by Dakota Black
“What are you doing?” This was totally unexpected.
“Taking matters into my hands.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Turning toward him, Dani folded her arms as she shook her head. The audacity of this man was amazing.
Mitchell took a step forward. “You’re right in that something is terribly wrong but not just with the test results. Several men did die at the Steele site. The information was covered up and my suspicion is by whoever Mr. Steele has been or perhaps still is working with. They’re trying to implicate me personally for purchasing the site, no doubt for collusion.”
“Collusion? That doesn’t make any sense, Mitchell. From what I know about you, you’re a risk taker but you’re certainly not stupid. This other business venture requires the Steele site to be on the up and up. I doubt, given your vehemence, that you’d risk everything you own.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t. I’m not going to jeopardize everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve for a boost in the industry or any amount of money. However, my guess is the Feds will look at this a different way and if this goes down like I assume it will, there will be an investigation into operations and me personally,” he said quietly. When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “There were three other companies vying for the site. Bidding was tough. The other firms were far better equipped to handle the increased volume. Why did they sell to me? Because someone convinced old man Steele that they could keep me quiet?”
Laughing, she looked away. “Then they certainly didn’t know you very well.”
“I realize nothing makes any sense.”
“It does if the person behind this entire scheme is the one gaining from the losses at Rush including your demise.”
“True.” Mitchell groaned and tipped his head back. “That’s why the trip to El Paso is so important.”
“This is very personal. This reeks of vengeance.”
“I do have enemies in the world of oil.”
“No, I mean very personal.” She thought about his words as well as everything he’d learned. He sounded so sincere, caring about his reputation as well as the possible loss of his company. “Let me ask you this. Why not sell this company to someone else?”
“Money. Blackmail. The Indian curse. All of the above. Mr. Steele may have been a pawn, but that’s something we need to find out.”
“What do you propose to do?”
“Find the truth. I need to confront Nash Waters and the roughneck you talked to.” Mitchell shook his head. “The truth. An interesting concept.”
“Truth is vital in my world.”
He inched closer. “As it is in mine, Dani. No matter what you believe. I’m many things, but I am an honorable man.”
She took a step back and closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to believe him. “Who do you suspect is involved?” He seemed to contemplate the question. “You’re terrified of the answer.”
“Of course, I am. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, refusing to play the kinds of unscrupulous games other men in my position have. Certain critics, and there are more than you can imagine, have called me a fool more than once. I refused to change the man I was. There are two people from my past I call my friends and thought I could trust them with my life.”
“And now?”
“I’m no longer certain if I have any friends. That kills me, Dani. You have no idea.”
“I think I do. When you allow yourself to trust implicitly, even against your own better judgment, and you’re wrong, there’s nothing worse.” The biting words seemed to hit him between the eyes.
Mitchell walked closer, his expression blank. “While I understand your anger toward me and will accept your resignation with regret, I’m asking you to wait for a couple of days. Help me with this. Please. I’ll ask no more of you.”
Dani swallowed hard as her heart skipped. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to have fallen in love. “All right. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you. There’s something else that you need to know. I feel your life could be in danger.”
Opening her mouth, she sputtered as the understanding settled in. “Because of my discussion with Mr. Sanchez or the fact I took additional samples?”
“My guess would be both. I was threatened the other day and they were clear about you being a target. I can’t take that chance. I won’t place your safety or life in harm’s way so if we go to El Paso and anything goes wrong, I’m putting you on the first plane back to Dallas.”
Swallowing hard, she was taken aback by his vehemence. “I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t think you understand what’s at stake. People have died, good men. I doubt this asshole will allow you to stand in the way.” Mitchell allowed the words to hang. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. I think we have the upper hand. If we leave now, we can talk to Mr. Sanchez before the morning, confront Nash at the office, then we may have our answers. I’m ready to go to the Board with every scrap of information as well as evidence. I’m also prepared to step down in order to avoid anyone getting harmed.”
“What if they don’t want to talk?” she asked quietly.
“I have certain methods of persuasion that I will use if necessary,” he said, his words chosen carefully.
A shiver trickled down her spine. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
He placed his hand on her arm, his thumb rubbing her skin. “I would go to the ends of the earth to keep you safe.”
Dani had no idea what to say, but for the first time, she could see past the prowess, the mask he’d so carefully placed years before. She believed him. “Let me grab some things.”
“Good,” Mitchell said, relief flooding his face. “By the way. I will try and change your mind about resigning.”
She half laughed as she turned toward her bedroom. “You can try.” Her life was in danger? She thought about the fact she’d had the sinking suspicion that she’d been followed from his house, but was she merely reacting to her own concerns and heightened emotions?
Hissing, she yanked the small suitcase from her top shelf, chastising her thoughts and behaviors from the night before. She’d allowed the man to get close, breaking through her personal barriers. He’d known the score, had heard all about her wretched past and had taken full advantage. Or had he?
