attractive with slightly gray hair that gave him a distinguished air. Only one thing about his appearance captured her interest. Sweat beaded atop his brow.
He was nervous.
Very interesting. Her gaze cataloged the office, taking in the sea of wealth and indulgence. Art, vases, glass and wood figurines. Carpet so light her feet felt as if they were traipsing on clouds.
With a visibly forced air of nonchalance, Mitch folded his hands together-hands that were shaking slightly-and propped his elbows on the desk surface. There was something about his eyes, something she hadn't noticed before… they were beady and shallow. Greedy. He offered them a pleasant, if false, smile. 'It's nice to see you again, Grace,' he said. 'You look well after your trials in the rain forest.'
'Thank you.' Bastard. She didn't offer him the same compliment.
'Please, have a seat.' He coughed and flicked a nervous glance to Darius. 'Did you really feel it was necessary to bring a bodyguard?'
'He's a friend,' she said. 'He's staying with me for a while.'
'I see. Well, again, please have a seat.'
Darius crossed his arms over his massive chest, stretching the material of his black shirt taut over his muscles, silently communicating his refusal. Only a fool would underestimate his capabilities.
Mitch used a plain white handkerchief to wipe at his brow. Obviously he was no fool.
Grace remained beside Darius. She only prayed his dragon fangs were retracted. Watching Mitch pee his pants was not how she wanted to begin this meeting. The only time she might, might , be glad to see those fangs was in bed. While he was naked. Looking down at her. Moving into her.
For God's sake, concentrate.
'Very well, then,' Mitch said. 'How may I help you?'
'Where is your leader, Jason Graves?' Darius demanded.
'Out of town. Still in Brazil, I'm afraid. I'm more than willing to help you with anything you might need.' Mitch laughed nervously.
'I want to know why you had a man following Grace.' He stressed the word had , making it clear Patrick would be following them no more.
With an audible gulp, Mitch leaned back in his seat. Too lost in his apprehension, he didn't try to deny it 'I suppose you cornered the man. May I ask what he told you?'
'He would tell us nothing,' Darius lied. 'Only that you had sent him.'
Mitch's shoulders relaxed. 'We did send someone to follow Grace, but we did that for her own protection. We feared something had happened to Alex, and we didn't want the same fate to befall Grace.'
'You say 'feared,' as in past tense,' Grace pointed out. 'Do you now know that nothing has happened to him, then?'
'No, no. That's not what I meant.' The smile he gave her was weak. 'As I told you, we've still got men looking for him, both in Brazil and here. I came back because someone has to oversee the company. Don't you worry, though. We'll find him and bring him home safely.'
'I'm sure you will.' She gripped the edge of her jeans tightly and twisted, wishing it was Mitch's neck instead.
'Is that why you're here?' he asked. 'To inquire about our progress with Alex? You should have called me. I could have saved you a trip.'
'I'm here because I'd like to search his office, if I may.'
'Oh, uh, I'm afraid that's impossible,' he said, his smile slipping. 'Only Argonauts' employees are allowed in the offices. Client confidentiality, and all that.' He laughed shakily. 'Are you looking for employment, Grace?'
Her brows raised. 'Are you offering me a job, Mitch?'
He paused. 'We're always in need of good employees.'
Probably because you kill them all , she thought snidely. She heard Darius suck in a breath and wondered belatedly if she'd actually said the words aloud.
'On your way out,' Mitch added, his demeanor unchanging, which meant he hadn't heard her comment, 'ask the receptionist for an application. If you're anything like Alex you'll make a fine addition to our staff.'
'I'll be sure to do that.' Regarding him sharply, she tilted her chin to the side. 'I'm curious. If you suspect something bad has happened to Alex, why haven't you called the police?'
'We don't want to involve the U.S. authorities until we have more concrete information.'
Like a body ? she mused. 'What have you done to locate him?'
'Jason can give you more details about this when he returns. Perhaps you should contact the police on your own.'
Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. Mitch wanted her to go to the authorities. Why? What possible good could that do him? Unless… could they be planning to make her look like a fool, an overly concerned sister? Or worse, guilty of a crime? Blame the sister. Of course. That would be the reason they'd let her leave Brazil, the reason they kept her alive and didn't wave her in front of Alex as an incentive to talk.
The realization rocked her. She owed Darius. Big-time. He'd saved her from making a huge mistake, from playing right into Jason's hands.
'I haven't yet, no,' she told Mitch. 'Perhaps I will.'
'That might be wise,' he said, for the first time offering her a genuine smile. 'There's only so much we can do.' He paused for a breath. 'Would either of you care for a drink?'
How casually he reverted to pleasantries. How may I help you? Would you like a drink ? Suddenly Grace wanted to stomp her foot, to shriek and rail that she knew they had her brother hidden and locked away. She wanted to leap across the desk, magically will on a pair of brass knuckles, and smack Mitch right in his beady eyes. Too, she wanted to find the medallion and offer it on a silver platter. Just return my brother, she inwardly screamed.
It depressed her that she could do none of those things. If they suspected that she knew the truth, they would kill Alex. If she found and gave them the medallion, they would kill Alex. Destroy the evidence of their misdeeds, so to speak. Either way, he died.
Never in her life had she felt more helpless.
'No drink,' she said, surprised at her calm tone. 'I do have some questions for you, though. When was the last time you heard from Alex?' If she kept him talking long enough, perhaps he'd slip and inadvertently disclose crucial information.
'I believe I've already answered this question. A few weeks ago,' Mitch said. 'He called to let us know he was entering the jungle.'
'What is the name of the man your search team found? The one who had last seen Alex? He was gone when I woke up on the boat, so I didn't get a chance to talk to him.' And now she knew why.
Mitch gulped. 'I, uh, can't recall.'
She gave her jeans another hard twist. 'Didn't Argonauts fund Alex's trip? Shouldn't you have records with the names of the men you hire?'
'We didn't fund the trip,' he offered quickly. Too quickly. 'Perhaps Jason can tell you the man's name when he returns.'
'In the jungle, I wanted to stay and look for Alex, but you said he'd already purchased a ticket back to New York. Do you know which airline?'
'I can't recall.' He chuckled, the sound strained. 'I'll be honest with you, Grace. I'm not sure where he is, and I'm no longer sure he took the flight. I wish I could help you, but… ' He shrugged. 'He could be anywhere.'
'Do you now suspect foul play?'
'We certainly hope not. We don't even want to consider that possibility until we absolutely must.'
Grace racked her brain for another question, another comment, but came up blank. She glanced at Darius. His expression was blanketed, stoic, yet she had the distinct feeling he yearned to stalk across the room and beat Mitch into the carpet. Obviously Mitch received the same impression; he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
With Mitch's complete attention centered on him, Darius strode casually about the office, lifting vases and figurines as if they were no more important than dust mites. His fingers pinched at them, dismissed them, then replaced them on their perches with complete disregard. Mitch tensed, gulped. However, not a single protest oozed
