Chapter 88

“Only what I’ve told you so far. I gather I’m supposed to distract you. So whatever it is must be planned for tonight. And it must be here.”

“You’re sure it’s going to happen at Messina Diamonds?”

“Yes.” But then she corrected herself. “No. I’m not. The blueprints were open to the pages for Messina Diamonds, but they were several inches thick. They must have been for the whole building.” Why hadn’t she thought of that before? “Which means, maybe it’s not the diamonds. Maybe there’s some other target. The proceeds from tonight’s event, maybe.”

“It’s a silent auction. All the transactions will take place later via credit card.”

“What about other businesses in the building? Messina Diamonds is only a few floors, right?”

“It’s six. Carrington Security is another four. Twelve through fourteen are the business headquarters. The second floor is security for this building.”

“So that’s nearly twenty floors of other businesses that could be at risk.”

Abruptly, Nolan stood. “All right then. Let’s get going.”

Confused from the sudden shift in conversation, she responded with a rather inelegant “Huh?” As she stood to follow him, she tacked on, “Where are we going?”

“First we’re going to find J.D., who’s heading up the security for tonight’s event.”

“And second?” she asked as she followed him out of his office to the bank of elevators.

“Then I’ll come back here and check on the other businesses, floor by floor. If your brother is going to break in tonight, I’m going to find him and stop him.”

“Great. I’ll come with you.”

He stilled in his tracks. “No.”

She stopped short to keep from bumping into him. “Of course I’m coming.”

“Absolutely not. Only building personnel with security-level clearance and Carrington Security employees are allowed access to the security systems.”

She grinned gamely. “Will I be vaporized on the spot?”

“This isn’t a laughing matter.”

“I didn’t think it was. You don’t see me laughing, do you? This is my brother’s life that’s at stake.”

“That doesn’t matter. We have security protocols for a reason.”

“Yes, but you’re the CEO. You can break the rules every once in a while. And unless you’re planning on physically restraining me, you’re stuck with me.”

He looked tempted. But he simply muttered, “Come on, then. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“But what about Messina Diamonds?”

“That’s where J.D. comes in. He’ll have enough men on staff to handle anything that happens there. We’ll handle anything else.”

Warmth coursed through her at his words. We’ll handle anything else. She realized suddenly how much she’d missed that. The feeling of the two of them together. To hide the pure yearning his words stirred, she asked, “What about the party?”

“I didn’t want to go anyway, did you?”

As the elevator carried them up, she realized something. This business with Andrew had finally broken through Nolan's icy reserve. He was no longer treating her like a complete stranger.

It was a small consolation, not to mention probably temporary. If, God forbid, her brother was involved in this mess, then Nolan would have a whole new reason to hate her.

_____________

J.D. —being a mere employee and not the CEO of Carrington Security— didn’t have the luxury of being able to laugh out loud when presented with the possibility that Messina Diamonds might be robbed. However, his lips twitched as he stood with his legs braced apart and his arms crossed over his chest and said simply, “Impossible.”

“That’s what I told her,” Nolan supplied.

“But—”

“There’s no ‘but’ about it.” Then J.D. nodded respectfully. “With all due respect, ma’am.”

Candace was about to snap back with a “don’t you ‘ma’am’ me!” but before she could, J.D. popped a bubble in his gum with symbolic finality. He grinned with relish as he did it, giving her the impression he actually hoped someone did try it. However, since the someone in question was her flesh and blood, Candace’s couldn’t be quite so optimistic about the prospect.

Nolan nodded his thanks, then added, “J.D., call in anyone extra we’ve got anyway. Just to be sure.”

“Will do, boss.”

J.D. turned away, pulling his phone out of his pocket as Nolan placed a hand on Candace's elbow and led her deeper into the maze of hallways that were the Messina Diamonds offices. By now the event was gearing up. The lobby was beginning to fill with tuxedoed men and bejeweled women. Waiters drifted through the crowd bearing trays of champagne-filled glasses and tiny artistically embellished appetizers.

“Feel better?” Nolan asked.

“Frankly, I won’t feel better until this is all over with. I guess I should just be thankful that Messina Diamonds is okay, but that doesn’t mean that Andrew isn’t up to something. Or that he won’t be caught by the police.”

“You’ll be able to relax after we check out the other businesses in the building,” he said as he guided her toward the elevator bay.

“Yes, I will.” For the first time all day, her tension eased up.

Since they were the only ones going down, they had the elevator to themselves for three floors. The weight of the silence broke her down after just a few seconds.

“About the other night—” she began.

He didn’t let her finish. “I’d rather not talk about it.” With his hands buried in his pockets and without quite meeting her gaze, he said, “My behavior was uncalled for.”

“Is that an apology?” she teased before she thought better of it. When he scowled, she added hastily, “No, don’t answer. I’ll assume it was and that your intentions were good without you having to confirm or deny it.” Then she added in a more serious tone, “Yes, you acted like a total jerk. Whether or not it was warranted is a moot point. But today…” She shrugged. “Well, I’m not saying you’ve redeemed yourself exactly. But today you’ve made good strides. Thank you for taking me seriously.”

Before he could respond, the elevator doors slid open to reveal the twelfth floor. She left the elevator and found herself facing the frosted glass doors etched with the name Carrington Security. The same doors she’d faced just a few days before. Before she could contemplate how much had changed in so little time, the elevator doors chimed shut behind Nolan.

“Don’t make the mistake of misinterpreting my generosity.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did my teasing hurt your feelings?”