Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
O live walked back into Conglomerate’s headquarters and passed through the metal detector.
As soon as she stepped through, someone grabbed her arm.
Was she being pulled as a security risk? No alarms had sounded when she went through the metal detector.
She opened her mouth to argue when she saw Jason staring at her—almost as if he’d been waiting near the building’s entrance for her to come back.
But that would mean he’d known she left.
Had he been watching her?
Tension rose up her back, but she shoved it aside, determined not to show it.
“Olive.” He gave her a cold stare.
“Jason,” she offered back equally as curt.
“You stepped out for a while.”
She tilted her head toward her shoulder. “Is that against the rules?”
“Not at all.”
“Then why do I feel as if you’re interrogating me?”
“Guilty conscience?” he countered.
Olive narrowed her eyes and shifted. “Do you think I’m guilty of something, Jason? Because I’d prefer if you just came out and said it rather than playing this game.”
He stepped closer, his gaze cold. “I find it odd you just started working here, and you’re already knee deep in a murder that occurred here in the office.”
“The timing is unfortunate, for sure. It’s not the beginning I envisioned. But I don’t know why you think that makes me guilty.”
Something floated in his gaze.
What had changed since they spoke yesterday? Their conversation hadn’t ended on a bad note. But now he was acting so hostile.
Not that she needed his approval. But the shift of emotions left her confused, to say the least. Something had triggered it.
“Jason, you harassing our employees again?” a friendly voice called.
Olive looked over and saw one of the guards near the metal detector. He was in his sixties with a slight frame and an easy smile. His name tag read “Sonny.”
“Not exactly.”
“She’s clear,” Sonny called.
“I can’t believe my sparkling wit didn’t set this thing off,” Olive murmured.
Sonny cackled at her joke. “That’s right! Maybe you can pass some of that wit along to Jason.”
“Not sure that’s possible.”
“I for one am always hoping my iron supplements will make the alarms go off,” Sonny continued. “Then maybe I can stop taking those horse pills.”
Jason didn’t seem amused by their jokes. “I just need a moment of her time.”
“Why can’t you be nice like him?” Olive asked Jason as he continued to tug her away.
“I ask him that all the time,” Sonny quipped.
“This is me being nice.” Jason ignored their banter and pulled her away from any listening ears.
Sonny had been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise tense situation.
“I looked into your background,” Jason muttered.
Any of her jovial feelings disappeared faster than a professional thief snatching valuables.
Olive raised her chin. Her background should be solid. She had some of the best in the business working to ensure all her details lined up. “And?”
“It’s impressive.”
“I’d say thank you, but I don’t think you’re trying to pay me a compliment.”
He lowered his voice. “The timelines don’t add up for me, Ollie.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“When I knew you, you were smart but not necessarily a good student. You’d rather be having fun. Then your family suddenly picked up and moved. Two years later, you’re accepted into one of the top universities in the world, and immediately after graduation you begin working in different high-powered positions in some of the country’s top companies? It doesn’t fit.”
Olive swallowed hard, trying not to show any hints of truth in her gaze. “People can change.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
“The bottom of what?” She made sure to sound aloof.
“I’m sure you know what kind of company Conglomerate is. Their products are highly desired, not only by the government of this country but other countries as well. People stand to make millions if they take our proprietary information and sell it to others.”
She tilted her head as she observed him. “Are you saying that’s what’s happening?”
“I’m saying it’s always a risk. I think your dad was slick, a smooth talker who knew how to get what he wanted.” He paused. “I hate to sound harsh, Ollie, but maybe you got that trait from him.”
She swallowed hard. Jason was entirely too close to the truth right now.
Olive raised her chin, careful to look undeterred. “I think you’re overthinking this.”
“It’s my job to make sure I keep things safe and aboveboard here at the company. It’s only fair to let you know that I’m keeping my eye on you.”
“Go for it.” There was more challenge in her voice than she actually felt. “Waste your time if you want.”
