“Deal.” They seal their agreement with a handshake. It pains Alex more than it pleases him.
After gliding his hand down his trousers, Alex nudges his head to the right. “There’s a secure port behind the filing cabinet.”
With a nod, Hunter places his state-of-the-art laptop onto Alex’s desk. He freezes mere seconds from plugging it into the ethernet port Alex gestured to before swinging his eyes to Isaac. “If I connect to the FBI’s server, it could leave your security vulnerable to infiltration. If they get in, I may never get them back out.”
My heart skips a beat when Isaac replies, “Let them have it. I have nothing to hide.”
I knew he cared for Isabelle, but I had no clue it went this far. Although I’m pleased he’s found his Achilles heel, his empire isn’t the only thing at risk here. “What about Hugo?”
Isaac’s face deadpans as reality smacks into him. He can’t protect both Isabelle and Hugo. He has to sacrifice one of them. Unless. . .
I square my shoulders before locking my eyes with Alex. “Promise me your department will not access anything on Isaac’s servers today, and I’ll forgive you for exploiting me.”
Alex balks. I don’t know if his shock is due to my pledge of forgiveness or the fact I outed myself in front of Isaac. I assume it is the latter when he says, “I didn’t exploit you, Regan.”
My lips thin as I struggle to repress a scream. This is why we can’t get past what he did, because he refuses to acknowledge his part in our downfall.
After a quick exhalation, I stare at him, wordlessly begging him to do the right thing. If he truly wants to repair the damage he has done, this will be a step in the right direction.
After running his hand over his recently trimmed hair for the second time, Alex’s eyes stray to Hunter. “Send the photo to the email address on the card.” He hands him an embossed business card. “The FBI servers automatically upload all content on any devices plugged into their mainframe, so I’ll use my computer to access the image.”
While Hunter fires up his laptop, I whisper my thanks to Alex. When he attempts to step around Isaac, I shake my head. Mistaking my denial as me choosing sides, his face lines with anger. That isn’t what I’m doing. There are just more important things at stake right now than cleaning up the mess between us.
In the corner of my eye, I watch Alex take a seat in the big leather chair behind his desk. The clench of his fists looks violent, but I know anger isn’t fueling his responses. It’s remorse.
He drags his chair in close to his keyboard when Hunter says, “Done.”
“We need to hurry before it’s too late,” Isaac urges after taking in the time on the antique clock hanging in Alex’s office. For the sleek, clean lines of his office, it’s an odd piece for him to have. It doesn’t match the décor, much less the man who owns it.
I stop staring at the unique clock when Hunter grunts, “Move.” He barges Alex in the shoulder. “Your two-finger typing is too fucking slow. We’ll be here all night at this rate.”
Alex isn’t happy, but vacates his chair as requested. Within seconds, Hunter sweettalks Alex’s computer into being his bitch. The photo Isaac and he discovered on the CTV cameras installed throughout Ravenshoe scrolls through thousands of possible matches while he conducts a second manual search on the tattoo one of the perps had on his arm.
“You need to donate some money to the local police department so they can get this software installed.”
Before Isaac can reply to Hunter’s smug remark, his cell phone rings. My stomach launches into my throat when I recognize his ring tone. It’s his phone that only ever rings when there is trouble.
I try to listen in on Isaac’s conversation, but the faintest brush of a hand down my cheek steals my devotion. Alex is standing in front of me, removing the faded line an earlier tear caused my cheek.
The chance of a second one following it is highly likely when he asks, “Are you okay, Rae?”
Although I’m feeling anything but, I nod. If there’s a time for me to polish myI’m fineskills, today is it. With Isaac’s panic at an all-time high, I need to stay in the game. He’s not thinking straight, so I need to think for the both of us.
That would be a whole lot easier to do without Alex’s schmexy scent engulfing me. “Rae—”
“Not yet, Alex. We need to do this first.”
I can tell he wants to argue, but thankfully, Hunter darting across the room steals his words. Alex watches Isaac and Hunter’s exchange as eagerly as me, equally sickened by the panic whitening Isaac’s face.
“Please help him,” I beg after returning my eyes to Alex. “I know I have no right to ask you for anything, but he’s my friend, and I don’t want him to go through what I went through with Luca. He’s already suffered enough, Alex. Don’t add more grief to his plate.”
I’m about to plead some more, but I realize I don’t need to when Alex heads to the other side of his desk. With determined eyes, he yanks open the top drawer to retrieve his gun and badge. He holsters his gun on his waist where it sat when we bumped heads before he snags his jacket off a coat rack. After a quick glance my way, he joins Isaac and Hunter’s private conversation.
When Isaac eyes him with suspicion, Alex says, “Isabelle is still an FBI agent. We protect our own,” His tone is as demanding as Isaac’s usually is. It quickens my pulse, and for once, it’s a good thing. “I know this man. I know how he operates. I’ve been working on his case since I was a rookie.”
I glare at Alex. I must have missed something. That’s not surprising. The most influential men in my life float to the back of my mind when I’m acting on my libido. . .and perhaps my heart.This is inappropriate for me to say, even more so because of the situation we’re in, but the amount of testosterone in this room is persuading my libido to leave the dark, scary hole she’s been hidden in the past eighteen months. If Isabelle’s life wasn’t on the line, I’d bottle up the scent for future exploration.
My wicked thoughts come to an end when Isaac sneers, “Then you would know that Col orchestrated this because he wants me. So, if anyone but me enters that warehouse, he will kill Isabelle.”
