An Executive Decision (22 page)

Chapter Thirty

Ellis half dragged, half shoved Stacie out of the pool. She sat on the edge making fish gasps and trying not to laugh. Ellis had to admit she looked laugh-worthy. ‘You’re the clumsiest woman on the planet, Stacie. Next time you visit, I’ll be sure to have an ambulance and a lifeguard standing by. Come on.’ He climbed out of the pool and offered her his hand. ‘There’s a spare robe in the cabana. I’ll get Galina to dry your dress, and set an extra plate for dinner.’

She stared at him. ‘You want me to stay?’

‘Well I can’t very easily send you out like that, now can I? It won’t take long to dry your clothes, then I’ll send you home before you kill yourself or me.’ He slipped into his own robe and nodded to the dressing room in the cabana. ‘Leave your clothes. Galina will get them.’

‘What about Dee?’

He gave her a sharp look. ‘Dee’s none of your business, Stacie.’

It didn’t take her long, and when she stepped out of the dressing room barefoot and nearly swimming in a robe that was clearly meant for him, he frowned. ‘Sorry it’s so big. I don’t have many visitors. You get what you get. Now come on, I’ve already had Galina wait dinner once so I could swim. I don’t want to keep the woman waiting again.’

Ellis rounded the corner into the hall with Stacie right on his heels and collided head-on with Dee. Before she completely lost her balance, he closed his arms around her and steadied her. ‘Dee, what are you doing here?’

With a little gasp of surprise, she shoved him away and stepped back just as Stacie ran into him and Garrett came charging down the hall behind Dee, stopping short before ramming into all three of them. For a long moment, no one said anything; everyone stood frozen to the spot. Dee’s gaze moved from Ellis to Stacie and back again. With them standing in matching robes that had guilty-as-charged written all over them, Ellis found himself caught in another other one of those horrible déjà vu moments. Then Stacie broke the silence with a breathy little laugh. ‘Oh God, Dee, this isn’t how it looks. I fell in the pool and Ellis let me borrow a robe and, well, it was supposed to be –’

‘Shut up, Stacie,’ both Thornes ordered in unison.

She covered her mouth with a delicate hand.

‘Garrett, Harold told me you were here. He didn’t tell me you were entertaining out back.’ Ellis struggled to keep his voice civil. He spoke to his brother, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Dee, who stood rigid in a palpable halo of anger, her gaze now slicing laser-edged through the charged space between them.

‘We were watching the Perseids.’ Garrett ran a hand through his hair, dislodging several blades of grass as he did. ‘Honestly, Ellis, I thought that’s where you would be. I didn’t know you were going to take Stacie for a swim.’

Ellis ignored his brother and reached for Dee’s hand. ‘I think we need to talk –’

‘I’ve got to go.’ She stepped back, blistering him with an incinerating glare. Her tone was icy, lethal – a warning to be ignored at one’s own risk. 

As she turned down the hall, Garrett risked life and limb and grabbed her hand. ‘Thanks for commiserating with me, Dee. I’m sorry I was such an ass.’

‘Forget it.’ She jerked away without stopping and fled down the hall like a brewing storm, leaving Ellis alone with his brother and Stacie, both standing in front of him repentant and subdued.

Ellis cast a rigid shadow down the dimly lit hallway, for the moment at least ignoring Stacie, his hard gaze boring into his brother. ‘Leave her alone.’ His voice was soft and deadly.

‘Ellis, I –’

‘You heard me.’ He raked Garrett with a serrated glare. ‘I said leave Dee alone.’

Garrett forced back an amused smile, brushing several more blades of grass off his shoulders. ‘I was surprised to find Stacie here. What’s going on?’

Before Stacie could reply, Ellis raised a hand to silence her. ‘Nothing’s going on.’

Garrett moved a step closer, as though attempting to intercept juicy gossip. ‘Did you two fuck?’

