she wanted, better she be exposed to people like Kerrisita, and her boss, Dar, then what she would find with her friends in not so nice places.

Not that she was hoping Mayte would choose the same. María was human enough to want a home and a family and a husband for all her daughters and she felt the family tradition was strong and very important. No. She was not hoping for that. But life, ay, life tended to give to you what it wanted and not what you did, so it was best to be prepared and do the best things you could for those you loved.

Ah. The elevator.

María heard the doors open, then two sets of footsteps approached, accompanied by familiar voices. She could hear Kerry’s low laugh, and she smiled as the door opened and the two of them came into the office.

“Good morning, Dar. Welcome back, Kerrisita.”

“Morning María.” Dar picked up her blue folder and leafed through it. “How was your weekend?”

“Very nice, thank you,” María answered. “Kerrisita, is that a new outfit? It is very nice. How was your trip?”

“Ugh.” Kerry collected her own folder. “I didn’t have time to get anything cleaned. So I ended up at the mall yesterday.” She plucked at the neat cotton shirt, which was tucked into pressed pleated pants. “I’m glad we went to business casual for the summer.” She removed the long, legal sized envelope tucked into her folder. “This the papers?”

“Sí.” María gave her a sympathetic look. “Is not nice, but the policeman was very sweet, who brought them.”

Kerry sighed and put the envelope back. “Other than the last few days, the trip was great. I don’t know what we’re going to do with Allison though. Did the security team make it out there?”

“Yes. Brady called in one half hour ago and said he had things taken care of,” María responded. “I passed him through to Mark.”

“Great. I’ll check on that, Dar, and let you know what the deal is. Are you going to that meeting at ten?”

Dar had been perusing her folder. “Yeah…and we need a team meeting after lunch, because Mark bullied facilities into finishing the two hub sites. We’re ahead of schedule.” She glanced up. “María, cancel anything I’ve got late Friday afternoon. I’ve got to fly up to Connecticut.”

“Sí.” María took notes. “Do you want me to book you?”

The tall executive nodded. “After lunch flight going up.” She paused, considering. “See if they have a really late flight coming back that night. Otherwise, early next morning return.”

Kerry looked up. “Don’t you want to maybe stay around there a day or so?”

Blue eyes met hers. “No.” Dar closed her folder and headed into her inner office.

María put down the pencil she had picked up to make notes and inclined her head inquisitively at Kerry.

“Mmm. Dar’s grandmother passed on,” the blonde woman explained. “She hasn’t seen that part of her family in a while. They don’t 64 Melissa Good get on well.”

“Ahh. That is too bad.” María clucked softly. “A funeral is always so hard.”

They fell introspectively silent, then spoke at once.

“María, what does my schedule show for Friday?”

“You know, your schedule is clear for that day, Kerrisita.”

They both chuckled.

“Do you want me to book you for that as well?” María asked.

Kerry considered. “Yeah. But book me separately, okay? I haven’t talked to her about it. And María. Book those tickets on my credit card this time.” She shook a finger at the secretary. “Dar doesn’t need any help in that department from you. She spoils me more than enough on her own.”

María smiled and held up a hand. “Ay, Kerrisita, the two of you are just like my children, sometimes. You’d better go check your office. I am thinking that my boss has missed you just a little being gone.”

“My office?” Kerry queried. “What did she do in my office?”

No answer, just a smile.

“Oh, my god.” Kerry exhaled, and headed for the door. “I should have brought that darn trophy in.”

DAR WAS HALFWAY through the red folder, one hand propping up her head as she studied the paper in front of her. She reached over and took a swig of apple juice, then put her bottle down and turned the page.

“No.” She picked up the sheet and tossed it into her out bin. “No.” She tossed the next one after it. “You’ve got to be kidding.” A third went wafting.

She picked up a pen and scribbled her signature over the next, then turned it over. A soft chime made her look up and she watched her mailbox fill with dark lines. Then she turned her head and went peacefully back to her papers.

A buzz. “Dar. Mr. Alastair on line número uno.”

Dar hit the button. “Morning, Alastair.”

“Good morning, Dar. Hear we had some trouble with the Allison account.”

Right to the point. Dar liked that. “Yeah. I’ve got a team up there and Duks has the auditors working on their books. Looks like someone bought off someone at Ernst and Young.”

Alastair made a soft clucking noise. “You’re kidding?”

