Lying in Shadows

by Sofia Grey

  Lying in Shadows

  Event Horizon Book 1

  Sofia Grey

  This book is a work of fiction.

  While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Sofia Grey

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Acelette Press

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Lying in Shadows

  Author’s Note:

  Prologue

  Part I - In The Wings

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Part II - Warming Up

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Part III - In the spotlight

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Two Nights in Houston

  Event Horizon series

  Playlist

  About Sofia Grey

  More by Sofia Grey

  Lying in Shadows

  (Event Horizon #1)

  Marianne needs to find who's leaking secrets from her company, before they lose another major contract. What she doesn't need is an affair with her married boss. Even worse, to fall in love with him.

  She discovers the security leak is more than a case of commercial espionage: someone is lying in the shadows, playing games with them. Now more than her heart and career are at stake—her life is on the line.

  Other Books in the Series

  Two Nights In Houston (An Event Horizon Novella)

  Covering the Lies (Event Horizon #2)

  Author’s Note:

  This book is set in Britain, and follows British English spelling and usage

  Huge thanks go to my Acelette partners.

  To Allyson for helping to polish my rough first draft into a shiny finished story, and to Sotia for her incredibly detailed edits.

  Thanks to TigerLilyReader who read this as an early draft, and told me she loved it, and to Kathy who read the finished version. Your encouragement was much appreciated.

  * ~ *

  Thanks also to Livs and ‘B’ – the inspiration behind Sylvie and Lara, and for your help in creating a wicked awesome plot. Good days!

  Prologue

  Marianne waited a long time for AJ.

  She worshipped him from afar through most of her high school years, then lusted after him through her twenties. At the grand old age of twenty-eight, she resigned herself to two facts—he preferred her sister, and he’d forgotten his promise.

  Part I - In The Wings

  Chapter One

  The gossip mag called to Marianne as clearly as if it had a megaphone attached. She’d stuffed it into her tote bag before she boarded the plane, and tried hard to ignore it during the flight, but now, with more than an hour until they landed at Heathrow and all her work documents tidied away, there was no excuse.

  She glanced at her new colleague next to her. Rico looked focused on his spreadsheet. Fuck it. She wanted to see what dirt the press was spreading now.

  She retrieved the glossy magazine and feasted her eyes on the cover picture first. AJ, also known as Rock God. Her one-time lover. The stock photo was a good one. His eyes were clear, and his lips curved in the start of a smile. He looked fit and confident and beyond sexy—the polar opposite of how he was a year ago, when they last met.

  He occupied the center spread, in a multitude of images, and Marianne took her time examining them. She winced at the largest picture—AJ, clinging to a lamppost, the soft amber light glinting off a bottle of Grey Goose vodka in his hand. His hair was longer than she’d seen before, and thick fuzz covered his face. He was a mess.

  The paragraph underneath had nothing new to say.

  The delicious AJ was seen staggering out of Barney’s club in the early hours. Looks like his latest dry spell has foundered. This is the first time he’s seen in public since his little brother, Event Horizon bass player Sam, died of an overdose last year. Rumour has it AJ’s bought a mansion in darkest Wales, to hide away in. The remaining members of the band have been pressing him to tour again, but he’s not interested.

  It was Sam’s anniversary today. Memories of his funeral threatened to overwhelm Marianne, but she pushed past them. Losing Sam was bad enough, but for him to die the way she expected AJ to go was grossly unfair. Watching AJ ride the rollercoaster of addiction was terrifying, and without Sam to curb his excesses, she feared the worst. How long would it be, before she received that news too? Her stomach cramped at the idea.

  She’d made a new life. No longer the tagalong groupie from next door, she had a career and responsibilities. She was a different person, on the outside at least. Inside was a different matter. AJ was her first and only true love. Yeah... and it worked out so well.

  Most days she didn’t think about him, but today it was impossible not to. She closed the magazine and returned it to her tote, but the images she’d seen continued to taunt her. AJ on stage with the band. AJ on his first album cover, the one that propelled the young rock band to stardom in a matter of months. AJ with an arm wrapped around Sam’s shoulders, carefree grins on both their faces. And then a blurry copy of the headline that announced Sam’s overdose.

  Marianne needed a distraction. Burying herself in work seemed like the best option. As soon as they landed, they were heading for the TM-Tech offices in Canary Wharf, where she’d host the kickoff meeting for this super-secret project. It was the biggest piece of work she’d been asked to manage, and that alone should be exciting.

  Leaning back in her seat, she gazed at Rico’s spreadsheet. He clicked the mouse in a series of cells, flicked to another page, and then repeated the action.

  “Find anything yet?” She spoke softly. Even though they were in Business Class and had space around their seats, she never knew who might be listening.

