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My hand goes to my chest and I nearly leap out of my skin at Shayla’s voice. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Don’t know how. Came in the back like you told me.”
“The alarm didn’t beep.”
Her eyes widen and she spins, racing toward the back door. By the time I reach her, she’s on a stepstool fiddling with the sensor.
“Shayla, that’s a five-thousand-dollar system!”
“Then it should work.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The deep, barbed question causes her to stumble, grabbing the frame before she crashes.
“Ford, what the—”
“They linked the system directly to Hayes Security monitoring.”
I point to the discreet device in the corner which is a communication system.
“Well then, you should know it’s broken!” she snipes.
“It’s likely a malfunction.” I try to calm him.
“Our systems don’t malfunction,” Finn clips.
“We’ll be there soon. Until you see me, bolt the door.”
The room goes silent after Ford’s demand.
“I knew you upgraded, but this is high-tech.”
“Dad insisted on every bell and whistle available. Especially when I was living upstairs. At first, it freaked me out that someone could listen in on me at any time, but Robbie and Finn explained the parameters. There are internal signals that trigger the communications system. My guess is your fiddling with the sensor sent an alert.”
“Maybe you should teach me about this system.” She hops off the stool and bolts the door.
“I’ll give you a crash course after the guys evaluate it over. The storm last night could have knocked it offline.”
She cuts her eyes to me, knowing that excuse is bullshit. “We have an hour before opening. Let’s go over the new product line.”
“Good idea.” I go to the desk and hand her the pricing sheet.
“Like I was saying earlier, is that all the inventory you have?” She gestures to the display.
I avoid answering, absently shuffling papers.
“Seriously, Rowan, where are the rest? Your launch party isn’t until Friday.”
“My what?” I panic.
“Your launch party. You had to know we’d plan a soiree to launch these fabulous products.”
“We’re not having a party.”
“Knew you’d say that, so we planned it without you. This display will be gone by then. You better have a stash somewhere.”
“In the studio,” I utter under my breath.
She scrolls through the online schedule, making notes next to a few appointments. “These clients are hot buyers. I’ll feel out the others.”
