Wire (Pierce Securities Book 2)

by Anne Conley

  Of course, it could be a fake email by somebody trying to set Patton up. Breathing deeply, wondering what was going to break this case, Evan traced the IP address of the email, hoping for something tangible to work with.

  It took two hours for Evan to find out it was from a public library in Greece. Evan scratched his head while he pondered that information. Was Patton actually in Greece? Or had he made his own IP address a pinger that pointed to a computer in Greece? Doing a quick search on the country, Evan found something that both chilled him and confused him. Greece was number two in the world for plastic surgery procedures. With even more information, Evan didn’t exactly know what to do with it.

  Evan was walking back to his office from the men’s room when he walked into the cloud of perfume that announced the appearance of Peggy, coming out of the door to the server room. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out a reason for the head of HR to be in the server room, coming up empty.

  “Peggy? Why are you in there?”

  She held up some drives in one hand with a happy smile on her face. “I was switching out the backup drives for Delvin. He said it had to be done every day, and he had an errand to run today, so he’s not here. I told him I’d take care of it for him.” She cut her eyes to the left a lot while she spoke, but the smile never left. She was lying.

  “We don’t have an automatic backup system? I thought we did?”

  “Um, I don’t know. I was just doing like Delvin asked.” She squirmed around him. “Excuse me.”

  Evan looked around before sliding into the server room. Nothing seemed to be missing or damaged, which made sense. Peggy wouldn’t do something as obvious as botch up the server, and she wouldn’t have been as cool about it if she had, not being caught coming out of the room.

  He sighed and went back to his office to see if he could find something internal.

  When he found the laughing Lady in Paige’s email, he scrubbed his face with his hands before standing up and going to her office.

  Of course, that’s why she’d called him last night. And he hadn’t answered, because he’d thought she was still mad at him and wanted to give him more grief. He’d honestly been terrified of answering. He was afraid she would tell him something awful, like not only had she decided to stay friends with Neil, but they were going to the next level, or something really shitty like that. And he couldn’t make small-talk with her, so he chose not to answer. Since she didn’t leave a message, he’d assumed she didn’t really need anything.

  But this had happened. Peggy had presumably gone in to wipe it out, and Peggy being in HR, not IT, hadn’t done it. Or she’d wiped out something different. Or she had another reason altogether for being in there. He knew the drives were backed up automatically every night, so that couldn’t be it.

  He was in way too deep with Paige. This was what Simon warned about—getting personal with the clients—and he’d done it. Evan had missed her call last night because of his personal feelings for her, and she’d needed to talk about the case, for once.

  Hell.

  He knocked softly before letting himself into her office to find her asleep at her desk, head on her arms, eyes peacefully closed.

  “Paige?” He reached out his hand and stroked her cheek, her eyes darting open, deep green pools of loveliness. “You okay?”

  She sat up and started rubbing her eyes furiously. “Yeah, just… give me a minute.” He watched her rub her face aggressively before looking at him with blurry eyes.

  “Rough night?” His gut tightened. He didn’t want to know if she’d spent the night with Neil. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to know…

  “Yeah, this lady is killing me. Did you hear about what happened?”

  Was that why she’d called? His voice softened as he said, “Yeah. It was pretty brutal, and the kid is totally blaming Crimson Lady.” Trying to cheer her up, he smiled at her and was rewarded with a tentative smile in return.

  “What?”

  “I think I’ve figured out how to get her out. But it would involve killing the game for a month, at least, to re-write some code. Everyone would lose their game levels and accrued points, but I think if you called a press conference and explained what’s going on and your motivations behind it, the public would support you. I know it’s your top grosser, so you’d probably lose a chunk of change, but it’s the only way I can figure out how to get rid of her for good. That and tighten up security to keep her from getting planted back in.”

  “You know, I tried that once, in the beginning, but I couldn’t get any support on the decision. Now that there’s been a death…”

  “The board?” She nodded. “I’ll meet with them if you need me to. If we can’t get her out of there, more people will die and your company will be ruined. Not even to speak of what could happen to you.” He stared into her eyes, unblinking. “I saw the email. That was a personal attack.” Gently, his hand reached out and tucked a tendril of hair off her face where it was stuck. “Are you okay?”

