say?” Byrne wailed.
“That we are responsible,” Catherine said, “and we will fix the ‘leak’ and ensure it never happens again.” She looked around the table at the others. There was a slight knowing smile on her face as she added, “I think we’d be even better off if we announce several specific measures for improving the environment—”
“No!” Byrne shouted.
“Then Earth Angel will strike again.”
Miles frowned. Something in Catherine’s quiet declaration roused his suspicions. It wasn’t a prediction, but rather more like … knowledge. A collage of images rose in his mind: Catherine wanting to find a codicil that would save land from becoming a strip mine, her push for environmental protection measures, her lack of surprise at the first meeting when everyone else was in a panic over Earth Angel. Accompanying the collage was the memory of boots with white stains and four hundred dollars to the Green Earth Society.
No, he thought, shaking the ridiculous notion out of his head. He believed the Earth Angel was someone at Wagner, but to even consider Catherine was ludicrous. She might be headstrong, but she wasn’t foolish.
She rose from her chair. Miles knew she was about to make a grand exit. He liked this part best.
She again looked around at all of them. “This company must respond and must show good faith to the public concerning this latest incident. Otherwise we’ll see Wagner Oil bankrupt. If that’s what you want, then be stubborn. But I guarantee you won’t stop the Earth Angel that way.”
She shoved back her chair and walked out of the room. Lettice slowly rose from her own chair, smoothed out her skirt, then strolled out behind her patient. The Queen of England and Princess Diana couldn’t have made a better exit, Miles thought.
If only his suspicions hadn’t come back with a vengeance.
The iron had never been so hot, Catherine thought as she crawled under the fence. Her arms were trembling from the effort of pulling her body forward. This night promised as little sleep as the previous two. But she had to keep up the pressure.
Uncle Byrne was about to get a demonstration of the Earth Angel’s power. The result should be heavenly.
Inexplicably, the idea of heaven instantly brought Miles to mind. She tried to shake off his image, but her brain refused to turn him loose. The way he had taken care of her when he’d thought she was sick had touched her more than she cared to admit. He had supported her at that meeting too. Both meetings. All of it was so unexpected … and she was so confused about him.
One thing she wasn’t confused about was the way her body reacted to him. Having him next to her at the conference table had been almost toodistracting. She had barely kept her concentration. Worse, she had found herself looking at his hands at every opportunity and remembering them on her body. Her breasts ached even now …
“Dammit!” she muttered, sitting up. She refused to think of him again, then she wondered why he hadn’t come by that evening. He’d said he would.
She swore again, realizing how quickly she had broken her vow. She had better start concentrating on her objective for the night. She raced for it, a small blockhouse on the edge of the refinery. The night shift didn’t work out this far, and the guards wouldn’t be around for another thirty minutes. She wondered if they even knew what the blockhouse contained. She doubted her uncle remembered the emergency plant-closedown systems, established in case of a fire. But her uncle had reduced safety checks and crew to a bare minimum, and this little place was now overlooked.
“Ah, well,” she murmured as she reached the little brick building. She used a key on the rusty lock and slipped inside. The door clanged shut behind her, and she whirled around. Fear shot through her at the thought that she was locked in. The key only worked from one side. She tested the knob and sighed when it
“That we are responsible,” Catherine said, “and we will fix the ‘leak’ and ensure it never happens again.” She looked around the table at the others. There was a slight knowing smile on her face as she added, “I think we’d be even better off if we announce several specific measures for improving the environment—”
“No!” Byrne shouted.
“Then Earth Angel will strike again.”
Miles frowned. Something in Catherine’s quiet declaration roused his suspicions. It wasn’t a prediction, but rather more like … knowledge. A collage of images rose in his mind: Catherine wanting to find a codicil that would save land from becoming a strip mine, her push for environmental protection measures, her lack of surprise at the first meeting when everyone else was in a panic over Earth Angel. Accompanying the collage was the memory of boots with white stains and four hundred dollars to the Green Earth Society.
No, he thought, shaking the ridiculous notion out of his head. He believed the Earth Angel was someone at Wagner, but to even consider Catherine was ludicrous. She might be headstrong, but she wasn’t foolish.
She rose from her chair. Miles knew she was about to make a grand exit. He liked this part best.
She again looked around at all of them. “This company must respond and must show good faith to the public concerning this latest incident. Otherwise we’ll see Wagner Oil bankrupt. If that’s what you want, then be stubborn. But I guarantee you won’t stop the Earth Angel that way.”
She shoved back her chair and walked out of the room. Lettice slowly rose from her own chair, smoothed out her skirt, then strolled out behind her patient. The Queen of England and Princess Diana couldn’t have made a better exit, Miles thought.
If only his suspicions hadn’t come back with a vengeance.
The iron had never been so hot, Catherine thought as she crawled under the fence. Her arms were trembling from the effort of pulling her body forward. This night promised as little sleep as the previous two. But she had to keep up the pressure.
Uncle Byrne was about to get a demonstration of the Earth Angel’s power. The result should be heavenly.
Inexplicably, the idea of heaven instantly brought Miles to mind. She tried to shake off his image, but her brain refused to turn him loose. The way he had taken care of her when he’d thought she was sick had touched her more than she cared to admit. He had supported her at that meeting too. Both meetings. All of it was so unexpected … and she was so confused about him.
One thing she wasn’t confused about was the way her body reacted to him. Having him next to her at the conference table had been almost toodistracting. She had barely kept her concentration. Worse, she had found herself looking at his hands at every opportunity and remembering them on her body. Her breasts ached even now …
“Dammit!” she muttered, sitting up. She refused to think of him again, then she wondered why he hadn’t come by that evening. He’d said he would.
She swore again, realizing how quickly she had broken her vow. She had better start concentrating on her objective for the night. She raced for it, a small blockhouse on the edge of the refinery. The night shift didn’t work out this far, and the guards wouldn’t be around for another thirty minutes. She wondered if they even knew what the blockhouse contained. She doubted her uncle remembered the emergency plant-closedown systems, established in case of a fire. But her uncle had reduced safety checks and crew to a bare minimum, and this little place was now overlooked.
“Ah, well,” she murmured as she reached the little brick building. She used a key on the rusty lock and slipped inside. The door clanged shut behind her, and she whirled around. Fear shot through her at the thought that she was locked in. The key only worked from one side. She tested the knob and sighed when it
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