by Donna Grant
That was her punishment for taking the day off, even though Harriet had insisted upon it. Devon’s smile widened because she could see Harriet for who she really was—a jealous woman.
The funny thing was that Devon had never been after her job. However, the one she’d been going for would put her equal to Harriet, and that was the problem.
Devon opened her date book and flipped to April. “I hate to hear that, but I can only imagine how busy everyone’s schedules are. I’ve got my calendar marked.”
When she looked up, Harriet’s blue gaze was locked on her, and there was nothing friendly in the stare. Then, in a blink, Harriet had her smile back in place.
“I look forward to hearing your presentation. Would you like me to look over it beforehand?”
Devon wasn’t fooled by her offer. “I’m going to work on it a bit more now that I have the time. When it’s finished, I’ll send it your way.”
Harriet pushed herself up and stood. “I need the quarterly reports on my desk tomorrow.”
With those parting words, she walked out. Devon didn’t roll her eyes and sigh as she wanted. Instead, she went back to her computer and hit enter.
There was a thread of excitement as information about Dreagan began filling the page.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The waiting was killing Anson. He didn’t care about all the technical terms Kinsey excitedly rambled off to him in their phone calls. He didn’t even care that Ryder had hacked Kyvor once more and that Kinsey was “piggybacking” on him—whatever the hell that meant.
As soon as Kinsey began to talk in “tech-speak” as Anson had now dubbed it, he tuned her out. The specifics of what she and Ryder were doing mattered little. What Anson wanted to know was about Devon.
He grew interested again when Kinsey and Esther told him how they had sent Devon lunch with a hidden note. He should’ve thought to do something like that, but he was glad the girls at least had.
“I can see her,” Kinsey said through the phone call connecting him and Henry to her and Esther.
Anson closed his eyes in relief. He and Henry had moved closer to the Kyvor building while still staying out of sight of cameras. It wasn’t an easy feat because Kyvor had them everywhere around their building.
But a look at the schematics of the building—thanks to Ryder—showed where there were two possible ways in and out if he needed to go in for Devon.
“Where?” he asked Kinsey.
There was a pause. Then she said, “Devon is at her desk. She’s doing research on … Holy shit. She’s looking up Dreagan.”
Anson braced a hand on the side of a building and glared at the ground as he hung his head. “Can you talk to her?”
“No. I can only look at what she’s doing.”
“What are you no’ telling me.”
“Anson,” she began.
He drew in a sharp breath. “Tell me.”
“I can see what Kyvor can see.”
Though he wasn’t the type to go around punching things like Rhys did, Anson could’ve gladly put his fist through something at that moment. “They know what she’s doing, then.”
“They do,” Kinsey replied. “But she’s being smart about it. I’m looking up her past search history for today, and she’s done research on several distilleries.”
He felt a little better but not enough to wipe away all his anxiety. Everyone had known Kyvor would be watching her. It was the confirmation that solidified things.
“Does she look scared?”
“See for yourself,” Kinsey said.
Anson looked over to find Henry staring at the screen of his mobile. When he turned his phone, Anson saw Devon, her gaze moving across the screen as if she were reading something. Anson touched her face, wishing it were skin and not the screen of a phone.
“You’ll have the feed as long as we do,” Kinsey said over the speaker.
Henry asked, “Has Ryder gotten any further in Kyvor’s files?”
“It’s something Ryder and I’ve been doing since we first hacked into Kyvor when I was sent to Dreagan. New firewalls went up and blocked some of the places Ryder wanted to go. He’s gotten through them, but he barely begins searching the files when it starts all over again.”
Anson blew out a breath in frustration.
“That’s my long way of saying that we’re both working on it,” Kinsey said. “But it’s slow going. Ryder is the best that I know. He’ll get through eventually.”
Esther’s voice came over the speaker then. “Time is something none of us have. It’s why Kinsey and I knew the best option was for us to go to the source.”
“It’s not something Kyvor would expect,” Henry added.
“Either way, we doona have time to wait,” Anson said.
Kinsey snorted. “You’re going to have to make time. Right now, Kyvor doesn’t know we’re in their system. Ryder is that damn good. But the minute he blasts through their firewalls like a bull busting through a gate, they’ll know. Then every hacker they employ will be tasked with keeping him out. So for now, we tiptoe around and watch Devon. She’s not making a fuss, so all should be fine today.”
“This was much simpler a hundred years ago,” Anson grumbled.
Henry made a face, but nodded in agreement.
For the next hour, Anson watched Devon meticulously go through several searches of Kyvor’s files of whisky distilleries. Just when he thought she was finished, she omitted companies, and continued researching, each time narrowing the search field.
Again and again, she did this, and Dreagan was in every search. Each time, she learned a little more. Though there was nothing that would help them.
It seemed a colossal waste of time that did nothing but put her in needless danger. With every hour that moved past, Anson found it increasingly more difficult not to go in after her.
If Henry hadn’t been with him, he’d have already entered the building. The MI5 agent wasn’t just there to keep him from doing something stupid, however.
