Her head lolled back. “I don’t know how much more I can take.”
Like any good drug, Logan made her forget the potential side effects. The risks. She’d sink into his pleasure-filled fog without a worry about her heart. Without a worry about what would happen when reality came crashing down on them. He’d get bored, find another woman. Leave her in pieces.
He said he regrets what happened. Maybe he won’t hurt you again.
Still, there was the slight matter of her plans to start her own business. Even if Logan had dealt with his commitment issues, Addison still needed to be her own boss. To do something that made her feel worthwhile. How could she indulge in fantasies about living happily ever after when she was planning to break away from him?
“You’re a lot hardier than you think,” he said. “You’ve taken a lot of knocks over the years and you’re still here, still fighting.”
“I am, aren’t I?” She turned her face to his and captured his lips with her own.
A tremor ran through her as he slid his tongue along hers. God, he tasted so good. Earthy. Male. Like sex and sin and home all rolled into one.
His hands snaked up her back, crushing her to him. He was hard again, ready. Always ready.
“Logan,” she groaned. “We have to go to work.”
“Do we?” A wicked grin pulled at his lips. “Why don’t we play hooky?”
“We can’t.”
“I’ll give you a permission slip.” His teeth scraped down her neck and he filled his palm with her breast. “Valid for one day of mind-blowing sex and as many orgasms as you can handle.”
“But what about the case files?”
He stilled and she could practically hear the cogs turning in his brain. “You’re right.”
Over the weekend, it’d been easy to pretend that her stalker was nothing but a figment of her imagination. She and Logan had created their own perfect bubble, impenetrable to the outside world. Complete with locked doors and her own personal bodyguard. With him, she was safe and secure. Wanted.
But that could all be blown apart when she came clean about her plans.
“I’ll keep my hands to myself.” He released her and she was suddenly cold and empty without his touch. “For now.”
“It’s only eight hours.” She stifled a smile. “You can last that long without me.”
“I went two whole years without you because I was an idiot.” His thumb brushed her cheekbone. “I don’t want to do that again.”
The words sucked the air from her lungs. And judging by his own wide-eyed expression, it wasn’t a planned speech.
See, maybe he has changed. Maybe this is real.
“I, uh...shower.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned toward the bathroom.
“That wasn’t a real sentence but I’ll let you get away with it this time,” she teased, trying to play it cool.
But her heart thumped, her blood raced, and the most magical feeling danced along her veins. Gripping the edge of the kitchen counter, she sifted through the facts.
For all the times she’d cursed his name and wiped away tears he’d caused, it hadn’t made her want him any less. It hadn’t made her want them any less. The truth burned bright and furious inside her. She cared about him.
But she wouldn’t start a relationship with secrets between them. Tonight, she’d tell him about her plans and hope that he understood why she had to leave Cobalt & Dane. What striking out on her own meant to her.
* * *
LOGAN HAD NEEDED a hell of a cold shower to get the thoughts of Addison’s naked body out of his mind. That woman had him tangled up worse than a pair of Apple earbuds. Nothing diminished his growing feelings for her—not staying away, not trying to get her out of his system, not confronting his emotions. Nada.
Screw your head back on. The stalker is priority number one. Nothing can happen until you deal with that, because if anything happens to her...
He couldn’t even think about what might come next. It was as if his brain simply powered down at the possibility of her being harmed. That meant he needed to regroup and refocus. Everything else could wait.
“Logan?” Emily poked her head into his office. “I’ve got Rhys and Quinn here to see you.”
“Send them in.”
His employees entered the room looking like some funny remake of The Odd Couple. Everyone in the office knew they were a tight-knit team but Logan was always struck by how different they were. Rhys was tall, serious and straight as an arrow. He wore a collared shirt and wool suit pants every day. Quinn, on the other hand, was quirky and alternative. Today she had on slashed jeans, a Legend of Zelda T-shirt and combat boots. Her highlighter-pink hair hung in a long braid over one shoulder.
“We’ve got an update on Addison’s, uh...” Rhys trailed off.
“Psychotic email acquaintance?” Quinn offered.
“Yes, yes.” Logan rolled his hand around. “Go on.”
“I’d tasked Quinn with identifying the creator of the Trojan,” Rhys said, motioning for Quinn to share what she’d found.
“Right. So, the virus turned out to be a keylogger Trojan. It’s a piece of software designed to record keystrokes.” Quinn drummed her fingers on her knee as she spoke. “They’re mostly used to capture sensitive data like passwords, banking and credit card details, and key identity information such as birth dates, Social Security numbers, et cetera.”
Logan frowned. “So he’s looking for something specific?”
“I believe so. Using a keylogger means he wants to capture information that’s not generally stored in a file or email account. Banking information is definitely the most common target.”
“It shouldn’t surprise me that this is about money, but why the threatening email?” Logan asked. “If he wanted to access her bank account details why risk the attention? The only reason the email didn’t make it to Addison the first time is because of the profanity tripping the filter.”
