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Virginia
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Virginia sat in her office, staring blankly at the desktop monitor. The screen saver had long since taken over, alternately displaying pictures of picturesque forests and stunning waterfalls. Her thoughts were elsewhere, and accomplishing anything productive was proving difficult.
Her phone rang, pulling her back from her musings. Her heart began to beat a little faster when she saw the word “Unavailable” displayed instead of the usual name or number.
“Virginia Miller.”
“I'd like to make an appointment.”
Virginia allowed a small smile to curl her lips. The deep, slightly growly tone summoned images of the large, handsome, somewhat rough around the edges man investigating Chris’s disappearance. Gabriel Michaels.
They hadn’t exactly gotten off on the right foot, but he had been on her mind since she’d practically thrown him out of her office for his bold insinuations. He wasn’t the first to assume she and Chris were lovers, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. She’d learned to take it in stride, but for some reason, it had bothered her more that he had jumped to those conclusions.
She couldn’t explain it, other than to say she’d felt an instant connection with him the moment she’d seen him looking at her kaleidoscope. That he could appreciate such a simple pleasure, along with the fact that he was obviously a dog person, had made a good first impression. That he was mature, well-mannered, and handsome hadn’t hurt the overall presentation, either. It was almost enough to overlook his quickness to judge. Almost.
“Do you have questions about Chris, Commander? Or just more biased suppositions?”
“I deserve that,” he rumbled. “Let’s start with my apology and go from there.”
Surprised by his quick response, Virginia took a moment to respond. She smiled to herself, adding the ability to admit he was wrong and the willingness to apologize to her list of things she found attractive about Gabriel Michaels.
“In that case, I think I can squeeze you in. When are you available?”
“How about now? I’m at the front entrance.”
Virginia stepped out of her office and onto the terrace. Because of the way the east and west wings were positioned, she could see the black SUV in the circular drive. Her heart sped up at the sight of the man leaning casually against it, massive canine at his side.
Even from this distance, he was an impressive sight. Tall. Broad. Fit. The perfect combination of all-American alpha male and lethal SEAL badass. He lacked the polish and sophistication of the men she usually dealt with, but that just made him more interesting in her eyes. He raised his hand and offered a slight wave to indicate he saw her, too.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t let him off that easy. She wasn’t a total pushover. “As I said, I’m a very busy woman, Commander.”
“And yet, I have hopes you’ll find the time. My inexcusable behavior aside, you and I both know I’m your best bet for finding your boss, Ms. Miller.”
Intelligent and confident. Two more qualities to add to the plus column.
“I suppose I could fit you in,” she said into the phone. “Can you find your way, or should I send someone to escort you to my office?”
He chuckled softly. “I’ll manage.”
The call disconnected, and a moment later he was pushing off the vehicle and pocketing his phone. When he disappeared from view, she slipped into the private powder room and checked her reflection in the mirror. As it was barely nine a.m., her makeup was still fresh and her hair was still artfully arranged in a casual knot. Her cream blouse and tailored camel slacks hadn’t yet acquired the wrinkles and creases that typically accumulated throughout the day. A bit of matte gloss and a dab of perfume later, she felt adequately prepared to face him.
A soft knock sounded at the door, followed by an unmistakable canine sniff.
“Come in,” she called, positioning herself in front of her desk. The door opened, and Fred made a beeline for her, tail swinging wildly. At least someone was happy to see her.
For all of his bold confidence, Commander Michaels wasn’t quite as exuberant. He held back, his expression guarded. His eyes, however, held an understanding and—dare she think it—a bit more respect than they had the day before. It was progress.
“Hello, Fred,” she greeted warmly, rubbing the dog’s ears while his owner looked on with interest. “Commander Michaels.”
She continued to give her attention to Fred, not exactly ignoring the big, muscular man sucking so much air from the room, but not pandering to him, either.
“I’m sorry about yesterday, Ms. Miller, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I’d like to start over.”
“Apology accepted,” Virginia said, straightening to meet his watchful gaze. “And I’d like that.”
She held out her hand. “Virginia Miller.”
“Gabriel Michaels.”
