Rank: Lighthouse Security Investigations Series

by Maryann Jordan

  He rubbed the back of his neck, his gut immediately wanting to dispute Cobb’s theory, but he had no evidence…just his desire that she not be involved.

  “I want to know everything about her that we can find out,” Mace ordered. Looking over at him, he asked, “You want that?”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely,” he said, his voice hard. “I’ve been working on this mission from the start and, while last night was unexpected, I want to know what the hell’s going on.”

  Mace nodded. “Okay. You, Walker, and Josh dig up everything that you can on her, including what you can find out from Lawrence. Any of the rest of us can help as you need.”

  The group moved on to discussing other cases, but his mind was firmly centered on Helena. Moving to his station after the meeting was adjourned, he pulled up the information that Josh had begun. Helena Jernigan. Twenty-nine years old. Only daughter of Paul and Joyce Jernigan. Paul came from old money and his mother, Helen, had devoted her life to hosting charitable events, dying five years ago. So, she’s a trust fund baby.

  He was not sure why that thought bothered him, but he pushed it away, refusing to give it any more analysis. Her social media presence was small, not unusual for someone her age, but when he went back further in her college years and early twenties, he found that she had not posted much on social media.

  After college, she worked for her grandmother, organizing fundraisers for her grandmother’s charitable projects. Within two years, she started her own business, Jernigan Non-Profit and Charity Organization, and it appeared she continued her grandmother’s work.

  Josh pulled up the JNCO financial statements and sent them over. Scanning the contents, he called for Cobb’s assistance. Jorge Cobb had been a SEAL and was a financial expert. He had earned an accounting degree, specializing in fraud, before joining the Navy. His father had been a politician and, while Cobb never spoke of it, he knew he had come from a wealthy family. If there was anyone who would have insight on the sitation, it was him.

  “Can you take a look at this with me?”

  Cobb glanced at what was on the computer screen and nodded. Looking over his shoulder toward Mace, he called out, “Mace? You got a problem with me working on this for a while? It’s the financials for Helena Jernigan’s business.”

  Mace shook his head, and added, “No, that’s a good plan. I should’ve thought about that when we first wondered how clean her money is.”

  With the go-ahead, Cobb reached around him and began hitting keys on his computer. “I’m going to start printing this out. Anything else you come up with, send to me. It’ll take some digging, and won’t be immediate, but I’ll give it my full attention.”

  With a chin lift, he thanked him and began sending all the financial statements he could to him. Turning back to his computer screen, he wondered why the idea of the beautiful Helena being involved with dirty money bothered him so much.

  “You okay?” Josh asked, ever perceptive. “You hit that brick wall pretty hard with your back. I’m surprised she doesn’t have a concussion!”

  Lowering his brow in surprise, he asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t remember? I guess I stopped the video too soon.”

  With a few clicks on his keyboard, Josh sent the video to him. Opening it up, he watched it in its entirety, from the moment he was looking toward the alleyway where Lawrence was supposed to come, to when the movement above caught his attention a second before Helena crashed into him. As they grappled around, he fell against the brick wall behind him, which he remembered, and her head snapped back after her forehead hit the wall, which was something he had not realized at the time. Wincing, he berated himself for not checking her for injuries once he had had her settled.

  Guilt speared through him, even though at the moment he had no idea if she was an innocent, albeit strange, interruption or a partner of Kozlov. The desire to see her again was overwhelming. Just to check on her. Just to see if she’s all right.

  The more he thought about checking on her, the more he realized that made sense. How better to find out what she might know, then to spend a little time with her. Refusing to act on his own without his boss’ knowledge and input, he called Mace over.

  “I’d like to meet with her, Mace,” he said. Mace’s taciturn expression gave nothing away—as usual. Undeterred, he added, “I’ll be honest, I had no idea that she hit her head so hard on the brick wall last night and I feel a responsibility to check on her. But then it dawned on me, that might be a good way to get a feel for what she knows.”

  He held his breath for a second, wanting for Mace to agree, when he finally nodded. Sighing, relieved, he felt his boss’ dark eyes assessing him and he straightened back up.

  “I’ve got no problem with that,” Mace said slowly, contemplatively. “It’s probably a good idea—as long as you can handle it.”

  Jerking his head back, his eyebrows lifted as he asked, “Handle it?”

  “You have to stay objective, willing to accept whatever you find out about her.”

  Shaking his head, he vowed, “Boss, I’ve got no interest in her other than finding out the truth. Walker is digging into Kozlov and her family. Cobb is checking out her business’ financial statements. This’ll give me a chance to see what I can find out directly from her.”

  Mace said nothing for a moment and he found himself holding his breath again. Finally, his lips curving ever so slightly, Mace nodded. “Go for it.”

  As he headed out of the headquarters, he ignored the wink from Babs. By the time he made it to his truck, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Unwilling to ponder why exactly he was so excited to see Helena again, he directed his thoughts to Mace’s words, fully aware of their double meaning.

  Go for it.

  Was it really as simple as that?

