One Month with the Magnate by Michelle Celmer Page A

that it was sabotage.”
    Thankfully the explosion had occurred while that section was in maintenance mode, and less than half the men who usually worked that shift were on the line. Only a dozen were hurt. But one injured man was too many as far as Emilio was concerned. Between lawsuits and OSHA fines, financially they would take a hit. Even worse was the mark on their good name. Until now they’d had a flawless safety record. Cassandra Benson, Western Oil’s public relations director, had been working feverishly to put a positive spin on the situation. But their direct competitor, Birch Energy, owned by Walter Birch, had already taken advantage of the situation. Within days of the incident they released a flood of television ads, and though they didn’t directly target Western Oil, the implication was clear— Birch was safe and valued their employees. Western Oil was a death trap.
    Western Oil was firing back with ads boasting their innovative techniques and new alternative, environmentally friendly practices.
    â€œI don’t suppose you’ll tell me how the investigation is going,” Jordan said.
    Adam and Nathan exchanged a look. When they agreed to launch a private investigation, it was decided that Jordan wouldn’t be involved. As Chief Operations Officer he was the one closest to the workers in the refinery. They trusted him, so he needed a certain degree of deniability. A fact Jordan was clearly not happy about.
    They had promised to keep him in the loop, butprivately Adam had confided in Emilio that he worried Jordan wouldn’t be impartial. That he might ignore key evidence out of loyalty to the workers.
    Jordan would be downright furious to know that two of the new men hired to take the place of injured workers were in reality undercover investigators. But the real thorn in Jordan’s side was that Nathan was placed in charge of the investigation. That, on top of the competition for the CEO position, had thrust their occasional sibling rivalry into overdrive. Which didn’t bode well for either of them. And though Emilio considered both men his friends, there had been tension since Adam announced his intention to retire.
    â€œAll I can say is that it’s going slowly,” Nathan told Jordan. “How is morale?”
    â€œTom Butler, my foreman, says the men are nervous. They know the line was thoroughly checked before the accident. Rumor is someone in the refinery is to blame for the explosion. They’re not sure who to trust.”
    â€œA little suspicion could work to our advantage,” Nathan said. “If the men are paying attention to one another, another act of sabotage won’t be so easy.”
    Jordan glared at his older sibling. “Yeah, genius. Or the men will be so busy watching their coworkers they won’t be paying attention to their own duties and it could cause an accident. A real one this time.”
    Emilio stifled a smile. Normally Jordan was the most even-tempered of the four, but this situation was turning him into a bona fide hothead.
    â€œDoes anyone have anything constructive to add?” Adam asked, looking over at Emilio.
    â€œYeah, Emilio,” Jordan said. “You’ve been awfully quiet. What’s your take on this?”
    Emilio turned from the window. “You feel betrayed,Jordan. I get that. But we will get to the bottom of this. It’s just going to take some time.”
    After several more minutes of heated debate between Nathan and Jordan that ultimately got them nowhere, Adam ended the meeting and Emilio headed out for the day. He let himself in the house at six-thirty, expecting to find Izzie in the kitchen making what he hoped would be an edible meal. She’d taken his advice to heart and was trying out simpler recipes. The last two nights, dinner hadn’t been gourmet by any stretch of the imagination. To call it appetizing had been an even wider stretch, but he’d choked it