Shaking my head at his gall, I inhaled deeply, trying to keep calm. “You seriously expect me to work for you? After every underhand trick you tried to pull on Geoffrey? I mean, come on, you step in and then coincidentally Geoffrey is murdered!”
He snorted, shaking his head. “I thought you were more intelligent than that, Miss Evans.”
I hadn’t expected him to own up but neither had I anticipated the truth in his eyes when he stared straight at me.
“Look,” he sighed, “I would like you to stay. I can’t hold a gun to your head - well I could but it’s not considered good practice in the workplace.” He grinned at me, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes making my blood heat. “But I can offer you another incentive.”
I couldn’t grasp why he was so determined to make me stay. Warne Industries were bringing in their own staff, so why the hell did he need me to stay?
“I’m willing to offer a fifteen percent rise to your previous salary.”
That got my attention. But I still couldn’t betray Geoffrey by working for these bastards.
“I’ll extend your contract to thirty-six months.”
What the hell was going on?
“And,” he continued with a sly smile. “You can choose three of your previous team to stay on with you.”
“Excuse me?”
The corner of his lips curled when he knew that last incentive had my attention. “Come on, they’re not just your team, they’re your friends. I know they have commitments, Darlin’. You could be the answer to their financial worries.”
“That’s bribery!”
He laughed, and even had the audacity to shrug. “I prefer the term blackmail.”
For a moment I was too stunned to answer, but then all I could get out was, “Why?”
Clicking his tongue, he tipped his head and held up three fingers. “One.” He dropped two of those fingers so just his index finger was elevated. “I promised Geoffrey I would keep you on.” He narrowed his eyes on me. “I always keep my promises, Miss Evans.”
Lifting another finger, he sighed as if defeated. “And I’m not too proud to admit that Warne Industries need you. I’ve heard about your loyalty and commitment. Your team worked well with your guidance, generating outstanding results. A happy workforce is more productive.” He’d done his homework which was even more confusing. “You’re good at your job and I know you’ve had a lot of input with the software development.”
Biting my lip at the direction my perseverance was heading, I quirked an eyebrow when he didn’t voice his third reason. “And three?”
He chuckled, that sly smirk returning as his eyes roamed the length of my body. “What can I say, you have great legs.”
My mouth fell open at his shamelessness.
“It’s always a bonus to have something pretty to look at during boring work hours.”
He was so serious any retort died within me. Shaking my head, and blinking, I turned and stabbed at the elevator call button again. As no one had called it the doors opened instantly and I stepped inside.
“I’ll see you Monday morning, Miss Evans.”
I bit into my tongue.
As the doors slid closed he said, “I take one sugar and cream in my coffee.”
Arsehole!
Four
“Listen,” McKayla said as she nursed her wine. We were at Kick, a complex that offered everything from bars to nightclubs, health spas to exclusive shops. It was one of the Warne establishments, and although Kay and I felt like traitors, it was our favourite place to drink. So, sitting in one of the bars, consuming a vast amount of wine the following night, I told her about Brandon’s offer.
“You shouldn’t accept it just because of me and Tony,” she stated. “This is your life, Mil. Don’t let anyone dictate how you live it.”
“It’s not that easy, Kay. For one I promised Geoffrey. Two, I need the money, and his offer of a fifteen percent increase makes my mouth water. And even if it’s not about the money, Sparrow is my heart. I worked hard and I enjoyed it.”
She nodded. “Yes, but who is to say that Brandon Knox will value your input like Geoffrey did? Who’s to say he just wants a dogsbody, a last up yours to Geoffrey by making your life hell? It could be his sick idea of fun.”
She did have a point, but for some unknown reason I couldn’t see that. My instincts told me that Brandon had been genuine when he offered me the job. I had suspected him of being behind Geoffrey’s murder, yet, the way his eyes had flared when I’d accused him had me debating my belief.
Our attention was captured by a guy arguing with one of the security men who stood on sentry beside a locked door. I gathered it led to the offices above, locked by a keypad to the side of the door.
The security guy kept his cool, regarding the man with both contempt and boredom. “You tell him!” the man shouted. “Tell him Harvey is coming for him.”
The security guy’s composure completely changed with the mention of ‘Harvey’ and he narrowed his eyes on the persistent man. He leaned forward, saying something quietly, before he pressed a button on his earpiece and spoke into it. After a few seconds, he punched a code into the keypad and gestured for the man to enter, the door then closing behind them both.
“Looks like Knox and Co bring trouble wherever they are,” Kay said quietly when she turned back to me. “Talking of Co, have you heard or seen anything of Knox’s invisible partner?”
I shook my head, taking another sip of wine. “Nope. Don’t think we will to be honest. His identity has never been revealed, and I don’t expect it to.”
She sighed, disappointed I didn’t have any more gossip for her. “Can you honestly say you want to work for people like these?”
No, I couldn’t. The scene that had just played out seemed all too familiar to me and a shiver raced up my spine. However, I knew I had no choice. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, let my friends down. They needed me to take this job as much as curiosity was eating at me. I couldn’t grasp why Brandon Knox wanted Sparrow. Sparrow’s main business was developing and operating programmes and servers that held certain encrypted data for the government. Every person employed by Sparrow had to have a vast amount of checks on them, from their financial holdings to police checks and at least three references. We dealt with highly confidential data and government protected records. There were at least four NDAs to sign and that was only after the initial checks on you came back flawless.
