Free Jigsaw (Black Raven Book 2) by Stella Barcelona Page A

wasn’t going away as long as he was near Sam. If she resigned she’d be out of harm’s way and there’d be no reason for them to be together. He’d be able to breathe without the breath-stealing pressure that came with being so close to his biggest mistake. Hell yeah, I’m hopeful. Hope wasn’t logical under the circumstances, but he was hopeful, nevertheless.
    “Do authorities have any leads on the Boulevard Saint-Germain bombing?”
    “Not that we can tell.”
    “What about the cyanide killing?”
    “The investigation at the Hotel Grand Athens remains a scene with too many one-feather Indians and not one chief in sight. French counter-terrorist military forces, U.S. Homeland Security, and U.S. marshals all are vying for the lead. Agents Small and Lewis report that the kitchen and wait staff have all been detained and questioned. No one knows anything. The waiter who delivered the dinner was found at his station and professes to be shocked at the incident. Small and Lewis are no longer in the interrogation rooms, so we don’t have real time information. Investigative and security forces for ITT proceedings have a closed circuit communication system with heavy encryption.”
    “We aren’t in their system?”
    Black Raven had finely honed infiltration capabilities, and their skills had increased exponentially over the last year. “We’re in some aspects of the ITT system, but not security. Hold a second. Let me check with Barrows.”
    Barrows. The reason why their cyber skills now rivaled, and in many cases, surpassed, the finest intelligence agencies.
    “Zeus, we’re almost there.”
    “Great. Let me know when we’re in.”
    “Sebastian and other Ravens have picked up most of your management duties since you’re orchestrating on-site protection and not in the office. Of course, you still have Jigsaw monitoring, but Sebastian and I will keep you informed on developments with that. Your partners have left insurance matters to you, since you’ve been handling those negotiations.”
    “I saw that in one of Sebastian’s earlier emails. I’m talking with the final broker tomorrow. We’re probably only one of the few businesses right now that doesn’t need business interruption coverage due to terrorism and I’m asking that she take that out.”
    “Will they strip out the terrorism clause?”
    “I’m trying to figure that out, because the fee for it is exorbitant. With all the extras they’re slapping into the policies, the self-insurance option is looking more palatable.” He drew a deep breath. “You talked to Samuel Dixon lately?”
    “Right before he called you,” Ragno said. “Good God, but that man is tough.”
    “And?”
    “Black Raven is built for this mission. The job’s highly profitable, so that’s a consideration as well.” She paused. “But, in reality, the only sure-fire way of keeping Samantha safe is by keeping her away from ITT proceedings. Our client wants his granddaughter to resign and we’re committed to helping him. This isn’t a case where the client has no choice. Samantha Fairfax has a choice. We have to help her make the correct one.”
    “Okay.” He fell silent, listening. The blow dryer was still going full steam.
    “If you had to make a bet, what do you think?”
    He made a prediction to himself, one that resulted in his chest tightening further, but he answered, “I don’t bet.”
    “Maybe not out loud.” Ragno was quiet for a second. He heard her fingers on her keyboard as she multitasked. “But I bet you just made one. I’m betting yes. She’ll resign. Her grandfather is damn powerful. As you well know, Mr. Bodyguard.”
    Ragno was right, but Zeus wasn’t pulling the bodyguard detail for Samuel Dixon, nor the money. Given that he now had Ana, who valued the life of her father as much as her next breath, very few people in the world could have gotten him to return to paid bodyguard status. Plus, he was more valuable to Black Raven at the helm