Secret Investigation

Chapter Three

“There’s been a mistake. The FBI is investigating, and they’ll track down who’s really responsible soon enough. In the meantime, we need to focus on getting our next shipments ready.”

Those were the words Leila had used to rally her employees when she’d finally returned to the office. They’d all nodded and smiled back at her. Tight, worried smiles that led to whispers as soon as she went into her office.

Hopefully, there’d still be next shipments to deliver. Eighty percent of their business was with the military. The rest was domestic law enforcement and private companies, usually civilian security firms. They’d already absorbed a significant revenue loss by closing the weapon side of the business. Now that armor was their only product, the military’s business and their reputation were crucial. But it would all dry up if the tragedy overseas came back to them.

Leila shut the door to her office because she was tired of pretending not to hear the whispers. Then she let out the heavy sigh she’d been holding in since first thing that morning, when FBI agents had taken her to their oddly nondescript office to be questioned.

When Eric had sent the company lawyer to haul her out of there, she’d been half relieved and half annoyed. Relieved because as hard as she tried not to let it get to her, that stark office and that muscle-bound federal agent with the too-intense stare had started to raise her anxiety. Annoyed because the more she thought about it, the more certain she was there’d been a mistake. No way had their armor failed.

She’d bet her reputation on it. Sinking into the plush chair behind her desk, she opened her laptop, ready to get to work. Because it was more than her reputation that would be destroyed if she didn’t figure out what had really happened—and fast.

The question was, how? With the FBI unwilling to let her see the armor the soldiers had been wearing, how could she prove it wasn’t theirs?

She should have started working on that question as soon as the lawyer had gotten her out of the FBI office, but she’d been too unnerved to come directly back to work. So, she’d gone to her father’s gravesite first, spent a long while talking to him the way she used to. Only this time, the conversation was one-sided.

It was the first time she’d been there since she’d had to dump a shovelful of dirt over his coffin, watch it slowly disappear from view. She hadn’t been ready to see his name on that sleek granite headstone. But after too long sitting there battling her grief, she’d started to feel his presence. Started to feel his love. It had helped her focus on what she needed to do.

The knock on her office door startled her, and Leila called out a distracted “Come in” as she pulled up the latest military invoices. She’d already charged Eric—the company’s head of sales—with reaching out to his contacts, but maybe she should be doing the same. Between the people she knew and her father’s connections, maybe someone would be able to get her more details about the armor the soldiers had been wearing.

“Leila, I know today has been a little crazy, but I’ve got some good news.”

Leila glanced up at their head of HR. Ben Jameson was young and new, but anxious to prove himself. So far, he’d been efficient and always full of energy. “I could use some good news.”

“I found you an assistant.”

“Oh.”

He frowned at her lack of excitement, but with everything else going on, the last thing she wanted to deal with was a new employee who needed training. Glancing back at her laptop screen, she debated how she could put him off for a while. Just until she could deal with the disaster with the FBI.

“We got his résumé a few hours ago,” Ben continued quickly. “Normally, I’d do more of a formal process, but he was available for an immediate interview and he’s exactly what we’ve been looking for. I called his references right away and figured we should scoop him up before someone else does. He said he could start today, so I thought, why not let him get the lay of the land?”

When she didn’t reply, he added, “I mean, I thought if the FBI stuff has blown over...”

Finally she looked up and nodded, hoping her CEO face hadn’t slipped. “Great. I could use the help.”

Ben’s face lit up. “Perfect! Let me introduce you.” He turned back toward the door and called, “Davis!”

No way. Two men named Davis in one day?

Leila got to her feet, anxiety already tensing the back of her neck before Davis Rogers entered her office.

This morning, he’d looked more like the brawny owner of a night club in jeans, and a T-shirt that clung to a muscled chest and arms. He’d even had a layer of scruff on his chin. Definitely not what she’d expected for an FBI agent.

Now, he was clean-shaven in dark dress pants and a blazer. He should have looked less appealing in clothes that hid his physique. Instead, it made her focus more on his face. On hypnotizing dark brown eyes made even more intense beneath heavy brows. On unlined brown skin she wanted to run her hands over, feel for the last traces of this morning’s scruff. On generous lips she wanted to kiss.

