It was a purchase he now regretted. He didnt mind the cost, but there was something intimate about diamonds, particularly those in a custom setting. But Bianca had pouted and whined prettily until hed given in. He had to admit, no matter how ugly this breakup became, he was relieved to be out from under her complaining.
Im most worried about chapter six, said Justin.
Where she accuses me of collusion and corporate espionage?
Clients really dont care what youre like in bed. But they do care if youre price-fixing or stealing their intellectual property.
Im not.
I know youre not.
It was reassuring for Shane to hear that his lawyer trusted him. It sounded like you wanted me to answer that.
Im not the one you have to convince.
Shane nodded at the book with the crass cover. Is there a way for me to rebut?
Not unless you want a he-said-she-said battle in the media. You know Bianca will do all the local talk shows. Any move you make prolongs the story.
So I stay silent.
Yes.
And let them think Im a pansy in the sack?
Ill be advising our clients that the espionage and collusion accusations are ridiculous. I could mention your sex life, if youd like.
Youre a real comedian.
I try. Have you heard anything from Gobrecht this week?
Shane shook his head.
Gobrecht Airlines was headquartered in Berlin, and they were in the final stages of awarding a contract for twenty new commuter jets. The Colborn Aware 200 was the front runner. If Gobrecht made a commitment to buy, Beaumont Air in Paris was likely to follow suit with an even larger contract.
Justin backed toward the office door. I know your public profile has always been good for business. But can you please try to stay out of the headlines for a while?
Ive never tried to get into them. I thought Bianca knew the score.
Bianca had been introduced to Shane by the Millers. She was the daughter of their good friend, so Shane had assumed shed grown up around wealthy, high-profile people. It never occurred to him that shed gossip in public. And it sure never occurred to him that shed write a supposed tell-all book for money.
Its impossible to know who to trust, said Justin.
I trust you.
Im contractually obligated to be trustworthy.
Maybe thats what I should do next time. Shane was only half joking. Have my dates sign a nondisclosure agreement before the appetizers.
It might be better if you dont date for a while.
That doesnt sound like much fun.
Read a book. Take up a hobby.
Like golf or fishing?
Not a lot of fishing in the greater Chicago area. But you could golf.
Tried it once. Id have to hang myself. Shane shuddered at the memory.
You do know its not about the ball. Its about the conversation.
Boring people play golf.
Justin paused beside the closed door. Powerful people play golf.
Id rather scuba dive or target shoot.
Go for it.
Shane had considered both of those things, dreaming of a long weekend in the Keys or a rustic lodge in Montana. Its a little hard to find the time.
Now that youve given up dating, youll have nothing but time on your hands.
Theres a board meeting on Friday. We break ground on the new wing of the R & D facility Wednesday morning. Then Im hosting the search-and-rescue fundraiser at the mansion next Saturday night. Shane paused. And Im not going stag to that.
Sure you are.
Uh, no, Im not.
Then find a nice, safe date, said Justin. Take your cousin.
Madeline is not going to be my date to the fundraiser.
Why not? She could be your hostess. Its not the same as a date.
Thats pathetic. Im not going to look pathetic at my own party.
You wont look pathetic. Youll look shrewd. The trick here is to give the media absolutely nothing to report.
You dont think theyll report that Im dating my cousin?
Theyll report that you and Madeline were impeccable hosts and that Colborn raised hundreds of thousands for the search-and-rescue service.
Shanes instinct was to argue. But he forced himself to think it through. Was cohosting with Madeline really the safe route?
He knew shed do it for him. She was a sweetheart. Would it deflect public criticism? More importantly, would it protect his privacy?
Justin spoke up again. Theres a fine line between keeping your company in the public eye and becoming a social-media spectacle.
Ive crossed it, havent I?
Bianca crossed it for you.
Shane capitulated. Fine. Ill call Maddie.
Good decision.
You do know I have a 100 percent success rate, getting lucky after that particular party.
You do know those women are sleeping with the billionaire persona and not the man, right?
The family mansion has to be good for something.
