Slow Burn by Michelle Roth

SLOW BURN

    Diamond and Diamond Private Investigators, 2

    Michelle Roth

    Copyright © 2015

Chapter One

    Private Detective Rick Diamond took one last swig of his coffee and then stared regretfully at the empty cup. He wished he'd gotten a double. It couldn't be helped, now though. This was his first day undercover as an intern at Cynertex Manufacturing, and it was only a few minutes until he had to be inside. He glanced at his watch and then dialed his nephew and business partner, Mike.
    On the fourth ring, Mike finally picked up, his voice groggy. “H'lo?”
    “It's Rick. Get your ass up, kid. You've got a meeting in forty-five with Dean Sorenson. Insurance fraud. Why didn't you set an alarm?”
    “Morning,” Mike grumbled. “I did have one set for fifteen minutes from now. I'm at Cass's and sh— Sonofabitch, Roddy! Get down. Fuck!”
    “The dog still giving you shit,” Rick asked, after the cursing died down.
    “Yeah.” Mike grunted. “He just jumped directly onto my ball sack. The devil beast has radar.”
    “I'll light a candle for your nuts,” Rick said sarcastically. “Listen up, kid. I'm about to head in to Cynertex, and I can't bring my phone in with me. If you need to get a hold of me for any reason, call HR and have them page me. Try not to burn the office down, please.”
    Mike didn't respond to his statement. He merely asked, “Explain to me again how a forty-eight year old intern is even remotely plausible?”
    Rick sighed. “We went over my cover, you smart ass. Remember?”
    “I know. I know. I'm just busting your balls, because, really. How often do I get to do that?”
    “Don't be late for your meeting. The last thing I want is Dean crawling up my ass.”
    “G-God dammit, Roddy! Sit,” Mike yelled in response.
    “Enjoy your morning, kid.” Rick cackled as he hung up, suddenly feeling much better about his new internship.
    A few weeks ago Wallace Chase, the CEO of Cynertex, approached him for a meeting. The specs for one of the products they'd been working on for months had been leaked to a competitor. Just days before the launch of the product, their competitor had beaten them to market. Cynertex predictably lost millions. Since they were one of the largest companies in the Toronto area, that boded well for no one.
    Now, they were on the cusp of developing a revolutionary new building material that was almost entirely fire resistant. For the first time ever, it was lightweight, affordable, and even moderately attractive, Chase had claimed. If he was even remotely close to correct, then his company would revolutionize the architecture industry for decades to come.
    Rick was being installed as a new intern in the department where the product was being developed so he could locate the leak. As he slipped out of his vehicle and then locked the door, he wondered whether his cover was actually plausible. He was a little too old to be an intern. Plus he had that 'don't fuck with me' look that most people associated with police officers. That made sense though, considering he'd been one during his time in the U.S.
    Too late now, he figured, as he walked toward the entrance. As he approached the door, he hurried forward to open it for the cute brunette woman next to him. She gave him a vague smile and a thank you without looking him in the eye.
    Shy little thing, he mused. Gorgeous though. He watched the subtle sway of her hips as she walked toward the bank of elevators with regret. There definitely wasn't any time for that.
    After he checked in at the desk, the human resources office sent a young woman down to help him through the “on-boarding” process. He'd filled out what felt like seventy forms last night. In order to make it look as authentic as possible to all parties involved, he was actually becoming an employee. That meant applications, tax forms, and the whole nine yards. They'd even made him sign a non-disclosure agreement.
    As if he'd have the foggiest idea what the hell these