Rules of Engagement

by Lily White

  The concern in his expression should have worried me, but I couldn’t get past the fact that I’d just heard Donovan’s voice.

  “Did you just-“

  I needed you to stop. Mia, I’m not playing any games with you. Dark Realities was shut down a week before I interviewed you. I wasn’t lying. I have no idea what you’re talking about.

  My heart kick-started again, except this time it was out of fear instead of lust. Shaking my head in disbelief, I didn’t know what to think. It had to be him. He designed the game, wrote the code, had control of the software until the day he sold it to his clients. There was no other person that could have pulled this off. “Please tell me you’re screwing with me. Because I’d rather be pissed off at you right now than being absolutely terrified.”

  His lips parted like he would say something, but his eyes clenched shut at the attempt. I wasn’t sure if it hurt him to use his vocal chords after such a long period of silence, or if he was still battling the reason he’d slipped into that silence in the first place.

  You need to tell me everything that has been going on. Everything. Don’t leave a single detail out. I promise you, Mia, whoever is playing with you isn’t me. Which means someone else has control of one of my old sites, and they’ve been playing with you without anybody else knowing what’s going on.

  I would have fallen over in shock if Donovan hadn’t reached out to grab me. Leading me to a chair, he helped me into the seat before kneeling down in front at me knees. Are you okay?

  My voice was shaky as I asked, “Are you being honest with me, Donovan? Please, I need to know if you’re messing with me.”

  The terror won out when I saw the naked truth behind his eyes. My mind reeled at the realization that some other man had been watching me, at the understanding that some other man had been standing over me while I slept.

  I had taunted a complete stranger into stalking me and breaking into my home after I had given him all my personal information.

  I want you to calm down, Mia. And once you’re able to breath normally again, I need you to tell me everything that has happened since the moment you found Dark Realities on the web.

  It took an hour to calm down and spill all the details of the past four weeks of my life. Every so often, I had to stop and shudder at the reminder that a stranger knew all there was to know about me, while I’d convinced myself that it had been Donovan all along.

  Panic tore through me, embarrassment and regret lining the edges of that panic until I was left crying as I described the letter I’d received that morning.

  “I thought it was you,” I confessed. “I thought you were so damn complicated that you had to play the game just to move on from everything that’s happened to you.”

  Pacing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest, Donovan shot me look that sliced me open. Anger was a vibration across his shoulders, his brow furrowed in thought as he digested everything I told him and attempted to figure out who had gained control of his site.

  Turning to me, he asked, Did you receive the email from the website and my email offering employment at the same time?

  “Yes. I told you I woke up that morning-“

  No, Mia. I meant were they sent to you at the same time. What were the time stamps on the emails themselves?

  “I don’t remember! My entire computer has been destroyed. The police weren’t even able to access it.”

  A sly smile tugged at his lips. I’d just issued another challenge, but it was the type that only interested a person who enjoyed manipulating computers. The police might have thought it was destroyed, but that doesn’t mean everything’s gone. Where’s the computer?

  “At my apartment.”

  Then let’s go to your apartment.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Rule No. 9: I can’t protect you. And bad things happen to the people I care about.

  The drive back to my apartment was only slightly less terrifying than knowing a complete stranger had been standing over me last night. Donovan’s car was sleek and sporty, it was also driven like a madman was behind the wheel, taking corners at the last second and weaving through traffic without concern for the way I was clutching the seat and begging him to slow down. By the time he was pulling into a parking spot outside my building, I was white as a ghost, all the blood in body having been left behind in the parking garage of our office. It would take a while for my vitals to calm down, for that blood to find me and color my skin again.

  Donovan didn’t let my fear slow him down. He practically carried me from the car to my building and up to my apartment, only pausing long enough for me to tell him which one was mine.

  After letting us inside, I sat down on the couch in an attempt to stop trembling, while Donovan went to work on my computer, the tippy tap of the keys constant while his eyes scanned the monitor.

  After a half hour, I was able to calm down from the car ride enough to ask him questions. “What does it mean if the emails were sent at the same time?”

  His eyes shot over to me, but his fingers were still moving over the keyboard. I watched the struggle in his face as he made a decision on how to answer me. And given that his fingers were still flying over those keys, I watched Donovan make a choice he hadn’t made in many years.

  Clearing his throat, he answered, “It means the only person who could have done this was Jackson. He knew when I sent the email offering you the job because he was in my office when I sent it. If the other email was sent a few minutes after, then it had to be him.”

  I didn’t like the way he winced over those whispered words, and instead of trying to figure out for myself why he winced the way he did, I just came out and asked him. “Does it hurt to talk?”

  He shook his head once and answered, “No. It’s just weird.”

  Although I was thrilled that Donovan was using his voice again, I didn’t want to cause him any distress while he was attempting to stop the game. Shutting up, I waited as his gaze returned the monitor and he spent another twenty minutes typing at my computer.

  Eventually, his hands slapped down on my desk, my eyes lifting to see him run those hands through his hair in frustration.