  She dropped her head back to her arms and shook it from side to side. “No. I’m not. People are dying because of me.” Paige’s head raised back up, and she looked at him squarely. “And I feel guilty because all I can think about is you.”

  He dropped to his knees so he was eye-level with her, reaching for her again. “For so long, Evan, it’s been you. And now, when I should be focusing on this,” she motioned to her laptop, open to code on her desk, “the woman, all I can think about is you. When I close my eyes, you’re all I see, Evan.” Tears built up in her eyes, making them glassy, threatening to overflow. When she spoke again, her voice was choked. “What kind of person does that? Has people dying because of her, but all she thinks about is some guy?” Her last words were sobs, and Evan gathered her in his arms, unable to see tears fall from her gorgeous eyes.

  “Hey, I’d like to think I’m more than just some guy.”

  Her shoulders shook, and Evan wondered if it was laughter or tears. He rubbed her back gently, and she relaxed into his embrace. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. I’ve got just the thing.”

  Gently, he grasped her hand and pulled her up, and without argument, she willingly followed him.

  Paige walked with Evan to his car, a black 1973 Corvette, which she’d known about already. She knew so much about him—his likes, dislikes, what sort of car he drove, how long he’d had it, his birthday, his mother’s name, even the name of his first kitten—but she knew that was all some juvenile infatuation, and the real Evan Rocco was so much more.

  Here he was, taking her to his apartment so he could change clothes and take her somewhere, all to get her mind off things. She ran her hands over her thighs, trying to wipe sweat off of them, while she sat in his car which smelled of hydraulic fluid, motor oil, and Evan.

  “It’s okay, Paige. Relax. Tonight’s going to be a fun night, or at least a relaxing night. I promise. If it’s not, we can leave.” He reached over and clasped her hand, stilling it. It was sort of reminiscent of Neil’s celebration of life, but for some reason, it wasn’t so wrong going out with Evan. He seemed to have different motivations for getting her out of the office. And she was certain he was on the same page with The Crimson Lady. Now that the doubt had been placed in her mind about Neil, he seemed to be acting strangely regarding The Crimson Lady, almost gleeful with her maneuvers.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My buddy at the firm is going away for a little while, and tonight’s his going away Halloween party,” Evan explained.

  “I don’t have a costume. Are you dressing up?” She looked down at herself, jeans and a tank top with her leather jacket over it.

  “You look perfect.” He smiled enigmatically, piquing her curiosity. When they pulled up to his apartment, she tried not to gawk. It was downtown, off of Sixth Street, over one of the bars in an ancient building.

  He led her through the door and up the stairs. It was immaculately maintained, and Paige was reminded again that Evan h
ad money, maybe even more than her. It was so strange, though; he didn’t act like it.

  He left her in his living room while he went to change, and Paige unabashedly scoped it out. His furniture was nice, yet comfortable. He had an enormous TV with a PS4 and every video game ever made, all neatly stacked on a bookshelf. Evan’s walls were lined with pictures of his family and friends, even one she presumed was the Pierce Security guys, since he had his arm around Simon Pierce, the man she’d met with when she hired them. Walnut furniture, tasteful lighting, muted colors—it was a living room she could get comfortable in.

  Except it belonged to Evan. And very few things about Evan made her comfortable.

  When he came out, finger combing his hair into submission, Paige was struck dumb. Evan looked immaculate in a blueish-gray single breasted suit with a black tie and a brown trench coat. A pair of vintage 3-D glasses were perched on his nose and a familiar pair of Converse tennis shoes completed his outfit.

  “Holy shit. You’re the Doctor?”

  He grinned at her sheepishly and nodded. “You’re the only one who’s probably going to get it tonight. Not many Whovians in my office.”

  Looking down at herself, Paige blanched. “I’m Rose?”

