“And if I recall, you didn’t want me to become a cop either,” he reminded his uncle. Maceo had also tried talking him out of becoming a cop. Only he’d used a different approach. He’d reminded Haddison that since Maceo never planned to marry and have children, Haddison was his legal heir and would inherit the empire Maceo was intent on building.
But going into law enforcement had been a dream for Haddison, one he had no intention of giving up. At UCLA, he’d majored in criminology, graduating with honors, and then joined the Los Angeles Police Department. Years later, on his twenty-seventh birthday, he’d been sworn in as an FBI agent.
“My time in law enforcement is behind me. However, I don’t regret one day of working for the Bureau.”
Haddison truly meant that. Although he’d spent the majority of his time working undercover, just knowing he’d helped put the worst of the worst behind bars had made the separation from his uncle — who was his only living relative — tolerable.
But a lot had happened in the past eleven years. Six years ago, at the age of fifty, his bachelor uncle had met and fallen in love with Lydia, a woman who’d made Maceo rethink his anti-marriage policy. Lydia had also talked him into moving from LA — another thing he swore he’d never do — and relocate to her hometown of St. Paul. A person only needed to be around them for five minutes to see they were very much in love.
The two had eloped to Vegas after a whirlwind romance. Maceo claimed he’d known that Lydia, who was ten years younger than Maceo, was the woman for him when he’d first set eyes on her one night at a fundraiser. Haddison shook his head. The things some people did for love. Even people who seemed invulnerable to it.
By accepting the position as head of security at Rivers Marketing and Technology, both Haddison and his uncle were getting what they wanted. Maceo was thrilled to have his nephew back in his life, and Haddison was looking forward to finally settling down and living a normal life. And working at the technology marketing firm Maceo owned would help keep his mind sharp.
It wasn’t uncommon for a company like Rivers to have ruthless competitors — some who didn’t want to play fair, some who didn’t want to play at all. It wasn’t unheard of for a competitor to plant a mole inside a company to find out whatever they could. According to Maceo, he’d been the victim of such underhanded dealings a couple of years ago, and he had no reason to believe there wouldn’t be another attempt. Different company. Same motive.
Information technology was a big deal and was drastically changing how companies did business. In the last two weeks, Haddison had spent hours reading the company’s reports, which were pretty damn impressive. Maceo Rivers had successfully transformed his marketing firm into one positioned to capitalize on changing trends, such as rapidly changing technology. It was a sure-fire way to keep a competitive edge in the business. Nowadays, it meant survival.
He also knew that during the past year, his uncle had been in private negotiations to merge with a similar company in Los Angeles. The deal was in its final stages, and so far, word about it hadn’t gotten out. And that was good. If the merger went through, it would allow his uncle to open a second office in the city where Maceo had lived for over thirty years — something he’d wanted for a long time.
But right now, the company was vulnerable. So he and his uncle had decided to keep their family connection quiet, at least for a while. Maceo didn’t want his employees to be on their guard around Haddison. And Haddison agreed. One thing he’d learned from working undercover was that most people, once they got to trust you, would tell you things about themselves and the company that you didn’t know. And he needed to know everyone’s perspective. His uncle needed to know which employees were loyalists, and which were dissenters.
And there was also the chance that one of their competitors had planted someone on the inside — something they couldn’t have at this critical juncture. Time would tell if there were any of those employees working here. Theo Martin, the retiring head of security, believed there were, which meant Haddison needed to be alert at all times and question any suspicious activities. Luckily, it was something he was used to doing as a federal agent.
“So, there’s no way the FBI will be calling you back to take on special assignments?”
Haddison shook his head, knowing this was one of his uncle’s main concerns. “No, I left the Bureau for good.”
He’d heard from Director Gause yesterday. Haddison’s suspicions about Vince had been true. They’d discovered that Vince had been plotting to break away from the boss-man and work for someone else. He’d intended to take a hostage all along, kill her, then frame Bracey as the person responsible. That would cause a rift between the mafia’s top men when Bracey denied anything. Vince also planned to kill Andy, so he wouldn’t be able to validate Bracey’s claim of innocence.
Once Andy had learned of Vince’s plan to do him in, he’d started talking, telling the authorities everything they wanted to know. He’d even provided the names of businessmen and politicians Vince had been trying to impress. Arrests had been made, and Haddison could finally breathe easy.
“I hope that means you’re thinking about settling down and giving me some grand-nieces and nephews.”
Haddison raised a serious brow over at his uncle. “Let me enjoy living a normal life for a bit, first. Anything else can come later.” Much later. In fact, he kind of liked the idea of following in his uncle’s footsteps and remaining a bachelor until he was much older. It wasn’t as if there was anyone he’d ever thought twice about pursuing.
He felt a twist in his gut. No, that wasn’t true. There was one — Kennedy Bennett. He often wished he hadn’t asked Gause for her name. Over the past six months, when he’d been at the cabin, and during the time he’d spent in Paris visiting the Madarises, he had allowed her into his mind. Memories of that brief yet unforgettable kiss would consume him. If only things had been different. If only they hadn’t met when he’d been working undercover. If only…
He refused to dwell on regrets. Although she’d seen his features for a quick second when she’d removed his mask, it was unlikely she’d ever recognize him. Even his uncle had remarked how different he looked with a beard.
Another thing Haddison had in his favor, thanks to those undercover years, was his ability to change his voice. It was another level of protection, and had saved him from being found out more than once. So, if he ever saw her again — and there was that possibility, now that they were in the same city — she might not recognize him, but he would definitely recognize her.
“Haddison?”
He glanced over at his uncle and realized he was waiting for him to comment on what he’d said. “Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re here. With me doing that merger, and with Theo leaving, I’m going to need someone I can trust to handle things.
Haddison nodded. “I’m glad I’m here, as well.”
“You wanted to see me, Ms. Bennett?”
Not really, Kennedy thought. If she never saw Larry Matthews again, it would be fine with her. However, meeting with him today was unavoidable, especially with what she intended to do. The man had been her boss for almost six months, and she was at the point where she hated coming to work.