The Paris Assignment by Addison Fox Page B

and possibly propose.”
    Stef’s grin only widened as she reached for the near-empty mug. “That’s my guy’s job. And if this past weekend’s any indication, I think he’s getting close.”
    Whatever fatigue she felt vanished at the happy news. Jumping up from her chair, Abby crossed around her desk to pull Stef into a tight hug. The woman’s body was momentarily stiff and Abby had the strange sensation she might have overstepped before her assistant wrapped her up in a return hug.
    “Sorry.” Stef waved the mug as they pulled away. “I didn’t want to break the mug.”
    “No, no, I’m the impulsive one.” Abby waved it off, well aware she wasn’t known for her personal interaction with her team. “This is wonderful news. You need to call me the moment he proposes.”
    “I can’t do that while you’re in Paris. You’ll be busy.”
    “Of course you can. All the details will give me something to smile about as I’m sitting through one meeting after the next.”
    “Probably thinking up new ideas to patent.” Stef’s tease was just that—and it was shared in the tone of someone who knew her well—but Abby fought the strange sense of hopelessness that welled up at the woman’s words.
    Her assistant’s description wasn’t far off the mark. She was a patent-filing thinker who always had a million projects on her plate. She’d always been invigorated by working and living at that pace, so what had changed?
    A quick glance at Stef and she saw almost a mirror image of her thoughts, the woman’s face drawn and slightly wan.
    “Everything okay?”
    “Oh, yeah. Lot on my mind.” Stef lifted the mug before pointing over her shoulder with her free hand. “Let me just get you a refill.”
    “Sure thing.”
    Abby watched Stef’s slim, almost frail, frame cross the room before she exited to the welcome area outside the office. Could it be she was working the woman too hard? She’d thought over the past few months it might make sense to add a second assistant. One who oversaw the more personal aspects of her life, freeing Stef to focus on the day-to-day urgency of the business.
    A glance at the thick file and Abby resolved to get on that when she got back.
    “In fact,” she whispered to herself, “no time like the present. Email Human Resources right now while you’re thinking about it.”
    Her gaze alighted on the article about Campbell’s parents and she shut out of the browser window, also shutting down whatever vein of curiosity had opened up this morning.
    Whatever fanciful notions she might have about Campbell Steele needed to stop. What man would be all that interested in spending his time with a brainy workaholic who never sat still long enough to be in one city, let alone one country?
    Nope, it just wouldn’t work.
    They might consider a fling, but even that was probably a less-than-smart idea. She’d crafted a very full—and rather lonely—life for herself and this coming week was yet another raging example of that. Strange, mysterious threats or not, she had a major series of meetings and twenty people to entertain for a week.
    After she hit Send on the email to Human Resources, Abby opened the file Stef had left behind.
    She’d best get to it.
    * * *
    Campbell sifted through another layer of code as he kept up a steady conversation with T-Bone. Well, conversation might be a stretch, he admitted to himself, even if they were speaking intermittently on their mobile phones.
    They had a strange sort of half language that consisted of a lot of swearing, fragmented sentences and another layer of swearing.
    And they understood each other perfectly.
    “I don’t believe this. How the hell did he do this?” T-Bone added a whistle to his frustration. “There’s no fingerprint on this.”
    “He’s definitely a ghost and from the looks of it he’s been sneaking around for a while.”
    “How’s he getting in?”
    “Damned if I know.” Campbell ran a hand through his hair, tugging on