With a hand on her back, I lead her to the executive elevators. I smile at her on the ride up, but she’s not buying it.
She tenses up even further when I guide her towards Ransom’s office. I wink at a subdued Cara as we pass, setting aside the flare of worry I feel each time I see her lately. That’s a problem, a discussion, for later.
My brother’s voices become clearer as we get closer to the office.
“Fuck off. She still won’t answer, but I have a new plan. I’m going to send her a gift basket with girly shit in it. Like, some expensive makeup and perfume, you know. Girly shit.”
I sneak a glance at Janey as those idiotic words die off. She’s shaking her head, a look of exasperation on her face. Smiling, I guide her into the office.
Anyone would be intimated being in a room with all of us. I leave the door open, making sure Cara can see and hear us, not wanting to spook Janey.
Ransom rises from his desk, a question clear in his eyes. “Miss Lewis. Did we have a meeting I was unaware of?”
“I asked her up. I’d like to talk with all of you.”
He nods, and Nick and Maverick move some furniture around till they’ve freed a chair for Janey. “Sit down Janey, please.”
She tucks herself into the chair, putting her purse neatly underneath, then folding her hands into her lap. Her knuckles are white. I probably should have handled this a little differently. Better just move the fuck along.
“As you know,” I say, addressing the room, “we were dealing with some theft over the last few months. Me and my guys seemed to get close to catching them a bunch of times, but every time something went wrong. It was frustrating as fuck. I knew someone inside these walls had to be helping them, but I couldn’t pinpoint who. Then one night, Janey came to talk to me.”
All my brothers were avoiding Janey’s eyes until this point, maybe trying not to intimidate her? But they all lock on her as I keep speaking.
“She told me that something was going on with one of our employees. That I should look into him. And when she left, I went to Declan, and we did some digging.”
Declan sits up. “That’s where you got the name?”
“Yeah. Turns out, she was right.” I turn to Janey, whose hands are now relaxed on her lap. “It got me thinking. Me, my team, Declan. All of us missed it. But you saw something, Janey. I still don’t know what. I was hoping you could fill us in.” I have my ideas, but I think it’s better that she show my brothers who she is, instead of me telling them.
She wets her lips, a flush creeping up her cheeks. “Well, it was little things, really. He started carrying himself differently.” A little line creeps between her brows. “He seemed tighter, more close.” She lets out a little laugh, her embarrassment clear.
“You’re doing fine Janey. Just explain it the way it makes sense to you.”
She nods, exhaling, and laying her hands on the arms of the chair. “Well, it started with the way he held himself. Then little things changed. He started combing his hair differently. He smelled different. But it didn’t come with the lightness that someone who’s doing those things for a woman would. Then he started wearing nicer ties, then his shoes were so nicely polished. Then, his eyes changed.”
My brothers are fucking riveted, but most of them look confused as fuck. She notices and smiles, “It’s ok if it doesn’t make sense to you.”
“Can you help us make sense of it? What do you mean, his eyes changed?” Jonas asks, shocking the shit out of me. He’s leaning forward, fully engaged in what she’s saying. He doesn’t do that.
“The best way I can describe it is his eyes turned better than.”
“Better than?” Maverick asks with a frown.
“He didn’t look at other people like they were as good as him. It changed to better than. Like he thought he was smarter, better.” She shrugs. “I’d been hearing people talk about the thefts, usually in a whisper. I don’t have any good reason why I put that together with the way he’d been acting. But it wouldn’t leave me alone. So I talked to Mr. Miles.”
“Yeah, you did. And you were bang on.” I say with a smile. She echoes it, relaxing further.
I catalog the room. The guys are all intrigued. Good. Jonas is studying Janey like he wants to dissect her. She smiles at him, unbothered, which by itself is interesting. “Janey, does the way Jonas is looking at you right now bother you?”
She laughs, “Of course not. He’s just trying to figure out how I see the world. The headache probably isn’t helping.” Jonas’s eyes flare. He sits back, still staring.
“Headache?” Ransom asks, looking between Jonas and Janey.
She looks at Jonas, seemingly asking permission, but when he doesn’t object, she explains. “It’s a sunnier day. On sunny days, he wears his contacts. Maybe because there would be too much glare with the glasses. Anyway, on sunny days, by the end of the day, the lines beside his eyes are deeper and he walks more carefully. Like his head is hurting.”
Ransom looks to Jonas, who gives him a curt nod.
Now Ransom’s the one leaning forward. “Colt,” he prompts.