Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
" H oney, if his room was this close to mine, I wouldn't come out for anything," Emily said, grinning.
"It's not like that, Em. He's my bodyguard."
"But look at him! He's a freaking god. How can you not be attracted to that?"
"I didn't say I wasn't attracted to him, just that it's not like that between us. He's got a job to do. This is serious."
"So? Can't he protect you during the day and offer you his body at night? It seems only fair?"
Izzy gave up and laughed. "You're impossible. What happened to you last night?"
"Oh, those guys I met by the pool turned up. I ended up spending the night with Matt. He's the cute one with the floppy hair and dimples."
"I thought as much. Sorry I left so early. Viper made things awkward."
"I saw. He sent that guy flying. If that wasn't a manly show of possessiveness, I don't know what is?"
"No way." Izzy shook her head. "He was just doing his job. That guy was harassing me. He wouldn't let me go."
"I've seen you get out of worse situations before," she scoffed. "Are you sure you weren't putting it on just a little to get a reaction out of him?"
"Of course not." Izzy kept her voice steady.
"I know you, Iz. That guy wasn't a threat. Not really."
Izzy sighed. "Let's get back to the schedule, shall we? There's a lot to go over. Tomorrow we have to do the catalog shots."
"Okay, fine, but this conversation is not over." Emily got back to business. "I've reserved the pool for two hours from eight to ten, but after that the hotel wants it for the guests, so we can't waste any time. The gardens are an option, though."
"That’s understandable." Izzy pursed her lips, thinking about their options. "We should be able to get at least half of the pool shots done. We can finish the rest on Wednesday."
Izzy couldn't get the image of Viper in his towel out of her mind. His gorgeous, sculpted body had been dripping wet, his hair standing upright, glistening with water. Emily was right, he was a god. Neptune. With eyes the color of the sea.
And she hadn't been laid in over a year.
After Emily left, she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, losing herself to a private fantasy.
Viper coming into her room, wet from the shower. He was moving toward the bed, his towel falling aside. Izzy… his voice was low, deep and throaty. Yes, she whispered back, her heart pounding in her chest. He bent over the bed to kiss her, pulling her into his arms. Their lips met. Locking in a hard embrace. Desire made her cling to him, losing herself in that kiss.
Groaning softly, she snaked a hand into her panties.
“Miss Beaumont?” His voice again, but this time it was real.
A knock on the door.
She gasped and sat up, hastily pulling down her dress. "Yes?"
The door opened and his dark head popped round. "I'm going to order something to eat. You want me to get you something?"
She was hungry, but not for food.
Heart racing, she forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying, rather than the way he was making her feel. How easy would it be to go to him, take him by the hand and lead him into the bedroom?
Would he come?
Somehow, she doubted it. Still, it didn’t mean a girl couldn’t dream.
“Sure, thanks.”
“Any preferences?”
"I'll have the burger and fries."
Was that a tiny smile? His eyes crinkled and she saw the faintest hint of a dimple in his right cheek. "Got it."
He disappeared again.
Shaken, she stared after him.
Jumping up, she picked up her laptop and followed him into his bedroom where he was standing by the desk phone. For some reason, she didn’t want to be alone. Actually, that wasn’t it. She wanted to be around him. Was that weird? Maybe not, given her sexy daydream.
He turned as she walked in, placing a hand over the receiver. “Did you want to order something else?”
She shook her head and sat down at the small table in the corner of his room to wait until he’d finished. "Do you mind if I ask your opinion on something?" she said, the moment he hung up.
He frowned but walked over to her. "Um, sure, although I’m not sure how much help I’ll be."
“It’s not about fashion.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope. It’s about the way my father died.”
“Oh?” He strode over and after a moment’s hesitation, took a seat beside her at the table. She could smell his aftershave, the same one she’d noticed in the car. He looked good, fresh from his shower, in beige thigh-hugging chinos and a fitted, white T-shirt. It was impossible to ignore the way his arms bulged from beneath the cotton. The guy was seriously jacked. For a fleeting moment, she imagined those muscular arms wrapped around her, drawing her toward him, and her stomach fluttered.
Come on, Izzy. Concentrate.
Something about the police report had bothered her from the start, and it would help to run it by someone impartial, someone whose profession meant that he’d understand her concern.