Stacie shook her head wildly. Ellis practically growled. ‘No! I didn’t fuck her, and stop changing the subject. What the hell you were doing with Dee?’

‘We were watching the Perseids, like I said. Honestly, I was trying to get her here for you. I figured you’d be out watching the stars and we’d join you, then I’d discreetly leave; you know, let nature take its course. I’d forgotten that you swim in the evenings when you have time.’ His demeanour was that of a choirboy, disturbed only by a roguish half-smile. ‘It was all perfectly innocent.’

Ellis took a menacing step closer to his brother. ‘Then why did she storm out of here like she was going off to war?’

Garrett sidestepped and bent casually to admire a vase of flowers arranged on a pedestal table in the alcove near the stairs. ‘Oh, it’s no big deal, really. I’m sure once she’s had time to cool down she’ll consider –’

‘What’s no big deal, Garrett?’

Garrett plucked a daisy from the arrangement and sniffed it, avoiding his brother’s shrivelling glare. ‘I sort of let it slip that I knew about her working arrangements with you – you know, the Sex Clause?’

Ellis was in his face in a heartbeat, knocking the daisy from his hand and vice-gripping his arm. ‘You did what? What the hell were you thinking?’

Garrett jerked free and squared his stance, hands hanging loosely at his side. ‘I wasn’t thinking anything; it just slipped out. We were talking about – stuff, and one thing led to another. I’m sorry.’

Ellis surged forward. and the two stood nose to nose in the soft glow of a Victorian wall sconce. ‘You’re sorry! What a fucking lot of good that does. Can’t you ever just leave anything alone? Jesus, you’re not even here one night and –’

‘She deserves more, Ellis. More than the Executive Sex Clause. And so do you.’

Ellis crowded Garrett until he could see the fine pores along the bridge of his nose and the bristled stubble that shadowed his jaw. ‘I’m sorry about you and Amy, really I am, but my relationship with Dee is none of your business. Stay away from her.’

Garrett forced a strangled laugh and stepped back, nearly knocking the vase of flowers off the table behind him. ‘I don’t see what the big deal is, Ellis. What does it matter if Dee sees me or someone else, as long as she fulfils her business obligations to you and meets your –’

Ellis lunged at his brother, grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt and nearly lifting him off his feet. Stacie let out a little yelp of surprise and stepped back just as the vase behind them went over with a loud crash, spraying flowers, water, and glass across the hardwood floor. Ellis’s voice was knife-edged in the expanding silence that he could barely hear over the roar of his blood in his ears. ‘What happened with you and Stacie was a long time ago. We were all young. I wish the two of you would get the fuck over it and stop interfering. But I promise you, Garrett, if you even think about touching Dee, this time I won’t roll over and play dead.’ He let go of the lapels and shoved Garrett hard, then stormed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and leaving Garrett and Stacie staring at each other in the hallway. 

Chapter Thirty-one

Harris found Dee struggling to unlock the door, with a carpet-covered scratching post balanced against one hip and two heavily laden plastic bags suicide-gripped in the opposite hand. When she was upset, she shopped for McAllister and O’Kelly. She was extravagant where the cats were concerned. The bottom shelf of her pantry was full of expensive toys and treats which had failed to pass the discerning feline test.

He kissed her cheek, and took the scratching post from her hip just as the key turned in the lock. ‘You’ve been to the 24-hour Pet Smart. Bad day?’ 

‘I’ve had better.’ She gave the door a hard shove, and he followed her inside. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Thought I’d take a chance I might catch you home and awake. After all, you seem to have sacrificed sleep to the God of business since you started working for Thorne. I just finished up at the law library, doing a little research on international environmental stuff for an article in
Wilderness Vanguard
. In fact, Pneuma’s enemy number one figures pretty heavily.’

‘Jamison?’ She shot him a glance over her shoulder.

‘Yep, the same.’ He set the scratching post down just inside the living room. ‘What’s that on your skirt, a grass stain?’