The thought startled her. She wasn’t the type to lust over men she barely knew. Putting it down to too many emotions near the surface—stress, grief and anxiety mixing together and messing with her head—Leila straightened her blazer, trying to focus. “What do you think you’re—”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Davis spoke over her. “I’m so excited to join Petrov Armor. I can provide any assistance you need,” he added, only a hint of sarcasm there, probably so small Ben wouldn’t notice.

But Leila sure had. She felt her face scrunch up with disbelief as Ben looked back and forth between them. But before she could toss Davis out of her office, one side of those lush lips lifted in a slow grin. It was a smile half full of amusement and half full of confidence, like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

What kind of game was he playing? Did he honestly think she was going to let him screw with her company, with her employees?

She smiled too, but infused hers with enough warning that he should have taken a step back. It was a trick she’d learned long before rising to CEO, back in university when walking home from the library at night meant passing drunk guys who thought it was acceptable to follow. It never failed to drop the smirks off people’s faces.

But Davis stepped closer, held out his hand. “I think we can work well together to do what needs to be done.”

Nervy. She should have expected it from an FBI agent. And he should have expected her to immediately call his bluff. But as she looked past that cocky grin into his steady gaze, she saw something she hadn’t expected, something that looked like honesty.

“Thank you, Ben.” She flicked her gaze to her young head of HR, who opened and closed his mouth like he was trying to figure out what to say. Then he nodded, stepped backward out of her office and shut the door behind him. Leaving her alone with Davis.

“I’m letting you stay out of pure curiosity,” she told him, crossing her arms over her chest. “But you’ve got about two minutes to explain why I’d let you run this charade. Then, I’m tossing you out and my lawyer will be back down at your office, asking questions about the FBI’s ethics.”

Instead of looking worried, Davis stepped closer, his gaze locked on hers in a way that made the hairs on the backs of her arms stand up and each breath come faster. Then, he was holding a folder up between them, almost in her face.

She frowned and stepped back, taking the folder. One glance and she understood the cocky grin he’d given her. It was a close-up of a piece of body armor. It had been pierced by three bullet holes. And there, stamped on the edges in their trademark, was the Petrov Armor logo and a rating that should have stopped the kind of bullet that had made those holes.

Her gaze returned to his, as dread rose from her gut and seemed to lodge in her throat.

“We’ve tracked this to a recent batch of armor. I don’t believe you know anything about this or I wouldn’t be telling you. So, right now you have two choices—keep my cover and let me figure out how this defective armor got out, or blow it and bring the rest of my team down here to tear apart this place until we find the truth. We’re getting warrants right now.”

Leila looked at the photo again. It could have been faked. Or the bullets could have been some new form of armor-piercing technology that their armor didn’t protect against. But deep down, she knew something was very wrong in her company.

A recent batch probably meant it had happened on her watch. The way the company was set up, this wasn’t a sloppy error. It was intentional, someone trying to destroy what her father had spent so much of his life building.

She lifted her gaze back to Davis’s, suddenly understanding that he—and the FBI—might be her best bet to find the person responsible. That letting a stranger try to tear apart her company could very well be the only way to save it. A secret investigation might find a single person responsible, might allow her a chance to save Petrov Armor. A public one—no matter the outcome—would destroy them.

“I want you to keep me updated on everything you do here. If I agree to this, you let me be involved in the investigation.” She held out her own hand, the way he’d done before. “Agreed?”

That smile returned, smaller and more serious this time, as he put his big hand in hers and shook. “Agreed.”

With that single touch, Leila hoped she hadn’t just doomed her company.

ULTIMATELY, IT DIDN’T matter if Leila Petrov was unaware that defective products were being delivered to the military. As the CEO, she was responsible for what happened here.

Ultimately, she was responsible for every piece of armor that had been sent overseas with the promise to save lives that had betrayed the soldiers who’d worn it. That made her responsible for every single death. Including Jessica’s.

