Scandal Never Sleeps (The Perfect Gentlemen 1)

“We’ll try. But some things are impossible, even for us,” Connor admitted.

“Roman, I didn’t kill him. I wouldn’t have.” Maimed him. Beat the shit out of him. Maybe forced him to the altar with a shotgun.

Connor held up a hand. “We know. But someone did off him. The problem is, the list of suspects is practically as big as Manhattan’s phone book, and the NYPD is going to pounce on the easy suspect. That’s you. I’m already trying to whittle the list down and figure out who really had the motive and means to bomb his plane. Dax and I are going to start talking to his employees quietly, and Roman is going to look into Mad’s more intimate connections. We’ll try to keep Sara out of this, but questions are bound to arise. You didn’t directly mention her pregnancy in the video, but now that I know about it, I see both you and Mad allude to it.”

Roman sat up, buttoning the jacket to his three-piece suit. “We have bigger problems right now, and knowing that Sara’s pregnant makes the timing more critical. We need to get in and sign the papers concerning Mad’s estate. It’s urgent that we move to consolidate as quickly as possible. I’ve already talked to the probate judge and explained that the health of the company is at risk and the jobs Crawford Industries provides are vital to the economy. The will is well written and there shouldn’t be any complaints against it. Mad didn’t have relatives, so this should be a smooth transition. I think we can avoid a freeze of your assets if we’re careful. I hope.”

“I’m trying to buy us a few days to figure out what the hell’s actually going on,” Connor explained.

Gabe sat back in utter shock at the turn of events. An hour ago, he’d been warm and happy in bed with Eve. Now Roman was talking about freezing his assets? The world had tilted and he definitely didn’t like where he’d landed. “Why would anyone freeze my assets?”

“Not all of them, just Crawford Industries.” Roman winced. “Because you, Gabe, are the new CEO. Maddox left everything he owned to you and you alone—money, houses, cars, and his business. If that video isn’t motive enough, then the billion dollar company you inherited as of this morning almost surely is.”

For the second time in ten minutes, Gabe felt the world shift. He had to hope he was still standing when it stopped.

• • •

Everly walked out of the elevator, her mind still on Gabriel. What had she done? Why had she given him her number after she’d figured out who he was? It had been impulsive. She didn’t have his phone number. He hadn’t offered it. He’d kissed her, told her he had to go, and walked out. No more promises about calling. He’d looked grim as he’d dressed quickly, and he’d left as if fleeing the scene of a crime.

The only bright side? Maddox Crawford would have gotten a kick out of her having a one-night stand with his best friend after his funeral.

As she’d left the hotel, she’d had the oddest feeling that someone was watching her. There had been the usual crowd out on the streets. She’d run past a couple of photographers who had likely been waiting for celebrities. The Plaza had its share. They couldn’t possibly care about her or know that she’d spent the weekend holed up with Gabriel. She’d wondered if they’d taken pictures of him as he’d left.

The paparazzi was his life. He wouldn’t call and if he did, she would have to think about not answering. They were far too different to make anything lasting work. He likely wouldn’t call at all. She was almost certain getting her number was a way to smooth over an awkward parting. His friends also had impeccable timing. They’d whisked Gabriel away at the perfect moment to avoid a long good-bye.

Hell of an exit strategy.

If she had to bet, she would put her money on the fact they were through. No matter how good a time he’d had, no matter how close they’d felt, Gabriel Bond wouldn’t have an actual relationship with a woman like her. She’d been a good lay and a good time. Now it was over.

She’d been forced to “walk of shame” it until she’d managed to hail a cab to Brooklyn so she could shower, change, and pull herself together for what was likely to be a difficult day.

Everly walked into the elegant lobby of Crawford’s corporate offices. Sometimes the fact that she was an executive still felt a bit surreal. The first time she’d been invited to the top floor, she’d felt like she’d finally made it. Now she worried how long she would last at Crawford and if she could even find another job.

“Good morning, Ms. Parker. It’s good to see you here so bright-eyed after an undoubtedly long weekend.” Jennifer, the corporate office’s general receptionist, sat at the desk, a discreet Bluetooth device in her ear. She answered calls and sent them to whomever they needed to reach. But she also served as the hub for gossip in the office. Information both true and false flowed through her like a river before she sent it into the tiny world via her tributary of secretaries.