“Nope. Unless the analysis comes up weird we managed to retrieve records that show they were buying their contracts. I can’t think of how they passed due diligence otherwise.” Dar signed a page, then flipped it over. “I fired their comptroller.”

“I heard,” Alastair murmured. “His uncle’s the president of Inter-corp.”

Dar put her papers down and folded her hands. “And?”


Eye of the Storm 65

“I got a call from him.”

“And?” Dar asked again, her eyes narrowing.

“He’s not happy.”

“I wasn’t happy on Friday. The idiot was stupid enough to keep records of what he was doing in his goddamned corporate server, Alastair. If they couldn’t find an angle to force the bid, they manufactured one. We’re talking major league slimeballs, here.”

She could hear the sigh. “He’s threatening to pull the French deal.”

Dar felt nauseous. “Did you tell him what we found?”

“He doesn’t much care,” Alastair told her, bluntly. “This kid’s a protégé of his, and it’s a lot of not nice smelling stuff on his face if he gets tossed on his rear.”

A silence lengthened. “Are you suggesting we rehire him?” Dar asked carefully.

“I’m suggesting you give me a reason not to,” her boss replied.

“Something that would make him ineligible to be employed by ILS.”

“How about filing criminal charges?” Dar snorted. “Jesus, Alastair, I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Tell you what. Give me this guy’s phone number.”

“Who?”

“The uncle. I’ll call him.” Dar pulled a pad and her pencil over. “I don’t give a damn if he’s got egg on his face. He should have taught the little bastard better or at least made sure he had the sense to cover his ass.”

“Um no, Dar, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alastair told her, delicately. “He’s got a hot temper.”

“And I don’t?”

“That was my point,” her boss remarked dryly. “Listen. Just get me something on him, so I can go back to the uncle with something other than lame excuses, huh?”

Dar glowered at the phone. “You know what I’d tell him?”

“Yes, in fact, I do and we need that contract, Dar. So be a sport, hmm?”

“Grumph,” the executive grunted. “All right. I’ll see what I can do.

But I’ll tell you, Alastair. Even if we don’t get something concrete, I’m not integrating that bastard.” She hung up the line and scowled at the desktop before dialing another number. “Mark?”

“Hmm?” The MIS chief cleared his throat. “Yes, Boss? What’s up?

Welcome home.”

“I need you to pull everything you can on that jerk from Allison,”

Dar told him. “He’s got some pull somewhere, and I need to nail him down hard.”

“Okay. I’ll see what I can get,” Mark promised. “Hey. Has Kerry seen her office yet?”

Oh shit. “She hasn’t come barreling in here, so I guess not.” Dar found her annoyance fading. “I’ll let you know.”

Mark laughed. “She’s gonna have a fit. Wish I could tape it. Later, 66 Melissa Good Boss.”

Dar leaned back in her chair and crossed an ankle over her knee, her hand smoothing down the soft cotton of her casual slacks. She took a sip of her juice and waited, hearing familiar footsteps coming down the back hallway.

KERRY DUCKED INTO the kitchen before she made it to her office, going to the cabinet and retrieving one of the extra mugs she’d stashed there. As she started a cup of espresso brewing, a familiar voice came in behind her.

“Hey, Kerry. Welcome back.” Mary Ann, Duk’s assistant bounced in, and grabbed her own cup. “We’ve missed you at the gym. How’d the trip go?”

“Eh.” Kerry leaned back and crossed her arms. “Great, until the last few days. I think the mess is sitting over in your office.” She smiled at the tall, heavyset blonde woman. “I’ve missed you guys, too. Finding a place to work out on the road is pretty tough.”

Mary Ann poured a cup of regular coffee and added cream to it, then she glanced around and lowered her voice. “So. How’d the meet go Saturday?”

Kerry grinned fully, her nose wrinkling up. “It was great. She came in first place, after all that grumping.”

“Really?” Mary Ann clapped a hand over her mouth. “Ohmigod.

That’s so funny. She really won it?”

“Uh huh. Got a trophy almost as tall as me.” Kerry laughed. “It was really something else. I wish you guys had been there.”

“You told us not to come.”

“I know, I know.” Kerry made a shushing motion. “Shh. She was really nervous about it, but I think the next one will be okay. But hey, can we get the class together before Wednesday? It’d be fun to do something to her before class starts.”