Chapter 3
Val
T he morning sun slices through the blinds’ slats. Papers—reports, damage assessments, and memos I haven’t had the energy to read—are scattered everywhere.
A large portion of the office is still closed down, off limits, and marked as an active crime scene, but I managed to hire a team to clean up the upper few levels so that they are operational.
After a traumatic event like this bombing, I couldn’t force people back into the office. So, only a few of the most dedicated employees manage accounts and ensure our client’s security is soothed and satiated in the wake of this horrible affair. The local media outlets are having a field day with this.
I don’t mind too much. I enjoy the quiet of the mostly empty office. It’s only been a couple of days since the bombing, and my head hasn’t stopped throbbing since Agent Wright showed up.
God, who does he think he is?
I should be focused on the very real threat we are facing, and yet, somehow, I feel more threatened by the distance between Agent Wright and me. Gunnolf Wright, I just had to research him a little. Or more than a little.
Military man. Good credit score. Several dating profiles on hook up apps. And the man doesn’t have a good relationship with his father or a relationship at all.
God, stop thinking about that dickhead.
The paperwork on my desk whispers my name and I can’t help but roll my eyes as I return my focus to my computer screen. I need to go through my system logs, contact some of our bigger clients, and make triple sure everything is locked down tighter than ever.
No way am I going to let some wolf-shifter agent superstar get into my head so badly that I fuck up the business I’ve worked hard my whole life to build.
What a jerk. He had no right to speak to me the way he did. I haven’t seen him since he barged into my office after the explosion, all pissy and brooding. He has some nerve.
He acted like I had snuck out of his bed after a mind-blowing night together without so much as a ‘see you later,’ like it hadn’t been exactly the other way around.
Still, no matter how hard I try to ignore it, I can’t forget how his eyes darkened when he looked at me like he was fighting something or the way my pulse spiked whenever he was near. It’s ridiculous. I should hate him. But I don’t. Well, I do hate him, just not for the right reasons.
Leaning back in my chair, I close my eyes and rub my temples. The pull I feel toward him, the way he dominates my every waking thought, is maddening. I’ve been with men before, but none ever lingered like this.
None of them ever pulled me in so fast and so hard.
And no one has ever distracted me from my work before.
This isn’t me. I don’t get distracted. I don’t let men get under my skin especially not the men who vanish before dawn.
There’s no time for this. I remind myself yet again pinching the bridge of my nose. Desperate to bring some of my good sense back.
SableTech is vulnerable, and that has to be my priority. Not some brooding, frustrating wolf-shifter who seems to have made it his mission to irritate me at every turn.
My phone buzzes on the desk pulling me out of my thoughts. I glance at the screen, it’s another damage report from our network team. I exhale slowly, squaring my shoulders. There’s too much at stake to let Gunnolf, or anyone else, keep me from finding the saboteur.
But as I scroll through the report, my mind keeps drifting back to him, no matter how hard I fight it.
I just started making a dent in the damage report when there’s a sharp knock at the door. Before I can respond, Gunnolf steps into my office, his broad frame taking up too much space in the room. Just great.
I straighten in my chair, forcing myself to stay calm as I glance up at him, “Can I help you, Agent Wright?”
He doesn’t bother to sit or step fully inside the office. Instead, he crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe, that infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Just checking in. Wanted to make sure your little operation didn’t collapse overnight. Plus, it’s a great view.”
He doesn’t take his eyes off me.
I clench my teeth, ignoring the flare of irritation that burns in my chest and the wanting that pulses between my legs. “Did you just come here to rile me up? SableTech is handling the situation just fine, thank you.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing you riled up again,” he says through a cocky grin. My heart skips a beat and against my will my cheeks flush with heat. Do not betray me, body.
His gaze flickers to the disorganized papers and three half-drunk cups of coffee beside my keyboard. “Looks like a well-oiled machine. Clearly, everything is perfectly under control here.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “And yet, despite all this chaos, my company is still standing. Funny how that works, isn’t it?”
Gunnolf’s smirk falters for a split second, but he recovers quickly, leaning in slightly. “Sure, if you call barely holding it together standing. Must be nice to sit behind your fancy desk and have other people clean up your mess.”
It’s like he’s hell bent on painting me as some out-of-touch CEO who has had everything handed to me. I feel the familiar heat rise in my chest, but I let it fuel me this time.
I meet his gaze, unflinching, and lick my lips delighting in the way he can’t stop his eyes from flickering toward them as I do.
“You think you’ve got me figured out, don’t you? I’m just some businesswoman who doesn’t know what she’s doing. But let me remind you, Agent Wright, I built this company from nothing. I didn’t inherit it, and I didn’t get here by letting anyone—least of all someone like you—tell me what I can’t do.”
His smirk vanishes, replaced by something darker in his eyes. For a second, I think I’ve struck a nerve. Good. I’ve had enough of his condescending bullshit.
But Gunnolf isn’t done. He steps closer, his voice lowering to a rough growl. “You don’t know the first thing about what’s really going on here, Val. This isn’t just another problem for you to solve with money and fancy software. People are dying. So, forgive me if I don’t give a damn about your little empire.”
I should be offended. I should be furious. But instead, my pulse quickens, and my skin tingles with the same electric charge I had felt the night I met him. I fight the urge to reach out and stroke his muscled chest.
God, why does he have to do this to me?
The room falls silent for a moment. Gunnolf’s jaw tightens, and I swear I can see the muscles in his neck flex as he fights to hold back whatever additional retort is brewing inside him. But before he can say anything, my phone buzzes again. I glance at the screen, and all the irritation I felt a moment ago evaporates, replaced by cold dread.
An alert from my head of security.
SableTech’s systems have detected a major breach.
“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I pull up the logs. The screen fills with lines of code, but it doesn’t take long for me to see it. A backdoor has been installed. Someone’s been siphoning data from our servers.
“What is it?” Gunnolf asks, the sudden shift in my demeanor clearly cause for concern.
I don’t answer immediately, my eyes scanning the data. I pull up the list of compromised files, and my stomach drops. “Shit,” I breathe.
“What?” he presses, stepping closer. “What did you find?”
I turn the screen toward him, my fingers tapping the keyboard to highlight the sensitive files that were accessed. “Someone hacked into our system and stole a list of clients, very specific clients too. Paranormal hunters.”
His eyes narrow, and he’s so close I can feel the heat of his body against my flesh. I squeeze my knees together; almost certain he can sense my arousal. I do my best to pretend he can’t.
“Hunters?” He repeats, his voice low, “Why the hell would someone want a list of hunters?”
“What about the bombing at the other location in town? Were there any hunters involved in the casualties?”
Gunnolf’s gaze hardens, bingo. “We need to get this to the team. If someone’s going after hunters, this is bigger than we thought.”
I nod, my mind already racing ahead. “I’ll send the data, but only if I am involved in this investigation. We’ve already had one breach, we can’t risk anymore.”
Gunnolf doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the weight of his gaze on me. I take a steady breath and muster up the courage to look at him.
When I do, he’s merely an inch from my face. His eyes pierce mine for a moment and then drop to my lips. Is he going to kiss me? God, please kiss me.