Share the Darkness

Ward shook his head. He’d read up on Dan Protter before arriving. The man could make money the way other men made a mess in the sink. No effort and little worry. His problem was spending it. He had that fuzzy, can’t-be-bothered-with-the-details genius about him.

It made him the perfect victim.

Good thing for Protter that Arvest Lane, based in Dallas, handled the administrative details of the partnership. The man was almost as bad as James in the paperwork department. There were tons of forms, often in triplicate. Ward guessed it was to make up for all the time without anyone in charge of security.

No wonder someone had taken to laundering money through Protter and Lane. The place was a security disaster waiting to happen. Since arriving in Gallem, he decided on two goals, find the pilferer and get to someplace cooler, like the equator.

Dan Protter had no clue, but Ward’s initial investigation indicated an inside job. That was why he was here. And in most criminal cases, it all boiled down to the old saying…follow the money. Once he discovered the source of the money, that would lead him to the big crime. He just hoped James would let him have a crack at it once he completed this part of the investigation.

He wouldn’t get that shot if he kept his mind on ice cubes. Or the sexy woman who ran them along her skin.

Ward returned his attention to the files on his desk with deliberation. Working frequently undercover, he was a man used to calculated focus.

He forced his eyes not to return to Hannah’s picture, concentrating on the papers contained in the file instead. She worked as a computer programmer. He removed the paper clip, and flipped through the sheets of paper outlining her life.

Better than average grades. Member of the computer club. Several part-time jobs while in school. P&L was her third job out of college. Each job gave her added responsibility.

He leaned back in his chair and worked the paper clip between his fingers. Something bothered him. He couldn’t place what. Something about Hannah’s tidy résumé…

He twisted the pliable metal, then scanned the document again.

The job didn’t suit her. Computers were all straight lines, numbers and cold machinery. None of that fit with Hannah. Her entire package exuded warm sensuality and curves. And melting ice cubes. The paper clip flicked off his thumb and glanced off the wall. He’d stretched the thing arrow straight. Not unlike him. Ward shifted in his seat to relieve some of the pressure the thought of dripping water added to his anatomy. His lower part.

If this were any normal assignment, he’d ask her out. Pursue her like any regular guy with a beating heart. But this wasn’t any average assignment.

Not only was Hannah Garrett his object of sexual interest and infinite frustration, she was also his most likely suspect.

HANNAH FELT HIS EYES on her again. For a minute, she relished the awareness of him as a man. And her as a woman.

Since the new head of security had taken residence in the second corner office, she always seemed to be in his direct line of vision. The heavy sensation of being watched lasted long after she’d left his sight. Her shoulders tensed and her skin prickled just from getting a drink from the break room. One innocent moment of rubbing ice on her neck and…the warmth of a flush entered her cheeks. Just what she needed. More heat.

She hadn’t even realized he could see her, but his door faced the little break room where employees stashed their drinks and warmed their food in the microwave. What kind of message did she send with that little display? The last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself. She’d be eating her lunch at her desk from now on.

Hannah sensed those sexy, cool green eyes of his missed nothing. Cool until they met hers. Then they misted into the color of the sea before a storm. Dangerous. Yet, she didn’t always want to turn away from the tempest.

And that’s where her new apprehension originated. She’d always been able to stamp out the barest hint of…of…she didn’t even have a ready word to describe the feeling. Awareness?

No, no, no. Wariness was all she was experiencing.

Wariness was a familiar friend. She’d been on the alert for four years now. Sometimes, in the bright, revealing daylight of a lazy Saturday afternoon, she knew it would only be a matter of time before he caught up with her. The welcome of the enveloping night would ease her apprehension. Until the next sunrise.

She balled her fist, but resisted the urge to bang her hand on the table. Damn, she had thought she’d be safe in Gallem. The anonymity of the large metropolis promised her a level of freedom. Maybe a chance to have the semblance of a social life. She’d even toyed with the idea of dating or at least shooting for living the life of any normal, twenty-something girl in the city.

Hannah ached for that simple measure of security she hadn’t had since she made the decision that changed her life.