Warne Industries were specific to the entertainment sector. They owned clubs, pubs, hotels, casinos and various shopping complexes. Taking on Sparrow just seemed downright strange.
It was this very reason that had me walking through the familiar glass double doors Monday morning, the spanking new business sign of ‘Warne Industries’ now in place above the doors making my stomach churn with grief and guilt.
***
It was early when I walked into my office. The cleaners were still vacuuming the thick corridor carpet. Sally, the regular top floor cleaner, greeted me with a smile and a wave. I was surprised that Warne had kept on the cleaning staff. I had heard that the employee list had had a complete overhaul.
Dumping my bag beside my desk, I made my way into Geoffrey’s – Brandon’s – office, fired up the PC and opened the blinds, setting the AirCon to a warmer temperature. It was strange but this office felt colder since Geoffrey’s death. I knew it was my imagination but impulse still made me crank up the heating.
Then I made my way to the small kitchen at the end of the hallway.
“Morning Milly,” Sally greeted me verbally this time as she wiped over the counters. “I’m glad to see you back.”
I nodded, giving her a genuine smile. “Likewise, Sally. I thought Warne would have brought in a different company.”
“Me too,” she nodded in agreement. “I think we were all as shocked as you.”
Scooping a measured number of beans into the machine I switched it on and placed a cup under the spout before turning back to Sally. �
�How’s Wesley?”
She grimaced. Wesley, her husband, was undergoing chemotherapy. Sally had had it rough the last couple of years, her mother dying only last year and now her husband had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was enduring chemotherapy to prolong what little time he had left. Although I admired his strength I couldn’t help but silently wonder why make yourself so ill just for the guarantee of a couple of months.
“Not good this time.” She sighed, shrugging. “But we have to go on.”
“We do,” I replied sadly, giving her a sorrowful smile before taking my full cup of steaming black nectar from the machine and making my way back to my office.
Just as I perched my bottom onto my chair and logged into the system, the door opened.
For a moment it felt like time had been cruel and the last fourteen years had all been a dream and I’d suddenly been rudely awoken. An invisible force crushed my lungs and I stared in shock at the man stood staring at me.
Rik Bane looked the same, but so very different. His short black hair was now thicker and longer, swept back from his face. His warm blue eyes now had a chill to them that made me shiver and his once thin gaunt face was now fuller and defined, his broad chin and jawline sharp and strong.
“Hello, Esther.”
There was a coldness to his voice, one that had never been present before. His glare was just as chilling and if I wasn’t so shocked at the fact that he stood before me again after so many years, I would have questioned that bitter tone.
“Rik?”
Very faintly he winced as though his name from my mouth physically hurt him. He stood silent, watching me. Anger poured from him, confusing me.
He stood in a clean cut stylish two-piece suit, the way it fit to his tall, hard body exposing that it was exclusively fashioned for him. His sharp white shirt was snug against his torso, the outline of his prominent muscles displayed perfectly with the impressive tailoring. A dark navy blue tie, knotted with perfection, finished the look effortlessly.
My past – our past - hit me full on, cruel memories making my heart ache. Everything I had worked for, peace of mind, a life away from what I used to be were now all suddenly hanging on this man in front of me.
“What the hell are you doing here, Rik?”
One perfectly manicured eyebrow lifted with my tone and he stepped closer. His eyes lowered to the cup in my hand. “Coffee, black, no sugar.”
My mouth popped open when he about turned and walked into Brandon’s office. I hadn’t expected him to be pleased to see me, but his indifference confounded me. He used to be my best friend, he had loved me. But that Rik was gone now, replaced by a cold and detached man. We were strangers now, and it seemed Rik thought so too.
“I’m not your personal barista!” I shouted to his retreating back, reality snapping in and making my blood heat with anger. I hadn’t expected a warm hug, fair enough, but I had thought he’d have been a bit friendlier and familiar.
He stuttered to a stop but didn’t turn back to me. “You’re an assistant, right? That is your job title? Executive assistant?” The way he hissed out each word had my veins constricting with anger. “So I would like you to assist me, and make me a damn - fucking - coffee!”
For the longest moment I was struck dumb with shock. What the fuck? It had been fourteen years since I’d last laid eyes on him, but shit, it was a different man completely standing before me today, one I had never met in my life. The gentle and protective boy I remembered was long gone.
“Excuse me!” I spat, snapping upright from my chair and storming into his office. “One, I am Brandon’s assistant, not yours.”
Slowly he turned to look at me. His expression was neutral but I could see the flare of fury in his eyes.
“Two, I do not make bloody coffee for anyone!” I added.
He smirked as his eyes slowly trailed down my body. I’d decided to dress conservatively after Brandon’s comment about my legs. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, so I’d worn a fitted black trouser suit, teamed with a simple cream cami.
