Page 14 of Storm Warning
Zach gave a short nod, his massive frame relaxing slightly against the chair back. “That tracks with what I’ve discovered to date. I trust Emma’s judgment.”
“So do I,” David said, though his fingers drummed on the polished table, a nervous habit that betrayed his caffeine-fueled state. “She’s excelled since day one.”
Nick tapped his own fingers once on his mug, then leaned back. The morning sun accentuated the steam rising from his coffee, turning it golden. “Emma also flagged the reservation mess Victoria left behind and suggested we give Lena that responsibility. Cleaning it up would showcase her value in a way no reference ever could. I asked Lena to meet with us as soon as she gets in this morning.”
“Sounds good,” Zach rumbled, taking another long pull from his mug.
“One more thing,” Nick added. “Given Emma’s strength at hiring, I offered her Gail’s position on the task force team when her maternity leave starts. She accepted.”
“Good call,” David said, reaching for his tablet with fingers that still trembled from too much caffeine and too little sleep. “She’s too sharp to stay here, and that means the two can swap jobs. Makes our life a lot easier.”
Nick blew out a breath, the last of the night’s strain ebbing away. His muscles unknotted one by one, the relief almost painful. “Then let’s give them both the opportunity to prove us right.”
He shifted in his chair, the leather creaking under hisweight, and his mind drifted to the reservation snafu—and to the exhausted woman with hollow eyes who’d stood in his lobby last night, defending a clerk she didn’t know while looking like she might collapse at any moment. Something about Kate Danvers had lodged itself in his chest, a splinter of curiosity he couldn’t quite dislodge.
“So, we make Lena the project lead, at least for the short term?” Zach’s gravelly question broke through his contemplation.
“Yes, agreed.” Nick forced himself to concentrate on the immediate problem, though part of his awareness remained tuned to the Princess Suite just next door, wondering if she’d slept, if the space offered the peace she so desperately needed.
“I’ve got an update from Ghost.” Zach’s voice went grim, and Nick's jaw tightened in response. “Victoria was being paid $5k a week from an offshore LLC for at least three months. He’ll dig further back, but that’s enough for us to know that someone was paying Victoria for something, probably to undermine us. He’s shifting his focus to who owns the LLC, but he said it’s like peeling an onion. Layers and layers of corporate nothings. Could be awhile.”
The coffee turned bitter on Nick’s tongue. Five thousand a week. Christ. No wonder she could afford Versace and Cartier. And Ms. Danvers had spotted it in seconds, exhausted and overwhelmed but still sharp enough to notice what everyone else had missed.
“If someone is coming after us, we need to know yesterday.” Nick set his mug down with enough force that coffee sloshed over the rim, darkening the wood. “I’ll bet my Maserati that Victoria isn’t the only staff member on the LLC’s payroll. It wouldn’t make sense to bribe only one. We need to find any others ASAP, before substantial damage is done.”
Anger simmered, cold and controlled, the kind that madehim dangerous in business. Someone dared attack his company, his people, his reputation. He’d be damned if he let them succeed.
Zach nodded, his expression settling into the hard mask Nick recognized from his military days—the one that meant someone was about to have a very bad day. “Ghost’s working on it, and I’ve started some of my other contacts on it as well. If there’s anything out there, they’ll find it. Unfortunately, it will take a while. We have a lot of employees here to weed through. We need a starting point.” He rubbed his temples in a rare gesture of fatigue, and a pang of concern shot through Nick. They were all running on fumes.
“I’ve got my geek squad following the electronic trail, as well as running diagnostics on all our systems to discover any potential issues. We’ll figure it out.” David sounded uncharacteristically serious, with a manic edge that clashed with his normally playful demeanor. “It would be nice if we knew what we were searching for.”
The doorbell chimed—a lively sound that seemed too cheerful for the gravity of their discussion—and David launched himself from his chair, racing to the door to admit Lena before Michael finished setting his laptop down on the side table.
Nick pushed down his bubbling laughter—David’s infatuation was painfully obvious and oddly endearing—as Lena entered, looking nervous yet resolved. Her silvery-blonde hair caught the light streaming through the windows, and her turquoise eyes were wide but determined. The apprehension she couldn’t quite hide ignited a spark of empathy in him, so he welcomed her warmly, injecting kindness into his tone. “Good morning, Lena. Thank you for joining us.”
“What can I do for you this morning?” Her melodic voice flowed despite the underlying anxiety that madeit tremble. Of course, any entry-level clerk would be uneasy at being called before the executive team, let alone one with her dubious history hanging over her head like Damocles’ sword.
To set her at ease, Nick jumped right into the reason for the meeting. “Last evening, Victoria made statements about your hiring that necessitated our evaluating your position,” he began, watching Lena stiffen as if bracing for a blow. Regret twisted in his gut at the fear now reflected in her eyes, bright and wounded.
“David spent a bit of time with you last night and later evaluated all your actions on the computer. Zach assessed the recordings of the desk since you started, and we all reviewed the background checks. Emma also, of course, gave her opinion.” He smiled at Lena, trying to alleviate the stress radiating from her tense shoulders and the white-knuckled grip of her clasped hands.
“We have approved the end of your training and made the standard pay raise retroactive to two weeks ago, when you should have been promoted.”
Relief washed over her face like sunrise breaking through clouds, transforming her expression from fear to incredulous joy before she worked to regain her composure. Warmth bloomed in his chest at her struggle—the professionalism warring with genuine emotion.
“Now,” Nick continued, wanting to keep the momentum of her positive news, to build on the hope lighting her eyes. “We have another immediate issue. We are still facing a shortfall in our front office management. Although ending your trainee status means you can now fill the vacant clerk position, we still have a challenge ahead.”
Lena tilted her head in question, those turquoise eyes searching his face, but remained silent, her body angled forward as if leaning into his words.
“With all the blocks broken, we now have to re-block every reservation. As I’m sure you know, our guests all have strong preferences for which cottage or suite they want, since each is unique; hence the importance of blocking rooms. Each guest will have to be handled with care to ensure we meet their expectations. We anticipate a significant amount of work to correct this.”
Lena’s nod of acknowledgment was firm, and Nick could practically see her mind racing behind her eyes, processing the daunting task laid out, already strategizing. The competence in that single gesture confirmed everything Emma had said about this young woman.
“Hiring from outside takes time. So, we have a proposal for you,” Nick said, meeting her unusual eyes—eyes that reminded him of tropical waters and made him understand why David was so smitten. “Since you have extensive hospitality experience, we would like to offer you a project position. Your primary focus will be on repairing the reservation issues, along with enhancing the overall efficiency of our front desk operation. This also comes with a raise.”
As he talked, her expression danced from shock to elation, emotions flickering across her face with an unguarded honesty that was refreshing after Victoria’s calculated masks. Her hand flew to her mouth, fingers trembling.
“Really? That sounds amazing! I would love the opportunity.” The words tumbled out, joy and disbelief mingling in equal measure.