For Her Protection: An Alpha Romance Read online

  He’d never divulged anything that’d hurt her, but there’d always been something different about Charlie—something that compromised him. The moment he’d seen her picture he’d wanted her. He’d wanted to be the one, the only one, watching her. He’d compromised himself the instant he’d put his hand up. Frank knew it.

  It gave him leverage.

  “The incident in the parking lot appears to be an isolated event.” He held his tongue on the other things.

  Things like someone was spreading rumors about Charlie.

  Things like someone was leaking information that put her at risk.

  Things like the abusive emails, and letters were only coming thicker and faster.

  Someone here, was the cause. Someone wanted Charlie to look bad. Someone wanted her gone.

  This whole place stunk. It took zero training to see that much.

  “Good.” Frank lowered himself into his chair. “That’s good. But as you know Charlie is my niece, and her safety is my utmost priority.”

  Connors teeth gnashed. He just couldn’t work this guy out. Yes, Frank was her uncle. Yes, their relationship seemed, at best, strained.

  Yet, he’d believed Frank when he’d hired him to protect her. He’d believed that Frank didn’t want anything happening to her. Even though Frank’s question’s had been intrusive, the man had made sure Connor was competent, that he was the best person to protect Charlie before he’d been given the position.

  None of this added up.

  “So I hope the activity log is detailed this time. We wouldn’t want to miss something that ended up being crucial…”

  “My report is complete.” Connor took a step back. As complete as it was going to get. “I’m still working on that other matter.”

  Frank nodded. “Let me know if you come up with anything.”

  “I will.” And that was the other reason he was inclined to give Frank a little credit. He’d given permission to investigate other possible security breaches at Halifax—breaches that could lead to information on the leak.

  He already had a few ideas.

  None of which he was prepared to share with anyone just yet.

  THIRTEEN

  Charlie glanced across her office and out the doors. She saw him in the reception area, talking on his phone. Running his business while protecting hers. He brushed the short hair on the back of his head with his palm. He’d been quiet since they’d arrived.

  She’d made herself unavailable.

  So had he—probably by hiding out in the security room.

  Something didn’t sit right.

  As much as she wanted to trust him, there was something about the way he’d been acting the last few days…

  But distance proved impossible to keep. Every time he reappeared in her peripheral vision, she just wanted to inch closer—get next to him. Pour out all her fears and have him be all, like, “don’t worry, baby, I have your back.” He made her that needy, that desperate to believe in fantasies.

  She tore her attention away from him and opened her email. Oddly, despite tension thick enough to butter bread, she was on her game today. None of the quietly bubbling nervousness she usually suppressed. More importantly for the first time in weeks she could take a full breath and it filled her to the bottom of her belly. The air didn’t catch in her chest as if it had just packed down a wad of tension. Her muscles were loose, her head clear.

  Clear enough to snap back into work mode when she saw the email in her inbox. Finally, after some digging, the IT manager, Pete, had managed to retrieve copies of manufacturing tender proposals that had been buried in the system.

  She clicked on the message and frowned as she read the words, then went back to the start of the email and read it again. The files were gone? How the hell did that even happen?

  She’d seen them with her own eyes that morning in Pete’s office. All he had to do was forward them to her. Charlie forwarded the email to Bob with a row of question marks.

  Within two minutes Bob circled Connor in the reception area and walked into her office to sit in the chair opposite her.

  “What is going on in this place, Bob? You’ve got to know something. This stinks.”

  He sat silently for a moment. If anyone could give her answers, Bob could, and if he’d been withholding information, she’d find out now.

  “You’re right,” he said and his lined forehead scrunched. “I can’t deny something isn’t right. There are too many coincidences, too many brick walls.”

  Charlie watched his Adam’s apple bob in the loose skin at his neck. He’d always been mild mannered, she’d never seen him nervous.

  “You’ve been here longer than anyone. Level with me. Is someone stealing from us?” She breathed slowly and held Bob’s clear gaze. “Is it Frank? It is, isn’t it?”

  “I honestly can’t say.”

  Bob looked down but not before she caught a shimmer in his eyes.

  “Ever since your father left I’ve been pushed out. I’m hardly more than your uncle’s errand boy. I’ve let your father down, I’ve let you down.”

  Charlie chewed her lip. Her father, who, like her uncle, had given every minute of his life to working here.

  Had these things been happening when her dad was in charge?

  She leaned forward. “You haven’t let him down and you haven’t let me down. Not unless there’s anything you haven’t told me?”

  Bob shook his head and raised his gaze. “No, there’s nothing I can tell you. But if you want my opinion?” He glanced over his shoulder then back at her and scooted forward.

  She leaned closer, focusing on Bob’s lowered tone.

  “You should be careful. If someone is up to something, they’re not going to want to be found out. And that bodyguard of yours…”

  She glanced at the doorway and back to Bob. A sensation like crawling insects trickled down her back. “What about him?”

  “He’s been sneaking around. I saw him in Frank’s office and then in records. Saw him asking question around the place.”

