Chapter 21
Daniela remained in a melancholy mood for the rest of the afternoon, plagued by a guilty conscience that warned her what she was doing to Caleb was wrong, no matter what she told herself to the contrary.
She’d entered his life under false pretenses, pretending to be someone she wasn’t, pretending to have career aspirations she didn’t possess. And although Caleb claimed his reasons for helping her had nothing to do with their personal involvement, she knew better, which only compounded her guilt.
She wished Caleb was an ogre—a cold, ruthless monster she’d have no qualms about deceiving.
She wished his eyes didn’t glow with genuine pride when he spoke about his students and their commitment to a campus organization.
She wished the sight of him didn’t take her breath away, that the sound of his voice didn’t do dangerous things to her heart rate.
Hell, she even wished he was lousy in bed.
She wished for something, anything, that would make her duplicity more acceptable. Less…reprehensible.
She was still brooding when she arrived at Roarke Investigations that evening.
Since it was after hours, the reception area was empty, the venetian blinds were drawn closed and the phones were silent.
As she started toward Kenneth’s office, the sound of angry male voices caused her to frown and hurry to the doorway, where she discovered her brothers on their feet and squaring off across Kenneth’s desk like two raging bulls.
“Leave it alone, Noah,” Kenneth was saying tersely.
“I think she has a right to know,” Noah growled.
Daniela crossed her arms and propped a shoulder against the doorjamb. “Who has a right to know what?” she calmly inquired.
Two pairs of dark eyes swung toward her. For a moment both men looked surprised to see her, and then Noah scowled and glanced away.
“Hey, sis,” Kenneth greeted her in a strained voice. “What brings you to these neck of the woods tonight? Don’t you have a lot of studying to do?”
Daniela pointedly ignored the diversionary tactic. “Am I interrupting something, fellas?” she asked, dividing a speculative look between them. “What were you arguing about?”
Noah remained silent, a muscle working at the edge of his jaw as he glared stonily at Kenneth.
“Noah and I were having a little disagreement about the best way to handle one of our clients,” Kenneth explained through clenched teeth. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. Isn’t that right, Noah?”
Instead of answering, Noah shook his head in disgust and started for the door, muttering under his breath, “I’m outta here.”
“Noah, wait,” Daniela said, reaching out to detain him with a gentle hand on his arm. She lifted her gaze to search his strained features, wondering what had angered him so much. “What is it, Noah? You can tell me.”
“I already did,” Kenneth said irately from behind his desk. “It doesn’t concern you, El. Now let it go.”
Daniela looked sideways at Noah, and after another tense moment he inclined his head in the briefest of nods.
“It’s all right,” he said in a low voice, but Daniela wasn’t convinced. Worse still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Kenneth had been arguing about her, though she couldn’t begin to fathom what may have led to the volatile confrontation she’d interrupted.
Kenneth and Noah had long outgrown their rumbling days, when they hadn’t seen eye-to-eye on anything and had settled their disagreements by throwing punches.
As they grew older and matured, they’d reached a peaceful accord in their relationship, a bond that was solidified when Noah decided to follow his big brother into law enforcement.
Although they’d worked in different areas—areas that frequently clashed over bureaucratic matters—the Roarke brothers had remained fiercely loyal to each other, defying anyone who dared criticize the other.
When Kenneth decided to leave the police department to start his own private detective agency, Noah’s loyalty to his brother had transcended his love of being a cop; within a few months he’d resigned from the force and partnered with Kenneth on the risky business venture.
Although the two men didn’t always agree on everything—after all, their personalities were as opposite as night and day—they rarely ever argued, resolving their differences by diplomatically agreeing to disagree.
Which was why the scene she’d witnessed tonight set off a warning alarm in her brain. But, fortunately for Kenneth—who seemed especially determined to keep her in the dark—Daniela had bigger fish to fry at the moment.
“Could you hang out for a minute?” she gently appealed to Noah, who still had one foot out the door. “I need to run a couple of things past you and Kenny.”
His expression softened, and this time it was he who ran a critical eye over her face. “Is everything okay?” he asked gruffly. Without waiting for an answer, he laid the back of his hand against her forehead. “Are you feeling all right?”
