Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) (16 page)

NEAL HELD OUT A HAND
to Jade. “Miss Buchanan, it’s been a long time since we last met. I’m Detective Neal Hawkins.”

Jade shook his hand while her eyes did a once-over on him.

She’d see he was tall and lean—okay he could stand to lose ten pounds—with a sandy blond crew cut and dark brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, I don’t recognize you. It might be the very large bump on my head.”

Neal smiled. “The last time you and I formally met, we were kids. I was fifteen, and I think you were around seven. It was at my father’s funeral. My dad worked for your grandmother.”

“Your father was James Hawkins?”

“Yes. See, you do remember. I tried to talk to you at your grandmother’s funeral. There were just too many people. When I heard the call come in tonight, I had to take it. I’ll never be able to repay your grandmother for what she did for my family.”

“How did she help you?”

“She kept a paycheck coming until Mom remarried three years later. It was a tough time for us losing Dad, and it would have been so much worse if it weren’t for your grandmother.”

Jade laid a hand over his. “She was heartbroken when your dad died. He’s the only employee in the company to pass away.”

“Actually, Arnie Thompson was the second.”

“Arnie Thompson?”

“He disappeared two years ago… accidental drowning.” Neal paid close attention to both of their reactions. “You don’t happen to own a boat, do you Mr. Radisson?”

Radisson’s brow furrowed. “Wish I did.”

“I vaguely recall my grandmother mentioning one of our employees in Purchasing was missing. I didn’t know he’d died. That’s so sad.”

Neal turned his attention back to Jade. “Gloria took it hard. I was assigned to that case, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I owe it to your grandmother.”

“Thank you, Detective.”

“Call me Neal, please.” He smiled.

“I don’t mean to be rude, Detective,” Radisson cut in. “But it’s late and I need to get Jade home.”

“Sure. Do you think you can answer a few questions about what happened tonight, Miss Buchanan?”

“I think so. My head feels a little funny from the medicine they gave me.”

“I’ll take it slow. If you’re not up for it, we can talk tomorrow. Let’s start with the basic questions for my notes. Can you state your full name?”

“Jade G. Buchanan,” she said with a mouth full of granola.

“And what does the ‘G’ stand for?”

She put her hand in front of her mouth when she spoke. “Gloria, and please call me Jade.”

“Okay, Jade. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Yes. I left work around eight-fifteen or sometime around there.”

Radisson nodded to confirm.

“I came down the elevator to the first floor and walked to my car. I had just reached inside my purse when someone hit me over the head. Bryce found this note.” She handed it to Neal.

Neal carefully gripped the sides of the paper and read it. “Who else handled this note?”

“Just Bryce and I.”

“Is this the first time you’ve received a threat?”

“Yes, wait, no, someone left me a note yesterday that said ‘keep your nose where it belongs.’ I don’t know if that’s really a threat.”

“It could be the beginning of someone escalating. Do you still have it?”

“I didn’t think anything of it so I threw it away.”

“Did you see who hit you?”

“No. I heard someone, but he was behind me.”

“Why do you think it was a he?”

“Because I saw part of his shadow. He was taller and bigger than me.”

“How far away is your car from the elevator?”

“About twenty feet. I have VIP parking.”

“VIP?”

“She’s the CEO of Synergy Technologies,” Radisson said.

Interesting.
Neal looked from Radisson to Jade. Radisson seemed okay with it, but maybe he hid it well.

Jade explained. “My grandmother left me the company when she passed away. She named me CEO. I pretty much didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“I’m sure that made a lot of people angry.”
Giving us plenty of motive.
“Does anyone in particular stand out as the most upset with you?”

“Yes, Stan Templeman. I fired him yesterday.”

“Had he been at the company long?”

“Over twenty-seven years.”

“That sounds like reason enough.” Neal made notes in his notebook. “Anyone else?”

Jade drew in a breath and released it. “Joshua Greenberg from Johansson Tek keeps trying to get me to sell the company.”

“Has he been harassing you?”

“If bugging me incessantly and showing up unannounced is harassing, then yes.”

“Anyone else?”

