Deadly Game (Fortress Security #5)(32)

“Brent, I’ll let you know when I’ve cracked the other code. Check your email in a couple minutes. Z, you and Claire still coming to my place for dinner tomorrow night?”

“You bet. Not letting you welsh on paying your debt, brother-in-law or not.”

“You cheated,” he said.

Zane chuckled. “Didn’t have to cheat. You’re lousy at sled hockey. I expect a full Mexican spread.”

“Yeah, yeah. Seven o’clock. Don’t be late.” The operative ended the call.

“Sled hockey?” Brent’s eyebrows rose. “That’s a new sport for you.”

Zane shrugged. “Claire has turned into a hockey fan since I took her to a Predators game. She wanted to learn how to play.”

“Sounds like fun,” Rowan said. “Do you let her win?”

He scowled. “What do you take me for? A softie?”

She started to apologize, but Rowan noticed the twinkle in his eyes that confirmed her suspicions. “Does she know the truth?”

“He’s too smart for that.” A small smile curved Brent’s mouth.

“She’s pretty cute when she does her victory dance,” Zane said.

She grinned. Rowan couldn’t wait to meet Claire Murphy. She sounded like a fun person to know. “What now?”

“Work.” Brent brushed a soft kiss over her mouth. “I’ll check the potatoes and start the steaks. Get started on your Maxwell Imports search while I work on dinner.”

When Brent left for the patio, Rowan retrieved her laptop. Sitting across from Zane, she booted up her system and thought about that simple kiss Brent gave her. Simple? Ha! How could a brief peck on the mouth cause such a strong reaction? That kiss didn’t mean anything, she reminded herself. Or did it?

She glanced out the patio door at the man poking potatoes. Did she want the kiss to mean something? No. Maybe. Rowan sighed. Yes, she did. Was that too much to hope for?

Probably. What would he see in her? A date to pass the time? Something more? Who was she kidding? Brent Maddox wouldn’t be interested in her when he realized Alexa was part of the equation from now on. As of last night, Rowan and Alexa came as a set.

Rowan typed in her password. No sense brooding when a tidbit of information might help Brent and Zane find Alexa. A direction would help. So if spending time surfing the Net would save Zane or Adam from grunt work, Rowan was glad to type her fingers to the bone.

She keyed in the name of Jay’s company, startled at the number of hits that popped up. Based on the headlines, not all the stories written about Maxwell Imports were complimentary.

Settling back in her chair, Rowan began to read. The news articles were good in the early days of Jay’s company. Reporters called the company a rising star and a challenger for leadership in the industry. According to rumors, Maxwell Imports raked in a substantial profit the first four years. Then the economy did a number on the company and, like every other business in the country, profits slumped. Two years ago, business boomed again.

Rowan frowned. She started Coffee House on a shoestring budget about that time and profits were hard to come by. In fact, she’d had to dig into her savings account for several months because business was slow at first. The people who faithfully bought coffee from her in the early days complained about the economy’s sluggishness.

Jay had been in business longer. Maybe his customers’ businesses had grown again at that time. As far as she knew, Rowan didn’t have customers in the import/export business. Still, the profit surge timing bugged her.

As tired as she was, Rowan might forget details that struck her as strange. She needed paper to keep track of them. “Would Brent mind if I looked for paper?” she asked Zane. “I need to start a list of information to follow up on.”

“It’s fine, Rowan.” Zane winked at her. “He won’t mind if you explore.”

She blinked, not sure how to take that statement. Why wouldn’t Brent mind? She’d seen how he reacted to the invasion of his home.

Brent walked into the kitchen, paused. “Everything okay, babe?”

Her heart skipped a beat at the endearment. She loved hearing those sweet names from Brent’s lips. “I need paper.”

“Top right hand desk drawer in my office.” Brent grabbed the plate of steaks and left again.

“Told you,” Zane said.

In his office, Rowan found the paper and a pen, returned to the table to make notes. Minutes later, Brent brought inside the steaks and potatoes. Rowan breathed deep. Oh, man. The food smelled good. Brent set the platters on the table.

The first bite of steak made Rowan groan in appreciation. “This is incredible, Brent. I might hire you at Coffee House.”

He chuckled. “Unless you expand your menu to include items from the grill, I’ll have to pass. I’m not a baker.”

“You didn’t grill my scrambled eggs and toast this morning.”

Brent shrugged. “That type of breakfast food is easy. What your suppliers provide you with in the mornings is beyond my capability.”

From there, the conversation shifted to funny stories about Brent and Zane’s experiences in the military. When they finished telling tales on each other, Rowan glanced down at her plate, surprised to find it nearly empty.

She glanced at Brent, found him watching her. He winked and started gathering plates and utensils. He and Zane had kept her attention so she would eat. Rowan had to admit she felt stronger, though her body was tired, her brain foggy.