“Dark wants me to get you set up with a laptop and tablet,” Tim said, standing again, “so I’ll be back with those shortly. You can start with these.” He set his hand on the stack of letters.
I nodded. “Got it.”
Besides, it would give me some breathing room. Some time to enjoy the view. I smirked. And drink my water.
At first, the busy work was kind of annoying, but after I got into it, I started to see how important it was.
Most of the emails or letters were people and offices doing regular business. Invoices that hadn’t been directed to the correct person or bids for other projects. But some were personal.
I read one from a mother who had received a donation from Dark Enterprises for surgery for her son. They’d also provided her with free prescription medication for his recovery because Dark Enterprises funded the company that supplied it.
Tim had instructed me to save those kinds of emails specifically for Declan, so I added the handwritten letter to his pile.
Damn. It was turning out to be a lot easier to like the man than hate him.
But what he did on the surface wasn’t what I was supposed to be worrying about. It was all his secrets that I was concerned with. Just because he looked halfway to sainthood in real life didn’t mean he wasn’t trying to keep something from me or the world.
And so it went. Hours upon hours of allocating emails and letters to their rightful places. Tim stopped in to give me a laptop as well as a tablet.
Once I was set up, I got to work again. I spent hours just on emails. I had no clue if there was someone else who normally did this or it was part of Tim’s job.
Right now, it was my task.
I worked through lunch and took a break around two when I finished the stack of papers and most of the emails.
I stretched and fixed the pin on my jacket. Not that I had anything to record, but still—you never knew what might happen.
Outside, the sun shone brightly on the mountains. They were so green, so beautiful, beckoning me outside.
“This weekend,” I said, loud enough for Xander to hear. “You’re going hiking with me.”
He was probably making a face right now. Probably thinking about how white his legs were going to look in the shorts I’d insist he wear. He never did, but I always teased him about it.
Then I thought about my dad laying in his hospital bed and prayed he’d be awake soon. That he’d be up and on his feet so he could be the one who went with me to those mountains and hiked to a breathtaking height.
I turned around, tempted to snoop through Declan’s desk. But…cameras. Did he have any in here?
My heart skipped a beat. If he did, was he watching me right now?
Snooping would probably be a bad idea. Coffee, on the other hand, and maybe a snack would get me through the rest of the day.
Maybe when I got back, Declan would be here and we could get back to work on the project.
I walked out to Brittany’s desk and asked about Tim. She pointed to one of the offices across the hall. I walked closer and spotted him through the windows, none of which were frosted like the ones in Declan’s office.
He saw me when I reached the door and waved me in.
His office was a third the size of Declan’s but had a nice view of the city and offered plenty of room to stand and pace.
“Break time?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I was going to grab some coffee, maybe something to eat.”
“Use your badge at the cafeteria downstairs. They’ll bill everything directly to the office.”
“Perks,” I said with a grin.
He nodded. “Seriously. It’s been so busy today, I haven’t even been able to even go downstairs, let alone go out and grab something.”
“What would you like? I’ll get it while I’m down there and come take some more work off your hands when I’m through.”
He angled his head. “You’re already done with the letters and emails?”
“Just about.”
He stretched his arms. “God, pain in my ass. The lady who usually does it is out on maternity leave and since I pretty much know everyone’s jobs, I volunteered to help out.”
“I’m sure it’s appreciated,” I said. “So…do you know when Mr. Dark will be back?”
Tim waved his hand. “No clue. He’s dealing with some security issue.”
My stomach clenched. Oh, fuck. Security? I hoped it wasn’t the cameras. Or the fact that I’d faked my entire existence. I was a fraud—everything from my name to my fake past.
“That’s too bad,” I said.
He shrugged. “Happens. If you can grab me a sandwich—any kind of sandwich—I’ll appreciate it. And something with caffeine.”
“No problem.”
I walked straight to the elevators and got in by myself. “Did you hear that?” I whispered to Xander.
My phone buzzed. Wow, he really was binge-watching my life like a show on Netflix.
This time, it was him calling. I answered with a breathless hello.
“You’re fine,” he assured me. “I’ve been keeping an eye on everything. I’d know if they were checking into you. And I’d know if they’d found the cameras or come across my feed.”
“How? Do you have a special alert set up or something?”
“Something,” he repeated. “I never reveal my secrets.”
I snorted. “Sure.”
“Oh, and I’m not going hiking with you.”
“I’ll find something to bribe you with,” I said as the elevator dinged on the correct floor. “See you tonight.”
The cafeteria was fancier than almost any restaurant I’d been to.
