A Shadow of Doubt

by Dakota Black

  “Mr. Rush. What can you tell us about the rumor regarding the oil fields once owned by Steele and Sons?”

  “Mr. Rush. Is there any truth to the rumor that you have a saboteur on your hands?”

  “Mr. Rush. How are your employees reacting to the possibility of losing their jobs?”

  The questions came fast and furious, the majority pissing him the hell off. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear the questions had been given to them, edgy and spot on. He moved to the top of the concrete stairs, Dani just behind him. “Ladies and gentlemen. I’m happy to answer a few questions today, however I will have to ask you to refrain from succumbing to the rumor mill. You know me. I don’t wallow in bullshit or horse manure.”

  The reporters laughed, as he’d expected them to and even though Dani raked her nails across his arm, he continued. His way. “Look. Rumors are just that. Rumors. We may have an issue at the Steele site, but I won’t know that until tests are confirmed. However, I can assure you that the jobs and livelihood of my employees aren’t in question here in any way. The Steele fields are not my only rodeo. Just give me some time to get to the bottom of the truth. That’s all I ask.”

  Mitchell flashed his toothy grin, the one that usually worked when he spoke publicly. He hadn’t needed his prepared speech, just yet anyway. The reporters weren’t out to crucify him at this point. That would come later.

  “Mr. Rush. Are you worried?” the pretty blond reporter asked.

  “Of course, I’m worried. That’s what business owners do. They worry about those they care about, whether in business or in pleasure,” Mitchell answered and hadn’t realized he’d tipped his head toward Dani until the reporters latched onto her presence.

  “Are you helping Mr. Rush with this issue?”

  “Are you his administrative assistant?’

  “Are you Mr. Rush’s girlfriend?”

  The last question got a rise from Dani and even though Mitchell held up his hand, stopping the questions at least momentarily, she still came forward. When she pushed her way past, he gingerly took her arm and whispered. “Don’t. You don’t need to get in the middle of this.”

  She gave him a death glare before following his lead, smiling to the crowd. When she spoke, she had an air of confidence, a formidable yet pleasant and very soothing voice.

  “Thank you all for coming. Mr. Rush and I are delighted to get you as much information as we can. To answer your questions, I did accompany Mr. Rush to the site. I’m a new employee, my specialty is in petroleum so I’m looking for discrepancies, toxic substances and any other indication that there might be a problem. I assure you. I’m not his girlfriend nor will I ever be, but I am someone who will get to the bottom of this, rumor. Or. Truth.” Dani looked from one to another of the men and women, who were now eating out of her hand.

  Mitchell took a step back, holding back his desire to issue a high five. Then again, her words were also cutting to him given her exaggerated statement. She was drawing a line in the sand.

  And all he could think about was commanding her, dominating her and making the incredible woman his. After all, he was falling hard and fast.

  Dani gave one last fake smile before heading inside and away from Mitchell. She walked quickly toward the elevators, determined to have some time alone. Her heart racing, she wiped beads of perspiration from her brow as anger and sadness bridged the surface. She wanted nothing more than to have a conversation with Mitchell, explain why she couldn’t see him, fuck him or anything else for that matter.

  Perhaps she’d been hurt when she’d turned over in bed, expecting to snuggle with his warm and sexy body. Instead, finding a cold and empty bed explained with no words needed what she meant to him. She was just a damn number, a notch on his belt. She’d allowed her guard to be ripped away, exposing her soft and gooey center. She was the fool, but never again.

  She pushed the elevator button once, twice, then slapped her hand on the highlighted number as she cursed under her breath. At least the reporters seemed to have taken her seriously. When they found out what she suspected was going on, they’d have a field day. Whew. What about Mitchell? He had no idea what he was facing. While she couldn’t be certain, she had more than enough evidence to back her theory and then some. She just needed the tests to confirm. Right now, trust was her main concern. Perhaps being an outsider has its perks.

  When Garcia Santos had taken her aside, whispering details of several sordid events shoved under the rug prior to the purchase, she listened without commenting. What could she say after all? She’d purposely left a significant portion of her conversation with the terrified man out. Granted, she doubted Mitchell had any idea. If he did, she would resign, unable to work for a man who cared so little about life. Her head was as muddled as her emotional state. The question mixed with her concerns regarding his personal life were too much to bear.

  Ping!

  Dani felt a presence behind her and she didn’t need to turn around to know who was skipping hot breath across her neck and shoulder. Mitchell. He refused to be denied. She held her head high as she stepped into the cold, steel box, now thrilled she was wearing rugged attire, including her boots. She was taking zero shit today.

  “You handled yourself very well,” Mitchell said as he leaned against the back wall and a full three feet away from her.

  “Thank you. I learned a long time ago that you need to give them enough for a good feed, then leave crumbs along the way. Reporters won’t become voracious snakes if you do.”

  “Said like a woman who knows her shit.”

  She heard his deep and sensuous laugh, could smell the same cologne that had covered her body, yet she swallowed and maintained her stance. He was a man and her boss. Nothing more. “I worked on the marketing and publicity statements at my last job. No one else could put two creative and coherent words together.”