She tried to ignore the way his much larger hand swallowed hers and how those work-roughened callouses felt scraping against her palm.
Since she hadn’t been expecting him, she didn’t have a tray of refreshments prepared, but she did have the thermal carafe of coffee she’d filled in the kitchen earlier so she could have her second and third cups without having to deal with Maya.
She offered him a cup, which he once again accepted, and invited him to sit. She briefly considered moving behind her desk, then decided to sit across from him again instead. That way, she could continue to pet Fred, who was sticking closer to her than to his master. That may have been because of the half-eaten bagel she’d carried over with her.
“He likes you,” Gabriel commented, watching as she pulled off small, bite-sized pieces and fed them to Fred.
“You seem surprised.”
“This doesn’t strike me as a pet-friendly environment.”
She smiled at that. He wasn’t wrong. “As you pointed out yesterday, Commander, I don’t exactly fit in with the rest of the household. For what it’s worth, I like Fred, too. I miss having a dog.” She paused, biting her lip to stop herself from saying anything more. “But that’s neither here nor there. How can I help?"
Gabe extracted the same small notebook and pen from his pocket he’d had the day before. “Let’s start with the night Christos disappeared and go from there. You said you didn't know who he was meeting with or what about.”
His tone wasn’t as accusatory as it had been. More progress. “That’s right. I worked closely with Chris, but it wasn’t unusual for him to have meetings that I wasn’t involved with, either business or pleasure.”
“You saw him that day?”
Bagel now gone, she patted Fred’s head, crossed her legs, and sat back. Once again, Gabriel’s eyes flicked to the movement. Ah, he’s a leg man. Or maybe he’s just checking for an ankle holster, she thought with some amusement.
Aloud, she said, “Yes, I did. We had lunch together and reviewed his upcoming schedule, nothing unusual or out of the ordinary.”
“Did he seem worried to you? Anxious?”
She thought about that for a moment before answering. “Not particularly, no,” she said slowly, “though he did seem a bit pre-occupied. I didn’t think much of it at the time; Chris is a very focused individual, and when something’s on his mind, it usually remains there until he’s finished with it.”
He inclined his head. “Any guesses as to what was occupying his thoughts that day?”
“For certain? No. But it might have had something to do with the package that arrived for him that morning.”
“What package was that?”
“A large manila envelope arrived from Greece. And before you ask, no, I don’t know what was in it. I’m not sure he did, either. He didn’t seem particularly pleased to receive it. Last I saw of it, it was on his desk, unopened.”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow and she continued, choosing her words carefully. “I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that Chris and his father don’t exactly see eye to eye on many things. Darius is not happy that Chris prefers to remain in the United States, and is forever trying to lure Chris back to Greece. If you ask me, I think it was the right choice, keeping some distance between them. Unlike his father, Chris is a good man, Commander.”
“What do you know of Darius Kristikos?”
“Enough to know I don’t want to know more,” she answered, unable to stop some of the bitterness from seeping into her tone.
Gabriel studied her intently. “Have you met him?”
“Not personally, no. Chris reached out to him after the truth about Robert’s father came to light, but Darius wanted nothing to do with me. Chris was the one who ensured I had proper medical care, who took me in and gave me a job after I’d lost everything. He didn’t have to do that.”
“You’ve grown close over the years.”
She sipped her coffee and thought about that for a moment before answering. “Yes and no. I’m very fond of Chris. He’s been extremely kind and generous, and we work well together. I’d like to say that we’ve become good friends, but there’s plenty about Chris that I am not privy to, and probably never will be. And just to be clear, I’m okay with that.”
“I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that the Kristikos family has a certain reputation in international circles.”
She offered a small smile. “No, Commander. No surprise. However, that has more to do with Darius than it does Chris. He’s tried to distance himself from all that.”
“And would you say he’s been successful?”
“Generally speaking, yes.”
“What about not generally speaking?”
Again, she considered her answer before responding, choosing her words carefully. “Chris is a good man, but he’s not perfect, and family is very important to him. Just because he doesn’t always agree with his father doesn’t mean those blood ties aren’t still there, connecting them.”