  6

  Helena parked outside of her office, which was located in a nondescript building on one of the streets on the outskirts of Portsmouth. Grabbing her briefcase and purse from the passenger seat before walking to the front door, she unlocked it and moved inside. She liked to get to the office before anyone else, enjoying the chance to get work accomplished in quiet. Flipping on the lights in the small reception area, she moved down the hall. Proud of her business and so wanting to leave a good visual impression, she also preferred to keep costs as low as possible. Besides her office, there was one other private office and a small common workroom.

  Anna Stark, her receptionist and secretary, worked in the front lobby. Todd Billings rounded out her employees. Todd was technically a paid intern, finishing his Master’s Degree. When needed, she would contract out for other duties, but generally found that Anna and Todd were able to take care of almost everything.

  Walking into the workroom, she immediately popped a pod into the coffee maker. Two sweeteners and a large dollop of flavored creamer created her perfect cup of coffee. Taking the first gratifying sip, she walked back into her office and placed her cup on the desk. Hanging up her coat, she sat down and pulled out her laptop, ready to begin the day.

  As her computer booted up, she noticed the small Band-Aid she had placed on her forehead to cover the scrape in her reflection on the screen. Knowing her penchant for accidents, she hoped her employees would not notice, but if they did… How am I going to explain that?

  Thirty minutes later, she leaned back heavily in her seat, a huff leaving her lips. It was pointless to try to get any work accomplished when all she could think about was the mysterious man from the alley.

  “Hello?”

  Hearing a man’s voice coming from the lobby, she jerked. Standing quickly, she banged her thigh on the corner of her desk and winced as she hurried out her door and toward the front. She came to an abrupt halt seeing a large man, his back to her, his long hair tied at the back of his neck. Before she had a chance to admire that attractive feature further, he turned around. Gasping in recognition, she blurted, “You? What are you doing here?”

  His pier
cing blue eyes moved over her face, landing on her forehead. Without thinking, she lifted her hand and touched the bandage.

  “I was worried,” he said. “I wanted to find out if you were okay.”

  His deep voice, so calm, was in complete contrast to the growling timber she recalled from the previous evening. Looking over his features, her brow scrunched, his expression was one of concern, so she answered, “Yes. I’m fine.”

  “The bandage?”

  “It’s just a scrape,” she said, her hands now clasped in front of her. Jerking as a sudden thought came to her, she asked, “How did you know where to find me?”

  “I was concerned about you last night. I went back into the bar and asked if the bartender remembered you. When I described you, he said he recognized you and gave me your name. He said he had bartended at a few of the events that you had arranged.”

  Sucking in her lips, she tilted her head to the side and pondered his remark. “What were you doing last night? Why were you there?”

  He flashed her a charming grin. “I was having a drink at the bar and noticed you but, seeing you were busy and not wanting to interrupt, I went out back for a smoke. After our strange introduction, I went back in.” He stepped forward and lifted his hand toward her. “Speaking of introductions, we didn’t meet formally. My name is John Rankin, but I’m known as Rank to my friends.”

  She hesitated for a second, before placing her much smaller hand in his. He closed his fingers, but did not squeeze, giving her a warm handshake instead. “I suppose you already know this, but I’m Helena Jernigan.”

  His gaze moved from her to around the room before coming back to rest on her. “You’re here alone?”

  Having not locked the front door behind her when she came in this morning, she now realized that she had placed herself in a precarious position. A large man, one she did not know but had had a strange encounter with the previous evening, was now in her office with no one else around. Pulling her hand back, she stammered, “Uh…”

  His lips were tight and his eyes narrow, but his voice was soft, concerned, as he cautioned, “That’s not very smart, Ms. Jernigan.”

  Torn between irritation with herself and anger at his expression—even if his words were meant to be kind— she met his glare with one of her own. Taking a step backward, she said, “My staff is expected in at any moment.”

  His face gentled and he relaxed his stance. “I’m sorry. It seems like I’m forever frightening you. I just don’t like seeing someone place themselves in a position of vulnerability.”

  Straightening her spine, she kept her eyes on his. “Besides barging in here, intimidating me while checking on me, was there anything else you wanted?”

  He smiled and, for the first time in her life, she understood the description of swooning. If she had not locked her knees, she was sure she would have fallen to the floor. Her eyes drifted over his form and she gulped. She had felt the evidence of his muscles last night, as he had held her easily in his arms while she grappled for balance on top of him. Filled with utter mortification at the time, she had not focused on just how handsome he really was. But now, in the full light of day, his face was gorgeous and his eyes twinkled even bluer with his smile.

  His head tilted to the side, and he asked, “So, what do you say?”

  Blinking, she realized she had completely zoned out just staring at his face.

  He chuckled, and repeated, “I asked if you would like to go to dinner with me sometime.”

  “Dinner?” She felt the heat of blush hit her cheeks but refused to look away.

  He stepped closer, and said, “Yeah. I’d really like to take you out.”

  Shaking her head, she reiterated, “That’s very nice, but I assure you that I’m fine.”

  “Ms. Jernigan, I’m not asking you out because I don’t think you’re fine after our little encounter last night. I’m asking you out because I think you’re a beautiful and very interesting woman, and I’d love to take you out.”

