He bit the inside of his cheek to squelch the litany of profanities on the verge of spilling from his mouth.
“I understand that, sir. Stewart’s a sharp agent. No doubt he’ll thrive in Vegas.”
“The case Stewart’s working right now is as critical as what you’re doing in Austin. The difference between the two of you is that he won’t think twice about jumping ship. A half-dozen commendations look impressive on a résumé, Collins, but you know what also matters? Being able to sleep soundly at night, knowing you did the right thing for the right reasons.”
Daniel slumped against the cool glass window, his eyes falling shut.
He wasn’t doing this for the right reasons. He was doing this because he’d gotten in so deep with Samiah that he had no idea how to get out.
He turned to look out the window; the earlier downpour had dwindled to a light drizzle. A CapMetro bus shrink-wrapped with an advertisement for the Waterloo Music Festival pulled up to the stoplight, a light gray exhaust plume billowing from its tailpipe.
“Thank you for that,” he said.
“Get back to work,” Dwyer said. “Just because you’re passing on Vegas, it doesn’t mean I’m letting you hang out in Texas indefinitely. You need to wrap up this case.”
“I hear you, sir,” he said.
He disconnected the call but remained at the window, his pulse matching the methodic beep of the delivery truck backing into a loading dock across the street.
He’d been cognizant of the fact that the plug would eventually get pulled on this job. Which begged the question, why choose to stay here, knowing his time in Austin was coming to an end, instead of taking Dwyer up on his offer to lead the Vegas job?
Daniel shook his head. It wasn’t as if he had to ask that question. He already knew the answer.
He didn’t know what to do with the emotions suddenly swirling around in his head. He was with Joelle for six years, and when she gave him an ultimatum between their relationship and his career, he’d chosen the latter. He’d hardly taken time to contemplate it. He’d set out a path for himself once he left the Marine Corps, and his focus had remained on that trajectory ever since.
Where in the hell was that focus now?
He’d lost it his very first day on the job. From the minute he encountered Samiah at that coffee machine and began to see everything through a different lens. From that day he’d started to veer off his well-laid path, deviating to one that he and Samiah could possibly travel together.
But they weren’t together. All of this was based on a lie. And when that lie finally came to the surface, the likelihood that she wouldn’t want anything to do with him was so great it hurt him just to think about it.
He had to remember what mattered most, his duty to his family and to his career. He’d sacrificed too much. He couldn’t jeopardize this thing he’d worked so hard for. Not for anyone, including Samiah.
***
With the press of two buttons, Samiah simultaneously dimmed the lights in the conference room and brought the eighty-four-inch Microsoft Surface Hub on the far wall to life, the Trendsetters logo in the center of its touchscreen display. Moving to stand beside the digital whiteboard, she tapped the screen, bringing up the presentation she’d spent much of last night revising after deciding that what they’d collaborated on yesterday just wasn’t good enough.
“Our team was tasked with coming up with a workable solution for the Leyland Group’s failing customer management software and networking system, including an overhaul of their WLAN design,” Samiah opened. “It was a complicated endeavor based on the size and scope, but also due to the sensitive nature of the medical files the company handles. The popularity of DNA tests has turned this into a booming business, and those companies are starting to understand just how important and difficult it is to keep their customers’personal data safe. The number of nefarious things that could be done if their systems are breached is endless.”
She tapped the screen again, then used the electronic pen to draw a circle around the design scheme displayed on the smart board.
“We took a multipronged approach, developing a solution that is scalable as the company grows, but also not so involved that it will confine them to only one way of securing data.” She handed the stylus to her coworker. “Sam will take us through some detection techniques and expand on how the new vulnerability scanner will work.”
After handing the presentation off to Sam, Samiah traversed the length of the conference room, opting to prop her elbow up on one of two standing-height tables that butted against the opposite wall. From this vantage point she could observe the entire room and gauge how the guys in charge were assessing what was being laid out for them.
The reins of the presentation were passed on from team member to team member. None of them had been tripped up by the slight changes she’d made, which once again proved that she and John had put together one of the best teams ever.
She could bring them all with her if she took the Outreach Department head position.
Samiah wasn’t even sure where she stood yet regarding Justin and Barrington’s offer, but that hadn’t stopped her from arranging and rearranging the structure of the department a thousand times in her head. She wanted to bring in people from all aspects of the company, not just Human Resources or the Public Relations departments. Every division had a stake in this. This current project was the perfect example of the magical outcomes in store when creative minds from all areas of the company came together for a common goal.
She could be directing all that magic. All she had to do was say yes.
Samiah tucked those thoughts back into her mental lockbox and returned her attention to the presentation. This wasn’t the time or place to let her mind wander.
It was Keighleigh’s turn to present. She began by pointing out the various flaws in the Leyland Group’s previous applications. After a few minutes, she started to discuss potential patches for unforeseen security risks that might develop in the future. Samiah stood upright, her spine going ramrod straight.
This bitch.
