Page 40 of Smoke Screen
“I’d say it’s too late for that.”
“Not if I go to trial.”
“You’re not.”
He hoped. Because, really, he still had no clue what went on in that meeting with Ash and his coagent. Walker. Ash seemed to like her. A hard-ass, he’d called her, but they got on okay.
He conjured his best winning smile. “If you go to trial, I’ll marry you and I can’t be forced to testify.”
“Oh, please. This isn’t funny.”
Sure wasn’t. Finally, he gave in and uncurled his fingers. He reached over and touched her wrist. “I know. You can talk to me, though. Okay?”
She peered out the window again, then inched her head back and forth. A surrender. “They have security video from my apartment.” She faced him again. “It’s that same guy. The one with the neck tattoo? He went inside.”
What the hell? Phin gawked. “He brokein?”
She met his gaze, made some seriously hard eye contact. “No. He used a key.”
What was happening right now? How did Ash not tell him this? His brother needed to learn the art of sharing.
Jesus. Zeke would absolutely, no doubt, kill him for inserting himself into this mess.
The Phin statue seemed like a definite.
“The only thing I can think of,” Maddy said, “is someone at the office took them. That’s the only time my keys are out of my control. At home, I lock my doors all the time. I’m a single woman and I’m not about to leave myself vulnerable.”
Made sense. “Where do you keep your keys?”
“Top right drawer of my desk. Sometimes, I just toss them on the desk if I have to run into a meeting or something.”
Behind them, a truck horn blared. Obviously a tourist, since southerners didn’t beep at other vehicles. Ever. He checked the mirror. Probably a delivery. He shifted the car into gear and hit the gas, stopping at the traffic light on the corner.
“Do all employees have access to the executive suite?”
“Noooo. Only on an as-needed basis. Even then, it’s mostly management. Except for President Thompson’s nephew, Louis the third. He’s in college and interning with us this summer.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Maddy held out her hand. “What does that mean?”
“We need a list of all employees who have access to the executive suite.”
“I don’t have that. It’s an HR thing.”
Phin could get it. He thought. Or he’d ask Zeke to call HR. Which would leave Phin out of it and avoid any remote chance of him discussing the list with Maddy and violating the BARS NDA.
Or …
Ash.
Phin had to think on it. Figure it out while he drove. He put the car in gear. “Where to? We need to kill time before I drive you back to your car.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
He checked the light—still red—and looked over at Maddy, locking his gaze on hers and holding his breath for a few seconds becauseday-am, just looking at her destroyed him. Burned right through him and if he didn’t get to touch her soon, he’d be nothing but charred bones.
He leaned in, getting close enough that her scent, lilies maybe, filled him. “What if I want to?”