She was bluffing. Because, in truth, her prior relationship with Jason could cause a lot of trouble for her with this assignment.
He wasn’t the type to be deterred. In fact, he was one of the most persistent, determined people she knew.
Once when he’d wanted a scholarship in high school, he’d studied endlessly for weeks to pull up his math grade so he could have the GPA he needed. Another time, he wanted his family to adopt a dog. His mom had said only if he proved he was responsible. So he’d cooked dinner for his family for an entire month.
Yes, he was definitely going to be a problem.
Olive had to figure out what to do about that.
Olive made it back upstairs just in time for her meeting with Ryan Jones. But she was still shaken from her conversation with Jason. He was suspicious, and rightfully so.
She’d told the truth when she’d said she turned her life around. But what he didn’t know was that it had taken her whole family being massacred for her to do that.
Afterward, when she’d gone to live with Tom, she’d felt like she had nothing to live for. She’d poured all her time into school and any achievements she could get that were not relational. She’d been accepted at a top university.
Her cover story was solid . . . but not if someone from her past started digging too deeply.
Someone like Jason.
She’d just situated herself at her desk when a knock sounded at her door. She looked up and saw Ryan standing there.
She plastered on a pleasant smile. “Come in. Please, have a seat.”
Ryan walked into the room. Thirty-six, dark coifed hair, classic good looks, and arrogant eyes.
He straightened the collar of his shirt as he sat in the chair in front of her desk. Another sign of nerves.
But what did he have to be nervous about if he wasn’t guilty?
“Can I get you some water?” Olive reached behind her to grab a bottle.
He didn’t answer her, but she set the bottle in front of him anyway.
“What’s this meeting about?” Ryan got right to the point.
She folded her hands on the desk in front of her. “As you know I’m the new External Information Security Analyst, and I’m examining the company for any intellectual weaknesses. As part of that, I’m talking with each of the executives here since they’re primarily the ones who have clearance to the top-secret information.”
He brushed something invisible from his pant leg. “I see. What do you want to know?”
She gave him a look. “It sounds as if you’re in a hurry.”
“I am. I have a lot of work to do and meetings to attend—as I mentioned earlier.”
Olive continued to study him. “And why is it that you look nervous?”
He blinked as if surprised by her question. “I’m not nervous. Just stressed.”
She nodded slowly even though she didn’t believe his words. “Let me cut to the chase with you then. I’m here to examine each employee and anything dangerous that may be going on here at Conglomerate. After Beau’s murder, this is especially urgent, as you can imagine.”
“It was a terrible thing that happened to him.”
“We deal with technology that can change the world, and we need to be very careful how it’s handled. It’s my job to root out any areas of vulnerability before these vulnerabilities become liabilities—not just for the company but for the world.”
“That’s a big job for someone so young.”
She didn’t miss the condescension in his voice. But she ignored it, not giving him the pleasure of a reaction. “It’s not about the age but about the qualifications. That said, have you seen anything suspicious going on here at the office that I need to know about?”
His eyes widened with what appeared to be amusement. “Suspicious?”
“Yes. You know the saying, ‘see something, say something.’ I’m sure you realize that what we deal with here at Conglomerate isn’t simply a consumer product that makes people’s lives easier. But there are products that can either keep the world safe if they’re in the right hands or, in the wrong hands, that can mean death and destruction for thousands of people.”
His face went paler. “Of course, I’m aware of that. I’ve been working here for two years. So please don’t come in here as a new employee and think you know more than I do about these things.”
She made sure to remain unaffected by his insults. “That’s not what I was trying to imply. But one of the benefits of me coming here is I have no personal relationships. That allows me to see things more objectively than an employee who’s been here longer. That’s why I’m doing the job I’m doing right now.” She paused. “Now, is there anything you’d like to tell me?”
Ryan swallowed hard and tugged at his collar again.
Olive held her breath, hoping he was about to spill something important.