aside once he had
gotten over the embarrassment of being forced out. Grandmere had
lamented more than once that she had babied her son and had no one but
herself to blame for Rupert's lack of drive.
As a result, she had ridden her grandsons hard over the years. No
question, Sterling was driven to succeed. Ben was driven as well,
though much to the family's dismay, he was driven to be anything but an
employee of Prescott Media.
Sterling packed his laptop into his briefcase, then headed down the
hall for Chloe's office so they could finish up their planning session.
He registered in some recess of his mind that the place had an empty
feel to it. Employees had already departed for the day with the
exception of a skeletal evening on-air
staff. But it never occurred to him that Chloe would have left.
He stopped at the threshold to her office and was genuinely surprised
when she wasn't sitting at her
desk. When he scheduled a meeting with someone, that person was always
there.
He glanced around, saw no one, then pulled his cuff back and looked at
his watch. He noted that it
was only 6:27. He sat down to wait.
At 6:30 he grew impatient. At 6:35 he stood and began to pace. He
walked around her office, took in the neatly organized desk, the
AT-A-GLANCE calendar, her small, neat print noting meetings and events
occurring over the course of the month.
He picked up a framed photograph of three young girls. He could tell
they were Chloe, Julia, and Kate. Then another of them when they were
older. And a single photo of Chloe with an older woman. A grandmother,
probably; but no one else.
He thought of his own family. There was no avoiding them. Not that he
wanted to. As the head of Prescott Media, he was the unnamed patriarch
of the family. His father left all decisions up to him.
Which is why Sterling had traveled to El Paso to take care of the
wayward son rather than one of
their parents.
Like thoughts of him could make him appear, Ben knocked on the door and
leaned in.
"Hey, Trey ," he greeted with
a smug smile. "That has a certain ring to it."
Sterling wasn't amusedâby his brother's delight or by the constant
reminder that he was using someone else's name. But now that he was
committed, he didn't know how to untangle the situation without making
things worse. Besides, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he hadn't
felt this alive in years.
He glanced at the clock: 6:45, and still no Chloe. "Where the hell is
everyone around here?"
Ben laughed. "Looks like they're gone. Which is good, since the sooner
we leave and head over to the
car rental place, the better."
"I've got to meet with someone first." Scowling, the elder Prescott
glanced at his watch again. "Where
is she?"
Ben craned his neck back and looked around the empty building. "Who?"
"Chloe."
"Really?" He glanced around her office. "Where is she?"
Irritated, Sterling tugged at his cuffs. "That's what I'd like to know."
A lone office light flicked off down the hall. Julia emerged, pulling
the door shut behind her.
Ben instantly grew alert, a smooth coolness sliding through him, making
Sterling see for the first time the man who had become an undercover
agent. But this coolness wasn't the sort of reaction that a man on the
hunt would exhibit. Ben looked like he didn't know what to make of the
wild beauty.
Julia came toward them, her leopard print purse swinging on her
shoulder, her heels so high that it was
a wonder she could walk. But no question Ben was looking her over.
Julia looked Ben directly in the eye, and Sterling would have sworn
that the beauty was self-conscious. But then she preened for the
younger Prescott, as if she knew he was studying her and she was
enjoying every minute of it. But Sterling was too concerned about other
matters to give it much thought.
"Julia," he said, breaking into whatever was going on between those
two. "I'm supposed to meet Chloe
at six-thirty. She's not here."
"True, she isn't," she responded, though she smiled
gotten over the embarrassment of being forced out. Grandmere had
lamented more than once that she had babied her son and had no one but
herself to blame for Rupert's lack of drive.
As a result, she had ridden her grandsons hard over the years. No
question, Sterling was driven to succeed. Ben was driven as well,
though much to the family's dismay, he was driven to be anything but an
employee of Prescott Media.
Sterling packed his laptop into his briefcase, then headed down the
hall for Chloe's office so they could finish up their planning session.
He registered in some recess of his mind that the place had an empty
feel to it. Employees had already departed for the day with the
exception of a skeletal evening on-air
staff. But it never occurred to him that Chloe would have left.
He stopped at the threshold to her office and was genuinely surprised
when she wasn't sitting at her
desk. When he scheduled a meeting with someone, that person was always
there.
He glanced around, saw no one, then pulled his cuff back and looked at
his watch. He noted that it
was only 6:27. He sat down to wait.
At 6:30 he grew impatient. At 6:35 he stood and began to pace. He
walked around her office, took in the neatly organized desk, the
AT-A-GLANCE calendar, her small, neat print noting meetings and events
occurring over the course of the month.
He picked up a framed photograph of three young girls. He could tell
they were Chloe, Julia, and Kate. Then another of them when they were
older. And a single photo of Chloe with an older woman. A grandmother,
probably; but no one else.
He thought of his own family. There was no avoiding them. Not that he
wanted to. As the head of Prescott Media, he was the unnamed patriarch
of the family. His father left all decisions up to him.
Which is why Sterling had traveled to El Paso to take care of the
wayward son rather than one of
their parents.
Like thoughts of him could make him appear, Ben knocked on the door and
leaned in.
"Hey, Trey ," he greeted with
a smug smile. "That has a certain ring to it."
Sterling wasn't amusedâby his brother's delight or by the constant
reminder that he was using someone else's name. But now that he was
committed, he didn't know how to untangle the situation without making
things worse. Besides, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he hadn't
felt this alive in years.
He glanced at the clock: 6:45, and still no Chloe. "Where the hell is
everyone around here?"
Ben laughed. "Looks like they're gone. Which is good, since the sooner
we leave and head over to the
car rental place, the better."
"I've got to meet with someone first." Scowling, the elder Prescott
glanced at his watch again. "Where
is she?"
Ben craned his neck back and looked around the empty building. "Who?"
"Chloe."
"Really?" He glanced around her office. "Where is she?"
Irritated, Sterling tugged at his cuffs. "That's what I'd like to know."
A lone office light flicked off down the hall. Julia emerged, pulling
the door shut behind her.
Ben instantly grew alert, a smooth coolness sliding through him, making
Sterling see for the first time the man who had become an undercover
agent. But this coolness wasn't the sort of reaction that a man on the
hunt would exhibit. Ben looked like he didn't know what to make of the
wild beauty.
Julia came toward them, her leopard print purse swinging on her
shoulder, her heels so high that it was
a wonder she could walk. But no question Ben was looking her over.
Julia looked Ben directly in the eye, and Sterling would have sworn
that the beauty was self-conscious. But then she preened for the
younger Prescott, as if she knew he was studying her and she was
enjoying every minute of it. But Sterling was too concerned about other
matters to give it much thought.
"Julia," he said, breaking into whatever was going on between those
two. "I'm supposed to meet Chloe
at six-thirty. She's not here."
"True, she isn't," she responded, though she smiled
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