The room went oddly quiet as Larry stepped out into the hallway. Trinity felt a sick kind of anticipation build inside her. Logic said if this consultant could help, it would be a good thing for a lot of people. Fear said he could end up being just one more person to criticize her after analyzing her every move.
The door opened and Larry stepped back inside with another man following close behind.
Trinity took one look into the gray-green eyes she’d never expected to see again and wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
Rhett saw the surprise in Trinity’s eyes as he walked into the room but didn’t experience the usual thrill he felt as the game started in earnest.
Angry tones and placating words swirled around the periphery of his awareness. Still Rhett couldn’t tear his gaze from the wide-eyed woman seated halfway up the table. Her slender elegance seemed out of place amid the stout men in power suits who filled the room. Today her wealth of dark hair was pulled back from the fine cheekbones, making Rhett wish to see it loose and tumbling in waves around her shoulders as it had last night at the museum.
Today her expression was more guarded. He sensed the hard barrier she’d placed between herself and those she surely saw as adversaries, giving her the calm, blank stare of a sphinx. Where had she learned to do that? Or did it come naturally to her? Was it always her reaction to the men surrounding her?
Or had he truly caught her in an unguarded moment the night before, a time when she’d been alone with her thoughts and unprepared to defend herself against her enemies?
Rhett wasn’t sure, but the question came from somewhere deep inside of him. It wasn’t just curiosity about information that would help him do his job. No, this was a bone-deep desire to solve the mystery in front of him. Would he be satisfied with exposing her as a liar? Or would finding evidence of her less-than-stellar character leave him with a bad taste in his mouth for once?
Because Rhett wasn’t just good at what he did. He was exceptional. He had yet to complete a case without finding something to prove his client’s suspicions valid. This one would end the same…even if the chase was much more interesting.
As Larry introduced Rhett to the board, Trinity blinked, slowly, almost deliberately, then turned her gaze toward the man seated beside her. Her lawyer, Rhett remembered now from his files. Something about her breaking eye contact with him finally jump-started his adrenaline.
“I don’t see how this will help,” Bill complained. “Why would his presence sway public opinion at all? It just looks like a PR move, which will hardly be reassuring.”
“He has a proven track record of inspiring confidence in investors,” Larry countered. Rhett had met the man earlier this morning, when Richard and Patricia had filled Larry in on Rhett’s secret assignment. “We tell the media and our shareholders that we’re addressing the concerns of our employees and making sure the business is in the best possible hands.”
Protests rose around the room once more; the group sounded more like unruly schoolchildren than business professionals. Only Trinity sat quietly in the midst of the chaos.
It didn’t take long for Rhett to reach his limit. He gave the black tabletop before him a firm smack. Once the room quieted and he had the full attention of those around him, he asked in a firm tone, “Do you want to make the best of this situation or lose everything you helped Michael Hyatt work so hard to build?”
The room went utterly still as Rhett deliberately moved his gaze from one man to the next. Even the background hum of the air conditioner seemed to subside. Then his attention fell on Trinity.
Her gaze was trained solely on him; she ignored everyone else. Something about her attention shook his control for a moment.
Startled at her reaction, he deliberately pulled his mental barriers back in place, then moved effortlessly into the spiel he had prepared to convince the board of his usefulness to their present dilemma. His cover story as a business consultant rolled smoothly off his tongue.
A brief discussion ensued, one Trinity continued to follow with that sphinxlike expression on her face. He knew she was soaking it all in, but she showed very little reaction to his pitch. Until the end.
When he was done speaking, she stood up. It wasn’t an attempt to intimidate, as he’d seen the other men do earlier in the meeting through the small spy camera Richard was carrying for him. No. Instead, tranquility radiated from her, garnering the attention of those around her.
Rhett didn’t understand what that magnetism was, but he was determined to find out.
All eyes were riveted on her as she said in a solid voice that held no hint of hesitation, “Welcome, Mr. Brannon. We appreciate your willingness to take on our unusual situation.”
He heard a quickly stifled hiss from Patricia, but Rhett didn’t look her way. He found himself too fascinated with this new, unexpected side of Trinity, this authority that seemed to come naturally to her. The woman he’d met last night had been hesitant. Shy, even. In this moment, she was commanding.
For the first time, he wondered why the Hyatts saw Trinity as more of a nuisance who stood in their way rather than a true threat. They should be much more concerned. Because his instincts said he was now facing someone who might prove to be a more than competent adversary when crossed.
“Gentlemen,” she said, her tone brooking no argument, “there’s been enough discussion for today. I believe hiring Mr. Brannon as a consultant is an acceptable solution all around.”
She glanced toward the interim board director, who nodded. “This meeting is adjourned. You all know your way out,” he said.
As one, everyone stood and headed toward the door. Not a single person lingered. Rhett could see why. Trinity had closed the discussion with a force of personality that hadn’t been in evidence earlier.
His spy camera hadn’t caught her saying very much in the meeting, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t made an impact. It was almost as if she’d sat in the room, blending in like an old-fashioned wallflower, while she soaked in every word being said. But when she’d made her decision, it was time for everyone else to get the hell out of Dodge, so to speak.
Impressive.
Whispering among themselves, the crowd, led by Richard and his wife, filed out the door held open by a butler. Rhett would have gotten lost in the sprawling mansion if not for the butler leading the way.
It possessed an opulent, dark beauty in the curved arches of every window, the elaborately carved entryways and myriad displays of art and books in every nook and cranny. Quintessentially Southern, it reflected the rich, spicy atmosphere of the city with splashes of bright color and nods to the rich, turbulent history of the land.
Gorgeous, but stifling. Did Trinity find the elegance oppressive? Her focus on her responsibilities, while admirable on the surface, could simply be part of the act. Dutiful widow and all. Would she welcome him into her confidence to help her with the duties she’d inherited, even as he gathered the evidence to take her down? Though it was just an assignment, his heartbeat gained speed at the thought of working so closely with her.
No, he needed to proceed with caution. He needed to get close to her, yes. But only to do his job. He needed the real motive…not the real woman.
Still, enticing Trinity to have a little fun could serve his purpose well.
Trinity exchanged a few quiet words with her lawyer when Bill paused beside her, but she didn’t move as he headed on through the door. Rhett didn’t miss the hard look Bill threw his way. That man would have a background check completed before the end of today. Too bad he would only find what Rhett wanted him to know.
Somehow, without the words being spoken, Rhett