Except I already know I've been had. They're not letting Mémé go. How could they frame me if an old lady is telling a story about being kidnapped?
So I just committed another felony act and destroyed the only company I've ever admired for nothing.
Worse-I've destroyed whatever I had going with Jackson King. And that... that almost hurts as much as the thought of Mémé being dead.
~.~
Jackson
The way I see it, this attack had to come from someone in my infosec department.
Unfortunately, that narrows it down to 517 people, located all over the world. Only 137 of them are in this building. But I can start with Luis, my CSO, and Human Resources, to get some answers about Kylie's hire.
I head straight to Luis' office and barge in without knocking. He's on the phone, with his wife, probably, because I can hear the female voice on the line, telling some long, drawn-out story.
Luis sits up straight, giving me an attentive look as he tries to interrupt the monologue. "I'm sorry, honey. Mr. King just stepped into my office."
"Oh! Okay, call me later," she says quickly.
"Yep." He hangs up and gives me a sheepish look. "My wife is all worked up about getting our kid into the school talent show."
I have to hand it to Luis. After all these years of me stonewalling all personal discussion, he still makes the attempt. It's like he wants me to remember he has a family and is human, so I don't ask too much of him.
Not that it ever stops me.
"What did you find out about the new hire in infosec?" I ask.
Luis' brow wrinkles. "Kylie McDaniel? What do you mean?"
"I asked you to look into where we found her. Who vetted her? How long was this position open?"
"We always have open positions. You asked me to double our infosec team three years ago, and I've been working on it. It's hard to find new hires. It takes an average of three months to fill a position."
"And this position was posted?"
"It's not posted, no. We use a headhunter. It mitigates wasted time sifting through unqualified applicants. She's been actively searching for candidates for the last year."
"And how did she find Kylie?"
Luis shrugs. "I'm sorry. I haven't looked into it. It's well known the hacker boards are tapped for these jobs. It makes sense to hire from the pool of those who truly understand what we deal with. We make special exceptions for candidates like Kylie. For example, the official job requirements demand twenty to twenty-five years in the field. But her demonstrated skills, based on the test Stu administered, are used in lieu of the years of experience."
It all makes perfect sense and even sounds plausible. But, Kylie was right. It was too much of a coincidence that she was sent the blackmail note immediately after starting with SeCure. If the hackers were looking for an in, it would have taken them longer than a few days to identify and get the dirt on each employee.
This looked like a first-class frame to me.
"I'd like the name and number of the headhunter."
"Is something wrong, sir? I thought you liked the girl, despite her cheekiness."
"It doesn't matter whether I like her or not. I want to know more about the headhunting practices used to fill the most sensitive positions at my company," I snap, using my most authoritative voice.
Luis instantly puts on his calm, placating face. "Of course, sir. I understand. I will call HR right now and get you the information." He picks up his phone.
"Never mind," I say. "I'll go there myself." I need to see people's eyes, be close enough to smell their fear when I interrogate them. I head out, striding purposefully to the elevator and ride down to the fourth floor to see the director of HR.
I get no further with her, other than receiving the name and number of the headhunter.
By this time, my wolf is scratching at the surface, telling me something about Kylie. I'm itchy to see her. Needy almost.
Damn. Is it possible for a shifter's true mate to be human? Because there's no other explanation for the way I feel.
Unless it's just my instinct warning about her potential danger to me.
With that thought, I take the stairs two at a time back to my office, unwilling to stand quietly in an elevator. Her scent is everywhere, filling my nose as if she's in the stairwell with me.
I get to my office and fling open the door.
My computer is open, and a program is scrolling quickly over the screen.
Oh shit.
My heart chokes me, stuck somewhere between my collarbone and my throat. My palms go clammy; my vision tunnels with rage.
Tell me it's not what I think it is. Tell me-
Fuck!
With a roar, I pick up my laptop and throw it against the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.
"Mr. King!" Vanessa runs into the office.
"How long ago did she leave?" I'm surprised how calm I sound.
"Oh! Um… about ten minutes, sir. Why? What happened? Sir? Is something wrong?"
I ignore her and run past Vanessa.
The stairwell.
The fucking stairwell. No wonder I thought I smelled her in it. That's how she got away.
~.~
Kylie
I make it to my car and peel out of the parking lot. I head in the direction of downtown, but I have no idea where to go.
The cops will look for me at home. It's time to bail. I've done this at least twenty times. I know how to erase my existence and put up a new one in another city. Another country, even. But I'll be damned if I'll leave Tucson without Mémé.
So, I just need somewhere to lie low. To wait for the blackmailers' phone call that I fear isn't coming.
I drive to Bank of America, where I have a safety deposit box. Maybe I can get in before the FBI puts an alert on anything to do with my present social security number. I walk briskly into the bank, tugging the hem of my T-shirt down, wishing I'd worn the heels today.