“As much as I am going to enjoy bursting your bubble, Esther, it still pains me as much as it will you to find that, actually, you work for me. Not Brandon!”
“What?” I cringed at the tight wheeze in my voice. Oh my holy hell. Rik Bane was the other half of Warne Industries!
“Brandon’s expertise remains with the more physical aspect of technology. In simple terms, in the server room. Whereas I am more administrative. So unfortunately, you work for me.”
My head involuntarily shook from side to side. Rik’s smirk grew larger. “Of course you’re welcome to decline Brandon’s offer. I have more willing assistants eager to take your place.”
When I couldn’t find the words to spit back at him, he chuckled darkly. “I thought not.”
Finally, my brain kicking into gear, I sucked air angrily through my teeth and stormed back into my office. Snatching my bag up, I slammed the door on my way out.
Once again, when the elevator doors opened, Brandon Knox’s face welcomed me. He frowned when he registered the fury on my face, before letting out a long sigh. “Bane’s in then.”
Shaking my head vigorously, I blew out the enraged breath that I had been holding in my lungs. “I cannot work for him.”
Bizarrely, Brandon closed his eyes and growled very faintly. Then, making me jump slightly, he took my hand and pulled me into the elevator.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking you for coffee.”
My God, were they both as rude as each other?
“And if I don’t want coffee?”
He chuckled, the sound authentic and with humour. “Oh come on, Milly, it’s coffee. I’m well aware of your caffeine addiction.”
I blinked, surprised by his knowledge, and calling me Milly. I’d have thought Rik would have filled him in, for one telling him my real name. Or maybe Rik just didn’t want to acknowledge we had once been best friends.
“I need to talk to you, and over coffee you may be more willing to listen,” he said frankly. “And I’ll even throw in an apple and cinnamon muffin.”
“I’m not sure if I should be afraid of your intelligence, or flattered.”
He shrugged, staring at me deeply as the elevator descended the many floors. “I like to do my homework. In my line of work, it’s imperative. Sometimes, a case of life or death.”
I frowned, regarding him warily but just as I opened my mouth to question his strange statement, the lift doors opened and Brandon once again took hold of my hand. Sparrow Towers had its very own Starbucks in the main foyer, but instead of guiding me inside, Brandon led me out of the main doors and down the street to a smaller and quieter coffee shop.
Brandon gave me a soft smile when he placed a coffee and muffin in front of me then took the chair opposite me where I sat, by his specific instruction, at the secluded table towards the back of the shop.
We both remained silent as we drank and ate. It was weird. The silence wasn’t as uncomfortable as it should have been, two practical strangers drinking coffee together.
Eventually, Brandon pulled in a long breath. His deep blue eyes secured my gaze. “Cards on the table. I know I can trust you. I’ve delved deep into your life…” He held up a hand quickly to quieten my alarm. “I’m not sure you’re in a position to walk away right now.” He leaned forwards, his eyes now shrewd and full of calculation. “Esther.”
It seemed Rik had been open then. Everything was going wrong. First Geoffrey and now the return of my past. The room swam and the breath that left me made my head spin crazily. My mouth dried and I shot out of my chair, slapping my hand over my mouth as I made a dash for the restroom.
Fuck! Fuck!
Five
Blowing out a breath, I palmed the wall and flushed the toilet. My brow was beaded with sweat, the panic inside me making me lightheaded and woozy.
“Seriously?” I hissed through the clench of my teeth when I opened the cubicle door
and Brandon grinned at me. He leaned against one of the sinks, his hard body at ease with the stance, his arrogance making him appear calm and collected whichever way he stood. His eyes were full of mischief which actually surprised me. After his disclosure, and the way he had sneered when he’d said my real name, I was confused by the light-heartedness to him. He was a clash of personalities and I started to wonder if he was bipolar.
“You do know this is the ladies?” I flicked a glance at him as I ran the cold water and splashed it over my face.
“I wondered why the guy was wearing a dress on the little plaque, I thought the owner must be Scottish.”
Shaking my head at his dire humour, I held on to the sink. He met my eye in the mirror and sighed. “Listen, can we start again?” He held up my bag in his hands. “I protected your possessions. That at least means you have to hear me out. It’s not any guy who would stroll through a coffee shop with a handbag.” He quirked a brow. “I did that for you.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the way he flashed puppy dog eyes at me. It looked so wrong on him. He was large and stocky, and such a cute expression just made him look ridiculous.
Taking my bag from him, I held out my hand and lifted an eyebrow. He smirked then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out my gun. “I’m impressed,” he smiled as he passed it me back. “Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9A3, fairly new in the black market.”
“If you know all about me, you’ll also know why I carry it.”
“And I’m also wondering why Sparrow Towers hasn’t got a better security system in place if its staff can walk in with loaded weapons.” He clicked his tongue. “Our coffee is getting cold.”
Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I followed him back to our table. After he purchased new drinks, he leaned back into his chair and contemplated me for a while. “I have to ask, how the hell did you pass Sparrow’s checks?”
“My past doesn’t matter anymore. I am no longer Esther Dean, and I never will be again. You need to stop thinking of me as her, and start accepting me as Milly Evans.”
Bane (Memphis #1) Page 3