Mister Impossible: Bachelor International, Book 3 Page 5

  “No,” he answered quickly. “He isn’t. But I spend a significant amount of time with him.”

  “I can tell by the way your expression changed when you started talking about him.”

  Piers gave a little smile. “He reminds me of myself.”

  Chapter 8

  Piers

  It didn’t surprise me Bri had been able to tell so quickly how important David was to me when she mentioned the call I’d received from his mother. It was exactly as I’d told her. David reminded me a lot of myself when I was his age. At thirteen he was a mess of peer pressure, hormones, and weighed down with the baggage of abusive biological parents.

  I’d been fortunate to have Bri in my life up to the age of thirteen, and she’d helped to keep me settled and grounded. David had wonderful foster parents, but he was leery of authoritarian figures, and so far, they’d been unable to reach him. I’d signed up with a nonprofit organization to help with at-risk foster kids. So far I’d only had marginal success in getting the young teen to open up to me.

  While it wasn’t surprising she could read my expression so easily, what did surprise me was the way she reacted when I brought up math. And it left me with numerous questions. Did she regret not speaking to me when she left with her grandmother? Did it bother her even now when she thought about it? I was tempted to ask but feared Bri would shut down completely or leave without a word. For the time being, I decided, I’d simply watch and see.

  “Tell me about your pro bono work,” Bri said, perhaps picking up on the fact that I wasn’t too keen on talking about David at the moment.

  However, I was almost always ready to talk about how proud I was of how hard the small business owners I’d helped over the years had worked. Most of them still lived in the area. I was getting ready to tell her about one in particular when a familiar man stopped by our table.

  “Piers,” Manuel, one owner of the restaurant, said. “You sly dog. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming in for dinner? I’d have had Robert create something spectacular for you.” He didn’t give me a second to answer but turned to address Bri. “And you brought a date? When Robert finds out, he’ll probably refuse to speak with you for a year.” He held his hand out to Bri. “Hi, I’m Manuel, and any friend of Piers is a friend of mine.”

  For her part, Bri didn’t shy away from the charismatic young man. She shook his hand while giving him an incredible smile. “Nice to meet you, Manuel. I’m Brigitta, an old, old friend of Piers.”

  “Please, you can’t be that old,” Manuel said. “I don’t believe you’re a day over twenty-five.”

  “Are you this charming to all the ladies?” Bri asked with a teasing grin. Her cheeks flushed a tantalizing shade of pink. “Or only the ones Piers brings in?”

  “Please,” Manuel said. “You’re the only woman he’s ever brought in here. Robert and I were starting to think maybe he played for our side, after all. Just last weekend, we were thinking about how we needed to sit down and come up with some single guys we knew who we could set him up with.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m glad I saved you the trouble by coming in today.”

  “Me too,” Manuel agreed. “Just wait until I tell Robert.”

  “Betsy already told me,” another voice said, coming from behind me. “Piers,” Robert said, walking to stand beside Manuel and shaking my hand. “Good to see you. Glad you stopped by.”

  Manuel and Robert were one of my success stories, but I of course kept that information confidential. Partners in both life and in business, they were the epitome of the American dream.

  “Did Manuel tell you our news?” Robert asked.

  “Of course not,” Manuel said with a mock sigh. “I would never think about dropping it without you being present.”

  “You have news?” I asked, noticing how intently Bri watched our interaction.

  “Yes,” Manuel said. “I’ll let Robert tell you since he’s the one who brought it up.”

  Robert reached for his partner’s hand. To see them separately, you’d never put the two of them together. Manuel was tall and thin and had never met a stranger whereas Robert had played football in both high school and college and still looked like the linebacker he used to be. He was also the complete opposite of Manuel personalitywise. While Manuel could talk the ears off a fence post, Robert was perfectly content to spend his days in the kitchen.

  “Only if it’s good news,” I said. “I’m not doing bad news today.”

  “It’s good,” Robert said, wearing the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face. “We got word yesterday from the Department of Children and Families that they have approved us to adopt. They said since we would prefer an older child or sibling group, we might not have to wait very long.”

  “That’s fantastic news.” I stood up to hug them. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “We wouldn’t be at this point if you hadn’t stepped in and fought for us and this business,” Manuel said. “There’s no way we can ever repay you.”

  “Send me a family picture for Christmas, and we’ll call it even,” I said.

  We chatted for a few more minutes until Betsy came up to Robert and told him a party of eight had just arrived. Both men took their leave but not before once again telling Bri how nice it was to meet her and reminding me not to be a stranger.

  I sat back down at the table. Bri’s eyes were a bit watery, and she grinned. “I’m so happy for them. I bet they’ll make great parents.”

  Much better than either of ours, I wanted to say but didn’t. Why spoil the happy moment by bringing up something so depressing to both of us? “I’m sure they will. It’s been a dream of theirs to adopt for as long as I’ve known them.”

  “Some kids get all the luck,” she whispered.

