Wilde Nights (The Brothers of Wilde, Nevada 4)
Page 23
“And the other men, Jessica?”
“They’re all brothers.” No sense lying now to the man who’d given her the job at the agency. More than that, he’d been the one who had mentored her and pushed her up the ladder. Now that was over.
“Tell me how this happened, Jessica.”
“Why go through this, Lee? Just fire me already and put me out of my misery.”
“Fire you?” Her boss looked as stunned as she felt. “I have no intention of doing anything remotely like that.”
A big blast of air slipped past her lips as relief filled her up. Still, he’d have to do something. “Censure?”
“No. I don’t like what you’re doing with the Wilde family, but there’s nothing in the agency’s employee policy that says you can’t date an owner of a mine.”
She knew he had every right to fire her, but he wasn’t. It didn’t really make sense, but she was glad. “They’re actually not owners. They are heirs.”
“Doesn’t change anything one way or the other.”
“It doesn’t?” she asked.
“No. Not in my mind. I’m worried about you, kiddo.” She always liked when he’d called her that, but not today. “You’re in over your head here.”
“With the mine or the guys?”
“Off the record, both.”
“What are you saying, Lee? There’s more to this than the photos.”
“I talked with everyone that had worked this mine over the past ten years. Wilde, Nevada is notorious for wild nights, if you know what I mean.”
She did. “What does that have to do with me and the Wilde brothers?”
“Don’t kid yourself, Jessica. These guys aren’t novices when it comes to seducing women, and I’m afraid you’re going to get hurt.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“What if they’re trying to get you into bed in order to influence your investigation of their family mine?”
The thought had crossed her mind in the beginning, but now, after all the time she’d spent with them, she knew better. “Lee, can we change the subject?”
Her boss shook his head. “I’ve overstepped.”
“Some, but you are the boss. I still have a job?”
“As long as I’m at the agency, you do. And I’m not going anywhere. Don’t ever worry about that.”
“Thank you. That’s good to know, but I’m a worrier by nature, Lee.”
He smiled. “I’ve seen that firsthand.”
Jessie didn’t like that he knew about the guys, but knowing her boss wasn’t here to fire her allowed her shoulders to sag and her jaw to unclench. She shoved the file back over to him.
“Keep the photos, Jessica. I don’t need them.” He pushed the folder to her.
“Thank you. How long are you here?”
“A couple of days. I want to see if I can help you get this one down the tracks. You still refusing to leave until the investigation is complete?”
“That’s right.”