Page 36 of My Grumpy Billionaire Protector

The large laptop in front of me comes to life, nearly blinding me as I make my way to the desk. I pull out the chair, sit down, and crack my knuckles.

My access is secure and limited, courtesy of Isaiah.

I know I can’t contact the outside world, but at least he hasn’t limited my access to a search engine. My fingers fly over the keyboard, pulling every piece of information I can about Evie Grace Coombes.

An hour later, when my eyes are burning and my back feels stiff, I push myself away from the desk and swivel around to face my cousin.

“Are you ready for a break?”

“She’s an elementary school teacher,” I tell Cory with a grimace.

Cory lets out a low whistle and pauses the game. “Shit. You’re not going to start moping, are you?”

“I’m not going to mope.” I stand up straighter and run my fingers through my hair. “I just thought I could get something to nudge her in the right direction. I mean, her grandfather is probably a crooked politician, and the apple shouldn’t fall far from the tree.”

The thought of blackmailing her into cooperating doesn’t sit well with me, but I’m running out of options.

Cory raises an eyebrow and twists to face me. “Sometimes, it does.”

“You’re missing my point.”

“I didn’t know you had one.”

I shoot Cory an annoyed look. “Anyway, I can’t find any dirt on her. She was a good student in school, kept her nose clean, and went to a good college.”

“One of those fancy-ass, high-priced places?”

I shake my head. “No, I thought so too, but she went to a community college.”

“You’d think with a governor for a grandfather, she’d have gotten in somewhere nice.”

I turn back to the computer and roll my shoulders. “Yeah, I don’t know. Something doesn’t seem right.”

“What do you mean?”

“She had the grades to get into a good school, and it seems like she got into a few of them, so why would she turn them down?”

“Maybe she’s a glutton for punishment.”

My fingers linger over the keyboard for a few seconds before I begin to type. “No, it’s something else. Isaiah sounded like he knew her mother, so there’s something else there.”

“You’re trying too hard,” Cory says to my back. “Is it because she hasn’t fallen all over you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Evie can dish it as well as take it, and I think you’re not used to that. Most women either want to fuck you or run away from you.”

I give him a blank look over my shoulder. “Were you going somewhere with that, or are you just spouting off a bunch of bullshit?”

Cory sets down his cards and turns his attention back to the screen. “I’m just saying, I’ve never seen you try harder with a woman.”

“She’s not just any woman. She’s our way out of here.”

“She’s also hot,” Cory replies. “And she’s exactly the kind of woman who can keep a man on his toes. Be careful.”

I spin around to face him and glare daggers at the side of his head. “I’m only trying to use the information to make her help us. We have to get out of here, remember?”

“I don’t think you want to try anything with this chick.”

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