2

Brayden found himself wanting to see her eyes, but she spoke without looking up. She licked her lips and sat staring at her hands for a few seconds before answering. “I don’t think his death was an accident.”

“What makes you believe that?”

Her gaze flew to Brayden’s face. “I know my brother. And if that isn’t reason enough, he left me this.” Lexi pulled a small manila envelope from her purse. She held it up to show the writing scrawled across the front. “It’s postmarked the day after we buried him.”

Brayden didn’t want to tell her he already knew that part. “I agree that you have reason to be concerned, but someone other than your brother could have mailed it. Have you looked inside the envelope?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “It’s a flash drive with company bank statements, account numbers, and spreadsheets saved on it.”

“Does that mean anything to you?”

“I work at my family’s company, just like Jace. He was a vice president in charge of human resources and payroll. I’m also a vice president, but I’m in charge of purchasing. I choose what lines we carry and what items we sell. Dad is President and CEO in charge of...well, pretty much everything else.”

“So you and your brother weren’t really involved with the finances?”

“Not really. I was given an account to use for traveling and expenses, and another to use for purchasing. Other than that, no, I wasn’t allowed access to any of the bank accounts and neither was Jace.”

“So why do you think he would send you bank statements and account numbers? Do you know what the accounts are for?”

Brayden noticed fresh tears forming in her green eyes. There was something equally strong and vulnerable about this woman. He would bet there was more to her than what she was willing to let him see. Somehow, in less than two minutes, he already knew he liked her. And he wanted to help her.

****

Lexi dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her fingers. She couldn’t let this man see her cry. She needed to be strong. This was harder than she thought. She covered her face with her hands. Maybe coming here today was a mistake. She was still grieving too much to get through this without having a meltdown. All her life she'd kept people from seeing her cry. Until now.

“Ms. Ramos, are you OK?”

His voice sent shivers down her back. Deep and strong, yet gentle and compassionate. Like a strong cup of coffee, it was bold, smooth, and comforting. He’d moved from behind his desk to stand next to her, a tissue extended towards her face.

She took the tissue and nodded. “I’m so sorry. It’s just really hard to get through this. But I need to do it. I need to be here.” She faked a smile and straightened her shoulders. “Thank you,” she said, then dabbed her eyes and nose. He moved back to his desk.

She looked into his dark blue eyes and blinked back fresh tears. Before one could fall, she forced the words out. “I think Jace was trying to tell me that someone was doing something illegal with our business.” She studied his face for a reaction. He was definitely good at this job, because she saw no hint of emotion.

“Do you mind letting me look over the files?”

“Please,” she said, then sniffed. She handed him the envelope. “I couldn’t find anything that caught my attention. Most of the transactions were for our daily business account. Dad has several accounts, some we don’t even know about, I’m sure. Some of these were for our three stores in Texas. I can’t figure out why Jace would send this to me, but I know he had a reason. There's something there, but I can't see it. I see sales deposits into several accounts and withdrawals for the same amounts, but nothing is making sense.”

He placed the envelope on the corner of his desk, then looked up at her. Her chest tightened, and her heart started to pound in her ears. Tears filled her eyes again, in spite of blinking them away. He held out another tissue to her, their hands brushed slightly as she took it. She noticed a scar on his left arm and wondered how he got it, then wiped her cheeks to rid herself of the tears.

“Ms. Ramos, can you tell me exactly what happened to your brother?” He watched her for a second. “Take as long as you need. There's a restroom in the waiting area if you need it.”

Lexi balled the tissue in her fist and clenched her jaw. She was going to get through this. She had to do it for Jace. “No, I'm fine.” She cleared her throat. “He went on vacation to Cozumel. He left with his fiancée, but once they were there he told her he was going on a chartered fishing trip for about an hour. He left her at the hotel. She asked if she could go, and he said no. At least that's the story I've been told. I haven't exactly been able to talk to Selena. She's not dealing with this well at all. She hasn't talked to anyone in the family.”

Brayden’s brow lowered, and a tiny crease appeared between his eyes.

She rushed on. “Yes, I know what you're about to say. A lot of men would rather go on a fishing trip without their fiancée, but not Jace. He took her everywhere. And who charters a boat for a deep sea fishing trip off the coast of Cozumel for only an hour?”

