Elena awoke to find herself alone in her room. Judging from the position of the sun, she guessed it was almost noon. She probably hadn't had more than four hours of sleep, but it seemed to be sufficient. She felt rested and the frazzled feeling was definitely gone.
She forced herself to focus on the chain of events during the morning. She told Damon she was in love with him.
Now what was going to happen between them?
She tossed the covers aside and padded into the bathroom for a shower. Damon hadn't made a single promise to her since the first time they had slept together. In fact, he hadn't once brought up the subject of what might happen once they finished this undercover stuff. For her part, she had deliberately avoided the issue, not wanting to look too pushy or needy. Now she had taken the first step and told him she was in love with him. Which meant the next move was him.
Elena finished her shower and put on her jeans and a fresh T-shirt. She was busy securing her hair into a no-nonsense twist when Damon materialized in the doorway.
As usual there had been no sound of the door opening, no footsteps to warn her, no knock. The door was simply closed one instant and the next he was in the room with her. Damon was obviously back to normal.
Elena met his eyes in the dressing table mirror and her hands stilled on top of her head. As memories of her early morning aggression returned she determinedly fought down the blush that threatened to turn her face a vivid pink.
"Are you cooking something? It smells good." She kept her voice bright and chatty and hurried to finish pinning her hair in place.
"I made us some lunch. Toasted cheese sandwiches and salad." He walked over to stand behind her, his eyes never leaving hers in the mirror.
It was Elena who looked away first, pretending to be searching for a hairpin. "Toasted cheese sandwiches sound good."
"I can make you something else if you prefer."
"You don't have to."
Damon leaned over and dropped a lingering kiss on the exposed nape of her neck. Elena shivered and her eyes flew back to meet his in the mirror.
"Shall we go down now?" Damon straightened, apparently satisfied with the tell-tale shiver he had induced in her. "I bet you must be starving."
"Thanks for the lunch."
He gave her a slow, sexy, intimate smile that raised the hairs on the back of her neck in an exciting way.
"Any time," he said.
She followed Damon to the kitchen and picked up the coffeepot. "Coffee. Good. I could use a cup."
He watched her carry the mug around to the other side of the counter and perch on one of the stools. He picked up the plates with the toasted sandwiches on them and carried them to the counter.
She picked up one of the sandwiches and took a large bite. "The mustard was a stroke of genius. Where did you learn to make these?"
Damon walked around the corner to sit down beside her. "My mother used to make them when I was a kid. My brother and I love them."
She took another bite of the sandwiches. "They are delicious. You can make them for me anytime."
He smiled as he watched her eat the sandwich. "It is a deal."
His phone rang just as they finished the last of the sandwiches. Damon took the call. Elena listened closely and understood that he was not happy with the news he was getting.
He finished speaking and ended the connection.
"That was Enzo. He spoke to the detective who was assigned to investigate the cat burglar last night."
"I gathered that much." She brushed crumbs from her fingers.
"The name of the guy we caught at the scene is Jason Gibbs. His lawyer got him out on bail about half an hour after they booked him. This morning he was found dead in his trailer. Overdose."
Her mouth went dry. "Oh, my God."
"He lived in a park about fifty miles from Gilbert & Company." Damon rested his forearms on the counter. "Apparently he was so happy about getting out of jail that he went straight home and shot himself full of some extra strong junk."
She watched his face. "You are thinking that is rather a convenient conclusion, aren't you?"
"I'm thinking it sounds like Maxfield's partner from start to finish. Whoever he is, knows I was going to search the lab last night. He used Jason Gibbs to poison me. Jason was the waiter who gave me the cocktail."
Elena's brows came together. "How are you feeling? Any sign of a hangover?"
"No. The Jewels seems to be gone from my system."
"How did you know it was The Jewels?"
Shadow moved in his eyes. "I had seen the effects of The Jewels on some teenagers. You only need a tiny dose to create all the symptoms of drunkenness and inhibition."
"What if someone has taken an overdose of The Jewels?" she asked.
"There aren't a lot of reported cases of overdose," Damon said. "The Jewels is damn expensive. It isn't easy to get a large supply in the underground clubs."
"But if Wes Maxfield's partner is using Jason Gibbs to do the dirty job, then Jason could easily have access to the drug."
"Good point," he conceded. "Congratulations. You really have the talent to be a private investigator."
Elena rolled her eyes. "Be serious, Damon."
He smiled slightly before his expression turned serious again. "If you are right, then someone probably has injected a large dose of The Jewels into Jason Gibbs."
"I have checked on the internet about The Jewels. It can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias if someone has taken an overdose."
"That was how Jason Gibbs died." Damon absorbed that information.
