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He barely heard her words, his thoughts tripping on the way his name sounded on her lips. Had she called him Cole before? He didn’t think so. Surely, he would have remembered the gut punch it carried.
He finally processed what she’d said. He couldn’t even be upset she had talked to him like a kindergartner who needed the instructions repeated four times. “Sorry. You’re right. Force of habit, I guess. I’m used to locking everything down. I’ll make sure your employee ID has access to everything on site. There won’t be an area you won’t be able to enter—digitally or otherwise. Just don’t touch anything in the labs, okay?”
She smirked. “You don’t have to worry about that. If it doesn’t have a hard drive or an Ethernet port, I’m not interested.”
He briefly wondered if that sentiment extended to people.
“You need a ride home, Joey?”
The gruff voice came from the door, and Cole turned to the unwelcome visitor. Then he did a double take at the massive body standing in the entry.
“Hey, Tank. No, I’ve got my car, thanks.”
Cole wondered briefly if the rejection would upset the huge man. He didn’t sound happy offering the invitation, and he didn’t look like the sort you wanted to cross.
Joey seemed unconcerned and simply waved good-bye. Tank stared at Cole for a moment and then looked back at Joey, ignoring him completely. “Who’s the suit?” Cole stiffened reflexively at the treatment. He wasn’t used to being ignored. Perhaps he was more accustomed to the special treatment his position and wealth afforded him than he realized. What was that verse? Pride goeth before a fall?
Joey chuckled, the silky waves of throaty laughter pulling away from his misplaced offense. “Good night, Tank. I’ll call you tomorrow about that thing.”
Cole wished he knew what they were talking about. He couldn’t help the curiosity about their relationship, and the way Joey smiled at the hulking man.
He cleared his throat when they were alone again. “So, you really think you can find the leak?”
Joey nodded. “Yeah, I do. It’s going to take me a while to earn Patrick’s trust.” She made a face at him. “Thanks for that, by the way. But I’ll start snooping around and see what I can find. What I’d like from you is a list of names of people who have access to the information. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that they are gaining access they shouldn’t have, but more likely, it is someone or several someones who already have access.”
Cole hadn’t even considered the possibility that there was more than one person responsible. “I’ll get you the list tomorrow morning.”
Joey shook her head. “Okay. You have my BTS email address. It’s secure.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Joey turned to him. “You sound nervous, Mr. Kensington.”
“Call me Cole.” He couldn’t explain why it was important to him. Usually, he was content being Mr. Kensington. Insisted on it, in fact. It kept the lines of boss and employee clear. But Joey had made very clear that he wasn’t her superior.
“You sound nervous, Cole.” A little thrill raced through his arm and to his chest. She continued, “I heard your warning this morning.”
Warning? What warning?
“You shouldn’t worry. I’m thebest. Bythis time next week, we’ll have your man.”
There was a little emphasis within her words that made him pause. His brow furrowed.
Joey stood up and grabbed her leftovers. “Well, I’dbest buymyself some groceries and head home.”
His lip twitched. There it was again. Why was she… oh. The warning.
Why wasn’t he surprised that she was turning his threat of unemployment into a joke and taunting him with it? He didn’t know how to respond. Instead, he followed her lead and stood. Which brought them very close in the dark space. He met her gaze, wondering what she saw when she looked at him.
“I should—“
“Thanks for—“
Joey laughed and stepped away, pushing buttons on her keyboard that caused the monitors to go dark, leaving them completely ensconced in shadows. The large office instantly felt incredibly cramped. Once his eyes adjusted, the light from the hallway was enough to see, revealing the outline of her shape. He moved toward the door.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said.
“Is Jared out there?”
