Taking the photo, Anna stared at it. She touched the images. The man looked happy, smiling at the camera. The woman, small and dark, seemed vaguely familiar. But she focused on the other details.
“This was taken in the company studio. The backdrop’s a custom one—I had it painted by a local artist. It’s supposed to look like the garden outside Monticello. But I wanted more color and slightly different angles.” Setting the photo aside, Anna picked up the book and looked at the spine. “This is our imprint, but I don’t remember working on it. Natalie Smalls. Oh, wait…N.T. Smalls? She’s the author listed on that file.”
Gage nodded. “Now you can see why I headed to Coran Williams Publishing.”
Disappointment tightened Anna’s chest. “You didn’t come for the shoot.” The words came out flat. She tried to blink away the hurt. He hadn’t wanted to be a model for her—of course not; he was dealing with life-and-death issues. She’d been…convenient. And now she was pushing her way into this when all he wanted was for her to step back and leave him alone.
Gage’s voice, low and rough, reached her. “There was a casting call, and everyone assumed I was there for that, so I let them. Truth was, I was looking for information on Natalie. During the shoot, I was trying to work the conversation around so I could ask you about her. And then all hell broke loose.”
All her old insecurities surged up, threatening to choke her. That was why he’d been so interested in spending time with her. He’d hoped to use her as a source of intel.
Forcing a smile, she wet her lips and nodded. “I see. But…I’d never heard of N.T. Smalls before Coran put the file on my tablet. I mean, clearly we’ve published her before”—she held up the book Scotty had handed her—“but I don’t know anything about her.”
“Isn’t that weird?” Spencer asked. “I mean, that your company would publish a book without you knowing anything about it?”
She shrugged, glad for a reason to look away from Gage’s intense gaze. “Not really. I’m not the only cover designer—I don’t work on every book.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Gage glanced from Kyle to Scotty. “Did you guys find out anything about that file?”
Scotty shook his head. “Just that list of names. Alice pulled out some personal descriptions and account numbers that aren’t bank accounts, but what they mean, I don’t know.”
“Can I see the names?” Anna said. The guys all swapped looks. She was getting tired of being on the outside of their silent communication. Mouth pressed into a line, she thought about what Eloise would do. Standing, she crossed her arms.
“Okay, guys, listen up. I’m the one who was kidnapped, tossed in a trunk, and threatened. And that wasafterhaving my apartment broken into and wrecked. I’d like to know why my life has been trashed, especially since it all seems to tie back to my boss. If you guys still want to make this a boy’s club adventure, fine. I’ll head back to work and find out what I can on my own.”
Scotty grinned. Spencer’s eyebrows nearly met his hairline. Kyle sipped his coffee and stared at Gage. Gage waved a hand in resignation. “Might as well show her—she’s hip deep and won’t step out of the waders.”
Leaning over one of the laptops, Scotty pulled up a file. “Knock yourself out. I’ve been staring at it most of the night.”
Sitting down again, Anna scrolled through the list. “Okay. Five of the names on here…I think they’re authors, ones who are on a list for Coran to handle personally. HR should have information on them and on N.T. Smalls—Natalie. They’ll have an address for her, and a Social Security number as well. I can check the names with HR and see what I can pull up.”
Kyle smiled, but Gage shook his head. “You’ve done enough, Anna.”
Scotty punched Gage’s arm. “Didn’t you hear what she just said? Let the girl play if she wants to.”
A pulse beat hard in Gage’s jaw. “This isn’t a damn game—or an exercise. People are getting hurt. Anna could have been—” He bit off the word.
She stood again and faced him, her face hot and her breath so quick she was getting light-headed. “Killed? Raped? Tortured? Do you think I don’t know that? You came to me for information, so that’s what I’m offering you. I can dig it up, provided I still have access to the company’s resources. Coran might consider me running out on him as grounds to fire me. But I suspect he has other things to worry about, with Becks around.”
Kyle lifted his mug. “My money is on Coran Williams not being what he seemed to the rest of the world. Damned if I know what that is, but there’ssomethinggoing on with him.”
Anna tried not to keep watching Gage. He’d made it clear he wanted her out of this. But it seemed Kyle and Scotty were on her side—they’d backed her so far. She wasn’t sure about Spencer, and she didn’t know how decisions worked in a group of Navy SEALs. Did they vote on things or just follow orders?
“I’m due in the office today,” she said. “I called this morning to tell them I’d be late due to a personal emergency. I don’t know what I can get from HR—and N.T. Smalls’s on-record information with us might be bogus, anyway. But I’ll do what I can—for you and for myself, because I have just as much at stake here as all of you. I need to feel in charge of my life again, and I want to make sure the guys who grabbed me end up behind bars for a very long time. I won’t feel safe otherwise.”
Kyle nodded and glanced at the others. “We need to let Commander Brighton know what’s going on.”
“What if he has orders to bring us in? You gonna stake everything on him not following them?” Scotty demanded.
“Already have,” Gage answered quietly.
“And how,” Spencer said. “But Scotty has a point. We need to put a few things in place to keep the commander safe, too. We need a safe meet, or at least a secure line to talk to him on so he can’t be accused of treason for helping us.”
Gage strode to the windows, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He stared out, then turned back, shaking his head. “I still want Anna out of this. She’s been through enough.”
Anna spun on him. “Don’t you think that’s up to me to decide?” She walked over and punched him in the chest. “I am not going to hide. I’m going to fight back. And there’s one more thing to think about—there might be other files.”
“What?” Scotty sat up.