Page 40 of Hidden Rocco
Her secretary sounded wary as she said, “They still haven’t figured out what, if anything, was compromised. I’m so sorry, Miss Murphy.”
Her reputation as a boss couldn’t be so bad that her employees were afraid of her, could it? She’d send Julie a bonus check next month to make up for any shortness. Mica typed her payroll department to add money to Julie's salary as well. “You didn’t hack it yourself. Any news from legal?”
Julie then said without typing as was her usual background noise, “Yes. All the papers are filed. Let me connect you to Cardona so he can brief you now.”
Mica sent the email to payroll so hopefully whatever Julie was feeling was smoothed over. She was a decent assistant.
Hopefully IT would find out what was hacked, if anything, including her location soon.
She perked up as Cardona asked, “Miss Murphy?”
If she’d freed Rocco, he needed to know. She glanced out the window. Rocco was not in the courtyard but she saw the blue and white birds near the tree. “Yes. How’s the case I put you on?”
“Going well. I should have Mr. Hellsworth’s record expunged today,” Cardona delivered in his hard-edged voice.
Confidence in her lawyer was justified. She crossed her arms to ensure she was correct when she said, “I want to tell him he’s a free man.”
“I'll call you the second the paperwork is complete.”
“Hurry.” She checked her nail polish was still clean as was her habit since being a teenager, one she’d never shaken.
Cardona continued in a faster tone, “I did everything on our end. Just waiting for the clerk in the court in Nevada to finalize the paperwork—the judge has already signed off. It could be five minutes, or five hours.”
“I understand. Keep me posted.” She hung up without another word.
She’d found if she spoke in short sentences, workers responded better and she got quick results.
Mica needed this done now. Today. Rocco didn’t need to worry anymore.
This was her gift to him.
So why was she so wound up about telling him? If he was free, did he just leave her? Was she hesitating out of fear for herself? If so, that was weak-willed and bad on her end.
He deserved to have something good in his life.
She tucked her phone in her back pocket and headed downstairs.
The hotel was quiet. She reached the lobby and glanced out the windows as the trees gently swayed in a mountain breeze.
She headed into the library, denying her feelings for Rocco just in case he left her. Her defenses melted as she noticed that he’d built a fire, and had two bowls of ice cream on a low table before the sofa, along with a bottle of chilled white wine. Jacob slept in his playpen. She joined him and a zap of desire hit her the moment she brushed against the muscles on his arm. “Rocco.”
He took her hands and led her to sit beside him near the fireplace. “I thought our ice cream would melt.”
Today was perfect and beautiful. She ate a few spoonsful and set the bowl beside her. “The call took longer than I thought.”
He finished his too and then poured them both wine. “Are we in the clear?”
He absolutely was. She sipped the sweet Riesling that went with their ice cream and brushed against his knee. “IT doesn’t know what files were accessed yet, if any. I was firm with Julie and she’ll call me the moment she finds out anything.”
He chuckled. “I can’t imagine you having much of a wrath.”
She took another sip and saw the outline of a dimple on his cheek. Seriously? It wasn’t funny--she crossed one of her arms like she did when she ran a meeting and said, “I’ve headed my family’s business since I graduated college. I learned the ropes in high school.”
He drank his wine and beamed at her and that somehow relaxed her to lower her arm. “At least your parents gave you a head start in life. How many hotels do you manage?”
Telling him wasn’t news. This was her life. She sipped from her glass and decided to answer his questions as a means of bridging how she had the power to fix his situation. Mica lowered her glass. “My portfolio has over one thousand hotels worldwide, but I’ve been growing that to twelve hundred. I want to have over ten thousand when I turn fifty, so when I turn the company over to Jacob, he’ll have a healthy bank account for whatever he wants to do.”
He gulped his wine like he suddenly saw her differently.
