Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Saints Protection & Investigations Book 7) (4 page)

A
s the meeting came to a close, Norman asked if there was any other business that needed to be discussed. His expression was open and pleasant, but Evelyn hesitated for just a second, noticing the others around the table beginning to close their notebooks.

“Yes, I do,” she announced, clearing her throat. As she realized all eyes had turned toward her, she continued. “I wanted to know what investigation was being conducted to find the missing materials…from the shipment to the Army Corps of Engineers base.”

Norman appeared disconcerted for a moment and as her eyes moved around, she noted the expressions on the others’ faces as well. Gary appeared uninterested, Saul’s eyes darted nervously around the table, and Ed’s normal glower darkened even more. The few others in attendance seemed surprised, as though they were unaware of what she was talking about.

“Evelyn,” Gary began, “Ed talked to the truck driver who gave the statement that he missed a turnoff and was late getting there, did not know to sign the form, but according to him…all materials were delivered.”

“Then how do we account for the missing items?” she continued.

“You ever consider the screw up wasn’t on our end?” Ed growled.

Her gaze darted to his immediately. “Not on our end?”

Ed leaned forward menacingly, his meaty forearms resting on the table, and said, “Yeah. Not on our end. As in someone on the base miscounted…or got rid of what came in?”

“But…but…why would the military want to sabotage their own?”

“Jesus, how fuckin’ naïve are you?” Ed bit out, leaning back heavily in his chair, causing it to squeak under his bulk.

“Ed!” Norman spoke sharply. “Language, please. This is still a business meeting. All may speak freely in here but keep your language professional.”

Ed clamped his mouth shut, but his eyes glared daggers at Evelyn.

Gary continued, “It’s our opinion that because the temporary truck driver did not follow procedures, we have no proof of any wrongdoing on his part and it is not uncommon for military personnel to sell some of their own equipment on the black market.” Seeing Evelyn’s eyes widen, he continued, “Black market sales are huge. They take a bite out of our profits and the military’s ability to maintain their bases.”

Evelyn’s mind raced, never having considered that the theft could occur on the base. Licking her lips as she pondered this idea, she noticed everyone was looking at her. Nodding slowly, she conceded, “I see your point. I think though that it would be nearly impossible for someone from the base to move the large transoms and side panels. It would take a truck to get them out of there.”

“Evelyn, the inquiry is done,” Saul said. “We’ve checked with the driver and we’ve taken the loss. You worked a nice deal with the military representative and now it’s over. We won’t be using that truck driver anymore and Ed has a checklist now prepared for each driver to go through when they make deliveries. Problem solved.”

The air in the room grew thick as the assembly focused on her. Glancing toward Saul, she saw him offer her an encouraging smile. Clearing her throat again, she plastered a smile on her face. “All right, then. I suppose that’s that.”

The group smiled in relief and started moving from the room. Ed pushed by her in his normally rude manner, while Norman stopped her, saying, “I’m glad you asked, Evelyn. We don’t want a habit of losing money or shipments.” Patting her arm, he and Gary continued out into the hall.

Saul was the last to leave and he fell into step with her as they moved toward their offices. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Looking over at him, she shook her head. “Honestly? No. I hate the thought that someone from the Army base stole their own equipment…”

“But?” he prodded.

Twisting her head around to him as they approached her door, she said, “I don’t believe they stole their own materials. I still think it was from this end and I can’t believe no one wants to pursue the possibility more.”

Neither spoke until they stopped at her office door. Looking up, she asked, “Is it hard, sometimes…working with your brother and dad?”

He glanced down the hall, then at his feet, before lifting his gaze back to hers. “Yeah, sometimes. Dad’s the President, Gary’s the Vice President. I got my finance degree and swore I’d never work for the family business. I wanted to be a success on my own, you know?” His eyes searched hers and seemed pleased when she offered a small nod. “But, there were a ton of people with business, finance, or accounting degrees when I got out, so, here I am.”

He hesitated for a moment, then added, “Evelyn, don’t get me wrong. I do well here, but sometimes…I wish I could get out from under their watchful eyes.” Shrugging, he said, “But this is where I ended up.”

Once more, the silence floated between them as Evie had no idea how to respond to his confession.

“If you want, I’ll do some more digging? As head of Finance, I can ask questions easier than you can.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “Yeah, I see where you could.” Looking down the hall at the retreating backs of Gary and Norman, she said, “I’d like for you to check into it more. Just for our peace of mind.”

*     *     *

Patrick walked out of Major Trumble’s office and headed back to his own. His thoughts were jumbled, as he considered the Major’s words. Patrick had been congratulated on his job performance and the Major asked him to consider re-upping for another tour. They discussed the missing equipment, the Major sure that the truck driver had delivered the partial load somewhere else for his own profit.

Sitting down heavily in his chair, he looked out of the window over the large equipment yard. His mind wandered to the beautiful Evie, wondering for the millionth time how she was doing. She looked so sad when she hurried out of Aces the week before.

Turning his thoughts from her, he watched as soldiers moved about the yard, his mind on the missing equipment.
No way this could have been from our end
, he surmised.
Not as big and heavy as the bridge parts are.
His mind always wanting to figure out a problem, he thought back to his grandfather.
Work it out, piece by piece. Like a puzzle. And then you can put it back together the right way.

The more Patrick sat there, the more he wanted to know what had happened.
Investigating’s not my job, but I sure as hell want to know.
Wondering how to get his hands on the internal report from GMS, he opened up his laptop. His fingers hesitated over the keys for a second, then plunged ahead. Typing an email to Evelyn, he requested an unofficial meeting. He erased and retyped the missive several times before it sounded the way he wanted—a mixture of personal and professional.

