Arctic Fire (30 page)

“Uh oh.” Cain said, looking at his assistant.
“I’ve seen that look before so I don’t want to be anywhere near
here when you know what hits the fan. Besides, being in my office
gives me plausible deniability when the police arrive for the dead
body.” He smiled. “After the dust settles, bring what’s left of our
boy to my office please.”

Mallory didn’t even acknowledge her boss as she
started walking forward.

Pike jumped when Marilyn gently bit his ear,
more startled than anything else. He pulled her away to ask her
what she was doing, but as he did, he saw that she wasn’t even
paying attention to him; she was looking at Tabatha. He glanced at
K.D. but by the lost look on her face, he could tell she wouldn’t
be any help either. What was going on? He wanted to scream. Then,
he saw a familiar face coming toward him, it was Mallory; at last
someone to help…or was she?

Even from a distance and through the low lights,
he could see that something wasn’t right. Her walk was different.
Usually she moved with strong, confident steps, even when she
didn’t have someplace to be. Sauntering was the only word he could
think of to describe the way she was walking, her hips gently
swaying with each step. But the real change came when she came into
the light.

As her body moved, her head remained still, her
eyes focused like laser beams, locked on target, and he was the
target. She wore a look that he had never seen before, one of
controlled fury and passion. As she drew closer, Pike felt his chin
hit the floor harder than the 30-ton anchor they’d just wrestled
with. He felt the urge to swallow but discovered his mouth was too
dry.

They say that clothes make the man or woman, but
in this case, clothing had nothing to do with the tension. All she
was wearing was a simple pullover sweater and jeans. She projected
an air of beauty, confidence, and sexiness that was so hot he would
not have had to use the
Clipper
to melt through the ice last
night. At any moment he wouldn’t have been surprised if music would
have start playing and a spotlight showed on her as she walked. As
she moved, he half expected every light bulb in the place to
explode from all the electricity in the room.

Mallory slipped past KD and with one quick
glance, kept Tabatha in her seat. Seductively she slipped between
Pike and Marilyn and took his arm then shot her a look that left no
doubt who was in charge. “I’ll take it from here honey,” she said
in a sickly sweet voice. As she led him toward the door, she slowly
leaned up and whispered in his ear. “Close your mouth Gabe.” He
silently obeyed as they walked out of the room, every eye in the
place focused on them; the legend of Gabriel Pike soaring to new
heights with each step. “Breathe, Gabe.” Mallory said as they
stepped into the casino. Slowly his deer-in-the-headlight look
began to fade.

“What just happened in there?” Pike asked,
sounding like a man just coming out of a coma.

“And I thought my life was complicated.” Mallory
laughed, leading Pike toward the elevator. “Nigel wants to see you
in his office right away.”

“I’m having dinner with a friend then K.D. shows
up out of nowhere. I start feeling like an idiot, then Marilyn
appears and throws gasoline on the fire and then you stroll up.”
His head began to clear and he stopped Mallory at the elevator. “Am
I in trouble?”

Mallory laughed. “Let’s see here. You have three
women interested in you all at the same time, a coworker, the
bosses’ wife and a news reporter and they all show up at the same
time. Gee, what could possibly go wrong?”

Pike shook his head. “No, I mean with Cain. Why
are K.D. and Marilyn here? Did I do something wrong?”

“Your intern Tony Roberts is here too. And Nigel
will explain everything to you.”

“Thank you for back there. I don’t know what I
would have done.”

“I’m sure you would have figured something out.”
Mallory smiled.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence but I’m not
so sure. When it comes to women and matters of the heart, the Blast
from the Past usually fizzles out. Maybe that’s why I’m still
single.”

“Or, maybe the right girl for you hasn’t come
along yet.”

Pike smiled. “You sound like my mother now.”

“Well maybe your mom is right. Tom and I were
lucky. We found each other without having to go through a lot of
the dating crap out there.”

“Yeah, you are lucky. I’ll see what Cain wants
and if I get done early enough maybe I’ll swing by and see
K.D.”