“I suppose the whole senior management team. I told them all there would be big changes coming, and if they weren’t on board to tender their resignations.”

Neal raised an eyebrow.
Damn, she’s pissed off a lot of people.
“Did anyone give you their resignation?”

“No.”

“Can you give me the names of the senior management team?”

Jade finished her granola bar as Radisson filled him in on their names and seniority with the company, including himself.

“Is there anyone else who would have strong motive to hurt you?”

“Not that I can think of.” Jade shook her head.

“Me,” Radisson said, surprising them both.

“What do you mean, Mr. Radisson?” Neal waited.

“I mean, Gloria Buchanan left me three million shares of stock and the role of COO. In one year, if Jade no longer wants to be CEO, her extra two million shares transfer to me, and I become CEO.”

“But you helped me, Bryce.” Jade put a hand on his knee. “You weren’t the one who did this.”

“I know that, but the detective doesn’t. He’s going to find this out anyway. I want to be upfront about it so he can find the person who did this to you.”

Smart move. Let me know what I’m going to find out anyway to get into my good graces. Could be legit, could be a cover
. He jotted Radisson’s name down on his notepad and circled it.
Strong motive
. “How did you help her?”

“I left shortly after Jade did. I found her on the ground. At first, I thought she’d passed out again from not eating. After I helped her into my car, I heard another car take off.”

“Did you see it?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure it was on the first floor.”

“So based on what you said, it’s possible you walked up behind Jade and hit her on the head.”

Jade gasped.

Radisson stared at the detective. “Yes. It’s possible given the information you have. No one saw me hit her or help her.”

“But that’s crazy,” Jade protested.

“It’s okay, Jade. The detective needs to do his job. I’d prefer he rule me out so he can find the person who did this.”

“Do you normally wear a T-shirt to work, Mr. Radisson?”

Radisson looked down. “I used my work shirt to put pressure on her cut. She was bleeding like crazy.”

“It’s in the garbage.” Jade shrugged.

“Is there anything else, Detective Hawkins?” Radisson crossed his arms over his chest.

“Not at this time. Call me if either of you have any other information.” He handed them each a card. “Would you like me to arrange for a ride home, Jade?”

“No thank you, unless Bryce doesn’t want to take me?” She turned to Radisson.

“I already said I’ll take her.” Radisson’s cool eyes regarded him.

“I’ll call you if I find out anything,” Neal said to Jade.

“Thank you. I’d like to go home now.”

Radisson stood. “Can you walk, or should I get the car? It’s just around back.”

“I think I can walk.” Jade reached up to take his hand.

Radisson slid an arm around her to help her up. He kept his arm around her waist as they walked down the hallway.

Neal noted it in his book. He walked up to the nurse’s station. “Can you tell me the name of the nurse who was out here with Mr. Radisson when I arrived?”

“That was Mackenzie Ballinger, but she goes by Kenzie.”

“Can you give me her address and phone number?”

“You already have it. It’s the same as Bryce’s.”

Neal glanced at her nameplate. “Thank you, Nancy. Please let me know when the doctor is available for me to interview.”

Neal walked to the seating area. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was something going on between Jade Buchanan and Bryce Radisson. If that was the case, Mackenzie Ballinger could be a suspect.

BRYCE HELD JADE CLOSE
as he helped her into the car. She felt fragile beneath his hands. At least the color had returned to her high cheekbones and her lips had regained their natural pink beauty. Seeing the stark difference between how lifeless she’d looked earlier and how alive she looked now only highlighted how beautiful she was. “Buckle up.” He started to pull away.

She placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being my savior.” Her voice was low, throaty.

She was killing him. He was damn lucky her fruity scent was mixed with the metallic tang of blood. It helped abate his hunger for her.
Hunger
was all he could think to call it. His stomach was so tight it almost hurt. He craved the taste of her lips, her tongue, her skin. But this desire was wrong. They worked together. She was his boss.

Bryce pulled away and walked to his side.

“If you’d drop me at my car, I’m pretty sure I can drive myself home.”

“No way. I’m taking you.”

