Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) (2 page)

“We got out early. I am so freaking out about finals.”

“You’ll do fine.”

“Easy for you to say, Miss Eidetic Memory. You just have to read something once and you remember it. If I don’t study something over and over again it just goes—poof—out of my head.”

Jade imagined Aleks running a hand over her multicolored hair when she said that.

“So, when are you coming home?” Aleks asked.

“I’m not.” Jade leaned back into the grass. “I got a temp job working at a small company to help move their financial data to a new IT system. One of my friends said I could crash at her place this summer.”

“Ohhhh, that is so not fair. Summer won’t be the same without you. And Bryce is here…” Aleks dangled the solid-gold carrot.

Bryce, the man Jade had lusted after since she was sixteen years old, since the first day her grandmother had introduced them in Gran’s office. When it came to Bryce, Jade remembered every single detail, and she still had the nasty habit of comparing any man she met to him.

Jade stared past the students hanging out on the lawn, past the red roofs of the Spanish-colonial buildings, and past Memorial Chapel, until the image from a memory was so vivid, she could see the muscles in Bryce’s forearm flexing while he played with some coins in his pocket. There was an adorable little birthmark the shape of Iowa on his wrist. His black trousers hung low on his hips, and when he smiled, her insides melted like chocolate fondue.

Bryce was intelligent and charismatic, and his coolheadedness commanded the respect of the employees, even her grandmother. In Jade’s eyes, he was damn near perfect, which was why Aleks was using him to get her to come home.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jade sighed, “Bryce doesn’t look at me that way. He still thinks of me as the silly teenager who couldn’t say a word any time I was near him. It was mortifying.”

“You’re totally hot now. I bet when he sees you, he’ll take notice.”

Maybe. But even though she’d hoped for that, a reunion with Bryce wouldn’t be happening any time soon. “Gran won’t let me work at Synergy again until I finish college.”

“She still hasn’t budged?”

“No. I’m not a kid anymore, yet she’s
still
forcing decisions on me. At least she can’t stop me from working here this summer.”

“It’s so not fair. I know how much you love working at Synergy.”

“Tell me about it.” Jade crossed her ankles.

“You doing anything fun tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m going to a party at Phi Kappa Psi.”

“I bet your frat parties are so much better at Stanford than U-Dub.”

“Nope, they’re pretty much the same. The stench of stale beer, sticky floors, loud music, and hot frat boys.”

“Speaking of hot—I met this guy.”

“Ooh, who is he?” Jade pulled a water bottle from her pack.

“His name is Kyle. A bunch of us went to Trinity Nightclub last night in Pioneer Square and we kind of hit it off. He’s going there again tonight so I thought—”

“You’d just happen to be there too.”

“Uh-huh. I just hope he goes.”

“Did you get his number?”

“No, stupid move.”

“Well, I hope he’s there and it goes well.” Jade drank from her water bottle and put the cap back on. She was concerned for Aleks. Every time she tried to get close to a man, she’d clam up and push him away. Jade knew how much Aleks wanted to have a relationship again. “Don’t rush yourself. What happened to you takes a long time to get over.”

“Five years is a long time with no s-e-x.”

Jade couldn’t imagine going that long without. “I know… but when you find someone you feel safe with, it will happen again and you won’t have to force it.”

“See, you’re the rational one. This is why I need you to come back home.”

Jade’s chest tightened. She didn’t have siblings, but if she could pick a sister, it would be Aleks. “Well, if you need me that much…” Jade drew it out for effect. “I’ll come home.”

“You’re the best.”

“I just need to—” Jade’s eyes narrowed. The man in the suit and yellow tie was walking right toward her.

“Jade?”

“Sorry, Aleks. I need to go. There’s this creepy stalker dude who’s been following me around all morning. I’m going to find out what this guy’s deal is.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Jade shrugged. “Only one way to find out. Call you back in a few.” She threw her pack over her shoulder and walked several feet toward him, then stopped and propped a fist on her hip. Now that she was close, she judged the guy to be in his early thirties.

He glanced at something in his hand, then proceeded to roam predatory eyes from her red tank top, over her jean shorts to her red-painted toenails, and back up again. He’d just totally checked her out.

This isn’t a strip joint, perv.

Jade tugged her shirt down and crossed her arms. “Okay I’m done with the stalker routine. Why are you following me?”

“Jade Buchanan?” The man smiled, his teeth perfectly straight and unnaturally white.

“Maybe. Who wants to know?”

“I’ve been looking for you all morning.” He held up a black-and-white thumbnail image of her high school graduation picture. Her hair had been only shoulder length back then, and she hadn’t been sporting her beloved red tips. Well, that explained why he’d followed her around campus to verify who she was. The fact that he had her picture and knew where her classes were officially creeped her out. Goose bumps ran down the back of her neck as she gripped her cell phone, ready to call campus security.

He held out a manicured hand two shades darker than her California tan. His eyes shot to the four colorful gemstones lining her ear. “I’m Joshua Greenberg from Johansson Tek.”

Jade loosened her grip on the phone. She knew the company well. It was a major supplier of her grandmother’s company.
Why is he here?
Out of the politeness her grandmother had instilled in her, she shook his hand.

He didn’t let go. Instead, he put his other hand on top of hers, adding to the creepoid factor.

Jade pulled her hand away and used it to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“I realize this is a hard time for you, Miss Buchanan. My company wants to help by acquiring Synergy Technologies.”

Hard time? Does he mean finals?
“My grandmother’s company isn’t for sale. And even if it was, you’d have to talk to her about it.”
Gran would never sell the company. Or would she? Would she sell the company just to make a point?

Mr. Greenberg’s eyebrows drew together. “She, uh… I’m sorry, you don’t know?”

