Chapter 5
Val
L ast night, Gunnolf surprised me, and I hate that I folded so quickly. I hate that his eyes pull me in and that the moment he’s in my presence I lose all sense of dignity. I hate that I can’t stop thinking about him even when he’s not around.
That I can’t stop thinking about the way his hands on my skin electrify me, bringing all my senses to life in a way that I didn’t know was possible. Even now at my desk, far away from last night, far away from Gunnolf, I can still feel the heat of his hands on my skin.
I had to kick him out last night. I wouldn’t have been able to bear it if he’d stayed with me and disappeared again in the morning. It was the least I could offer my wounded pride after giving into him so easily.
God, will the ghost of him ever stop haunting me?
Or am I doomed to accept my new fate?
I scowl at my computer screen, trying to focus. It’s no use. My mind is completely consumed, and frustration creeps into the edges of my consciousness. God, why do I let him get under my skin like this? Why can’t I just stop thinking about him?
The worst part about it all is that he switches on and off like a damn light. He’s not even into me at all. He hates me, but for some reason, he’s all over me, intense and possessive in some moments, and then the next, he’s distant and cold. Downright rude even.
It’s infuriating.
He’s infuriating.
The door to my office swings open, without so much as a knock, and Kato’s booming voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “Miss Hayes, the tech specialist just landed. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
The moment he finishes speaking Paige comes bouncing up behind him, “You can’t just enter her office!” she states. A steaming cup of coffee in her hand lets me know exactly why he thought he could.
“Next time if Paige is not at her desk, knock. I don’t bust into your place of work or home. Please extend me the same courtesy.”
“Right,” Kato nods swallowing hard. He doesn’t say anything else but a sheepish flash across his face lets me know enough.
The tech specialists will be here soon… Great. More people. Just what I need.
Paige sets the cup of coffee down on my desk and looks back over her shoulder shooting Kato a nasty look that seems to amuse him more than intimidate him. God, ever since the SPIU arrived here, it seems every day my business feels more and more like a circus.
I stare at my screen again, pull it together, my fingers tap rapidly against the keyboard as I sort back through the documents from our security breach. If we are going to crack this case, I need to stay focused. Which means evicting Gunnolf from my mind where he’s been staying rent free since the first time I laid eyes on him, him and his perfectly muscled back and broad shoulders…
“Val,” Kato’s use of my first name snaps my attention back to him. His voice is soft, and his eyebrow is raised as he eyes me cautiously. “Are you okay? You seem distracted. I know this is a lot for you to take in. We work these kinds of cases every day, and it’s still hard for us.”
“I’m fine,” I say too quickly. Hopefully, he just thinks I’m more shaken by these bombings than I want to let on. “I’m just trying to sort back through all of this data before your tech expert gets here.”
Kato doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t push it either, “Minna’s the best; if anyone can help, it’ll be her.”
I take a deep breath, “I’m sure you’re right. I’ve looked up her track record. She’s young, but that doesn’t make her any less impressive. It makes her more impressive, actually.”
“Glad to hear you’ve done your research,” I hear her bubbly voice before I see her round the corner. Minna bounces into the room with a bright smile.
She’s unexpected… I bet the male techs she passed on the way here are still trying to do a double take. She’s short with a bright red bob that’s effortlessly chic and tousled. Her thick, pink-rimmed glasses are perched on the bridge of her button nose.
Her clothes are colorful and mismatched but somehow, they all work together. She’s wearing a polka dot skirt, striped blouse, and platform Doc Martens while carrying a backpack that’s definitely seen better days.
“Hey, hey! I’m Minna. You must be Val!” she says, standing at the front of my desk and extending her hand. Her nails are long and as red as her hair, but each one has a different design or charm.
Her enthusiasm is infectious, and despite my foul mood, I find myself genuinely smiling as I shake her hand. “That’s me. It’s nice to meet you, Minna.”
She plops her bag down on the nearest char and throws me a wink, “Don’t worry doll I am here to save the day!”
Before I can respond my gut twists, a magnetic force snaps my eyes toward the door right as Gunnolf appears in the doorway. His gaze lands on me, dark and intense. My heart rate rises and skin prickles. I have to fight to keep my breathing steady.
“Kato,” he says without taking his eyes off me. “The fire chief is ready to give you his report from yesterday’s bombing.”
“Got it,” Kato nods in my direction before turning to leave, “Gun, you stay here incase Miss Hayes or Minna need you.”
A flicker in my lower belly at the idea of needing Gunnolf causes me to instinctively squeeze my thighs tightly together.
“Will do,” he says striding into the office and dropping onto the couch near Minna. His eyes trailing lazily down me as he does. My cheeks darken against my will. Damn.
Minna doesn’t miss a beat, her gaze flicking between the two of us before she grins widely. She unzips her bag and pulls out a laptop.
“I see what’s going on here,” she says after a moment. “No wonder you’re all flustered. I was thinking how come bad ass Val Hayes needs help from the likes of me? But now I see, big bad wolf-boy can’t stop looking at you like a horned-up teenager or more like you’re Little Red Riding Hood just arrived at Grandmothers house.”
I choke on my own breath as I shoot Minna a horrified glance. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I stammer, glaring at her as Gunnolf’s expression tightens.
Minna laughs throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, if you say so. But seriously girl if you need advice on taming wild wolves, I’ve got the perfect book recommendation for you.”
