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“You’d better be.” I throw a glance at the door with no idea how much time I have before they get home. “Come on.”
“Aight, relax. I’ve got you. It’s easy.” It sounds like he’s stretching. “Do you have a flash drive or an external?”
I search the drawers of the large desk and come up with one. “Yes.”
“Good, so here’s what you need to do.”
He walks me through the steps and it goes faster than I expected. A question occurs to me as the progress bar hits the halfway mark of copying the drive to the flash drive.
“Will I be able to access everything?”
I know Dad’s password because he let me buy concert tickets for a show Thea and I went to. I didn’t want Mom to know. Hers are a mystery to me, though, and I’ll need them if I want to get into the pharmaceutical company’s files on the drive.
“All the settings will copy, so anything not encrypted or password protected is fair game.”
I bite my lip. “So I’ll need the passwords.”
He laughs. “Maybe. Depends on the level of security on them. What are you getting up to, hippie chick?”
“None of your business, Bishop. Keep this to yourself.”
“Cool, cool. Your little snooping secret is safe with me.”
For now is left unspoken, because Connor loves collecting information and has a penchant for blackmail. Not that he’d actually use it against me. He collects information to protect the people he cares about, too.
The computer dings when the hard drive is copied. “It finished. Thanks.”
Swiping the flash drive, I go to my room and stash it in a vintage blue suede purse with fringe. I catch sight of myself in the mirror and pause. My lips are still pink and slightly swollen from earlier and my dress looks like a mess. I shift, rubbing my thighs together and still feel the tingly echo of how much I liked what Fox and I did.
The front door opens and closes, low murmurs from Dad and Holden drifting through the foyer.
“Maisy Grace Landry,” Mom calls ominously. Her voice only raises enough to carry without outright yelling. “Downstairs. Now.”
Sighing, I head for my execution.
When I reach the top, Holden shoots me an apologetic expression. I give him a subtle nod. It’s fine, I knew it was going to be tough to avoid this, even with him running interference. Leaving my high school graduation ceremony probably meant when my name was called, there was a wave of confusion when I didn’t get up and walk to the stage to accept my diploma. Bet Mom really loved that embarrassment. I picture the other parents in the stands whispering.
“Get down here,” Dad snaps.
Oh good, they’re both upset. Mom I expected, but Dad’s always acted out of an overbearing sense of protectiveness. I don’t make it down the steps before they tear into me.
“Where were you?”
“What were you thinking?”
They both speak at once and my gaze bounces between them. Mom narrows her eyes and shoots Dad a look that has him stepping back. Lines form around his mouth with his severe frown as he folds his arms.
“What ridiculous notion did you have that made you think you could get away with walking out on your graduation ceremony?” Mom hisses. “They called your name for five minutes before they finally moved on. Why would you do this?”
Jutting my chin, I cross my arms. “There’s no rule that says I had to attend. They’ll mail my diploma. Why is that so wrong?”
“You are so childish,” Mom says coldly. “Go to your room.”
“Go to my room?” A sound of disbelief escapes me. “I’m not twelve. You have to stop treating me like a baby.”
“When you stop actin
g like one, you’ll be treated accordingly,” Mom shoots back. “Your actions today reflect on all of us.”