She shot him a peevish look that left no doubt as to her present mood, and he abandoned the direct approach for the time being.

She kicked off her shoes and dropped onto the living room floor. The tabbies came to investigate the sound of rattling shopping bags, which they usually enjoyed more than the toys and treats that came out of them.

Harris tossed his jacket over the back of the couch, then stepped over the growing pile of cat toys to search out strong drink in the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of Cabernet and two glasses, and sat down next to her.

He scooted closer. ‘You want to tell me about it? Is it Ellis?’ When she offered only a half-committed shrug, he figured that was answer enough. ‘I was afraid sex with your boss could only end in grief.’

For a long second, she watched the cats in silence. The pungent sent of liver treats and red wine permeated the air. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded as though it belonged to someone else, as though she were keeping it at arm’s length. Harris knew that voice, and he braced himself. ‘Sex with my boss is a part of the job, Harris.’

He listened tight-lipped while she told him about the Executive Sex Clause. He tried to keep the emotion from his voice when he finally spoke. ‘Dee, it’s illegal, what he’s doing.’

‘It’s not like that, Harris. My job’s not contingent on it. It all started out as some ridiculous idea of Beverly’s – a joke, really. Then things just sort of happened …’

‘Some joke.’

By the time Dee had finished telling Harris about what had happened on the plane home from Paris and all the events that led to the night’s misadventure, both cats were curled up asleep in the two shopping bags.

Harris, who had listened to the whole story with minimal comment, tossed back the last of his wine and refilled the glass. ‘Do you think Garrett’s telling the truth – I mean about just figuring things out?’

‘Probably. I can’t believe Ellis would deliberately betray that trust. And really we did dance the night away with Garrett and Amy in New York. We weren’t subtle. I can see, if Garrett knew about the Sex Clause anyway, how he could have figured it out.’

With some effort, Harris refrained from interjecting his opinion of Thorne, which was severely lowered by the fact the man’s kid brother should have reason to suspect what was going on between him and Dee. ‘So what will you do?’

‘I’ll talk to Ellis when I get back from New York, I guess. At first I thought I’d just turn in my resignation, but I love the job, and I love working for Ellis. I know Garrett was in a bad place tonight.’ Dee started to refill her glass, then thought better of it. ‘I need iced tea.’ She heaved herself to her feet, and headed for the kitchen.

Harris followed her.

On impulse, she turned and slid her arms around his neck. ‘Thanks, Harris, for listening, for just being here for me like you always are.’

‘That’s what friends are for.’ He folded her close.

‘Yeah. That’s what friends are for.’

From the living room, Dee’s BlackBerry rang, and she broke away and made a run for it. Harris cursed out loud. No doubt she expected it to be Thorne. He grabbed the huge plastic travel mug that Dee always drank her iced tea from, and went about the business of pouring her a tall one, all the while trying to catch her side of the conversation, which didn’t sound at all like a lover’s spat. Her voice was excited, energised. When he’d finished fixing her tea, he found her cross-legged in the middle of the living room floor, frantically pulling up files on her laptop.

‘What’s going on?’ He handed her the drink and sat down next to her, looking over her shoulder at satellite maps.

‘That was Wade,’ she said. Before he could ask details she continued, ‘Harris, the research you were doing, does any of it have to do with forests in Valderia slated for clear-cut?’

‘Yeah. That’s a part of why I stopped by. I knew that after what you’d told me when you got back from New York, you’d be interested. Why?’

There was a knock on the door and they both jumped. ‘That’ll be Jeffries coming for me,’ she said. ‘Harris, I have to go meet Wade and Ellis. I think we might just have found a way to stop Jamison.’ She palmed her laptop shut, and Harris went to get the door, her still calling after him. ‘I need you to come with me. I need you to tell me what you found out, to tell us all what you found out. This could be big, and if we do this, we may be able to –’

Dee was still talking, but Harris stopped listening. He opened the door and found himself face to face with Ellison Thorne, standing on the threshold dressed in jeans and a Portland State T-shirt.

