AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My sisters grew up, but I grew cautious. I never go for what I want. I never take chances or make leaps. Sending my info to the dating service is the biggest chance I’ve taken in, well, ever, actually.
Rebellion bubbles up from someplace deep inside. I abandon the cleaning cart and stride across Josh’s office, my shoulders back as determination fills me. My heart pounds against my ribcage as I approach his desk.
I run my finger over the mahogany top, looking at the stack of files he left neatly arranged on top, the same ones I brought him this morning. Did he even open them? It doesn’t look like it.
I spot a set of keys in a little bowl on the corner of his desk and pick them up, rifling through them. A soft laugh escapes when I read the keychain that says, “World’s Okayest Grandson”.
“Why are you laughing?” Lyra asks, suspicion in her voice.
“I’m snooping through Josh’s stuff.”
“You are not!” she gasps.
“I am.”
“Scandalous. What did you find?”
“Nothing yet. I just started.” I drop the keys back into the bowl and tug on the top desk drawer. It slides open, and my nose immediately scrunches. “I take that back.”
“Oh, tell me!” Lyra demands, and then her voice grows slightly muffled. “Lyric is snooping through her boss’s stuff.”
“Oh, did she find anything good?” Harmony asks, no longer in the background. I guess Lyra put me on speaker.
“Please tell me he has a juicy secret!” Melody cries.
“Well?” Lyra asks. “What did you find?”
“Protein bars. A whole freaking drawer of them. No wonder he’s cranky all the time. He eats… what is even in these things?” I mumble, plucking one out to scan the ingredient list. It’s exactly as I thought. “Tears, sadness, and ashes.”
Harmony laughs. “That is not what is in a protein bar, Lyric.”
“I just read the package, Harmony. That’s basically what it says is in them,” I retort, dropping the package back into the drawer. I push it closed a little too hard, which jostles the mouse on top of the desk. His computer screen flickers and then flares to life. “He’s cranky all the time because he eats tears, sadne?—”
I trail off as the image on the screen catches my attention. He’s got one of the security camera feeds pulled up. Specifically, one of my work area. One that looks directly down on me. From this angle, he’d be staring right at my face. Not my computer screen, but at me.
“What the heck?” I whisper, my heart lodging itself in my throat. He’s been watching me.
“What?” Harmony asks. “Did you find condoms? A secret compartment? A passport proving he’s a spy with a fake identity?”
“He’s been watching me.”
“What the heck?” Harmony and Melody say at the same time.
“What do you mean he’s been watching you?” Lyra growls.
“I…” I lick my suddenly dry lips, my mind spinning. “I bumped his mouse, and it pulled up a camera feed. The camera is of my work area. Of my chair. It looks down directly at me.”
“Whoa,” Melody whispers.
“What a jerk!” Lyra hisses. “He doesn’t even trust you to do your freaking job without spying on you? Who does he think he is, God?”
“I don’t…” I shake my head, not sure that’s what this is. If he wanted to make sure I was doing my job, wouldn’t he watch my computer or my desk? Why have the camera angled so it’s pointing right at my face? That doesn’t make sense.
“We need to find you another job,” Harmony agrees. “No amount of money is worth all of that.”
Quit? No. I don’t want to quit.
“I…”
