Chapter 1 #2
“Hey, that’s not fair!” he protested, indignation propelling him forward in his chair.
“For your information, the main reason I accepted this assignment was Mom! Philbin intends to pay us enough money to make sure she never has to work another day in her life! If you don’t believe me, take a look at the retainer he left behind. ”
Daniela hesitated, then grudgingly reached for the check he’d thrust at her. She thought her eyes were deceiving her when she saw the amount made payable to Roarke Investigations.
She lifted incredulous eyes to Kenneth’s face. “This c–can’t be right.”
“Oh, it is, believe me. Hoyt Philbin is very serious about securing our services. And that’s just the deposit. There’s much more where that came from. How much more, you ask?” The number he rattled off made Daniela gasp.
In the gentle, conciliatory tone he used to calm hysterical wives hell-bent on catching their husbands in the act of cheating, Kenneth said, “Sit down, El. Hear us out before you make any hasty decisions. Please?”
She sat, but only because he’d asked nicely.
She passed the check back to him, half afraid it would turn to fairy dust if she clutched it a moment longer.
It was the largest retainer they’d ever received.
The kind of money Philbin was promising would not only ensure their widowed mother’s permanent retirement from nursing, but would also give Pamela Roarke the down payment necessary for the Hill Country ranch she’d secretly dreamed of owning for years.
Daniela would have to be a fool, or the worst kind of daughter, to turn down such a golden opportunity.
Still, it rankled that her brothers had accepted an assignment—in which she would play a crucial role—without her knowledge or consent.
“No one’s asking you to sleep with Caleb Thorne,” Noah began, with a pointed look at his brother.
“What Kenny was going to say earlier is that there are other ways to make a man fall for you, ways that don’t necessarily lead to the bedroom.
” He looked embarrassed, as if he couldn’t believe he was actually attempting to school his baby sister on the art of seduction.
Smothering a grin at his obvious discomfiture, Daniela reached over and patted his muscled shoulder. “It’s all right, Noah,” she said with sham gravity. “I’m twenty-seven years old. I think I can figure out how to make a boy like me without compromising my virtue.”
Kenneth roared with laughter.
Noah scowled. “All I was trying to say is—”
“You’re a very beautiful woman, Daniela,” Kenneth interjected dryly. “You’ve never had any trouble attracting members of the opposite sex—at least, not since you were a gawky preteen with pimples, a mouthful of braces and ashy knees.”
“Gee, thanks for the reminder,” Daniela grumbled, unable to clap back because Kenneth had always been good-looking and popular with the girls. So had Noah, for that matter.
“The point is,” Kenneth continued, “you should have no problem getting Caleb Thorne’s attention and lulling him into sharing confidences with you. It may take some time, though. From what I know about the guy, he doesn’t trust very easily. With a father like Crandall Thorne, who can blame him?”
“What if he doesn’t know anything about his father’s business dealings?” Daniela countered, her conscience pricked with guilt at the thought of deceiving an innocent man. “Or what if he has no plans to eventually run the law firm?”
Kenneth shook his head, dismissing both possibilities.
“After graduating from law school, Caleb went to work for the old man. He was good in the courtroom—damn good. His style was different from his father’s, but just as effective.
He was sharp, cunning and methodical, almost predatory.
He kept prosecutors on their heels, many of whom were downright terrified of him.
“But after five years at the firm, he suddenly walked away. Seems he and the old man had a falling-out. Over what, God only knows. Maybe the kid developed principles and his father didn’t want to hear it.
Anyway, Caleb wound up as a law professor at Northbridge University, and from what I’ve heard, he’s as much a natural in the classroom as in the courtroom.
But I don’t doubt for one second that he misses litigating and would go back to it in a heartbeat if the right opportunity presented itself.
Especially since he and his father have recently reconciled.
Sounds to me like it’s only a matter of time before Junior steps in to take over the family business. ”
“So,” Daniela said with a deep, resigned sigh, “just how am I supposed to meet Caleb Thorne?”
“As one of his students.” At her dumbfounded look, Kenneth chuckled.
“For three years you’ve been hounding us to give you a ‘real’ assignment—something other than running background checks on new corporate employees and chasing down unfaithful spouses.
Well, you’ve gotten your wish. This fall, you’re going undercover as a first-year law student at Northbridge University.
Hoyt Philbin just happens to serve on the Board of Regents, so he’ll have no problem pulling strings to get you admitted on such short notice.
We’ll take care of obtaining fake transcripts and LSAT scores, and Philbin will take care of the rest.
“If all goes well, you’ll get him the information he needs to bring down Crandall Thorne.
In the process, Mom will be set for life and Roarke Investigations will never again have to accept assignments we don’t want.
I think our first order of business,” added Kenneth, basking in his role as senior partner and chief decision-maker, “should be to hire a full-time secretary and buy some nice furniture for the reception area.”
“Hallelujah,” Daniela muttered. “And while we’re at it, Big Spender, could we also get the air conditioning fixed? It’s hot as hell up in here.”