she didn’t already know after talking to each of the victims of the thefts, snooping around the investment firm could be pivotal to her investigation.
When the elevator came to a stop, Ryan reached out and hit the button to hold the doors closed. “Okay, before we go in there, let’s go over the plan again.”
“You’re going to hook me up with Jerri Sherwood, who’s dating one of your fellow security guards. She’ll lead me around under the guise of interviewing for an admin position with the company.”
The cover was another reason she owed Diego big. Even if she’d been able to get onto the ninth floor, without somebody like Jerri Sherwood to walk her around, she would have stood out like a sore thumb.
“Remember to stay away from the front reception area. They’ll know you’re not there for an interview since they book all of those,” Ryan said. “Just act like you belong up there and no one will be the wiser. If you run into any problems, text me and I’ll do my best to get you out of there in one piece.”
Bree nodded. This wouldn’t be the first time she’d waltzed into a place she didn’t belong. She could definitely pull it off. As long as she didn’t run into Dave, she’d be fine.
Ryan took his hand away from the button, and the doors opened onto a service corridor. A tall, blond woman was waiting for them. Ryan quickly introduced Bree to Jerri, then took the elevator back downstairs.
“You look great. No one will suspect you aren’t here for an interview,” Jerri said, giving Bree’s silk blouse and trousers a nod of approval. “Just try and sound dumber than you are if we talk to any of the guys.”
Bree stared, incredulous. “Excuse me?”
“The place is filled with men who think the world revolves around their wallets or their dicks,” Jerri said as they started down the hall. “The idea of an intelligent woman terrifies them to the point of impotency. If we run into men dressed in suits worth more than your car, smile and nod at whatever they say like you’re a mindless simpleton. They’ll eat it up like gravy over biscuits.”
Crap. Jerri had just described Dave—and most of the men he’d worked with at his previous investment firm, now that Bree thought about it—to perfection. It was embarrassing to think how her eighteen-year-old self had swooned over him.
The hallway led to a huge cubicle farm with a battalion of office workers focused on their computer monitors. Several people glanced their way, then went back to what they were doing. The perimeter of the room was lined with individual offices, some with glass walls, some more private.
Jerri played her part convincingly, introducing her to people, explaining the layout of the floor, pointing out how the runners, researchers, number crunchers, and assistants occupied the central area, while the more senior investment advisors occupied the coveted offices. The bigger the office, the more money that particular broker had brought into the company.
Bree listened as Jerri mentioned each broker by name, waiting for her to point out Ken Reed’s office, but after making it nearly all the way around three walls of offices, they still hadn’t gotten to it. Maybe he was a partner in the firm?
She did a double take when Jerri pointed out the big corner office closest to the front as Dave’s. Damn. Apparently, he’d been telling the truth. Since the door was closed, hopefully he was in a meeting or out of the building.
“How did Dave Cowell get a corner office so fast?” she whispered.
Jerri glanced at her as they kept walking. “Do you know him?”
“You could say that,” Bree muttered, but didn’t offer any more information.
Jerri looked curious but didn’t push for details. “Dave had the partners eating out of his hand from day one. From what I heard, he told them that if they hired him and gave him a corner office, he’d come in the next morning with four million-dollar investors.”
“And?” Bree prompted.
“He came in with five,” Jerri said dryly. “Since then, he’s made GW&B a serious buttload of money. The partners want him up front so bad they can taste it.”
As they continued along the outside of the cubicles, Bree was about to ask Jerri about Reed when they passed by a table along the wall with flowers and framed photos of the man who’d taken them hostage at the diner a few days ago. She stopped in her tracks.
“Do you know