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Teagan shows me the database and then joins her brother and the rest of the guys. Deklan comes over a few minutes later.
“We’ve got some business,” he says. He doesn’t make eye contact with me, and I’m not about to ask him where he’s going or what he’s going to do. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you here, but Sean will be with me, and Teagan is in the house if you need anything. Are you going to be all right?”
“I’ll be f
ine. I’m still learning the system, and I need alone time with the computer to get the hang of it.”
“I don’t know how long we’ll be gone. It might be a while.”
“I’m fine, Deklan, really.” I am, too. As long as Sean is with Deklan, he can’t bother me. “I’ve got plenty of work to keep me busy.”
“Okay.” Deklan takes my chin between his fingers and kisses me lightly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I glance over and see Sean watching us with narrowed eyes. I shiver slightly. Deklan glances over his shoulder and then looks back at me.
“Love you, babe,” he says loud enough for anyone in the room to hear.
“I love you, too.” My voice isn’t as loud but probably still audible enough. Deklan smiles and kisses me once more.
All the men leave. Teagan heads into another part of the house, and I go back to my work. Teagan comes into the room once or twice to answer questions, but for the most part, I am on my own for the afternoon. I’m finally getting the hang of the spreadsheets and how they interconnect, and it’s nice to have something to focus on for a while.
I’m also getting an interesting view of the Foley family enterprise. Between racing and stud services, the horses are a major source of legitimate income as are the investment firms and a chain of delicatessens. Interestingly enough, I see funds set aside to buy out a list of car wash facilities, one of which is owned by my father.
Out of curiosity, I look at the plans for future business acquisitions and notice that most of my father’s businesses are on the lists of places to be purchased. In fact, some of them have already transferred ownership.
Is this my Dad’s way of getting into the family?
I remember Deklan’s response to my father’s involvement in my kidnapping, and I’m sure he wouldn’t allow my father to profit from business sales. I check the numbers, but I don’t know if the offers are high or low.
I shake my head. I don’t want to think about my father.
As early evening approaches, it starts to rain harder. Thunder rattles the windows, and the lights flicker before going off altogether. The power outage only lasts a couple of minutes, and I’m grateful for the laptop’s battery. I’ve lost my connection to the database, but at least I haven’t lost any work.
When the lights come back on, I can’t get the damn laptop to connect to the Wi-Fi and eventually give up. Before the power went out, I was really close to being done with the last task Teagan gave me for the day, and I want to finish. I know there has to be another computer around here, so I head into the room behind the office where Deklan and Sean hold their conferences.
I see a laptop on a desk facing the far wall. The computer is still illuminated from whoever might have used it last. I’m surprised to find that it’s not password protected, and I wonder if I will even be able to access the server.
There’s a thick cable coming from the floor under the desk, and I see the laptop has a wired connection to the server, which is perfect. It’s not at all secure, and I make a mental note to talk to Teagan about security in general.
I look at the icons on the desktop, hoping to find the software I need, but the icon isn’t there. I start to browse through the files to find the right program but stop when I see a folder with my name on it.
I can’t help it—I double-click the folder to open it.
There are pictures inside. Nothing too interesting—mostly pictures of me working at the coffee shop and a few from the wedding reception. Still, a creepy feeling runs up my arms as if I’ve just walked through a spider’s web. I assume these are pictures that Charlie Grange took while he was spying on me. Looking at them leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m about to close the folder when I see that one of the files is a video. The preview image is dark, and I can’t make out what’s in the frame.
Only one way to find out.
My hand shakes as I press the play button.
The video has obviously been taken on someone’s phone. I recognize the hallway immediately—it’s the one leading up to the apartment where Deklan and I live. The video jumps around to the rhythm of soft footsteps before it stops at the door to our apartment. A man’s hand reaches out and fits a key into the locks—first the deadbolt and then the doorknob.
Inside, the apartment is dark. The video shifts to the kitchen and then the hallway to the bedroom. A moment later, I see myself lying on the bed with my arms wrapped around Deklan’s pillow. The image focuses on my sleeping face and bare shoulders for a moment before the hand returns, grips the top of the sheet and blanket, and slowly pulls it away from my nude body.
“Oh, God,” I whisper. I know instantly when the video was taken. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, blankets on the floor, and hearing the front door shut. “It was him.”
“Kera, Kera, Kera.” I recognize Sean’s voice on the video. “So fucking gorgeous.”
