Desiree Holt Where Danger H

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bequests that have been stipulated for a long time but the rest goes to you.
He knows nothing about me. Taylor tried to kick her brain out of slow gear. Had
me thrown out of his building when I came to San Antonio. Why should he leave
everything to me?
Noah handed her a folder he d brought into the restaurant with him. He didn t
totally ignore your claim. Josiah was nothing if not thorough. That was one of the keys
to his success. Read everything in here. When you re through, I ll answer questions.
He watched her through narrowed eyes while she scanned the papers. A lab report.
A credit report. A copy of her grandparents wills. Her college credits. And on and on.
A complete record of her life. She was ready to take the folder and tear everything in it
to pieces when she came to the last item, an aging photo of a young couples smiling
happily, arms around each other. The woman held a small bouquet of roses and the
man had a rose pinned to his lapel. Even as old as the picture was, no one could miss
the love that shone on their faces.
Turn it over, Noah told her.
She flipped to the back and her eyes widened. I thought you might like this picture of
your parents. Laura was the love of my life. Always. Your father, Josiah Gaines.
Taylor wanted to put her head down and cry. For herself. For the young couple so
desperately in love whose life was torn apart by people who made no allowance for
emotion. For everything that could have been and wasn t.
I think I ll have that drink after all. She signaled the waiter.
I d stick to wine if I were you, Noah cautioned. We have a lot to discuss.
And I might lose my head and attack you again? She curled her hands into fists.
37
Desiree Holt
Maybe this was a mistake after all.
He grasped her hands. This is no mistake. On any front. And next time I fuck you,
little girl, it won t be because you ve consumed a week s worth of alcohol.
Her breath caught in her throat. I m not&
Yes. You are. And yes, we will. His voice was low and intense. Don t think any
of what s going on will get in the way of what we both know is going to happen. He
released her hands and sat back, a strangely unsettled look on his face. Whatever this
is between us, we need to tame it and move on. We have business to conduct and more
eyes than you can imagine will be watching us.
Tame it. Move on. Like they were exorcising a demon.
If she had any sense she d get up and run from the restaurant as fast as she could.
Away from Josiah Gaines legacy. Away from what Noah Cantrell had to tell her. But
most of all, away from the man himself. She was angry and frightened and aroused all
at the same time. And the erotic lust that he d awakened deep within her was pressing
hard to burst forth again.
With an effort of will she pulled herself together.
Forgetting about the personal stuff, what is so urgent about this situation?
Couldn t I just sign away any claim to the estate and you can all get on with your
business?
Noah shook his head. It s a lot more complicated than that. Something happened
the week before Josiah was killed but I don t know what. Nothing seems to stand out as
unusual the day before he left on a trip and he was killed on the way home from the
airport the day he returned. He d called me as soon as he landed to tell me we needed
to meet but he did that often. Whatever it was we never got to discuss. He was killed on
the way home from the airport.
My God! Taylor rubbed her temples, trying to absorb what she was hearing.
Who s been running the company since then?
Kate Belden, Arroyo s executive vice president.
His tone of voice said it all.
You don t like her, Taylor guessed.
Noah gave his characteristic shrug. Not my cup of tea. She s a machine in human
skin with lofty aspirations.
Taylor raised an eyebrow. How lofty?
She considered herself Josiah s heir apparent. I know she assumed the board
would automatically vote her into the CEO position. She s been doing some active
lobbying for the past month. You ll be quite a shock to her.
She frowned. I don t understand.
Josiah s will gives you ownership of his sixty percent of Arroyo. I have proxies
from most of the board appointing you temporary CEO.
38
Where Danger Hides
Taylor s jaw dropped. You re kidding, right?
Noah shook his head. Not for a moment. I owe it to Josiah to keep together what
he built and to find out what s wrong. It appears you ll have to be the glue.
She took a healthy swallow of her wine. What do you think I know about running
a conglomerate like Arroyo? What did Josiah think?
Noah took the folder she d been looking at, flipped it open and pulled out two of
the sheets of paper. I d say a degree in business from the University of Tampa and an
MBA from the University of South Florida aren t a bad starting place. You graduated at
the top of your class both times. He flipped over a sheet of paper. Excellent
recommendations from your professors got you an investment counselor position at
Clemens Jacobs Financial Services and you re the top producer. The youngest person
ever to be fast-tracked for partnership. He looked up. You probably know a hell of a
lot more than the people you re going to meet will give you credit for.
She was struggling to comprehend his extensive knowledge of her. How did you
get all this information anyway?
Most of this material is public records. And money can buy anything if you spend
enough of it.
Taylor pushed her hair back from her face. Don t I just know that. She couldn t
keep the bitterness out of her voice. She opened the folder again, studying each sheet of
paper. This DNA test. I assume you used something from my hotel room. Is that what
the whole thing was about?
His hand gripped her wrist before she even saw him reach out. I wasn t the one so [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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