Dee rounded the corner into the hall behind him, heading for the stairs, still clutching her oversized tea mug. ‘Tell Jefferies to give me five minutes to change clothes and grab my –’ For a long moment she stood rooted to the floor in the hallway, staring over Harris’s shoulder at Thorne.

Until Dee appeared, Harris was pretty sure if looks could have killed, he and Thorne would have cancelled each other out. But the change was transformative when the man’s gaze locked on Dee. Jesus, Harris thought, of course Garrett could figure out something was going on. A person would have to be blind, deaf, and stupid not to feel the power surge between the two.

If Dee missed a beat, it was only a very small one. ‘Ellis, this is my friend, Harris Walker,’ she said. ‘He’ll be coming with us over to Pneuma.’ She took another swig of tea and bounded up the stairs, calling over her shoulder, ‘Just give me two seconds to change and get my computer bag and I’ll be ready to go.’

Dee in work mode, Harris thought. God, the woman was amazing. Suddenly she sounded like it was business as usual, like she hadn’t just survived the evening from hell – and all because of the bastard standing at the door.

Thorne held Harris’s gaze in a stare-down, and Harris grudgingly stepped aside for him to come in. ‘Fill me in, Mr Walker, why are you coming with us?’

‘Dee thinks what I know may be helpful,’ Harris said.

‘Wait a minute, Harris Walker. From
Wilderness Vanguard
? That Harris Walker?’

‘That would be me.’ As much as he wanted to hate the man, Harris was surprised that Thorne knew who he was. He folded his arms across his chest. ‘More importantly, I’m also Dee’s best friend.’ He took a step closer to Thorne. ‘And just so you know, I’ll rip your throat out if you hurt her.’

If Thorne was surprised by Harris’s statement, he didn’t show it, but before he could respond, Dee charged back down the stairs, now wearing jeans and the Eddie Bauer pullover Harris had bought her for her birthday two years ago. Her BlackBerry was glued to her ear, and she was talking to someone named Keith. She disappeared into the living room and returned almost immediately with her computer bag thrown over her shoulder, still talking to Keith. She motioned them both out the door, locked it behind them, then spoke to Harris. ‘Get what you need from your car, and we’ll go.’

Once in the limo, Thorne pulled Dee down next to him and motioned Harris into the seat across from them, glaring at him expectantly.

‘Harris is a lawyer,’ Dee said. ‘Environmental law.’

‘I have a law degree that sometimes come in handy,’ Harris corrected. ‘I don’t practise any more. I can do more good with the camera.’

‘Tell us what you found out,’ Dee said.

There was no traffic that late on Friday night, so the trip into the Pneuma Building didn’t take long. Most of what Harris had discovered didn’t seem like much of a surprise to either Dee or Ellis, but when he started talking about access to the land slated to be clear-cut, they shot each other a knowing glance and listened even more intently. Before Harris could finish, they’d arrived at the Pneuma Building, where, to his surprise, Wade Crittenden personally ushered them through the state-of-the-art laboratory that was his domain. Being more than a bit of a nerd himself, Harris would have loved to linger and fondle, but he followed Dee in silence.

To Harris, Wade’s office looked like a nerd’s wet dream come true, but before he had time to really take it in, Wade spoke. ‘You’re right, Ellis, it’s all about access. That’s the key. Who are you?’ He turned his attention briefly to Harris, who introduced himself.

‘Oh, the one from
Wilderness Vanguard
,’ he said, without further niceties. Harris couldn’t help but be pleased that a genius like Wade Crittenden knew who he was. Wade motioned everyone to be seated and, on an enormous flat-screen monitor, he pulled up a map of the area around and including the forest slated to be clear-cut, then he nodded to Ellis.

Ellis stood and took a laser pointer from a desk buried under computer parts and other techie-looking detritus, some of which Harris recognised, some he didn’t.