While Anson watched Devon, Henry was messing with his mobile. Anson thought he was playing games. Then Henry called him over. When Anson saw the specs of the building and the route straight to Devon’s office as well as another to the server room, he smiled.
Both courses showed where the cameras were and how to avoid them. Anson quickly put both paths to memory in case he had to go in after Devon.
Now he knew how to get in and out of Kyvor, as well as to Devon and the server room, where most likely everything pertaining to Dreagan was stored.
Anson was more than ready to sneak into the building to get what they needed if Ryder and Kinsey couldn’t do it remotely. Matter of fact, he was hoping for just such a scenario. He’d love to wrap his hands around the necks of those who dared to mess with the world the Kings had carefully crafted—for themselves and the safety of the mortals.
“Just in case,” Henry said with a crooked smile.
Anson grinned. “Better to be prepared.”
He turned his attention back to Devon. She was skilled in how she went about her pursuit of information on Dreagan. Each search allowed her to dig a little deeper. His worry skyrocketed when she sent a note to someone named Cecil to speak to Kinsey Burns regarding the work order for Dreagan. That same email requested three other people for their work on other companies.
Devon was smooth. It alleviated some of his apprehension, but not nearly enough.
“Have you spoken to Rhi?”
Anson lifted his gaze from the screen before slowly turning his head to Henry. Every Dragon King knew that Henry had fallen in love with the Light Fae. And every King knew that Rhi didn’t return the human’s affections.
Rhi had told Henry as much, but the mortal hadn’t listened. Nor would he now, Anson realized.
“No’ since she helped interrogate Esther at Dreagan,” Anson replied.
Henry’s nostrils flared as he took in a breath. “I need to see her.”
“I doona think that�
��s a good idea.”
“Because you don’t believe I’m right for her,” Henry said in a clipped tone.
Anson ran a hand down his face as he struggled to find the right words. “I doona believe she’s right for you.”
“Because I’m mortal,” he replied with a sneer.
“That’s part of it, aye. Fae turn the heads of every human. It’s what makes them Fae. You’re drawn to Rhi because she’s Fae, no’ because you have real feelings for her.”
Henry’s hazel eyes grew as cold as the arctic. “I love her.”
“It’s hard no’ to. She’s gone out of her way so many times to help the Kings, and—”
“You know that’s not what I mean. I’m in love with her.”
So much for him trying to prove that everyone loved Rhi. Anson didn’t want to be cruel, but it seemed there was no other way. Henry had to know the truth. This thing between him and Rhi had gone on entirely too long.
Anson turned to face Henry and looked him in the eye. “You know the story of Rhi. You know how she and her Dragon King fell in love.”
“And how he tossed her aside.”
“No one can deny that. What you doona know, is how strong their love was. It was the kind of romance that lives throughout eternity. The kind that time will stand still for. The kind that doesna ever die—no matter what either of them might say.”
Henry glanced away as he took all of that in. “You’re saying the two are still in love?”
“Aye.”
“Then why did the bastard let her go?”
“It’s a question we repeatedly ask without any response. We may never know. My point is that Rhi would never be able to give her heart to you.”
Henry nodded slowly. “I understand.”
Finally, Anson thought. He couldn’t wait to let the others know that the Rhi/Henry problem was now taken care of.
“I’ll love her enough for both of us,” Henry announced.
Anson turned and leaned against the building before dropping his head back to look up at the cloudy sky in defeat. Nothing he’d said made a difference, and he was beginning to think there was nothing anyone could say that would sway Henry enough to let go of Rhi.
Something would have to happen. Words weren’t enough. It was time for action. The problem was, what kind? It wasn’t as if Rhi and … well, they weren’t going to get back together.
That left Henry falling in love with someone else. That was going to be a difficult feat given that the MI5 agent rarely left Dreagan since he’d started focusing on the Dark Fae. Dating in the middle of a war was impossible.
“You don’t believe I love her enough,” Henry said with a snort at the silence that stretched after his declaration.
Anson shook his head and looked at Henry. “I believe if anyone can, it’s you. You’re our friend. You work with us side by side and have become a strong ally. I doona want to see you hurt.”
“Love is like walking a tightrope thirty thousand feet in the air. It’s bloody terrifying. And it’s amazing,” Henry said with a bright smile. “You should try it sometime.”
Anson was more than startled when his thoughts immediately turned to Devon. His reaction to her had been instant and engulfing.
Unaware of his thoughts, Henry kept talking. “Besides, it seems like more and more Dragon Kings are finding mates. Why shouldn’t you be one of them?”
There was a moment of panic, but it passed quickly. What did that mean, exactly? That he was fine with finding a mate? Or that Devon wasn’t meant to be his?
Then another problem occurred. Anson wasn’t sure which reaction bothered him more. As he’d already concluded, his vow to Brenna was long since over. For years, he’d held onto that promise as a reason to keep his heart hidden.
That argument was no longer valid. There was nothing standing in his way. He could open himself up to the idea of finding the one woman he was meant to be with.
