Nerds in Force

by D. R. Grady

  “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “Yes, but we need coffee. Lots of coffee.” He rubbed his hands together gleefully and tried to poke her.

  She used Keith as an effective shield. But did appreciate her big brother’s foolishness. “You need a lot more than coffee.”

  “Maybe.” Finn wasn’t concerned. He finished the food on her plate while the coffee brewed. “Keith’s an excellent cook.”

  “Yes.” She couldn’t argue that point.

  Keith returned to the stove to make Finn’s breakfast. She opened the warming drawer. “There’s food in here.” Without asking she removed a plate and piled the fare on it for Finn. Which she passed to him. “Did Gage eat?”

  “Yeah, I got stuck on a phone call.” He devoured the food in an obvious show of hunger. But that was soon appeased and he stowed the dirty plate and utensils in the dishwasher, collected two generously sized coffee cups, and left as quickly as he’d come.

  She shook her head. The corners of Keith’s eyes crinkled. “It’s never a dull moment.”

  “Not with those two around, no.”

  “What are you going to do today?” Keith settled a hip against the island.

  “I have work to do. It looks like our processing equipment is arriving sometime this week.”

  “Do you need to be on hand for that?”

  “I don’t. The plant manager has arranged for everything. They’ll obviously remove the old equipment and install the new over the weekend.”

  Keith looked intrigued. “I’d like to see that.”

  “We can pop in over the weekend.” She could think of other things she’d rather do but the man was an engineer. “Have you given any more thought to becoming a consultant?”

  “I have. I’m writing a business plan to start up my own consulting firm. I’ve got a meeting with the twins later this morning to discuss my plans. They’re going to help me tweak my business plan.”

  “Do you need to borrow money?”

  “If I do I’ll get the loan from them.”

  “That’s wise. Their interest rates and terms are much better than a bank.”

  “I don’t think I’ll need to borrow money though. I’ve got an account I’ve been adding to over the years. In the back of my mind I think I knew I’d open a business at some point. There’s a decent amount in there. If I need more, I’ll see what we can come up with from the twins. They said they’d give me the family discount.”

  “Right.” She tucked stray dishes into the dishwasher and wiped down the counters. Keith cleaned the skillet he used and soon they headed to her office.

  While her life might be in limbo, no place to live, too dangerous to go to work, and living in the twin’s house with people she didn’t know well, she could admit to a new level of contentment. She’d met a new friend in Verity, and already adored Keith’s sister Savannah and Verity’s sister, Molly. Now she’d met the man of her dreams, one who loved her as much as she loved him. Plus all three of her brothers were safely in residence too, so as a bonus, she got to spend time with them.

  She couldn’t say she was unhappy with this turn of events.

  Life had a funny way of turning upside down. She felt she’d adjusted well.

  “Any word on your grandfather?” Keith held open the office door for her.

  “Chad and I spoke with him this morning. He sounds like our grandfather now. And is enjoying his time with the twins’ parents. The doctors say he’s showing no signs of dementia and has given him a clean bill of health.” Relief shot through her. She could have wept at this good news.

  “But he’s going to stay in New York for the time being?”

  “Oh yes. It’s too dangerous for him here. He’s safe where he is and enjoying a little time away.”

  “Is he working from home like you?”

  “He is. I noticed yesterday that he made some decisions I’ve been putting off. His instincts are better than mine and I’m learning by watching what he does.”

  They settled at the desk with their laptops. She had brought coffee along as had Keith.

  “It makes sense that he’s feeling up to making decisions. And it’s good you’re taking this opportunity to learn.”

  “I’m so happy right now, Keith.”

  §

  Maybe their lives were in chaos but Keith understood what she meant. Someone wanted her dead as well as several of his family members. She didn’t worry too much about her own wellbeing because Harlow fought for others.

  Yet they’d found each other and with love in their lives those things didn’t loom as menacingly.

  Love had pulled a few teeth on the monster under the bed.

  Not that they should let their guard down. That was a bad idea. The good news being that many of them in the house already knew this. This sort of knowledge exerted itself often. Even Savannah and Molly had some experience in keeping on guard. It helped that Molly possessed a black belt in the Rurikstani martial arts. One of the hardest in the world. He knew this because he himself had trained in the art.

  Molly taught Savannah those moves. Savannah had also been raised by a paranoid mother who made certain she had plenty of self defense moves and implemented security measures that might have saved Savannah’s life.

  This Nesla van den Roos might be bad news, then again, she might be innocent of all they believed about her. His instincts told him differently but he liked to give the benefit of the doubt. Chad’s perspective might be the best one of them all. While he clearly lacked social skills this lack likely enabled him to the see the monsters sans their masks.

  All of his instincts told him not to discount Chad’s take on the woman. Following his instincts had helped to keep Keith alive through the years.

  His computer screen glowed when he opened the lid. A few key strokes got him into the system and he clicked on the file with his business plan. He had already spent some time on the model. He’d had free time of late and Keith liked to use that time to think. Now he read over the plan again, tweaked areas, and added additional thoughts and ideas that he planned to fine tune after his meeting with the twins.

