by Cynthia Eden
“Her accounts were clean, too.”
Merik inclined his head. “But she was the one with the access, the one with a biological father who was a master thief, the one with connections to the Russian mafia because her dear old step-dad just happens to be—”
“I’m not so sure Vivian knows who he really is,” Chase had to say.
“What? Why do you think that?”
“Because she told me about her father’s death today. Told me about her mother. Never mentioned at all that her stepfather was the man who’d taken her dad’s life.” And that was the kind of detail that would seriously mess with a person’s head.
Merik didn’t appear convinced. “So she didn’t mention it. Big deal. Not exactly surprising. I mean, that’s hardly the kind of trivia you drop on a first date. Little dark, don’t you think? I thought first dates were supposed to be all about charm and fun.”
Their first date had been about learning secrets. “Vivian told me her father was a thief who stole from the wrong people. That was dark trivia.”
Now Merik appeared suspicious. “How’d you get her to share so much on the first date?”
“Because I know how to work targets.” Shit. He was such an asshole.
I can still taste her.
“You…you’re not falling for her, are you?” Merik’s voice was halting. Worried.
Chase turned away from him. “Never been in love.” He closed his eyes. Felt her. “I want to fully investigate all of our options. You say Luc is clean, but what the hell was he doing at her place on a Sunday morning?”
“Uh, going on a wild hunch here, but…getting ready to jog?”
“He could jog anywhere.” Chase spun back around. Opened his eyes. “He wants her.”
Understanding flashed on Merik’s face. “And you have a problem with that.”
“I have a problem with suspicious situations. The guy looks clean on paper—at least he appears clean to you—but you know what I heard when you were rattling off about him?”
“I am dying to know.” Merik crossed his arms over his chest. “Enlighten me.”
“All those years of CIA service—could be that he’s a rock star.”
“Could be,” Merik agreed.
“If that’s the case, it means he has skills that we don’t know about. A top-of-his-game agent is a deadly opponent. If he goes dark—if he has gone dark—then he can take the whole world down with him. If he’s our adversary, then we’re stepping into a nightmare. I don’t like that he was at her door so soon after the break-in. Maybe Luc was her jogging partner or maybe he was coming by to pick up intel.”
“But we searched her place, and there is no sign of the data. She must have it well hidden.”
“Or she doesn’t have it at all.” Simple. “Because she was framed by someone like Luc who knew exactly what he was doing. Someone with plenty of international connections because he’s worked all over the globe.”
Merik fell silent. At least he appeared to be considering what Chase was telling him.
“Then there’s the maintenance manager.” Someone else on Chase’s suspect list.
Merik’s eyebrows shot up. “The guy who got you out of the elevator? What problem do you have with him? Oh, wait, was it the cinnamon roll bit? Because I could tell you weren’t thrilled with that part.”
“Too big of a coincidence.”
“What? Her baking for him? Nah. Maybe the woman just likes to—”
“First the break-in, then the elevator stops with Vivian inside of it? She just happens to become trapped in her own worst nightmare? I’m supposed to buy that she’s randomly having the weekend from hell?” Chase shook his head. “Nope. Someone is targeting her.”
Now Merik straightened. “All right, I wanted to say you were full of crap and still thinking with the wrong brain, but I get the coincidence part. I don’t like coincidences.”
Who did?
Merik scratched his temple. “You believe maybe the people she was going to sell the intel to…do you figure they’ve decided it’s easier to come after her?”
“I think she’s in danger.” And it infuriated him. “If someone is coming for her, then they’ll find us waiting.”
Merik smiled and straightened. “Oh, I get what you’re saying. We’ll spring a trap on them all at once. Then we can bring down the whole ring!” He pointed at Chase and wagged his finger. “Sorry I doubted you. It was crazy to think you were getting all emotionally involved with a woman you just met. Especially when she’s the chief suspect! I mean, come on.” He turned for the door. “Not like you’re some green agent who doesn’t know better.”
“Absolutely crazy,” Chase echoed as he followed Merik out. “Insane.”
“Get you some sleep, buddy. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.” Merik saluted him and headed for the stairs, not the elevator.
Good choice.
Chase lingered in the hallway.
It was crazy to think you were getting all emotionally involved with a woman you just met.
Chase didn’t get emotionally involved with anyone. Why bother? No relationship lasted forever. Nothing was permanent. When times got hard, when anything got hard, people left.
And why in the hell was he staring at her door again?
Because she’s in danger. Because someone screwed with the elevator.
As if on cue, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. Chase’s head whipped down the hallway toward the sound.
Jacob Webb leaned out of the elevator, looked around, then slid back inside—
“Wait!” Chase rushed toward him.
Jacob threw up his hand and stopped the doors from closing. “You need something?”
Chase studied the other man. Before moving into the building, he’d gotten a dossier on Jacob Webb. Only Jacob wasn’t just the maintenance manager. He owned the entire building. That info had come via some deep digging. Jacob liked to keep his assets very hidden.
“Yes, I need something.” His narrowed gaze swept over Jacob. Thirty-five. Fit.
