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reluctance.
    “You’ve been holding out on me,” Malcolm said, looking at Beck with a sly smile. He took Markie’s hand and held on to it a little too long for his liking. Why that bothered him he couldn’t say. “You’ll have to tell me about it later. I’m late for a meeting with IT. We’ll definitely meet again, Marklynn.”
    “It’s Markie and I’m sure we will.” She smiled again, another breathtaking smile.
    “Until then, Markie. Hold the elevator,” and with that Malcolm was gone, leaving them in the atrium staring at each other.
    “What can I do for you, Marklynn?”
    “It’s Markie. To begin with, you can tell me what happened to Sydney Brooks.”
    “Sydney Brooks? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Your first phone contact was five days ago. Phone records don’t lie. I think she had
information
you needed.”
    With her emphasis on the word
information
, he made the connection. Was Sydney Brooks and Victoria Kelly the same person? If not, what happened to Victoria Kelly and why was Marklynn involved?
    “Let’s go to my office.”
    •  •  •
    Markie let out a sigh of silent relief and followed Dalton Beck to the four sets of elevators that serviced the building from the main floor. At first she wasn’t sure how her plan was going to unfold.
    After she’d found the pictures yesterday, she stopped by her office, had them scanned and put on a CD, then left Sydney’s computer for Jamie to see if he could get into her email account.
    She had also spent the better part of the night, at home, online going through Beck Security Systems’ website. By the end of the night she was familiar with every page on the site and the executive team. Then she went through the file on Dalton Beck Jamie had left on her desk.
    The only connection she could find between Sydney and Dalton Beck were the pictures. Armed with them this morning, she wanted answers and was determined she would not leave Beck Security Systems without them.
    Her plan to show up unexpected and throw him off guard somehow wasn’t working. His body language was all about control. Confidence.
    She glanced sideways at the man beside her as they stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. Even though the elevator was glass enclosed, his presence seemed to dominate the small space as he had at Sydney’s apartment.
    The elevator stopped on the fourteenth floor and the doors opened with a swish. Markie followed Dalton down the hall past an office with Malcolm’s embossed nameplate affixed to the door, as well as a room which appeared to be a lounge area. They walked towards a corner office with Beck’s name on the door.
    When she entered the office it wasn’t what she expected at all. There were two steps leading up to a raised seating area by the window where two black leather sofas faced each other. A chrome and glass coffee table was nestled on a white shag rug between the sofas.
    “Have a seat,” he said without looking at her.
    The rest of the office consisted of a long table that spanned one wall. There were several computers on the table that hummed to life when he powered them on. There were stacks of what looked like data printouts placed neatly on the floor and some on several metal shelves.
    She watched him as he removed the two computer carrying cases from his shoulders and placed them and his briefcase on the table. There were no personal photos on his desk. The only pictures on the walls were that of security units and the company’s head office.
    He wasn’t the typical executive she was used to, nor was he a suit person. She could tell. Dressed in navy slacks, his white shirt was unbuttoned at the neck. His brown complexion coupled with strong features gave him an almost warrior quality.
    The scars on his neck only added to it and she found herself wondering if the scars were the result of the car accident. Jamie had briefly mentioned the accident in the file he’d prepared for