Chapter 21
Molly strode through the front doors of Buchanan Security like she owned the place. She held her chin up and grinned.
Molly hadn’t felt this alive in years, not since before she’d met Johnny.
She walked through the glass doors, dressed in black yoga pants, a long-sleeved black top, and white trainers with those long socks.
She’d covered up her robber outfit with a long furry beige coat and a white cap.
Wasn’t this all the rage with Gen Z or Alpha, or whatever the young’uns were called these days?
This retro outfit would make it that much easier for her to run if need be.
It being a Sunday, the office lounge areas and cubicles operated with a skeleton crew. Less people who would remember her and less people to question her.
When he put his might to it, Leo could indeed come up with some brilliant ideas. Who knew? And he loved her. The memory of him saying that sent a delicious shiver through her.
She cleared her throat. Now wasn’t the time to think about that. They’d talk after all this was done.
Molly strutted towards the reception desk, her phone, a bejewelled one Neil had procured for her, held up. I’m here for Leo Buchanan. I’ve got an appointment.
The receptionist, a boy who looked barely over sixteen, typed something into the computer. Melanie K?
Do you need ID?
The kid’s lips pursed. I’m afraid so.
This had been the hurdle, the one Leo had insisted she couldn’t get over. He could come downstairs and happen to run into her, saving her from being ID’d. But like she’d told him, he didn’t know her from before she’d met Johnny.
What sort of company is this, needing IDs when people are visiting you?
She reached into her purse and extracted a wallet.
It was shiny pink, almost a match for the bling on her phone.
And it’s not Melanie, it’s Candace. She placed the credit card on the table.
From her pocket, she extracted a visiting card and set that next to it. I work with Mel.
The receptionist bit their lip now. Was today his first day at work? Why the hell was he so nervous? Er, I mean photo ID.
I don’t drive. And as I’m not going on a holiday, I don’t have my passport with me. So either accept my credit card as proof, or I’m leaving and you can explain to Leo why he’s lost a high-paying client.
No, no. He shook his head. It’s just that I am expecting a Melanie and—
Is your boss so handsome he has random women calling on him in the office?
Molly actually didn’t want the answer to that question.
But she kept her poise. Ninety-nine percent of breaking in was human psychology.
Twist their arm enough, and people wanted to do the polite thing and get out of your way.
No! Er—
She flapped the card for him to look at. I run a celebrity blog, the sort that’s explosive enough to get me death threats. So talking about a rich man’s need to fuck his way through Glasgow’s population would make a brilliant article. Unless you let me through.
The lad hesitated, before picking up a phone and having a conversation with someone. Then he issued her a visitor’s card and showed her the way to the lifts.
When the doors to the lift shut, leaving Molly alone, she looked at the floor—away from the cameras—and smiled.
She hadn’t felt this incredible and free in a long time.
Earlier, she’d headed into a café and watched the real Candace pay for her coffee using her phone.
That meant the woman didn’t use her wallet often.
Molly had bumped into her, plucked a credit card from her wallet, then replaced the wallet.
Chances were, Candace wouldn’t even notice her card was gone.
And Molly only needed it for ID, so after this, she’d return the card to the café, saying she’d found it on the floor.
She still had her stealth chops.
Molly poised herself as the lift climbed up from the third to the fourth floor. The doors opened, and she stepped through to a large foyer. This is where the four offices were. Knox was on the far right, Neil to the near right, Alasdair on her far left, and Leo on the near left.
She sauntered over to the receptionist. Candace Smith.
This man, probably in his twenties, blinked at her. Hello. It’s nice to see you. Mr Buchanan was expecting a Melanie K. And I can’t find—
Damn it! What was wrong with this nut? Besides, hadn’t Leo said his receptionist didn’t work weekends?
What is this, some kind of border control? I am here for my meeting as a co-owner in TikNews Studios. Why can’t I meet with your boss? My colleague couldn’t be here today. Are yous not interested in acquiring new business?
It’s protocol, ma’am. I was told you don’t have photo ID either, and I can’t find your company’s website online. Frankly, I don’t remember speaking to you to book this appointment either.
Urgh, this arsehole!
Sorry, that was my doing. Leo emerged from his office.
He wore a suit, like he did every day at work.
Only by the time Molly saw him at the end of the day, he’d often lost his tie and jacket, walking around in that crumpled shirt with his sleeves rolled up.
That was her favourite look on him, but he did look dapper and yummy in a full suit.
He strode over to her, his hand extended towards her. It’s lovely to meet you.
She flashed him a smile that she hoped looked flirty enough, especially when she forwent his proffered hand and hugged him.
He’d spritzed on cologne, fresh and alluring. When his strong arm came around her and hugged her, Molly sighed. You clean up well, mister, she whispered in his ear.
Leo’s crooked grin was a punch to her gut. This man looked too much like a GQ model for his own good. And you too.
Keeping a hand on her back, he guided her to his office, muttering something about special coffee beans he’d purchased from an as-yet-undiscovered Ghanian brand. As soon as the door swung shut behind him, he said, How the hell did you get past security downstairs?
Molly rolled her eyes. You mean the guy who appeared like he’d been plucked from his classroom and placed behind a reception desk? She held up the credit card, then reached into her purse and extracted the credit card and a packet of crackers. This is for you.
