Be Your Everything [All for Love] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Read Free Page B

personal assistant. Murdered Meredith Fox. All evidence pointed to Grayson, and Manny was determined to stop the man.
    Ignoring his disappointment about Heather’s unavailability, Manny reminded himself he’d be back this afternoon to get the passwords and other necessary information in person, and would get his time with her.
    “It’s actually twelve, according to my watch.” He would save Heather a hassle if he could. Damn it. He didn’t need to save anybody. “Staff tend to connect, I imagine.”
    Grayson stared at him. Manny didn’t like the expression clouding the older man’s narrow face or the way his pale blue eyes narrowed. What had he said?
    “Heather doesn’t gossip, Bourke. If she does, she’s gone.”
    “But they work for the same company,” Manny protested. What the hell? Grayson morphed into something nasty and Manny shouldn’t be surprised if what they suspected was true. Gilbert Grayson was probably running the biggest fraud caper ever known to the insurance company he worked for and was responsible for the death of his personal assistant.
    Grayson relaxed, clearly commanding his tense frame to let go, starting at his neck, all the way down his thin body frame, and visibly forced a smile. It was a fascinating thing to observe and underscored Manny’s reminder to self to be cautious around the other man. “Of course. I’m a private person, you understand.”
    Manny didn’t, but he sensed someone who was on the edge of something unpredictable. The man was drawn too tightly, and in Manny’s experience that usually signified one thing. Grayson was close to reacting in some unpredictable manner. Manny would forego lunch and check in with Bryce. He needed to see if there was more information available. His partner was meeting with the locals and three or more heads were sometimes better than one. He glanced toward Heather’s desk. Tidy. Hell, empty, bare like Grayson’s office. Nothing personal except for a luxuriously leafed plant positioned to get the best possible light from the window. Nice. It made the space a tad less impersonal. He couldn’t imagine someone like Heather in a cubicle with fabric walls. And how the hell did he think he knew who Heather Graham was and what would suit her?
     
    * * * *
     
    “So you either made an impression or Grayson has his own sleuth!” Bryce Olsen’s tone was teasing, but held an undertone of concern.
    “What d’ you mean?” Manny helped himself to the pizza sitting on the conference table. He tore off a piece. It was cold and he’d hoped for a better meal, but carbs and protein were carbs and protein. Kinda. Bryce didn’t have anything more on Grayson, but he’d arranged this room and got them temporary badges and key cards so they could come and go from the police station without being challenged. They fit in with the other cops a bit more comfortably than Manny would have liked. He worried the persona would start to leak over into his undercover work and he’d be more easily made, that people would see past his role and find the investigator.
    “The secretary checked you out on the company personnel roster five minutes after you got there. I ghosted her activity. Getting into Grayson’s computer should be so easy. The man’s got some kind of security add-on, something the company hasn’t approved. And we can’t challenge him or he’ll know we’re onto him. He’s the one, Manny, no doubt about it. All the other candidates have been ruled out.”
    Manny passed over the latter part of Bryce’s comment—he’d already come to that conclusion. He swallowed and nearly choked on the chunk of chewy dough. Heather checked him out? He fought a smile. Bryce might be correct. Heather Jean Graham, nearly thirty-one, blonde over blue, five foot three, one hundred and six pounds, no identifying marks or…okay, he’d made that up. He’d like to determine the latter for himself, though. Did she have a childhood scar or two? A beauty mark? A