  The Rembrandt twins were the most successful business people he knew. It only made sense to seek their feedback on this most important aspect of his career.

  His new career. He thought he’d miss the military more but he hadn’t had time. Life quickly filled up with the unexpected and he didn’t mind. Plus, if he could add the military as one of his clients that should take care of his need for what the military had offered him in his previous career.

  He leaned back in his chair. Now that he was home and he’d found Harlow maybe he’d get to remain on Toliliel.

  Might be best to ask. “Are we planning to live here?”

  Harlow frowned at her screen, but at his question turned to him. “What?”

  “Are we planning to live here on Toliliel?”

  “Oh.” She nibbled her lower lip. “I never considered living anywhere else. I’ve seen so many great places through all the travel I’ve done.” Her head tilted in a quizzical manner. “Yet I’ve always thought of Toliliel as home.”

  “Same. I’ve also always considered Toliliel home and figured I’d settle here after I left the Army.”

  “Horgate headquarters is here. And I’ll be mostly working there. I’ll have to travel some though.” She settled troubled eyes on him. “Will you be able to find enough business to consult here or will you need to travel as well?”

  “I’m sure my job will require some travel.” He took time to consider this viewpoint. “The thing is, I’m doubtful that I’ll need to spend a lot of time at a facility. Maybe pop in to take measurements or view things. I can’t imagine I’d need to be onsite for more than a week.”

  Harlow stared at her computer screen. “I believe my travel will be the same. No more than a week. But I don’t know that it’s wise for me to be gone that long. My grandfather doesn’t travel much these days.”

  “But he will
if he needs to?”

  “Of course. I usually do his traveling, however.” More indications that she’d been working two high pressure jobs.

  “Do you have family or trustworthy company employees who can take the away assignments?”

  “Definitely. I’ve several cousins who will enjoy seeing other places. My plan has always been to share the traveling out between several of us so no one person has to be gone all the time.”

  “That’s a good plan.”

  “But you’re going to be the only employee.” She took a sip of coffee.

  “At first I’m sure I’ll be the only one. However, if I consult for the base and hopefully Rurikstan’s as well, those should keep me busy.”

  “How so?”

  “They’re always looking for ways and means to increase hurricane safety for their various buildings.”

  “That makes sense.” She slanted a glance at him. “You have knowledge of that sort of weather related fortifying?”

  “Yes. I am from Toliliel.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Horgate Industries could use that sort of knowledge.” Then she leaned back in her chair with the most feminine amount of power ever.

  He almost swallowed his tongue. “Are you flirting with me, Ms CEO-in-waiting?”

  “Maybe.” But her blooming smile meant she couldn’t hide.

  Keith snatched her out of the chair and into his lap. Her delighted laughter echoed in the room before his lips quelled the exuberant, happy sound.

  Her arms slid around his neck and Harlow fully engaged in the embrace. His heart swelled. He liked how this woman reacted to him. He liked how she smelled, how she felt in his arms, how she snuggled into him as though intending to stay a while.

  “I love you more today than I did yesterday.” Her breathless statement made his heart swell again.

  “Agreed.”

  “What?” She swatted him.

  And it was his turn to laugh.

  “I love you too. So much more than I ever thought possible.” He sealed their lips together again.

  She participated in full again.

  But Harlow didn’t fight him for dominance. Instead, she was with him, every step of the way, a full participant and he needed that on so many levels.

  This woman offered him so much more than he had ever thought possible. Keith made a vow. He could never allow anything to happen to Harlow Horgate.

  Chapter 24

  “Keith, have you heard from Eric?” Savannah’s troubled eyes landed on Keith. She radiated traces of fear as she gazed at her oldest brother later that afternoon.

  “He’s made contact with Riley. They are safe and hunkering down right now.” Keith didn’t glance at his sister as he finished turning out the best fare in the house. Although Harlow had noticed plenty of people also loved his mother’s cooking.

  She could see where that could be a possibility—but she continued to enjoy Keith’s. It might have something to do with the fact that she loved him more than she could express.

  Savannah continued to look troubled. Harlow doubted Keith noticed this because he was intent on finishing lunch. His mother planned to take the evening meal.

  “Savannah, keep in mind that Eric and Riley both know these islands very well and they’re both experts on how to survive tropical storms.” She pulled a little face. “We’ve grown up with these so those survival skills have been drilled into us since early childhood.”

  “You think they’re okay?” A lot of angst fueled that intense question.

  “Yes. They’re doing what we all have to do in this instance. Wait it out. This is as natural to us as the sunshine and tropical flora.” Harlow would reassure Savannah until she relaxed.

  “I know he’s a former Navy SEAL.” Savannah gnawed on her bottom lip. She didn’t sound convinced.

  “He’s highly trained in tropical storm and hurricane survival but he came to the military with that training.” Harlow kept her tone easy and firm.