That truth would be easier to accept if Davis wasn’t more impressed with her with each passing minute. The woman was tough. So far, as she’d walked him around the office and introduced him to her employees, he could see that she was respected. Sometimes grudgingly, but most of them seemed to genuinely like her as a boss.

Then again, most of them seemed to have truly liked her father. They kept touching her elbow or bowing their heads, sadness in their eyes as they spoke his name. Still, if Leila hadn’t known about the defective products, what were the chances her father hadn’t either? The more he saw of their process and security as he walked around, the lower those chances appeared. Because even though the recent shipment had been sent out after her father died, it had probably been made while he was alive.

It had become immediately obvious that Petrov Armor took its security seriously. No way were these systems ignored until the news report yesterday. They were too ingrained, too second nature as he watched employees without hesitation card in and out of not just the building, but also any sensitive areas. He’d noticed the security cameras around the outside of the building, but they were inside, too. Whoever was behind the defective products knew how to get around all of it. Either that or the company’s own security would be what ultimately brought them down.

Making a mental note to ask to see some of the camera footage from when the defective armor had been made, Davis pasted on a smile as he was introduced to yet another employee.

“Davis, this is Theresa Quinn, head of research and development at Petrov Armor. Theresa, this is my new assistant, Davis Rogers.”

Leila’s voice hadn’t wavered through any of the introductions and none of her employees seemed to have picked up on anything strange, but he could feel her discomfort. She didn’t like lying to them. He hoped she wouldn’t break down and tell anyone who he really was.

He’d have to stick close to her. He already needed to pretend to work with her if he wanted to keep his access to Petrov Armor. But a CEO with a conscience was both good and bad. Good because if he was right and she really wasn’t involved, then Melinda was right, too. Leila would want the truth, even if she didn’t want it to get out. Bad because lying obviously didn’t come easily for her.

“What happened with those FBI agents?” Theresa demanded, with the tone of someone who’d been around a long time and held a position of power. It was also a tone that held a bit of irreverence, as though she was Leila’s equal instead of her employee.

Davis looked Theresa over more closely. Wearing jeans and a blouse with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows and reddish-brown hair knotted up in a messy bun, Theresa’s attire made her seem younger than the crinkles around her eyes suggested. Davis pegged her at close to fifty. He wondered if the aura of confidence and authority she radiated was just age and position, or if she had more sway at Petrov Armor than the average head of R and D.

Leila visibly stiffened at Theresa’s question, and Davis made a mental note that the two women didn’t like each other.

“Like I said earlier, everything is fine,” Leila answered.

Theresa’s eyes narrowed. “Just like that?”

“Just like that. It wasn’t our armor.”

“Do we know whose it was?” There was still suspicion in Theresa’s voice, but it was overridden by curiosity. “Because that’s going to take out some of the competition.”

Davis tensed at her callous comment, but he kept his body language calm and eager, like he imagined a new assistant would act.

“The FBI isn’t going to share that kind of thing,” Leila replied. She turned toward Davis. “Let me introduce you to our head of sales.” Then she called across the open concept main office area. “Eric!”

The man who turned toward them looked about his and Leila’s age. With blond hair gelled into perfect place and dark blue eyes almost the exact shade as his suit, he looked like a head of sales. But as he walked toward them, his gaze landing briefly on Davis before focusing entirely on Leila, all Davis could see was a man with a crush.

Probably betraying her company wasn’t the way to win the woman over. Unless Leila hadn’t returned his affection and Eric wanted revenge.

As Eric reached their side, his attention still entirely focused on Leila as if no one else was there, Davis stuck his hand in the man’s path. “Davis Rogers, Leila’s new assistant.”

Eric’s eyes narrowed slightly with his assessing gaze, but he offered a slightly less than genuine smile and held out his hand. “Eric Ross. Head of sales.” His hand closed a little too tightly around Davis’s as he added, “I’m glad Leila finally got an assistant. She works too much. You make sure she takes it easy.”

Before Davis could reply—or even figure out how to reply to that—Eric had dropped his hand and turned his attention back to Leila. His voice lowered slightly as he added, “Your dad was just like a father to me, too, Leila. You know you can talk to me.” He put his hand on Leila’s upper arm, comforting but a little too familiar. “No one is going to think less of you if you take time off to grieve.”

