Page 59 of Golden Touch
He listens a second, then runs his hand over his jaw. “Really? Allthat?This is a weird-ass beer, Pops.” Then he laughs.
I’m a little astonished. In the first place, he and his dad seem to be having a nice little conversation. In the second place, Nash is a super-attractive man when he’s frowning. But when he smiles, it’s almost blinding. I feel some warm flutters again, and I don’t like it.
Stop it, flutters. You’re fired.
I spin around on my heel and head into the office alone. Thankfully, I get very absorbed in some bookkeeping. Eventually, though, I hear Nash’s voice outside the window behind the building. He’s talking to someone, giving instructions. Something about a ladder.
That’s handy, actually. If he’s outside, I can duck out there and catch him for a private chat. We need one. Badly.
At the back door, I look both ways before I step outside. Nash is minding a ladder that’s propped against the wall. Anunfamiliar man is climbing it, and there’s a van parked nearby that saysGrunt’s Security Systems.
I don’t see anyone else, but I still feel exposed as I step out into the sunshine.
“Hey, pussycat,” Nash says, glancing up the ladder, his muscular arms holding it steady. “You okay?”
I swallow and drag my gaze off his body. “I’m fine. What’s going on out here?”
“Security cameras,” Nash says. “Motion-sensitive lights, too. And a new lock with a keypad.”
I blink. “Wait, really? That sounds expensive.”
Nash shrugs.
“You know what would be cheaper?” I ask with a slightly hysterical tremor creeping into my voice. “Me leaving Vermont.”
“Nobody’s leaving,” he says easily. “These are basic security upgrades. Shoulda been done a long time ago.”
That point is hard to argue. But everyone knows why upgrades never happened. Because Lyle Giltmaker is cheap. “Your dad is really down with all of this? The expense?”
“Eh, he will be,” Nash says. “That man is paranoid about somebody stealing his precious recipes. I can sell ’im on the idea. Besides—some of this is on Benito’s dime.”
The air whooshes out of my lungs when he mentions the cops. “Why?”
“He really wants these guys. Could be a big deal for him, career-wise. Hey—I have a name to show you. He traced both those assholes’ motorcycle registrations for us. Hang on.” He waits a moment for the security company guy to come back down the ladder. After the guy heads for the open doors of his van, Nash unlocks his phone and shows me a message. “These names look familiar?”
The first one is Razor’s. Legal nameRichard Sharpe. It’s hardly surprising, but I feel sick anyway. Razor washere, right on this property, where I used to feel safe.
The other name also startles me:Nathan Delrose, age 33. Rutland, Vermont.
“Nathan?” I yelp. “Rotty’s real name can’t beNathan. Nathan is your school principal. Nathan is your gastroenterologist.”
Nash chuckles. “But there’s a driver’s license photo. See?” He flips to a picture, and there’s Rotty, scowling at the camera in a shaggy beard. “So the name means nothing to you?”
“No. Wait. Show it to me again.” I squint at the details and sigh. “Okay, the last name does ring a bell.”Delrose. “I’ve seen it before, probably on a document.”
“Any idea where?”
I try to think. “There were a lot of papers in that office. It could have been on anything. Like an order for mufflers. But…” I close my eyes and try to remember. “There was one time I saw a filing for one of their LLCs. There was a list of directors. He might have been on it.”
When I open my eyes, Nash is watching me with a solemn expression. “Benito wants to talk to you again.”
“I bet he does,” I say in a grumpy voice. Talking to the cops is about as appealing to me as getting a root canal.
Although I’d liked Benito. He had intelligent eyes and a calm demeanor. Talking to him could be a one-time thing, and there’s no reason why I couldn’t have a conversation with him andthendrive like a demon out of Vermont.
I still have choices.
Nash reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear. We’re standing so close to one another. I get a whiff of his clean, piney scent, and suddenly realize two things. One, yum. And two, we’re supposed to be having an important chat right now.