Elena thought about it. "Do you think my father had an overdose of the drug?"
"It is possible," he said. "I'm seriously doubt that we are able to prove murder in any event, even if we exhumed the body."
"Because The Jewels probably wouldn't' show up in a toxicology report?"
"Right. Those scans are very limited." He paused. "And don't you forget that your father was cremated."
"Another dead end," she whispered.
"Technically, it is not a dead end."
"What do you mean?"
"At least I'm fairly certain now that Maxfield's partner is getting nervous now."
"I don't think I understand."
"He is fearful that the investigation is closing in on him. He wants to get rid of me."
"My goodness." She absorbed that information. "But why didn't Jason Gibbs kill you last night? Why did he poison you?"
"I think whoever behind this wants to find out how much I know about this whole thing," he said. "I will talk to Enzo again and see whether I can find out more about Jason Gibbs and his connection to Maxfield."
"Right," she said. "I can check with the security to find out how did he get inside the company."
A short silence fell between them.
"It was amazing you could still function last night, let alone handle Jason Gibbs. You were on the point of collapse," she said after a while.
"You got me out of there. Thanks, Elena."
She frowned. The last thing she wanted was his gratitude. She set her back teeth. "So, you owe me, right?"
He nodded seriously. "Right."
"Oh, goody. I can't wait to collect."
He surprised her with a fleeting expression of mischief. "I thought you already did. Bright and early this morning."
Elena felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She tried to brazen her way through the embarrassing little scene with a deliberately lofty smile. "I will admit you make a very interesting sex slave."
He chuckled. "Thank you. My only goal is to please."
"Please. I'm blushing."
"And you blush in all the best places."
His hands closed around her shoulders and he hauled her lightly to her feet. Her heart skipped a beat. He pulled her closer. Then he slanted his mouth over hers, taking his time with this kiss.
"You know, Elena," he said, when his mouth broke away from hers. "When this is over we really are going to have to talk about our relationship."
He vanished into the hallway before she could recover from the shock.
x x x
Later in the afternoon Elena sat with Isobel at one of the terrace tables outside the café at Gilbert & Company.
"I have heard about the burglar who sneaked into the lab yesterday," Isobel said. "What a horrible thing that must have been for you, coming across the crime scene the way you did. How is Damon? I heard he has injured himself."
Another lie, Elena thought.
"Just a sprained ankle," she murmured.
"I'm surprised that someone could sneak into the lab," Isobel said as she picked up her cup of coffee. "Our PR department runs routine employment background checks. Granted, they are fairly superficial but I'm sure the PR department would have picked up on a conviction and prison time."
"The R&D Lab is probably one of the most secured areas in the entire company," Elena said thoughtfully.
"You need to know the security codes to get into the lab."
"Who is responsible in giving out the security codes?" Elena asked, curious.
"Dick Peterson," Isobel said. "He has been head of security here at the company for as far as I know."
"I would like to talk to him."
Dick Peterson was in his mid-fifties, tall and stocky.
"Only the staffs working in the R&D Lab will have access to the security codes," Dick explained. "Of course, some of the staffs from the senior managerial level will have access."
"Can I have the list of all the member of the staff who have access to the R&D Lab?" Elena asked.
"Sure," Dick said. "I will get them for you."
"What are you looking for, Elena?" Isobel asked her.
"I don't know yet but I just want to be absolutely certain."
"What is it you want to verify?"
Dick returned with a list of the staff who had access to the R&D Lab before Elena could answer. "Only two new staffs were given access to the lab in the recent weeks. You are one of them, Miss Gilbert."
"The other will be Damon," Elena said.
"Yes."
"Do you know everyone on the list?" Elena asked Dick.
"Yes, I know everybody. I have been head of security here for almost twenty years."
It took them half an hour to go through the list of people who had access to the R&D Lab. As promised, Dick recognised them all.
"It is amazing how the R&D Lab has grown in recent years," Elena said.
"Your father was really into research of new drugs," Isobel explained. "About forty percent of the total operating budget of the company has been coming from the R&D Lab in the last five years."
Elena's brow raised. "This is unbelievable. I thought our income is coming from the sales of medications."
"About fifty percent of the income is from sales. Another ten percent appears to come from a mix of grants from some nutritional supplement manufacturers and research foundations from the university."
"Who is paying that kind of money to the R&D Lab?"
Isobel raised one shoulder in a mild shrug. "Your father was very good in promoting the business. Maybe he had managed to persuade some potential investors to spend some cash of the R&D Lab."
Elena shook her head. "No sane. I have worked in the medical field. I know how tough it is to get a grant to run a research study. We are talking billions here."
Isobel frowned. "Do you think there is something strange going on with the funding here?"
