Page 124 of In Case You Didn't Know

Linc clears his throat. “So is that it? The big confession? Or is there anything else? A secret baby? A secret boyfriend? Or are you planning on running off with a hot dragon?”

Oh god, he really has been reading books like mine.

“Not tonight,” I say lightly. “One shock to the system is enough.”

They laugh, and the moment feels warm and real. Like I’m part of something I’ve always longed for.

I can’t wait to tell Asher how well it went. To hear his voice.

I know I’ll have to tell my brothers about him soon. But not tonight.

We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close.

I’m not hiding anymore, and it’s a good feeling.

ASHER

“What do you mean he’s gone?” I ask Brad, a frown pulling at my lips. “We had eyes on him. Twenty-four seven.”

Brad’s face is tight. “I know that. But the guard took a bathroom break and…” He shakes his head. “Don’t worry, I’m dealing with him.”

“And he left? Just like that?” Fuck, I need to talk to Shaun like I need air. He could barely stand two days ago. Where the hell would he even go that fast? “What about his wife, what does she say?”

Brad shakes his head. “She’s gone too. And the baby. They must have been tipped off. Abandoned everything. His car is still in the driveway. He had to have it planned.”

“Credit cards?” I ask, because we both know that’s the easiest way to track somebody.

“Wiped.”

“Fuck.”

“I know.” Brad winces. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.”

I put my hand up. “It’s nobody’s fault except Shaun’s. And whoever he’s working with.” I take a deep breath, tension knotting in my spine. “What about his background? We vetted him when we took him on, right? Ran a full check?”

Brad shakes his head. “That’s the thing. It’s like he never existed. All the HR files are corrupted. Even the stuff we had on hard copy is missing. I had Sanjay search everything, and it’s just… gone.”

A beat of silence stretches between us.

“But he no longer has access to our servers, right?”

“They’re locked down so tight it hurts. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t make a copy of everything before we found out what was happening.”

I swallow hard. Because that includes the videos I had on my laptop.

“We also found this,” Brad says, placing a piece of paper on my desk. “It was in the middle of his dining room table. I have no idea why.”

It’s a printout of a still image. Grainy, blown up. Slightly pixelated.

But I’d know that face anywhere.

It’s Francie. My stomach tightens as I take in her expression. Her head is tilted back, her lips parted, her eyes half lidded. You can’t see her body but I know exactly what she’s doing.

It’s a still image from one of the nights she touched herself for me.

Rage crackles through my chest. This isn’t just a threat, it’s a declaration. He knows. He watched. He has her, even if only on screen. And he’s telling me he’s not done.

Fuck.