Would a Dragon King who’d once turned against humans with brutality and vengeance be able to love one? And would a mortal be able to accept everything about him, even the vicious parts?
It wasn’t something he wanted to test, no matter how tempting Devon was. The Kings needed to concentrate on the war with Ulrik, the Dark Fae, and the humans, not worry about finding mates.
He couldn’t believe he’d even considered such a thing. No wonder Con became incensed each time a King brought a mate to Dreagan. Until the ceremony that bound the mortals and the Kings for life, the women were liabilities and could be killed.
They needed to put their attention back on protecting Dreagan and their secret, not add more pressure to everything by bringing humans onto their land.
So, no matter how badly his body might want to feel Devon against him again, he had other matters to attend to first. The secret of his existence, the safety of Kinsey and Esther, as well as Henry, and the protection of Devon.
There was a lot riding on his shoulders. He couldn’t forget why he’d been chosen for the London mission. Ryder was counting on him. Hell, every Dragon King was.
Pressure generally didn’t affect Anson, but this time, there were so many lives at stake—both immortal and mortal—that he’d doubted himself for a second. That brief moment was all the time he allowed himself.
Then he recalled who he was. He’d battled a great King to become Dragon King to the Browns. He’d fought against the humans and Dark Fae. He’d survived losing his dragons and had come out stronger for it.
He wouldn’t be the cause of Ryder losing his mate. He would get Kinsey, Esther, and even Henry back to Dreagan when this was finished.
And they would get the information they needed from Kyvor, and hopefully, take down the company in the process. Which is exactly what the fuckers deserved.
Somehow, through it all, he would save Devon.
He looked at his mobile to find Devon’s lips pinched and a frown in place as she read over another document.
Yes, Devon would be all right. He would make sure of it.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Devon stretched her neck first one way and then the other. The knots that had taken up residence were only partly due to the way she sat. Mostly, they were caused by the trepidation that had an iron grip on her.
Not once was she able to forget that she was being watched. Cyber vigilance was the term she used when speaking with clients. Now, she felt as if the neighborhood creep were peeking through her window to see if he could get a glimpse of her changing.
How in the world would she ever be able to work in the tech industry again? Vigilance was nothing more than spying. Oh, the tech gurus, top executives, and governments could give a million reasons why monitoring people through CCTV, mobile phones, computers, or any other secret gadget was imperative to everyone’s safety.
She’d bought into it hook, link, and sinker. It made her want to gag at how idiotic she’d been.
In her mind, she could hear Anson’s brogue as he said, “Naïve, no’ idiotic.”
But even that was a load of horseshit. She called herself knowledgeable. She’d gone to great lengths doing all kinds of studies and inquiries into the companies she’d applied to. During that, she’d looked into their products.
With so many walking around like zombies with their faces buried in their mobiles or computers or the tele, she had believed someone needed to monitor them to keep them safe.
There wasn’t a single time in her entire life where Devon had ever felt so foolish. Protecting the population might have been why the cyber surveillance had begun, but that wasn’t the main purpose now.
Just like everything else, the true reason was buried under corruption, blackmail, and immorality.
As she turned her pencil over to tap the eraser on the paper she’d been writing on, she felt as if she’d been trampled by a herd of rhinoceroses.
The human race made her despondent. And worse, she was turning into a skeptic. She was going to be a cynic, someone who scoffed at everything while hol
ding a pessimistic view of any and all topics.
Ugh.
All because one handsome Scot with a brogue that made her weak in the knees had walked into her life and told her the truth.
It took her a second to realize that he hadn’t told her much. It had been Kinsey and Esther. Why then did she want to put the credit in his lap?
Well, that was because she couldn’t stop thinking about him and their incredible night that would probably never be repeated no matter how much she wished it.
God, she was a depressing individual.
She released the pencil and propped her elbows on the desk before dropping her head into her hands. The things she’d learned made her believe she was tumbling down a path that would suffocate her.
Life had tried to smother her several times, and each time, she’d managed to claw her way out stronger than before. She would get through this, too. She had no other option.
When she looked at her watch, she saw that it was just thirty minutes until the end of the day. Her normal routine kept her there an hour after everyone else. No matter how badly she wanted to leave, she couldn’t. She’d have to remain for at least another thirty minutes.
Not that her observers would stop what they were doing. That meant they would be in the building after everyone else had cleared out. It also meant that she would be alone with them.
She swallowed around the lump of dread in her throat and sat back in her chair. When she’d made the decision to find the information Anson needed, she hadn’t thought about this part.
The best thing would be for her to dive back into the research. It would eat up time, and it would take her mind off her numerous—and growing—fears.
Well, that last bit was a lie. But it would be good to at least give it an attempt.
Devon sat up and grabbed the pencil again. She went back to comparing the job descriptions on the work orders as well as any extras the companies had bought once the equipment had been installed onsite.
Kinsey had been the top performer in her department. Her work was done quickly and thoroughly. Every one of her clients complimented her work, and often asked for her by name when they called back. All of this was noted in the files.