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Yes, we’re both on the same page. We need to figure out what these unknowns were doing in our system, why they’re so interested in Harper, and how the hell she got to those encrypted files to begin with.

Grant taps a button on his desk, unlocking the door behind my back, and stalks around the desk. “I’m going to go see what Oliver’s found. Stay here.”

14

GRANT

Ilock Harper in my office, a smile on the corner of my mouth as she screeches on the other side of the door.

Trent is on my heels as we march back to Oliver’s office. He’s ready with the rundown before my feet stop moving, diving straight into the details.

Harper’s snooping has intensified. He’s unraveled how Harper got past our safeguards to begin with—some program on a thumb drive that can be traced back to an Aaron Winters, an old college buddy of Harper’s, but he still hasn’t pinned down how the path she followed was created initially. How the trap was set and from where. By whom.

Worse, someone’s piggybacked on his surveillance without him knowing, using the firm’s own system against him.

Oliver shows us the new threats from the live trace, even though he’s shut them out of our system, not only is it likely they’ll make their way back in if they exploited some loophole we still haven’t uncovered, but they’ve already gotten a hold of Harper’s information.

Someone is tracking her location, watching her screens. Right now.

She’ll need a new phone. New laptop. But that won’t keep her completely safe. Not if they’ve made it into the new security system.

“Do they have access to the new cameras you’ve installed? The bugs on her bag? Her key fob?”

Oliver grunts. “No. Those are on a closed system separate from the firm’s.”

“That’s good at least.”

Oliver grunts again.

“That still doesn’t mean she’s safe. The old security system is part of the firm’s system. They have plenty of access to her and Samantha.” The calculation in Trent’s dark gaze pulls a sigh out of me.

“She’s as safe as we can make her for now. We’ll drive her home from now on. Get her new equipment.” I’m already predicting how much of a fit she’s going to throw over this. Threat or not.

Harper doesn’t have any sense of the kind of danger she’s in. That all this prodding and poking I’ve repeatedly warned her against would put a target on her.

And look where we are.

“She needs someone stationed at her house.” Trent shifts, growing bigger like he’s ready to go to blows over it.

“We don’t.”

His nostrils flare, hands clenching into fists. “I’llwatch her.”

Trent wants to watch her? In her space? Her bed in the next room? Hell no.

I narrow my eyes at him because I can’t say that. Because I’m the boss. Because I said we’d protect her. And because if I open my mouth, it’ll be obvious how much I want to be the one walking into that house with a bag and a gun.

“Remote surveillance and drone backup is enough.”

The rumbling noise that comes from Trent has me holding up my hand to stop whatever argument he’s forming.

“Her house has already been breached, even with the upgrades. The place is vulnerable. It’ll make them move in faster if they see us standing guard.”

“I’m not talking about standing guard outside. Acting like security. I’m saying I’ll be a guest who happens to have her protection as my priority.”

I let out a sardonic laugh. “That’s just as suspicious. Put whatever fancy words on it that you want, but the change in routine, the heightened presence of the firm and our security there will tip them off.”

“They’re already tipped off.”