He released her arm, and the glower he shot her way warned her to behave.She’d consider this, but all bets were off if he continued acting like a tyrant.She had a limited tolerance for bossy men.
At a side door, Niall plugged in a code and used a key.This opened to a vestibule area with yet more security measures.Niall put his eye to a peephole and waited.After seconds, the lock clicked, and the door opened.
“Wow,” Suzie murmured.“You’re serious about security.I thought you were taking me to a hay barn.”
“That’s the idea.Thieves think this is a farm building.They’d never believe we produce honey here.”
“But where are your worker vehicles?”Suzie asked.“Surely it takes a team to manufacture the honey?”
“It does, but we use this facility in the pre-production stage.No one knows of it except me, my second-in-charge, Michael, and Harris, who keeps an eye on the place and makes sure everything runs smoothly.”
“Have they signed non-disclosure documents?”
“We’ve worked together since I first arrived in Scotland, and the laird was in charge.We’re friends, and I trust them implicitly.”
Wow, hard to imagine this grumpy man having friends.
Niall led her along a dimly lit passage into a massive open area partitioned into sections.
“Harris,” Niall shouted.
“Over here.”
With ground-eating steps, Niall headed toward his friend.Suzie hurried after him, curious about this glimpse into Niall’s business.Niall skidded to a halt and released a harsh curse.
A few steps behind him, Suzie took seconds longer to assess the damage.Jars of honey lay on their sides, the liquid contents dripping to the floor.Other jars had broken, shards of glass crushed beneath careless feet.Someone had upended every jar of honey they could find.They’d swept them off shelves, and judging by the smears on the wall, they’d fired jars at every surface.
“So much wasted honey,” Niall said, grief flitting across his features along with despair and bitterness.
Suzie glimpsed all these emotions before the big man straightened his shoulders and slid back into businessman mode, laser-focused on the problem and the next steps.
“Did they destroy all the honey?”Niall asked.
“No,” Harris said, scraping his hand over his sparse hair.His shoulders were stooped in his wiry frame, but when he glanced at her, Suzie saw bright intelligence in his blue eyes—the curiosity.“The jars we bottled yesterday were in the lunchroom under the table.I ran out of storage, and it’s cool in there.”
“They didn’t trash the lunchroom?”Niall asked, his stark tone alerting Suzie to the importance of the answer.“I left my research notes in there.I meant to grab them, but a phone call distracted me.”
“Nay, dinna fash.The room is untouched.None of the honey or your notes were in plain sight.”Harris scratched his stubbled jaw, shaking his head.“Instinct told me to store the extra honey in the lunchroom.The alternative was rearranging out here to create more room, so at least some is safe.Should I call Michael and get him to help with clean up?”
“Yeah, good idea.What about our production details?”
“They’re here, but I’m wondering if someone photographed or copied them because they weren’t how we left them.”Harris’s voice turned grim.“Laddie, we’ll need to bring forward our release date.It’s the only way to get a jump on our competitors.”
“Aye,” Niall said.“This is Suzie.She’s helping with paperwork and marketing.”
Harris frowned, opened his mouth, and shut it again as if he’d thought better of what he’d intended to say.He pulled out his phone.“I’ll call Michael.”
But instead of jumping straight into action, the two men stared at the havoc for a moment longer and shared a loaded glance.Along with the anger pouring off them came a dispirited air.
Right.She could fix that by shifting frustration into activity.“How did the intruders enter the building?”Suzie asked.“From observation, security is tight.”
“As far as I can ascertain, they climbed onto the roof and cut their way inside,” Harris said.
“We’d better clear the mess and determine what equipment to replace.I’ll organize extra security to monitor the building,” Niall said.
Suzie was pleased he’d lost his frozen shock.“What can I do?Should I start picking up broken jars?Do you have a box to toss them into?”
Harris sent her a grateful look.“I’ll get you a bin and a pair of gloves to protect your hands.”He rushed away, leaving her with a brooding Niall.