The Barrington Hills house had been in his family for decades. But it was an hour commute to downtown. And what single man needed fourteen acres and seven bedrooms?
Shane mostly lived at his Lake Shore Drive penthousethree bedrooms, a fantastic view and close to any number of fine restaurants.
Im sure your father would be proud of how youre using the family assets, Justin drawled.
Shane couldnt help but smile at the memory. His dad had been gone for six years now, tragically killed along with Shanes mother in a boating accident when Shane was twenty-four. He missed them both. And although Justin was being sarcastic, Dalton wouldnt have had the slightest problem with Shanes love life.
Shane heard his assistant, Ginger, over the intercom. Mr. Colburn? A Hans Strutz is on the phone from Gobrecht Airlines.
He and Justin exchanged a worried look.
Shane reached out to press the intercom button on his desk phone. Ill pick it up.
Thank you, sir. Line one.
Thanks, Ginger. He took a bracing breath. Well, this could be really good or really bad.
Justin reached for the door handle. Call me when youre done.
I will. Shane punched line one.
* * *
Darci sat perched on a bus-stop bench across the busy street from the Colborn Aerospace headquarters. The June sunshine glinted on the giant royal blue sign, which stretched across the front of the building. The twenty-one story structure was two blocks from the river, overlooking a small park.
Her fathers unmailed letter had been a revelation. It explained Ians bitterness, his rages at Dalton Colborn and likely his fondness for Scotch, which had increased as the years went by. The letter accused Dalton of betraying Ian, of stealing and patenting her fathers next-generation turbine design.
It seemed Ian and Dalton had been best friends for years, until Dalton got greedy and stole everything for himself. Ians letter had threatened a lawsuit. He wanted money, sure. But he also wanted professional recognition for his invention. Dalton had won a prestigious award for the turbine, gaining fame that had translated into wealth and skyrocketing growth for Colborn Aerospace, while Ians marriage had broken up and he had spiraled into depression and obscurity.
It seemed Ian and Dalton had been best friends for years, until Dalton got greedy and stole everything for himself. Ians letter had threatened a lawsuit. He wanted money, sure. But he also wanted professional recognition for his invention. Dalton had won a prestigious award for the turbine, gaining fame that had translated into wealth and skyrocketing growth for Colborn Aerospace, while Ians marriage had broken up and he had spiraled into depression and obscurity.
The letter stated that there was irrefutable proof of Ians claim in the companys records. He said his original, signed schematic drawings were hidden away in a place where only he could find them. Hed wanted a court order to retrieve the designs and force Dalton to come clean.
But the letter was never mailed. And Darci could only guess at the reasons her father might have changed his mind. Maybe he hadnt wanted to tip Dalton off, to risk Dalton finding the drawings and destroying them. If so, why hadnt he called a lawyer? Or maybe he had.
She realized shed probably never know.
Now she sat staring at the Colborn Aerospace building and wondered if the proof could possibly be inside. Were there papers moldering in a basement filing cabinet that showed her father was a brilliant engineer? If there were, how could she get her hands on them?
She watched people walk in and out of the building, alone, in pairs, in groups. Some were obviously executives and office staff. Some were maintenance workers. Some were likely clients and customers.
She could walk into the lobby right now, and nobody would stop her. Though there was probably security to keep her from getting much farther than that. Maybe shed ask to see Shane Colborn. Maybe shed march right up to him and demand to see the historical files.
Then again, maybe that would be stupid. Shane was likely as selfish and greedy as his father. If he learned there was proof of his familys dishonesty, there was no way hed let her hunt for it. Instead, hed be the one to find it and destroy it.
A bus rolled along the curb. Its air brakes groaned as it came to a stop and blocked her view. A few people stepped off while others boarded, then it pulled away, diesel engine grinding loudly before the sounds mingled with the other traffic.
Children squealed in the park beside her. Birds swooped from aspens to maple trees. The wind freshened the air, blowing away the exhaust from the four-lane thoroughfare.
It was lunchtime, and hundreds of people moved through the park and along the sidewalks. More entered the Colborn building. More came out.