“I need a car in the morning.”

“I’ll pick you up.”

“But—” She moaned.

Bryce got in the car and started it. “No buts, Jade, or I’ll call your parents and
you
can deal with them.” He played his trump card. Apparently it worked, because she didn’t say another word for the rest of the ride home.

Bryce helped her up the stairs of her U-District condo and waited until she was inside before he turned to leave.

“Bryce.” Jade called to him when he reached the sidewalk. “I kind of need help with something.”

He turned to look at her. “What kind of help?”

“I need help washing the blood out of my hair. I can’t go to work like this and I can’t see the back of my head.”

“Oh.” How could he get out of this? He was struggling around her as it was. Washing her hair would push him to his limits.

“I know this is kind of a weird request.”

“Kind of?” He didn’t move.

“Please. I don’t want to have to call my mother. She’ll be frantic, and she won’t want me to go to work tomorrow.”

“Maybe that’s a good idea.”

“What would you do?”

“What do you mean what would I do?”

“If you were CEO of a company and regarded as a fragile young boy, would you stay home tomorrow?”

“No.” There was no way he’d miss work under those circumstances. He shifted back and forth. He’d have to touch her. A lot. Could he get through it without doing something inappropriate? “Okay, I’ll help, but I’ve never done this before.”

“It’s just hair.” Jade gave him a reassuring smile.

He didn’t feel reassured.

Bryce followed her into the condo. The modern furnishings of glass, sterling silver, and black fabric gave the space a comfortable feel. There was no colorful paint or art on the walls, just splashes of reds and yellows from decorative glass pieces elegantly displayed on the tables. A light on the fireplace mantel illuminated a piece of round glass with a setting sun inside it.

Jade saw him stop to admire it. “It’s Venetian glass, one of my favorite pieces. I got it at a gallery in British Columbia.” Jade led him into the kitchen. “I’ll be right back. We’ll use this sink. Can you get the water warm while I get towels and shampoo?”

“Sure.” Bryce kept his hand under the running water until it was the right temperature. He started when something rubbed against his leg. It was a black cat with long white whiskers. “What’s your cat’s name?” he asked when Jade returned.

“Whiskers.”

“That’s original.”

She shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything else to call him.” Jade folded up a towel, laying it across the front of the sink. “My friend Alex bought him for me when he was a kitten.”

Alex. A knot formed in his gut. It was raw, uncontrollable instinct. And it was ridiculous. He had no reason to be jealous when it came to Jade.

“I’m going to lean over the sink. You can use the sprayer to get my hair wet. Keep your hands in the water to make sure it doesn’t get too hot.”

“What about the stitches?”

“The doctor said I can spray water gently over them. He said the wound should still be numb for a few hours.” Jade leaned over the sink with her head down.

His leather jacket wasn’t going to allow his arms to move enough. He shrugged it off, placed the coat over one of the chairs, and took a deep breath. Bent over like that, Jade presented one hell of a sight, one he’d remember in his dreams.
Quit delaying. You’ve got to touch her eventually.
He tried to stand as far from her as possible while he sprayed the back of her head.

“I think you can add shampoo now,” she said.

He pulled his fingers through her hair to make sure it was wet all over. She winced when he got too close to the stitches. “Sorry.” He poured shampoo into his hand and gently lathered her hair. Strawberries assaulted his senses. “Everything is lathered up.”

“Okay, now rinse it out. We’re almost done.”

Bryce leaned over her to rinse her hair out. His groin came in direct contact with her ass. He focused hard on the blood in the sink as it swirled away, leaving her dark brown curls with their artificial red tips behind. That beautiful hair, soft as silk, flowed through his fingers. The way he was touching her, the way he wanted to touch her… He shouldn’t have come in, no matter how sweetly she’d asked.

“Can you hand me that towel over there?” Jade pointed to the kitchen table. “Lay it over the top of my head.”

Bryce was grateful for the distraction, did as instructed, and stepped back.

She straightened up with her hands on her head and stepped away from the sink, swaying suddenly when she turned to face him. “Whoa, I’m seeing stars.”