  He burst out laughing. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  When the elevator doors opened, the faces attached to the employees walking by were certainly different than the one the day before. They were looking straight at her. Staring at her. They wanted to eat her alive. Why? Because she’d been selected for a trip with the boss? If only they knew what had occurred. “Where are we meeting?”

  “The small conference room. Just the executive staff. I don’t need but so many people in the company hearing the details,” Mitchell said quietly as they walked down the hall.

  “That’s wise. We need to keep this meeting short and sweet considering there are no test results,” she offered.

  “What do you know that you’re not telling me?” He gripped her arm, pulling her against a bank of windows.

  Dani looked from right to left before speaking. “Be careful, Mr. Rush. The walls have ears and you need to watch your back.”

  “Are you insinuating one of my employees is purposely sabotaging the operation?”

  “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m making suggestions based on what little I know at this time. My gut is talking. Please heed my words.”

  “You mean your warning,” he said under his breath.

  “Yes.” When all the color drained from his face, she wanted nothing more than to cup his face, kiss his lips, but she kept her arms wrapped around her briefcase. “Short and sweet. Just act as if nothing is wrong. Okay?”

  Mitchell studied her for a full minute before speaking. “All right. I’ll trust you, but you and I need to talk openly at some point. Do you understand?”

  Even in the business setting, his voice and words were commanding and she was wet, her pussy clenching. Blinking, she looked away as if concerned about a nearby employee. “Of course. One more suggestion.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have whatever company you hired send only you and I the results of my testing.” She looked him directly in the eyes. Seeing confusion, she nodded in reassurance. “Just cautious.”

  “Fine. I can make certain that happens. Now let’s get this over with.”

&nbs
p; Dani had a split second to look inside the man’s soul. What she saw scared her to death. He was hurt. He was hiding behind a mask. And there was something else. She noticed love. But for whom? There had to be another girl in the picture. Of course, there was. The man was nothing but a player. Swallowing hard, she followed him into the room, determined to just get through the meeting and the rest of the day. She noticed Marisha’s approach, the woman’s smile pleasant but her body language indicated she was tense. Another pang of guilt riddled her system. What if Mitchell had been lying about the end of their relationship?

  “Hey, you two. Nicely done outside,” Marisha said as she looked from Mitchell to Dani. She kept her eyes pinned on Dani when she issued her next sentence. “Mitchell, we’ll need to discuss how you want to approach the entire company. You need a formal statement to the staff as well as for various emails. There’s also been several calls from Board members this morning.”

  Mitchell nodded and kept his voice low. “I’ll handle the Board after the meeting with the management team. As far as the employees, I’m certain you’ve already prepared a dandy statement for me?”

  Marisha smiled and pressed down his shirt. “You know me too well. Of course.”

  Dani noticed the touch was far too intimate, a closeness you only had with a lover or spouse. She held her tongue. Now wasn’t the time to unleash any level of fury.

  “All right. We’ll meet and go over that in thirty minutes or so. This won’t take long.”

  “Perfect.” Marisha started to walk away then turned. “Dani, we’re all glad you’re here. You’re good for this company.”

  The compliment seemed genuine, allowing Dani to smile. “Thank you.”

  Marisha nodded and took long strides down the hallway.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Mitchell said as he took Dani’s elbow.

  “Welcome back you two. I hope you have some good news for us,” Camden said as he smiled and greeted them at the door to the conference room.

  “We have some thoughts,” Mitchell said as he strode inside. “However, nothing is going to matter until the additional test results come back.”

  The man was now wearing his game face and in truth, Dani was impressed with the way he handled the press. He showed confidence and caring. Two things that could be faked easily. Once again, she stood behind him as he spoke. Only this time, she observed, watching eye movements and hand gestures, any twitches or subtle emotions. Red flags were raised high, flying in the wind.

  Dani had no doubt in her mind. Someone close to him was out to destroy everything he’d worked for. She might be the only one to find out who before it was too late.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for dropping everything to meet with Ms. Montgomery and myself. As you may have heard, there has been some concern about the newly purchased fields near El Paso. I share in your concern but we don’t want to jump to conclusions just yet. There may well be a few issues, but we’re unable to discern just if and how many at this point. I’ve called you all together to make certain we’re all on the same page. I’ll issue a formal statement to the employees within the hour, one you can all use. Do not go off the page at this point,” Mitchell stated as he walked from one end of the conference room to the other.

  She slunk against the wall, aware there were daggers for eyes glaring at her. She was the new girl and why in the hell had she been appointed to such an important situation and with the boss no less? Sighing, she continued her observations, keeping her expression blank.

  “Are the rumors true?” a gentleman from the front asked.

  “Tom, I’ve heard several rumors so not entirely certain which ones you’re referring to; however, I don’t believe the situation is as dire as led to believe.” Mitchell gave her an offhanded look.

  “Then what do you think we’re facing?” a woman asked, her face pensive.