“Well, what is it?” Jacob prompted. “I’ve got a bed waiting. Can’t just stand here forever.”
“Did you hear about what happened at Vivian’s place last night?”
Jacob’s gaze flickered down the hallway, toward Vivian’s apartment. “Yeah. Talked to her this morning. Told her I’d put on a new lock, but you’d already beaten me to it.” His jaw hardened. “I’ll have cameras put outside the building. The owner likes to give his tenants privacy, but I know he’ll want them to be as safe as possible.”
“Great to hear that about the owner,” Chase muttered.
Jacob’s lips thinned. “Vivian is a nice lady. I’d hate to see something happen to her.” His hand dropped. The doors began to close.
Is that a freaking threat?
Chase shot forward. His hand flew up, and he stopped the doors from closing. “I’d hate that, too. First the break-in, now the elevator trouble…”
He caught the faint stiffening of Jacob’s shoulders.
“You said it was a short? That’s what caused the elevator to stop?”
“Just some wiring trouble,” Jacob replied with a shrug. “It happens.”
“But there had been no other trouble today with the elevator? It only happened when Vivian was in the elevator?”
“Vivian and you.”
Chase’s gaze assessed the other man. Jacob’s posture was too hard and stiff. “Let’s hope there are no more accidents.”
“It’s my job to make sure there won’t be more. Now, could you move your hand? I’m ready to get my ass to bed.”
He didn’t move his hand. Not yet. “Why’d you help her move in?”
Jacob rolled his eyes. “Same reason you had your mouth locked on hers when the elevator doors opened. She’s sexy as hell.”
That surge he felt—the one that made anger churn inside of him—it wasn’t jealousy, was it? Chase heard himself growl, “That ship has sailed for you.”
&
nbsp; “Got it. Now move the hand?”
He moved his hand. The doors closed.
Chase lingered there a moment. What in the hell was happening? He wasn’t jealous. He was never jealous. Not of anyone or anything. You had to care to be jealous. He didn’t get close enough to care.
Vivian was a job. She might be innocent. His instincts certainly said she was, mostly because Vivian just seemed too fucking nice not to be innocent.
Not nice. Perfect. She seems freaking perfect.
But he knew—all too well—that appearances could be deceiving.
Chapter Seven
Vivian released a long, slow breath. She didn’t have a choice. Desperate times could call for the most desperate of measures. Her hand lifted, and she determinedly knocked on the apartment door.
She could hear the pad of steps from inside and then the door swung open.
“Well, hello.” Chase smiled. The smile that made her insides feel extra warm. “This is a surprise. I didn’t expect to—”
“I’m in trouble.”
His smile froze. In an instant, his eyes went from warm and welcoming to hard and cold, and his expression…
Lethal.
She’d had trouble imagining him as a SEAL. SEALs were supposed to be fierce and deadly. He’d seemed so easy-going to her before, but right now…Yep, I can see him as a SEAL.
“Is someone after you?” He reached for her, and his slightly callused fingertips slid over her wrist as he pulled her into his home.
“I…maybe?”
Chase’s brows pulled together even as he shut and locked the door behind her. “Maybe?” he repeated.
She licked her lips. Paced. The apartment was still full of boxes—he obviously hadn’t gotten around to unpacking. Because he had to spend one night at my place. Then he had to get a crew to install my alarm system and then— “This is a mistake. I’m sorry. I’ve already put you out enough.” She turned to head back for the door.
He stepped into her path. “We’re not a mistake.”
She stopped. It was either stop or run into him. Her head tipped back so that she could stare up into his eyes. She’d gone straight to his place after work. She still wore her heels, the dress pants, and the white blouse that she’d put on that morning.
“Viv, tell me what’s going on.”
Her instinct had been to go straight to Chase. He was the one with security experience. The one who’d helped her. And, yes, they’d only recently met but…
It wasn’t like she had a ton of other options. In fact, he was her only option. “I discovered two hundred thousand dollars in my bank account today.”
He blinked. “And that’s…” A cough. “I’m guessing the money isn’t supposed to be there?”
“It’s not supposed to be there.” Definitely not. Not like it was easy to overlook two hundred grand.
“Call the bank,” he told her immediately. “Probably just some kind of mix-up. Maybe you put in a deposit for two hundred dollars and some zeros got moved and—”
“It’s not a mix-up. I called the bank. They confirmed that the transfer was legitimate.”
His gaze stayed on her. “I’m not following.”
That was because she hadn’t told him everything. And before she did, maybe they should get the business part out of the way first. “I want to hire you.”
Surprise appeared, then vanished from his gaze. “Excuse me?”
“I did more research on Wilde today. It’s not just security, not just protection. The firm also does some investigation work, correct?”
“For certain, select clients.”
Her hands twisted in front of her body. “I need an investigator.” Or, rather… “I need you.”
Chase seemed to absorb what she’d said. “You need me because two hundred grand just appeared in your bank account.”
“Because…” She sucked in a breath. Her fingers smoothed over her left eyebrow. “Look, can you say that you’ll take the job first? And is there like a confidentiality-type agreement that comes with the job?”
