“We have proof.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Rae
IHATE HOW THICKmy voice sounds when I say, “Show me.”
I watch in numb silence as Grant turns his laptop around so I can see it and hits Play. On-screen, Sam enters the Sugar offices, clearly at night. She grabs her laptop and takes off again.
“That’s it?”
“There’s more.” He clicks over to another screen, showing what I can only assume are log-in times and IP addresses, followed by a series of names. He scrolls through data, explaining access times and locations and how the customer data dump was offered up for sale just last night.
“It’s been monitored. The alarm sounded the minute the post went up.”
“Could it be… spoofing or something? Is that what it’s called?”
He shakes his head, and I want to kick him. Or punch or make him react in some way bigger than this. More than this. Doesn’t he see that he is wrong?
“There is other foolproof evidence that I’d prefer not to go into right now.”
“You sure like your secrets, don’t you?”
For the first time, Grant looks away.
“What did Sam say?”
“Claims it wasn’t her. She took the laptop because her home computer was broken.” They exchange a look. “She needed it for… gaming.”
“Gaming!” I almost scream. “What? She doesn’t game. This is ridiculous. She said that?”
They both nod, and I’m struggling to figure it all out, and nothing makes sense to me at all. I look at both of them. “Frankly, I would have appreciated a heads-up.”
“Oh, honey, I didn’t want you to have to choose sides.”
“I appreciate that, Dorothy. I do.” A deep breath in. A slow eight count out, and then I turn to my boss. “But I am an adult. I’m a professional.”
I do not glance for one second at Grant, lest he see any hint that I’m thinking of what the two of us have done over the past couple of weeks. Because you know what? We were totally unprofessional, and it won’t happen again. Then I do look at him, and I say, “In fact, I should come clean and tell you, Dorothy, that there are things I’ve… done in the past.” I swallow, hating my white Irish skin for the blush I know I’m currently sporting. “I should probably let you know that Grant and I, um, we…”
“Have a previous relationship,” he finishes, giving me that stern look with its annoyingly sympathetic undertones. The look that says,I’ll smack your ass raw, and then lick your pussy and make you come, and then put you in a bath, and then—
“Oh, I know all about it,” Dorothy says with a casual wave of her hand. “You two.” She is smirking like we’re two kids who got caught shoving Halloween candy in our mouths after bedtime, and not two consenting adults engaging in highly inappropriate workplace behavior.
“Us two?”
“Do what you want.” She snort-laughs. “I trust you both. Implicitly.”
I must look panicked when I meet Grant’s gaze because he shakes his head, somehow conveying that she’s not aware of details. I hope.
“What next?” I manage to ask instead. “Are you… involving law enforcement?”
“Oh, no. No, honey.”
“If we need to,” Grant amends.
“I’d rather not.” Dorothy is firm.
“Understood.”