Mallory shook her head. “I don’t think I’d do
that tonight if I were you. I think she’s going to need a little
time. Just call it woman’s intuition.”

“I won’t argue with that. I’ll see you in the
morning then…I hope.” He said and headed off towards Cain’s
office.

K.D. sat down
on her bed and felt like
crying but she refused to. What made her even more furious was the
fact that she really wasn’t sure why she wanted to cry. She had
been looking forward to coming out here, working on this project
and yes, working with Gabe; but now, now she was beginning to
regret the whole thing. What had happened there in the restaurant?
Did she have feelings for Gabe and it took the proverbial slap in
the face to make her realize it? Maybe her feelings for him ran
deeper than she wanted to admit.

But let’s face it, she told herself as she lay
down and stared at the ceiling. What chance did she have with Gabe
now? Maybe back in Seattle before all this started, but not now
that he was famous and living in a whole other world and one that
she barely belonged in anymore. How could she compete, even if she
wanted to? She laughed out loud. She was honest enough with herself
to know that she did, though she still wasn’t quite sure why.
Marilyn? She knew she could handle her and besides, she wasn’t a
real threat. She only wanted one thing and she would never get it
and even if she did, she would quickly move on. But the other two
were a different story.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought she recognized
the girl in the blue dress from television. How could she go up
against a celebrity? And that blue dress? K.D. got up and looked at
herself in the full-length mirror. She knew she wasn’t the
prettiest woman in the world but she also knew she was not that bad
looking. She’d turned a few heads in her time, but posing in front
of the mirror, she wondered if those days were gone.

She tried to imagine herself wearing the blue
dress but didn’t like the way she looked so she went to her
suitcase to find some real clothes. The more she dug, the more
frustrated she became. She sat down on the edge of the bed in
defeat. All she had to wear were jeans, flannel shirts and frumpy
old work boots, nothing to compete against a slinky blue dress. She
didn’t even have a pretty nightgown, just an old oversize Mariners
T-shirt. She could feel the tears welling inside but refused to let
the dam burst.

She stood and began pacing back and forth, still
clutching a handful of flannel shirts. And that other woman, the
one who is supposed to be her boss, Beth Mallory; what was her
problem? She walked right passed me as if I wasn’t even there. Why
is everyone always ignoring me? K.D. threw the shirts across the
room in frustration and plopped down on the bed, no longer able to
keep her tears in check.

She replayed the whole thing over and over again
in her mind: Marilyn walking past her,
ignoring
her and
focusing on little Miss Blue Dress and then biting Gabe on the ear.
She picked up one of her boots and let it fly across the room,
making a very satisfying crash as it hit the dresser. And that Beth
woman, how unprofessional. Waltzing right up, ignoring me
again
. And how dare she shoot me a little wink as she
strolled by with Gabe on her arm. But despite the tears, a small
smile managed to find its way onto her face. It was kind of funny
the way she kept Miss Blue Dress down with just a stare, and the
look she handed Marilyn was priceless. She sure put her in her
place. But she was still furious because of the way she ignored
her, not even thinking she was a threat.

Suddenly she stopped in mid sob. “
She ignored
me because she didn’t think I was a threat.”
That was it! This
Beth chick wasn’t slamming her, she was telling the other two that
Gabe was out of bounds, but she didn’t tell her that! Beth wasn’t
an evil vixen but more like a silent partner.

With renewed confidence, she stood in front of
the mirror again, posing with her flannel shirts. “Yeah, you’d be
lucky to get any of this, Gabriel Pike,” she laughed. K.D. whirled
around the room like a giddy schoolgirl, striking pose after pose,
the weight of the world falling off her shoulders.

Chapter Thirty
Two

Pike was disappointed that he’d missed his fried
chicken dinner but was grateful that he had escaped with his life.
He’d grabbed a candy bar from a vending machine and had just
finished it when he reached Cain’s office.

“Mr. Cain?” He called out as he stuck his head
inside the office.

