Michael turned and led the way to the elevator. Instead of defending herself like she should have, Lori kept her mouth shut.
From all the stories she’d heard about the brothers who led the company, she didn’t expect Michael to jump to conclusions. All the gossip painted Luke, the CEO, as the hothead who was the fire first and ask questions later kind. Michael was supposedly the brains behind Luke’s brawn.
Though, judging by the way his shoulders stretched out the suit jacket in front of her, he had a fair amount of brawn himself. She’d only seen the brothers from a distance and never realized quite how... big Michael was. She could only imagine how his back would look once his jacket and shirt were off and there was just pure muscle in front of her eyes. Muscle that wasn’t moving anymore...
Lori was able to get herself to stop before she slammed into his back. He pressed the up button next to the elevator and she tried to look as innocent as possible. Great. First he caught her looking at porn and now she was imagining him shirtless. She was supposed to be defending herself, not digging a bigger hole.
The elevator doors opened and she realized Michael hadn’t said anything since they left her cube. She should say something. Small talk. Damn it, she sucked at small talk. “I don’t normally watch people doing it at work,” she blurted out as they got on the elevator.
Michael’s gaze jerked in her direction and the faintest smile tugged at his lips. He looked as if he was about to say something, but the doors slid closed.
“Top floor?” Lori reached for the buttons. He nodded and she hit the button for the executive level.
“So you only occasionally visit X-rated websites at the office?” Now he was full-on grinning at her.
“What? No! I firmly believe porn is for the comfort of your own home.”
“So you only watch porn at home then?”
“Yes!” Blood rush to Lori’s face as she realized she just told one of the owners of the company that she watched porn at home. “No! I meant—” She broke off as she heard his soft chuckle. Great. Now he was laughing at her. She rubbed her temples and tried to think of ways to not die from embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Briggs. We all have...personal hobbies.”
She glanced up and met his golden brown eyes. Huh. She’d always thought he had blue eyes like all the photos she’d seen of Luke. And then his words clicked in her mind. Oh. He was saying he had personal hobbies too. Oh God. And now she was imagining Michael Devereaux in some overpriced penthouse, sitting behind a laptop and looking at some crazy assortment of xxx websites. But he wouldn’t be looking at the crap that Kyle had on his hard drive. “You’d have better taste than Kyle though.”
The doors slid open and for a moment, neither of them moved. Lori was mortified at her own traitorous mouth, and for the life of her, she couldn’t get a read on Michael. If he wasn’t going to fire her before, he definitely was going to now. That had to qualify as sexual harassment, right? Oh no...she was going to be blackballed. No one in the city would ever hire her. She’d have to move back to California and explain to all her family why she accosted one of the richest men in the city in an elevator.
“You’re right,” he finally said. “I have much better taste than Kyle.”
Lori’s jaw dropped at his admission. What the hell had she—
“Mr. Devereaux, your ten a.m. is downstairs. Luke is already in the main conference room,” said Cali from the hallway.
Lori jumped at Cali’s voice and looked between Michael and the executive assistant he shared with his brother. Could she tell something was going on? Was something going on? Wait. Michael had a ten a.m. meeting? But why would he be calling her up with him at nine fifty-five?
“Thanks Cali.” Michael stepped off the elevator.
Lori followed and nodded at the assistant as Michael led the way to the main conference room. Which was good, because she had no idea where she was going. She’d never once been to this floor, and judging from the eerie quiet surrounding her, she didn’t want to start frequenting it. But the farther he led her through a row of oversized offices, the more certain she became of something. He wasn’t going to fire her.
This wasn’t HR. This wasn’t walking her to the front door and kicking her out. He wanted her in some sort of meeting. Which was fine and all, but would it be so hard to clue her in on what he needed from her?
At the realization that she wasn’t going to suddenly be homeless in the biggest city in the country, Lori was able to work up just enough confidence to ask a completely normal question. “Umm...what’s going on?”
Michael came to a halt in front of the main conference room. His hand rested on the door handle, but he left it closed as he looked back to her. “We have some new potential clients coming in for a preliminary meeting. At the last minute, they requested we have some technical support on hand, but they didn’t go into detail about what they needed. So if you can sit in with us until I know more about what they want, I’d appreciate it.”
“Like to set up the projector? I don’t really think—”
“That’s not the kind of tech support they wanted on hand. I think they’re talking more along the lines of a demonstration of what we can do.”
Lori glanced down to her sneakers, blue jeans, and buttoned-up shirt that hadn’t seen an iron since she’d moved here three months ago. In most corporate offices, the casual attire would be frowned upon, but tech companies were known for being laid-back. But that was downstairs. Not upstairs where million-dollar deals were being made. “I’m not dressed—”
“I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t think you were the perfect person for this. Please join us for the meeting. They’re already on their way up.”
Lori glanced back in the direction they’d just come from. She wasn’t qualified for this. She’d only been working at DevX for a few months and had never once talked to either of the Devereaux brothers. So what the hell made them think she was the best candidate to assist on high importance, last-minute meetings?
Michael raised a questioning brow and she knew he was well aware she couldn’t say no. When your boss’s boss’s boss asks you for a favor, there’s only one answer. “Where do you want me to sit?”
