Chapter 9 #3
“KDT? I know the company by reputation. Leading-edge defense technology that goes for a high price.”
“And my father’s employer. As soon as I saw that logo, I had a feeling it was bad news.”
“Did you open the envelope?”
Taylor shivered. This was the moment her life had gone haywire and her peace of mind had vanished.
“I did, because it wasn’t sealed. The two inside it were.
The smaller one was addressed to me. It was from Pops; someone was coming for him, I wasn’t to access the drive or open the other envelope, and I was to keep everything until he contacted me.
Oh, and I wasn’t to tell anyone about it, either. ”
“What made you take it to Nick?”
“When I read the first line, about someone coming for him, it gave me a really bad feeling. I had no idea who it might be, and I realized I couldn’t handle the situation on my own.”
“I’m glad you did. It was the right thing to do. Was there anything else about the note that stood out?”
“It was handwritten but looked as if it was done in a real hurry. Other than that, nothing special.” Taylor shrugged.
“So, you received the envelope and the drive with instructions not to access either, and not to tell anyone you had them. Once you decided to take everything to Nick, did you take a look at the drive?”
Taylor finished her coffee. It had cooled to the point of being virtually undrinkable, but she didn’t care. “No. I didn’t look at any of it, only the note for me. I took it to Nick and he… took over. He took a look, and now he’s got friends and the company counsel investigating it.”
Rhys nodded. “Do you think maybe your father stole the information from his employer?”
He looked as puzzled by the theory as Taylor felt. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I used to think everything he ever did was aboveboard, but now…”
She remembered the possibilities Nick had suggested, that it was conceivable her father had found evidence of embezzlement by others, or he could be covering his tracks because he was guilty of that crime himself.
Taylor hated even entertaining the latter, because it seemed like such a heinous betrayal.
Rhys sat up a little straighter. “Don’t jump to any conclusions.
Until the investigations are complete, you don’t know exactly what’s happened or why.
However,” he continued, his tone more solemn, “if we’re talking about shady goings-on in a military manufacturer, there are implications for national, even international security.
Thanks for trusting me with that, Taylor. ”
Arms folded, head slightly tilted to one side, he studied her for several long, silent moments. Just as she was beginning to squirm under his scrutiny, he ended the brief silence.
“What made you decide to tell me all this now? Why now and not before?”
His tone puzzled her—it didn’t hold the steel of an interrogator, but there was something that made her wonder why he wanted to know. It sounded… personal.
From Taylor’s point of view, he’d asked the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. He deserved a sixty-four-thousand-dollar answer.
Not that she believed what she was about to admit was it. And if it wasn’t welcome, then their remaining time in California could be unbearable. Unwilling to witness the failure of her next actions, she dropped her gaze to focus on a corner of a sofa cushion.
“We both know we started off on the wrong foot,” she began cautiously. “The last few days, though… I feel… things have changed.”
The struggle was worse than she’d anticipated. She was floundering, lost in a rush of thoughts and emotions that were simply too much, too soon.
“Taylor—”
“Call me Tay.” On impulse, she butted in before he could say anything further, only to hesitate before continuing with the thought. “All my friends do.”
“Friends. Is that what we are now, Tay?”
>>><<<
Friendship was one thing, but he wanted so much more. It would have been so easy to reach out, to curve his hand around her neck, stroke the softness of her cheek with his thumb, before drawing her closer, so he could finally find out if her lips tasted as sweet as they looked.
Suffice to say, Rhys hadn’t wanted to let her go when they’d been in the pool earlier.
Fooling around that way had been his undoing.
He’d been attracted to Taylor for months; he’d fought it for months—verbal sparring being his weapon of choice—but holding her like that, so close, skin to skin, had brought the truth into clear, blinding focus.
He shouldn’t want her, but he did—in every possible way a man could want a woman.
“I hope we are,” she replied.
He wasn’t sure whether her cautious response was reassuring or discouraging, but before he could frame an answer, she continued.
“I’m really sorry, but would you mind if I go and lie down for a while? I’m starting to get a headache, and I just need to lie down in the dark until it goes.”
There was no way he’d stand in her way for something like that, and as he watched her leave the room, Rhys wondered where—if anywhere—their relationship might go next.