  Whoever wiped your computer did a damn good job. I can’t access any information.

  Raking my thoughts, I tried to think of anything else that could help him. When it came to me, I jumped out of my seat to grab the note from my bedroom. Running back out, I handed it to him and asked, “Do you know Jackson’s handwriting? This is the note I woke up to this morning.”

  Donovan’s fingers clenched over the paper, but he shook his head. Dropping it to the desk he breathed out a frustrated growl and signed, I have no idea if it’s his or not. We usually communicate over the tablet.

  “Okay,” I answered, now pacing the floor beside him, “where is Jackson now? Is he on a job today? Can we find something back at the office he may have written so we can compare it to the note?”

  Several seconds passed before Donovan pulled his phone from his pocket and typed out a message. The phone pinged back almost instantly. Turning to me, Donovan answered, He’s at the office. He just got there and needs to talk to me about something. I have no idea what.

  Wondering if they’d spoken since Jackson and I fought in the office, I stepped closer to Donovan and asked, “When was the last time you talked to Jackson?”

  Yesterday morning. Why?

  Crap. So Donovan didn’t know about the fight, which meant it hadn’t been Jackson’s idea to give me a job in the marketing department just to get me away from Donovan. I felt so stupid. Donovan had been honest the entire time and I’d been the idiot who wouldn’t believe him. “Jackson and I got into a big fight yesterday after you stormed out of the office. I thought you offered me the new job this morning because he told you to.”

  Are you insane? He doesn’t tell me what to do in my own company.

  I wasn’t going to answer that question, because judging by every stupid decision I’d made that
led us to this moment, I wasn’t just insane - I was certifiable.

  What were you fighting about?

  Swallowing down my frustration over the entire situation, I admitted, “He saw you storm out yesterday after we kissed in your office. He called me a whore and I slapped him.”

  My eyes caught sight of his hands balling into fists, but I ignored the obvious rage and continued, “After you left, he said that if anything happens to you, it would be my fault, and I’d be blamed for the destruction of Stone Industries. The way he protects you is unhealthy, Donovan. I can’t figure out if he’s really trying to help you, or if he’s more concerned about something happening in your life that would lead to him losing his cushy job. Either way, he really does not want me near you and I’m surprised he didn’t get in touch with you last night.”

  Donovan’s face was a deep crimson, every tight line written into his expression a mark of rage and contempt. Pushing out of his chair, he grabbed my arm and started leading me to my front door. I jerked away from him and said, “Please stop doing that. Don’t grab me like that, okay?”

  No, I didn’t cower at his touch, but I still disliked being led around like I had no say in what we were doing.

  I’m sorry. We need to get to the office. I have a feeling Jackson is the one who’s been playing the game.

  A million questions danced through my head, but I swallowed them down and grabbed my purse from the counter. “Fine. Let’s go. But if you kill me with your crazy driving, I swear I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.”

  Donovan flinched in response to my words, and it was my turn to apologize.

  It seemed we both still had issues that needed to be worked out…but those could wait until after we ended the game.

  Leaving my apartment, Donovan barely gave me time to lock up before he was running me down the stairs to his car, and peeling off so fast that his tires must have left black marks on the cement. Rather than watching the wild ride, I closed my eyes and held on, sending up a silent prayer of thanks when he finally pulled into the garage next to his building and parked the car.

  Leading me quickly through the garage, he walked up to a set of doors, keyed in a code and waited for the doors to slide open. My eyes bugged out when he led me into an elevator and pushed the button for the third floor.

  “You have to be kidding me. There has been a working elevator this entire time I’ve been here and you didn’t tell me? I’ve been climbing three flights of stairs every day for no reason?”

  The corner of his lip twitched with sly humor, but it did nothing to ease the tense aggression written across his face. I was going to murder this man once all of this was said and done.

  The elevator dinged as the doors opened and I followed Donovan down a side hall that led to the top of the stairs. Rounding the corner, I almost impacted with his body when he stopped suddenly in front of the door leading into the office. Maybe you should stay in the hall.

  “Nope. I’m the one who got us into this mess by signing up with the stupid site. I’m not letting you deal with it by yourself.”

  Fine. But stay in the lobby in case Jackson becomes violent.

  I grabbed his arm before he could open the door. “Maybe we should call the police.”

  His shoulders shook with a bark of humorless laughter. Yeah. Because they were able to help the last time you went to them. Just follow my lead. I’ll see if I can get Jackson to react.

  Opening the door slowly, as if he had no cares in the world, Donovan smiled as he held the door open for me, motioning for me to walk in ahead of him. I forced a smile on my face as I passed, wishing he would have just told me what he planned to do, rather than giving me the cryptic instruction to follow his lead. After shutting the door, Donovan draped his arm around me, making sure to pause as we passed Jackson who was standing by the reception desk, glaring at us from the back room.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Jackson asked, his face heating with anger. His gaze snapping to mine, he dropped the papers he’d been reading to the desk. “I thought I told you to leave him the hell alone.”

