Page 16 of Sasha’s Secret

He was also hoping that, whoever the mysterious Tex was—the computer expert’s computer expert, by all accounts—he could come up with not only an explanation for the missing history in Sasha’s file, but what was in that history. If he could do that, Rocco would gladly take the man out for a drink. Especially if what he discovered meant there was nothing to stand in the way of Rocco pursuing his personal interest in her.

He was, to put it bluntly, obsessed, and all it had taken was a few hours of being around her. He’d spent most of the previous evening putting the contents of the file on her under the microscope, trying to tease out information that simply wasn’t there. Defeated and frustrated, he’d lain in bed and stared at the photographs of her, going from one to the next until he’d finally fallen asleep, only to wake up this morning and find them strewn across the unoccupied side of the massive bed.

And then he’d had to sit opposite her over breakfast, watching those luscious lips, in the full knowledge he could do nothing about claiming them yet. Right now, he could only be thankful she was away from her office on some errand or other, leaving him free to regain his self-control.

“Rocco?”

A gentle touch to his upper arm accompanied the voice washing around him with the freshness of a crystal-clear stream at dawn. An image flashed through his mind of her coming up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and as he turned to look at her, her lips took his in a deep kiss.

So much for self-control. In spite of that, he had to leave the fantasy behind. When he turned to face her for real, there was no kiss awaiting him. Even so, his body still responded—to her closeness, her scent, her touch, her voice. “Hi. Everything okay?”

“Fine, thank you. It was no big deal.” She held up a slip of paper. “You might find this useful—it’s a superuser login for our HR and payroll system. I’d just ask you to be mindful of the confidential nature of the data. You’ll be asked to change your password the first time you use it, so please make sure you keep it secure.”

“I will, thanks.” Rocco took the paper from her. When her fingertips made brief contact with his, a jolt of electricity zinged between them. Judging by her reaction, she felt it too, and was almost as successful as he was at hiding it. “Who else has access to the system?”

“I do. Frank Schofield, as head of security, though he never uses it, as far as I’m aware. The IT consultants who installed it, for remote support. That’s it.”

Rocco nodded. “Who’s the system administrator? Who do you call to reset a forgotten password?”

“It should be Frank, but he’s about as IT-literate as a stump, so I’m the on-site system administrator. If I forget my password, I have to call the consultants. Haven’t needed to call them yet.”

Rocco would have been more surprised if she had. There was something about Sasha that said attention to detail wasn’t a problem for her. “I don’t doubt it for one moment. I have to go and see Frank now, but I’ll see you later.”

“Would you still like to meet for a cup of coffee when you get back?”

He should decline. “If you can take a break then, but don’t wait for me if I’m running late.”

She smiled as if he’d promised her something special. “I think I can wait a few without going into caffeine withdrawal.”

Rocco took her smile and her words with him on the short stroll to the security block, along the access road that led to the outside world. There was no one around as he entered the functional, box-shaped building that housed Schofield’s office, the closed circuit TV control room, and facilities for the guards who patrolled the estate and manned the main gate. He made his way past the closed door of the control room and straight down the corridor to the one that bore the name of the man he’d come to see. He knocked, and when prompted, entered.

The man behind the big desk rose as Rocco approached. The image he’d been given of the security chief was obviously a few years old, but he was still recognizable. Taller than average, built like a brick wall, and wearing a smile that, on close examination, wasn’t as friendly as it seemed, Frank Schofield was well into his fifties and looked it. He also had the unmistakable air of having spent a number of years in law enforcement.

Rocco offered his hand. “Good morning, Mr. Schofield. Thanks for seeing me at such short notice.”

“My pleasure. Why don’t you take a seat? Can I get you some coffee?”

Schofield spoke with the characteristic drawl of a Texas native. Rocco moved to the chair across the desk from him and sat. “I’m fine, thank you, but please don’t let me stop you.”

“Don’t mind if I do. I’ll be right with you, Rocco. You don’t mind if I call you Rocco, seeing as how we’re in the same line of business?”

“Not at all… Frank.”

He watched Schofield as he filled his cup from the filter coffee machine on top of a low cabinet at the side of the office. Schofield took his coffee black, and it looked as if it had the consistency of tar. Having acquired his taste for coffee via his Sicilian genes, Rocco had clearly dodged a caffeinated bullet there.

“Now, what can I do for you, Rocco? We’re all one big happy family here.”

Again the man’s face creased into that overly friendly smile. If what Rocco suspected about Sasha was true, he’d be interested to find out her opinion of the head of security. “This is by way of a courtesy call. I’m not sure how much you’ve been told about why I’m here—”

“Ms. Suto’s manager just said there’d be a security consultant coming in to make sure we’re doing what we’re paid to do. I run a tight ship here, Rocco—”

Rocco noted the falsely jovial, defensive undertone. “Of that I have no doubt. I’m merely here to review the systems and protocols in place, and offer suggestions for improvements, should any be necessary. Fresh eyes, that’s all. I’d appreciate your cooperation so I can present a full and accurate report at the end of my visit.”

Schofield eased off a little. “Of course, son—you let me know what you need and I’ll get right on it.”

“Thank you. To begin with, I’d like to take a look at your staff roster for the next month, with particular emphasis on who will be accompanying Ms. Suto to any events or on any activities that will take her outside the compound. In the interests of full disclosure, I have access to the personnel system and I will be looking into the backgrounds of all the security personnel, as well as the domestic staff.”

“You don’t need to waste your time looking into my men. They’re all good boys and—”