‘We can’t do anything about the forestry rights that Jamison’s already bought,’ he said, pointing to an area on the map that was highlighted in pink. ‘But what we can do is cut off his access.’

Dee was sitting on the edge of her chair. Harris could practically see the excitement coursing through her body, and he had to say he was feeling a fair bit of it himself.

‘Jamison has to be able to get his work force in and his timber out,’ Ellis said. ‘Interestingly enough, he seems to have taken for granted that wouldn’t be a problem.’

Looking at the geography of the map, Harris could see exactly what Ellis had in mind, and his grudging respect went up still another notch.

‘Jamison bought the forestry rights,’ Ellis continued. ‘The access land all belongs to the Valderian government, which means it’s up for grabs too, but it doesn’t have anything on it Jamison wants. However, it happens to have exactly what we want.’

‘We’d have to sweeten the deal technologically, of course,’ Wade said.

‘What about sweetening it economically?’ Dee added. ‘What about ecotourism and extreme sports?’ Suddenly all eyes were on her again. ‘I’ve just been on the phone with Keith Harker. He’s the CEO over at Sportwide Extreme Adventure. I found SEA several key players when I was working with Jasper and McDowell. Keith owes me big time. Plus, this is just the kind of thing his company would drool to get in on.’

For the next few hours, Harris found himself enthralled by the schemings of the three executives of Pneuma Inc. The sun was coming up when a plan was set into motion. Wade had just had breakfast delivered from his favourite all-night diner, and Ellis had just joined them after pacing in the outer office with several phone calls. As he settled in next to Dee, he spoke. ‘I have the jet on stand-by. I’ll take off at noon. No one is to know where I am until I get home.’

‘You’re going to Valderia?’ Harris asked.

‘That’s right.’

‘I should go with you,’ Dee said. ‘It’s my uncle you’ve been liaising with.’

‘No. I’ll need you in New York to close the deal with Scribal,’ he said.

‘But –’

‘We’ll discuss this later, Dee.’

Harris recognised the tightening of Dee’s shoulders and the look of determination on her face that said she wasn’t pleased with Ellis’s decision, but she said nothing.

After they’d all eaten, Ellis looked down at his watch. ‘Right. Email the plans I’ll need, Wade. Harker’s been up all night with his people. They’re ready to run with the deal if I can negotiate something on the Valderian side. I think we could all use a little rest. ‘He extended his hand to Harris. ‘Thanks for your help, Walker. When the dust settles, I’ll see that you have one helluva story for the magazine.’

Then he turned his attention back to Dee. ‘There are a few more things you and I need to discuss. At my place.’

Harris bristled and Ellis gave him a warning glance, then addressed Dee again. ‘There’s important business we need to take care of, things you need to know, before I leave you in charge.’

Dee blinked, squared her shoulders, and nodded, and Harris found himself reeling at what had just happened. Did the two always communicate on so many levels or was he just reading more into it than was there?

When they were all tucked in the limo, Ellis spoke to Harris. ‘I need you to go with me, Walker.’

‘What!’ Dee and Harris both said in unison.

‘The photographer I usually use in these situations is down with the flu, and I know you’re no stranger to remote shoots. I saw the photos you took for
Wilderness Vanguard
in Papua New Guinea. It’s important that we document as much of what will happen next week as possible. A picture
is
worth a thousand words, and I need the best, and I need someone who understands what the hell we’re up against. If we’re going to turn this around and shut Jamison out, I want all of the bases covered.’

Harris ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and nodded. ‘I have several shoots this week, but I can reschedule them.’

‘Email my secretary and I’ll make sure she takes care of it.’ Ellis said. ‘Dee’ll give me your address and I’ll have the limo pick you up around 11.’

Harris only nodded. He couldn’t believe any of this was happening. Dee reached across the seat and squeezed his hand. ‘Be careful.’