“This is the incident report on my father’s accident. Would you mind reading it and telling me what you think?”
He narrowed his eyes. "I don't know the specific circumstances surrounding your father's death, only that he died in a car accident."
She gave a tight nod. "It's all here."
The document was open on the screen, and he read: OFFICIAL – MEXICAN POLICE in a bold font across the top.
Izzy turned the screen toward him. "It's been translated, which is why the English isn't that good, but you'll get the gist of it."
He leaned forward and began to read. She watched as his eyes scrolled the page. He read fast, occasionally going back over a line that didn't make sense. The translation was sketchy, but it was easy enough to understand.
Eventually, he looked up. "It’s pretty vague on the actual details, but it sounds to me like he lost control of the vehicle and drove over the edge of a cliff."
"My father grew up in Mexico," Izzy said thoughtfully. "It's always bothered me that he'd lose control like that. He knew those roads backwards, drove them every day. I can't see how he'd simply drive over the edge."
"Do you suspect foul play?" Viper's voice deepened.
"I don't know. Maybe? I mean, think about it. My father dies and his share of the company passes to me. Ordinarily, a woman in my position would sell those shares. I mean, what do I know about running a mining conglomerate, right? I'm into fashion. I have my own company to run. Then, when I decide not to sell, I start getting death threats."
"You think someone is trying to force you to sell the company?"
"It's a possibility, isn't it? I mean, it makes sense. Take out my father, and then go after me."
“You’re saying you think he was murdered?”
She shrugged.
"Who would want to do that?" Viper stared at her, suddenly serious. The sea-blue gaze darkened. "Who would benefit if you were gone?"
"That's the problem. I don't know. None of the other board members can afford to buy me out. My father owned half of the company. That's a sizable chunk by anyone's estimate."
"What about his competitors?"
"I've had offers from two other firms. Both operate in Central America. Neither of them was particularly aggressive, though, and I didn’t detect any malice in their offers." She sighed. "Do you think I'm crazy?"
"No, of course not. Like you said, it makes sense. You are getting threatening messages to sell the mine."
"That's it!" She snapped her fingers.
"What?"
"I’ve just realized what was bugging me. The threats only mentioned one of the mines, but we own and operate several in Mexico. Why would they just be concerned with that particular mine?"
He frowned. "You might be onto something there. The letters mentioned Montezuma."
She glanced at him in surprise. "You know the name of the mine?"
"It was in your file."
She pursed her lips. "Good memory."
He didn't reply.
"There's a couple of things I want to look into," she said, thinking out loud.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Hold that thought." Viper grabbed his gun off the sideboard and answered the door.
It was only room service, and he wheeled in a trolley containing the burgers and fries and two beers. "I didn't know if you wanted one."
"I'd love one."
He opened it for her with a bottle opener from the trolley. A flick of his powerful wrists. She took a long gulp. He transferred the plates to the table, then took a beer and sat back down. "You were saying?"
"I want to talk to the police directly and find out if my father's car was tampered with. I didn't see any report on the car wreck itself."
"It's probably still lying at the bottom of the cliff," Viper said, frowning. "Depending on its position, the local police may not have the capability to retrieve it or get it analyzed."
She bit her lip. "How am I going to find out if this was an accident or not?"
"You could send an investigator to take a look at the scene," Viper suggested. "A skilled crash analyst can reconstruct the sequence of events based on skid marks, debris patterns, and impact points. They can work out the vehicle’s speed and trajectory, try to piece together what happened. They might even be able to tell if the crash was due to a mechanical failure, or the car was tampered with or driven off the road."
"Yes." She regarded him over her burger. It had been the right decision to talk to him about it. "I'll do that."
He watched as she took a bite, then said, "You might also want to speak to the people who worked with your father. They might know if anyone had a reason to want him dead.”
She chewed slowly. “If I called my father’s head of security, would you talk to him for me?”
Viper paused, clearly unsure.
“Please, you’ll know what to say.” She hesitated. “And they’ll take you more seriously than me.”
"Why? You're the owner of the company."
"I'm also a woman." She sighed and gave a reluctant shrug. "It's just the way it is." She knew all too well how easy it was for important men to put her off until ma?ana, to postpone that meeting, to think that she could be sidelined until later. It had happened a lot since her father had died. An unknown number would be more likely to get the head of security's attention. Sadly.