  Her lungs froze—froze with an icy sharpness that shot pain deep in her ribs. “Frank hired him…”

  Bob blinked repeatedly. “It might not be anything, but keep your guard up, Charlie.”

  She sank back in her chair. He’d been a cop once—a detective. He was well educated, a little more so than a regular cop, he’d mentioned that himself. Maybe his business included more than protection?

  “Thanks, Bob. I will.”

  Bob left but she hardly noticed. A haze formed over her eyes. Her fingers shook and she squeezed them in her lap. She picked up the cup of cold coffee from her desk and drained the contents.

  She fished for her handbag and found the card buried in the zippered pocket then picked up the phone and dialed the number.

  “Andrew Montgomery speaking.”

  “Andy, it’s Charlie Halifax.”

  A throat cleared at the other end. “What can I do for you Charlie?”

  She breathed through her nose and watched the door. “I was wondering if you’ve found anything yet?”

  “Not yet, but that certainly doesn’t mean there’s nothing to find. Hang in there, I’ll let you know as soon as I have something.”

  She swallowed. “Thanks. There was one other thing I thought you might be able to help me with.”

  “What is it?”

  “There’s some data I was hoping you might be able to recover.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Charlie told him about the disappeared tender proposals.

  “That ‘s very interesting. I’ll look into it.”

  “Thanks so much, Andy.”

  “No problem, anytime.”

  They hung up. Charlie glanced out the door, her heart pounding so loud he’d almost here it out there. She reset the phone and dialed an internal extension.

  “Hi again, Pete.”

  “Ms. Halifax—” The voice on the other end of the line stuttered.
r />   “Pete, I’m sending around my security manager Connor Crowe to have a conversation with you about our IT security and fail-safes.”

  “But Mr. Crowe spoke to us already.”

  Charlie pressed her dry tongue to the roof of her mouth. “He did? About the tender documents?”

  “No, not specifically, he conducted a comprehensive review of the system.”

  “What time was he by?” Her stomach churned.

  “About noon.”

  Right between when Pete found the files and when they magically vanished. The coffee she’d drunk earlier seemed to be finding a path back up. “Then would you mind calling him and asking him to come to you. Have a talk about the files, maybe he has some recommendations. In fact—I want you to have a very thorough conversation.”

  “But—”

  “Schedule a full hour for a meeting with you and Mr. Crowe.”

  She hung up the phone and waited.

  Within a few heartbeats, Connor left the reception area. Charlie kicked off her pumps, not trusting herself to stand upright in them right now. She walked to the door, closed and locked it before leaning against it.

  Connor’s laptop sat open at the table, his briefcase on the couch with the jacket he’d removed at lunch draped over it. She began with the laptop.

  His computer was impossible to access. Not surprising, given he was in security. She only dared try his password twice. Next the briefcase. She pushed his jacket out of the way and pressed the clips. The case clicked and swung open easily.

  He hadn’t locked it. Apparently he trusted her. She held back the burning in her chest. Well she’d trusted him too. Guess they both were wrong.

  The cream interior held a row of neat pens slotted into their proper places and several manila files. She flicked through them. Files on Crowe Securities and then—one on Halifax. She ran her gaze carefully over each page, turning every one over and examining it for anything telling.

  She put them back into the briefcase and shut the lid then rubbed her forehead. Nothing. She sighed and leaned forward to collect the jacket that had slipped to the floor.

  Maybe she’d been wrong?

  She clutched the jacket to her chest. The material smelled like Connor. Clean, masculine, fantastic… She gazed at the coat then slowly slid her hand into the front pocket.

  Empty.

  Yet the nagging sensation in the back of her mind pushed her to check the satiny pockets on the inside. She groped around the cool space until her fingers caught on a smooth object. She tugged it out and stared at the flat, little USB stick.

  Her pulse ticked faster. She strode to her computer and pushed the end into one of the tiny slots on the desktop PC. She folded herself into the chair and watched the files open. The icon for a single document showed on the screen. The title jumped out at her and punched her in the chest, forcing all the air from her lungs. The tender proposals she’d seen that morning. The world tipped, slowed. Her chest squeezed as if a fist had shoved itself between her ribs and clutched her heart.

  A sob beat against the back of her throat.

  The door handle jiggled.

  “Charlie?” he called out in that rich, familiar voice.

  She stared at the door. The room caved around her but she found that place inside, that quiet, indestructible place inside herself.

  “You plan on talking to me again anytime soon?” Connor pulled up the handbrake and shifted in the driver’s seat.

  She stared out the window at the front door of her home. She’d waited until after work to confront him. “Tell me, did you fuck me so I’d trust you or was that a bonus?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Energy bubbled under her skin, looking for an exit but she held it in. She turned to him. Faint lines framed his eyes, as if he might actually be bothered by something.

  “Did you think I was stupid? That I wouldn’t work out what you were up to?”

  “What exactly is it you think I’m doing?” His jaw tightened.

