Page 43 of Unspoken Promises

He probably thought I was staring to get his attention. “No. But I was thinking. I know that the last hack is from a location in Mexico, but what if the hacker was using a VPN? Maybe they’re from somewhere else? Even here? Maybe even an employee at GhostEye? Why would anyone hack your system and not try to get something from it?”

He takes off his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose like he thinks my idea isn’t plausible, even though I know goddamn well it is. “Yeah. Could be.”

“Do you have any disgruntled employees?”

“Rio would know better than I do. Nobody complains to me.”

“I wonder why,” I say, sarcastically.

Then again, after being in a room with Rio Mendez, I doubt very many people complain to him either. He seems like amy way or the highwaytype.

Closing my computer, I tuck it into the laptop backpack. Callum and Pen are picking me up here soon. I wonder how many people are coming down from the head offices for the barbecue and party? Santi mentioned at Julia’s dinner that he invited more than usual from the town, the stables, and the offices, given it’s the last he intends to throw. Maybe I can meet some of my colleagues at GhostEye and get a feel for whether there’s anyone there who might be disrespecting protocol.

That is besides Nolan who ended up getting fired because of my phishing attack. I’d feel bad but I’m a littleruthless like that. He should have known better. He should have taken his role more seriously at this company, and anybody who would put GhostEye at risk doesn’t belong here.

I stand and sling my new bag over my shoulder. “So…” I gaze down and marvel at the angles of Enzo’s features in the blue light. “Are you coming to the party?”

His serious brown eyes are trained on his screen but he offers a nod and a reluctant expression.

“Let me guess, you hate parties?”

He types, still not glancing up. “I’ll be there.”

Just then, there’s a knock at the door, and because it’s open, my new friends walk right in. I asked Penelope and Callum to come early to go to the stables with me before the party. I don’t want Bran to get the wrong idea, and if there’s one thing I learned from hours of TV it’s that men get the wrong idea very easily. I got the impression he was asking me there for more than a tour of the horses. For some reason, I want Enzo to know I’m not interested in Bran.

Penelope rushes over to me, her full and curvy petite frame in a bikini top, some jean shorts, a flowing kaftkan, and a straw tote slung over her shoulder, a picture-perfect beach girl.

She glances around the offices. “Wow, this is a great place to work.” Her gaze roams the room and lands on the floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the mountains. “Gosh, if I had that view, I’d get nothing done. I need a cave to get my word count. Like sensory deprivation.”

Enzo has now stood; his manners compel him in times like these. He slides his hands into his back pockets and nods to each of them. “Pen. Callum.”

Callum salutes Enzo. “You coming tonight?”

I answer for him. “Reluctantly, it seems.”

Enzo sits, ignoring my jab.

I put my hands in prayer position. “Thanks so much for coming early.”

“Are you kidding?” Callum says, his bright-blue eyes blazing. “Everyone wants an insider look at what they do with the horses here. I heard they eat off fine china. My mare could use more manners, that’s for sure.”

Pen jokes, “As if you could teach Eden how to behave. That one has a mind of her own.”

Callum shrugs. “I like a challenge.”

Enzo darts his eyes up from his screen momentarily as if agreeing with Callum but still doesn’t say anything. He sure is a man of few words.

“Clearly youdolike a challenge,” Pen adds. “All your horses have always been terrors.”

He wraps his arm around her shoulders, his baby blues twinkling and coy. “And my friends.”

She rolls her eyes, but her smirk is far too big to hide.

“Oh!” Pen exclaims, digging in her tote bag. “I brought you a couple bikinis since you don’t have a suit. Both of these should work, they’re kind of one size fits all because of the strings.” She dangles two tiny triangles of Lycra off her fingers, one in each hand. “You got tropical or green. Personally, I think this green one will be to die for against your freckles and red hair.”

I take the green one in my hand and let it hang. I’ve never worn something quite so revealing before. I’ve never owned a swimsuit in my life, and my bras and panties are all more robust than this thing. “Thanks. This is cute.”

She scans the space. “You could change now if there’s a bathroom. It’s hot out there so you need to shed the hoodie. I’ve never seen such a September heatwave.”

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