Then there was Uncle Willis. Jed's personal verdict on him was still out-to be determined on better acquaintance. He didn't actually like or dislike the man, although Uncle Willis's superior attitude-similar to, but much more annoying than Grace's-grated on Jed's nerves.

As Domingo and Kate entered the conference room, Jed met them just inside the door. "Did you have a good flight?" Jed asked, making idle chitchat, alerting the agents that the group assembled might not be a hundred percent trustworthy. Jed had no real reason to distrust any of them, including Elsa, who stood on the other side of the open door. Grace had already shared much too much with these people. Yeah, but they're people she trusts, no matter what you think of them, Jed reminded himself.

"Yes, the flight was fine," Kate replied as she glanced past Jed and studied the group congregated around the table.

Jed didn't know Kate all that well; they'd never shared an assignment. She was damn good-looking. Blond, brown-eyed, with a nice body and a pair of great boobs. He'd thought about asking her out, but had never gotten around to it. When she'd first come to work at Dundee 's, he'd been seeing someone on a fairly regular basis and since his breakup with his last lady friend, he'd been playing the field. Something told him that Kate Malone was the serious type, who definitely didn't put out on a first date.

"Have y'all checked into the hotel yet?" Jed asked.

"We went by there first and left our luggage," Dom said. "Are you tied up here-" Dom glanced around the room "-or are you free for a few minutes?"

"Grace… everybody…" Jed plastered his best good-old-boy smile on his face. "This is Domingo Shea and Kate Malone, two of Dundee 's finest. They're here to help me with the investigation." No need to mention to anyone that Rafe Devlin and J.J. Blair were already working undercover. Even Grace didn't need to know that particular fact. At least not yet.

Willis eyed Dom seriously, as if studying a specimen under a microscope. And Joy scrutinized him just as thoroughly, but with a romantic twinkle in her eyes. He'd seen women look at Dom that way plenty of times. The guy possessed the kind of Latin lover looks that appealed to most women.

"Grace, if you'll excuse us, we'll head for my office so we can go over a few things," Jed said. "Y'all enjoy the rest of your lunch."

Before he made it outside the door, Grace called to him, "Don't you think I should take part in any discussions you have with your fellow agents?"

Jed halted. "Sure thing." Just as long as you don't invite the masses to join in, he added silently. Grace was too trusting. And despite the exterior sophistication and her business acumen, he suspected that, at heart, she was a still a naive girl.

Willis Sullivan cleared his throat loudly. "I'm Grace's attorney. Perhaps I should-"

"That won't be necessary, Uncle Willis," Grace said.

Hudson gripped the back of Grace's chair with white-knuckled tension. "If you'd like, I can-"

"No." Grace rose from her seat, patted Hudson 's clutched fists curled around the chair and bestowed her most charming smile on her devotees. "I love each of you for being concerned, but from here on out, I don't want any of you involved. Things could get very dangerous and I couldn't bear it if any one of you was harmed because of me."

"Grace, sweetie, I wish you wouldn't…" Joy let her sentence trail off into oblivion when Grace gave her a disapproving stare.

"I have Jed to depend on now," Grace told them. "Y'all stay out of this, stay uninvolved, and let Jed do his job. He'll protect me… if it comes to that."

When Jed put his arm protectively around Grace's shoulders, she allowed him to escort her from the conference room, down the hall and into his office. Dom and Kate followed them, came inside and closed the door behind them.

"Just how many people are aware of what's going on?" Kate asked, her gaze moving from Jed to Grace.

"Too many," Jed said.

"Four people." Grace frowned. "Four people I trust implicitly. My cousin, who has been my best friend since we were children. My father's friend and attorney, who is like an uncle to me. The senior vice-president of Sheffield Media, Inc., a man who… well, who's probably in love with me. And my assistant of three years, who is loyal and trustworthy."

"Kate didn't mean to upset you, Ms. Beaumont." Dom flashed her his irresistible smile. "But the more people who know, the better the chances that something will leak out and-"

"Are you implying that Joy or Hudson or Uncle Willis or Elsa would betray me?" Grace asked indignantly.

"Not willingly betray you, but perhaps unintentionally." Kate unzipped her briefcase, removed a computer CD and handed it to Jed. "Here's the information you asked for." She glanced at Grace. "You might want to look at it later."

Jed laid the CD beside his laptop. "Thanks, I'll do that."

"What information?" Grace eyed the CD. "I hired Dundee 's. I'm paying your salaries. But I get the feeling you're keeping me in the dark about something. Just what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on," Jed assured her, hating himself for lying to her. But he couldn't tell Grace about the FBI's involvement. It wasn't that he didn't trust her-he simply didn't know her. Not really. They'd met thirty-six hours ago, certainly not long enough to trust her completely. Besides, the Feds wouldn't look kindly on him sharing confidences with anyone outside the circle of Dundee agents involved in the case.

Jed clamped his hand onto Grace's slender shoulder. "Let us do our job. And that job is to find the information you need and to keep you safe."

Grace stiffened her spine, squared her shoulders and glowered at him, then glanced pointedly at his hand still clutching her. He removed his hand.

"All right," Grace said, and he could tell she was reluctant to agree. "I'll leave y'all alone and get back to the business of running Sheffield Media." Without further ado, she nodded to Kate and Dom, then marched out of the room.

"Whew…" Kate's expressive brown eyes spoke plainer than any words.

"What's going on with you and Ms. Beaumont?" Dom asked.

"I don't know what you mean, there's-"

"Cut the crap," Dom said. "There was so much tension between the two of you, I could cut it with a knife."

Jed shrugged. "I rub her the wrong way, that's all."

Dom grinned. "And you'd like for her to rub you the right way, huh?"

Kate cleared her throat.

Both men winced, then looked at her sheepishly.

"Sorry," Dom said.

"Yeah, sometimes we forget you're a woman." Jed said.

"Now, I wouldn't go that far." Dom winked at Kate.

Kate rolled her eyes upward and shook her head. "There's not ten cents worth of difference between boys and men." She sighed. "Okay, Jed, you take a look at the info we brought while Dom and I set up shop. Who do we ask about getting another desk and a couple of comfortable chairs moved in here?"

"Elsa Leone, Grace's assistant."

As if the mention of her name conjured up the lady, Elsa called from the other side of the closed door, "Mr. Tyree, please come quickly. Grace just received that phone call she's been expecting."

Instantly Dom's and Kate's gazes locked with Jed's; then Jed swung open the door and broke into a full run.

Elsa caught up with him just as he reached the door to Grace's office. She grabbed his arm and pointed to the portable phone he'd ordered she use to answer incoming calls today. He nodded understanding, then picked up the phone and placed it to his ear before entering Grace's office.

"Do you have the five million?" the disguised voice asked.

Grace glanced up when she saw Jed entering her office. He nodded. It had been arranged for them to pick the money from her bank later today, after Dom and Kate arrived. He wanted backup when they transported that kind of cash. "Yes," she replied. "I have it."