From the looks of things, my predecessor sabotaged the security systems by installing and initiating a shutdown protocol to override the main hub from a portable device, probably a laptop. It would leave the entire property vulnerable and therefore the people inside. It seems to be just the cameras and alarms that were taken down and interfered with, nothing deeper like the sensitive and confidential data that I intend to compromise for my own means. I plan to shred their empire apart from the inside, and the only man here with the means to stop me is sitting right beside me asking probing questions about my work and myself.
I pause, giving him a sideways glance. He’s not paying attention, instead he’s staring down at his phone with a look of annoyance on his face. Shrugging, I turn back to what I’m doing and continue to ignore him, that is, until he gets up with a heavy sigh and storms out of the office. Not wanting to waste this unprecedented opportunity to do a little digging without having Devin looking over my shoulder, I start sifting through the stored security footage for any sign of Katy. I vaguely recall that a couple of months ago Mom had mentioned that Katy had made some new friends at school and was spending a lot of time with them, so I decide to start looking from then.
I find nothing of interest at first, just the everyday comings and goings of the Johnson family. As I continue to scan through the footage on fast forward, I get a few glimpses of her laughing with her friends, and with the youngest brother’s arm around her. That must be Sebastian Johnson. I’m torn between feeling the ache of seeing her laughing and happy, and the fury of seeing her with these people. It’s because of these friends she was even at the formal event where she was cruelly killed. I clench my hand around the mouse, squeezing the plastic until it creaks at the pressure I’m exerting. Forcing myself to take a few deep, calming breaths, I slowly release it, and hit pause when I hear the heavy sound of several sets footsteps and raised voices moving closer to the office. I grab a sticky note and a pen, make a quick note of the date and time I’d reached and close the program before I get caught snooping.
“I can’t believe you would do that to me, Devin!” an unfamiliar male voice says accusingly, and I turn towards the closed door with interest.
“You would’ve done the same thing if it was you. In fact, if I recall correctly, you have done the exact same thing, yet you’re giving me the third degree,” Devin responds.
Abandoning my work, I stand and move towards the door, listening intently.
“You slept with Quinn,” the male voice hisses.
“What’s your problem? You weren’t even interested in her until recently. It was a one-time thing!” Devin counters, and I roll my eyes at his words.
I quietly open the door and peer out into the hallway. Looking to the left yields nothing but emptiness, but to the right I see Devin and Sebastian heavily engrossed in a heated discussion with each other.
“That’s not the point, Devin. It’s bad enough that Quinn was being accused of killing Katy, when I know she wouldn’t have done that, but then you had to go and sleep with her too? What else are you hiding, Dev?” he demands.
I straighten my back at the mention of Katy and continue to watch them closely. Devin’s back is to me, so I’m unable to see his reaction to Sebastian’s words.
“Who was accusing her of anything? Look, I don’t get why you’re so upset about me and Quinn. Up until a week ago, you were banging the other girl. Is it my fault she came crying to me? I’m not sure what she told you, but for the record, she was the one who came on to me. I just didn’t say no,” Devin responds, and I can hear the amusement in his smug tone.
“You’re a dick, Dev,” Sebastian spits, and I find myself nodding in agreement.
“Why? Because I didn’t say no to Quinn when she threw herself at me? Like I’m going to turn down sex when it’s offered to me by a girl as gorgeous as she is,” he states.
Sebastian loses it. I watch as he punches Devin in the jaw with enough force to knock him off balance. Devin throws out a hand, pressing it against the wall to stop himself falling into it. The thud of flesh reaches my ears, and I bite my cheek to keep myself from laughing. Devin deserved that, and probably more in my opinion, but it was satisfying to watch, nonetheless. Sebastian moves closer, getting right in Devin’s face.
“Don’t you ever touch her again,” he threatens, shoving Devin before he turns and storms past him down the hallway, not even noticing me standing in the open doorway.
I watch him go and turn around to see Devin glowering at me. “Enjoy the show?”
Chapter Nine
Devin
My jaw is smarting from Sebastian’s blow, but I deserved it. I may have blown it off, but I know I really riled him up with my offhand comments. I don’t know what Quinn said to him about our little dalliance that night, but I knew her intentions when she chose to initiate what occurred between us, it seems she got her wish. Sebastian is angry, and protective of what’s his to the point of obsession, and while he may not have seemed interested in her, it didn’t mean he didn’t want her. Those two are going to create one hell of a storm together.
Right now, though, I have
