Page 2 of The Millionaire's Mechanic

Clearly, Georgia wasn’t going to get in to see Rainer Torsten today.

Why did I think coming here in person was a good idea?She should have emailed the recording. That would have been the smarter play.

Or maybe not. What made her think they would take an email seriously? They wouldn’t even open it. It would be just another bizarre bit of spam, lost in a business inbox that likely received hundreds of emails a day. Biting the inside of her cheek, she resisted the urge to bury her head in her hands.

Why don’t I think these things through?

Rainer Torsten used to be a big-time Wall Street guy, a hedge-fund manager who made millions of dollars a day. At one point in time, his face had graced the cover of every business magazine in the country and probably all the European ones as well. But sometime in the last couple of years, he’d seemingly lost his taste for empire building. He still ran a successful angel investment group, but according to the very flattering magazine profile she clutched in her sweaty hands, he had also become one of the country’s major philanthropists. One who didn’t like to brag about how much of his wealth he was giving away.

Most of that money had gone to charities for women and children—enough that he’d gone from billionaire to multi-millionaire in the last couple of years.By choice.

That was why she had come in person. She had wanted to make sure the man who did so much for others had a chance to protect himself. But just because Rainer Torsten was the rarest of combinations, a rich man who appeared to care about others, that didn’t mean Georgia could just waltz into his painfully posh office andtalkto him.

The fact that she was holding one of those glowing magazine profiles of Torsten, along with the picture of the ’49 Talbot Lago she was restoring, had also been another misstep. It just made her look like a crazy fan.

And judging from the entrance of an exceptionally large man in a dark suit that screamedI-am-security, the receptionist agreed.

The hulk turned to her. Her mind did that funny and completely whacked-out thing it did where everything slowed down, her heart beating in time with the man’s footsteps.

She watched wide-eyed as the guard came to a stop in front of her. He was even bigger up close.Why don’t I think these things through?

“Miss, would you come with me, please?”

Georgia’s breath got stuck in her throat. She cleared it, the sound both squeaky and strangled. “Err… I must speak to Mr. Torsten. I have some information he needs to hear.”

The man crossed his thick arms, his face creasing as if he were about to start laughing, but it was gone in a flash. The stern expression reasserted itself as if settling in for a long winter. “Sure, you do.”

His arm lifted, the fingers twitching in a ‘come with me’ gesture.

Georgia didn’t move to follow him. She couldn’t. If they booted her out of this office, she’d never get back in. They’d slap her face on a watch list like they did on TV.

She would never get another chance to save Rainer Torsten’s life.

Gripping the damp magazine, she sucked in her stomach, bracing herself. “I cannot stress this enough—it’svitalthat I speak to your boss.”

“Actually, my boss is Stewart Powell, Mr. Torsten’s head of security.”

Georgia gaped, mouth open. “Wait… can you take me to him?” she asked incredulously.

The man blinked as she jumped to her feet, reluctantly drawling out an answer. “Yes…”

“All right.Pleasetake me to Mr. Powell instead.”

* * *

Rainer looked up from his computer screen, then rubbed his eyes. “She did what?”

“The woman—Georgia Hines—no longer wants to talk to you. She was happy to speak with Stewart instead…something about a threat to your person.”

Waters shrugged his massive shoulders. “I’m not sure why he’s taking her seriously, but Powell decided to hear her out. He’s interviewing her in the small conference room. I thought you’d like to know.”

Rainer pushed his laptop away. “Well,thatis an interesting approach.”

Water’s brow creased. “Sir?”

“Nothing. Forget it,” Rainer said, not bothering to explain Powell’s theory that their visitor was here to somehow entice him into dating her.

That scenario was still possible, but the fact that she was settling for a sit down with Powell instead of him, suggested it was something else.

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