Gunnolf scowls, crossing his arms over his chest. “Minna,” he growls, not amused, “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Prickly today, seems like I’m right then,” she practically sings. “Relax, Gun. I’m here, aren’t I? I can multitask you know. Banter and brilliance all at the same time. You could probably learn a thing or two from me.”
Despite myself, I chuckle. It’s impossible not to like Minna. Gunnolf shoots me a dirty look before laying himself on the couch and staring at the ceiling. I wonder if he’s having a hard time keeping thoughts of last night out of his mind as much as I am.
“All right, let’s get down to business,” Minna says, opening her laptop. “What have you got for me?”
There’s no need to reexplain the situation to Minna. Instead, I grant her access to SableTech’s mainframe and lean back in my chair, watching as she zeroes in, fingers moving faster than I’ve ever seen my own move. Impressive, especially with those nails. Watching her work is like watching one of the artistic greats creating one of their masterpieces.
A pang of jealousy reverberates in my chest. What I wouldn’t have given to be a natural protege.
Gunnolf has risen from his place on the couch. He now stands beside it, arms crossed. I can feel his eyes burning holes into me like they always do. It’s distracting. Infuriating. And despite myself, it’s turning me on. Ninety percent of my willpower is now focused on not looking at him. There’s no way I am going to give him that satisfaction.
“All right, let’s see what we’ve got here. Ooh, Val, this is impressive—security tighter than a chastity belt at a nunnery.”
I snort, crossing my arms. “I try.”
“Seriously, though,” Minna continues, her eyes glued to the screen, “I doubt anything could have slipped through without someone knowing.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what I thought too,” I mutter, gnawing on my cheek. “But we still had a breach.”
Minna doesn’t respond right away. I lose my battle with my will and glance over at Gunnolf. He hasn’t moved. Hasn’t even blinked. Why does he have to stand there looking all broody and intense? Why can’t he just… stop?
The moment he notices me looking, a smirk lifts the corners of his mouth, and I curse myself. He winks at me. He fucking winked at me. I was wrong. I’d prefer the brooding to this.
“Ah-ha!” Minna exclaims, and my eyes snap back to her. She points to the screen, a sly grin on her face. Quickly, I move behind her to see what she’s pointing at. “There’s your answer, doll. The software that received the data wasn’t some sneaky outside job. This was installed from the inside. During business hours, no less.”
My heart skips a beat. “Wait, what?”
Minna taps the screen again, showing me the timestamps and installation logs. “See this? Whoever did this has direct access to your system, right under your nose. Installed it like a routine update, with no red flags or alerts. Totally seamless. They must have known your systems well enough to pull something like that off.”
I stare at the screen, my mind whirling. “Someone on the inside... At least that narrows things down.” I don’t like the idea of a mole being at SableTech but I am relieved that our systems aren’t so fundamentally flawed that someone on the outside could gain access to them. This discovery certainly is a double-edged sword.
Minna nods, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Yup. Not exactly the best news, but hey, at least we know where to start.”
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter under my breath, frustration boiling beneath my skin. “Do you think it could be the bomber?”
Gunnolf, finally speaking up, steps closer. “The bomber or someone who is working for them.”
I shoot him a glance, my jaw tight. “Right.”
Minna spins around in her chair, grinning up at Gunnolf. “Don’t get too cozy, big guy. You look like you’re ready to growl at the screen. But, fun fact: growling doesn’t actually solve tech problems.”
Gunnolf’s lips press into a thin line, but there’s a glint of amusement in his eye. “I’m not growling.”
Minna winks at me. “Could’ve fooled me. Anyway, I’ll keep digging to see if I can find out who’s behind this.”
I swallow the knot forming in my throat. This is progress. It’s not the best news but it’s progress. Sure, one of my own people has betrayed me and my life work and whoever did this has helped to set off an entire chain of events that has killed multiple people. But, now we know where to narrow our focus.
“I’ll cross reference employee records with badges used during the time of the installation and I’ll send that your way.” I say moving over to my desk, it’s not that Minna couldn’t do that herself, but I need to be useful right now. “Thanks Minna.”
“No problem babe,” she says with a wink, swiveling her chair back to the screen. “I live for this kind of drama. Now let’s catch this traitorous snake.”
Gunnolf’s eyes flick between Minna and me, something unreadable in his expression. He gives a curt nod and turns to leave without a word. The door closes behind him, and I let out my breath, slumping slightly in my chair. My nerves seem to soothe themselves with a bit of distance between us.
Minna spins back around, raising an eyebrow at me. “Okay, seriously. What’s up with him?”
I shrug, feigning nonchalance, but my face feels like it’s on fire. “Nothing.”
She smirks. “Uh-huh. If nothing is what you call ‘intense eye contact that could melt steel,’ then yeah, definitely nothing. Are you sure you two haven’t slept together?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I mutter, turning back to my computer and hoping the flush in my cheeks isn’t too obvious. Why on earth would she ask me that question?
Minna just laughs, shaking her head. “Okay, Val. You keep telling yourself that.”
As I glance over at Minna, something gnaws at the back of my mind. We are missing something crucial. My phone buzzes on the desk, and I glance down. An anonymous message flashes across my screen: ‘Stop digging, or you’ll be next’.
I freeze, blood running cold. I look up at Minna, she’s still unaware and focused on digging into my employee records. There’s no way I can tell anyone at the SPIU about this message, or they’ll keep me from the case. But who could know what we’d only just found out? And how?