"Yes." Elena looked grim. "Can you find out more about the funding?"
"Sure," Isobel answered quickly. "I will ask Tom who is the head of the accountant to follow the money trail."
Elena looked at Dick. "Do you have the list of the people who attended the launch party yesterday?"
"Sure. All visitors have to sign in and sign out," Dick explained. "This is the rule we have been sticking with for a very long time."
"What about those caterers?" Elena asked.
"The PR department normally sends us a list of the number of people from the caterers." Dick checked his computer and pointed to the screen. "According to the list, there would be twenty-five people from the caterers helping with the drinks and food. There were about a hundred of guess yesterday including the reporters."
"Send me all those names," Elena said. "I also want a list of our staff members who were there in the launch party yesterday."
"No problem," Dick said.
Elena flashed him an approving smile and left the security office with Isobel.
The interior of the Gilbert & Company was a maze of white hallways and stairwells that connected multiple floors of offices and labs. The security office was located on the main entrance of the building.
Ahead in the hallway, Elena saw John and Meredith walking towards the direction of the R&D Lab.
"John and Meredith do make a striking item." Elena said.
Isobel's mouth fell open. "No kidding? John is sleeping with Meredith?"
Elena raised her brows. "You haven't heard?"
Isobel shook her head. "Never had a clue. A number of betting pools has been formed to pick the name of the lucky man Meredith Fell would deign to date first since she started working here but I have a feeling that Meredith would keep everyone guessing for a while."
"How long has Meredith worked for Gilbert & Company?" Elena asked.
"Her brother, Logan Fell is one of the board of directors," Isobel said. "He recommended her to your father a few years ago. I heard that her résumé has a number of glowing degrees and achievements in the field of pharmacology. Your father was impressed."
"I assume Meredith has a lot to do with attracting the large amount of funding into the R&D Lab?"
"Yes, according to your father, Meredith is brilliant," Isobel said. "The R&D Lab expanded its size within a few months after Meredith joined the company."
There was short silence before Isobel continued.
"I guess John and Meredith do make a perfect team," she said.
Elena's brows rose. "Don't tell me there is a rule against fraternizing with the staff members in the company."
"No, no," Isobel said. "I just have a feeling that John doesn't come across as the type of man for Meredith."
Damon's words came back to her…
I think they don't want anyone to know about their relationship.
Meredith is a smart and beautiful woman. Why would she stick with John when she could have other better choices?
It strikes me that Meredith Fell is not that kind of woman who would stick devotedly by a man she doesn't find useful.
Elena narrowed her eyes. "I take it you find Meredith is an ambitious woman."
"Well, yeah." Isobel thought about it. "John is sort of a science geek. Not the ambitious type."
Elena pondered that. "Workplace relationship can be unpredictable."
"You are right. Things can get complicated."
Elena arched her brows. "That's why you and my father didn't take the relationship a step further?"
Isobel reddened. "Your father was my boss."
"But you like him a lot," Elena chided. "I can see the tenderness in your eyes every time you talk about my father."
Isobel blinked. "Am I that obvious?"
"You have fallen for my father, haven't you?"
There was a brief pause.
"Yes," Isobel finally admitted. "I was attracted to your father the moment I met him."
Elena nodded. "I got that impression."
Isobel sighed. "Your father gave me some talk about his no-relationship policy."
Elena snorted. "Lame commitment excuses."
"No, I don't think so," Isobel continued. "I think your father had never gotten over your mother, Elena."
"Give me a break," Elena scowled. "He had affairs with dozens of women after he divorced my mother. If he really cared about her, he should have gone after her again."
"Maybe he was afraid."
"Afraid?"
"Afraid that your mother would reject him."
There was another silence.
"Well, I better leave you to your work," Isobel said eventually. "I will contact Tom from the accounts department to follow up on the funding."
Elena watched her go and wondered if things would be different if Grayson and Isobel were seeing each other.
Workplace romances were so highly volatile, she reflected, letting herself into her office. They were unpredictable, destabilizing and potentially painful. And she had seen some examples of workplace romances in the hospital. Some worked but some turned out to be disasters.
She thought about the problem of workplace romances for a while. They were always high-risk affairs. People got hurt. People got mad.
Some people went looking for revenge.
Thank you for the support and wonderful reviews so far. I hope my readers will enjoy this chapter. I know my writing isn't good but because of your support, I promise I will keep on writing Delena stories:) Once again, thank you so much! Remember to check out on those amazing writers I have mentioned previously - scarlett2112, Salvatoreboys4ever, delenadreams, Rachel3003, VitsAsh etc. There is a new writer elelooch - her story "Coincidences" is pretty good too.