Tycoon Protector. Elle James

señor.” She backed out of the doorway and hurried away.

      “Not that I don’t trust Deke, but he is a financial adviser after all. I don’t want to put him in the position of knowing something about the market before it happens.” Jackson stared around the room at each of the individuals there. “Because of his friendship with all of us it could be considered insider trading.”

      A moment later, Deke Norton opened the door and strode in. “Did you see the news?” He walked across to the flatscreen, plasma television set hanging on the wall over the fireplace and pressed the power button.

      “Why?” Jackson hadn’t had time to watch the news between running his corporation, spending two hours at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and then heading out to the Diamondback Ranch to meet with the Aggie Four. Who had time to watch the news when your world was crumbling around you?

      “You’ll want to see this.” Deke nodded toward the screen.

      A local Houston news anchor blinked into focus. “Late breaking news.” He glanced down at a sheet of paper in his hand. “Houston shipping mogul and former most eligible Texas bachelor, Jackson Champion, was taken into custody today as a possible suspect in the murder of a forklift driver last night at the Port of Houston.”

      “Damn.” Jackson slapped his Stetson against his knee.

      “Shh!” Deke turned up the volume. “It gets worse.”

      “Preliminary investigations indicate that he may have shot the man to silence him after the forklift driver discovered a smuggled shipment of detonators coming off a Champion Shipping cargo ship. Houston police detectives, the sheriff’s office and Homeland Security are scrambling to find out just how bad the threat is.” The reporter stared into the camera. “The shipping giant who already owns half of Houston, is under FBI, Houston P.D. and Homeland Security scrutiny.”

      Akeem shook his fist at the screen. “Where did they get that crap?”

      “Here we go again,” Flint punched the Power button, switching the television off. “The press making a mockery out of our judicial system. Since when were they elected judge, jury and executioner? Makes you sound guilty without all the evidence.”

      “How did they get that information?” Akeem asked. “It’s not public knowledge, is it?”

      “Only an insider in the investigation would have that information to peddle.” Once again Jackson’s gaze shot to Ysabel.

      She opened her mouth to tell him she’d ask her cousin José, who worked at that particular television station, to get with her cousin at the sheriff’s department to find out who the anchor’s source was. A glance at Deke made her close her lips and rethink her words. “I’ll get on it.”

      “Let me guess…” Akeem shook his head, smiling. “Another cousin?”

      Flint asked, “How many cousins do you have, Ysabel?”

      She stood, digging her cell phone out of her purse. “Too many to count.” Most of her family and extended family lived in the Houston area. She’d hate to leave them to start over by herself.

      Once outside Flint’s office, Ysabel breathed a sigh of relief. Torn between wanting to know what was going on and wanting to be as far away from Jackson as possible, she felt as though her insides were tied in knots. She worked her way back to the kitchen where Lucinda was preparing a light snack for the men.

      Lucinda handed her dry saltines. “Take these. They will help settle your stomach.”

      “Why do you think I need them?”