  Before Helena had a chance to answer, the front door of her office opened and Anna bounded through, singing, “Good morning!” Anna stopped on a dime as her eyes shot up toward Rank. Mouthing, ‘wow’, she walked past her, and said, “Don’t mind me, I’ll just be in the back.”

  Before she had a chance to object again, Rank pressed, “I know we met under the strangest of circumstances, but I really would like to take you to dinner. You can meet me at the restaurant if that would make you feel safer.”

  In the back of her head, she could hear Janice egging her on. Go! When was the last time you went on a dinner date with a gorgeous hunk of a man and you weren’t trying to talk him into donating to one of your charities?

  “Come, on,” he encouraged. “I have to eat sometime…you have to eat.”

  Her lips curved slightly and she nodded. “Okay, on the condition that I’ll meet you there.”

  “What time do you get off work?”

  Giving a slight start, she asked, “Tonight? You want to go out tonight?”

  Grinning once more, he said, “Helena, when a man finds himself lucky enough to have a beautiful woman drop from the sky right on top of him, he doesn’t question his good fortune. I can’t think of a better time to get to know you than right now.”

  Laughing at his cheesy comment, she admitted, “When I’m at the office, I usually stay until four. “

  “How about we meet at the Rack O’ Ribs at 6 o’clock?”

  The idea of mouthwatering ribs at the locally famous barbecue place sounded wonderful. With a wide smile of her own, she nodded. “I’ll be there.”

  “See you then.”

  He dipped his chin and turned to leave, opening the door and standing aside to allow Todd to enter first before exiting himself. As the door shut, Todd watched Rank walk away then jerked his eyes back to her.

  Anna hurried into the room and asked, “Who was that and please tell me that he wants us to donate money so that we can keep seeing him.”

  She shook her head and laughed. “Sorry to disappoint, but he’s just a man I…uh…ran into. I’m having dinner with him tonight, but it’s no big deal.” Seeing her about to protest, she said, “We need to get to work, everyone.” Not giving them a chance to pepper her with more questions, she turned and headed back to her office, her thoughts firmly on the evening’s date.

  Settled at her desk, with the office door closed, she picked up her phone and called Janice, barely giving her friend a chance to answer before she launched in. “You’re not going to believe it, but I’ve got a date tonight with the man I fell on top of last night! Am I crazy?”

  “How? How on earth did that happen? Tell me everything!”

  “He came into my office just now—”

  “Whoa, whoa! How did he find out where you were?”

  She smiled at the worry in Janice’s voice, appreciating her friendship. “He went back into the bar and asked the bartender,” she explained. “I hadn’t even noticed, but the bartender must’ve been someone that I’ve used before when planning one of my grandmother’s events.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s okay then. So,” her tone immediately picked up in excitement. “What did you think about him in the light of day when you weren’t sitting on his face?”

  Heat filled her cheeks at the visual that created. “You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?”

  “Sorry, it was too good to pass up. But, come on, what’s he like?”

  “He’s handsome…in a rugged sort of way. Kind of a mountain-man look with his long, shaggy hair and square jaw. And he’s got the bluest eyes that seemed to just look straight into me.”

  “Sounds yummy,” Janice admitted, “but that doesn’t sound like your typical guy. Not that I’m complaining, because some of the slick, business-suit types that you have occasionally gone out with seem really boring.”

  She leaned forward, propping her elbows on her desk, and sighed. “You’re right. And, to be honest, it’s been a while since I�
�ve been on a date that didn’t involve work. And the last few of those weren’t a lot of fun.”

  “So where are you going on this date?”

  “Would you believe we’re going to meet at the Rack O’ Ribs?” Before giving Janice a chance to comment, she added, “He only found out my name from the bartender, and the name of my business. He doesn’t know who I am or anything about me, which is really nice.”

  “Are you sure?”

  A giggle slipped out, and she asked, “Do you honestly think if he knew who I was we’d be going to the messiest barbecue restaurant in town? He’d be trying to impress me by taking me somewhere upscale.”

  Janice laughed and agreed. “I’m glad you’re meeting him there, even if he is a gorgeous mountain man.”

  They chatted another minute before disconnecting. Leaning back in her chair, a smile curved her lips as she thought about the evening.

  Rank sat in his SUV for a few minutes after leaving Helena’s office. He had expected her to be ensconced in an upscale area of town in an expensive office building. Instead, he found her in an unassuming location in an extremely modest building with an equally modest office. Rarely caught off guard, she had done so to him twice since he met her…first in the alley with her entrance and now with where she worked.

  Buckling up, he shook his head in resignation. There were two things that were exactly as he had expected this morning—she was just as beautiful as he had remembered and his body reacted the exact same way as it had last night at the sight of her. Giving a mental shake, he started his SUV and headed back to the LSI compound.

  Walking into the main room, he spied Cobb sitting at a table with his laptop and papers spread out before him. “I’ve made contact with her,” he said. “We’re having dinner tonight. Any chance you’ll have any information by then?”

  Cobb chuckled, and said, “Fuck, man. I’ve only had a couple of hours to start working on this. These cases can take months, you know?”