The Billionaire Renegade. Catherine Mann
for his brother’s company, while maintaining an investment business of his own.
Windows along the length of the corridor overlooked the frozen harbor. The other wall was lined with framed artistic photographs of the Alaskan countryside. This building had been the Steele offices, and since the merger, it was the primary headquarters. The Mikkelson tower was still open and filled to capacity, and the styles of the two offices had begun to merge. The chrome decor of the Steele building now sported some metal-tipped teak pieces.
Conrad opened the conference room door. The lengthy table was already more than halfway full. At the head, his brother, Jack sat, beside his new wife, Jeannie Mikkelson-Steele, whose influence extended well beyond changes to the furniture.
Jack leaned back in his seat, waving his brother into the room. “We’re just waiting for Naomi to arrive. How did things go at the hospital?”
Conrad rolled a chair away from the table and placed his briefcase on the sleek, polished wood. “The kids were grateful for the books and the story time.”
Jack smiled slowly. “I was talking about the meeting with Felicity Hunt, her boss and the hospital’s PR director.”
Taking his seat, Conrad used the excuse of pulling out paperwork to delay answering the question. The last thing he needed was an overeager family spooking Felicity.
From his briefcase, he pulled an extra copy of the children’s book he’d read at the hospital. He passed the paperback to Glenna Mikkelson-Steele—Jeannie’s oldest daughter. “I brought this for Fleur.”
To everyone’s surprise, Glenna had married Jack’s oldest son, who many had thought would assume the family helm. But Broderick had held firm to his position of splitting the CFO duties with his wife so they could focus on their growing family. Everyone in the family was stretched thin, and the acting CEO had moved to North Dakota for a less taxing position so he could spend more time with his wife and start a family.
The board was in final talks trying to lure Ward Benally from the competition. Landing him would be a coup. He worked for a rival company and was a respected—and feared—leader in the oil industry. Benally was also a tough negotiator—which made hammering out a contract a challenge, but it would be a boon if they pulled it off.
Conrad was doing his best to help his family through the transition of the merger. He slid another copy to the far end of the table where Trystan Mikkelson—black sheep of the family—sat with his very pregnant wife. The company’s PR consultant, Isabeau Mikkelson, rested one hand on her very pregnant stomach and her other hand on her service dog’s head. The Labrador retriever assisted in alerting to Isabeau’s diabetes, especially important with a baby on the way.
Jack snagged an extra copy from his brother’s briefcase, fanning through the pages. “And your meeting?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Conrad evaded while pulling his tablet from his briefcase. “I attended. We discussed data and look forward to having Isabeau at the next meeting.”
“And Felicity was okay with being the point person with you when Isabeau’s unavailable?” Jack pressed.
Couldn’t his brother have brought this up away from all these prying eyes? “She’s professional. And this is business.”
Jack grinned. “Would you have volunteered for the charity board if she wasn’t involved?”
Conrad snapped his case shut. “I’ve always been loyal to the family.” That went without saying. Although it was best to go ahead and address the elephant in the room. “I’m not denying I want to spend more time with her. It’s nice how life lines up sometimes.”
Saving him from further questions, Naomi Steele-Miller pushed open the door. His niece had faced death as a teen and many had thought she wouldn’t survive cancer. Conrad hadn’t been sure how his brother would make it through losing another child after Breanna. Thank God, that hadn’t happened.
And as it turned out, he hadn’t lost Breanna either.
Standing, Conrad pulled out a chair for his niece. Brea and Naomi had looked so much alike as children. How was it that they’d all missed any resemblance when Breanna, posing as Milla Jones, had taken a job as a receptionist? Of course, her hair had been bleached blond. Could they have all been thrown off by something that simple?
Although Brea and Naomi were fraternal twins, not identical.
Naomi pulled her chair into place. “Thank you for being patient. Sorry I’m late. It took longer to settle the girls than I expected.”
Conrad snagged another copy of the children’s book and passed it to his niece. An attorney for Alaska Oil Barons Inc., she had only just started coming to work without her twin daughters in a double stroller. She and her husband worked from home as much as possible. Her husband, Royce, was a research scientist for the corporation.
Jack took a swallow from his water glass before starting. “No need to apologize, Naomi. Everyone else only just arrived.”
Everyone?
Strangely, there were no other board members there—or rather, no one who wasn’t a family member. Could this meeting have a different agenda?
Jack cupped the glass, his jaw tight. “Shana called with an update into the investigation.”
Conrad straightened in his seat. Shana and Chuck Mikkelson were taking a train ride to North Dakota to house hunt for their upcoming move. Chuck was taking a job heading up offices at that end of the pipeline. For her to call, it must have been important. All eyes were trained on Jack.
“Milla Jones—Brea—has made contact through an attorney. She’s willing to talk as long as there’s legal representation present.”
Conrad couldn’t miss the toll this was taking on his older brother. Stark lines fanned from his eyes, dark circles underneath.
Jack shook his head, scraping his hand through his hair. “She’s our Brea, but she wants lawyers to be involved in the reunion? It’s so surreal.”
Jeannie rested a hand on her husband’s arm. “She’s been gone a long time. There’s no telling what she’s been through. Let’s focus on the fact she’s reached out.”
Broderick snorted in disgust. “Because she got word we were closing in on her.”
“That’s rather cynical,” Jack said.
“I’m just setting realistic expectations, Dad. No matter who she is, we can’t forget she was leaking corporate secrets before she ran away without a word to any of us.”
Jack pushed his water glass away. “No matter what happened when she came here as Milla Jones, she is our Breanna. Nothing is more important than that.”
Nods made their way around the table, some more reluctant than others.
Jeannie rolled her chair back. “Let’s break for a few, get our heads in the game again, then reconvene to discuss the latest round of contract negotiations with Ward Benally.”
A wise suggestion to take a breather, given the tension pulsing from both the Steeles and the Mikkelsons. There’d been recent allegations made that someone in the Mikkelson family could have been involved in Brea’s disappearance. It seemed inconceivable, but then so did the possibility that Brea could truly be alive.
These days, anything was possible.
Conrad tossed his tablet into his briefcase. Since he’d weighed in with his written feedback, Conrad took the opportunity to step out of this portion of the meeting.
Once back in the corridor, he turned on his cell and it immediately buzzed with missed calls and texts.
And right at the top of the list of those who’d phoned?
Felicity Hunt.
Felicity tried not to stare at her phone on her kitchen counter.
Calling