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For a moment, his words didn’t click in Nathalie’s brain. When they did, dread slithered down her spine. “How does he know?”
Regret shadowed Ravi’s face. “He made me insert the drive into the computer and show him the program to prove it was what he was looking for. It didn’t function, of course. He got angry, shoved the gun under my chin, and asked why.”
“And what did you tell him?” She forced out the question even as her stomach fluttered in anticipation of the answer.
“That you kept a section of the source code in your head, and I had no way to give it to him.”
The flutters in her stomach turned to lead.
“It’s okay.” She patted his shoulder with a confidence she didn’t feel. “This guy knows the level of security we have now. He’d be stupid and reckless to make another attempt. We just have to make it through the next week. If General Roper and his staff approve our design and agree to incorporate our system into the Next Generation fighter, we’ll have a lot more help to protect our technology.”
She wouldn’t panic. Ryder had agreed to stay on to protect her. Even if he didn’t want to. Everything would be okay.
He’d disappeared for a while earlier in the day. Wherever he’d gone, it hadn’t helped his mood. He’d been distant and unreadable when he returned.
All she wanted to do was address the elephant in the room—or the two elephants, as it were. They’d had sex, and she’d told him the truth about why she broke up with him.
Tonight. They could pick a neutral spot, like a cozy restaurant booth where no one would hear, and they’d have to choose their words carefully to avoid making a scene neither would be comfortable with.
She checked her watch. It was already five and Ravi’s wife was probably ready to batter down the lab door. “Go home. Get some rest over the weekend. We have a big week coming up.”
After she ushered Ravi out of the lab, she headed to her office, where Ryder waited. Her pulse sped up as she opened the door.Stay calm. Suggest neutral ground. Be persistent.They had to talk this through, whether or not he wanted to.
The stranger rising to his feet stopped her in her tracks.
He had short, jet black hair, copper skin, and sharp cheekbones. A jagged scar of deeper bronze ran from his left ear, disappearing beneath a starched white collar.
Deep brown eyes scanned her from head to toe. He stood with an almost preternatural stillness that struck her as watchful rather than tense. His features hinted at both Hispanic and Native American ancestry, reminding her of the Southwest.
Where had she seen his face before?
“Ms. Williams.” He stepped forward, palm outstretched. “My name is Caleb Varella. I work for Ryder Montague.”
She responded automatically, shaking his hand, her thoughts a tumultuous scramble.
Varella.That’s why he looked familiar. She’d seen his photograph.
He’d been the man originally assigned as her close protection.
She fought the pain stabbing her heart. “Are you taking over as my bodyguard?”
“I’ll be part of your security team from now on.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
The silence that followed threatened to choke her.
“Never mind.” She waved her hand in dismissal. “I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.”
“I’ll bring you home,” Caleb said. “Danny Mayhew, who I believe you already know, will stay with you this evening while Ryder and I review your security protocol.”
Nathalie grabbed her purse. “I’m ready to leave.” Indignation fueled her steps as she marched down the hall, leaving her new bodyguard to play catch up.
Last night, when she asked Ryder if he was leaving, he hadn’t explicitly said he would stay. His exact words were,I won’t leave you unprotected.
Apparently, he was handing her off to Caleb. If he left tonight, he’d be back in London in time for his date with Grace Winfield.
A sheen of moisture blurred her surroundings as she stepped inside the elevator car with Caleb as her shadow. She’d sacrificed everything for her family. And no matter how much she wished things had turned out differently, she couldn’t change the past.