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Authors: Addison Fox
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arms. No matter how hard he tried to ignore the memory of their meeting—or the undoubted truth of Grey’s words—Montana Grant had left a very powerful impression. She had a fresh appeal that couldn’t be hidden, even under the haze of fear that had colored their meeting. “You ever hear anything about her?”
“Come to think of it, no, not really. She had a broken engagement a few years back and recently she’s been making headlines.”
Quinn glanced up from the mesmerizing sheen of ice in the bottom of his glass and ignored the matched shot of cold that filled his belly at the mention of a broken engagement. “That weird peace talk she facilitated?”
“Exactly. Somehow she managed to insert herself in the middle of a political nightmare and come out the victor—for her business and for the two countries involved.”
Yet again, Grey’s vast knowledge was an awesome thing to behold. “Is there anyone in New York you don’t keep tabs on?”
“Not really. No one escapes my notice.” Grey flashed a Cheshire cat grin before draining his glass.
“Well, then, it looks like I just landed a new client.”
“Be careful, Quinn. There’s no way she’s as innocent as she looks. The woman’s got some teeth.”
Quinn flashed a grin of his own—his first true smile in way too long. “Sounds like fun.”
Montana filled her coffee cup with one hand, while the other held her schedule for the day. The ever-efficient Jackson had even scheduled in small windows for coffee breaks, but—if the sleepless night she spent and the low-level headache she sported were any indication—even ten coffee breaks weren’t going to make a difference today.
Her visit with her mother had sucked her emotions dry and it was going to take a few days to right herself.
How had Eirene ended up like this? And how could her father have allowed it? He’d loved the woman. Once. Even if every drop of that was gone, he should have helped her.
Unless he didn’t know.
The edges of Montana’s stomach rolled over and she absently pressed the hand holding her schedule against the buttons of her suit jacket. The little girl inside of her wanted to believe her father had more noble motives when it came to the subject of her long-lost mother, but the practical woman had her doubts.
Serious doubts.
Couple that with the increasing discomfort she felt as she learned the ins and outs of Grant Shipping and her estimation of Black Jack Grant was sorely slipping.
Oh, Daddy. What have you done?
Montana was smart enough to know a company the size of Grant Shipping—especially one with interests across the globe—was often forced to work with countries that practiced a loosely moraled style of commerce. Hell, she’d even learned that lesson in business school. You greased a few palms here and there to get permits through. Understood certain payments to local government officials needed to be made to move something along. The world wasn’t black and white, and international commerce had more gray areas than most industries.
But none of it was an excuse to practice out-and-out criminal behavior.
And the deeper she got into things, the more she worried her father had done just that over the last forty years.
“Darlin’?”
Jackson hovered in the doorway, his brisk efficiency an immediate bolster to her lagging thoughts. Even if the rest of her life was going to hell, at least she had the world’s most amazing personal assistant to keep her on track. Upon hearing his sweet Southern drawl she couldn’t keep the ready smile from her lips. “Yep?”
“The head of Emerald Security is here to see you. Qu—”
“Quinn? Tanner?”
At her widened eyes, Jackson’s tone turned teasing. “If you mean six feet four inches of solid gorgeous, then yes, that would be Quinn Tanner.”
“He doesn’t have an appointment.”
“I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, but if you’re insistent on turning him away maybe I’ll meet
“Come to think of it, no, not really. She had a broken engagement a few years back and recently she’s been making headlines.”
Quinn glanced up from the mesmerizing sheen of ice in the bottom of his glass and ignored the matched shot of cold that filled his belly at the mention of a broken engagement. “That weird peace talk she facilitated?”
“Exactly. Somehow she managed to insert herself in the middle of a political nightmare and come out the victor—for her business and for the two countries involved.”
Yet again, Grey’s vast knowledge was an awesome thing to behold. “Is there anyone in New York you don’t keep tabs on?”
“Not really. No one escapes my notice.” Grey flashed a Cheshire cat grin before draining his glass.
“Well, then, it looks like I just landed a new client.”
“Be careful, Quinn. There’s no way she’s as innocent as she looks. The woman’s got some teeth.”
Quinn flashed a grin of his own—his first true smile in way too long. “Sounds like fun.”
Montana filled her coffee cup with one hand, while the other held her schedule for the day. The ever-efficient Jackson had even scheduled in small windows for coffee breaks, but—if the sleepless night she spent and the low-level headache she sported were any indication—even ten coffee breaks weren’t going to make a difference today.
Her visit with her mother had sucked her emotions dry and it was going to take a few days to right herself.
How had Eirene ended up like this? And how could her father have allowed it? He’d loved the woman. Once. Even if every drop of that was gone, he should have helped her.
Unless he didn’t know.
The edges of Montana’s stomach rolled over and she absently pressed the hand holding her schedule against the buttons of her suit jacket. The little girl inside of her wanted to believe her father had more noble motives when it came to the subject of her long-lost mother, but the practical woman had her doubts.
Serious doubts.
Couple that with the increasing discomfort she felt as she learned the ins and outs of Grant Shipping and her estimation of Black Jack Grant was sorely slipping.
Oh, Daddy. What have you done?
Montana was smart enough to know a company the size of Grant Shipping—especially one with interests across the globe—was often forced to work with countries that practiced a loosely moraled style of commerce. Hell, she’d even learned that lesson in business school. You greased a few palms here and there to get permits through. Understood certain payments to local government officials needed to be made to move something along. The world wasn’t black and white, and international commerce had more gray areas than most industries.
But none of it was an excuse to practice out-and-out criminal behavior.
And the deeper she got into things, the more she worried her father had done just that over the last forty years.
“Darlin’?”
Jackson hovered in the doorway, his brisk efficiency an immediate bolster to her lagging thoughts. Even if the rest of her life was going to hell, at least she had the world’s most amazing personal assistant to keep her on track. Upon hearing his sweet Southern drawl she couldn’t keep the ready smile from her lips. “Yep?”
“The head of Emerald Security is here to see you. Qu—”
“Quinn? Tanner?”
At her widened eyes, Jackson’s tone turned teasing. “If you mean six feet four inches of solid gorgeous, then yes, that would be Quinn Tanner.”
“He doesn’t have an appointment.”
“I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, but if you’re insistent on turning him away maybe I’ll meet
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