“Eventually? What about in the meantime? What if whoever did it does something like that again?” She began to realize the implications, as he had known she would. “You don’t...you don’t think you were the target?”
“A lot’s been happening. According to Derek Stiles, there have been an inordinate amount of accidents that involve the rig.”
She stiffened. “You need someone to protect you. You have to call your brother.”
“Which one?” he joked. “And the answer is no. I’m not calling either of my brothers. I won’t be cosseted twenty-four hours a day. I am, however, going to find the bastard who crashed the chopper and killed two good men. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
Kenzie just stood there. She handled his schedule, knew about the hours each week he set aside for his martial arts instructor. She had to know he was proficient—more than proficient—in self-defense. She didn’t know about his dark past or his skill with a weapon.
But she should know him well enough to realize he wasn’t going to change his mind.
“All right, then,” she said resignedly. “What can I do to help?”
A faint smile touched his lips. “I’ll fill you in as soon as I figure it out.”
“Fair enough.” She took a deep breath, focused back on work. “I assume that means you’ll be carrying on with your schedule for today and this evening.”
“Unless something changes, yes. Remind me...what’s on my calendar for tonight?”
“You have a charity event, the annual Dallas Youth Homes fundraiser. You bought a table for eight that includes your brothers and their wives, Kade Logan, Chase’s friend from Denver, and his date, Marla Steiner.”
“Who am I taking?”
“Andrea Wellington. You mentioned something about meeting her at an event at the governor’s mansion when you asked me to arrange for a limo.”
He remembered now. When he’d called her, he’d already been trying to distance himself from Fiona.
“Follow up. Give her the time the limo will arrive and tell her I look forward to seeing her again.” And he hoped like hell it was true. Hoped an evening with Andrea Wellington would be more appealing than the ones he’d spent with the last few women he’d dated.
“I’ll take care of it.” Kenzie turned and walked out the door and Reese’s gaze followed. Her spine-erect posture should have kept his mind on business, but the sexy sway of her hips sent a rush of heat straight to his groin.
Cursing softly, Reese jerked his thoughts back from where they’d gone and began to formulate a plan that would help him find a killer.
SIX
Kenzie made the phone call, dreading the sound of the woman’s voice. Reese dated the most beautiful women in the world: movie stars, TV personalities, and fashion models, though he seemed to prefer women less interested in the spotlight. Businesswomen, a high school principal, and attorneys like Fiona Cantor had all spent time in his company.
And undoubtedly in his bed.
Though he never dated a woman very long, they usually remained friends and rarely refused to see him again. Perhaps he kept things superficial as a result of his divorce, a bitter, expensive dissolution from what Kenzie had read in the gossip columns. She figured Reese wasn’t ready to go down that particular road again—if ever.
In a way it made her sad. Reese was a great guy. She knew he had coached Little League baseball and was a Big Brother to kids from broken homes. He also donated heavily to underprivileged teen charities, including Dallas Youth Homes, the benefit he was attending tonight.
The woman answered and Kenzie took a deep breath. “Hello, Andrea, this is Reese Garrett’s personal assistant, McKenzie Haines. I’m calling to let you know the limo will be arriving at seven o’clock to pick you up for tonight’s event. Reese said to tell you he’s looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Oh, dear. I was just getting ready to call him. A family emergency came up and I have to cancel. My mom’s in the hospital. Shall I call Reese or can you give him the message?”
“I can let him know. Don’t worry, I’m sure Reese would want you to be with your mother.”
“Thank you.”
The call ended and Kenzie felt a shocking sense of relief. It was ridiculous. Reese would just call someone else to take Andrea’s place. She glanced at the clock. It was Friday night, the office closed. Except for the few people on the executive floor who were still working, everyone had gone home. Reese was going to be late if he didn’t leave soon, and he still needed to find a date.
She knocked lightly on his door and pulled it open. Reese stood in the middle of the room talking on the phone as he unfastened the row of buttons down the front of his white dress shirt.
She knew he kept several suits and miscellaneous extra garments in his office. There was a private bath with a shower so he could change if he was running late.
But tonight was a black-tie affair. He motioned toward the closet, shrugged out of the shirt and tossed it onto the sofa. She tried not to stare. She had imagined his lean, tanned, broad-shouldered torso more times than she cared to admit, but not the powerful chest with the crisp black hair arrowing down over six-pack abs, across a flat stomach, disappearing into the waistband of his slacks.
