“My guess? Just like you, he thinks he needs to protect me from information that might stun my weak female sensibilities.”
Her chest rose and fell in time with her accelerated breathing, not all of which could be attributed to the anger and frustration she felt. Even at her most annoyed, heat crackled between them. Their position, sitting on the large king-size bed, didn’t help to quell the fire building inside her.
Ryan exhaled slowly, an obvious attempt to rein in his temper. “I never called you weak.”
“You treat me like I’m weak. Maybe Uncle Erik is right. I should have been more involved in the investigation of Nate’s death.” Regret gnawed at her. “If there was something questionable about his accident, I owed it to him to find out.”
Ryan took her hand in his and squeezed. “You were grieving. You can’t blame yourself.”
Easier said than done. She blamed herself, and she had every intention of making things right as soon as she returned to New York. Starting with hiring the hydrologist. But first, she had to make one thing clear to Ryan.
“Look, I know where I am, Ryan. I wouldn’t be here, in this hotel room with you, in this situation at all, if Nate was a fine, upstanding, aboveboard businessman and nothing else,” she said. “I don’t want you keeping things from me.”
Ryan held her gaze for several long moments. “I’m sorry. I’ll keep you in the loop from now on.”
Their gazes held for a moment longer before Ryan rose and walked to the door.
Nadia followed him into the living room of the suite. “To answer your question for real, Uncle Erik could have been trying to protect me, but he also might not have believed the sheriff’s theory.”
She watched Ryan take a bottle of water from the minifridge, waving him off when he offered her a bottle. “You’ve seen how resistant Uncle Erik is to the tiniest bit of criticism of Nate.”
Ryan’s brows scrunched together. “Has he always been that way about Nate?”
She sat on the large beige couch while Ryan leaned against the television console, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he took a long sip from the water bottle, her mind going to thoughts of what it would be like to rain kisses along his neck.
“Nadia?”
She tore her gaze from his neck in time to catch his amused gaze.
“You okay?”
“Yes, sorry. Um...” She cleared the frog from her throat and rewound to the conversation they’d been having before she’d gotten distracted. “Uncle Erik and Nate have always been close, almost like Nate was a surrogate son to him. Their bond became even tighter after my father passed away.”
She hoped Ryan didn’t notice the tinge of jealousy in her voice. Her uncle had never slighted her, but he’d never attempted to get close with her either, not like he’d done with Nate. Maybe it was just because he related better to Nate as a male, but she couldn’t say that it didn’t bother her just a little.
“I think you should hire that hydrologist,” Ryan said.
“I’d already planned to do it as soon we get back to New York. I don’t even know where to start looking for one. I guess you can search for anything on the internet.”
Ryan smiled. “West can probably help you with finding a reputable hydrologist.”
“You don’t trust the internet.” Her smile was full of mirth.
“The internet can be a great place for finding all kinds of information about things and people. Good and bad.” His tone turned serious. “But we need someone good who can work fast. I have a feeling all this is going to come to a head soon, and it seems we’re behind the eight ball.”
“What else should we be doing?”
Ryan’s eyebrow rose. “We should not be doing anything. We aren’t in this together, Nadia. It’s my job to protect you and find out who is attacking you.”
Irritation erupted in Nadia. “We just had this discussion, and you said you’d keep me in the loop.”
“And I will, but I will not put you in danger. You’ll know of any significant information we find, but I can’t have you out here playing Nancy Drew.”
“Nancy... You know what? This isn’t going to work.” She stood. “You’re already going back on our agreement, treating me like the weak link again. If you can’t handle me being a part of this, then I’ll find an agency that can. You’re fired.”
Ryan also rose, his hazel eyes blazing. “You no longer want West to track down whoever is attacking you and provide your personal protection?”
Her hands found her hips. “That’s what you’re fired means.”
“Fine.” He closed the distance between them. “Then there’s nothing stopping me from doing this.”
He slid his hand around the back of her neck and brought his mouth within an inch of hers and stopped, waiting for her consent.
She didn’t hesitate to close the remaining gap.
His mouth moved seductively over hers. It was a kiss that was both hungry and skillful. She reacquainted herself with the feel of his arms around her, sliding her arms up his chest and around his neck. She deepened their kiss, pulling him down into the couch cushions. His hand slipped under her shirt and up her torso to cup her breast, drawing a moan from deep within. She reached for the snap on his pants just as a knock sounded on the door.
“Ry? You in there? We going to dinner or what?” Shawn called from the hall.
Ryan drew back, his gaze a blaze of desire, his arms still locked around her.
“Hang on,” Ryan called to his brother. “Am I still fired?” he asked Nadia.
His question hit her like a punch to the gut. She pulled from his arms. “Is that why you kissed me? To keep your job?”
“No, I...” He reached for her, but she took another step away. “Nadia.”
“Ryan, what’s going on in there?” Shawn called from the hall.
