My blood runs cold.
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” I manage, “I access dozens of folders every day for my work.”
“This one was misfiled. You would have been looking for the Henderson account data, but you clicked on something else instead.” Wallace’s eyes bore into mine. “Ring any bells?”
I could lie. Pretend I don’t remember. But something about the way they’re looking at me tells me they already know the truth.
“It was an accident,” I reply in a high-pitched voice. “I closed it as soon as I realized it wasn’t what I was looking for.”
“But you saw the contents.”
“I glanced at them. Briefly. I didn’t understand most of it.”
Tillman moves away from the window and comes to stand beside Wallace’s desk. “Ms. Berry, we’re not here to get you in trouble. Quite the opposite, actually. We want to make sure this little accident doesn’t become a problem for anyone.”
“I don’t see why it would. Like I said, I didn’t understand what I saw.”
“But you remember it.” Tillman’s smile doesn’t waver. “Don’t you?”
I don’t answer. I don’t have to.
“Here’s the situation,” Wallace begins, “those documents contain sensitive information. Information that could be… misinterpreted if it fell into the wrong hands. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“I haven’t told anyone. I wouldn’t even know what to tell them.”
“Good. That’s good.” He nods. “But the new ownership has been asking a lot of questions. Digging into the company’s history. Looking for discrepancies.”
My throat tightens. “What does that have to do with me?”
“You work closely with data. You have access to systems that most employees don’t.” Tillman clasps his hands behind his back. “You’re also quite talented, from what I hear. The kind of person who notices things others miss.”
“I just do my job.”
“Exactly. And we’d like you to keep doing your job.” Wallace picks up a pen and taps it against the desk. “With one small addition. We need someone to keep us informed about what Karpov is looking into. What questions he’s asking. What data he’s requesting.”
I stare at him. “You want me to spy on the new CEO.”
“We want you to protect yourself.” Tillman’s voice drops lower. “And protect the people who could be hurt if certain information came to light. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to be caught in the middle of this.”
“And if I refuse?”
The room temperature seems to be dropping. Wallace sets down his pen and fixes me with a stare that makes my skin crawl.
“Ms. Berry, you’re a smart woman. You know how these things work. The documents you saw could implicate a lot of people. Including you, if someone decided to point the finger in your direction.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Doesn’t matter. Access logs show you opened that folder. You spent thirty-seven seconds looking at it, to be precise.” He spreads his hands. “That’s enough to raise questions. Enough to destroy a career and make your life very, very unpleasant.”
I feel the blood drain from my face. They’ve been watching me. Tracking my every move on the company network.
“This doesn’t have to be adversarial,” Tillman adds in a tone that’s probably meant to be reassuring. It isn’t. “You help us, we help you. Everyone walks away happy. But if you decide to be difficult…”
He doesn’t finish the sentence. He doesn’t have to.
“Think about it,” Wallace says, standing to signal that the meeting is over. “We’ll be in touch.”
I leave the office on unsteady legs. My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my temples. I make it to the elevator, press the button, and wait.
