“He’s definitely not smarter since he walked away from a billion-dollar empire for the military.” Deanna had a glass of red wine in her hand. “And honestly, I can’t tell the difference between the two of them until they open their mouths, and then Michael sounds like he’s a paranoid nut bag.”
Michael frowned her way. “Really?”
“Duh, you’re always going on about spies and stuff. No one is trying to steal our oil rigs. They’re kind of too big to steal,” Deanna said. “But you get JT all riled up and then I have to calm him down.”
Michael sighed, obviously unwilling to start this fight. “I think I’ll go check on my dad. Thank you, Nina. You’ve given me a lot to think about. I think you’re going to be very good for my brother.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, or if he was merely playing his part. She only hoped she’d gotten through to the man. “Hello, Deanna. I would have thought you would take the day off since you’ve been around so very often.”
“Expect to see me a lot,” Deanna replied, a smug smirk on her face. “I’m not some nine to fiver. I’m on a path and I’m not about to let anyone push me off that path, if you know what I mean, Ms. Banks from London. You’ve never been married. That’s surprising, given your age.”
She laughed. The queen bee shite didn’t get to her at all. “I’m in my thirties and I’ve had a career. You’re what? Thirty-three at the very least.”
“Yes, but I’ve been married before,” she replied.
“And now you’re divorced.”
Deanna tipped her glass. “Happily. You’re older than JT.”
“Slightly. Or are you one of those people who view women in dog years? Like we’re only interesting when we’re twenty, and every year after that is accelerated rot? Like I said, you’re not that far behind me, darling.”
“No, I’m not far behind you at all, Nina Banks. You should remember that. If you try to force me out, think about the fact that he can’t get through a day without me. You might amuse him in dressing rooms, but you can’t do what I do. I know you’ve worked for some communications company in Europe, but this is America and this is the oil business. You stay in your lane and I’ll stay in mine.” She turned and strode away.
Nina really hoped it was Deanna. It would be fun to shoot her at the end of all of this.
“Don’t pay any attention to her.” One of the men she’d met that first morning in JT’s suite approached her, two glasses of wine in his hands. He was dressed in a suit, his hair mussed in that way that was supposed to look casual but actually took quite a bit of work. He offered her one of the glasses. “She’s been angling for JT’s attention since he hired her. If you ask me, she got divorced so she would be available for him. Poor thing.”
Jordy Burton. She took the glass, though she wouldn’t drink a sip of it. “I’m not worried about her, Mr.…?”
Nina Blunt, badass operative, knew everything about this man. Badass operative knew that he’d served on the board of Malone Oil for five years, ever since his father had retired and transferred all that stock to his only son. She knew that Jordy Burton spent the majority of his time mountain climbing or surfing or white-water rafting. He was an adrenaline junkie.
But Nina Banks, sweet fiancée to JT Malone, likely wouldn’t even remember his full name.
Jordy had the arrogance to look annoyed. “Jordan Burton. We met earlier this week.”
She gave him what she hoped was a flustered smile. “Sorry. This week has been a whirlwind. That first morning was difficult. Jet lag and all.”
“Must not travel a lot,” Jordy said with a superior smile. “My body is perfectly used to going from time zone to time zone, but that’s because I’ve trained it well. Proper nutrition and excellent DNA. I recently returned from Nepal. I was going to try Everest, but it’s gotten so touristy, you know.”
She nodded, her brain churning because maybe his dossier didn’t tell the whole truth. Any real climber would know Everest’s summit was only accessible in April and May, depending on the weather. If he recently returned from Nepal, he hadn’t been attempting to summit Everest.
“I prefer K2,” Jordy continued. “It’s actually tougher. Says more about the climber, you know.”
“Have you traveled extensively through Asia? It’s a part of the world I’ve always wanted to see.” As long as she was here, she might as well start asking some subtle questions. If she could find a way to narrow down their suspects, they could focus in. Keeping eyes on one or two suspects would be far easier than three. She was already starting to discount Deanna. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the woman capable of murder. She seemed cold enough, but she also had shown loyalty to her employer. Maybe it was about wanting JT on a personal level, but women didn’t tend to stab the men they wanted in the back. At least not until they’d been rejected. If Deanna still had hopes of her goal, she doubted the woman would risk blowing it all up.
But the man in front of her was a different animal altogether.
“I’ve been everywhere,” Jordy bragged. “I could show you all the best places in Asia. They’ve got casinos there that make Vegas look like a church preschool.”
“I bet,” she replied with a smile. “Like I said, I’ve always wanted to visit. I have a friend who lives in Busan. She transferred there a few months ago, but I haven’t had the chance to see her new place.”
“Ah, yes, Korea. I’ve been several times. I’ve got friends in all the right places, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t.”
He lowered his voice and leaned in. “I know people
