AHRI ARRIVED AT WORK MONDAY morning still a little blurry from the rough night. What a day Sunday had been. Nik had started throwing up in the late afternoon. His parents arrived not long after, so she’d been able to turn his care over to them.
Her new mindset had Ahri looking forward to the date with Ken. There were plenty of reasons she shouldn’t think about Rafe as anything other than her boss and one of her brother’s best friends. She wouldnotmake things awkward between any of them.
It helped that Rafe had meetings most of the day, and she hardly saw him. When she did, they were both strictly businesslike, not letting anything personal color their interactions. It was perfect, just how they needed to be around each other.
Then why did it hurt? That was just stupid. She gave herself a mental kick; shewouldget over this rescuer crush.
The next thing she wanted to do was get a status update from Bill. She dropped by his office on the way to lunch and found him sitting at his desk, eating a homemade sandwich.
“What, none of that great food from the cafeteria?” she asked from his doorway.
“My wife enjoys cooking, and she insists on making my lunch. I’m not about to turn down such a gift.”
“You’re a good man.”
“I’m a lucky one.” Bill waved her to a seat. “What can I do for you today?”
“I’d like to know if you’ve heard anything. You know, on my situation.” Ahri folded her hands in her lap, trying to calm her nerves. “It’s been a few weeks since they stole the truck. How do we know they didn’t get what they were looking for? What if I’m hiding in Rafe’s office when no one’s looking for me anymore—ifanyone ever was?”
He sat, his eyes slightly narrowed, considering. Was there something he hadn’t told her? The acid in her stomach started churning, and she swallowed bile at the back of her throat. How bad were his concerns?
“All I want to know is how long I have to wait before I can bemeagain,” she said.
“Aren’t you happy here?” He pushed aside his sandwich and did something on his keyboard.
“Yes.” Which was correct, but it wasn’t the same thing as having her true identity and the freedom to go where she wanted.
“Do you plan to return to Arizona?”
“Maybe.” Ahri glanced out his office window. “Maybe not. I haven’t decided.”
“What’s your hurry then? I thought you were working for Rafe while Cass is on maternity leave.”
“I am.” Why was he making her feel defensive? “But I’d like to know I have a choice when she comes back.”
Bill studied her, making her uneasy.
“Please tell me whatever you have.” She hated how soft her voice came out. It made her feel weak.
“All right. I wonder if we should call Rafe in here for this.”
“He’s in an important lunch meeting.”
Bill heaved out a breath and leaned forward. “As you know, we’ve got your decoy, Sona, set up in the New York condo. Her instructions are to act like she’s alone in a big unfamiliar city after the murder of her husband, that she believes she’s being watched, and she has no friends or family nearby.”
Ahri ran her thumb over the badge that hung from her belt, suddenly not feeling sorry for herself anymore. She could be stuck in New York, hiding out. Instead, she was here with family and new friends, working a job she enjoyed. She’d even started helping Lessa’s piano teacher with her group lessons for underprivileged kids. Ahri needed to learn to be grateful for what her brother and Rafe, had given her—the semblance of a real life.
“I’d be scared to go out anywhere.”
“Exactly,” Bill said. “She does leave the penthouse a couple of times a week, but not far, and we have an obvious bodyguard. What we’re really watching is someone trying to hack the internet there. Sona has two routers. One is scrambled and rerouted for her personal online use. She’s getting a lot of college work done, by the way. The other obvious router has excellent security. It’s received several attacks.”
“Attacks?” Ahri squeezed the badge in her hand so hard it nearly ripped free. She released it.
“We believe they’re trying to hack the system to get access into the apartment.”
Ahri leaned forward in her chair, feeling like she might throw up. So theyhadn’tfound what they were looking for. What would happen if they managed to break into the penthouse?—
She straightened and opened her mouth to speak.