“You’re right, if it’s about money there’s no need for that. Makes me think in this case there’s something personal going on,” Rhys said. “Quinn was able to trace the name we found in the code to a hacking forum. Turns out DaZetta has been quite busy.”
The connection clicked. DaZetta. Michael Zetta. Son of the man Daniel Cobalt had put in jail. The man who’d died in jail.
That couldn’t be a coincidence.
“I believe he lives in New York.” Quinn slid a piece of paper across Logan’s desk. “I couldn’t confirm his real name, only that the email he used to sign up for his forum account was registered here. I also found an account on Facebook that used the same name and IP address. The address is listed as belonging to a coffee shop in Midtown called Café Mid.”
“So we don’t have an actual address for him?” Logan asked.
Quinn shook her head. “I’m afraid not. But if he does his business there, then we might be able to hunt him out. There’s a chance I could try to get something onto his computer so we can track him, but it’s not exactly legal.”
“Let’s do it the old-fashioned way. Besides, I have an idea how we can figure out his whereabouts.”
Logan took a few minutes to fill Rhys and Quinn in on the case he’d come across, which had a link to the name DaZetta. The more he talked it through, the more he was certain Michael Zetta was their guy.
“So what do we do next?” Rhys asked.
“Let’s see if we can find a link between DaZetta and Michael Zetta. Anything that ties the two identities together or provides a link to the court case that’s going on at the moment.” Logan riffled through his files and pulled out the one marked “Vendetti.” “The father and son have different surnames, which could possibly mean there is a mother out there who we might be able to press for information, depending on how her relations
hip with Vendetti ended.”
“No mother worth her salt would turn on her son,” Quinn said. “Why would this be any different?”
“It’s all in how you spin the facts. We might be able to get her to provide information if she feels it will get her son out of hot water,” Logan said. “I’ll leave it to you two computer whizzes to gather all the technical information, and then if we need to chat with the mother, I’ll take care of it. In the meantime, we keep eyes on Addison constantly as well as on the café.”
“We should get Addison up to speed.” Rhys folded his hands in his lap. “This concerns her directly. She needs to be involved.”
Logan nodded. “Agreed. Now that we have more information and an action plan, it’s the right time.”
Rhys made a face that said he thought the right time had passed. But he didn’t comment further.
“Should we call her in?” Quinn asked.
“No.” Logan pushed up from his chair. “Leave Addison to me.”
* * *
ADDISON CRADLED A large coffee cup in her hands while she waited for a reaction from the woman sitting across from her. Penny, her HR manager extraordinaire, sat wide-eyed, processing the information she’d received.
“I never thought you would leave this company,” Penny said, sipping her coffee. “Frankly, I’m a bit shocked. I mean, your father was a legend here.”
“It’s true.” Addison nodded, trying to stifle the sharp pain in her chest that still struck anytime she thought of her dad. “But the one thing I learned from him was that it’s possible to build something from scratch. I want that satisfaction, Penny. I want to know what it means to create something yourself and watch it grow. Besides, I’m positive this business will be successful. You see how the security guys here couldn’t organize paperwork to save themselves.”
“It’s true.” The redhead nodded, a wry smile on her lips. “Owen submitted the files for one of the new hires and forgot to ask the guy to sign his contract. I swear, they have selective attention to detail. If it’s for an assignment, they’re on point. If it’s for HR stuff...” She shook her head.
“I really want you to come with me. I’ve said from day one you’re the best HR person we’ve ever hired. I need smart, forward-thinking people like you.” She sucked in a breath and set her coffee cup down. “I realize this is a bit of a risk for you, but I’ve planned everything out. This won’t be one of those companies that fails because the owner had no idea how to manage the details.”
“I don’t doubt you at all, Addison. Especially not in that area.” Penny paused, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth. There was something more that she wasn’t saying.
“Spit it out.”
“Have you told Logan? I mean, this company is important to both of you, and I don’t want to leave with any bad blood.”
Addison raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
“Can I speak frankly?”
“Of course.”
“I want to know that you’re not trying to poach me to spite him.”
Addison blinked. “Excuse me?”
“It’s obvious there’s something between you two. Everyone can see it, plain as day. Chemistry like that can’t be hidden. But I’d hate to think you were only interested in me because it would hurt him.” She pressed her lips together. “I just... Please don’t take this the wrong way, Addison. I respect you, but I don’t want to be caught in the crosshairs.”
“It’s not like that.” She shook her head. “I appreciate your concern, Penn. And Logan doesn’t know, but I’m going to tell him soon. I do love this company and I want it to succeed with him at the helm. But this whole security business was always Dad and Logan’s thing. I never leaned the ropes. And as much as I sometimes hate to admit it, Logan is the better person to run this business because of that. I guess the reason I want to strike out on my own is because I want my skills to be front and center.”