  Chapter 9

  Bri

  To say I was confused would be putting it mildly. Even after Piers dropped me off at my apartment, I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than what I’d witnessed at dinner. Piers hadn’t mentioned the almost kiss or even looked as if the thought of it crossed his mind.

  I couldn’t figure out why. In that moment before we were interrupted, I knew he wanted to kiss me. But if that had been the case, then why he didn’t try again afterward? When we made it to my apartment after dinner, I mentioned he was welcome to join me inside, a subtle hint I would not turn down a second attempt at a kiss, and instead he politely declined and left after seeing me to my door.

  I thought back to those few seconds in the restaurant, trying to recall what I was thinking. Was it possible my expression threw him off? I wasn’t sure.

  It’s a good thing he didn’t kiss you, I repeated inside my head in a vain attempt to make myself believe the absurd statement. Kissing Piers would have only added to my problems and done nothing to solve any of them.

  I didn’t care.

  And how was it possible that nothing about him matched what I’d expected or, for that matter, what I’d been told? The only sensible answer was that Piers was an excellent actor and was simply playing a role for me. The role of a highly successful lawyer with a generous heart of gold.

  If that was the case, however, it still didn’t explain how he knew to take on that role around me. More importantly, it didn’t explain Manuel and Robert yesterday. No one was that good of an actor.

  The best thing I could do would be to ignore whatever act Piers threw my way and to get busy doing what I was supposed to do.

  And that’s what I would have done if that small voice hadn’t kept asking in my head, What if it’s not an act?

  It was that incessant repetition that drove me to do what I’d otherwise never once have contemplated. I picked up my phone and dialed.

  “Brigitta,” the voice on the other end said in what was in no way a question at all. In fact, I was positive I heard a warning in the way he said my name, and I faltered for a second.

  Before I allowed myself to be intimidated, I spit out, “Did you know Piers dedicates fif
ty percent of his time to pro bono work for small businesses?”

  Too much time passed before I heard a deep exhale followed by, “Why are you asking me?”

  He already knew.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked instead of answering his question.

  “It doesn’t change anything,” he responded. “He’s still who he is, and your job is still your job.”

  “But,” I started because it made little sense. As it stood, it was barely plausible Piers operated in the black, even less. It would seem if he was somehow also laundering money on the side. Or did that actually make it more plausible? Hell, I wasn’t sure which way was up anymore. All I knew was that it seemed less and less likely every time I thought about it that Piers was the evil genius I’d been led to believe.

  Unless he actually managed to do all the pro bono work and laundered money. Because, okay, that would have made him the evil genius to beat all evil geniuses. Which was exactly what the Organization wanted me to believe.

  I ended up not being able to sleep that night. Instead, I tossed and turned until dawn in a worthless attempt to make heads or tails out of the mess I’d found myself in.

  Two days later, I was no closer to an answer. Not about who Piers was, nor what I was going to do about him. To confuse things even more, I hadn’t heard from him in those two days, which only made me question both him and his motives. It wasn’t fair of me to think that way. After all, I hadn’t reached out to him either.

  Several times over the past two days I thought about casually dropping his name in conversation while I was talking with Mia. Yet it never seemed to be the right time.

  I was sitting in my office, trying to think of a subtle way to mention him, when Mia appeared in my doorway.

  “Hey!” I said at her knock. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine,” she said, but her frown suggested otherwise. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Of course. Come on in.”

  Something about her looked different today, and it wasn’t until she sat down that I realized what it was. Mia was one of those perpetually cheerful people. Everyone in the office attributed it to her relationship with Tenor, who also, according to them, was happier more often than not since he’d been seeing Mia. But for whatever reason, Mia appeared down today.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked her.

  She winced. “Is it that obvious?”

  “I’ve never seen you without a smile.” I hoped nothing had happened between her and Tenor. The two of them seemed made for each other.

  She sat down in one of my free chairs with a sigh. “I have something I need you to help me with.”

  “Of course,” I said. “Anything I can do to help.”

  “Please keep this between you, me, and Tenor.”

  I nodded. “You have my word.”

  She hesitated before continuing. “Tenor and I have reason to suspect someone is trying to sabotage or somehow discredit Bachelor International.”

  I schooled my expression. Had she discovered who I was? What my connection to Piers was? I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions in check. “Why?” I asked.

  “We aren’t sure.” She shook her head. “And we don’t know who it is either. The gentleman who used to be our head legal counsel—his name is Piers Worthington; you might have seen him around—has been working to find out who it could be. We think it’d be a good idea to review our client files, but it’s more work than Piers can take on. Tenor and I were hoping you could help him.”

  It wasn’t until that moment I fully realized the ramifications of my plan to bring Piers down. Bachelor International would be a casualty. Which meant Mia and Tenor would be as well. I’d known as much intellectually, but somehow I’d managed to overlook the details of what that meant.

