Page 11 of Daddies’ Dark Desires (Forbidden Fantasies #19)

HARPER

H oly shit. I actually found what I’ve been looking for. I think. You know, if the encryption on these files indicates anything.

Maybe not though. It was far too easy to tunnel my way in—pre-programmed bug or not.

I’m downloading them onto a flash drive and trying not to overthink what I’m doing. This is diligence. Going to the right person. That’s all.

Right?

A little bit of luck.

Anything else is crazy, right? It’s not like someone laid a trail. A trap. Why would they? How would they know where I planned to look? How I planned to get in?

Shaking my head, I exit out of the program I’m using. Thank you old friend from college for the assist! It had to be his skill that got me here so quickly.

Ejecting the thumb drive, I log out of the computer and back away.

I didn’t use my computer of course. That would be stupid. Especially for this.

Dropping the thing in a hidden pocket of my bag, I toss it over my shoulder and head down to the small cafe-slash-cafeteria to meet Sunny. I’m only fifteen minutes late, but that means the lines are short and I can snag an easy slice of pizza and slide into a seat beside my new friend.

“Hey.” She beams up at me as I plop my bag between my feet. “I texted you.”

“Yeah. Phone’s still in my desk drawer. Sorry about that.” I smile and wink at Kyle, who’s leaned in pretty close to Sunny’s chair.

I’m guessing that crush goes both ways. Not that I blame them. Sunny is the epitome of sunshine—golden blonde hair, bright sky-blue eyes, and her smile. Pure innocence.

Until she finds herself a man to look at or a computer to hack.

Kyle pushes up his thick glasses and nods at me before digging into the second half of his sandwich. He brings it from home, and it always smells good. I’m betting he’s got a good mom or a nanny who packs that for him.

The Ralph Lauren designer shirt screams nanny. Maid. Someone who works for his parents.

Anyway, I’m envious.

I bet Sunny could get him to bring an extra helping of whatever he’s packed every day. She underestimates the power of her womanhood.

Most men expect me to take what I want. To ask for it if I can’t simply take it. And for the most part, that’s true.

But not always. Sometimes, it’s nice for someone to know what I want and to give it to me without any prompting. Before I even know what I want.

Shaking myself free of those thoughts, because let’s face it, I’ll roll right off the diving board into fantasies about Trent, Grant, and Oliver.

Those three have gotten under my skin in the weeks I’ve been working here. It’s becoming a bit outrageous.

Sunny beams at me, lighting up from the inside, but it’s tinged with naughtiness. It’s like she can read my mind. Or maybe that’s the training on body language and pupil dilation we had the other morning.

All stuff I knew already, but the brush up was probably necessary for most of the attendees.

I grin back at her, taking a big bite of my mushroom pizza. They don’t do too bad with this. I think the crust is made in-house. From scratch is always better than that frozen stuff.

My attempts at acting normal are more subdued than usual. It’s hard to think of anything other than the thumb drive and encrypted files sitting between my feet. I want to dig into them right now.

I play the flirt between Sunny and Kyle, putting on my over-the-top persona, insinuating things that are far beyond where they are if only to send the awkward vibes my way and make their own shared looks and gentle grazing of knuckles look much more manageable.

It’s a gift. I swear.

After a few comments, Kyle steers Sunny into nerdy territory, and I quickly zone out again. Brain circling back to my investigation.

My problem now is finding a way to get into the files I’ve just found.

I am not tech savvy enough for this. Shit, I’m lucky I knew the right person to help me get them to begin with.

Would Sunny help me out? I bet if I asked, she would. Could she though? Would her loyalty turn back to the firm? End in her tattling?

Something in my gut says that she’d tell me no before she went and said anything to our bosses.

I meet her gaze, and the ever-in-love twinkle in her eyes is infectious. I crinkle my nose at her and enjoy the way she giggles at Kyle.

What was so important that my dad would encrypt files and bury them in the system at the firm? Why was I able to find them and no one else has?

Surely, Oliver knows that system forward and backward and upside down. Or did he already know about these and couldn’t crack them? Did they not lead him anywhere?

Wait a minute. No. They’re going to lead somewhere.

So did this get past Oliver’s radar? New codes are being created all the time to do the impossible.

What would happen if I asked Oliver about them? If anyone could crack them and fast, it would be him.

Would he help me? Or would he be like Grant and Trent and tell me to stay out of things for my own good?

Or does he already know what’s here? Am I just being naive about doing this on my own?

Fuck, I hate the anxiety that comes when I keep failing to uncover anything new about my dad. About what happened to him. It can be the complete mystery everyone keeps telling me it is.

The information is out there. It has to be.

I need it to be in these files or I’m going to tear something up. The energy is already bubbling inside me.

Sunny covers my hand with hers. Lunch is over. Kyle is already through the door when I jerk back to reality.

“You okay?” my new friend asks. I like the way she asks that. No presumptions. Nothing but concern.

“Yeah. But…what are you doing after work today?” I lower my voice. “And do you have an unregistered computer?”

Sunny’s eyes twinkle in a far less innocent way than they did a moment ago. “Nothing important, and I can get my hands on one.”

Her brows shoot up in excitement. Glee.

I nod, and she claps her hands.

The girl is not covert. At least not face-to-face. I can read her every thought when she’s not tapped into her computer.

Biting my grin, I gather my purse and stand. “Excellent. Wait for me after work, and you can come with me to my house.”

“Ooo, the manor. I’ve finally snagged an invite.” Sunny wiggles beside me before we march to the elevator.

I laugh, my mood shifting as we return to our tiny cubicles. I pass Mile’s desk and give him my best smile.

That riles him up. He straightens his back and narrows his eyes at me. When I pass, I catch him smoothing his hair back in place.

Interesting reaction. What is he doing during his lunch breaks?

Chuckling to myself, I sit with the new stack of files for the day and crack the next one open. Dates. Times. Movement. Behaviors. I clock everything I can. Look for patterns. Cross reference against our search points.

It’s the kind of thing that makes my mind zen and my body wild.

I’m pacing before I know it, sitting on the edge of a conference desk, against the edge of a window. Miles sends me a pointed look as I breeze by again.

“What?” My voice is soft as a breath. “Am I ruffling your feathers?”

“Miss Blair. Please.” He sounds fed up, out of sorts, I’m absolutely distracting him.

“Fine, Miles.” I exaggerate my huff and lower back into my seat with a little drama. The next hour isn’t bad, but as I’m packing up Oliver strides into the pen.

His presence makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I slide my bag over my shoulder and track his movements. Lithe. Slow. Predatory. He’s watching me, too. Hunting me.

Shit.

His approach is silent, but he towers over me. He pegs Sunny with a look, and she squeaks and shares a glance at me.

I shrug.

Oliver gestures for me to follow him before turning back the way he came. Expecting me to follow orders.

I do.