  Pulling his arm from around me, Donovan turned to glare at his friend. It hadn’t taken much to get Jackson to react, apparently. He looked like he was about to launch himself through the wall just to throw me out of the lobby.

  Drawing Jackson’s attention to him, Donovan cleared his throat and asked, “Why do you think you have any say in what Mia and I do together?”

  The anger in Jackson’s expression died away as soon as he heard Donovan’s voice. After casting a quick glance between us, Jackson pinned his stare on Donovan, astonishment widening his eyes. “You’re talking again?”

  Although Donovan’s voice still wasn’t as strong as it should have been, it was getting clearer every time he spoke. A deep baritone, I could only imagine what that voice would sound like when the grittiness was gone.

  “Tell me why you’re fighting with Mia. And when you’re done doing that, you can explain why you thought I’d never find out you’ve been stalking her.”

  Jackson’s eyes rounded even more, the skin between them wrinkling in confusion. “I’m fighting with her because I’m protecting you. Ever since Jennifer died, you’ve been one small step away from giving up on life entirely. And what do you mean, I’ve been stalking her? I don’t even like her that much. Why the fuck would I want to follow her around. Has she been telling you that?”

  He narrowed his eyes on me before turning back to Donovan. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  It couldn’t have been easy for Donovan to keep talking, so I decided to step in and explain for him. “Does Dark Realities ring any bells?”

  I don’t know what I felt when Jackson’s expression tightened even more, the lines in his forehead deepening as he snapped his gaze back to me. “Dark Realities? Of course it rings a bell, but what does that test site have to do with anything?”

  “You’re the only person who has access to my systems, Jackson.”

  Jackson shook his head, still very much confused about the entire thing, while dread was a ball rolling around in my stomach. If it wasn’t Donovan stalking me, and it wasn’t Jackson, then who?

  Placing my hand on Donovan’s shoulder, I stared at Jackson with realization slapping me in the face. “Jackson, does Trevor have access to the computer systems, by any chance?”

  Donovan’s expression twisted with anger, his eyes pinning Jackson in place while we both waited for the answer to my question.

  “I gave him access a while ago, back when we were working on the install at Cassock, Kincaid and Clark. Why?”

  Clenching his eyes shut, Donovan pinched the skin between them. “Are you telling me Trevor had access to the gaming software we sold to the Cassock firm?”

  “Yes, why? He’s always had access to it. I gave him a key to the office while we were preparing for the install and didn’t always have a secretary in to accept his deliveries. That way he could leave the boxes in the back room.”

  My fingers tightened over Donovan’s shoulder when I answered, “Because someone has been running Dark Realities since Donovan closed it down, and that same person has been playing one of the games with me since I started working here, even going so far as to break into my house.”

  Still not trusting what Jackson was telling him, Donovan asked, “If this wasn’t you, then why were you so adamant I hire Mia?”

  “Why does that matter?”

  The two men locked their stare. “Because she received the acceptance email and deposit from Dark Realities the same night I sent her the email offering her the job.”

  Understanding flashed behind Jackson’s eyes, and like a light bulb had just gone off above his head, his gaze became focused, a memory coming back to him that explained at least that small part of the puzzle. “We were working late the night you interviewed Mia. Trevor saw the resume you’d left on your desk while you were out getting dinner. He made a bet with me that I couldn’t get you to hi
re her and keep her for a full month. He left before you got back.”

  Great. It was just awesome knowing my job had been based on a series of stupid bets.

  Pulling away from me, Donovan approached the open window in the wall, planted his hands on the reception desk and leaned toward his best friend. “Once we get done finding out if Trevor has been the one stalking Mia, you and I will be talking about how much access you have to this office after the website has been found and shut down, and after Trevor is behind bars for hacking into my system.”

  Pushing away from the desk, Donovan pulled the keys from his pocket to let us into the back room. He didn’t say a word before stalking into his own office and dropping his weight into his seat. “Jackson, get in here. You and I need to see where the security has been breached. Mia, this may take a while, so you can go home if you want.”

  Shaking my head, I crossed my arms over my chest and said, “No. I’m not sure it’s safe there. I’ll just wait as you two figure this out.”

  It took several hours for Jackson and Donovan to find all the different ways Trevor had hacked into the systems, both looking exhausted as they worked on several computers side by side. Making myself useful, I tried to clean up around the office just to distract myself from the problem, but I kept drifting back to Donovan’s office, my eyes scanning over the information scrolling across their screens that made absolutely no sense to me.

  Just when I thought they’d found everything they needed to shut Trevor out and prove he’d hacked into the systems, Jackson froze in place, his eyes shooting up to me in panic. “Hey, Donovan, I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

  So absorbed in what he was staring at on his screen, Donovan shrugged off what Jackson had said. He’d missed the apprehension in Jackson’s voice, but I hadn’t.

  Crossing the room, Jackson inclined his head at me in request that I follow him into the hall. Casting one last look at Donovan, I sighed and walked out to see what Jackson wanted to say. He closed the door behind us once we were out of the lobby.