Page 20 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“He indicated I’m a brainless brat who could only dance for a living, I have a low IQ, and I’m only here because my grandfather is entertaining my idea of being one of the ‘big guys.’ As such, I should only speak when Reinheart tells me to and say what he tells me to. It threw me a little,” I admit.

“I bet,” Aaden says, “how did you respond?”

“I spouted what you told me. Thank you, at least I could defend myself.”

Aaden pats my leg. “You’re welcome.”

Zee’s forehead creases. “You’ve entered a power game.”

I nod. “It’s a good thing. I can’t keep my personality in check with thearrogantjerk. I suspect everyone says yes to him—I’m a novelty.”

Aaden rolls a wooden coaster around in his hand. “This is good; you have a way in.”

Zee shakes his head. “I disagree. If your senses are correct—”

I narrow my eyes. “My senses are always correct. Well, like the pill—99.9% of the time.”

Zee raises his arms in the air. “Exactly. You’re sensing he’s powerful like nothing we’ve seen before. This isn’t the right way to get his attention.”

“It’s done now. I can’t reverse time.” Changing the topic, I ask, “What did you both find out?”

Aaden answers, “While you were dining like a queen?”

I snort. “Without coffee.”

“You’re not letting that go, are you?” Zee teases.

“Not likely.”

Aaden starts again. “All of Reinheart’s men are shielding their minds. I didn’t catch a single errant thought. Zee asked to examine the general layout and the location of the exits for security reasons. They refused, until Zee threatened to take you home and contact your grandfather, stating safety concerns.”

I glance at Zee, impressed. He smirks. “I rock at being your bodyguard, admit it.”

I shake my head, smiling, and Aaden continues, “Zee noted where the security cameras and exits are located. He also discovered Archan’s office and personal apartments are on the top two floors.”

I frown. “He lives there?”

“Only when he’s in the city,” replies Aaden.

“What about the rest of the time?”

Aaden shuffles through his papers. “He owns an estate on the outskirts of Seattle. We tried to do some reconnaissance, but the estate is gated and well-guarded.”

“Did Lauren ever go there?” I ask.

“No. She never went to his apartment either.”

“What’s our plan for tomorrow?”

“You need to gain access to his personal apartments and,” he hands me a small memory drive, “plug this into his computer. It’ll automatically upload his personal files, including any buried ones.”

I turn the small memory stick over in my palm. “How sure are we that’s were his computer is?”

“You doubt me?” Aaden puts a hand on his heart, looking hurt I’ve questioned his technological sleuthing skills.

I place my hand on his heart also. “Of course not. How long will it take to upload the files?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Aaden chuckles, looking a bit flustered. “It depends on the size of the files.But no more than two minutes.”

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