Page 8 of Near Miss

She’d been tentative at the beginning of her presentation, her voice strengthening as she grew more comfortable speaking. It was well-modulated with a soothing cadence that reminded him of American TV newsreaders and gave him no hint of where in the States she might be from.

He glanced at the handout she’d provided, then let his gaze wander around the table to the other executive team members. Christian Meier, head of global development, scribbled notes, his blond head bobbing between Sophia and the papers in front of him. Rob Salas from IT ran his fingers through his short, dark brown hair and eased into the back of his chair. Rob usually looked bored at these meetings, his only interest being LAI’s computer network and not its core business, but his attention stayed on Sophia.

Fred Biller, LAI’s government contracts manager, sat next to Lachlan, his coffee-stained tie resting on his protruding stomach. Lachlan’s nose itched at the odor of burnt tobacco from the cigarettes Fred smoked outside the building whenever he took a break. Penny Turner, the woman who kept them all organized and the company running smoothly, sat on Fred’s other side. At the head of the table was Jared Landry, their boss.

Sophia had everyone’s attention—even Fred’s, the old codger. She spoke with a keen intelligence and innocent charm that was…intriguing.

Lachlan stiffened. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead.

He knew better than to trust a woman simply because she made a good first impression. He wiped his forehead and brushed his fingers against his trousers, silently cursing the slight tremor that ran through them.

Lack of sleep must have weakened his defenses. He’d gotten back from Kabul yesterday afternoon, his mind racing with the news of Khan’s upcoming weapons auction. The last thing he needed was to lose his shit at work because his new colleague triggered old memories. Not for the first time, he regretted his decision not to keep a bottle of Scotch in his desk drawer. He could use a wee dram.

Sophia finished her presentation to murmurs of approval. “Excellent job.” Jared clapped his hands. “I told you I’d throw you into the deep end right away, and you performed beautifully.”

The appreciation in Jared’s eyes hinted at more than a professional interest.

Or maybe that was Lachlan’s admittedly jaded view. Not everyone made the same mistakes he had.

Sophia’s cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, something else he’d noticed about her earlier. She blushed easily.

“If Sophia gets us more funding, maybe we can hire additional help here instead of overseas,” Fred grumbled. “We’ve got the annual compliance report to the government coming up, and I can’t do it all on my own.”

Jared gave Fred a placating smile. “You know each division head is responsible for submitting their information for the report, Fred. It won’t be left only to you.”

“Is it something I can help with?” Sophia’s expression faltered when all eyes turned to her. “I mean, if it’s appropriate. It sounds like a good opportunity to learn more about LAI’s activities.”

Lachlan narrowed his gaze on her. She was a bit too eager to be of help. What was her end game? As if she could sense his stare, her head turned, and their eyes met. He felt an unexpected and unwelcome jolt of awareness. A pink tide swept up her neck to her face. She looked away.

Christ. She might not be that much younger than him in years but in life experience? He had a feeling they were miles apart.

Unless it was all an act.

“Perfect.” Jared favored Sophia with an ingratiating smile that set Lachlan’s teeth on edge, although he wasn’t sure why. “You and Fred can work out the details later.”

After everyone finished providing their updates, the meeting adjourned.

“Jared, a moment?” Lachlan spoke to his boss, but his gaze followed the gentle sway of Sophia’s hips as she left, chatting away with Christian about the construction of the co-ed primary school he oversaw in a rural village outside of Kabul.

The sound of a throat clearing brought Lachlan’s attention back to the only other person in the room.

“Is this something you couldn’t bring up in the meeting?” Jared’s chilly tone matched the frost in his eyes.

Lachlan schooled his expression so his irritation wouldn’t show. He and Jared were too much alike in some ways to truly get on. They were both leaders who valued control. When Jared contacted him to offer him the job at LAI, he’d taken it for one purpose—to return to Afghanistan and have a freedom of movement not afforded him in the military.

“Aye. It’s important.” He needed to discuss Josh Burkette’s behavior and, more importantly, what he’d learned from Gilly.

“Let’s go into my office. We’ll be more comfortable there.” Jared strode from the conference room, leaving Lachlan to follow. When Lachlan shut Jared’s office door behind him, the other man gestured toward a crystal decanter filled with expensive whisky, a wordless question in his raised brows. “You look like you need one.”

Lachlan shook his head. “Not at noon when I have a lot of work to catch up on.” He settled into one of the two navy and silver striped armchairs in front of Jared’s desk while Jared sat on the opposite side in his high-backed black leather executive chair, making the power dynamic between the two men clear.

“You got pale in the meeting earlier, during Sophia’s presentation. Did something she said bother you?” To Lachlan’s ear, Jared’s question sounded more mocking than genuinely concerned.

He dismissed the thought. The situation in Afghanistan had his nerves on edge. “No, she’s very accomplished.” He wasn’t sure what it was about Sophia Russo that annoyed him. “The problem is in Kabul. Josh ignores security protocols—disappears from the compound during his downtime without letting anyone know where he’s going.”

Jared frowned. “Is he getting the job done?”

“Aye.” Lachlan already knew bringing up concerns about Jared’s former Ranger teammate was likely to be a waste of time, but he had to try for the sake of his men. He wasn’t sure he trusted Burkette and didn’t know why Jared did.

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