Into the Fury (BOSS, Inc. #1)(80)

“Wow.” The word slipped out before she could stop it. “That sounds . . .” Dangerous as all bloody hell. “Umm . . . exciting.”

Built more like Dirk than Ethan, he shrugged a pair of lean, hard-muscled shoulders. “Money’s good, if you know what you’re doing.”

“I can imagine.”

She felt Ethan’s hand at her waist. She wondered if it was meant as a subtle message. “Come on. Sadie’s waiting.”

They left the office and headed farther down the hall, into a room with an oversized desk and triple computer screens. The fifty-year-old computer wiz Ethan had talked about, Sadie Gunderson, had very curly platinum-blond hair with dark roots that matched her dark eyebrows. She was a big woman with more than her share of wrinkles and a serious look on her face.

She glanced away from the monitor and looked up at Ethan. “So . . . more dead bodies, I hear. You seem to be collecting them lately.”

“Two since we left. One in Dallas, one in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the one in Atlanta didn’t die soon enough.” He tipped his head toward Val. “Sadie, this is Valerie Hartman.”

“Valentine,” the woman said. “You’re one of the models. I’m sorry about your friend.”

“We weren’t close, but thank you.”

Sadie’s gaze ran over her, taking her measure in some way. Val fought not to squirm under the woman’s stern, all-seeing regard.

Sadie turned her attention to Ethan. “So where are we now on the case?”

He motioned for Val to sit down, then took a seat himself. “Pretty much back to square one. I’d like you to take another look at Jason Stern. Turns out, he and Delilah Larsen were lovers.”

“Ahh . . . that’s news.”

“Along with that, I need everything you can find on Peter Latham, his wife, Alessandra, and his son Julian. Latham’s the second-largest shareholder in David Klein. They’re loaded, and I mean megabucks. He and his wife live in Atlanta. Julian’s in Miami.”

“Miami. You’re thinking there might be a connection to drugs? Kind of a stretch, isn’t it? Just because the family’s got money.”

“I know. At this point it could be anything. Still, it might be interesting to know how the family made their fortune and what Julian does for a living. Whether or not he’s in and out of the country, how often, and where he goes.”

“All right. Anything else?”

Val shifted in her chair. “Maybe you could . . . umm . . . check out Jason’s wife,” Val said, drawing Sadie’s shrewd green eyes back to her. “I think someone told me her name is Myra, but I don’t know for sure.”

“Myra Stern,” Sadie said with a nod. “I remember the name from my preliminary search.”

“Could be Myra found out her husband was being unfaithful,” Ethan added. “Maybe it pissed her off enough to have his mistress killed.”

“What about the notes?” Sadie asked.

“Yeah, well, that’s the problem. The notes don’t work with that theory, but they could have been sent as a cover.”

“Seems like you’re reaching to me. You know, if you go down that road and you’re wrong, if the guy who killed her is as crazy as he seems, it could get another model dead.”

Ethan rubbed a hand over his face. “I know.”

Sadie nodded. “Okay, then. Anything else?”

Ethan looked over at Val, who shook her head.

“Not at the moment.” He rose from his chair and so did Val.

“It was nice meeting you, Sadie,” Val said.

“You too.” Sadie looked from Val to Ethan, noticed the way his hand rested possessively at her waist. A frown pinched a line between her eyes. “Looks like you two are getting pretty friendly.”

Val felt heat sweeping into her cheeks.

“We’re together,” Ethan said. “If that’s what you want to know.”

Sadie’s dark eyebrows shot up in surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t expected that answer. Val was a little surprised herself.

“Hey, none of my business,” Sadie said.

“You’re right, it isn’t.” But he was smiling as he urged Val toward the door. “I appreciate your help with this, Sadie. I haven’t forgotten those tickets.”

The older woman’s features softened. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

They left the office and headed back to the Jeep.

“I think your Sadie is afraid I’ll try to take advantage of you.”

Ethan chuckled. “She’s kind of protective. She considers us all part of her family.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah, I guess it is. Right now she’s not too happy with Megan. Sadie has a way of finding out what’s going on. She figures Meg hurt Dirk and she doesn’t like it.”

“Meg had to think of Charlie.”

“I think she’s underestimating Dirk, but that’s just my opinion.”

Val didn’t agree. Dirk was wild and, as far as she could tell, not the least bit ready to settle down. “So where do we go from here?”

“I’m at a dead end till I hear from Sadie. What’s on your schedule?”

“I checked this morning. Tomorrow’s the tenth anniversary of David Klein. I’ve got an early morning TV interview on CBS Seattle. I’m supposed to show off some of the more affordable pieces of jewelry Klein sells.”