Page 21 of Drunk In Love

We reach a stoplight, and Maxwell scrubs a hand over his face as we face forward, watching pedestrians stroll by.

“What is Franco’s motive then?”

“Wrongful termination. It’s perfect. He gets fired and probably knows about the contentious relationship between the Van Zandts, so he decides to get a little revenge on his former employers.”

“Hmmm,” Max says, not responding to my theory. He pulls off as the light turns green, heading back downtown to our office.

“You don’t agree?”

“No, and I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say.”

“Don’t hold back now,” I say. “What is it? We can tell each other anything.”

“So, during the rehearsal night for the wedding, I overheard Zach on the phone across the hall. And whoever he was talking to, I heard him say ‘everyone is under the impression that FJ was hacked. They have no idea who is behind it.’”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Plus, you don’t even know who he was talking to or what they were talking about.”

“Kamaya, don’t be obtuse. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”

No, I didn’t. Or at least I wasn’t sure. It didn’t make sense for Zach to be behind all this. He’s the one who came to Brandon for help. Why would Zach bring attention to something he’d supposedly wanted to hide?

“Not necessarily. He trusted us by way of Brandon to track down who was behind the leak. Besides, his entire job hinges on the sales of group subscriptions. Why would he self-sabotage and give it out for free?”

“Kam, I know you like him, but you have to look at the facts. Maybe he came to Brandon to throw us off. Maybe he’s been behind this all along.”

“Zach doesn’t make sense to be the one behind all this. My gut is telling me it’s Franco or, at the very least, he’s involved somehow. If only we could track him down.”

“Well, I think your gut is wrong this time, Kamaya. I’d bet my life on Zach being who we’re looking for,” Max says as we pull into the parking garage across the street from the office.

“I think you may be jealous,” I say. “That’s why you’re determined not to see anyone else as possibly being guilty.”

Max parks and turns to look at me. “Wow, I can’t believe you went there,” he says. “That I would put my job at risk, not to mention my friendship with Brandon, because you think I’m jealous of your little crush?”

I uncross my arms and remove my seatbelt, gathering my things. “I don’t think we need to work together the rest of the day.”

“Fine,” Max says, shaking his head at me.

How did the trip to City University spiral into a disagreement so rapidly?

I slam the passenger door and make my way out of the garage, needing desperately to get away from my friend before I say something I’ll regret.

Max’s suspicion and cynicism towards Zach upset me, and I spent the rest of the afternoon quietly stewing and coming up with a plan of my own. I started with my own culprit list. Maxwell wasn’t the only one who could formulate ideas.

My money was on Franco. His involvement made the most sense to me. Also, was Harry somehow involved? They both had a vendetta and outright hated Cecily and the Financial Journal. Maybe they’d worked together, and Harry just didn’t want to give up his accomplice. Maybe someone else like Jacob was involved? He did seem somewhat cagey when Maxwell and I spoke with him.

Or even flighty Katie Lucas.

Maybe this was all one big conspiracy as a distraction for embezzling or fraud. All these people knew about technology and finances. Who knew what they were privy to and how they might be using this data leak as a front? More and more, my suspect list was growing. None of these people seemed trustworthy and some were definitely not who they appeared to be.

This assignment was getting more complicated instead of being clean-cut like I’d hoped. I loved the challenge, but it was bleeding into and complicating my personal life. The spat with Maxwell on the way over here and the kiss from last night pushed to the forefront of my mind.

I haven’t been kissed like that in a long time. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed like that before. The way Maxwell grabbed me. The way his full lips fell over mine. My toes are curling while I’m sitting at my desk just thinking of how intense that kiss was.

Makes me wonder what else would be just as intense.

Any lovers I’ve had in the past do not compare to Max kissing me like that. I was practically floating after kissing Maxwell. How I’ve managed to go on after knowing how well my best friend kisses, I don’t know.

I should have known better, but I couldn’t help myself. Maxwell, of course, appears as if nothing has happened. Mr. love ‘em and leave ‘em. As if the earth didn’t just tilt after we shared a kiss. Or maybe for him, it was just another run-of-the-mill kiss. The way Max carries on, it might have just been a typical weeknight for him.

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