  Mitchell gave her another look as if encouraging her to step forward. “Marcy, I think we’re facing a limited crisis, but one in which will require basic conversations to the other employees. They don’t need to know any details until we know what we’re dealing with. And as always, I’m the only one who can talk to the press. Ms. Montgomery, do you have anything to add?”

  Dani hesitated before stepping forward. If her thoughts were a reality, she didn’t want to tip her hand just yet. “Thank you, Mr. Rush. As you heard, I visited the site yesterday and I’m not convinced we do have a crisis. In fact, I’m not certain we have an outstanding issue with the oil production at all.” You bet the look on Mitchell’s face was one of curiosity as well as disdain.

  “Then what do you think we’re dealing with?” Tom’s question was smug.

  “Tom? That’s your name?” she asked, her smile saccharin sweet.

  “Yes,” he stated and shook his head.

  Dani walked closer until she was only a few inches from the man, who was seated just to the right of the head chair—Mitchell’s chair. She’d observed almost glee in his eyes, as if he knew something no one else did. She leaned over the table, palming the surface. “Tom. I’m certain you’ve been in the business for quite a while. As you know, there are many ways tests can be faked, even samples contaminated. It’s my understanding that Mr. Rush has many enemies. I’m here to help determine if this is the case and if so, we will eradicate the saboteur.” The words hung in the air. She remained unblinking, studying Tom’s reaction, then eased back, giving Mitchell a heated look.

  “Thank you, Ms. Montgomery. That’s all we have for today. As soon as the new results are studied, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, business as usual.” Mitchell walked out of the room before anyone had a chance at asking another question.

  Dani waited a perfunctory amount of time before exiting and scurried down the hall toward her office. She certainly hadn’t made any friends during her testimonial. The moment she stepped into her office, the door was shut behind her with a hard thud. Whipping around, seeing Mitchell’s dark eyes made her swallow. Hard.

  “What was that?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

  “I was laying the cards on the table.”

  “As if you know what those cards hold.”

  Shrugging, she controlled her nerves and stood her ground. “There’s nothing wrong with those oil fields other than a quick dump of a chemical that would cause inflated test results. Didn’t you notice the management team seemed befuddled while the roughnecks and riggers were perfectly calm, going about their work as if nothing was wrong?”

  He opened his mouth as if to retort then raised a single eyebrow. “Very observant. You really think this is about a cover up given your conversation with Mr. Santos?”

  “No doubt, but we won’t know for certain until the results. By the way, I kept two samples.” She dangled the carrot, unsure of how he would react.

  “What?” He took a step forward.

  She nodded. “I think it’s best that I send out another sample to a lab you’ve never dealt with before.”

  “The idea is a good one, but why didn’t you tell me?” the tone was demanding yet Mitchell half smiled.

  “I wanted you to walk into that room without knowing.” Dani glanced at the floor to ceiling window leading to the hallway and walked closer. “If someone is out to get you, they can’t be working alone. The risk is too great plus the tasks needed to complete something of this nature would require more than one person.”

  Mitchell rubbed his eyes. “I can’t believe I have more than one person in my company out to destroy everything, including my reputation. I can’t believe there’s even one.” He looked away, his brow furrowed.

  “What about Nash Waters? Didn’t you say he came from Steele?”

  “Camden checked him out thoroughly. The man is good at his job.”

  “But you had no idea of his existence. I understand you don’t handle the hiring, but employing someone from Steele? That’s an interesting risk. You said it yourself, you wondered why Mr. Steele retired. Are there truly sons?�
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  “There are but from what I understand, the three kids wanted nothing to do with daddy’s business. I hear he was a tough man.”

  She noticed his eyes clouding, as if remembering his own father. “Easily checked out. I have no idea about the terms of the sale, perhaps everything was rosy, but if not, that’s something for you to consider.”

  “Dani, this might not be an act of sabotage. This may be merely a natural situation.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “You really believe that someone from this office is to blame for what’s going on and that this person is using my purchase of Steele, either blackmailing or buying off help, don’t you?” Mitchell snapped. “You’re jumping to conclusions.”

  Dani held out her hand. “Perhaps you’re right. I have no proof, but my gut tells me this is a treacherous game. Mr. Waters seemed legit to me, however you need to check out his background as well as check on Mr. Steele’s sons. I hope I’m wrong. I really do, but if I’m not and you wait, it may be too late.”

  Mitchell exhaled and nodded. “Understood and good advice.”

  “Time to rule out anyone involved, but first things first.”

  “The results.”

  “The results.”

  He walked toward her window, peering out at the parking lot. “I’m no fool. I realize that there are plenty of men and women who would love to be in my seat. Hell, backstabbing is a way of life in the oil business. I honestly never thought I’d be in this position, not after everything I’ve given to the employees. If this is a matter of subterfuge, then I have to believe we’re talking from an outside source. There is little we can do but wait and go about our business.” He turned toward her. “I do agree we can’t be too cautious. Can you have the results checked quietly from someone who doesn’t know me or my competitors?”