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The indecision on Lucas’s face actually makes me sad.
But not sad enough to stick around.
“Go back to your job, Lucas,” I say, pushing past him.
And I don’t look back.
As much as I hate it, I have to go back to Lucas’s apartment. I need to get my stuff eventually, so now is as good a time as any. I’ll just grab Milton and head to a motel. Same way I had planned to do three weeks ago before I got seduced by a lawyer with too much charm.
My heart aches at the thought of him. I never expected to get this attached this quickly.
Stupid, stupid girl.
I wipe away a single tear as I open the door to Lucas’s apartment. I can pack up before he gets home. It’s still early, barely dark out, so I can afford to figure out where I’m going once I’m out of here.
With that decision made, I hurry to the guest suite.
It takes me no time at all to pack my personal things. It’s not like I showed up with much. But I’m anal about my technology, so it takes me a little bit to unplug and neatly organize everything.
Milton watches me move around the guest room.
When I start to pack up the coffee table where I last had my double monitor set up, I automatically glance at the notes I scribbled in a notebook. I’ve found that handwriting things I’m confused about sometimes helps me process them differently. And a few of the scribbles catch my eye.
Vice President…
High turnover on assistants until most recent…
Originally voted against the plans for the acquisition…
Now advocating firmly for it…
I frown down at the paper. Something’s not right here. There’s been a whisper of something in the back of my mind ever since the day I went undercover, but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.
Every executive has checked out on paper. Even hacking into their emails didn’t reveal anything beyond the normal bullshit. Their resumes and current emails have all created a clear picture for me of who they are. Because if I can understand who they are, I can anticipate their values and goals. I know exactly which executives share Randall’s vision, and I know which ones are slightly more money-hungry who pose the biggest risk of the company going in a different direction. My analysis depends on understanding the executive team and the shareholders, and something is telling me I’m missing something.
I even looked into the people who Bethany shared gossip about. The addicts, the ones having affairs, they all got moved up my list. And they all got cleared.
Except…the VP is still bugging me. He was the one Bethany said is having an affair with his assistant. His emails didn’t reveal anything, which wasn’t surprising. To really confirm that, I would’ve needed to get into his phone somehow.
I wonder if I can get into his phone…
Things just don’t add up with him. He went from being against the vision for the acquisition, the moral vision that Randall had been hoping for, to suddenly flipping his vote and advocating for it. It doesn’t make sense. When his entire past tells me he only cares about business and money, my ears perk up when he suddenly becomes the nicest person in the room.
Normally, I would double down on my research and dig some more into his life. Make some calls to the phone company with the answers to his security questions and a fake voice, just to make sure I was doing everything I could to find the truth.
But today, I’m feeling restless.
I take a second to weigh my decision, then I swap my combat boots for sneakers, pull on a dark hoodie, and grab my sunglasses.
THIRTY-FOUR
LUCAS
This can’t be happening.
This can’t be happening.
Of all the conversations in the world to overhear, Charli had to hear the one with my boss. The one in which I said yes but meant no. The one that didn’t mean anything because all I could think about was getting out of there.
