“Your file said you were arrogant. That’s an understatement.” Her smile didn’t carry a trace of humor. “It also says we have your sister.”
Her words struck like a blow, as she’d obviously intended. He clenched the arm rests, anchoring his body, instead of lunging at her. Fear for Hope’s safety was the only thing that kept him from attacking her.
Portia didn’t have the grace to look ashamed for using his sister against him. No surprise. She’d hit her own sister with a car. The world called her the Ice Queen for a reason.
“Yes.” His words were clipped. “And I’m sure my record also shows that I’ve always done as asked and your father’s people have upheld your side of the bargain.” Only the bare minimum, though.
Ash was allowed to visit his sister twice a month. Seeing her in the coma, getting frailer and frailer, broke his heart every time, but he wouldn’t abandon her. As painful as they were, the visits also allowed him to make sure they were providing her with the care she needed.
“The deal didn’t change just because management did, Mr. Cutter.”
Ash looked around the room while he reined in his temper. He breathed slowly, deliberately, and studied Portia’s office. Her empty office.
No security guards. Not even one standing by the door. Unusual. Did Portia Tremaine have something to hide?
The Tremaine family maintained power by keeping control. They controlled everything. All the knowledge. All the secrets. Given what had happened with her father’s assistant, he would have expected her to double down.
He met her cold blue eyes and held her gaze, while he took a wild stab at what she wanted. “You requested me specifically. And we’re here alone.” He gestured to the big bulky doors. “Tremaine Security is out there, not in here. Whatever you have going on is something that you don’t want anyone to know about.”
“Are you threatening me?” She tilted her head to the side, a tiny smile on her lips as she studied him like a flaw in otherwise perfect code.
He shook his head. “Stating facts. Whatever the job is, you need me. I want to renegotiate.”
Would she call his bluff? He’d just taken a huge risk with Hope’s safety, but he’d do anything for his sister. He had to free her before Portia discovered his recent crimes against the Tremaine family and made them both pay.
“You’re right. This is important. And I do need you.” Her fingers swiped over the screen again. “I searched within the company for someone else who could work on this project for me. Unfortunately, I don’t know who I can trust.”
She didn’t break eye contact with him so much as look through him. “You have the best skills in the cybersecurity department and I have your sister. The way I see it, you have almost as much to lose as I do. That makes you perfect for my needs.”
A pit formed in his stomach. He’d taken a big swing—and missed. There was no way that Portia would be willing to free Hope, not when she was using his sister as leverage the way her father had. “At least increase the visits to my sister.”
Portia blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Was she serious? She’d seen his file. “For the last five years, I’ve only been able to visit her twice a month. Please.”
It killed him to ask a Tremaine for anything. But for Hope, he’d beg.
She didn’t say anything for a long minute. “Fine, Mr. Cutter. I’ll inform security and the hospital that you have permission to visit your sister.” She paused. Considered. “Twice a week.”
Ash’s jaw dropped and his heart skipped a beat. Had he heard her correctly? “Twice a week?” he echoed.
“Yes.” She nodded. “But understand me, Mr. Cutter. If you speak a word about this project, if you have any ideas about abusing my kindness and sharing anything you learn in this room, access to your sister won’t be the only thing I cut off.”
There she was. The Ice Queen didn’t do anything without a reason.
“Fair enough.” The threat was actually good news. If Portia knew about his role in the New Amsterdam Hotel incident, she wouldn’t let him anywhere near Hope. “What’s this big project?”
If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she rolled her eyes. “Hacking, of course.”
He started to smile, then caught himself. “Real hacking or the poor imitation you’ve had me doing the last five years?”
Computers were his first love and—besides Hope—his only love. Being cut off from them, only allowed to skim the surface through keyboards and voice commands, was like seeing the world without colors.
“Mr. Cutter, the ‘imitation hacking’ you’ve been doing with cybersecurity has been very important to the Tremaine Corporation. Why, I believe we can credit you with stopping several attempted hacks.”
“Just doing my job.” He managed to shrug. The last thing he wanted was credit for those captures. He, Fenix, hacker extraordinaire, had burned other hackers to protect the Tremaine Corporation.
None of his opponents had been friends, but he’d known them. With every battle for control of the Tremaine system, Ash had hoped that they never learned who had been behind their capture. If anyone found out, he and his sister would be in danger from more than just Portia Tremaine.