  All at once, I felt sick to my stomach. Tenor and Mia didn’t deserve to have their business ruined simply because it was in the crosshairs. Hell, I wasn’t as certain as I’d been last week that Piers deserved what the Organization had planned for him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop them.

  It hit me, however, I could slow everything down. I wouldn’t be able to do it forever, but hopefully I could pull it off long enough to figure out a way to keep Mia and Tenor safe while at the same time discovering the truth about Piers.

  “If you’d rather not,” Mia said, “I can ask someone else, but you’re my first choice. I like the way you reason through things.”

  I realized Mia had mistaken my silence for hesitation. “Oh no. It’s not that I don’t want to work and help you solve this. I’m just shocked it’s needed in the first place.”

  “You and me both,” she said with a shake of her head. “For the life of me I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt us.”

  All I could do was sit there and hope I didn’t look as guilty as I felt. For a second, I thought about coming clean and telling her everything, but I told myself if I did that, I’d never be able to know the truth about Piers. I needed more time, and hopefully this additional request would give it to me.

  I reached over and took her hand, all the while calling myself every bad name I could think of. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Chapter 10

  Piers

  I accepted Mia’s offer to have one of her employees assist me only because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through the arduous tasks of searching through the company’s client files in a timely manner alone. Though Bachelor International was important to me, I had other obligations I couldn’t ignore.

  However, when I walked into Bachelor International after Mia called to say she had someone lined up, I was unprepared for that employee to be Bri. In fact, after finding Bri sitting in one of Mia’s office chairs, I found myself frozen in place.

  How did I not know Bri worked for Bachelor International? I thought back to the dinner we had a few nights prior. She said she worked in this building, but nothing about for whom.

  It was only when Bri squirmed in her seat it hit me she hadn’t told Mia about our connection. Because I’d reacted so gobsmacked at the sight of her, there was no way to act as if we didn’t know each other.

  “Bri,” I said, because it appeared to be the only thing to say.

  Bri didn’t respond. Rather, she nodded her head in acknowledgment.

  Mia watched our exchange without speaking, but after a few long seconds of silence, she crossed her arms. “Did I miss something? Do the two of you know each other?”

  I waited for Bri to explain, but when she didn’t, I spoke up. “Yes,” I said, keeping my attention focused on Mia and doing my best not to look Bri’s way. “But it was a very long time ago. In London.”

  “Is working together going to be an issue for either of you?” Mia asked.

  “No,” Bri and I answered in unison.

  “In that case, I suppose there’s no need for introductions.” Mia spoke in a calm and even tone her expression didn’t match. When neither Bri nor I replied, Mia continued, “I’ve put the files in conference room B. The two of you can work in that room for the time being.”

  And just like that, Bri and I were dismissed.

  We walked to the conference room in silence. I opened the door, and my eyes grew wide at the sight of the files piled high on the table. Now, to be completely honest, the space was less like a conference room and more like a large closet. Conference room A was much larger, but it was also the room that the office held client meetings in, so we really couldn’t commandeer that one.

  Bri stepped in beside me. “I didn’t know there was a conference room B.”

  Frankly, I didn’t care if she knew about the conference room or not. “You didn’t tell me you worked for Bachelor International,” I said.

  Her head jerked from the cluttered table to meet my expression, surprise registering in her eyes for a brief second. But just as quickly, it disappeared. “You didn’t ask,” she replied in a deadpan voice.

  I snorted, knowing th
at was the exact response I should have expected from her. “Since you do work for them, odds are favorable you heard my name before you stalked me.”

  “I think it’s a bit egotistical to assume all we do is sit around and talk about you all day. But at the risk of making your head even bigger, yes, I had heard about you. Though you should know most it wasn’t sunshine and roses.”

  I grunted. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

  It was nothing other than human nature and nothing to take personally. Of course I would be fodder for gossip. No one wants to sit around and talk about how great someone is or spend over two minutes talking about some marvelous thing someone else has done. No, as a species, we prefer to hear about drama, bad choices, and train wrecks. Had the incident between me and Mia never happened, more than likely Bri wouldn’t have heard a peep about me. She wouldn’t even be aware of a connection between me and the agency unless our paths crossed when we were both in the office.

  Bri said nothing back, which was a bit of a disappointment. I had the feeling it might be rather fun to have a verbal spar or two with her. She moved past me into the room, and I stepped out of the way. The unintentional side effect being I found myself in the perfect position to ogle her ass.

  Unfortunately, she only had to take a few steps before she made it to the table. Once there, she turned around and shot me a look as if she somehow had eyes in the back of her head and was aware of how I’d spent the past few seconds.

  “How do you suggest we move forward?” she asked.

  “To start with,” I said, knowing full well she wanted my opinion on how to go through the mountain of files before us but deciding to answer her question as if I’d taken it a different way. “You could stop looking at me as if I just ate the last doughnut. Then, after you’re able to do that, you should definitely say yes when I ask you out for dinner.”