Security. Her mind reeled back to Ward Coleman. With the ability to perform background checks, his job could be the perfect ruse for someone with an agenda. Someone looking to find her. Anxiety knotted the tiny muscles of her nape. She rolled her head side to side.

“Doing office yoga again?”

Hannah glanced up to see Dinah Wallace stroll in with her ever-present smile, waving a sheaf of paper. If Hannah were a different kind of person, Dinah would be gal-friend material. The kind to see chick flicks, talk about men and eat ice cream with when the romance turned sour. The kind of friend she yearned to have.

But she dared not get too close. One small slipup, and she’d be right back where she started. On the run. She couldn’t afford it. Better to keep to herself. Better to ignore her longing for a good friend. Better to ignore any interest in a man. A man like Ward. A man offering the temptation of double danger.

Dinah plopped herself in the metal chair in front of Hannah’s desk. Hannah had specifically chosen that chair so as not to invite lengthy visits to her office. Though the discomfort of the rigid metal seat never seemed to bother, Dinah, the office gossip.

“I don’t know why you’re in here eating tuna straight from the can, when you could be draping yourself in some sort of a seductive pose in the break room,” Dinah said.

Since Ward’s arrival, Dinah could think of little else other than devising ways to get the man’s attention. Hannah had no intention of diverting the man’s eyes to her. For her safety and sanity.

“I’m fine here,” Hannah told her.

Dinah knocked on the desk. “Hello. You’re not getting the point. There’s a man across from the break room.”

Hannah tried for a casual shrug. “There are lots of guys in the office.”

“You made the point yourself. Guy versus man. This one’s all man. I can almost see the muscles rippling under his suit jacket. Muscles he earned doing strapping manly things. He’s no banker in love with his latest investment.”

“Not interested.” Hannah picked up her fork, scooped out another bite of tuna and shoved it into her mouth. That should prove her tuna over man point quite nicely.

“What a waste. Especially since you’re the only one in the office Mr. Security seems to have any interest in.”

The fork slipped through her fingers and banged against her desk with a tattling clang. A tickle of excitement fluttered in her chest.

Dinah laughed and graced her with a smug smile. “Yeah, you just blew your cover. Admit it, you’re not so immune to Mr. Green Eyes with the tight—”

“No, I’m just surprised is all.”

She’d suspected the new security head had been paying a little closer attention to her. Up until now, she mentally filed it under her natural inclination toward suspicion. And to be honest, she tried to convince herself maybe his long stares might indicate a little sexual interest, as well. A tiny thrill of anticipation coursed through her until she tamped it down in a hurry. What sort of luck was this? To finally be attracted to a man who could possibly be here to harm her. His arrival seemed too sudden. His interest in her too immediate.

Dinah’s announcement confirmed her acquired inclination to be on alert. She had to play down her clumsy reaction. She forced a tight smile. Maybe it would be to her advantage to let her friend think she found the man attractive. Not much of a stretch. Maybe it would keep Dinah’s suspicions centered on a target Hannah could control better. “Well, I—”

“I knew it. I knew you liked him.”

Hannah settled against the cushion of her chair, and let her friend take it from there.

Dinah crossed her legs and began swaying them in excitement. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. You’re shy. I mean it all fits. You’re the computer gal. You do most of your work from home or on weekends. I’m surprised you’re even here today. You’re not comfortable around men.”

Oh, if only Dinah knew the whole of that story.

Hannah shifted in her chair. “Even if I were interested in the man, which I’m not, parading myself in the break room is out of the question. It has something to do with decorum.”

“Remind me to look that word up in the dictionary later.”

Hannah wadded up her napkin and threw it at her friend. “You’re impossible. And I’m not uncomfortable around men. Protter and Lane have a very clear policy on intraoffice dating. I’ve received several memos to the effect.”

“Oh, puhleez. I think you’re the only person that doesn’t immediately put those gems in the circular file. And office policy still doesn’t explain your general lack of presence around this place. Not that I can blame you. Take a peek at your office. Where are the pictures? Where’s the dead plant? You don’t have a single doodad on your desk. You’re also the only person who’s left all those silly inspirational sayings on the wall.”

“I kind of like them.”