“That's a good point,” he said. “Anything else that seems out of the ordinary?”

“Not until I received the package in the mail. And please don't say it.”

He shot her a confused look.

“Please don't tell me you don't work off hunches or feelings.”

“Ms. Ramos...”

“Call me Lexi.” She straightened out the crumpled tissue in her hand. “I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other a lot, so we can skip the formalities.”

“OK, Lexi, I was going to say that my business runs on about ninety-nine percent hunches and feelings.”

She looked up and saw a gentle smile lift one corner of his mouth. His earnest blue eyes met hers. She felt safe with him. Something she wasn't sure she'd ever felt with anyone but Jace.

“Good, because that's about all I've got right now.”

“Well, that only leaves one other thing to discuss. Are you willing to cover the expenses that this investigation might cost you?”

“Yes, it's not going to be a problem. I will pay all expenses. You're my only hope. I can't report this to the police. Technically, they have accidental drowning as a cause of death and no reason to think there was any foul play. The authorities in Cozumel won't help me. They said there’s nothing to investigate.”

“I'll make a few phone calls and see what I can find. I may need to go there myself if I can't get any information over the phone or through e-mail. I’ll see what I can dig up, and I’ll call you. In the meantime, please let me know if you think of anything else. Again, Ms. Ramos…Lexi, I’m really sorry to hear about your brother.”

She stood and allowed him to show her out. She noticed the blond flecks in his light brown hair and how the cowboy hat hanging behind his desk had flattened it out. A lot of people had given her their condolences, some even knew her brother personally, but most didn’t seem sincere. Something in Brayden’s eyes said he felt bad for her, and he wasn’t saying the words because he had to. He had consoled her. And more than anything, she wanted to trust him. She needed to trust someone.

She hoped she wasn’t wrong.

****

Lexi sat at her desk staring at the computer. She’d managed to get to her office without breaking down today, but actual work was a different matter. There were times she wished she could walk away from the family business altogether. More now than ever.

She’d joined the company only because it was her grandfather’s dying wish. It was her last year of medical school the year he’d fallen ill. She'd gone in to check on him before heading home that day. She'd never forgotten the way he held her hand and told her how proud he was of her. Then there was the “but not for being a doctor” speech. He was proud of her for being a Ramos. Few knew that leaving the family circle was taboo. And that circle reached far and wide. As far as she knew, all her cousins were involved in running their branch of the family business, too. Some here in the U.S. and some in other countries.

Her grandfather had passed away a few days after that conversation. She'd finished medical school then decided to join the family business. Jace told her she was making a huge mistake. She’d come to that decision out of guilt but with the promise to herself that someday she’d free herself of the burden and be the doctor she’d wanted to be.

A chill enveloped her as she realized the resentment for her dad was growing every day. Since Jace’s funeral, Dad acted like things were business as usual. She despised his cold, calculating manner of dealing with people. She didn’t know how he was able to pretend Jace wasn’t dead. How could he pretend he hadn’t lost his only son? Before she allowed the anger to take over and ruin her day, she stood and looked out the third story window behind her desk.

Leaves floated through the air as large raindrops hit the glass in front of her face. She wondered what the private investigator was finding. She hadn't heard from him all week and had been patiently waiting, but her patience was running out. What if he wasn't working on the case? What if he never called her back? Maybe he was enjoying a nice tropical vacation. Paranoia gripped her, and doubts pummeled her brain like the raindrops outside.

Something he'd said when they'd first met raced across her mind. “You and your family will be in my prayers.” Her heartbeat slowed to a steady rhythm and her thoughts eased back into a normal reality. She had to trust him. Something was forcing her to trust him. She thought about him praying for her. Prayer was something she hadn't done since she was young. Her grandparents had taken her to church with them many times, but she'd never continued to go as an adult. It wasn't that she didn't believe in God, she did. At least to some extent. She believed that He existed, she just didn't understand Him. She'd prayed when Jace died, but in the end what good was it? It wasn't going to bring her brother back. Nothing could do that.