Staring at the imposing stone structure, Darci knew the smart thing to do was walk away. She should forget the letter existed and carry on with her regular life. She could head back to her car, return to the loft and finish unpacking her belongings.
It was Friday. She and Jennifer were going to the Woodrow Club tonight. Theyd meet up with some friends from Columbia, have a few drinks, maybe run into some nice guys. Who knew? This could be the night she met her soul mate.
Not that she was necessarily fixating on meeting Mr. Right. Shed like to get married someday, settle down, have kids. Who wouldnt? But she was in no hurry.
Her and Jennifers web-design business was growing at a very satisfying pace. Theyd planned a vacation in New York City for July. They had reservations at a hotel on Times Square and tickets to three shows. It was going to be fantastic.
Another bus passed, but it didnt stop.
She gazed over the tops of the cars and taxis, staring at the glass doors that led to the Colborn Aerospace lobby, while speculating on what kind of a person could get access to the basement. A repairman, perhaps. She could rent a uniform, buy a toolbox and pretend she was from the telephone or the electric company.
Too bad she didnt know a fuse from a resistor.
Maybe she could deliver a pizza.
A woman headed up the stairs to the front doors, then paused to smooth her skirt, seeming to brace herself before reaching for the door handle. She looked young, nervous and self-conscious.
Job interview, Darci concluded.
Then she sat up straight, a lightning bolt flashing in her brain.
Job interview.
Employees of Colborn Aerospace could wander all over the building. They would have security access, possibly even door keys. Nobody would question their right to be there. And they could chat up the other employees, find out where company records were kept, browse through them under one pretext or another, probably find anything they wanted about the companys history.
That was the answer. Shed apply for a job, go to work for Colborn. It was a brilliant plan.
Two
Under normal circumstances, Darcis guilt alone would have stopped her from crashing any party anywhere, never mind one that hosted the whos who of Chicago. But a week into her new job at Colborn Aerospace, shed learned the oldest records were kept at the Colborn mansion. Tonight was her best chance to look around inside.
Shed rented a four-thousand-dollar, beaded, gold silk evening gown, splurged on a pair of sparkling heels and shelled out a fortune for hair and makeup at the swankiest salon in her neighborhood. If she did say so herself, she looked fabulous. At a passing glance, nobody would guess that she didnt belong among the rich and influential.
Now she just needed to get through the front door.
At the top of the semicircular staircase, a butler was discreetly checking invitations. Darci hovered at the edge of the driveway, wondering how best to approach him, but she didnt dare stand still too long or shed call attention to herself.
A gray-haired couple brushed past her. The woman was dressed in a dramatic peacock-blue gown with a diamond brooch at the shoulder. Making a split-second decision, Darci fell into step beside the woman.
Thats a lovely brooch, she said to her as they walked.
Luckily, the woman turned and gave her a friendly smile. Thank you. Its Cartier.
Darci frowned. Oh dear. You have a little crease. She boldly reached to the fabric above the brooch, pretending to smooth it out.
May I confirm your invitation, sir, the butler said to the older man.
Darcis heart thudded as the man handed him a card.
Nice of you to join us, Mr. Saunders, said the butler.
There we go, Darci said to the woman, keeping her gaze studiously fixed on the dress, pretending she was part of the Saunders party. That looks much better.
Thank you. The woman, obviously Mrs. Saunders, nodded her appreciation.
Another couple stepped up behind them, drawing the butlers attention, and Darci quickly moved forward.
Her heart was still thudding wildly as they went through the stately front doors and into the huge foyer.
Enjoy your evening, she managed to say to Mrs. Saunders.
Enjoy yours, Mrs. Saunders replied.
Darci peeled off to the right, anxious to mix in with the nearest crowd.
Champagne, maam? asked a neatly uniformed waiter.
Thank you. Darci helped herself to a crystal flute from his tray.
She had no intention of consuming any alcohol, but holding the glass would make her look more like a genuine guest.
Earlier in the week, shed started a job in the records department of Colborn Aerospace. It was an entry-level position, requiring little in the way of experience, with a very low pay rate.