As she yanked out a selection of clothing, unsure of what to bring, her mind drifted to the roughneck she’d talked to. The man had certainly wanted to talk with her more, but had clammed up when… She stood at her full height. The moment Nash had entered the room. She hadn’t paid but so much attention before, but now? After grabbing the last of her things, she trudged into the bathroom, shoving makeup and toiletries into a case.
She didn’t have to like Mitchell, but she hated to see the man go down for something he didn’t do. As she glanced into the mirror studying her reflection, she could only see the jaded and hurt woman, the one fearful of taking any chances. After lifting her hand and issuing her middle finger, she snorted before turning out the light. This would be another interesting trip.
“Are you ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.” She dropped her case then moved to grab her purse, just as her phone started to ring.
“Remember, don’t tell anyone where you’re going and I mean no one. We have to keep this on the down low. In fact, we’re taking a commercial flight and it leaves in a little over an hour. Time is of the essence.”
“You’ve thought of everything.”
“I don’t want anyone alerted to our whereabouts,” Mitchell half whispered.
Seeing the exhaustion on Mitchell’s face, Dani allowed herself to touch his arm, giving comfort. Being a man in power, no matter how ruthless, must be lonely. She grabbed her phone and issued a single growl seeing the unknown caller status. Hair stood up on the back of her neck.
“What’s wrong?”
She shot him a look before answering. “This is Dani.” Whil
e she could hear some static on the other end of the line, there was little else. “Hello, can you hear me?” About to hang up the phone, she stopped cold and turned in Mitchell’s direction, her mouth going slack.
Mitchell narrowed his eyes and walked closer.
“Get out of town, sweetheart. You’re way out of your league.”
“And what if I don’t?” Dani hissed, her blood boiling. She heard another laugh followed by what sounded like a gun being cocked. She held her breath, listening to the background noises. The various clicks and whirs didn’t seem natural.
“Who is it?” Mitchell whispered.
“I asked you a question. What the fuck did you say?” She felt her heart thumping into her chest. The voice was disguised, but very male, the tone a deep base. “How fucking dare you!”
“Mark my words. Get out while you still can or pay the price.” The man continued to laugh, the sound reverberating into the phone.
Lifting her head, she studied Mitchell’s eyes and could almost swear the voice was similar to the one she’d heard on the radio—Mitchell’s voice. Her questions hadn’t been answered directly. What if Mitchell was forcing the Boards’ hand? What if he was behind the entire ruse, wanting nothing more than to force the company to be sold? What if he wanted to get her alone? No. This was insane. Mitchell wasn’t a monster. However, nothing was making any sense.
“What is it?” Mitchell eased in front.
Click!
She held the phone to her head, fear turning to anger. “A warning. You were right. You must be close to the truth because whoever is doing this wants me very dead.”
…whoever is doing this wants me very dead…
The words continued to play in the back of Mitchell’s mind, digging at every notion, perhaps his sanity. Zach and Camden, both men who could gain from the demise of the company, but were they capable of condoning murder?
The plane landed in El Paso just as the sun was setting, the sky laced with vivid hues of tangerine and fuchsia. Mitchell refrained from grabbing her hand as they made their way through the airport and toward the Hertz car rental kiosk. He’d been lucky to get two seats on the American flight and booked a rental car with a company he’d never used. Even with the few security measures in place, he studied everyone at the airport. Using the private plane would have been far too easy to track.
They remained quiet until they were in the car. Then he turned toward her. “Do you have Mr. Sanchez’s phone number? We’ll call him on the way and arrange a meeting.”
“In my purse.” Dani fastened her seat belt before searching through the leather clutch.
He hesitated as he looked out the windshield, wishing they were going away for a couple of days, time spent getting to know each other. “Why don’t you just ask me?” He started the engine. They needed to talk. No, he needed to explain. He cared about her more than he wanted to admit to himself.
“Ask you what, exactly?”
“About the radio show. Ask anything you want. I meant what I said. I’ll tell you everything and I wasn’t lying to you.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you about the radio show. Nothing.”
When she groaned, he looked over. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s not here,” she whispered, her face pinched. “No. Shit.”
“What isn’t?”
“The card. Garcia gave me a card with his name and phone number after I begged him. He trusted me and the damn card is gone.”
Mitchell narrowed his eyes. “Are you certain you had the card in your purse?”
“I had it when I came to your house and…” Her words trailed off. She jerked her head and moved closer to the passenger door. “I thought someone had searched through my purse when I was there. I found it on the floor. I… Shit. Mitchell. Camden was there! He was the only one who could have taken the card.”
“How would Camden know anything? Dani, that doesn’t make any sense.”
She yanked off her seatbelt and leaned closer. “Listen to me. You told me Camden hired Nash. I know Nash noticed me talking with Garcia. I saw his face and he was pissed off as hell. Nash knows those oil fields inside and out. This isn’t about ruining the entire site, but about carefully making the entire company tainted. Your stock tumbles. The Board makes a tough decision to sell the company at a rock bottom price, ousting you as the CEO. They appoint a new person in charge and suddenly the Steele site starts producing. Voila. Stock prices soar and the new CEO is an instant millionaire.”
Mitchell shrank back in his seat, his mind reeling. “Possible.”