  Another nod from Evan. “Look, Paige, let’s not make this awkward, okay? You need to forget about things for an hour or two. I’ve got to go to this party because we’re not going to see Zack for six weeks. It’s a private party, no more than ten people. You just need to get your mind off things and unwind a bit. I’ll behave, I promise.”

  Paige looked at the earnestness on his face and realized she didn’t want him to behave, but she knew this was for the best. She needed to trust Evan to do the job she’d hired him to do.

  “Okay,” she acquiesced. “One thing, though.” She walked into the kitchen and rummaged around, finding a bunch of bananas on the counter top. Paige stuffed it into his lapel pocket. “There. Now you’re perfect.”

  He flashed her a panty-melting smile, reached for her hand, and squeezed it before leading her out of his apartment and back to his car.

  They drove in comfortable silence, reaching the Pierce Securities office in a matter of minutes. When Paige walked in, followed by Evan, she had to hold back a bark of laughter at the transformation.

  Somebody had set up a fog machine, and roiling smoke filled the entrance. The tasteful office decorations had been moved and ghoulish Halloween decorations put out. Paper skeletons, witches, and Frankensteins dotted the walls. The refreshment table was decorated with artfully carved jack-o-lanterns. Paige was impressed.

  Simon saw them enter and looked at her with a sideways frown on his face, obviously displeased with her being here. Evan’s hand at her backside propelled her toward Simon and she reluctantly followed his lead.

  “Hey, Simon. Paige needed to get out of the office for a while, so I thought I’d bring her as my plus one,” Evan offered. He seemed to be pacifying the man somehow, and Paige wondered at the dynamic.

  Simon offered his hand, “Pleasure to have you, Ms. Lawson.”

  “Thanks.” So it was Ms. Lawson. O-kay.

  Before anybody could say anything else, a hulking guy with cotton candy pink hair and a massive grin pasted on his face walked up to them. “Evan brought a date? Does this mean you’re finally over that chick you banged months ago?”

  Paige gaped. Was there someone else? She glanced at Evan to see him blushing furiously. “The fuck is wrong with you, asshat? And why in the hell is your hair pink?”

  Simon wiped a smirk off his face, “Shit, Evan. We weren’t going to tell him about that.”

  Paige was still stuck on the woman he’d ‘banged’ months ago. Could that be her? Or was it someone else he was hung up on? He’d said that night was special. What did she care? She’d made it plain they couldn’t be anything to each other. Still, the unanswered questions gnawed at her, even as she listened to the conversation around her.

  “I know it’s fucking pink, but I think I’m going to keep it this way.” He jerked his head toward a couple wearing fur skins and dressed up like a caveman and woman. “Krista’s friend, Jenna, was supposed to do platinum highlights for me. She said it would be sexy.” He’d raised his voice to get the woman’s attention. It worked.

  “Well, it’s your own fault for breaking up with her. She’s pissed at you. You don’t break up with a woman and then ask for favors.” She was smiling, telling Paige she thought it was funny.

  “I didn’t want any attachments before I went off to camp.” He waggled his eyebrows at no one in particular. “There might be hot chicks there.”

  Evan steered Paige away from them and over to the fur-wearing couple who were talking to a nurse by the snacks. Paige recognized her as the secretary from her first visit.

  “Camp?” she asked Evan for clarification.

  “He calls it Ninja-training camp. He’s gone blind and is going off to some sort of all-inclusive blind training thing. They’re going to teach him skills to adapt, like using a cane and stuff.”

  “Ah…” He didn’t seem blind, but then again, what the hell did she know?

  “Miriam, love what you’ve done with the place!” Evan exclaimed when they got to the trio.

  “Not me. This was all Krista. She did every bit of this.”

  Krista was the woman wearing furs, showing lots of leg and clinging to the muscle-bound caveman with his arm around her. They made a nice looking couple, and a pang of jealousy hit Paige. She wanted that, more than almost anything.