  “Nope.” He blew out a frustrated breath, pushed wire-rimmed spectacles up his nose, and continued clicking between pages.

  Rico had been hired a few days earlier, as a forensic accountant, and assigned to her team for this job. His appointment rankled at first; Marianne preferred to select her own team. But Rico came with excellent references and had worked for Thaddeus Merrill, the chairman, before.

  She and Rico would be working closely for the next three months. It wouldn’t hurt to be friendly. “So, Rico. I don’t know much about you. Are you
married? Girlfriend? Significant Other?”

  He gave her a sideways glance and pushed at his spectacles again. “Uh... no.”

  Teasing him could be fun. “Is that no to the wife, girlfriend, or significant other?”

  “None of them. Too busy, I guess.” He was cute in a geeky way, all floppy dark hair and big brown eyes. The girls at TM-Tech would be falling over themselves to catch him. Not Marianne though. She never mixed business with pleasure.

  She was looking forward to this project for a number of reasons. Not only the huge responsibility, but also because being in London again would be good. She hadn’t worked in the U.K. for years, or spent much time recently on British soil, but some things were hard to forget. English fish and chips, and a decent roast beef Sunday lunch were top of her list. Catching up with her family? Not so much.

  Then, there was Marcus. If she ever considered breaking her rule about getting involved with a co-worker, Marcus would be her downfall. Especially since he was now her boss.

  Two hours later, Marianne gazed up at the gleaming tower block that would be her workplace for the next few months. The sun hung low in the sky, typical for late October, and she tugged her coat a little tighter. After working in Houston for so long, she’d forgotten how cold it could be in London. She bit back a yawn. She’d also forgotten how exhausting transatlantic travel could be.

  Rico glanced at her, as he shouldered a leather messenger bag. “We could always reschedule the kickoff for tomorrow morning.”

  He looked disgustingly bright-eyed, more as if he slept on the flight, though he’d been working the whole time. “No need.” She was brisk. “We’re here, and with time to spare. Let’s go find Marcus.”

  ****

  Marcus gazed at the document on his desk. It could have been a contract or a project outline, or even a divorce agreement, for all he took in. The situation at TM-Tech stunk worse than a barrel of rotting fish, and no matter what he did, nothing helped.

  On the one hand, he welcomed the idea of an internal audit. If they flushed out who was selling their most sensitive data, they could put a stop to it. But what happened if the audit failed? Would the finger be pointed at him?

  He was exhausted. What he needed was a vacation—somewhere hot, where his most pressing decision would be whether to have a cocktail or a beer. Some place he wouldn’t think about the state of his marriage and wonder how in hell it got so bad.

  He had to pull his head from his ass, and go meet Marianne.

  Last time there was a data leak, she nailed it. That incident, four years ago, was a drop in the ocean compared to the current problem, but he had faith in her. More importantly, Thaddeus Merrill believed she could fix it. TM-Tech was his company, built from the ground up and driven by him to become a multinational technology business. Marianne was Thaddeus’s rising star, like Marcus had been.

  She was smart, skilled, and hungry for the next promotion. Just how Thaddeus liked his senior staff. Bottom line—she was damned good at her job, and Marcus couldn’t wait to see her again.

  How long had it been? A year, maybe. They’d worked together on a few projects and were almost friends, or as close as Marianne would allow. She was renowned for keeping her private life behind closed doors.

  A knock on his open door snagged his attention, and he looked up to see Cassie, his P.A. “Marianne and Rico are here. Should I send them in?”

  “Yes. Thank you.” He stood and stretched, before rounding the desk to meet his guests.

  Marianne looked stunning, as always. Cropped russet-colored hair highlighted her fine cheekbones, and a tailored skirt suit hugged every curve of her slim body. She was the only person he knew that could disembark from a nine-hour flight looking as fresh as when she boarded—and ready to chair a meeting.

  “Marianne. Good to see you again.” He clasped her hand, his smile genuine.

  “You too.” She leaned forwards and air-kissed his cheek. “I’m looking forward to getting started. Is the team assembled?”

  “Yep. As soon as you texted to say you landed, we confirmed the timing for the kickoff. They’re ready when you are.” He turned to Rico at her side, and they shook hands. “How are you?”

  “Pretty good, thanks. How are you and Louisa?”

  Marcus caught a flash of surprise on Marianne’s face, before she masked it. “Good,” he replied. “Lou is staying with Jordan and Kate at the moment. Jordan sends his regards, by the way.”

  Rico dug into a pocket and produced a small envelope. “Thaddeus asked me to deliver this. Until he’s assured of the security of his outgoing emails, he’s not taking any chances.”

