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“I’m asking you out on a date, Muñeca.”
My heart flutters inside my chest and I smile, turning my face toward him. “A date?”
“Si.” His grin matches mine and he holds his palm up to me. I place mine atop his, and it’s only when our fingers intertwine that he fully relaxes. “How does a nice dinner with you and me and alcohol mixed in sound? And to sweeten the pot, there will also be some witty banter and a lot of sexual innuendos.”
“You piqued my interest. Booze is muy important.”
“You’re adorable when sprinkling Spanish into our conversations.” Before I can respond, Javi lets my hand go and exits the SUV, coming around to my door. He opens it and leans in, lips a hair’s breadth from mine. “It’s one of the reasons I adore you. Everything you do to me is precious.”
He’s killing me here. “Thank you.”
“That blush is also delicious.” His voice is deeper. Husky.
“And about that dinner?” Because the sweet nothings are making it difficult to breathe and the urge to pull him into the back seat is becoming maddening. “Seven okay, or—”
Javier places his keys into my hand and brings the closed fist to his lips, nipping each knuckle. “Take the car and be ready at seven.”
“Okay.” My expensive schooling has flown out the window.
“Good girl.” Another bite before kissing the slight mark. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
It’s then I notice another black car parked just behind us with dark tints. It’s my cousin’s car, and before slipping inside the passenger side, Javier looks back at me and winks.
They drive off, and I’m still sitting here contemplating life.
The taillights are out of sight, and I shake my head.
That man was made to disrupt my life.
“Afternoon,” I say, stepping off the elevator and onto a floor below Malcolm’s office. There are three people here today, which surprises me, and a network of computers as they run scans for anything we might’ve missed. But why three of them? “Everything okay?”
“Morning, Ms. Asher,” the youngest of the trio answers. He’s a recent college grad with hacking skills coveted by the government, but he’s protected under Malcolm’s employ as a security expert. It’s keeping them back for the time being in hopes he comes willingly, but there are other plans already in the works for an unfortunate disappearance. Erik takes a sip from his Starbucks cup before turning back to the largest of the eight monitors and hits three keys, the keyboard on his lap almost slipping off but he catches it and then turns to fully face me. He’s a punk, a bit of a smartass at times, but dependable and has earned our trust. “Just going over video footage I swiped from the Fredericks laboratory in Utah dating two years back. Mr. Asher approved this.”
He seems a bit nervous, and I arch a brow. “You found something?”
“You can say that.” Without looking at the screen, he presses a combination of keys and the video changes to a cropped one. The length of time reads just over five minutes with a date stamp of two years ago, and when he hits play, I understand why he’s a bit tense.
Lane is walking into the building with his arm around Mildred and my father to his left. They walk past the security guard all smiles, as if this is a normal occurrence, and my blood boils within my veins.
Not for Lane, but because of my father.
Another betrayal. Another example of how little I mean to him.
“Did Malcolm see this?” My voice is hollow. Monotone.
“Getting the disc ready now.” Again he presses a few keys, and another short clip begins. The date is after Lane’s death and my father is there with Mildred, and it’s his arm around her waist, her lips he kisses. Sick bastard. At once my stomach churns, bile rising to my throat, but I swallow it back and pretend as if I’m not affected. Can’t show weakness.
“Burn two copies. I want one.”
“Of course, Ms. Asher.” The other two don’t say a word and shrink back a bit when I turn to walk over to the elevator. It’s best I exit now and not after I discover someone else from my side of the family is in on this clusterfuck. “Do I take it upstairs?”
With my hand on the up button, I look back at Erik from over my shoulder. “Please.”
“You got it, boss.”
“Thank you.” The doors close behind me as I slip inside, and I allow a single tear to fall. My father being involved is not a coincidence, and the Fredericks have been doing more than testing at that lab. I bet money on it.
But the question now remains on each key player’s purpose?