It was not long before he received his reply and to his surprise, she agreed to meet with him at a local seafood restaurant. Smiling to himself, he typed out his gratitude.
Perfect…I get to see the woman that’s filled my thoughts since I first saw her, and maybe can charm some information from her as well.

*     *     *

The next evening, Patrick arrived at the restaurant early and had the hostess give him a corner table with lots of privacy and a view of the lake. He did not have to wait long before looking up and seeing the hostess escort Evie to him. Unable to hold back his smile, he stood as she approached.

Her rich hair was pulled back in its usual low ponytail and he itched to take it down, letting the strands caress her shoulders. Dressed in a rose-colored skirt that skimmed the tops of her knees and a cream-colored silk blouse, she appeared elegant…delectable. Her warm, brown eyes met his and she ducked her head as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
Interesting…she’s a fighter…and shy.
Thinking of that combination in his bed had him grabbing her hand and ushering her into her seat so that he could sit as well to hide his growing erection.
Fuck, man. Get a grip!

“I was surprised to get your email,” she said, cocking her head to the side. “You wanted to talk?”

“Yes, but first, let’s order.” As the waitress came over to them, he ordered a beer and then added, “And for the lady, a glass of Voss Sparkling.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “How did you—”

“I remembered you only drank water at the bar, so I assumed you didn’t drink alcohol,” he admitted, his face suddenly uncertain as he queried, “Was I right?”

She smiled at his sudden little boy expression again. “Yes, you are. Thank you.” She nervously fiddled with her napkin, placing it in her lap, keeping her eyes from the blue, piercing ones sitting across from her. When she had opened her email, seeing his request for an informal meeting, she had no idea if it were a date, a business meeting, or something in between. And curiosity had gotten the better of her.
Admit it, girl…you’re interested…even if he’s off limits!

The silence overtook and she lifted her eyes to his, seeing the sparkle in their blue depths. The blue dress shirt he wore stretched over his muscular body. He appeared casual…
and deadly gorgeous
. His hair, military short, showcased his features to perfection. His intelligent eyes, square jaw, and beautiful lips turned up in a smile. Jerking herself out of her musings, she said quickly, “Um, so what did you want to talk about?”

“Evie…uh, is Evie all right?” he asked, realizing the use of her nickname might not be a good place to start building something if the name made her prickly again.

“Yes, Evie is fine,” she admitted, a slow smile curving the corners of her mouth.

“I’m glad. I didn’t want to upset you again.”

Looking down for a moment, she shook her head. “No, no. Really, it’s fine. My father always called me Evie.”

He stayed silent, hoping she would continue to speak. She did not disappoint.

“My father was in the Army,” she said, fiddling with her napkin before lifting her gaze back to his, seeing Patrick’s eyes widen in surprise. “We traveled a lot…growing up. Different bases, different schools.”

“I take it you didn’t like that very much?”

Smiling wistfully, she confessed, “No, I didn’t. My older sister was outgoing and loved to travel. She made friends wherever we landed. Me? Not so much. I was the geeky, smart girl who was shy. I vowed when I finally grew up, I would find a place to live and stay put forever.”

Patrick thought about telling her his plans to move to Virginia in a few months but found the words choking in his throat.
No need to bring that up now,
he told himself.

“Anyway,” she continued with a delicate shrug, “my family always called me Evie. Once an adult, everyone called me Evelyn. The name seemed more professional and so I just stuck with it.”

“Where’s your dad stationed now, or did he retire?” The dark shadow passed through her eyes again and he realized his blunder too late. “Oh, Evie, I’m so—”

“No, it’s all right,” she reassured him. “Well, it’s not all right, but it is what it is. Dad didn’t come back after his last tour. He was killed in Iraq six years ago.”

“Fuck, Evie,” he said, “I had no idea I was bringing up something like this for you.” He reached across the table, taking her hand in his.

She felt the warmth of his fingers caressing hers for a moment then smiled. “We were stationed in California last and so that’s where I stayed. My sister got married out of college and now lives in North Carolina where her husband is from. Mom moved there to be close to her grandchildren. We miss dad terribly…but as mom says, he would have wanted us to keep living. So we do…with his memory always close.”

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, his hand still holding hers, gently rubbing her fingers.

“So, enough about me,” she concluded, finally pulling her fingers back. “What did you want to meet about?”

Patrick leaned back in his seat, staring at the enigmatic woman sitting across from him and rethought his position. He came to charm her into giving him information but that deceit died quickly in him.
Ah, hell. Just go with the truth and if she leaves…fuck, I’ll just have to accept it.

“To be truthful, I wanted to ask you about the report. The one that your company would have completed, when the shipment went missing. I can’t get the missing equipment out of my head and considered doing a little investigating on my end.” He held his breath for a moment, wondering if she would storm out in anger.

Eyes widening, she exclaimed, “You too? I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

Releasing his breath in relief, he said, “Do you think that you could share your report with me?”

Her face scrunched in thought before she said, “I’m not sure if it’s public or not.”

“Evie, I’m fairly certain that it’s not.” He let the words hang out in the air between them, giving her a chance to discern his meaning.

Suddenly, she jerked back, her eyes piercing his. “You’re asking me to give you information that you don’t really have a right to, aren’t you? Patrick, I could lose my job! And how do you know it wasn’t on your end?”

“I don’t,” he replied honestly. “But the odds of someone being able to transfer the large, heavy equipment off base once it was there is minimal.”