Telling Trey hadn’t required much thought. He was still going along with my fake hostage situation and the ransom demand. “Mom gave Allen a large check to help fund the children’s cancer wing. I was there when she did it and got too excited. It was weird, so I followed the money trail. Imagine my surprise when there were no new deposits into the children’s donations.”
“You hacked into the hospital records?”
“Yeah.” I didn’t worry about him turning me in. “And Allen’s. The money didn’t show up in any of his accounts.”
“Are you still looking for where it went?”
“I am.” And when I found it, I would nail that fucker to the wall. It was bad enough he was with Mom—why I defended her when she didn’t even like me was annoying—but to steal from kids… finally, I would have proof of just how much of a scumbag he was.
“Well, at least we know where you’re putting your MIT skills to use.”
I laughed. He had me there. “The problem is that my computer is at Justin’s.” I needed it to look for where Allen was hiding the money.
“I’ll pick one up for you later.” He topped off my wine. “We need to come to an understanding about your stay here.”
After a hearty gulp of my drink, I got ready to negotiate with a criminal. Geesh. I couldn’t call him that because I was one, too, given the things I’d been pulling lately. “You’ll help me with the fake ransom, and the full amount will go to the children’s wing and not in your pocket?”
“Hailey, I do not need the money. I’m also curious why Allen is stealing from kids.”
It could be an even better plan than the one I have with Justin. “We’re partners in this? You get the money from him while I figure out what he did with it in the first place?”
“We are.” He reached across the island, extending his hand.
His large palm swallowed mine, and a jolt of electricity traveled from where we touched along my arm, sending shock waves through my synapses. I pulled my hand back quickly, fighting the full-body-shiver effect he had on me. “Deal.”
“There are rules I’ll expect you to abide by. No leaving the building unless I’m with you.” He waited for me to nod my agreement. “And no contacting anyone while we’re in negotiations with Allen. That includes Justin.”
“I’m not okay with not talking to Justin.”
“I’ll amend that one—no telling Justin where you are.”
“Sure.”
“One of my guards will head up here in a few minutes. Added security until we reach a level of trust.”
Okay… I hopped off the chair and went to the fridge, pausing with my hand on the door. “Do you mind if I make something to eat?”
He ran his hand over his face then shook his head. “Help yourself. I need to crash for a little while. There are two spare bedrooms. Pick the one you want to use. If you need something, just pound on the door to my room. Remote for the TV is on the coffee table.”
As he walked toward the living room then disappeared down a hallway, I pulled out sandwich ingredients. He said he would get me a computer, but I could kick back and watch a couple of movies in the meantime.
Trey might have preferred that I not contact Justin, but I probably would. It was only fair that I let my best friend and partner in crime know that I was safe.
I plopped down on the buttery leather couch with my plate and a large glass of water. I liked the wine but wasn’t in the mood for it. I channel surfed for a while then ended up settling for a rom-com. I needed something funny and sweet with a happily ever after—my kryptonite. My sister, Kasey, and I used to swoon over those kinds of movies, and to be honest, I still did, even though that type of ending wasn’t in the cards for me. My last boyfriend had emphasized that when he ended things.
One of Trey’s security guys stepped off the elevator, but I didn’t pay him any attention, and soon, he blended into the surroundings so that it was easy to forget he was even there.
Pushing everything from my mind, I let myself enjoy the movie because soon, I would have to choose one of the bedrooms to sleep in while trying to ignore the fact that the man I was wildly attracted to slept only a few feet away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TREY
Islept like the dead after being up for so long. The smell of coffee wafting under my bedroom door was what drew me to the kitchen. Only, it wasn’t Hailey but my sister sitting on my couch, her leather boots kicked up on the table. I trudged over to her, blinking a few times to clear the last remnants of sleep so that I could deal with how cheery she seemed.Hailey must still be sleeping.
I nodded at the guard who’d watched over Hailey while I’d crashed last night. After an update, I dismissed him and turned to my sister.
“Brother dearest,” Sofia said with a grin. “One of the guards mentioned you had a guest. He tried to discourage me from coming up here, but I twisted his arm, and we came to an understanding.”