Page 23 of The Tycoon

“Not.Thanks.”

He turned to Ava.“Would you get us some coffee, please?”

“Of course.I’ll be right back.”She turned and headed for the kitchen

“Let’s sit.”He settled on the sofa.

She sat on the other end and noticed an enormous TV screen on the wall across from them.“Watch a lot of TV, do you?”

He shrugged.“Football when the Broncos play and I can get them, sometimes a movie.Most of the time I work.”He jutted his chin toward the desk.“I’m glad you’re along, so I don’t have to.”

“I did bring a novel if you need to work.”

“I’d rather not.”

Ava returned with their coffees on a tray, which she set on the table between Regan and Cole.

On the tray were the cups of coffee plus milk, sugar and a variety of sweeteners, including French vanilla flavored creamer.

Regan reached for the creamer.She never could resist that particular flavor.

Ava looked at Cole.“Will there be anything else?”

He turned his gaze to her.“No, that’s all.Thank you.”

“Of course.”She headed for the jump seat in the area to the side of the cockpit door.From the cover, it looked like a historical romance novel.

Regan looked over at the TV again.“I didn’t picture you for a football kind of guy.”

“And what do you picture me as?Basketball?Baseball?”

“Actually, I don’t see you as anyone who is interested in sports.Of course, I don’t see you growing up on a ranch, either.”

He shrugged.“Well, I did.When my grandmother passed, we found out she’d had set up a trust for us.Each of us kids received about one-hundred-thousand dollars.We took that money and made a whole lot more by combining it and investing it in Nick’s idea for video games.They took off worldwide and made us billionaires.We got extremely lucky that the games and accessories are well-liked.”

“What do each of you do for the games?”She took a sip of her coffee and then set the cup on the coffee table before sitting back against the couch.The leather was butter soft and white.She wondered how easy it would clean up if children were on board.Children?Where the heck did that thought come from?I’ve only known him for a couple of days.

“Well, Nick, Megan, and I designed the games, Peter does the initial artwork and then oversees the digitizing.Adam runs the company, and Ray does all the character backgrounds and narrative.It’s definitely a family affair.”

“But you’re into oil now.How did that come about?”

“I took the first hundred million I made from the games and invested in a few oil wells in the United States and abroad.They came in.Now, I’ve got platforms in the Gulf and the North Sea, as well as oil fields around the world.”

“But it’s the platforms that are making you a target because of the accident, is that correct?”

“Yes.I try hard to protect the environment as much as possible.An accident like the one that happened on Platform Six is devastating.Not for the oil that was lost, but the sea life that was destroyed and the habitat that was so damaged that it will take years to recover.That’s what bothers me and why I need to get to the bottom of this so it doesn’t happen again.”

She lifted her hand and gestured toward him as she narrowed her gaze.“You make it sound like you don’t believe it was an accident.”

He clenched his teeth and huffed out a breath.“I don’t.That site had just gone through an extensive update of all systems.Nothing like what happened should have been possible.Someone sabotaged the equipment.Someone who knew what they were doing, and since no one has left the site since the incident, the saboteur is still on board.”

“This little trip will put a giant target on your back.”

He nodded.“I suspect you’ll be earning your money.”

She let out a long breath and leaned back against the sofa.“I think you’re right.”