She held Ryan’s gaze for a moment longer, unsure of what she saw in his eyes. Spinning, she went for the door to the suite, opening it to find Shawn’s meaty fist raised for another knock.
“Everything okay?” Shawn’s gaze flicked between her and Ryan.
“Fine.” She forced her lips into a smile as she strode past Shawn and away from Ryan.
* * *
ALTHOUGH IT WAS the first time she’d ever been to Rhode Island, none of them were up for going any farther than the hotel restaurant for dinner. Ryan caught Gideon and Shawn up to speed on the information Sheriff Haley had relayed. Shawn lamented the fact that Nate’s car had been destroyed. There was no way to have a look at the brake lines now, but he assured Nadia that he knew of a hydrologist that could help them. The foursome agreed to head back to New York at five the next morning.
Nadia’s phone rang as she and Ryan entered their suite.
“Are you able to get New York news up there?” Olivia’s harried voice carried through the phone.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure I can stream it,” Nadia said sitting on the couch and reaching for the laptop she’d left on the coffee table earlier. “Why?”
“There’s a report on the fire at the hotel. The reporter is making it sound like a Shelton employee may have started it.”
Nadia typed in the URL for the news station she regularly watched online. The station’s website popped up almost immediately.
“...the fire at Shelton’s Harlem property was intentional. The NYPD would not comment, but sources tell WNYC News that police suspect it could have been an inside job.”
* * *
NADIA WATCHED AS her picture came on-screen.
“Sources say CEO Nadia Shelton abruptly left town the day after the fire. We have reached out to Miss Shelton for comment but have not been able to reach her.”
Nadia paused the computer screen. “That reporter made it seem like I doused the room with gasoline and lit a match myself.”
“What do you
want me to do?” Olivia asked.
Nadia’s stomach churned. She needed to squelch this rumor before it got out of hand. “Release a statement. The hotel is cooperating with the police investigation, and all Shelton properties are safe and open for business as usual.”
“And if any of the guests ask questions?”
Nadia rubbed her temples. “Tell them that there was a small fire in an area that is closed off to the guests, and the hotel is one hundred percent safe. We’re staying the night in Rhode Island, but I’ll be in tomorrow morning.”
“Great.” Relief rolled palpably through Olivia’s voice.
“And Olivia, thanks for holding down the fort while I deal with all this other stuff.”
It didn’t take much to imagine Olivia’s ear-to-ear smile on the other end of the line. “No problem, boss.”
Ryan had taken a seat next to her on the couch while she watched the news stream and spoke with Olivia. She turned to face him now.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” She tossed her cell on the coffee table beside her laptop. “I’d always dreamed of taking over Shelton with Nate. He was so good at being the face of the company. Dealing with the press and marketing and all that. I’m just not sure I can be the one standing in front of cameras convincing people that all is well. I’m not even convinced all is well.”
Ryan took her hand. “You can, and you will. I’ve seen firsthand how hard you work and how much you love this company. You’ve had a lot of stuff thrown at you in a short period, but you’re still standing.”
She slid her hand from his. The only thing she knew for certain at the moment was that she wasn’t thinking clearly, and his touch only compounded that problem.
“Maybe I should sell to Aurora. Mike was right about our margins being tight. If we get a reputation for being unsafe, guests will stop coming and events will stop booking with us. We can’t survive that, not even for a little while.”
“Have you considered that that might be the reason behind tonight’s broadcast?”
She shook her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Mike Dexter was in your office yesterday implying that it would be detrimental if news of the fire being intentionally started by an employee got out.”
She gaped at Ryan for a minute while the picture he’d started painting solidified in her mind.
“That slimy... Tipping off the press would be just like him.”
“The information West collected on him suggests he’s a ruthless and not always ethical businessman. That said, we don’t know for sure he was the source of the information.”
“He’s the source. When I get back to Manhattan I’m going to...”
She let the thought trail off. There wasn’t anything she could do, at least not to Mike. He’d never admit he was the source, and whatever damage he’d intended to do to Shelton was already done. The only thing she could do was mitigate it by showing the world that she was in control and on top of things at Shelton. And that was just what she planned to do as soon as she got back to the hotel tomorrow.
Ryan had fallen silent as her mind drifted. She looked down, surprised to see he’d reclaimed her hand and started drawing small circles on her palm with his thumb. The action was at once soothing and exciting. Her mind flitted back to their earlier kiss, and heat swelled in her.
Stop.
The last thing she needed was another man jerking her around. So they were attracted to each other. That wasn’t something either of them could control, but they didn’t have to act on it. He’d made it clear on the ride up that he wanted to keep their relationship professional.
And what about you? Do you want to keep things professional?
She shook the thought from her head. It didn’t matter what she wanted. He’d made himself clear, and he was right about her needing his help.
“About what I said earlier...” Nadia began.
“I didn’t kiss you to keep the job,” Ryan said.
She wanted to believe him. “Can we just forget about it? All of it?”
“Nadia—”
She held up a hand. “Please?”
