“Do you have any idea what might have happened? Heard of a staff member having access they shouldn’t have?” he presses. “Maybe send copies to anyone? Consultants? Outside counsel?”
“No,” I insist, the panic building in my chest now. “Everything stays in-house unless it’s logged and approved. You know that’s our policy.”
Silence stretches for a moment on the other end of the line, then he exhales sharply.
“If those versions get out,” he continues, cutting me off, “or if they get in the wrong hands, it could cost us millions.” His voice drops and he mutters, more to himself than to me, “It’s just like before we lost Colson. What the hell is happening?”
My mind scrambles to try and come up with some explanation, then I remember…Leon in the office when my dad and Uncle Kevin were out…
My breath catches as it clicks into place.
“Oh my God,” I whisper and start to hurry toward the penthouse’s door.
“What?” my dad asks. “Sutton, what is it?”
“I…” My gaze lifts and I freeze in place, shock vibrating through me.
Leon is standing at the entrance to the penthouse. For a second, my brain refuses to process what I’m seeing.
He’s leaning against the wall just beside the doorframe, like he’s been waiting there a while. The hallway lights catch on the rumpled collar of his button-down shirt, the sleeves shoved carelessly up his forearms. There’s a dark sheen of sweat along his temple, and his posture is rigid and coiled, like he’s readying to strike.
His jaw is tight enough that I can see the muscle ticking beneath the skin, and his eyes are locked on me with a kind of burning focus that makes the back of my neck prickle
“Leon…” I blurt out. Panic rips through my chest.
The moment his name leaves my lips, something shifts in his expression. The tight rage doesn’t disappear, but it sharpens. His lips twitch, the smallest hint of a smile curling there.
He raises a knife and I fall silent.
Fuck.
On the phone, my dad’s voice sharpens. “Sutton? Did you just say Leon?”
Leon’s eyes flick to the phone. He steps closer, lifting the knife to my throat, the threat clear as the blade caresses my skin.
His voice is cold when he whispers “Tell him you’ll call him back, then drop the phone.”
My hands shake and I swallow.
“Dad,” I mutter, forcing my voice to hold steady, “I…I need to call you back.”
“Sutton, wait…”
I tap the screen, and move to put the phone back in my purse. Before I tuck it away, I manage to hit the emergency contact button to call Jayce. Please, please, please answer. God, please.
Leon’s eyes are locked on me, but I don’t think he noticed what I did.
“Leon,” I start slowly, my gaze bouncing between the knife and his face. “What are you doing?”
“Open the door,” he demands, ignoring my question.. “And let us in.”
Us?
My stomach drops.
From around the corner, Aubrey steps into view. Her eyes are sharp as they land on me. When she smiles, it’s anything but kind.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: BUYING TIME
