Page 55 of Love, Rekindled

Ben looks at the stacks of papers and I start to explain what I found.

“But this line...” I point to it. “It’s not really bad per se, but I keep going back to it.”

He reads it and scrunches his brows. “Whatever the hell that means.”

I smile and then read it aloud in simple terms. “Basically they’re saying that any form of gross negligence, willful neglect or misconduct that results in death or capture can be held against the company. In other words, they can sue if they feel Cole Securities wasn’t doing it to their standards. Why would the company sign it?”

I would never allow this. One because those terms are too ambiguous. Two they’re very hard to prove. And three, it leaves the company open to a lawsuit which the contract should be shooting to negate.

“That’s not my department,” Ben says while scratching his head. “I get the contracts once they’re done.”

“Do you know who would’ve prepared this contract?”

He shakes his head. “No, but Natalie would.”

“Okay. I know there were some issues before within the company with a former employee or something, right?”

Catherine has always been tight-lipped regarding what happened. Which I respect. But now I feel like there’s something missing.

“You should talk to Mark about that,” Ben says. “I just know there was a lawyer on staff and he’s not anymore.”

“Okay, I’ll do that today.” It makes sense now why Jackson wanted me down here so quickly.

“What else did you find?”

We go over the piles more in depth. There was one other thing about his father, Michael that left me feeling confused. I show him the two pieces of information that were buried deep. Cole Securities does extensive background checks on their clients. I pull out the paper where there’s a handwritten note.

“Okay, this part.” I point. “He’s a dignitary with diplomatic immunity, why hire a bunch of former SEALs? Why Jackson’s company? He’s been through four different high-level security companies in two years. It’s weird, right? And then this...” I skim to find the line. “I’m not sure who did this report, but he mentions here something about a red flag regarding a financial discrepancy.”

He almost has this look of pride at my discovery.

Ben nods his head once. “It’s definitely something we should look at.”

“Good.”

At least my time wasn’t wasted. I move my hand toward the other pile and Ben goes to it at the same time.

“Sorry,” he says.

I start to open my mouth, but he speaks before I can.

“For sort of disappearing the last few days. There was a lead on Thomas’s whereabouts and I had to follow it.”

“It’s fine, Ben.”

“No, I should’ve come and told you. I was just so sure I had him and then it was a dead end.”

It has to be frustrating for him. I can see the desire todoand yet he’s stuck here. “It’s really no big deal. I was plenty busy going through these things.”

“You did a great job. I never would’ve looked at it from these angles,” Ben compliments me and my heart flutters.

I’m ridiculous. There’s no reason for my heart, or any other part of my body, to care about Ben.

“I’m just happy to help.”

“We are too. We’re a team around here and I’m glad you’re on it.”

I can count on one hand how many compliments I’ve heard in the last seven years. Harold didn’t believe in compliments. He believed in results.

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