  If he was acting, he did a damn fine job of looking sincere. Her chest throbbed. He leaned across the space between them and leveled his gaze at her.

  “Listen ‘cause I’ll only say this once—I want you.” He swallowed and his mouth twitched. “I want all of you but that doesn’t mean I won’t do my job if that’s what this is about.”

  Charlie shut her eyes. Her chest quivered but she held back the tears. His job?

  Spying for Frank?

  Or protecting her? Because damn him for saying what he thought she’d want to hear. Damn him for being a lying bastard. She tucked her hand into her pocket and curled her fingers around the plastic USB, then reached for his hand. He frowned and held it open. She pressed the stick into his roughed palm. “What are you really doing with me, Connor?”

  He grasped her fingers before she could draw them away. “It’s not what you think.”

  She tried to tug away but he held tight, curling his fingers around hers, and stroked his thumb over her skin as if trying to soothe her. She didn’t want to be soothed, didn’t want to be coddled.

  “Then explain.”

  “My job is to protect you. That’s what I’m trying to do.” He raised his hand to her.

  She jerked away from his touch before she sank into it.

  He dropped his hands.

  “You protect me by stealing company files? By hiding things from me?”

  “This information could put you in more danger.” His voice went gravelly. “Let me handle this. Step back from Halifax for a while until we work it out.”

  She shook her head and it swam.

  Step back? Holy shit, he really was on team Frank.

  They wanted her out of the way. So she’d stop fighting the very things that were passed in today’s meeting—when the executive team approved yet another closure that’s slack would be picked up by their foreign manufacturer.

  She pressed her fingers between her eyes and held herself together by focusing on that touch. A gentle weight settled on her arm.

  “Come inside and talk.”

  Her throat closed but she forced out the words. “No. You won’t be coming inside with me again.”

  The words hung in the air, quivered along her heart—tore at it.

  “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, you won’t be rid of me easily or at all.” He stared at her, his expression set, his tone irrefutable.

  She shivered, because the way he’d said that, sounded like nothing to do with a job. “Yeah, I will.”

  He took her upper arm, his grip firm enough to remind her she’d witnessed him lift the front end of a car. “No.”

  “I will, because if you don’t step down voluntarily I’m going to go to Frank with everything I know.”

  He froze, his frown flicking.

  Thanks to the caution she’d exercised, neither he or Frank could know how much she knew. If she had to she’d hit Frank with her suspicions, bluff if required, and no matter how things went down this shit would come to a head. There’d be no more blackmailing her with bogus safety precautions.

  The fingers on her arm tightened briefly before he pulled back.

  He spoke, his voice low and brittle. “You’re making a mistake.”

  “No, you made a mistake.” She licked her trembling lower lip and forced her mouth to move and make words. “You made the mistake of thinking nice means weak, and that affection means trust.”

  His features hardened but she turned to the door. Connor grasped her wrist. She glanced at him, her forehead drawn tight.

  “You’re forgetting something. The threats against you are real.” The look on his face underlined his words. Beneath the stony mask lay a determination that wouldn’t be broken with a jackhammer.

  She pried herself free. “I haven’t forgotten. There are threats all around me, but it’s the one right here that has me petrified.”

  FOURTEEN

  Her phone beeped. Charlie paused in the hallway, and looked at t
he screen.

  I have something—Andy

  She swallowed and glanced around. Voices buzzed from the open space at the end of the hall. She strode to the utility closet. Better than her office anyway. She had no idea to what extent she’d been watched and monitored. The other perk of this particular utility closet was the fact it’d been a bathroom in its former life, and could still be locked from the inside.

  She dialed Andy. “What do you have?”

  “You’re at work?”

  “Of course.”

  “In private?”

  Her pulse skipped. “Yeah, I’m hiding in the utility closet right now.”

  “Good, I want you to do something.”

  “Sure.” She double checked the door was locked.

  “Disconnect from the company Wi-Fi. I’m going to send something to your personal email.”

  “Hold on.” She lowered her phone and navigated to settings, then disconnected Wi-Fi. “Done.”

  “You were on the right track with the tender proposals. They were altered from when they first entered the system to favor one particular company—Falzier Manufacturing.”

  Falzier who’d been successful in their bid. Her mouth went dry. “Do you know who by?”

  “The digital signature belonged to Neil Stout.”

  She breathed out and shut her eyes. That much came as no surprise. His new car triggered her alarm, as did his sudden outspokenness about the directions they should take in meetings. In fact she’d heard neither Frank or Bob, for that matter, argue either one way or the other. Frank had been able to sit back and Neil and a few others had made all the arguments for him.

  All he had to do was pound his invisible gavel and declare the situation decided.

  “I’m going to dig deeper on this, but in the meantime, take a look at the files I’m sending and keep your head down.”

  “I will. Thanks, Andy.”

  “No problem.”

  The phone went silent, then her email beeped. She leaned on the wall and opened her email, scanning the files.

  Her stomach continued to churn. The evidence was there that Neil had altered the files, but the reason why wasn’t.