“Tommy? What are you doing here? Do you know where Evie is? I need to talk to her.”
Tommy felt his eye twitch as a wave of white-hot rage washed over him. This man had spent most of the last three months using his security system to stalk and violate Evie’s privacy, the woman he considered his little sister, the person he would give up everything and everyone for. He’d used the position of powerTommyhad given him to violate a legally binding business contract multiple times, potentially damaging his brand, his name and his business. For what? To get non-existent proof that his girlfriend was cheating?
And Alex still dared to stand there and talk to him like they were friends. Like he hadn’t been playing Tommy for a fool, setting him up for embarrassment and a potential lawsuit that could bankrupt the company he and Thorn had built from scratch with their own money, blood, sweat and tears. Like he wasn’t playing with the livelihoods of close to two hundred and fifty people.
“Have a seat.” Tommy gestured to the chair across from him.
“Look, I know she broke up with me and gave me the thirty-day notice, but it was a misunderstanding.” Alex ran his hand over his damp hair as he walked over and sat down. “If I could just explain things, it’ll be fine.”
“I’m not here about her breaking up with you,” Tommy said tightly. “I’m here about this.”
He lifted the lid of the laptop. All the colour drained from Alex’s face the moment he registered what he was looking at. He swayed, his eyes closing, and for a moment Tommy thought he might pass out, which only made him angrier.
Fortunately, Alex didn’t. He dropped his head, covering his face with his hands.
“I can explain,” he whispered, voice muffled and strained. “I thought she was cheating…”
“I don’t give a damn!” Tommy snapped. “I’m not here because you had Evie and Aaron followed and checked the Tower’s security tapes. That’s understandable if you think your partner might be cheating. Hiring a private investigator probably would’ve gotten you the same results. At most, that would be a demotion or probation for abusing your power to access security systems you aren’t authorized to access.”
However, the number of videos and how long you continued to stalk them, especially since there’s not a shred of evidence in any of them that Evie was cheating, is deeply concerning. That tells me it wasn’t that you thought she wasn’t cheating. You were just jealous of her friendship with Aaron and wanted to spy on them.”
He could see Alex’s knee bouncing madly and watched as he slowly shook his head. “It was an emotional affair.”
“Oh, please.” Tommy scoffed. “There was nothing emotional about their conversations. They talk about the latest episode of Doctor Who, what movies or TV shows they’re gonna watch on the weekend, and whether Comic Con is worth going to. The whole point of their friendship is the lack of emotions.”
Tommy paused and forced his focus back to the real problem. He was letting himself get dragged into defending Evie instead of addressing the major security breach. “But even if you caught them having an affair, absolutely nothing excuses you from using your position and security clearance to access a client’s security system that you aren’t an administrator onfor any reason.” He watched as Alex flinched, his shoulders hunching in on himself.
“What were you thinking? You had to know you’d get caught eventually.” Tommy still couldn’t understand how Alex had been so reckless and stupid, but then he realized he didn’t care. Alex obviously had serious issues if he was willing to put his very promising career at Sloane Enterprises on the line just to know every move Evie made.
“Your job with Sloane Security Services has been terminated effective immediately. Your access and security clearance have been revoked, and you can no longer be in any other part of the building without an escort. I can’t kick you out of Evie’s apartment until the thirty days are up, but you will have to call the security desk when you want to leave so they can escort you out. The elevator will not move if only your biometrics are used, and you will only be able to access the parking garage, lobby and this floor.”
Tommy stood up. “I’m sure you don’t need the reminder, but you signed an ironclad NDA. Breathe a word about anything you saw or heard while inside this tower, and I will sue you to the point your grandchildren will be born already millions of dollars in debt. Understand?”
Alex nodded weakly, and Tommy gathered his things and started walking away. He stopped and turned back. Alex was still covering his face, shoulders shaking.
“One more thing and consider this a last piece of advice in honour of our former friendship.” Tommy’s voice went cold. “Stay as far away from Evie as you possibly can.” He gave a sharp, humourless smile. “I’d rather hold a grizzly cub in my arms while taunting its mother than have Thorn find out I was stalking Evie.”
Alex went completely still, then threw up all over the floor.
Wrinkling his nose as the smell of vomit reached him, Tommy turned and walked out of the apartment.
**********
Two hours later, Tommy entered the Honey Oven Bakery & Cafe, carrying a briefcase with a revised copy of their contract. It included the year of free service, upgraded cameras, a computer system, tablets, and a year of free Wi-Fi, an add-on Evie insisted on paying for to apologize for being the reason Alex hacked their systems after she found out how far he had gone to watch her and Aaron.
The smell of fresh bread and pastries hit him, and his mouth immediately started watering. Part of the reason he had struggled with his weight his entire life was his inability to control himself around baked goods. It was so bad that he avoided them as much as possible. Trying not to breathe through his nose, Tommy approached the counter and asked a young girl who was carefully transferring doughnuts from the display to a box if Deon Carter was available.
"Yeah, he’s in the back. Give me a second to finish this, and I’ll go get him." She glanced at him with a polite smile.
"Thanks." Tommy stepped away from the counter and focused on the picture timeline on the wall beneath the colourful menu rather than on how delicious everything looked. He knew Evie had been coming here at least twice a week since Lana introduced her to it during her first week at Sloane, and she even gave the owners and staff Christmas gifts. He did not know they had been in operation since the seventies, or that this was their second bakery. The first one had burnt down seven years ago,and they had relocated closer to the park to take advantage of the extra foot traffic.
Tommy looked around. The decision to move had been a wise choice. It was bustling, but the staff worked like a well-oiled machine, keeping customers moving steadily. The only thing slowing service was the POS system, which was a little outdated.
The girl returned with a man about Tommy’s age, wearing an apron and pointed toward him. The man nodded and came over, looking curious.
"Hi, Bianca said you were looking for me?"
"Yeah," Tommy smiled and held out his hand. "Is there someplace quiet we can talk?"
