she began to read the article. She scanned the accusations, that Beck had taken a bribe to back off from the very man he’d been sent undercover to investigate, made a sound of disgusted disbelief and skipped to the lower paragraphs. There she found mention of his actions that day in the bank, taking out the heavily armed, flak-jacketed robber. That had earned him the promotion to detective, and three years ago he had transferred into the narcotics division. Where others had failed, Logan had managed to infiltrate a bastion that had remained impervious to previous police efforts, the drug operation and extortion racket of a man who’d murdered the last officer who’d tried it.
And then he’d gone over to the other side? Been unable to resist the temptation of piles of easy cash?
The allegation rankled. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, and didn’t believe it.
She went about finishing her unpacking with a fierce energy the innocent boxes didn’t deserve. She didn’t have that much stuff, really, she’d only brought some personal files, reference material, photos and the framed news story of her father’s famous rescue. There was more at home, but until she knew exactly what she’d need here, there didn’t seem much point in lugging it all in. She doubted she’d have much use for some of it anyway, not as an assistant to a department head.
She was nearly done when her new boss appeared in her doorway.
“Good morning, Liana.”
The trim blond woman looked very different today, clad in khaki pants and a cheery red sweater. Her movements were quick and lithe, belying the faintest touches of silver at her temples. Liana had no idea how old her new boss was, and had realized early on in that lengthy interview that it didn’t matter; Lilith Mercer had the energy and drive of any twenty-something.
“Mrs. Mercer. Good morning.”
She forced herself to smile. While she’d spoken several times on the telephone to the new head of Redstone’s Research and Development department, she’d only met her in person three times, twice during the long interview process, and again two weeks ago when the woman had called and invited her to dinner, where she had made the official job offer. She’d liked the woman’s brisk, no-nonsense approach, and knew that Josh had to have a lot of faith in her to get the department back on its feet after her predecessor had been caught trying to sell out Redstone.
“We’re going to be working very closely together, so I think you should call me Lilith,” the woman said with a smile. Liana smiled back; it was impossible not to respond to the warmth in the woman’s eyes. “We’re not much for formality around here.”
Liana glanced down at her own business suit, and couldn’t stop a wry smile from curving her mouth. “Does that mean I can retire this?”
The woman smiled. “You may,” she said. “Unless you’re more comfortable in it.”
“Panty hose? I think not,” Liana said. Lilith laughed; it was a warm, welcoming sound.
“You’ll find that what matters around here is the quality of your work, not your attire,” Lilith said. “You have your access card and identification?”
“Yes,” Liana said.
“Any trouble getting in this morning?”
“No.” It was true. She’d been greeted by name, as if she’d been here for years. Another testament to the efficiency of Redstone.
“Have you met anyone else yet?”
“Besides Josh?” she asked, wonder still tingeing her voice.
Lilith smiled. “Yes, besides Josh.”
“No,” she said. “I truly just arrived.”
“Well, then, come with me.”
The next few minutes were a blur of faces and names, although Liana knew there weren’t really that many. It was just that she was distracted. That photograph from the newspaper was haunting her—not a good way to approach her first day on the job she’d wanted more than any other in her life.
“—and Ian, this is Liana Kiley. She’s going to be helping me with the cleanup.”
Liana snapped back to the present when she realized she was face-to-face with Ian Gamble. In her extensive research before applying to Redstone, she’d studied the somewhat eccentric inventor’s reputation, looked at the incredible list of things he’d developed, been hardly able to believe that everything from a revolutionary prosthetic foot to a bomb detector had come from this single, fertile, brilliant mind. And this was the man JetCal, her former employer, had stolen from, this was the man who had imagined and produced what they’d wanted to take credit for.
Now that she was face-to-face with him, she was more than a little stunned. Vivid green eyes assessed her through wire-rimmed glasses that did little to mask the lively intelligence behind those eyes. His sandy hair was a bit long, the glossy strands flopping forward to his brows in that stubborn way thick hair had.
“Ian can help you if you have any technical questions about R & D,” Lilith was saying. “If you need to know if something someone else is doing bears too close a resemblance to our work to be coincidental, he’s your go-to guy.”
She’d expected a more professorial type. But then, this was the man married to the woman from Redstone Security who’d conducted her background investigation, including contacting her family; she’d heard from her little brother that the most spectacular blonde on the planet had been to the house to interview them. He’d waxed eloquent about the serious hotness of Samantha Gamble, and knowing the amazing reputation of Redstone Security, Liana imagined it took a bit more than a stereotypical lab worker to keep up with a woman like that.
Not that anyone she’d met at Redstone so far could ever be called stereotypical. She’d never been in a place that crackled with as much energy, intelligence and enthusiasm as Redstone Headquarters. It had surpassed every expectation she’d had when she’d applied for this job, and she knew she was going to love it here.
If, she amended silently, she didn’t manage to be among the rarities, a Redstone employee who got fired on her first day for not paying attention.
Hastily she scrambled to catch up. Ian Gamble smiled at her sympathetically. He really was attractive, she thought, in a boyish, bookish kind of way.
“It’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it?” Ian said.
Gratefully she nodded. “It is. Coming to work here is so important to me, I’m afraid now that I’m here I’m a little scattered.”
“We’ll cure you of that,” Lilith said briskly but not unkindly. “Come along.”
Ordering herself to focus, Liana followed.
Merry freaking Christmas, Logan Beck thought.
He was, without a doubt, screwed.
He rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t believe that after twelve years as a cop he was sitting here on the wrong side of an interview table, in a room improbably festooned with some worse-for-wear tinsel garland and with a window smeared with that spray-on snow that looked like dried cottage cheese.
Nearly a year of round-the-clock
