he’s a detective?” Sort of. Toby nodded. “Okay then, I’ll tell him. If you think it will help.”

      She was as good as her word. Zeke obviously unnerved her, wise woman there, but after Toby brought chairs out from the debris of the study, insisted she sit and sent calming suggestions her way, she told everything, only excluding the details of his mode of attire when he found her rifling through his drawers.

      Toby sensed the stress in her and appreciated more than ever her honesty and genuine dilemma. She was worried—scared, even—for her father, angry at the situation he’d placed her in, and broadcasted a whole range of emotions that had Toby wanting to pull her into his arms and tell he’d make it all right.

      He was losing it!

      Right in the middle of a tangled situation of major proportions, he was falling for a green-eyed mortal. Definitely ill-advised.

      Telling

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