He smiled in victory as he held the door for her. The conference room was much more professional than the lounge-like meeting areas of the lower levels. The ornate, long wooden table, polished so smooth Lori bet she could probably see her reflection, was the focus of the room. One side of the room was all windows that overlooked the breathtaking view of the city, and the tops of the windows were fitted with high-tech shades that would block out all light so the projector or big screen TVs on the other long wall could be used.
Luke Devereaux was already seated at the table, and he glared up at her before he quickly turned all his attention to Michael. “Cali said they’re here.”
Michael gently shut the door behind him. “They’re probably going to get in any minute. Is Evelyn still around?”
Lori eyed the twenty or so empty chairs that surrounded the table. Was there a place she should be sitting? Better yet, was there somewhere she was not supposed to sit? She didn’t know the etiquette involved in these sorts of things. Luke turned his glare back to her and she knew with absolute certainty she didn’t want to sit next to him.
Lori scooched around to the side of the table that faced the door and took a seat three chair lengths away from Luke. She must’ve chosen well since Michael pulled two waters out of the mini fridge and leaned across the table to set one in front of her and one in the empty spot next to her.
She wished she’d been able to get a pen and notebook. Something to keep her occupied or distracted for however long this was going to take. For that matter, she probably should’ve asked for a time estimate, not that Michael would’ve answered. He seemed rather cagey about the entire thing, which didn’t fill her with confidence.
And then the door was opened and in walked two men, each in suits. Neither of them l
ooked nearly as irritated as Luke and Michael. The first one to enter was tall, but still a few inches shy of the Devereaux brothers, and he probably had an extra fifty or so pounds around his stomach. Behind him was a shorter man, probably around five seven, like Lori. However, this guy looked as if he went to the gym every day.
“I’m so glad you agreed to meet with us.” The larger man held out a hand and leaned across the table.
Lori eyed the brothers and stood as they pushed themselves up. If it were a truly important meeting, wouldn’t they walk around the table to greet their guests? Instead, they leaned forward and shook hands.
Although it was all well and good for the six-foot-three Devereaux brothers to lean over, she was way too short for that. Lori settled on giving a smile and nod as a way of greeting. An awkward silence stretched as the four men stood across from one another, the big man with a grin on his face, the other three all dead serious.
She bit her lip to keep herself from her compulsive need to break the silence. Not my circus, not my monkeys, she repeated to herself.
“I have to say, I was surprised to get your call,” said the big man. “I didn’t think you and your cousin ran in the same circles.”
Michael clenched his jaw, but Luke shot him a quick look before he said, “There’s a lot of things about our family dynamics that aren’t common knowledge.”
The big man nodded. “Hey, every family has skeletons. I get that. And, as we discussed on the phone, we’d love to clear up this whole mess, but there are some steps we need to take before that.”
Luke and Michael both looked to Lori, and she had to fight the urge to step back. Okay, this was definitely not a sales meeting.
The big man and his companion now looked at her too. “How rude of me. I forgot introductions.” He held a hand to his chest. “I’m Ken Kemmerling and this is my associate Hunter. We’re in need of some assistance, and Michael and Luke said you could help out with a little problem.”
She tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes at Michael. This whole thing gave her a bad feeling, but she couldn’t exactly walk out. “At your service.”
Michael relaxed just the tiniest bit, and she tried not to get nervous about whatever was making one of the most powerful men in the city uneasy. The man next to Ken, Hunter, pulled a computer bag off his arm and unzipped it. He pulled out the laptop and leaned over the table to set it in front of Lori.
She eyed the thin, older-looking model. Was this some sort of trick question? “Is it broken?”
“It’s locked.” Hunter spoke for the first time. “We need it unlocked.”
Cold realization finally dawned on her. They wanted her to hack it. Which meant Michael Devereaux somehow knew a hell of a lot more about her past than she’d put on her resume. Her heart beat faster in her chest, and she forced herself to take a deep breath in and out. It was okay. She would do what they wanted and then get the hell out. All she needed to do was give them what they wanted and she could deal with the fallout later.
Finally, she was able to bring her gaze up and met Michael’s eyes. “I’m going to need a few supplies.”
Michael forced himself to gently shut the door behind him before he made a beeline for the elevator. Evelyn must’ve heard him practically running, because she appeared next to him as he repeatedly jammed his finger into the down arrow on the elevator.
“Where are you going?” she asked in her calm, collected tone she always seemed to have, no matter what.
He hit the button again. “The test is that they want us to hack into some computer for them. Lori looks like she’s about to bolt any minute, so I said I’d get the stuff she needs from her cubicle to get the job done.”
No, bolt wasn’t the right word. She looked scared, confused, and as though she knew she was being backed into a corner and had no choice but to do what they wanted her to do or risk losing her job.
“It’s just a test,” assured Evelyn as the elevator doors opened. “Once you prove that you’re not squeaky clean, they’ll let you in.”
“Assuming Lori does what they ask. What if she goes to the police?”
“I am the police.”
