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Lia curved her lips in a stiff smile. “Hi, Marla.”
“What are you doing here?”
“We’re here to see Ryan Burke. Is he around?”
The receptionist’s excitement was replaced with confusion. “He’s in his office. Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but this won’t take long,” Lia promised.
“He doesn’t like to be interrupted.” Marla Walsh reached for the receiver of a nearby phone. “Let me check to see if he can squeeze you in.” She swiveled in her seat, speaking into the receiver. “Mr. Burke, Lia Porter is here to see you with . . .” She cleared her throat, shooting Kaden a quick glance. “With a friend.” She listened for a second before grimacing. “Of course. I’m sorry.” She replaced the receiver. “He doesn’t have time today.”
“Hi, Marla. I’m Kaden Vaughn.” Kaden flashed a smile, moving to stand just inches from the desk. “I hate to be a bother, but could you tell Mr. Burke that we’re here to talk about Vanna Zimmerman? I think that will change his mind.”
Marla blushed even as she tried to remain professional. “Zimmerman?”
“Yes.” He offered another smile. “Vanna Zimmerman.”
Holding Kaden’s gaze, Marla reached for the phone and pressed the intercom. “Sorry, Mr. Burke, but they said they’re here to talk about a Vanna Zimmerman.” She listened, her mouth dropping open at whatever Burke was telling her. “Okay.” She replaced the receiver. “He said he’ll give you ten minutes.” She pressed another button on her phone and there was a loud buzz from the door behind her. “The office is at the end of the hallway.”
“Thanks, Marla,” Lia murmured as they rounded the desk and headed into the narrow hall.
“No problem,” the woman called out. “Good to see you.”
Kaden closed the door and they walked forward. “He knows something or he wouldn’t have let us through,” he said.
“Yes, but I have no idea what to ask.”
Neither did Kaden. When he was confronted by the guard yesterday, he was determined to discover why Burke had hired him. The man had to be trying to hide something, right? But now that he was here, Kaden was reconsidering his approach. Manny had quite likely reported seeing him on the back road, and Burke would be prepared with his lie about keeping away reporters. He wanted to catch the man off guard.
“Tiptoeing around hasn’t worked,” he muttered.
Lia swallowed a choked laugh. “You’ve been tiptoeing?”
“For me. From now on, I intend to be more direct.”
“Why now?”
He halted as they reached the door at the end of the hall, glancing down at her curious expression.
“Because I’m afraid you might be in danger.”
Before she could respond, he pulled open the door to expose Ryan Burke’s private office.
If the rest of the plant looked worn down and in need of repairs, this space had been spared no expense. It was twice the size of most offices, with a thick white carpet and sleek black leather furnishings. The lighting was muted and the white walls plastered with numerous oil paintings that weren’t to Kaden’s taste but were obviously expensive. There was a fireplace with a black marble mantel and a long row of windows that overlooked a distant lake. The reservoir? Possibly.
“Lia.” Ryan Burke lifted himself from his chair and rounded the glossy black desk. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and gray slacks. The clothes should have made him appear professional, but instead, they emphasized the crude features and his bulky form. There was a smile on his lips, but it didn’t reach his pale blue eyes. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“This is Kaden Vaughn,” Lia said, pointing toward Kaden.
The man didn’t bother to glance in his direction. “I’m really very busy today—”
“My older brother was engaged to Vanna Zimmerman.” The silence that followed Kaden’s abrupt words was tense. As if someone had just tossed a live grenade into the center of the room. And he supposed that was exactly what he’d done.
At last, Burke turned his head to stab Kaden with a fierce glare. “Is that supposed to have some sort of meaning for me?”
“My brother was Darren Vaughn. A lawyer for the EPA in Madison. His fiancée, Vanna Zimmerman, worked as a special agent.”
“Okay.” Burke forced a strained chuckle. “They sound like a wonderful couple.”