  A ruckus at the door got everyone’s attention. If Paige thought Zack was hulking, this man was massive. Dark hair, a woman on each arm, a cape tied haphazardly around his neck, and a black eye—he looked dangerous.

  “That’s Quinten. He must have fought today,” Evan whispered in her ear, his lips touching the shell and sending goose bumps racing over her spine.

  “Dumbass…” Miriam muttered before going over to Quinten and leading him into a back room.

  “Ladies…” Zack’s open arms enfolded around each woman who had come with Quinten, and he began whispering to them as he led them over to the couch.

  “I see the pink hair hasn’t gotten him down,” Paige mused aloud to Evan.

  He chuckled. “Not much does. That’s just who he is.”

  “Quinten fights? Like, boxing?”

  “Mixed Martial Arts. Underground. I can’t for the life of me figure out why, but he does.” Evan steered her over to a couch where they could sit and talk. She sank into the cushions as Simon walked over to her. Somehow, she felt like prey in his sights, and it made her a bit uncomfortable.

  “So, Ms. Lawson, how did you manage to get behind the biggest gaming company on the planet?” Simon asked.

  She ignored the bristly feeling that rose with his tone. Paige knew he didn’t trust her and could somewhat understand it. She really didn’t have the brain for programming, not at the level PSL was at. Pasting a bright smile on her face, she replied, “I’ve got a good brain for business and a great team behind me.”

  He reacted with a noncommittal grunt and raised eyebrows. “But how did you get in it in the first place? I can’t picture you playing video games nonstop like Evan does.”

  She felt Evan chuckle next to her and looked over to see him eyeing her with interest. Sighing, she decided to talk. What the hell, right?

  “My parents died while I was in college, my freshman year, in a car accident. I was majoring in business, so I was taking some computer programming classes to round out my degree. I didn’t do so hot, especially after their death, and a friend was helping me out. Dale got me through those classes and convinced me to take more of them. That’s where I met Roger, and we decided to go into business together.”

  Both Evan and Simon were looking at her with interest, so she continued, “They both wanted to design computer games, and I came up with a business plan and ways to actually sell them. As we got more into it, and I learned the ropes, I got better skills with
the programming and design aspects, but I’m still not the caliber of some of my team members. And probably never will be.” Wanting to turn the focus off her for a little bit, uncomfortable under their scrutiny, she asked her own question, “How did you convince Evan to crawl back into society?”

  Simon stiffened, casting her another distrustful look before he answered stiffly, “I found him in a bar, drinking away his fortune on really expensive scotch, and offered him a deal. This was my brain child, but I also knew I didn’t have the skills to run the entire firm effectively. My knowledge is picking people apart and finding the lies. I don’t know the first thing about computers.” He shrugged. “I needed him.”

  “And I needed him, too,” Evan interjected sheepishly. “He’s not lying.” Evan settled into the sofa, his arm around Paige, twisting a lock of her hair in his fingers with the arm casually tossed over her shoulder. “I had been doing some work for the NSA, mostly decoding encrypted stuff, which they called consulting work. I didn’t really like it, mostly because the NSA has such a bad rep, but I didn’t have anything else to do besides drink and game, and I needed something, you know? Fortunately, they understood when I told them I was going to work with Simon, and haven’t pestered me much.”

  Simon had wandered off, in search of something, and Evan turned his focus on Paige, which as usual, left her a little breathless. He’d put his 3-D glasses in the lapel pocket of his suit jacket earlier, and now he was focusing his mocha eyes fully on her.

  “Is there anything about me you don’t know?” The twinkle in his eye was unmistakable, and the familiar flutter of warmth pooled in Paige’s belly.

  “What did you want to be when you were growing up?” she teased. “Did you always know you would be the hottest geek in America?”

  The feral glint of desire that lit his eyes made her breath hitch and she almost regretted her flirty question. His finger that was twirling in her hair settled on her shoulder and the tingle from his gentle grip made her skin warm. Paige was afraid her skin was reddening under his touch, and would spread, and everyone in the office would see the desire she had for him written plainly across her face.