Leila shrugged free with a stiff nod and a slight flush. She cleared her throat, ducking her head momentarily. Her voice wavered just slightly as she answered, “I know he was, Eric. Thank you.”

Davis glanced between them, wondering at their history, as Theresa interjected with less emotion, “We all miss your father. He was a great CEO and a great guy.” Then she walked away, leaving Davis to wonder if her comment had been meant as sympathy or a subtle dig at Leila’s leadership.

Based on the way Eric scowled after Theresa, he thought it was a dig. Davis studied him a little closer. His history with Leila and her family obviously went back a long time. If Neal Petrov was like a father to Eric, maybe the man had let him in on his secrets. Or had him help make a little more money off the books.

Before Davis could ponder that, a man came hurrying across the office, making a beeline for Leila. Probably midfifties, with dark brown hair and light blue eyes, he looked like a younger, more handsome version of the man Davis had studied in pictures just that morning. It had to be Neal Petrov’s younger brother, Joel.

As soon as he reached them, the man gripped Leila by her upper arms, staring intently at her face. “Are you okay? I heard the FBI pulled you in for questioning about this military disaster.”

Leila’s gaze darted to Davis, then back to the man who had to be her uncle. She didn’t quite look him in the eyes as she replied, “I’m fine. It was a mistake. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry? You know I always worry. With your dad gone...” He sighed, gave Leila a sad smile, then let go of her arms. “I’m sorry,” he said more softly. “We should have talked in private. But I wish you’d called me right away. Eric said—”

“Everything is okay,” Leila said, cutting him off. “Uncle, this is my new assistant, Davis Rogers. Davis, this is Joel Petrov, our COO.”

Joel’s attention shifted to him, and the intensity of the man’s scrutiny was like a father inspecting his teenage daughter’s first date. Fleetingly Davis wondered why Neal Petrov hadn’t convinced the board of directors to make his brother CEO instead of his daughter.

Then Joel’s hand closed around his. “Davis. Nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ll like it here.” Just as quickly, Joel let go, dismissing him as effectively as if he’d left the room.

“I’m glad it was all a mistake,” he told Leila. “But if anything else comes up, let me help you handle it. You’ve got enough to deal with right now.” He squeezed her hand, then headed off into a private office on the edges of the open space and closed the door.

“Let’s finish our tour,” Leila told him, all business as she strode past her uncle’s office and toward the testing area.

Davis hurried after her, his mind spinning. Neal Petrov’s brother was COO of the company and yet, when Neal had stepped back, he’d talked the board into putting his twenty-nine-year-old daughter in charge instead. And even after leaving his CEO role, from what his employees had said, Neal Petrov was still in the office all the time. As founder and biggest shareholder, he still profited. Maybe stepping back protected him from liability if things went sideways. Maybe he hadn’t pushed to have his young daughter in charge because of nepotism, but because he thought she was too inexperienced to realize what was happening under her nose.

He frowned, remembering the sadness in her eyes when Eric had talked about her father. If Davis’s suspicion was true, her father hadn’t really cared about her. Because by using her inexperience and trust against her, he was also putting her in the position to be the first one law enforcement came after if it all unraveled. He was making her his scapegoat.

Davis was a long way from proving any of it, but if he was right, he wished more than ever that Neal Petrov was still here, so he could truly make the man pay.

“Let me show you the area where we do testing,” Leila said, her tone strong and confident, as if showing him their process would prove there was no way for someone to have sabotaged the armor. “We used to have a separate section of the building for gun testing, but that closed last year and we’re in the process of converting it into another R and D area for our armor.” She used her security card to key through a new doorway, holding it open for him.

As he followed, his phone dinged and Davis glanced at it. A message from Hendrick lit up on his screen.

This case is much bigger than we thought. Turns out Petrov Armor’s name has come up in Bureau cases before—a LOT of them over more than a decade. But nothing panned out.

Frowning, Davis texted back a quick question: Military cases? Defects?

The response came back fast and made Davis swear under his breath.

No. Supplying guns to known criminals.

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