He glared at her as the elevator started its descent. “You’re the FBI. I’m all for interdepartmental cooperation, but if she goes to the NYPD first, who knows how many alarms will be raised before you and your people can put out the fires. We should’ve pulled in Josh like I said.”
She tightened her lips but managed to keep most of the annoyance she probably felt off her face. Michael didn’t care whether he annoyed her at this point. It was his family who was threatened, and he would question every single damn order she gave him until it made sense.
“Josh wouldn’t work. He has family. Friends. A massive support group in the city. You want to know who Lori will talk to about all this when she goes home tonight? No one.”
The reminder that they’d picked the most defenseless person in the office to do their dirty work didn’t make him feel better. When he’d arranged to make this deal with the devil, he’d assumed it was only him and Luke who would be at risk. But at the last minute, Ken had called to say there was one favor they required.
Evelyn had plenty of contacts she could’ve called in to help from the New York FBI field office, but none who could be there with a reliable cover within an hour. So he’d had to pull from his pool of employees, and Evelyn had already had dossiers pulled on his newer employees to go through.
Before this morning, he’d never heard of Lori Briggs. Sometimes he dealt with the software developers face to face, but she was lower-level tech support. When Evelyn explained that they’d pull up an antisocial, friendless tech employee to sit in, it had sounded great. But he’d expected a surly, unpleasant, frumpy woman. Lori Briggs was...well, he didn’t know what the hell she was.
Her dark hair was in a high ponytail, and even though she was dressed in the same casual clothes pretty much everyone except the executives wore, they were clean and coordinated. But more than being presentable, she was fucking cute.
She had crystal-clear blue eyes, a pert nose, and lips that immediately had him thinking thoughts that were probably dirty enough to be grounds for several sexual harassment lawsuits. And this was their antisocial key to getting into the Thirteen Stars?
Michael forced himself to stop thinking about her lips as they reached her cube. It was too late to turn back now. This deal needed to be done as soon as possible, and after what happened at Emma’s home last night, it was more urgent than ever. “She needs her laptop and some type of cable that can hook it into the one we’re trying to get into. It should be in the top right drawer.”
Evelyn pulled the drawer open as Michael unplugged Lori’s computer. “Who did Ken bring with him?”
“Some guy named Hunter. I can’t tell if he’s hired muscle or a bigger part.”
She pulled a cord out of the drawer and shut it. “The name doesn’t sound familiar. I’ll have to look through the case files and see if he’s been involved in anything before this.”
“So for the time being, I just do whatever they say and act like their bitch? Fantastic. Joslyn is lucky she’s in jail because if she ever gets out, I’m going to kill her,” he said between clenched teeth as they made their way back to the elevator.
As the elevator headed up to the executive level, Evelyn looked him over. “I am sorry you have to go through this. If you just trust me and stick to the plan, we’re going to get everything we want. Emma will be safe, criminals will be behind bars. All we need to do is find out who all the players in the Thirteen Stars are. Once they accept you and Luke as members, it shouldn’t be long before we can make arrests. And once they’re in jail, they will be the bitch, okay?”
“You give strangely motivating pep talks,” he admitted as they reached the executive level.
Evelyn handed the cord to him. “I’m your handler. It’s my job. Now go and play the good bitch. Save your cousin. Beat the bad guys. Those are your orders.�
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He sighed and left Evelyn there as he strode back to the conference room. Everyone seemed to be in the same position they’d been in when he’d left. Three men in suits and little Lori sitting off to the side in blue jeans and a surly expression as she looked up at him. He set her laptop next to the one she was supposed to unlock and handed her the cord. Without saying a word to him, she hooked the two computers together and got to work.
“If this is going to take a while, maybe we can set her up in my office and we can continue talking?” suggested Michael. Anything to keep Lori out of family business.
“I’m sure Ms. Briggs over there is more than qualified to get us access. If not, this is a software firm, right? I’m sure we can call in more hands if needed,” said Ken
Because more people knowing about this was better. To make it worse, Ken had learned Lori’s name at some point while he’d been gone. “I’m sure if Lori wants us to call in help, she’ll let us know.”
“Hunter and I don’t mind waiting,” assured Ken.
Of course they didn’t.
Lori sat back as she waited for the mystery computer to power up. “I doubt this will take that long.”
Michael met Luke’s gaze from behind her as they both let out a small sigh of relief. Until that one little affirmation, he hadn’t really been sure she could do this.
Hunter raised a brow. “What makes you think it will be easy?”
Lori leaned forward and opened up some technical-looking program on the screen of her work computer and rapidly moved her fingers over the keyboard. “Because the human race is utterly unoriginal.”
Everyone was quiet, waiting for her to explain, but she continued to input a series of commands into her laptop before she sat back again as whatever program she’d just fiddled with started to input a series of passwords into the security software on the mystery computer.
“We all know that password requirements are getting more and more complicated these days. A lot of security systems at this level require eight characters, capital and lowercase letters, and symbols. Which leads to billions of possible combinations that would take days to crack. But people are not nearly that complicated. I picked up this code a few months back that starts out with the most likely combinations. A six-letter word or two three-letter words, first letter capitalized, and then the number and symbol keys being the same key.”
Devereaux Billionaires Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 18
