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“Good. What about Lachlan Mackay and his division? Have you come across anything interesting?”
She peered up at the sky, lit with a brilliant orange that transitioned to bright yellow at the center of the western horizon. The temperature was dropping with the sun, and she shivered as a cool breeze brought goosebumps to her arms.
If she was wrong about Lachlan, and Jared found out she’d known about the weapons shipments and hadn’t brought the information to him, her reputation and future job prospects would tumble to the bottom of Capitol Hill. Withholding the intelligence from Admiral Dane felt even worse. He was like a father to her.
“Sophia? You’re awfully quiet.” Admiral Dane’s voice sharpened. “Have you found something?”
She was in an impossible situation, dammit. A sudden spike of anger drove out her nerves. She wasn’t ready to throw Lachlan to the wolves just yet. “I had an opportunity to access the Global Security and Global Development division files and found nothing unusual.”
Truth.Sort of.
Judging from the beat of silence on the other end of the line, the admiral had picked up on her frosty delivery.
“What else is going on? Have you spoken to your parents lately?”
Thank God. He wasn’t going to pursue the issue. For now. “No. They’re in Italy, I think.”
The admiral’s harrumph of disapproval made her smile. “If they travel over the holidays again, you’re always welcome at our home. Maybe we can convince Emily to fly in from Paris. And, if Alex’s schedule allows, I’m sure he’d love to see you.”
She rolled her eyes at the mention of his son. Emily’s older brother was a Navy SEAL and, according to Emily, not the least interested in a relationship. If the admiral was scheming to match her up with Alex, he was out of luck. Sophia was his younger sister’s best friend, and Alex had immediately placed her in the sister zone.
Lachlan’s image popped into her head. Admiral Dane would like him. He was a warrior. Someone the admiral would understand.
Unless the admiral thought Lachlan was sending weapons to a warlord, then he would destroy him. A cold chill hunched her shoulders.
“Maybe Emily will come home for a visit in August when all the Parisians are on holiday. Sophia cast a nervous glance into her living room. “I’ll bring it up next time I talk to her.” Which could be any second, given that Emily was in her condo.
Another piece of information she was keeping from the admiral. Emily hadn’t let her parents know she was in the States so she wouldn’t feel obligated to pay a visit to their Connecticut estate in the short time she was here.
“You’ll come with her, of course. The summers in Connecticut are much nicer than the swampy heat of DC.”
“Of course.” A flash of movement caught her attention. Emily had left her bedroom and wandered into the kitchen. “I have to go—my oven timer is dinging.” She said goodbye and slipped back inside.
“There you are.” Emily had pulled the garlic bread out of the oven and put the salad in a bowl. She glanced at the phone in Sophia’s hand. “Everything ok?
“A charity soliciting donations. It’s that time of year.” Yet another fib to add to her growing collection.
For better or worse, she’d firmly put herself on Team Lachlan.
Chapter Eighteen
Themoodwassomberin the conference room at LAI the following morning as everyone gathered to remember Fred and say a few words. When it was Sophia’s turn, she stepped to the front of the room and tucked a strand of hair behind one ear.
“I haven’t known Fred as long as most of you.” Her voice wobbled. She still couldn’t believe he was dead and in such a senseless manner. Her gaze sought out Lachlan, and he nodded, encouraging her to continue. “He was a bit gruff on the outside, as we all know. But inside, he was a sweet man. We need to keep his memory in our hearts and make sure he’s not forgotten.” Not knowing what else to say, she shrugged and returned to stand next to Lachlan.
“That was lovely, dear,” Penny whispered.
When everyone had had a chance to speak, Jared wrapped up the memorial with an announcement that LAI would make a hefty donation in Fred’s name to a local charity.
Jared approached her and Lachlan as the room began to clear. He greeted Sophia with a smile, but the look he sent Lachlan was decidedly cool. “Have you dealt with the issue we discussed the other day?”
“Aye. It’s taken care of.” Lachlan bit off, his brogue thickening.
Sophia’s gaze bounced between the two men. The tension between them was thick enough to color the air.
One thing was certain—they didn’t get along. Jared would never believe Lachlan if he got wind of those unexplained weapons shipments.
She could keep that from happening, or at least delay it.