Not really, anyway. The file had told him her mother died twenty years ago, but he hadn’t known anything about Eric. “I just guessed that you’d dated Eric from the way he talks to you, the way he looks at you.”
“Oh.” She stared down at her lap, then back at him. There was confusion on her face, but something else, too, something that looked too much like hope.
His gut clenched in response, a mix of guilt and nerves. It was one thing to take on an enemy who was an obvious threat, someone aiming a weapon back at him. It was totally different to try to earn someone’s trust when he knew he might have to betray that trust in the end.
But this was the job. His colleague Kane did it all the time. The agent seemed to thrive on it. If it meant getting justice for Jessica, it was what Davis had to do too.
Trying to hold the guilt at bay, Davis unhooked his seat belt and shifted so he was facing her more fully. “How are you holding up since your dad died?”
Her forehead furrowed, like she was trying to gauge his sincerity. Then she sighed and said, “My dad and I are—were—like best friends. In some ways it was just the two of us. My mom died when I was ten. I’ve never met her family except for a few cousins over video chat. They’re all back in Pakistan. My mom moved here for my dad and mostly lost touch when she did. They never really forgave her for leaving. His family is...not so great. Except for my uncle. My uncle is wonderful. He helped get me through losing my mom back then, and he’s helping me get through losing my dad now.”
She heaved out another sigh and leaned back against the seat. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Of course he had to stand up to that mugger.” She let out a bitter laugh. “That’s my dad. Never give in to anyone.”
Davis’s chest constricted at the pain in her voice. He understood Neal Petrov’s response. The police report said Neal had been armed, carrying a small Petrov Armor pistol hidden at the small of his back. Apparently, it wasn’t unusual, and he had a concealed carry license. He’d probably thought the mugger was no real threat. Probably figured he could pull the gun, warn the guy off. Instead, he’d gotten shot. “He sounds tough.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Not with me. He was...” She shrugged. “A softie.”
“You were his only daughter.”
Still not looking at him, she nodded. “When my mom died, he lost it. Just withdrew from everything and everyone—including me.”
Davis frowned. No wonder she’d sunk into depression. At ten she’d lost her mom, and her dad hadn’t been there for her. “I’m glad you met Eric then.”
She looked over at him, surprise on her features. “I didn’t meet Eric for another three years. But my uncle stepped up. Before that, Uncle Joel was...” A wistful, amused smile tilted one side of her mouth, then dropped off. “Flighty, I guess. He was always off chasing women and fun. Not that he ever stopped that. But when he saw how checked out Dad was, he stepped in. Practically raised me for a few years, practically ran the business too, until Dad got it together. That’s when my dad and I really got close. Right before my dad got it together was when I met Eric.”
“Your uncle ran the business for a while?”
“Yeah. He spent so much time dealing with Dad’s job that he lost his own.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t work for the company before that. He was a sales rep at a pharmaceutical company. But when my dad got himself together, he gave Uncle Joel a job.”
Davis nodded, trying to sound casual when he asked, “After all that, why didn’t your dad convince the board of directors to appoint your uncle as CEO when he stepped down?”
Leila frowned. “What makes you think my dad talked them into that decision?”
“Are you telling me he didn’t? He was the largest shareholder, wasn’t he, before he died?” Before those shares had been split up between Leila and Joel.
“Yes,” Leila admitted. “But—”
“So why not push for your uncle to take on the role?” Was there any lingering resentment on the uncle’s part? Maybe enough to sabotage the business, even all these years later?
Leila laughed. “Uncle Joel, CEO? No way. I mean, obviously he was the de facto CEO for a few years when I was a kid. He can do it. He even grew the business. But he doesn’t want to. Never has. He likes being COO. Gives him security and a say in the company’s direction, but not all of the responsibility.”
“How does he feel about reporting to you?”
She shrugged. “Fine. It’s a little weird. He is my uncle, after all. But he’s great about it. A lot better than some of the others.”
“Like Theresa Quinn?” The head of Petrov Armor’s R and D had struck him as less than thrilled about Leila’s leadership.
“How’d you guess?” Leila sighed. “She’s not the only one. But they all know me. They all know how much I care about the business, about my father’s legacy.” She gave him a hard look. “They know how hard I worked for this position. They’ll come around eventually.”
There was less confidence in her last words, so Davis said, “I’m sure they will.”
Her expression turned pensive. But as she stared at him, the worry in her gaze slowly softened. Her lips parted and he could hear her swallow, and suddenly the vehicle felt way too hot.
Then she was leaning toward him, her eyes dropping closed.
He felt his body sway forward in response, and his hand reached up to cup her cheek as his own lips parted in anticipation of touching hers. But sanity returned before the distance between them disappeared.
Jerking away, Davis couldn’t quite hold her gaze. “I should probably get going. Call me
