“Thanks, John, I will.” So Black Sand hadn’t made an offer. But if the company was in trouble, maybe Arthur was having second thoughts. Expanding into offshore drilling could be the answer to his prayers.
Reese needed more information.
A little after 6:00 p.m., he joined Chase at Clancy’s, in the same wooden booth as before, sipping the same Irish whiskey.
Chase slid into the booth across from him, rubbed a hand over the close-cropped gold beard along his jaw, and ordered a beer. The waitress with the curly blond hair arrived with a frosty bottle of Lone Star a few minutes later. She flicked Reese a glance as she walked away, but he ignored the not-so-subtle invitation. He had another woman on his mind.
“How was the funeral?” Chase asked, then took a long swallow of beer.
“I felt sorry for Griff. Losing a dad is hard, even if he was a rotten father.”
Chase nodded. Bass Garrett had been a powerhouse. A dynamic figure in the oil and gas industry. As a husband and father? Not the best. Still, they’d loved him.
“Arthur Haines was there with his son, Daniel,” Reese continued. “And a woman who claimed to be Lee’s fiancée.”
“I hadn’t heard.”
“Neither had I. I have heard rumors that Black Sand Oil and Gas is in trouble. I’m trying to find out if it’s true. If it is, getting their hands on the Poseidon might be a solution to their problems.”
Chase sipped his beer. “You’re thinking Arthur might be behind the trouble you’ve been having?”
“Could be him, could be one of those idiot protesters, could be anyone. But, yeah, I think there’s a chance it’s him.”
“So Arthur Haines, Lee Haines, and Kenzie Haines. Arthur’s company may be responsible for the problems on the rig. Lee is dead and Kenzie is a suspect in his murder. I don’t know how this all ties together, but I’m not a big believer in coincidence.”
Reese frowned. “You aren’t thinking Kenzie has anything to do with the Poseidon deal?”
“I’m not sure what to think. I’m wondering if you’ve considered what role Kenzie might be playing in all of this.”
Reese felt a stab of irritation. “She isn’t playing any role. She has nothing to do with Lee’s murder or anything else. Somehow she just got swept up in all of it.”
“You sure? Timing’s about right. She came to work for you, what? Six months ago? Isn’t that about the time you started negotiating to buy the platform?”
“So what? I was looking for an assistant. Kenzie was looking for a job. She had the right credentials, so I hired her. She’s the best I’ve ever worked with.”
“What if she’s setting you up? Feeding Arthur Haines information? Bran and I both saw the way you looked at her the night of the banquet. Now she’s in your bed.”
His temper crept higher. “So I’m attracted to her. So what?”
“It’s more than that and you know it. I’ve never seen you look at a woman the way you look at her.”
The hand Reese rested on the table balled into a fist. “Kenzie didn’t kill Lee Haines and she isn’t in league with Arthur. I thought we’d already settled this.”
“That was before you mentioned Arthur’s possible involvement in the problems with the rig.”
Reese slid out of the booth and stood up. “Kenzie has nothing to do with any of this. I know her. I’ve worked with her day in and day out for months. She practically ran the company while I was in the hospital after the helicopter crash. She’s always there when I need her, and I trust her completely.”
Reese stared his brother hard in the face. “I came here to get your input. I never thought the conversation would take this turn. I trust Kenzie. I need to know if I can trust you to stand by a woman I care about. Can you do that?”
Chase’s expression subtly altered. He slid out of the booth and they stood face-to-face. “You’ve always had good instincts, Reese. You wouldn’t have made the company as successful as it is without them. If you believe in this woman, then Bran and I will stand with you. With you and with Kenzie. Whatever you need us to do.”
Reese’s fury ebbed, replaced by a tightness in his chest. When things got tough, Chase and Bran never let him down. “Thank you,” he said.
Chase clapped him on the back. “Okay, then.” A grim smile touched his lips. “Now all we need to do is figure out what in the hell is going on.”
TWENTY-THREE
After what seemed a very long weekend, Kenzie arrived at the office early Monday morning. She was anxious to see Reese, not quite sure where they stood.
She glanced up as the elevator doors slid open and Reese walked out, power and confidence in every long stride as he crossed the deep-pile carpet. Heat washed over her just looking at him. When those crystal blue eyes focused on her like twin laser beams, her stomach contracted in blatant sexual desire.
“Good morning,” he said, nothing more than those few words, but it seemed as if he reached out and touched her. A memory arose of lying with him, of Reese’s mouth on her breasts, of him moving deep inside her.
Ignoring the warmth creeping into her cheeks, she rose from the chair behind her desk. “Are you ready for me?”
He usually just nodded. They always went over his schedule first thing and discussed what needed to be done.
This morning his lips twitched. “I’m definitely ready,” he said.
She flushed. She knew exactly what he meant. She was ready for him, too. She had thought of him constantly. It was the reason companies didn’t encourage office affairs.
She rose to follow him but turned at the sound of a man’s deep voice. Reese was staring over her shoulder, watching a big blond man with a flattop haircut walking toward them. Dressed in a dark brown suit and wingtip shoes, he strode past them, right into Reese’s office.
“Well, Special Agent Taggart,” Reese said dryly. He motioned for Kenzie to join them, then closed the door. “I hope this means you’ve found the man responsible for the Sea Titan helicopter crash.”
“You could say that. Currently, he’s lying on a slab in the morgue.”
Reese’s glance cut to her. “FBI Special Agent Quinn Taggart, meet my executive assistant, McKenzie Haines.”
Taggart dipped his chin in greeting. “Ms. Haines...”
“Special Agent.”
“Kenzie’s been involved in the investigation since the day the chopper went down, so I’d like her to sit in on our conversation.”