“Fair is what I say it is. Now keep yourselfquiet. We’re watching a movie in the living room.”
I swallowed, trying to keep the tears out of my eyes. “Can I watch with you?”
“No.”
She slammed the door behind her.
Those tears came hard and fast. I buried myself in my pillows and let the hurt flow over me. I hadn’t even done anything. Why was dancing and singing wrong?
I never listened to that song again.
The sudden flashback had me on my feet, pacing. This wasn’t what I wanted. It was why I hated thinking about it. Once I started thinking aboutonething, my brain wanted to think abouteverythingand it was too painful.
I found myself walking to Edgar’s office with absolutely no plan of what to say. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay here right now. What I really wanted was to be at the apartment with my Alphas, where I couldbe comfortable and there weren’t as many things to remind me of the past.
“Edgar?” I rapped my knuckles on the frame of the open door.
“What’s up?”
“I wanted to ask you…” How did I even word this? “Um, you know about the break-in at my apartment. But I have some other stuff going on in my personal life right now. Mostly good. But I was wondering if you’d be okay with me working from home for a while? Like I did right after Tracy? I feel like I’ll be able to focus better.”
He glanced up at me for a second. “Yeah, that’s fine. You did some great work the last time you worked from home. I trust you. Just let everyone know where you are in case they need you. And send me your draft.”
“Thanks, Edgar, I appreciate it.”
“Show me that appreciation by writing the best article you’ve ever put on paper.”
I smiled then. “I’m working on something that might make you happy.”
“Good.”
Home. I wanted to be home. I could work there, but I felt fucking claustrophobic in this building right now.
I opened the apartment door and realized I’d gotten all the way back without being conscious of it. It wasn’t often I zoned out enough to forget I was moving, but it happened sometimes.
A text chimed on my phone.
Aiden
Come to my room.
I went, leaving my shoes in the entryway. “I’m still not recovered enough for you to pleasure me into oblivion.”
He didn’t look away from his monitors. “That might be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’d love it if I did.”
“True. What’s up?”
That made him look over. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just a long workday. How did you know I was here?”
“Door sensor,” he said without apology. “And sorry if this makes your workday longer.” A few tapped keys made windows pop up on the screen. “Cracked the flash drive. Most of it. There are a few files in here that are double encrypted, which is overkill, by the way, and that’s coming fromme.”
“What’s on it?”
Spinning his office chair to look at me, his face was serious. “Seems like a lot of records. Environmental tests, the kind where you check for toxins. Some of the documents seem to be conflicting. What is this?”
I moved closer and sat on the floor, crossing my legs. “Like I told you, my boss, Tracy, died in a car accident a few months ago. I found a file of hers, and I reached out to her source. He gave me that.” I pointed to the flash drive.