  Marcus took the missive and stared at the flap, bemused. “Is that a wax seal?”

  “Yep.”

  What a freaking irony. TM-Tech led the market in its field, producing everything from aerospace components to cutting-edge applications, and they had to resort to medieval methods, to ensure security. Heaven forbid the media ever found out. He’d look at it later. Something told him it wouldn’t be good news.

  He forced himself to focus. “We’ve closed off the twelfth floor for the audit team. Restricted access on all the doors and elevators. We’ll grab your swipe cards from Cassie and get down there.”

  Fifteen minutes later, coffee in hand, Marianne took the lead in the largest of the available conference rooms. The assembled group sat up and paid attention. Some were auditors, others finance experts, and two were coordinators from the Corporate Programme Office, to provide admin support. Marianne greeted them all by name.

  “As you know, you’ll be working together exclusively as a team for the next three months. You’ve signed security agreements and confidentiality statements, so you know we have to keep this work quiet. As far as the company is concerned, we’re reviewing internal procedures. The reality is we’re looking for a mole—or several of them. Over the past six months, TM-Tech has lost two major tenders to our nearest competitors. We’re going to be bidding for a significant defence contract in the spring, and we don’t want to lose this business as well.”

  Everyone hung on her words, Marcus included.

  “I’d like to introduce the other key members of the team,” she continued. “We have Rico Sanchez, forensic accountant and my deputy, and Pete Tandy, Head of Security.” They both stood as they were introduced. “Pete is going to run through some internal security rules for us. Not only do we have to be thorough and squeaky clean in what we’re doing, we also can’t leave any clues about what we’re really looking for.”

  Her confidence was reassuring to Marcus, even with the letter from Thaddeus burning a hole in his pocket. When Pete kicked off a set of slides, Marcus fished out the envelope and pulled the wax seal free. Inside was a single folded sheet of paper. Nobody paid him any attention, so he opened the letter. It was brief.

  Marcus.

  Let Rico do whatever is necessary. Just get this problem fixed. You have three months.

  Thaddeus

  Chapter Two

  It was barely five in the evening, and early for a drink by anyone’s standards, but Alex was sorely tempted. The slippery slope into alcohol had been short this time. He tried to keep off it until six every evening, and some days he managed. But today was hard.

  He only just said goodbye to Frankie, his manager, after a prolonged social call. For Christ’s sake, he moved to the middle of nowhere, specifically to avoid people dropping in uninvited. Frankie was banging on again about a tour and using a session guitarist or recruiting a new bass player.

  It was impossible. Alex didn’t want to tour without Sam. He didn’t want to do anything without his little brother, especially today, on his anniversary.

  Alex reached into the fridge for the vodka, as the doorbell rang. He cursed under his breath. It had to be Frankie again. He left the bottle on the kitchen table, strode to the front door, and yanked it open. “What did you forget?”

  He stared at the two women on the doorstep. They gazed back, their eyes
wide. He wasn’t sure who was the most shocked.

  The shorter woman, a curvy brunette, gave him a beaming smile and stuck out her hand. “Hi. I’m Kate Merrill, and I live next door, in the old Rectory. This is Louisa Reeve. I wanted to introduce ourselves and say welcome to Rhosneigr.”

  He fashioned a smile for them and shook her hand. The second woman, a blonde, held his hand a shade too long. His internal fangirl meter pinged at the star-struck expression on her face.

  They were waiting for him to speak.

  “Alex Hamilton.” His voice was gruff. He hoped they’d say what they wanted, so he could get back to his drink. The brunette hunched forwards a little, and he realized it was raining. They both looked wet.

  If they really were his new neighbours, and not stalkers, it was in his best interest to play nicely. He could do five minutes. Suppressing a sigh, he stepped back and invited them in, then led them down the corridor and into the kitchen.

  “Um, would you like coffee? Or a glass of wine?”

  “Wine would be good. Thanks.” The blonde had a drawling American accent and a husky voice. She was polished enough to be a model or maybe an actress. They both wore wedding rings, so with luck, they weren’t going to make a pass at him, but he could never tell.

  He opened a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, poured three glasses, and then sat down with them. The vodka sat accusingly on the table, and he tried to ignore it.

  “I know you’ve only just moved in, but we wondered if you’d like to come to a party we’re having?” The brunette had a northern accent that sounded familiar.

  He racked his brains to remember the name she gave him. “You from Manchester, Kate?”

  “Yes,” she flashed him a pretty smile. “I lived in Didsbury for years before moving here. My Gran left me the Rectory when she died, and I fancied somewhere quieter than the city. I miss the shops, though.”

  The blonde—Louise?—remained silent while Kate chattered.