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“Not gonna catch me with that one. This is your fight. If ever there was a moment for rebellion, it’s now. What do you want to say to Martin?”

“That Jackson stole my ideas.” She combed Casildo’s unruly curl back from his forehead.

“Prove it.” He smiled at her. “You can prove it, can’t you?”

“Yes,” she said slowly. “I use passwords. My e-files will have creation and modification dates.”

“So how come Jackson got hold of them?”

“I printed a copy. I wanted to take it home, read it in print form.”

“And?’

“I put it in my laptop backpack, but when I came back from a meeting, my backpack had been moved.” Bea had dismissed her suspicion. Decided she’d been mistaken, until the independent had asked her question with a smug smirk, and Bea’s plans had unravelled.

“That’s pretty flimsy evidence. Was Jackson near your desk when you came back?”

“At the next desk.” She stared over Cas’s shoulder, trying to recall the scene.

“You don’t fight dirty, which is a handicap.”

“Neither do you, Cas.” She tugged on his recalcitrant curl.

“Yeah, but I’m not all soft and gooey on the inside like you.” He grinned. “Okay, let’s say I’m buying the possibility. What’s suspicious about him being at the next desk?”

“He’s been chatting up my new intern Rachel for weeks. I texted to tell Rachel my meeting had ended earlier than expected, so she and I could bring forward our training session.”

“Are you saying she’s his accomplice?’ he asked, drawing circles at the base of her spine.

“Rachel’s besotted. Maybe enough to let him steal a report from my backpack, copy it, or read it?” Bea paused. “That doesn’t ring true. She’s besotted, but not a complete idiot. He must have spun her a plausible excuse. Said I’d asked him to check out the report.”

“So, if Martin spoke to this intern privately, she might confirm your story?” His hand paused.

“Don’t stop.” She thought about what Casildo had said, while he resumed his steady caress of her lower back. “Yes.”

“How did you find out he’d stolen your ideas?”

“The independent asked a supplementary question after I talked about my ideas in the interview. She asked if I’d talked to Jackson about his ideas?”

“You were furious and hurt by his betrayal.”

“Damn right.” The combination had crippled her. “I didn’t know how to fight back.”

Cas kissed her temple. “Not very professional of her.”

“But it explained the result. She believed Jackson was the innovator, not me.”

“He deserves to be kicked in the cods, but you’re too polite for that, so what’s your price?”

Bea rested her cheek against his chest, silent while she figured angles. “If Martin believes me, I’ve won. I won’t be assigned to Jackson. Martin will make the case to higher management. Jackson won’t rise higher in the company, and they might let him go.”

“That’s a good outcome, isn’t it?”

“He might need the job too. I don’t know his personal circumstances.”

“Are you sure you have the ruthlessness to run your own business?” he teased.

“You aren’t ruthless, and you want to run your own business.”