“And you believe your employee can handle this matter without implicating you?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Excellent. You have a committee meeting in ten minutes, so I won’t keep you.”
The statement wasn’t said out of politeness or generosity. It was a reminder that everything she did, no matter how minute, was monitored.
“Goodbye, Nora.”
Nora didn’t bother with a farewell. She dropped the phone onto her desk and drew in a ragged sigh. She did indeed have a meeting to attend, and two more after that. She wouldn’t be able to communicate with Jessie Diamond until late tonight. And when she did, it wouldn’t be to ask for an update. Her orders had changed.
Asher Drake must die.
Chapter Thirty
OZ Headquarters
Shaking the last of the dampness from his head, Ash walked into the main house, noting the silence. Yesterday afternoon, Mother Nature had dumped a foot of snow on half the state. All OZ employees would be working from home for the next couple of days at least.
Fortunately they were ready for their next op. For the past nine days they’d worked their tails off preparing for the auction and the takedown of Carl Lang. Every scenario had been discussed and practiced numerous times.
He’d used his new Polaris snowmobile to get here from his house and had enjoyed every moment. One of the reasons he’d wanted to move here was winter. With snowfall averaging about forty-five inches a year, the amount was almost enough to satisfy him.
A noise in another room reminded him that the building wasn’t completely empty. As if he needed the reminder. There were very few waking moments that he wasn’t aware of Jules. And lately, she’d appeared in a couple of his dreams.
Telling himself he couldn’t get involved with an OZ employee hadn’t made much impact on his libido. Good thing he was old enough to control those urges. Any relationship between him and Jules Stone would never work. She had too many secrets, and he went from one viper nest to the next. Neither of them was a candidate for anything stable.
“Ash?” Jules said behind him. “How did you get here?”
“Snowmobile.”
Turning, he got his first full view of Jules and had to work to keep a straight face. How anyone who was wearing at least four layers of clothes could still be so enticing was a mystery. She wore a thick navy sweatshirt over a flannel shirt over a turtleneck sweater. Getting a jacket on over all of that must’ve been a struggle. She wore sweatpants, but beneath those pants he caught a glimpse of jeans. Her head was covered with a ski cap, and she was carrying a pair of heavy boots in her gloved hands. She would quite likely have difficultly getting them on over the thick socks she was wearing.
He nodded at her apparel. “Feeling a little chilly?”
She grinned and tried to shrug, but the multiple layers kept her from being able to move much. “I know I look ridiculous, but this is the first time I’ve been warm all morning.”
Noting that the temperature in the house was warmer than usual, he said, “It feels warm in here to me. Are you getting sick?”
“No, I’m just trying to thaw out. I had to get something out of my car, so I just threw on a jacket, thinking it wouldn’t be that bad. I slipped and fell into a snowdrift. By the time I got back into the house, I was soaked.”
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. Just decided wearing everything I own was the best way to warm up.”
“Is it working?”
“Think so, but I’m not taking anything off until I’m completely sure.”
“I take it you’re not a cold-weather fan?”
“It’s one of the reasons I moved to Arizona.”
Ash frowned. “Jules, you do know that the area of Arizona you lived in gets a lot of snow, don’t you?”
Her face lighting up with laughter, she shook her head. “I didn’t until I moved there. I visited during the summer and impulsively decided to move there. I ended up falling in love with the area and decided I’d learn to live with the snow.”
“It can be fun if you’re dressed right. I’ll take you out on my snowmobile sometime.”