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He took the gesture in kind, keeping his smile broad and even, as if he was enjoying the feminine attention. As covers went, playing the roguish playboy rarely went wrong.
And it had the added benefit of an easy dismissal when confronting a calculating woman.
Go ahead, Micheline. Assume all you want that I’m no threat.
Nikolas was careful to keep his gaze bland, adding one last leering grin for Leigh before she turned him over to the AAG founder.
“I understand you made an appointment to see me, Mr. Slater. Something about a case.”
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
“What would you like to discuss?”
“I’d prefer to discuss my business in your office.”
If she still thought him a clueless playboy, the press for privacy noticeably had her reconsidering. She wasn’t shy about giving him the once-over, her gaze hard, before a warm smile was back in place as she nodded her head. Without any further comment for him, she turned to Leigh. “Mr. Slater and I will be in my office. Please see that we’re not disturbed.”
Hurdle one cleared.
Nikolas followed Micheline to her office, glancing at more of the silly posters on the walls. Micheline seated herself behind a large desk, her crossed legs visible beneath. She was an attractive older woman, with a strong bearing about her. As he stared at her, taking in both her facial features as well as her overall body language and position, Nikolas couldn’t help but wonder if this was Nova’s grandmother.
Nova was much smaller, her petite frame more of a match to the photos he’d seen online of her mother instead of what he knew of Ace Colton. But that didn’t mean there weren’t other resemblances.
Their eyes appeared to be the same shape. And there was something in the shape of Micheline’s face that suggested a similarity to Nova’s. It wasn’t a complete stretch to see a resemblance. In fact, once she began talking and he observed the movements of her hands and the set of her shoulders, it wasn’t a big stretch at all.
She reached below her desk and he heard the distinct open and close of a small fridge. “May I offer you a water, Mr. Slater?”
“Thank you.” He nodded, inordinately pleased when she pulled a bottle out for herself, as well.
After handing it over, she started in. “I must be honest, this is something of a surprise. I’m rarely visited by private investigators.” Her smile remained serene but there was nothing but flinty resolve in the set of her shoulders and the hard granite of her gaze.
“I realize my visit might be a bit of a surprise. But I was hoping to talk with you about Ace Colton.”
The granite never wavered, nor did the semi-smile that hovered about her lips. The only clue he had that she’d even responded to the name of Colton was the subtle tightening of her fingers against each other, where she had them clasped in front of her on her desk.
Point Slater.
“Another curiosity seeker, are you, Mr. Slater?”
“Excuse me?”
“I think you’re well aware of my meaning. The Coltons have been harassing me for the better part of six months, convinced I’ve got something to do with what’s happened to their oldest son.”
“Don’t you?”
“How or why would a humble businesswoman like me have anything to do with a powerful family like the Coltons?”
“A lot of people feel differently on the matter.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re right.”
Point Anderson.
“There are rumors that you worked at Mustang Valley General during the time Ace Colton was born.”
Once again, she remained completely calm, her demeanor showing no sign of faltering. Nor did she make any move to open the bottle of water. “It’s hardly a rumor. I was a caregiver before opening my center. I make no secret of that.”
“Under a different name.”