“Possible? Everything fits together. I know he’s your friend, but this is millions of dollars we’re talking about here. You said yourself that people were willing to kill to keep a secret. What if this secret led to a massive plan? I’m not crazy. You know what I’m saying is true.”
While he didn’t want to believe it, the details fit too well together. “Okay. Let’s regroup before we go off halfcocked. Let me make a phone call. We need to find Mr. Sanchez now. Grab my laptop and try and find the name. He has to be listed somewhere.”
“Mitchell, the name isn’t unique, especially in this part of the country.”
“Do you remember the number, any of the digits?” She was right. Finding Mr. Sanchez in a sea of Hispanics would be difficult at best.
Dani closed her eyes. “Maybe. I don’t know. I just glanced at it. Why can’t I remember?”
“Breathe. Just see what you can find. If your theory is right, he’s a loose end. Several men have already lost their lives. I don’t want another one on my hands.” As she reached over the seat, grabbing his laptop case, he dialed Zach. “Come on, buddy. Answer.” Hearing the click, he held his breath. How much should he reveal?
“It’s Sunday night, my friend. What gives?” Zach’s voice was animated.
“Zach, I need your help. This thing is getting out of hand. Find out if any large sums of money were withdrawn from the company’s accounts.”
“What? Why?” Zach asked, half laughing.
“Just do it. I also need you to find out if any deposits were made to Camden’s accounts.” He heard the glitch in his friend’s voice.
“How in the hell am I supposed to do that? I’m not privy to that kind of information and you know it.”
“You’re an attorney. Figure it out!” Mitchell clenched his fist then exhaled. “I’m sorry. This is important. Whatever is happening is escalating. My guess is that the Board has been tipped off, convinced there are some unscrupulous activities and I’m smack in the middle. They won’t give me a chance to explain without hard evidence.”
Zach sighed. “You actually suspect Camden is behind this fiasco, don’t you?”
“Right now, I don’t know what to believe, but several of the answers keep coming back to Camden. He hired Nash. He convinced me to purchase the Steele site. He has openly admitted he craves additional power, but why would he do this? There is no reason he should betray me. None.” When he heard a hissing sound, he clenched the phone. “What? Tell me. What do you know?” His demands were meant with silence. “Zach. This is my company we’re talking about here, a legacy. I won’t go down without a fight. If Camden is behind this, I need to know.”
“Camden hasn’t been himself. He’s not the man we know,” Zach stated, his voice full of angst.
“Why? What is going on that’s so terrible?” Mitchell closed his eyes, reliving past conversations, trying to see if there were any clues.
“I have a feeling this is about Sarah.”
“Sarah? What are you talking about?”
“Mitch, Camden was in love with her. He blames you for her death.”
Chapter 11
“This is number four on the list. We’re getting nowhere,” Dani said as she rubbed her eyes. They’d been searching for two hours to find Garcia in a sea of men carrying the same name. When phone calls hadn’t been answered, they resorted to drive-bys. They were both deflated, tired and ready to tos
s in the towel.
“We have to keep searching,” Mitchell said as he gripped the steering wheel, his face pinched.
“Are you finally going to tell me what Zach said to you on the phone?” She’d heard enough of the conversation that she knew this was indeed very personal for Mitchell.
He darted a glance as he stopped at a red light, peering out at the darkening sky. “The final ugly piece from my past.”
“Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. I deserve to know the truth, all of it. You promised me nothing less.”
He hesitated before speaking. “The truth. The truth is my entire life has been a lie. My father was a tough man. I already told you that. He was also very much an abusive jerk, preferring to beat his wife and children into submission more than anything else.”
Dani eased her hand across the seat, placing her fingers on his thigh and remaining silent.
“My sister was five years younger. She was the darling of the family. God, she was so full of life and love. She was a happy little girl even through the violence, my father’s womanizing. My mother did everything she could to protect her. Sarah believed in love. Puppies and rainbows. I used to tease her relentlessly. I adored her. I protected her. When I failed her, I thought my life had no purpose.”
“How did you fail her?” She noticed a single tear slipping past his lashes.
Mitchell snorted and wiped his eyes. “I couldn’t take the violence any longer. My father beat me into submission. I ran away from everything, especially my family. I left her alone to deal with the wrath of my father. He was a monster and took out my betrayal, as he called my disappearance, on my mother and my sister. One night, Sarah came to me. She’d been beaten by my father but refused to call the police. That’s the way of my family. Keep everything private. She told me our mother was dying. While she didn’t know why, Sarah suspected her heart was broken.”
“Oh God. Mitchell.” She clenched her hand around his leg.
Beep!
He pressed on the accelerator and glared into the rearview mirror. “Yeah. Another aspect of my life I blame myself for. I went back home, determined to destroy my father. My mother was so thrilled I was around, but everything was messy, sliding straight into Hell. I found out then that he’d forced Sarah into becoming Vice President of the company. I honestly had no idea why she would tolerate his continued behavior. By this point, she was a grown woman with a doctorate degree. She had everything in her power to get the hell out from under his regime. Everything.”