Page 40 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

She presses her lips together."That's..."

"Hellish."

"I was going to say 'unexpectedly hilarious,' but sure."

She picks up another package and unwraps it.

A T-shirt unfolds with my face—yet another one of me superimposed onto the hero’s body from the movie Braveheart, the words #BRAVEHEARTOFSEATTLE emblazoned below.

"The Photoshop is getting better," she shrugs, holding it up.

"Put that down before I throw it in the fireplace.”I point toward the dining table."We have work to do."

She reluctantly abandons the merch pile and joins me at the table, where my laptop displays a complicated digital map.

"So what's the big development?"she asks, pulling up a chair.

I tap the screen."Look at the server locations for the second wave of posts.All routed through the same relay system."

"And that's significant because...?"

"Because it's a proprietary relay system.One used almost exclusively by?—"

"MacTavish Global," she finishes, leaning closer.

"Precisely."

"That's not proof, though," she says, frowning."Anyone could route through those servers if they had access."

"True.But look at the signature."I switch screens to show her the code signature Viktoria had highlighted."It has fingerprints from both companies."

She studies the screen."Meaning someone who has access to both MacTavish and Abernathy systems."

"A short list."

"Who's on it?"

I lean back, watching her face."Your background check came back clean."

Her hand freezes on the mouse."You ran a background check on me?"

"On everyone with administrative access.Standard procedure during acquisitions."

She blinks, a frown forming swiftly.But it's gone before I can comment on it.

"And what did you find?"she asks.

"Nothing concerning.Exemplary career trajectory.Strong client references.Your master's thesis on digital engagement was particularly insightful."

"So I'm not a suspect?"she snorts, the question dripping with sarcasm.

“Alright, I get your point.I’m not saying you were ever a suspect," I admit.“But I like to cover all the bases.Plus, the timing wouldn’t even make sense for you.Why would you sabotage your own reputation so soon after Richard's mess?"

"Because women are irrational creatures of emotion?"she suggests dryly.

"Because logical people don't commit career suicide over a failed relationship."

"You'd be surprised what people do when they're hurt."She turns her attention back to the screen."So who had access to both systems?"