Lexi sat behind her computer and watched the screensaver fish swim back and forth. She opened the top desk drawer and pulled out a spare key to Jace's office. She’d refused to go in there since she'd been back. Selena had asked that no one bother his things because she wanted to come and get them herself, but she had yet to do it.

Lexi stared at the key and swallowed the lump in her throat. Maybe there was something in there that could help them. Today was as good as any to find out. She tucked the key back in the drawer and waited until most of the staff had gone home. Later that evening, she walked into the central office and asked her father's secretary if he'd gone for the day.

“He's still here,” Margaret said. “He's leaving in about five minutes to meet someone for dinner. You'd better catch him quick if you need him for something.” Margaret never looked up from her computer. “Anything else, hon?”

“No, thanks.” Lexi glanced at her watch and walked away. She'd wait in her office a few more minutes until her dad left. The last thing she wanted was to explain why she was digging around in Jace's office.

A couple minutes later, the door to her office creaked open. “Hey, sweetheart, I’m leaving. Would you like to join me for dinner?”

Lexi closed her laptop and smiled. “Thanks, Dad. I think I’ll just head on home and take a long, hot bubble bath. I’m exhausted.”

“All right, then. I’ll see you tomorrow. We have a meeting with the Cardosa family to set up those new shipments of armoires to Brazil. I need you here first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll be here.”

Lexi waited for him to shut the door then grabbed her key to Jace’s office. Once her dad was out of the office, she slipped around the corner and unlocked the door. The curtains were drawn and the blinds shut. A glimmer of the fading evening sunlight leaked into the room around a crooked slat in the blinds. It was all the light she needed to indicate that someone had already been here. She flipped on the light. His book shelves were empty, his computer was gone, and his closet was bare. Knickknacks and pictures of Jace and Selena were the only things on the shelves, but they weren’t in their usual places. And Jace was very particular about how he arranged his office. Someone had been looking for something.

Lexi pulled her cellphone from her pocket and called Brayden. She bit her bottom lip waiting for him to answer. After five rings, he picked up.

The sound of his deep voice sent the same shiver through her as it had when she'd first met him.

“Hello?” he repeated, and she realized she hadn’t yet spoken.

“It's Lexi Ramos,” she whispered.

“Are you in trouble?” he whispered back. “Why are you whispering?”

“I'm in Jace's office and things are moved. Nothing is where he left it. Someone has been in here.”

“Well, then why don't you get out of there and call me back when it's safe for you to talk. And don't touch anything.” His voice was stern and serious.

Safe? Lexi stared at the floor in confusion. Did she really feel like she was in danger at her own company? Her imagination was getting the best of her. And why on earth was she whispering?

“Lexi?” His deep voice was no longer a whisper and hinted at urgency.

“Yeah, I'm still here,” she said. “I just feel stupid, that's all. I don't know why I called you.” She cleared her throat. “I'm sorry. I'm acting like a kid playing a silly game. I think my grief has caused me to lose my mind.”

“So now you don't think your brother's death is suspicious? I'm not following.”

She didn't have to see his face to know what he was thinking. She was nuts, and he knew it.

“No, I still believe I have to find out what happened to him. But I don't think I'm in any danger. I just realized how crazy I must sound calling you from his office and whispering like I'm on some covert operation.”

Brayden laughed. “It's OK, really. I don't think you're nuts. Actually, I believe you do have reason to be suspicious, but I don't think you're in any danger. At least not at this point.”

“Well, that's good to know. So, have you found out anything?”

“I did. Do you think we can meet somewhere to discuss it?”

Lexi looked at her watch. “Sure, I need to get out of here. Do you want me to come by your office?”

“I'm actually closer to your office than mine right now. We can meet at that Tex-Mex place on Jefferson Street.”

Lexi swallowed around the knot that sprang up in her throat as soon as the words were out of his mouth. What is wrong with me? I'm technically his employer, for crying out loud. “Sure, that'd great. I'll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“All right. Whoever gets there first can grab the table.”

Lexi went back to her office, ignored the uneasy feeling in her stomach and grabbed her purse. This was for Jace. She didn't have time to think about the involuntary attraction to Brayden. And she sure wasn't going to give into it.