Page 25 of His Ruthless Match
My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I gave him a sidelong glance. “You’re making this sound like a horror movie.”
“Just do it.”
I pulled up my email and scrolled through the familiar grid of messages. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. But when I refreshed the page, a cold knot formed in my stomach. The newest email was three days old.
My heart sank. “What the hell?”
“Go to your trash folder.”
I clicked over and found… nothing. No recent deletions. “What does this mean?”
Theo shrugged helplessly. “I’m not an IT guy, but it looks like someone hacked us. They’ve been reading and deleting your emails.”
I stared at the screen, bile rising in my throat. My mind raced through the implications: case files, client communications, and sensitive information.
“Who the hell would…” I trailed off as anger replaced my initial shock.
Theo held up his hands. “I’m just the messenger, boss. You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
I took a steadying breath, forcing the panic to the back burner. “Keep this to yourself for now. I’ll handle it.”
He nodded and slipped out of the office, leaving me to stew in the uneasy silence. I already had my phone out, dialing the one person I trusted to deal with this kind of shit.
“Gabe,” I said the moment he picked up. “We’ve got a problem.”
His voice was calm, steady. “What kind of problem?”
“My emails have been hacked,” I said, pacing the length of my office. “They’re deleting everything recent. Three days’ worth of communications, gone.”
“That’s bold. Have you changed your passwords yet?”
“I will. I need you to figure out who’s behind this. Whatever you find, call me immediately.”
“You got it,” he said. “I’ll be at your office soon to resecure your system.”
When the call ended, I stood still, letting the tension roll through me before I grabbed my coffee again. There was no time to waste; I had to push through.
Gabe arrived an hour later as promised, his usual understated appearance belying the fact that he was the bestfixer in the business. Tall, lean, and unassuming, he moved with a quiet efficiency that had always reassured me.
He sat at my desk without preamble, pulling out a laptop and a few gadgets. “Show me the damage.”
I pointed at the screen, and he got to work, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
“Whoever’s behind this knows what they’re doing,” Gabe said after a while. “They’re covering their tracks well. But no one’s perfect. They’ll slip up eventually. I followed a few leads, but they all came up short.”
I sighed. “I don’t have time for ‘eventually.’”
Gabe met my eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll make it happen.”
Before I could respond, the door swung open, and Jareth strode in, cocky like always. His sharp gaze landed on Gabe, and he was instantly on guard.
“And who’s this?” he asked, his tone dripping with suspicion.
I groaned. “Gabe works for me. He’s handling an IT issue.”
“What kind of issue?” Jareth pressed.
I hesitated, but there was no point in hiding it. “Someone hacked my emails and deleted three days’ worth of communications.”