Leo’s jaw dropped. You stole a credit card?
Of course he’d think that. Molly rolled her eyes, again.
Borrowed it. I used your card to pay for my morning coffee and the spinach and cheese crackers.
Figured I needed something to lessen the blow to your male ego that I could break into your security company’s premises so easily.
Guess Neil’s got IT covered, but HR needs to step up.
I helped you in. My receptionist is like a lion guarding his den when it comes to letting someone in here, unless it’s Knox.
I’ll take your word for it. Molly shrugged. Now, get me into Knox’s office.
On a sigh, Leo stalked over and led her outside again.
They walked past Leo’s receptionist, eyeing them suspiciously.
He raised a brow at Leo, who muttered something about a file he needed from Knox.
But Molly had a feeling his assistant wasn’t asking about Knox’s empty office.
He was mining for gossip about his boss.
Was her appointment with Leo a non-work visit?
The man’s too much of a coward to actually sleep with me, she wanted to scream at the assistant.
Leo led her behind a half-wall and through a door with the sign Knox Buchanan, CEO.
Knox loves golf. Sometimes a bit too much, otherwise he’s always practically living here, he told her. The man’s also a neat freak.
Knox’s office looked more like a military general’s than that of a busy CEO.
Files sat on his desk, in some sort of a colour-coded setup.
The loose papers were perfectly centred in the filing plates.
He had his pens lined up like an OCD psychopath, and every pencil in his pen stand was sharpened to a point.
Leo grimaced. This makes it worse, because the bastard will figure out someone’s been snooping in his things.
It’s serial killer-like, Molly said. But these are all the hallmarks of him running a clandestine operation under this company.
If you’re so ruthlessly organised, it’s easy to hide the lie.
She veered away from that display model like desk and to the cabinets lining the wall on the side.
The bottom row had pull-out doors made of wood.
The cabinets on the top displayed a bunch of certificates and trophies, including a few photographs.
Molly reached into her pocket and retrieved gloves.
She figured a company like this might dust for fingerprints and possibly run them through their own database.
Had Johnny logged her fingerprints with them?
She didn’t know. Maybe she was being paranoid, but hell, she was breaking into the office of a security company’s CEO. This was top.
The cabinets all had files named after companies and arranged in an alphabetical order. When she saw Barker Constructions, she grabbed that file and leafed through it. Barker Constructions had a thick file containing their recent contract. Nothing about the past in this one.
Leo, I think I’ll need you to look through these. I have no background on what companies yous are working with. Molly straightened and focused instead on the certificates and photos.
Leo was doing a thorough job of going through files on the other side of the office. He snapped the door of the last cabinet shut, then stalked over to her side. What will you do?
Molly pulled out her normal phone, the one she’d tucked in her pocket and began snapping pictures of the certificates. There was an ISO certificate, a few industry awards, and best employer awards, while the pictures on display showed David Buchanan with various groups of people.
Why Knox had these on the wall, she couldn’t say. Did most people abandoned by their biological fathers have said father’s images in their office?
Was this David’s old office?
Leo looked up from where he’d been sorting through the second set of cabinets.
No, this entire floor was his, as he was the sole owner back then.
We divided it up. Our roles didn’t exist before.
A lot of the work that we do—Alasdair, Neil, and I—was handled by the international relations, IT, and HR teams. It was a lot of workload that shouldn’t have been on the team leaders’ shoulders, so we took those roles over.
Molly nodded, then moved to the other side of the office and clicked pictures of the setup of certificates and photos there. This side was a shrine to Knox’s life. She wasn’t sure that had been the intention, but if he ever had a momentary lapse in self-confidence, this wall would recover it.
The man had been at Edinburgh Uni, then moved to the States to Harvard Business School, before trekking back to the UK to win a few young leader and business awards. Knox even had framed pictures of people handing said awards to him. No images of family or a romantic partner, though.
Guess the man really did live in this office, like Leo had said. And when not at the office, he was in business meetings, or on the golf course. That’s why they were here on the weekend; Knox had driven off to Aberdeen to play on the links.
Can’t find anything. Leo groaned and stood up. We’ve been here long enough for my assistant to suspect something’s off.
Molly eyed the office one last time, then peered at the desk. She tried the drawers on either side of the desk, but they were locked. I bet whatever we need is locked up in here. To Leo she instructed, Buy us some time. Send him on an errand.
Leo cursed but didn’t question her. Instead he opened the door and called out, Craig, can you get Ms Candace here an iced latte? Go to the café on the corner. And she needs almond milk.
Craig said something Molly was too busy to hear. She had pulled out a hairpin and inserted it into the cabinet’s lock. It had been a while since she’d picked a lock, but well, she had done it before. She just had to relax her muscles so they worked from memory.
Leo huffed. She needs one from a café. I know the Ghanian blend is exclusive, but it’s not to her liking. Oh, and make it decaf. And while you’re at it, get my lunch too. Aye, I didn’t eat.
Then he shut the door. That man’s too nosy for his own good. What are you doing?
She managed to get the bottom drawer open at last. It held thick leather files. Molly plucked the first one and gasped.