Jade stepped back. “Don’t know what?”

“Your grandmother.”

She shook her head, not wanting to hear what might be coming. His voice took on a tone of sympathy.

“Your grandmother passed away yesterday evening.”

“She what…
no
.” Jade’s chest tightened while she fumbled to look at her phone. He had to be wrong. She stared at the three voicemail messages her mother had left yesterday after Jade’s cell phone battery had died. She’d charged the phone overnight and thrown it in her bag this morning, too late for class to look at it.

This can’t be.

She pushed the button and listened to her mother’s first call. Jade’s pack fell to the ground. Her mom’s voice faded as the words began to sink in.

Gran is gone.

A quake from somewhere deep within shook her very core. Guilt pierced her heart, opening a fissure so big she could fall through and never surface. Her knees buckled, and the cell phone slid out of her hand.

Mr. Greenberg picked up the phone when it vibrated with another call. “Hello? No, she’s right here, but she’s not doing well. No, she just found out her grandmother passed away.”

Jade folded her arms around her midsection and rocked back and forth. Her last words to Gran had been heated, and she could never take them back.

Mr. Greenberg held the phone out to Jade.

She didn’t take it from him. She couldn’t talk right now. She couldn’t talk at all.

Aleks’s voice came through the phone. “Jade, you need to come home. Now.”

SOMETHING WAS OFF.
Detective Neal Hawkins leaned back in his swivel chair with his feet propped up on his standard-issue desk. Headquarters was quiet after normal business hours, allowing him the chance to think.

He scanned the King County medical examiner’s report again. It killed him to review the crime scene photos in his lap. To see Gloria Buchanan’s crumpled body on her office floor. She had deserved to die in peace.

He couldn’t shake the image of her swollen face and eyes, even questioned the medical examiner about the EpiPen found in her purse. The ME indicated no findings were present such as rash or hives and the edema of her face and extremities was consistent with side effects from cancer treatment and the prednisone in her purse. Whether she’d died from anaphylactic shock or cancer, neither pointed to murder. And there were no visible signs of a struggle in her office; everything was neat and in order.

So what’s bothering me?

Riley, his partner, came up from behind him and dropped two folders on his desk. “I’m heading out, Hawk. This is the last of the paperwork. Give them to Cap for me.”

“Will do.”

Riley glanced down at the photos. “Isn’t that the old lady who died of cancer? I thought the case was closed.”

Neal pulled his feet from his desk and sat upright. “It is, but something is nagging at me. If she was that far along, that close to death, why was she working?”

“It does bring new meaning to the word workaholic.” Riley slipped his sunglasses over his eyes. “Do you think Cap will let you review the case again?”

Neal doubted it. “I owe her.”

“Why’s that?”

“My dad was working for her company when he died of a heart attack. I was fifteen at the time. Gloria continued to pay his salary for three years until Mom remarried.”

“That’s one classy lady. Trust your gut. We call you Hawk for a reason.”

“I’m working on it.” Neal flipped the crime scene photos face down on his desk.

“I’ll be back in two weeks. Don’t get shot while I’m gone.”

“You’re a riot. Don’t bring home any STDs from Mexico.”

“What fun would it be if I didn’t try?”

“Get out of here.” Neal waved him off with his hand. When it came to watching your back, Riley was the man. But Neal wouldn’t want the guy anywhere near his sisters.

Riley chuckled as he left and Neal shook his head. He needed to get back to the task at hand. Gloria.

I failed her then.

Gloria had asked him to look into the disappearance of one of her employees almost two years ago. Arnie Thompson’s body had washed up in Murden Cove on Bainbridge Island.

Neal wiped a hand down his face.

The Port of Seattle PD had jurisdiction, and the medical examiner’s report had indicated that Thompson drowned. Rigor mortis and physical wounds indicated postmortem injuries. No defensive wounds were found. In other words, the case had been classified as an
accidental
drowning.

Neal hadn’t bought it then, and he didn’t buy it now.

The victim’s car had been found at Shilshole Bay Marina, which meant Arnie Thompson had gone out on a boat. His family had confirmed that he’d gone fishing with a friend, but they didn’t know with whom. Thing was, no friend came forward to call the Coast Guard or police.

Without a formal okay from his captain, he’d done legwork on his own, but couldn’t find a connection between the owners of the boats moored at the marina and anyone who knew the vic.

Gloria had taken the news of Thompson’s death hard, and not having a solid explanation as to why he’d drowned made the news go down that much harder. She’d done so much for Neal’s family after his father had died. He’d wanted to repay her in any way possible, but now—now she was dead. There was nothing more he could do.

So why am I looking at her file again?

Something stuck in his craw. Neal couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he’d missed something. He should have pushed for an autopsy, even though her age, her condition, didn’t warrant it. And with their caseload, Seattle PD didn’t have time to investigate the death of a sixty-eight year old with non-Hodgkin’s terminal lymphoma, a death that on face value seemed cut and dried—and clearly not a murder.

Still… two people from Synergy Technologies are dead.

Neal couldn’t let it go, despite his captain’s orders. As far as he was concerned, the case was still open, and he was going to do everything in his power to find out if there was a connection between those two deaths.

GRAN’S LAWYER INSISTED
Jade come today, said it was urgent. Couldn’t he understand that grief still bore down on her, its weight so oppressive she could barely breathe? The funeral had been only two days ago, and yet here she was, on the way to a meeting with a damn lawyer.

The soggy afternoon chilled her as she walked through downtown Seattle. Various shades of gray echoing in the worn pavement, concrete walkways, and glass buildings amplified her melancholy. The constant drizzle frizzed her hair and permeated her clothes.