He fixed his gaze on her. "If that's what you want."
"It is. I've got his telephone number in my contacts somewhere. Maybe you can give him a call now?"
"Now?" He glanced at his watch.
"Yeah, it's not that late." She looked up the number from an email. "His name is Miguel Hernández. Use your phone, that way he won't know it's me calling."
"If you're sure?"
"I am."
He picked up his phone and dialed, moving away from the table. She noticed he liked to pace when he was on the phone.
After a few rings, he said, "Good Evening, my name is Viper Morgan and I'm calling on behalf of Isabella Beaumont."
She smiled at his use of her full name. Hardly anyone called her that anymore.
"I'd like to talk to you about some security concerns involving Mr. Beaumont's death."
A pause.
"Did you visit the site of the accident, Mr. Hernández?"
"Speaker," Izzy mouthed.
Viper put it on speakerphone.
"... gave the police my statement. It appears Mr. Beaumont drove off the road into the ravine."
"Yes, we read the police report," Viper said. "It was a little vague on the details. Could you fill us in? Did a traffic investigator analyze the scene, and if so, where is that report?"
Another pause.
"We don't have anything like that down here. The police services are basic, at best."
"I understand. That's why I'm calling you, Mr. Hernández. As a security expert, I'm sure you had an opinion. I'd like to hear it."
Izzy was impressed. He was confident and had already gotten the man on his side by appealing to his ego.
"Well, I don't want to speak out of turn," he said.
"Please, we value your input. That's why Miss Beaumont asked me to call you."
"All right, look. There were a few things that don't add up," Hernández said. "First, the skid marks. They started abruptly and were at an angle, suggesting Mr. Beaumont swerved suddenly. This doesn't fit with someone who knew the road well.”
“I knew it,” hissed Izzy.
Viper held up a hand. “Anything else?”
Hernández was warming up now. “There were two sets of tire marks. One matches Mr. Beaumont's car, but the other shows a vehicle accelerating away from the scene, not braking as you'd expect if someone witnessed an accident.”
“Opposing marks?” Viper asked.
"Yeah, and we also found some debris scattered along the road leading up to where he went over. Broken glass and plastic, that didn’t match his vehicle.”
"Have you checked his vehicle?”
A scoff. "No, and we’re not likely to either. The vehicle is not accessible with the resources we have here."
Izzy sighed. Darn.
"Why didn’t you mention this to the police?" If he had, it would have been in the report.
Another laugh. "I tried, but they seemed uninterested in pursuing it further. They were quick to rule it an accident."
Less work, Izzy guessed.
Viper wasn’t done. "One last question."
"Yeah?"
"What's the situation like down there? Are there any rebel groups or local militia who wanted Beaumont gone?"
"You talk like you know the region?” It was a question.
"I’ve done a few ops down there. U.S. Navy." She noticed he didn’t say what he’d done in the Navy.
Still, the tone of Hernández’s voice changed. Respect now echoed down the line.
"I was a sergeant in the Mexican Army. To answer your question, La Sombra Roja controls the region, and they want to take over the running of the mine.”
“A cartel?” Viper frowned.
“Yeah, my men fend of attacks every few months by gangs affiliated to the cartel. The mine is profitable, it’s a good way to legitimize their business.” He didn’t have to explain. The cartel wanted to use the Montezuma mine to launder their drug money.
“They want to buy the mine?”
“They want to drive it into the ground and then buy it on the cheap. Attacks are bad for business. Employees leave and go elsewhere, investors back out.”
Viper grasped what he was saying. "They thought if they abducted the boss, they could ransom her for the mine?"
"That’s my guess, but it wouldn’t be good for the surrounding communities or the people who work in the mine. La Sombra Roja would run it into the ground, the knock-on effect would be catastrophic."
Izzy felt sick. This was what she'd feared. Without her father, the mine was vulnerable. Without her, it was as good as finished. That's why she hadn't sold and why she held on to her shares, even though she had no interest in running the company herself.
"Okay, we appreciate the feedback. Let us know if you need anything," Viper was saying. "Miss Beaumont wants to help."
"Will do.”
Izzy let out a shaky breath, then dropped her head in her hands.