Daniela nodded, gesturing him into one of the chairs opposite the large mahogany desk. “I’m fine. I just need to call an impromptu staff meeting. Please, have a seat,” she half ordered Kenneth, who was watching her with mounting curiosity.
By the time she sat down next to Noah, she had both of her brothers’ undivided attention. She drew a deep breath, then blurted, “Caleb Thorne has offered me an opportunity to intern at his father’s law firm.”
Her announcement was met by stunned silence. The two men stared at her and then at each other before Kenneth broke into a wide, delighted grin.
“I’ll be damned,” he exclaimed, shooting his brother a triumphant look. “She works fast, doesn’t she?”
“Apparently so,” Noah murmured, quietly scrutinizing his sister’s face. Daniela knew he was wondering how she’d pulled off such a feat, and in such a short amount of time. She had no intention whatsoever of telling him.
“Congratulations, El,” Kenneth said, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands behind his head. He looked almost as pleased as he had the day the twins were born. At any moment, Daniela expected him to whip out a bottle of champagne and begin making toasts.
“It’s not a done deal yet,” she said wryly. “I still have to be interviewed. By Crandall Thorne himself, if you can believe it.”
“I can,” Kenneth said briskly. “I’ve heard that he’s involved in the hiring—and firing—of everyone who’s ever worked for him. He’s very protective of the firm, and he doesn’t trust many people.”
“Great,” muttered Daniela. “He’ll take one look at me and know I’m a fraud.”
“I don’t think so,” Kenneth said. “You’ve got Caleb fooled, and I’ve heard he’s even less trusting than his father.”
Instead of reassuring her, this news only made Daniela feel worse about her treachery.
Because Caleb trusted so few people, he probably had greater expectations of those he permitted into his inner sanctum.
If he ever learned the truth about Daniela, he would be absolutely furious.
Although she hadn’t witnessed the full magnitude of his temper, somehow she knew she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it.
“Don’t worry about the interview with Thorne,” Kenneth assured her. “Just be yourself, and you’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand.”
Daniela’s eyes narrowed suspiciously on her brother’s face. “Was that a compliment you just paid me?”
Kenneth looked affronted. “You don’t have to sound so surprised.
I’ve been saying from the very beginning that you’d have no problem pulling off this assignment, and I was right.
Here we are at week two, and you’ve already got Caleb Thorne pulling strings to get you an internship at his old man’s firm.
It’s like I said before. You’re our secret weapon.
” He jabbed an accusing finger at Noah. “He’s the one who didn’t think you could handle going undercover. ”
“I never doubted Daniela’s ability to pull off the assignment,” Noah corrected, speaking for only the second time since her big announcement. “What I was concerned about was what she’d have to do in order to pull it off.” He gave his sister a meaningful look.
She glanced away from his discerning gaze, afraid he’d read the truth in her eyes, as he so often did. With the exception of their mother, no one knew Daniela better than Noah.
“When’s your interview with Thorne?” Kenneth asked, reaching for his phone.
“Tomorrow evening,” Daniela answered. “We’re having dinner at his ranch.”
Kenneth’s head jerked up from his phone, where he’d been accessing the calendar. Mouth half open, he stared at Daniela across the width of the desk. “You’re meeting at Thorne’s home? Whose idea was that?”
“Caleb’s.”
Kenneth grinned. “This just keeps getting better and better.”
“Not necessarily,” Daniela countered. “Even if I do land the internship, it’s not like I’ll have access to confidential records or financial ledgers. I seriously doubt that I’ll uncover anything incriminating about Crandall Thorne while working as a lowly intern at his firm.”
“That’s because you’re not thinking like a P.I.
,” Kenneth chided. “You have to be resourceful, Daniela. As an intern, you can be as obscure as a fly on the wall, which means you might see or overhear things others wouldn’t, or be given assignments that would make you privy to sensitive information.
You have to make the most of each and every opportunity that comes your way.
At the same time, be prepared to create opportunities out of nothing. Think like a P.I.”