Page 43 of A Simple Mistake
“I am.”
“Wish I was there.”
Two years ago, Jack wouldn’t have said that.Now it seemed to come as easily as the text he’d sent that morning.“Work out why Conrad sent you, get it sorted, and come back home.Preferably before your birthday, or you’ll have to face the boys.”
“I told them I don’t want a party.”
“You may not have a choice in the matter.”
“I do.I can make sure I’m not there.”
“That’d be unkind.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
Jack sounded resigned, and that wasn’t the mood Gareth wanted to send him off in.“I asked Janet and Frazer to update me on progress,” he said before Jack could decide he was done with the conversation.“Guess what?”
“What?They got something?”
“Ronald Nancarrow hasn’t used his company-issued laptop in months.Not since the late November shareholder meeting, in fact.He got swept from the system and hasn’t logged on again.”
“He didn’t have a laptop with him when he came for last month’s meeting,” Jack said.
“That’s what I thought.If we run with the assumption that he lost the thing or had it stolen—”
“Then we may have our leak.Depends what he had on the laptop when he lost it, of course.”
“Frazer’s checking the backups.He says nobody tried to access the network using Ronald’s credentials.”
“Frazer would know.If Ronald had the shareholder reports saved, whoever grabbed the laptop wouldn’t have needed to log in.The relevant project data was right there.”Glass clinked and Jack swallowed.“Damn the man for failing to report the loss.”
Gareth stared at the glowing coals, mind spinning.“Failing to?Is there a requirement to—”
“He’s a non-executive director.”
“So he is.And I could kiss you,” Gareth said, when the ramifications of Jack’s comment hit him full force.
“I’d even let you.”
“Trust you to make my day even when you’re hundreds of miles away.”
“Thousands.Five thousand nine hundred and change.”
Gareth’s heart clenched, and he swallowed the comment on the tip of his tongue.“Keep it short,” he said instead.“We’re missing you.”
“Same,” Jack said and hung up without another word.
Gareth called Aidan.“I have steaks on the grill and an idea for shrinking the board of directors,” he said.“Want to come over?”
Apart Together
“I’vebroughtcreamsoda.”
A tall mug in either hand, Daniel stood in the workroom door as if he waited for permission to enter.Nico straightened and stretched.“Home-made?”
“Of course it’s home-made.Here.Cream, strawberry syrup, fluffy water.”He handed over a pint-sized mug and set the other on his own desk.“Is now a good time to come help you?Or shall I grab you something to eat first?I have warm sausage rolls with chilli jam.”
Nico’s face lit up.“That sounds fab.”
