I did what he said, trying not to rush and make myself look suspicious. Once I’d placed a camera there, I did the same with the other corridor.
Keeping my anxiety to myself, I followed Xander’s directions and placed cameras wherever he instructed, only checking to make sure he got the feed before moving to the next.
My worries mixed with elation. This was working. It was really working.
Soon, I’d have more answers. I have clues about what Dark Enterprises was up to and answers to how my father was involved.
There was no way we’d get into the laboratory, but I put cameras close to those doors as well. I made sure to take a different elevator each time until I’d placed a camera in all four.
The last one went to the top, to the peak of the impressive skyscraper where Mr. Dark himself had an office.
I’d read enough about him to know he was deeply involved in the company. And every time I saw his face on another computer screen or embedded in another article, I vowed to uncover his secrets.
And tried not to get drawn in by his stare. By the enigmatic arch to his brow or the strength in his jaw. It was sinful how gorgeous he was.
But I made sure that only fueled my hate for him a little more.
Nerves made my hands shake when I stepped from the elevator. If anyone caught me from here on out, I had no idea what would happen.
I feigned surprise when I saw the woman at the desk outside imposing glass doors.
“What floor is this?” I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “The top floor.”
I let my mouth drop open as I walked to her desk, trying to appear mortified. I held up my hands briefly before putting one in my pocket with the cameras. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even paying attention. I was supposed to be meeting someone on the floor below and then I got a text and…” I shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. “You know how it goes.”
She nodded and seemed to relax a little. I used the moment to put a camera on the desk, discreetly placed in between the panels of wood.
“I’m so sorry,” I told her, turning back to the elevators. “This is so embarrassing.”
“No problem,” she answered and got back to work.
I blew out a breath as I stepped inside the elevator again.
“Good job,” Xander said. “All cameras are up and running. Now get out of there.”
I pressed the button for the lobby and the doors started to close.
“Oh, shit,” I heard Xander say.
I was about to ask him the problem when a hand slapped against one side of the elevator doors, stopping it from closing.
My gaze lifted and my limbs froze when I saw who had halted the elevator.
Declan Dark.
Chapter 2
Our gazes locked like two magnets drawn together. My breath caught, the whole world dropping away around me for one brief moment.
Even though he was a few feet away, it felt like our bodies were only inches from touching, heat swirling around us and forming a cocoon.
Ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that was both amused and confused, like he had no control over it.
I tore my gaze away and backed up until my ass hit the metal handrail, only inches from the tiny camera I’d stuck there.
“Holy fuck,” Xander said in my ear. “It’s Declan Dark.”
I gritted my teeth to stop myself from saying something snarky in return. No shit it was Declan Dark. And Xander had probably seen him coming just before the elevator doors closed.
A woman followed Declan into the elevator, barely casting me a look before returning her gaze to her phone.
“It froze,” she said, elegant neck bent to stare at the screen.
Declan leaned forward to press the button for the lobby, and I watched the muscles beneath his dark jacket bunch and relax. His movements were graceful.
Like a predator.
But the woman next to him didn’t even seem to notice. She frowned at her cell phone. “It won’t even turn off.”
“Hold down the power button,” Declan suggested, his voice deep enough to send chills racing down my spine.
And God, he smelled good. Like the forest after a solid rain. Earthy, raw, almost primal.
“The devil is a sex god,” Xander said.
I choked and then tried to turn it into a cough.
The woman’s gaze was still glued to her phone. Declan angled his head, then cast one slow, simmering look over his shoulder. His gaze alone could have set me on fire.
Shut up, I wanted to tell Xander. But I couldn’t give myself away.
Xander continued. “I mean, we already knew he gets all the ladies. But now we can see why.”
I swallowed hard. I could definitely see why. Hell, I could feel it. The way my body was responding right now wasn’t natural. Heat. Throbbing. A sensation that made my legs feel like they were going to buckle.
That’s just the heels, I lied to myself. Your legs are getting tired.
But the primal response the rest of my body was giving had nothing to do with my heels.
“Still not working,” the woman sing-songed, her voice irritated. “I swear phones are going to be the death of us.”
“What kind of phone is it?” Xander asked.
I tried to peer over the woman’s shoulder but couldn’t tell. What the hell? No. I was supposed to be fading into the background, not making it obvious I was here.
I cleared my throat, hoping Xander would get the message to stop talking.
“What kind?” Xander persisted. “It’s probably just a little glitch. She can
