Contract Bride. Debra Webb

experience and loss.

      Though Ethan didn’t know the whole story, he’d heard the talk. Victoria’s husband had been murdered. That devastating event had come only five years after the loss of her seven-year-old son. She never talked about that either. Only two people knew the whole story—Mildred, her personal secretary, assistant really, and Trevor Sloan, a former Colby investigator. But everyone had heard the talk.

      Victoria Colby had suffered more than her fair share of pain. But it seemed only to make her stronger…more determined to make the world right in any way she could.

      “I’m sure you’re familiar with Ballard Pharmaceuticals, better known as BalPhar, down in Aurora.”

      Ethan recognized the name. “They’re one of our long-term clients.” The company was well known for its headline-making research, he recalled. When it came to pioneering new drugs, BalPhar was a leader in the industry.

      “The Colby Agency has done business with Austin Ballard for more than ten years,” Victoria went on. “We’ve done the background clearance on all his employees and the occasional investigation into companies with whom they were considering doing business. I have a great deal of respect for Austin. That’s the main reason I’m considering taking this case in spite of the suspicious circumstances.”

      “I thought Simon took care of BalPhar’s work,” Ethan countered. Simon Ruhl was former FBI. No one was better at digging up dirt on people and companies than Simon. Ethan definitely didn’t want to horn in on his territory.

      “That’s true, but he’s on an assignment that he can’t break away from at the moment. I believe that time is of the essence where this case is concerned.”

      Ethan frowned. That sounded a little ominous. “What’s the deal?”

      “Austin has a twenty-two-year-old daughter, Jennifer. She’s something of a genius. Graduated high school by thirteen, had her doctorate by the time she was eighteen. She’s worked side by side with her father since she was a child. Every moment she wasn’t in school, she was in a lab.”

      Ethan immediately pictured big, thick eyeglasses and hair pulled into a bun. Oh yeah, and the proverbial white lab coat. “She sounds like an interesting lady.” To a microscope, he added to himself.

      A tiny smile disrupted Victoria’s usually all-business expression. “I’m sure you’ll find her most interesting, especially under the circumstances.”

      He shrugged. “So what’s her problem?”

      “She thinks someone is trying to kill her.”

      The blunt statement jerked Ethan to a higher level of attention. “Someone?”

      “She believes the threat to her life is coming from inside her father’s company.”

      A frown nagged at Ethan. “What does her father say about it?”

      “He’s gravely ill,” she explained. “His medical problem started more than a year ago. But about six months ago he became bedridden. My understanding of his current condition is that he drifts in and out of a catatonic state. He may not even be aware of his daughter’s claims.”

      “Where’s Miss Ballard now?”

      “In hiding. She gave me a location where she can be found. She’d like to meet with someone as soon as possible.”

      The skepticism in Victoria’s voice was impossible to miss. “You don’t trust her?” Ethan asked.

      Victoria sighed. “I don’t know her. My contact prior to this has been strictly with her father. We have a couple of news clippings of her with her father in the file, none of which are very good pictures. A little too fuzzy. But there is one photograph that was taken five years ago. Austin has kept her pretty much shielded from the press. She is his only child and he’s been more than a little overprotective. Which, in that cutthroat business, makes a great deal of sense.”

      “Something doesn’t sit right with you,” Ethan suggested. He could sense her hesitation.

      Victoria considered his statement for a moment. “This agency has investigated every single employee at BalPhar. They’re all clean. Of course that doesn’t mean that one hasn’t gone bad.” She paused and chose her words carefully when she spoke once more. “I think my hesitation has more to do with the daughter’s past and her reluctance to share details than with anything else.”

      Ethan lifted an eyebrow. “Now you’ve really got my interest.”

      “As I said before,” Victoria went on. “She’s brilliant. But with that level of brilliance come other problems. Social, sometimes emotional. She’s led a very sheltered life. I remember there was a problem in her final semester of undergraduate school. A breakdown of some sort. It didn’t last long and probably had more to do with her young age than anything else. According to Austin she was back on her feet and ready to dive into graduate courses in no time. But still, with the continued decline in his health, this new development gives me pause.”

      Ethan could see what she meant. If the lady had any history of emotional instability, then the weight of her father’s illness might be more than she could bear. “Is she running the company in his absence?”

      Victoria sighed. “Yes. She’s senior vice president. A breakdown on her part could be disastrous for BalPhar during this critical time. The shareholders and benefactors Austin has worked a lifetime to develop will be monitoring every move she makes very closely. Do you see my concern?”

      “I definitely do. That’s a lot of responsibility for someone so young, genius or not.”

      “Exactly.” Victoria shook her head. “And, if I had my guess, emotionally and socially she’s far younger than twenty-two. I’m relatively certain she hasn’t led a typical lifestyle in any sense of the word.”

      Something Victoria had said nagged at Ethan. “You said senior vice president, is there more than one?”

      “Yes,” Victoria hastened to explain. “I ran a brief check on the company’s current status this morning. Dr. David Crane is the second vice president. As Austin’s daughter, Jennifer outranks him, of course.”

      David Crane. Ethan knew a moment of disbelief. The kind a guy felt when he thought he’d seen a ghost. Crane was a ghost, all right. One straight from Ethan’s past.

      “What does Crane say about all this?” he asked hesitantly. Flashes of memory slashed through his brain. Gunfire erupting, running, death hot on their heels. He blinked the images away.

      Victoria eyed him curiously, noting his brief distraction. She never missed a thing. “I haven’t spoken with Dr. Crane. I promised Jennifer that I would not contact anyone at the company or the local authorities until we’d looked into her accusations. Which, of course, we can’t actually do until she gives us more details and Jennifer won’t do that until she’s met with you face-to-face.” Victoria inclined her head and studied Ethan for another moment. “Do you know Dr. Crane?”

      Ethan considered saying no, but he wouldn’t lie to his boss. Avoiding the truth was something he only did when absolutely necessary. “I knew him. In another lifetime.”

      “Should we be suspicious of him?”

      Ethan shook his head. “I don’t think so. He saved my life in Iraq. He seemed a pretty straight arrow.”

      “I see. He was in the military at the same time as you?”

      “No,” Ethan said, still distracted by this unexpected development. “He was a scientist being held hostage. I went in to retrieve him. On the way out, he watched my back, kept me from taking a bullet.”

      “Perhaps I should ask someone else to look into this case then,” she offered. “I don’t want anything getting in the way of objectivity. If there’s any chance Jennifer is right in her claims, Crane may come under suspicion.”

      Ethan put up his