Jennifer had a light in her eyes that Everly didn’t understand. She knew one thing, though. When Jennifer looked that happy, she had a truly juicy scoop on someone. “Yes, I hope everyone had a chance to relax. The funeral on Friday took a lot out of everyone, I suppose.”

“Sure did,” she replied with a wink. “Some of us more than others. Ms. Gordon was looking for you. I told her you were running a little late because you had to pick up a new external hard drive you ordered last week.” She pulled out a small blue bag from an electronics store. “Here it is. It was delivered Friday, but she doesn’t know that.”

Everly took the drive, grateful for the excuse. She needed this to back up the contents of her hard drive before she tried to fix the problems with her frustratingly slow computer. “Thanks for covering for me.”

She didn’t want to have to explain why she was so late. Her staff wouldn’t question her. She was easy on them. As long as they completed projects and did their jobs, she was flexible on the hours they worked. Most of them had earned their office moniker of “Geek Squad” by staying insular and holding weekly Magic: The Gathering tournaments. And for productivity’s sake, she didn’t dare get them started on Game of Thrones. All in all, though, she preferred her team to the cattiness of the rest of the groups.

She started toward her office, thinking about the day ahead. She needed to check over the reports for the last week. She’d had concerns on the retail side that there might have been a breach. If so, she would have a headache on her hands. But at least it would keep her from thinking about being unemployed.

“Everly, I’m so glad you’re here. Are you all right?” Tavia poked her head out of her office, sounding concerned but looking so chic in a simple black sheath and sky-high heels with a distinctive red sole. Everly had seen the outfit a few times; it never failed to look striking.

“Fine.” Everly frowned in confusion. “You?”

Tavia gestured with a manicured hand. “Thank goodness. I’ve worried about you all morning. Come in. Quick. I don’t want to talk where everyone can hear us.”

Everly glanced around and was really surprised to find way too many eyes peering above cubicle walls at her. They quickly looked away, the gawkers going back to the screens or reports awkwardly, as though trying not to look obvious.

Why was everyone staring?

She took Tavia’s hand and let the woman rush her into the office with its four floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning view of Central Park. The back wall was covered with pictures of the blond beauty posed beside dozens of young women from all over the world. Tavia looked so different in those pictures. She was dressed casually in most. In some, from when she went to Muslim countries, she wore a hijab to cover her hair.

Tavia saw her staring at the pictures. “I’m hoping to open a new school with the money we raise this year.” She pointed to the most recent photo. “I found this village in India in desperate need of a girls’ school. They have a boys’ school, but the girls’ building burned down and no one has raised the money for a new one.”

“How is the search for that missing girl going?”

Two months earlier, Everly h

ad gone to lunch with Tavia after one of the girls from her school in Liberia had vanished without a trace. Tearfully, Tavia had clutched the girl’s picture and vowed to find her.

“We’re still looking. It’s difficult in that part of the world. Epidemics go hand-in-hand with insufficient medical care, but once we established that Janjay hadn’t fallen ill . . . the other options for her disappearance aren’t so palatable. I have to hope she ran away.” She shook her head sadly. “Girls get taken for many reasons. It’s a reality I simply can’t accept. Boko Haram is starting to work in that part of the world. Now we have to worry about ISIS as well. They’ll try to tear down everything I’ve built.”

Boko Haram was a terrorist group that believed all things western were evil, and that included educating females. They had kidnapped an entire school of girls, forcing them to convert to their extreme form of Islam. ISIS, another terror group, was moving into Africa. Everly could understand why Tavia was scared for the young women she tried to help.

“Do you want me to see what else I can do?” It felt wrong not to offer. “I’m sure the security guys at Crawford’s international offices are working as hard as they can, but I’ll ask them for an update.”

Tavia smiled with regret. “Oh, you’re so sweet, but please don’t take their attention from the field. Their work in finding the girl is too important to tear them away. I’m sure they’ll tell us what they’ve found as soon as they’re able, but we can’t risk leads going cold.”