Page 26 of Suspicious

It’s like my soul falls through my body and descends straight into the bowels of hell. Because that isexactlywhere I belong for this. Shock overtakes my body as I sit here, shaking from the adrenaline overload. “I did this.Idid this to our clients.”

Loki exhales, moving to stand. He steps in front of me, shifting my knees apart to stand between them. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions. Let me run some analysis. See what I can figure out. If I can trace the IP of the original emails, I might be able to figure out who sent this and who is holding our client information hostage, and also what the fuck they want it for? Do they want to sell it on the dark web to scam them, or is it for something else that I just haven’t thought of yet?”

Trying to calm myself down enough to be able to speak back, I shift my gaze to meet his. With shaky breath, I reply, “What elsecould it be used for, though, if not to sell their information to other scammers?”

Loki shrugs, his forehead scrunching. “This doesn’t seem normal, Bea. Why would scammers come after a health and wellness app for their information when we don’t have a massive clientele list compared to other apps out there? We’re small fries in comparison… something just doesn’t add up. I need to dig further. It’s okay, we have a little bit of time. We don’t have to notify the public for up to thirty days from the initial discovery of the breach.”

My shoulders slump with a small sense of relief.

It’s not much, but it’s something.

“So we have a few days shy of a month to come up with a plan.”

Loki offers a small smile. Somehow, it’s reassuring. Calming. The fact he is right in front of me pressed up between my legs isn’t going unnoticed. Sliding my hand up to rest on his bulging bicep, I inhale sharply, the tips of my fingers feeling like an energy surge pulsates through them as he stares down at me.

“I’m gonna take care of you, Bea. I got this,” he reassures, his eyes burning into mine.

A slow smile crosses my face, my heart racing as the energy in the room burns to an almost unextinguishable level. “Thank you. You’re always looking after me.”

His hand slides up, gently cupping my face. Butterflies dance harmoniously in my stomach as his fingers thread through my hair. Loki’s eyes dart from mine to my lips, then back to my eyes like he is having trouble deciding what to do. So I lean forward, hinting for him to kiss me. To finish what we started in the hall.

But he softly smiles, pulling back infinitesimally. “I better get to work.” He says it so quietly I almost miss it.

Almost.

The problem is, I did hear it, and the words are enoughto cause that same soul-crushing feeling to happen once more. Letting out a long exhale as he drops his hand from my face, I pull my eyes from his and quickly slide away from him, jumping down from the desk to make my retreat.

The sting of rejection hits me straight in the chest, making it harder to breathe, so I turn my back to him to ensure he can’t see the anguish on my face. “Thanks for your help, Loki. I really appreciate it,” I somehow mumble as I make my way for the door to escape.

“Bea,” his tone is demanding, that same sexy gruff that makes my knees weak. But I don’t turn back to face him.

With my hand on the door, I take a deep breath. “I’ll go tell Theo what’s going on. He’s anxious to hear any news.” I pull the door back to walk out.

“Bea,” he calls out, even sterner this time. “I can’t believe you still have my birthday as the pin code on your cell,” he states, his voice softer now.

My chin drops to my chest, tears well in my eyes, and I can’t stop them from overflowing. Sniffling, I want to turn to him. I want to tell him that there was no way I could ever change that code. It was impossible because changing it meant I had to truly let him go.

And I couldn’t.

I still can’t.

“It’s all I had left of you, Alex,” I whimper.

This is all too much at once—I should havenevercome here.

Steadying my shoulders, I spin and walk out of his tech den in search of some hair of the dog to turn this hangover into a twenty-four-hour-long bender. Because lord knows, I donotwant to be sober anymore.

Making my way to the bar, Navy spots me instantly, widening her gaze as I approach. I slump my butt down on one of the stools, and she reaches over, grabbing a short glass. “Bythe expression on your face, hon, I think you need something strong.”

Bringing my arm up to rest on the bar, I then drop my forehead onto my arm. “I think I need a sedative. Yep,that’sexactly what I need.”

Navy snorts out a laugh. “That bad, huh?”

Snapping my head back up to look at her, I huff. “Why are men such assholes?”

Navy bursts out laughing, then slides the half-filled glass my way. “Hmm… how to answer this one? I think men are only born with half the brain cells women are, so it stops them from behaving in a way we think is acceptable. In the way they speak, the way they act, just generally, they are half as good as us women.”

Raising my brow, I smirk. “You made that up.”

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