“Working in HR, I totally get that. We do always seem to play second fiddle to something more exciting, don’t we?”
“Exactly.”
Penny tilted her head. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. I love working with you.”
“The feeling is mutual. But I understand it’s a big decision. You don’t have to make it now. But I’m meeting with the real estate agent this week about an office space, so things are definitely moving.”
“Got it. I won’t take too long.” Penny stood and picked up her coffee cup. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
“You’re most welcome.”
As Penny exited the coffee shop she walked past Logan. Even from a distance, Addison could see the blush spread across her cheeks. All the girls had a crush on him, even if they were a little scared of his tough managerial persona. But Addison knew the real him; he was a teddy bear underneath it all. A stubborn, pushy one, but a teddy bear nonetheless.
Penny pointed in Addison’s direction and when Logan looked over at her it was as if a bolt of lightning shot through her body. What that man could do with a single glance...
“How’s my favorite bossy boots?” he said as he sauntered over.
Damn, he looked as tasty as a slice of cherry pie. Fitted dark jeans, black boots and a black-and-white-checked shirt rolled up at the sleeves made him look slick yet relaxed. Addison wondered how hard she’d have to tear at the fabric to make the buttons fly off his shirt.
Get a grip. Fabulous sex will commence in T minus five hours.
“I’m trying to work myself up to tackle the OH&S reports upstairs,” she said. “So far, not even coffee is helping.”
“Have you got a second to chat?”
“For you,” she said, motioning for him to take a seat, “always.”
“Maybe we could go for a walk. The coffee might be more effective if you’re moving around.”
“Unlikely, but it’s worth a try.” She bundled up her purse and drink and followed him out of the café.
They walked into the sunshine and the hustle and bustle of the Manhattan workday. Addison breathed in the sensory overload—the blare of horns, the scent of pretzels, the warm blast of summer air on her skin. This place was hot and messy. It was noisy and chaotic. But something about that gave her comfort, like the craziness was her blanket. Her shelter. Manhattan was brazen and up-front; what you saw was most certainly what you got.
It reminded her a lot of Logan.
“What did you want to chat about?” she asked, casually linking her arm through his and not caring if anyone from the office might see them. If Penny was right, the cat was not only out of the bag, it had already taken off down the street.
“It’s about the guy who’s been trying to contact you.”
For some reason, the way he said it settled uneasily in her stomach. “Go on.”
“We’ve gained some information on who he might be and I suspect there’s a link to one of the cases we looked at on Friday night.”
“Oh, well that’s good. I guess.” She stared ahead as they walked. “Something to go on is a positive thing, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“How did you figure out the connection?”
Logan cleared his throat. “Well, we received another email from him and it contained a virus that we were able to trace. Rhys and Quinn managed to figure out who created the virus and that’s when we found the link to one of the old cases.”
“I don’t remember receiving any more emails. Or did it get caught in the filter again?”
“We’d flagged the email so it wouldn’t come to you, just in case it contained any malicious software like this one did.” He paused for a moment. “We couldn’t risk you accidentally clicking on anything that might put our systems at risk.”
With each step she took, Addison’s uneasy feeling grew. He was cho
osing his words carefully, dancing around the truth. He was keeping something from her. “When did the email come in?” She removed her hand from his arm, pausing to look up at him.
“Last week.”
She sucked in a breath. “And you thought it would be a good idea not to tell me about it until now?”
“I wanted to have a few things in place before I mentioned it.”
This was it. The reason she and Logan would never work, because no matter how many times she asked him to view her as an equal, he didn’t. Her stomach sank, but she shoved the feeling of sadness to one side. She would not give Logan more opportunities to see her hurting.
“Did it not occur to you that it would be a good idea to inform the person being stalked that her worst nightmare had tried to contact her again? You know, so I could take some precautionary measures?” Sarcasm dripped from her tongue.
“I was with you almost every moment since then.”
The words stung as if he’d slapped her across the face. “And here I was thinking you were using the whole ‘Mr. Protector’ thing to get in my pants.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Come on what? Is it so fucking hard to understand that I want you to treat me as your partner?” She threw her free hand up into the air, her voice climbing an octave. “Hell, I’d settle for me being treated as well as a client at this point. You keep them in the loop, but not your own business partner. Not your own...”
Frustration choked the rest of her words. Were they lovers? Friends with benefits? A future in the making?
Right now it felt like they were strangers.
“Addi, please. Everything I do is in your best interest.”
“You do not get to decide what is and isn’t in my best interest.” She jabbed him square in the chest with her pointer finger. “I’m sick of you treating me like some delicate piece of crystal. I won’t break at the slightest bump, and the fact that you don’t see that is...”
Her chest heaved under her blouse. Everything suddenly felt too tight, her clothes, the air, Logan’s presence. She drew in a deep breath, willing her body to calm the hell down. Having a panic attack now would discredit her.
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