“What is going on, Vivian? Is this about your break-in?”
“I think it could be.” Her voice went lower. Huskier. “I think I’m being set up.”
His gaze sharpened on her. “You’re leaving out lots of pieces here. Why don’t you just sit down and tell me everything?”
That was the plan. “First agree to the job. I mean, I can pay you. I have two hundred grand just waiting for you.” She laughed, but the laughter held a bitter, desperate edge.
“I’ll take the job. But we’ll talk about payment later.”
Relief almost made her dizzy. “And the confidentiality? Can you promise it to me?”
His lips thinned. “Do you trust me?”
“I-I just met you.”
“You didn’t let that stop you from coming to my door and asking for help. If you trust me—and I think you do—that means you are going to tell me everything, no holding back.”
“I don’t think that I have a choice.” She backed away. Her legs seemed to give out on her as she plopped down on his couch. “I know payout money when I see it. And with the irregularities, God, it’s all going to point to me. Someone is setting me up, and if I don’t find out who, I’ll go to jail. I can’t go to jail, Chase.”
He swore and came to sit beside her. His thigh brushed against hers. “Tell me everything. Now.”
Her head tipped forward. “I swear, my life is normally calm and ordered. And there are no break-ins or mystery payouts randomly appearing in my account.”
He caught her hair and pushed a lock of it behind her ear. “I got that you went for order. Noticed it in the way everything in your apartment was perfectly in place.”
She turned her head to look at him.
“You might have noticed that my shit is still all over the place here.” He shrugged. “Don’t let that worry you. It just means I like chaos, but I can control it.”
“Chaos theory,” Vivian heard herself say. “If you can find the order in chaos, then you can start to see patterns.”
“Are you giving me new facts to learn?”
She was nervous as hell. She had no idea what she was giving him. “I don’t want to go to jail,” she whispered.
His jaw tightened. “Baby, you aren’t.”
Easy to say when he wasn’t the one being framed.
“Tell me what’s happening,” Chase urged her. “Don’t leave out any details.”
She bit her lower lip. There were things about her job that she wasn’t supposed to disclose, but, if she was right—and Vivian feared she was—then people were in danger. “I noticed irregularities. Where I work, I mean. At first, they seemed like glitches. But they were very specific glitches.”
“Okay, back up. First, you need to tell me where you work. Because you’ve kind of kept that news from me.”
“I work for the CIA.” Her voice was so low. Like she was afraid someone would overhear. But it was just the two of them, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m not an agent. I just—I’m a contractor. What I told you before was true. I am a Digital Forensic Engineer. That means I spend my days looking for trouble online. Looking for holes that enemies can use. I stop hackers. I protect our systems.” This was so bad. “But that also means that since I’m the one protecting things, I know how to get around every safeguard that’s in place.”
He didn’t speak.
“It looks like it’s me.” This made her sick. Sick. “Data was compromised. At first, I kept going after the trail on my own. I didn’t want to alert my boss because…” Her words trailed away.
“You suspected him.”
“I suspected nearly everyone at the branch. That was the problem. I had suspicions, but no proof. I’m the new employee. The glitches started after I arrived. All I could do was keep digging. Keep seeing where the trail led me.”
“And where did it lead?”
She felt nauseous as she told him, “Agents have been
compromised. Undercover assets—their identities are known. Their addresses were found. The material was downloaded, and it’s out there.”
“When did this happen?”
It wasn’t a simple matter of when. There was more involved than just an easy timeline. The data was gone. “At first, the glitches were keyed more to just trying to get around the system. I tried to put precautions in place when I noticed the activity.”
“Precautions?” His head cocked.
They’d get back to those precautions. The precautions were going to buy her time. “But when I discovered that the data had been taken—I could see the digital footprint, I knew the material was accessed and stolen—then I had to go to my boss. Whether I suspected him or not, I had to follow the chain of command and report what I’d discovered.”
“When did the breach happen?”
As far as when the data had actually been pulled and not just when the glitches had started… “Last week. Tuesday. I told my boss what had occurred. He said he’d launch an investigation, and then he shut me out. Locked down my access. I was told to report to work each day, but I just sit at my desk and basically do nothing.” Her breath expelled in a hard rush. “Then today, that two hundred grand appeared. The CIA is looking for the person who compromised security, and it’s going to look like it was me.” She had to blink away tears. Tears that she’d fought all day long. “I know you didn’t sign up for any of this, but you helped me before.” And you are my only shot. “You work for a security firm. You’re the only person I could think of.” She swallowed. Stared into his eyes. “I know a payout when I see it. My father got them for the jobs he took. My mother swore we’d never live on his blood money.”
He searched her eyes.
A tear slid down her cheek. A tear she’d tried to stop, but it had slipped out despite her efforts. “I don’t want to go to jail. The evidence is mounting—and half of that evidence is info that I collected. I turned it in to my boss, and my digital fingerprints are all over the files, but that is only because I was doing my job. I was trying to protect the system.” And the agents out there. She’d done everything she could to protect them. Vivian hadn’t even told her boss the steps she’d taken for them. Because I don’t know who to trust.