A Brother's Honor (Grangers) - By Brenda Jackson Page 0,84

the puzzle. And it was a puzzle she was determined to solve. “I’m calling Jace in here,” she said, picking up the phone, feeling irritated as well as anxious while dialing the direct number to his office. “He needs to be advised as to what’s going on.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Shana watched Jace’s reaction to what Bruce was telling him, explaining things in detail the same way he had done with her. Jace was listening attentively, taking it all in, and since she’d been as intimate with him as she had over the past seventy-two hours, she could read the signs.

He was pissed.

But his professionalism as well as his control wouldn’t reveal on the outside just how he was steaming on the inside. Every so often, he would ask Bruce a question, and she should not have been surprised by Jace’s vast knowledge of industrial espionage. From her research on him, she knew he’d worked for the state of California and recalled that he had assisted the California Bureau of Investigations—the CBI—in nabbing a sophisticated group involved with human trafficking that had used a major corporation as a front to do so. The authorities had used spyware to bring the corporation down.

Jace shifted in his seat, and her eyes shifted as well, moving from his fierce features to the suit he was wearing. Nice. Expensive. GQ. He carried himself with the ease of a man born to lead. His brothers were right. He was a true leader, and she could see him working alongside his father and grandfather had things turned out differently.

“Well, that’s about it, Jace,” Bruce was saying. “Do you have any more questions?”

“Yes,” Jace said, standing and moving toward the window. He paused a moment and glanced out before turning back to them. “What about my office and those belonging to my brothers? Could spyware be planted there, as well?”

“Possibly. I can check them out before I leave.”

“I would like for you to do that.” He moved back over to stand by Shana’s desk and picked up the pen, studied it and then said, “So someone wants to play hardball. We figured there was a traitor among us, and now we know just how far they will go.”

He moved his gaze from the pen to her, and Shana could feel the heat in his eyes. Earlier, he had been aware of each and every time she moved in her chair. His gaze would shift from Bruce to her, and a shiver would pass through her whenever he captured her within his scope...like now. It took a lot to contain her composure whenever she became the center of his attention. And she felt herself being drawn more and more to him.

Bruce cleared his throat, and both she and Jace glanced over at him. He smiled and said, “I’ll get started on those other offices once you give me the okay, Jace.”

Jace nodded. “Martin Fillmore heads my security team, and I want to make him aware of what’s going on.” He turned to Shana, smiled, and as if he’d read her thoughts, he said, “And I know everyone is a suspect until we find out who’s behind this. I will move forward on that premise and handle Fillmore and everyone else accordingly.”

Shana nodded, glad he saw the value in doing that. “When will Caden be returning?” she asked.

“Not until next Monday.” He then turned to Bruce. “And I want you to work with Shana to put my own security safety net in place. In other words, I want a watchdog to monitor the watchdog. Understand?”

“Completely. And I hope you’re aware that whoever is behind this will know they’ve been discovered. And since this is possibly an inside job...working with others on the outside...they will begin covering their tracks.”

A muscle in Jace’s jaw began to twitch. “That may be the case, but I’m determined to find out who’s behind this.”

* * *

“This is real James Bond stuff,” Dalton said, smiling as he eased into the chair across from Jace’s desk. “I was disappointed they didn’t find anything in my office. I’m offended someone doesn’t think I know anything.”

Jace fought back a smile. “You don’t.”

“The hell you say,” Dalton said, straightening up in his chair. “I’ve been reading all that crap just like you and Caden. Shit. I haven’t read so much boring stuff since college. Just don’t try being a smart-ass and throw an exam at me.”

Jace chuckled. “I won’t, but there are certain departments I’m assigning you to monitor. For starters, Security.”