“Up here Gabriel.”

The office was dimly lit but he could see Cain
silhouetted again the night sky on the observation deck. Waiting a
moment for his eyes to adjust, Pike climbed the stairs and was soon
standing next to Cain. The view was spectacular. With the sun
beginning to set, it created a cascading hue of blues in the
twilight skies. The iceberg glistened brightly in spots, reflecting
the colorful lights of the casino while it almost glowed in others,
soaking up the last light of the sun and reflecting it back.

Cain was standing with his back to Pike, his
hands behind his back as he surveyed his creation before him. “This
is my crowning glory Gabriel.” Cain said, still beholding his
wonder.

“I’m surprised to see K.D., Tony and Marilyn
here. Am I in trouble sir? Are you not satisfied with my work?

“That’s what I like about you Gabriel,” Cain
said as he turned to face Pike, “always thinking like an engineer,
straight and to the point. Like I said, this project is my crowning
glory, probably the one thing in this life I will be remembered for
and to answer your question directly, no I am not unhappy with your
work.”

Pike felt himself grow two inches, the weight of
uncertainty lifted off his shoulders. “However,” Cain continued,
“having said that, I won’t let anything interfere with that dream
either; that’s why I brought in your associates. The storm caused
damaged I wasn’t anticipating and everything must continue on
schedule. If we’re late entering New York harbor it creates a
domino effect, one canceled meetings cancels another and so on,
snowballing into a marketing and PR blizzard that can’t be stopped.
You are still in charge, and K.D. and your intern Tony will report
directly to you.”

“Okay,” Pike said, nodding his head in
agreement, “but why bring in Marilyn? She’s not an engineer.”

“From here on out Mallory and I are going to
become very busy and won’t have the luxury of talking to you as
much as we have in the past. Ms. Talbot will be the liaison between
us.” Cain’s expression suddenly turned serious as he looked Pike
directly in the eye. “Up until now, I have given you pretty much
free rein in how you conduct your inspection and that’s not going
to change, but I do expect results Gabriel. Nothing must slow us
down and we have to stay on schedule. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir.” Cain’s statement was said with such
authority and finality that there wasn’t room for any other
answer.

“Thank you. The last few days have been trying
and the upcoming ones are likely to be worse. I know you would
probably like to see your friends but I would suggest you get some
rest tonight instead.”

“Wise counsel sir.”

Cain smiled, lightening up the mood a bit. “You
can still talk to me any time, Gabriel but I would appreciate it if
the everyday dealings went through Ms. Talbot. Good night.” Cain
said, turning back around and staring out the window.

Pike was wired by the time he got back to his
room. Part of his brain was saying that Cain was right in bringing
in K.D. and Tony but part of him was a little upset and
disappointed that Cain thought he needed help. He turned on his
laptop and started going over the damage reports that Centers had
sent him earlier and started formulating an inspection schedule.
But he was having trouble concentrating as his mind kept drifting
off to what happened at the restaurant and what would later be
called the face-off at the O.K. Corral. He was wrestling with his
thoughts and emotions about Tabatha and K.D. and how he was feeling
guilty; like he was cheating but logically he wasn’t since he had
no commitment to either. But he also knew that logic and emotions
seldom went hand in hand.

He sent K.D. and Tony a copy of his work files
in an e-mail and set up a meeting at eight in the morning in the
conference room in Mallory’s office. He knew his mind was too
cluttered to think straight now and that he needed to decompress.
He shut down the work file and decided it was time to relax and
delve into his world of conspiracy theories.

Since they were in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean and on a giant iceberg, it seemed only fitting that he start
his conspiracy quest to see what the world had to say about the
sinking of the
Titanic,
especially after Cain’s revelation.
While he believed Cain or at least believed that Cain thought it
was the truth, he wanted to see if there was any supporting
evidence to back up his story. He soon found out that it wasn’t a
tragedy that just happened on its own; as with all good conspiracy
theories, there were always unseen forces working on their own
agendas.