  Keith must have noticed that his sister wasn’t fully convinced yet. “Savannah, he’s fine. If he runs into trouble he’s got several methods of calling for help but he hasn’t employed any of those. He’s exercising patience in waiting for the storm to pass so he can pull Riley and company out.”

  “Eric has a lot of patience.” Savannah’s tense shoulders relaxed. Harlow marveled at her. Here was a woman someone had already tried to kill, had been watched for months, and who cared more about her brother’s situation than her own. Throw in that she was a superstar, known all over the world with incredible talent in singing and music, and Harlow concluded that Keith had done well with his siblings.

  Not she felt she lacked anything with Chad. She and he were close, as close as his capabilities allowed, and she also had the twins. They rounded out her fulfillment for siblings. She’d love a sister but having three brothers worked fine.

  Keith and Eric had grown up together, but upon leaving the Navy Eric pursued his uncanny resemblance to Savannah. They had discovered he and Savannah were full siblings a week or so ago. With the same mother and father. They knew their father’s name but little else about him. [Nerds in Danger - Book 14 - The Morrison Family Series]

  Harlow noted internally to check the employee rosters to determine if he’d been on their payroll. Their mother, who had fled the island one night with little luggage and her infant Savannah, had worked for Horgate after Savannah had become an adult. But Harlow wondered if their father who abruptly disappeared and who their mother would never talk about had also been on payroll. Specifically, on that secret engineering project.

  It might explain why he could never be a part of Savannah’s life. Why her mother had resisted ever speaking of him. Why Savannah had grown up fatherless with no information about him. It was only after they arrived on Toliliel in the last two weeks that they learned her father’s name. Pushing thirty and finally she had a name to go with the man she knew next to nothing about.

  Harlow’s mouth firmed. She intended to change that for Savannah and Eric. They deserved to know their father. Deserved to learn all they could about him.

  If anyone could make that happen, Harlow had the power and authority to at least unlock some of those secrets. She had access to those super confidential records. And she’d use that to research the man who had helped to produce Savannah and Eric. If he was on their payroll before his death.

  So as not to get hopes up she kept that information to herself. Keith had a meeting scheduled with the twins this afternoon because they’d ended up on a long conference call during the original appointment. This should give her some alone time to delve into the secure information. She wondered if Beau DuBois’s father had also worked on that secret project.

  Harlow toyed with the idea of asking for Chad’s help but he already had plenty of work researching Nesla van den Roos. From the fragments Harlow caught from him and Verity they had already uncovered incriminating evidence. Those three planned to investigate thoroughly before they handed over the woman’s misdeeds.

  The police should be very interested in the information, provided they were able to secure said evidence legally. Perhaps that aspect also slowed the investigation.

  Yes, Harlow would seek out information on Savannah and Eric’s father on her own after lunch. If she could at least verify that he worked for Horgate, they had a jumping off point.

  Watching Savannah now pushing her food around her plate Harlow wanted to give the woman a small gift. Perhaps it wouldn’t be considered so small. Knowing information about a missing parent would mean so much. With the woman worried about Eric, it seemed only right to do her part in seeking out information for them.

  What they did with that information was up to them.

  She had also heard that several people on the island remembered Eric and Savannah’s parents. One of the police officers, the one who’d been shot, had been best friends with Savannah’s father. The Chief of Police also remembered Patricia and Matias. Both had been shocked and dismay
ed at their disappearance. And the best friend hadn’t stopped looking for clues.

  Harlow ate until she was full, then said goodbye to the others who had convened for lunch. Savannah and Molly had taken over dish duty. Keith would be busy in the kitchen with them until his appointment and she wanted to kiss him. Hopefully she conveyed that. He blew her a kiss and she grinned.

  Then left to head to her office to see if she could make a difference in the lives of two people she already adored.

  §

  Keith thanked the twins after their meeting. A bunch of ideas ran through his mind. He clutched the copious notes he’d taken. He planned to give himself time to process everything they’d discussed.

  “You didn’t need us. Your plan is already solid.” Finn indicated his laptop where the plan resided.

  “Thanks, but you’ve given me a lot more to work with. I can really make this plan cohesive and foolproof with the ideas we’ve discussed.” Keith couldn’t wait to get started but he put on the brakes. Some thinking time was a necessity.

  “Again, you’re fine without us, but we’re glad to help.” Gage added his two cents and Keith thanked them again before he left their office.

  The two had a lot going on, despite supposedly being on vacation. Keith made a mental note to not get so big that he couldn’t even take a few days off without working full time hours. The twins were working the equivalent of eight hours a day, and there were two of them.

  He shook his head and headed to Harlow’s office. In the back of his mind he thought of it as their office now.

  A quick knock on the door to indicate he was outside and he blew into the office. After dropping a kiss on her lips he sank into the chair beside her.

  “How did your meeting go?” She offered him her full attention although he noticed it took a moment for her to disconnect from whatever she’d been working on.

  He enjoyed that she also dove into the task at hand. It shouldn’t bother her too much when a project enveloped him then. At her question he spoke at length on what they’d discussed.