Chapter Fifty-Four Rae
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Rae
I HATE HOW THICK my voice sounds when I say, “Show me.”
I watch in numb silence as Grant turns his laptop around so I can see it and hits Play. On-screen, Sam enters the Sugar offices, clearly at night. She grabs her laptop and takes off again.
“That’s it?”
“There’s more.” He clicks over to another screen, showing what I can only assume are log-in times and IP addresses, followed by a series of names. He scrolls through data, explaining access times and locations and how the customer data dump was offered up for sale just last night.
“It’s been monitored. The alarm sounded the minute the post went up.”
“Could it be… spoofing or something? Is that what it’s called?”
He shakes his head, and I want to kick him. Or punch or make him react in some way bigger than this. More than this. Doesn’t he see that he is wrong?
“There is other foolproof evidence that I’d prefer not to go into right now.”
“You sure like your secrets, don’t you?”
For the first time, Grant looks away.
“What did Sam say?”
“Claims it wasn’t her. She took the laptop because her home computer was broken.” They exchange a look. “She needed it for… gaming.”
“Gaming!” I almost scream. “What? She doesn’t game. This is ridiculous. She said that?”
They both nod, and I’m struggling to figure it all out, and nothing makes sense to me at all. I look at both of them. “Frankly, I would have appreciated a heads-up.”
“Oh, honey, I didn’t want you to have to choose sides.”
“I appreciate that, Dorothy. I do.” A deep breath in. A slow eight count out, and then I turn to my boss. “But I am an adult. I’m a professional.”
I do not glance for one second at Grant, lest he see any hint that I’m thinking of what the two of us have done over the past couple of weeks.
Because you know what? We were totally unprofessional, and it won’t happen again.
Then I do look at him, and I say, “In fact, I should come clean and tell you, Dorothy, that there are things I’ve…
done in the past.” I swallow, hating my white Irish skin for the blush I know I’m currently sporting.
“I should probably let you know that Grant and I, um, we…”
“Have a previous relationship,” he finishes, giving me that stern look with its annoyingly sympathetic undertones. The look that says, I’ll smack your ass raw, and then lick your pussy and make you come, and then put you in a bath, and then—
“Oh, I know all about it,” Dorothy says with a casual wave of her hand. “You two.” She is smirking like we’re two kids who got caught shoving Halloween candy in our mouths after bedtime, and not two consenting adults engaging in highly inappropriate workplace behavior.
“Us two?”
“Do what you want.” She snort-laughs. “I trust you both. Implicitly.”
I must look panicked when I meet Grant’s gaze because he shakes his head, somehow conveying that she’s not aware of details. I hope.
“What next?” I manage to ask instead. “Are you… involving law enforcement?”
“Oh, no. No, honey.”
“If we need to,” Grant amends.
“I’d rather not.” Dorothy is firm.
“Understood.”
“What about you? Are you done here?” I ask Grant, hoping that’s the case and also unsure I can survive a single day here without him.
Are you done with me? is the other, unspoken part of that question, and it’s the part that hurts the most. But I have my pride.
And most of my heart’s still intact. So maybe the question should be the other way around. Am I done with him?
The answer’s yes, I guess. I mean, it has to be, right?
He fired my friend. Yes, based on evidence, but it can’t be the truth. How can I trust him now? Our entire… thing… came out of a lie.
“Can people know why you’re really here?”
“Pretty sure a few already do.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I haven’t been tearing apart your code in search of issues, though, have I?”
I stare up at him, and he stares down at me, and, god, hasn’t he, though?
“I’ve asked him to stick around through the investors’ meeting. We need to give them the facts.”
“The results of the audit.”
“Next week?” I ask, needing an end date for this mess.
“Yes.” Dorothy nods. “Grant’s here until then.” She throws him a smile. “Trying to convince him to come to the retreat with us too. Maybe celebrate that our security’s in top shape, do some creative team brainstorming before we head in to see the investors.”
The retreat. No. No, god. I don’t want to go now. But I have to. I planned it, didn’t I? What I want is to run home and hide my head in my blankets. Disappear, like I did in subspace, but I want this man nowhere near me when I do.
“Sounds great,” I lie, unable to look him in the eye.
I know Grant’s never promised me anything, but I feel so betrayed. It’s odd, I guess, given that I barely know him, and I’ve worked for Dorothy for years, but his betrayal feels so much bigger than hers.
How long have you known? I want to ask him. Did you have any inkling that you planned to fire my best friend when you gave me three orgasms on Friday night?
“So, what are the next steps?”
“I meet with the investors. Explain the breach. Tell them it was Sam all along. Grant will present his findings on security and explain the beefed-up protocols.”
“Will that be enough?”
“It has to be,” Grant intones.