already broken one of those corporate policies.”
“I’m not an employee of Nancarrow Mining… yet.”
Jack pushed his back more securely into the armchair and relaxed his posture on a breath. This was the second time Marston had tried to rile him. A hint of accusation followed by a veiled threat. No doubt the third attack would be the charm. Jack stopped himself from folding his arms across his chest as if he needed protection. His fingers wanted to tap on the arms of the chair to distract his mind, but he kept them in his lap, unmoving. He waited, breathing slowly and taking comfort from the silence as he had been trained to do.
“Do you frequently break the law, Dr. Horwood?”
An unexpected moment of respite. Very smart. Jack was severely tempted to let his sense of mischief take over. Just for a moment or two, to see if he could shock this woman with the gorgeous smile and mind like a spymaster into losing her footing on that tightrope they both balanced on. It was an appealing thought, but prudence won in the end. Prudence and a sense of duty.
“You’re aware of my employment history, ma’am. So you have to be aware of the fact that I am not at liberty to discuss any of it.”
Not that he would have wanted to discuss his past even if he’d been at liberty to do so. The few people who knew did so because they’d seen him at work. Talking about himself had never been Jack’s way. Though why that thought produced an image of Gareth standing on his doorstep and staring at Jack from wide amber eyes in which shock and heat mixed most effectively….
Returning his focus to the conversation took effort. Marston was smiling at him, but this time, the smile was nothing more than a tiny curl of lip, and Jack braced himself.
“What is your association with Gareth Flynn?”
Bingo.
“He was my commanding officer while I served in the army.”
More illegible notes blossomed on Marston’s pad. The woman wrote and wrote as if Jack’s succinct answer demanded a lengthy commentary. Jack was sure his voice and body language were perfect. She was baiting him. She had to be.
“Does he know you well?”
“Yes.” Too well, perhaps. Or not well enough if he thinks I need an impromptu psych eval.
“Were you aware that Gareth headed our corporate security division when you applied to Nancarrow Mining?”
Jack let himself smile as he remembered the moment Gareth had walked back into his life. Three days ago that had been. And now everything had changed. “I had no idea.”
A knock on the door announced a tray of coffee. Jack accepted a cup with a grateful bow of his head, understanding that the preliminary skirmish was done. The teasing encounter was over. What came next was serious business, and Marston wasn’t hanging around.
“I would like to understand the reasons for your initial refusal to accept this position. And how your involvement in an ongoing police investigation will affect your work for Nancarrow Mining.”
C HAPTER NINE
S ECURITY L EAKS AND O THER G AMES
J ACK MADE his way to Gareth’s office two hours later. Activity in the building had died down while he evaded Alexandra Marston’s carefully chosen personal questions and answered all work-related ones. Most employees had taken advantage of the fine weather and the chance to leave early on a Friday afternoon, and the almost empty corridors and open-plan offices breathed calm and tranquility. The low hum of electronics on standby, of processor cooling fans and air conditioning, reminded Jack of long, quiet nights huddled over screens and keyboard, chasing trails too faint to follow in the daytime. It was work he loved and work he looked forward to spending time doing once more.
He passed his new desk, fingers caressing the smooth wood. Four flat screens now lined the top edge of the solid oak board, ready to form a near seamless wall of images, and a low profile keyboard and graphics tablet with stylus took up the space in the
“I’m not an employee of Nancarrow Mining… yet.”
Jack pushed his back more securely into the armchair and relaxed his posture on a breath. This was the second time Marston had tried to rile him. A hint of accusation followed by a veiled threat. No doubt the third attack would be the charm. Jack stopped himself from folding his arms across his chest as if he needed protection. His fingers wanted to tap on the arms of the chair to distract his mind, but he kept them in his lap, unmoving. He waited, breathing slowly and taking comfort from the silence as he had been trained to do.
“Do you frequently break the law, Dr. Horwood?”
An unexpected moment of respite. Very smart. Jack was severely tempted to let his sense of mischief take over. Just for a moment or two, to see if he could shock this woman with the gorgeous smile and mind like a spymaster into losing her footing on that tightrope they both balanced on. It was an appealing thought, but prudence won in the end. Prudence and a sense of duty.
“You’re aware of my employment history, ma’am. So you have to be aware of the fact that I am not at liberty to discuss any of it.”
Not that he would have wanted to discuss his past even if he’d been at liberty to do so. The few people who knew did so because they’d seen him at work. Talking about himself had never been Jack’s way. Though why that thought produced an image of Gareth standing on his doorstep and staring at Jack from wide amber eyes in which shock and heat mixed most effectively….
Returning his focus to the conversation took effort. Marston was smiling at him, but this time, the smile was nothing more than a tiny curl of lip, and Jack braced himself.
“What is your association with Gareth Flynn?”
Bingo.
“He was my commanding officer while I served in the army.”
More illegible notes blossomed on Marston’s pad. The woman wrote and wrote as if Jack’s succinct answer demanded a lengthy commentary. Jack was sure his voice and body language were perfect. She was baiting him. She had to be.
“Does he know you well?”
“Yes.” Too well, perhaps. Or not well enough if he thinks I need an impromptu psych eval.
“Were you aware that Gareth headed our corporate security division when you applied to Nancarrow Mining?”
Jack let himself smile as he remembered the moment Gareth had walked back into his life. Three days ago that had been. And now everything had changed. “I had no idea.”
A knock on the door announced a tray of coffee. Jack accepted a cup with a grateful bow of his head, understanding that the preliminary skirmish was done. The teasing encounter was over. What came next was serious business, and Marston wasn’t hanging around.
“I would like to understand the reasons for your initial refusal to accept this position. And how your involvement in an ongoing police investigation will affect your work for Nancarrow Mining.”
C HAPTER NINE
S ECURITY L EAKS AND O THER G AMES
J ACK MADE his way to Gareth’s office two hours later. Activity in the building had died down while he evaded Alexandra Marston’s carefully chosen personal questions and answered all work-related ones. Most employees had taken advantage of the fine weather and the chance to leave early on a Friday afternoon, and the almost empty corridors and open-plan offices breathed calm and tranquility. The low hum of electronics on standby, of processor cooling fans and air conditioning, reminded Jack of long, quiet nights huddled over screens and keyboard, chasing trails too faint to follow in the daytime. It was work he loved and work he looked forward to spending time doing once more.
He passed his new desk, fingers caressing the smooth wood. Four flat screens now lined the top edge of the solid oak board, ready to form a near seamless wall of images, and a low profile keyboard and graphics tablet with stylus took up the space in the
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