She drew in a deep breath as she continued to walk toward the elevator. For some reason, she still couldn’t forget that thief, the one who’d been killed…the one she’d kissed. Other than the eyes, there was no other resemblance between him and the new chief of security. The two men didn’t even talk alike. But looking into Haddison B. Wolf’s eyes had immediately reminded her of him.
She wondered if there would ever be a time when she was able to put that terrifying — and confusing — day from her mind. She’d been checking the news periodically, but it looked as if the trial hadn’t begun yet. The two other men in the car had been sent to Texas to face charges there. If convicted, they could serve more than forty years. She was glad. Men like that deserved to be locked up.
Her mind flashed an image of light brown eyes. She shook her head. It was over. He was gone. And nothing would bring him back.
HADDISON NODDED TO HIS personal assistant before going into his office. Removing his jacket, he hung it up and then moved to the chair behind his desk, almost on autopilot. His mind was filled with thoughts of the woman he’d bumped into in the hall.
He’d recognized her.
What were the chances of their paths crossing again, and here, of all places? Everything about Kennedy Bennett was the same, her scent, the professional dress, and the striking good looks. And something else that hadn’t changed was his attraction to her.
She’d almost recognized him. At least, she’d said there was something familiar about his eyes. He drew in a deep breath, glad she hadn’t recognized anything else. Hopefully, by the time he’d walked away, she’d have decided it had been a case of mistaken identity. There was no reason for her to think anything else.
And she was leaving the company…
One advantage of being an FBI agent was the ability to discern things at a moment’s glance. When he’d stooped to pick up the documents that had fallen out of her folder, he’d noticed a copy of a resignation letter dated for today, with an effective date four weeks from now.
Booting up the computer, he used the necessary code to get into her employee file. He nodded, not surprised to see the high job-performance evaluations she’d gotten. Excellent ratings during the years she’d worked here, straight out of college. Yet she’d been overlooked for a promotion around seven months ago — a promotion that would have made her manager of her team.
He then pulled up information on the person who’d gotten the job ahead of her — a man named Larry Matthews, who’d only been with the company eighteen months. Looking through the file, he couldn’t see anything exceptional about Matthews’s job performance. So why had he won the promotion?
Haddison spent the next thirty minutes comparing the two employees’ work records. He couldn’t find any reason Matthews had been promoted over Kennedy Bennett…other than the obvious. And the obvious wouldn’t look good for Rivers if Kennedy Bennett filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit. Especially if the courts subpoenaed these employment records. How had his uncle signed off on this?
He dug a bit deeper and discovered that his uncle hadn’t signed off, thank God. The promotion had been processed by his uncle’s junior executive over the marketing department, Nelson Whitworth.
He got up from the computer to stretch his legs, wondering what to do. Haddison knew that his interest in a possible sexual discrimination lawsuit would not be within the scope of his duties as head of security. But he had a personal stake in the company…which gave him reason to check out anything he considered suspect.
Unfortunately, that meant he’d be dealing with Kennedy, something he’d wanted to avoid. Because it was obvious that he was still attracted to her. That had been crystal clear the moment he’d bumped into her and their bodies had touched. Even before looking up into her face, he’d known it was her. No other woman had ever affected him the way she did.
Returning to sit at his desk, he picked up the phone to call his uncle’s cell phone. Maceo was out of the office today; somehow Lydia had convinced him to play hooky with her. She was an attorney who was tied up in court on most days, but she must have had a free day and wanted him to spend it with her. Haddison couldn’t help but appreciate Lydia for realizing that Maceo would never take a break from working unless one was forced on him.
“Yes, Haddison? Is everything alright?”
“I need to run something by you that might not be within the scope of my job duties. However, there’s a chance it’ll save the company from a possible lawsuit.”
“I’m listening.”
Knowing he had his uncle’s full attention, he provided what he knew so far, deciding there was no reason to mention he’d once met Kennedy Bennett while working undercover. As far as he was concerned, the two were mutually exclusive.
After he’d given his uncle the rundown, Maceo added, “I’ve met Kennedy Bennett. She’s participated in a few meetings I’ve held. She’s sharp mentally and physically.”
Haddison lifted a brow. “Physically?”
“Yes, she’s a smart dresser. I’m old school and appreciate employees who still dress for success and not for relaxation. Although I’ve eased up on the dress code as a result of employees’ opinion surveys, it’s good to see some people still like to dress professionally.”
Maceo paused a minute, as if thinking. Then he offered, “As far as her being passed up for that promotion, I recall being told the person being considered was the best candidate. If you believe otherwise, Haddison, then I’d like to know why Whitworth lied about it.”
Haddison was interested in knowing that, as well. “The last thing Rivers needs is to lose good employees.”
“I agree,” his uncle said.
“I’ll keep you posted. Enjoy your day off,” Haddison said before clicking off the phone. He leaned back in his chair, remembering how Kennedy Bennett had looked at him while staring deep into his eyes. She must have been pretty focused on his eyes through the ski mask if she could recall how his eyes looked. And there had been that quick moment when she’d snatched off his mask. Were there other things she remembered about him, the way he thought about her? Considering the role he’d played that day, he couldn’t imagine anything about him being worth remembering. And yet, in the end, she had kissed him. He’d thought he’d understood her reasons for doing it — a hard case of fear would make a person do just about anything. But now, he wasn’t so sure.
Still, she shouldn’t be able to connect him with Addison Bracey again. He didn’t sound like the same man and he didn’t look like him now, either, thanks to his beard. Of course, that meant he would always have to wear one around her, just in case she’d noticed the scar across his cheek. That would undoubtedly be a revealing moment for her.
He glanced at his watch. It was lunch time and there was a café within walking distance. One of his men claimed it was a good place to grab a turkey sandwich, and he loved turkey.
He stood and was about to go over to the rack to grab his jacket when his phone rang. He clicked on the desk phone. “Yes, Marsha?”
“Nelson Whitworth is on the line.”
Nelson Whitworth? This was definitely a coincidence. “Put him through.” Haddison eased back down in his chair.