Page 20 of Fated By Fire
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “It has nothing to do with her looks, Malakai. Something about her bothers me.”
“Enough to take your mind off your responsibilities to the Heartstone?” He cocks his head. “What’s bothering you about it?”
“Her file’s clean,” I say. “Too clean.”
Malakai leans forward, his eyes boring into mine. “So you investigate everyone in your office who has a clean background? I thought that’s what HR was supposed to do.”
I don’t answer. The truth is, I don’t know why this is troubling me. But something about Jessica Mercer sets my instincts on edge, and I’ve learned to trust those instincts. There’s more to her than she’s letting on. A lot more.
“The stone’s been stable for decades,” Malakai continues. “And now, suddenly, it’s reacting. And you’re wasting your time sniffing around females.” He pauses, letting the words sink in. “You need to get your head in the game—and fast.”
“You need to get your nose out of my business. I know what I’m doing,” I snap, the frustration bubbling over. My dragon growls in agreement, my breath rattling with it. I’m not in the mood for this. For any of this.
Malakai doesn’t flinch. “Then act like it.” He pushes himself to his feet, taking a moment to straighten his leg. “Your father didn’t get to where he was by chasing pussy. Neither will you.”
I level a cold stare at him, not rising to the bait. Instead, I watch as he leaves, the door closing behind him with a sharp crack. The room feels emptier after he’s gone, his words lingering like a bad taste in my mouth.
I lean back in my chair, my mind racing. I don’t care what Malakai thinks my motives are—I need to figure out what’s making my instincts tingle. I need answers. And there’s only one way to get them.
Jessica Mercer.
I pull out my phone, calling up the number Sloane had left in the file. After a moment of hesitation, I hit dial. It rings once, twice, and then she picks up. Her voice sends a jolt through me.
“Hello?”
“Jessica.” Her name feels foreign on my tongue, like a secret I shouldn’t reveal. But one I want to learn more about.
There’s a pause, then, “Who is this?”
“Caleb Craven. We need to talk,” I say.
There’s a sharp intake of breath. “Mr. Craven. About tonight. I’m so sorry—”
“My office,” I say, cutting her off. “Tomorrow morning. 8 am.”
Another pause, longer this time. “I… Okay.”
I hang up without another word, my gaze drifting back to the city lights outside. I picture her face. Her eyes. Her lips. Those goddamned lips— No! This has nothing to do with that kiss back at the bar. Absolutely nothing. She was snooping where she shouldn’t have been, and I need to know why. Whatever game she’s playing, it ends tomorrow.
No one fucks with Craven Industries. No one fucks with me.
Chapter 8
Elena
Shit. What am I going to do?
I’m sprawled on my couch, still in yesterday’s clothes, nursing a cup of coffee that’s long gone cold. My phone buzzes on the coffee table, and Mara’s name flashes on the screen.
I pick it up, halfway dreading this conversation. “Hey.”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me, Lennie,” Mara snaps. “You owe me an explanation. What the hell happened last night? One minute, you’re tongue-wrestling your boss; the next, you’re bolting out of the bar like Cinderella after the stroke of midnight. And refusing to take my calls. Did you at least leave a glass slipper behind?”
I groan, rubbing my temples. “Mara, I couldn’t speak to you about it because I don’t know what came over me. I just… acted. And now I’m screwed. Caleb called me into his office this morning.”
“Ooooh, boss-man wants a one-on-one?” She’s practically purring now, her previous funk dissipating as quickly as it arrived. “Do you think he’s going to fire you or propose?”
“Neither,” I mutter. “He probably wants to know why I was snooping in the basement.”