He frowned but nodded.
“I should head to bed. We have an early start tomorrow.” She rose and headed for the bedroom.
“Sure.”
She could feel his gaze on her, but she kept her eyes focused on her bedroom door.
“Nadia.” Ryan spoke as she turned the handle.
She threw her shoulders back and turned, meeting his gaze.
He stood in front of the couch, his gaze unreadable. “Good night.”
Chapter Eleven
Nadia waited until Shawn and Gideon joined them in their suite before coming out of her bedroom, foreclosing any chance Ryan might have had at discussing the events of the night before. Not that he had a clue what to say. Professional propriety, not to mention common sense, told him not to get involved with a client. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. But his heart said something else entirely, and with each passing minute, he feared that he was already too far gone to change course now.
The drive back to New York the next morning was quiet but not uncomfortable. Ryan left Gideon and Shawn at West headquarters after Shawn assured Nadia he’d contact her soon with the name of the hydrologist. Ryan had promised to keep Nadia in the loop, and he intended to do so. But he wouldn’t saddle her with the weight of more unproven theories. Getting a hydrologist to look at the water-flow patterns in the bay on the night of Nate’s accident would go a long way in answering many of the questions about her brother’s death. First and foremost, was Nate Shelton dead?
Ryan could understand Nadia’s inability to see where the evidence pointed. Nate was her brother, and she loved and trusted him implicitly. But the absence of a body, the possible inability for the tide to have carried a body out to sea on the night of the accident and the fact that the brakes may have been tampered with were too many coincidences to ignore. Nate Shelton had the money to disappear and reinvent himself, and he knew people who could help him do it. The question was why? Why would a well-off businessman with familial ties chuck his entire life?
That was a question Ryan couldn’t answer. Not yet.
After a quick stop at his place so they both could change before work, Ryan drove them to the hotel. He pulled the car to a stop in front of the Harlem hotel just after ten. The sliding door on the gray-paneled van parked three cars away slid open. A woman with a microphone in her hand bounded toward them as he opened the passenger door for Nadia.
“Miss Shelton? Alexandra Maloney, from WNYC News.” A bearded cameraman trailed behind her.
Ryan positioned himself between Maloney and Nadia, but that didn’t deter the reporter. “Care to comment on the fire at the hotel and the police investigation into whether someone working for you intentionally started it?” Maloney called out as they walked to the front of the hotel.
Nadia kept her head up but avoided looking at the reporter. Ryan kept one hand on her back, shepherding her into the hotel.
“I have sources that say the police are specifically looking at you, Miss Shelton.”
The reporter’s timing was terrible. Ryan had just opened the door to the hotel, and all eyes in the lobby turned to the scene occurring on the sidewalk.
He felt Nadia stiffen. She turned, taking a step away from the hotel’s entrance toward Maloney.
“Your sources are mistaken, Ms. Maloney. There was a small fire in a guest room. It was quickly extinguished, and no guests were ever in any danger. There is minimal damage to the room and no damage to any surrounding rooms. The hotel is perfectly safe, as are all Shelton hotels. We are open for business as usual.”
Nadia shot the reporter a smile that could freeze water before turning and marching into the hotel.
Olivia met them in the lobby an
d walked with them to Nadia’s office. “You did well. You were cool, calm and collected, and you made the fire sound like no big deal. Just one of those things that happens sometimes.”
“Right, just one of those things that happens right after someone breaks into my home and right before I find a body in my brother’s apartment.”
Olivia cast her eyes down at the files she held.
Nadia sighed. “I’m sorry. Being snarky isn’t going to solve this.”
“I think you’ve earned a bit of snark.” Olivia smiled. “Anyway, it’s rare I see you anything less than the consummate professional in the office. Gives me hope that you aren’t as perfect as you seem.”
Nadia returned Olivia’s smile. “Not anywhere near perfect.” She sighed. “Well, we need to get serious. The local news running a story about the fire is one thing, but if they get wind of the attacks on me and the note implying Nate is alive, we’ll be pulled into a maelstrom.”
“Did you find out anything helpful in Rhode Island?”
Ryan stepped into the reception area for Nadia’s office, leaving Nadia to fill Olivia in on their trip to Rhode Island. He called Shawn, getting the name and contact information for the hydrologist, a professor at a college upstate. She was more than happy to look over the police report and other information and provide her opinion, especially after the fee Ryan quoted.
He’d just ended the call with the professor when Detective Parsmons entered the office suite.
“Detective, any news on the fire investigation?” Ryan asked.
Nadia and Olivia exited the office and joined Ryan and Parsmons.
“The fire inspector is leaning toward arson, but it’s not official yet. You probably know as well as I do that the camera footage was grainy and unhelpful. But I’m not here about the fire.”
“No? Well, what brings you here, Detective?” Nadia asked.
Parsmons tipped his head in Ryan’s direction. “I’m here to place Ryan West under arrest for assault.”
Pursuit of the Truth Page 10