who put in the time to work his way up the ladder.
She confirmed his suspicions when she pointed to his mouse. “May I?”
“Sure,” he said, and dropped his hands. Jeff intended to scoot back and let her have the chair, but she caught him off guard by leaning over his shoulder and reaching for the mouse. Her long hair swung down as a curtain between her face and his. Instead of focusing on the screen, he let his eyes close for the briefest of seconds as the coconut aroma enveloped him.
“It’s still there!”
Her exclamation snapped him from his thoughts. Victoria took a step back. He could see the file on the monitor, but the bald security guard standing in his doorway didn’t give him the chance to examine any further.
“I’m afraid I need to ask you to step away from the computer. We have a security breach. I need to escort you and your guest out of the building. We’re asking everyone to go home until the all clear is given.”
Victoria stiffened beside him. “A security breach?”
“Yes, ma’am. Please step away from the computer.”
Jeff put a hand on Victoria’s back. “After you.” He looked directly at the guard, trying to recall if he’d ever seen him, but the man’s beady eyes darted around the room. “Is this really necessary? Charlie could’ve just called me.”
The man stared straight ahead. “Charlie is out, investigating.”
Jeff leaned forward. “The security breach?”
The man nodded but didn’t meet Jeff’s gaze. Why did he feel as if this man was hiding something? Jeff stepped toward the doorway with Victoria by his side. She looked at the ground and clung to her purse.
In the elevator, the guard stepped in after them. His finger hovered over the buttons, as if not sure which one he was going to push. Victoria grabbed Jeff’s hand and pulled him back on to the floor. “I forgot I’m claustrophobic,” she called behind her shoulder, dragging Jeff to the stairway door. “We’ll meet you downstairs!”
Without waiting to see what the guard would do, she shoved open the stairway access and dropped his hand. “I don’t trust him.”
She took the stairs by two, and Jeff matched her pace. “Why are we going upstairs?”
“Shh,” she scolded. “I just want to go to the next level and take a different set of stairs down.” They rounded the corner and were halfway up the flight when they heard the stairway door behind them. Victoria froze and looked at him wide-eyed. She put a finger on her lips.
He wanted to tell her she was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t deny her pleading eyes. He remained still. They heard a few choice words muttered under the guard’s breath as his feet slapped the stairs going down, down, down.
Another stairway door slammed. Victoria crept softly back down the stairs. He followed until they had returned to the fourth floor. Her long fingers pressed on the door handle gently, opening the stairway without a sound. She held it open just wide enough for Jeff to slip through before she eased it closed.
“Why are we playing hide-and-seek, Victoria? What if there really is a security problem?”
“Did you notice he wasn’t sure what elevator button to push? Like he was debating where he was going to take us?” She lowered her voice. “I think he’s the guy that was following me yesterday. I think he’s the one who set my house on fire.”
“Are you sure?”
Her eyes widened. “Of course I’m not sure or I’d be the first one calling the police right now. I never saw him that close, but I have a strong feeling.”
“We need more than a feeling to go to the police.”
She threw her hands up and charged toward his office. “Don’t you think I know that?”
“The security breach could be real, Victoria. Let’s go.”
“Then why didn’t he tell us what the security breach was? Don’t you think that’s a bit odd?”
Jeff rubbed his left temple. He needed more coffee. “Maybe they thought the breach was you?”
“That’s ridiculous. I was with you.” She jogged into his office and slipped into his desk chair, her wide eyes directed at the computer screen. “No! No, no, no.”
“What?”
“Someone is updating or rebooting the entire system right now.” She slapped his desk. “I don’t know what’s going on!”
Jeff walked around to see for himself when a blast boomed so loud it shook the windows. He instinctively stepped closer to Victoria to shield her.
She looked up at him and grabbed his sleeve. “What was that?”
He clenched his jaw. “I’m guessing that was the security breach.” Jeff looked toward the elevators and listened closely for any secondary explosions. After a tense moment, he dared to look out his office window. His gut dropped at the sight, and he sagged against the windowsill.
“How bad is it?” Victoria joined him and groaned. “Oh, Jeff.”
He shook his head, staring at the shell of his beautiful convertible now covered in flames. It was used and old, but he had paid cash. A drive in that car invigorated him whenever he didn’t have time to skydive. He blinked and kicked at the wall underneath the window. That’d teach him to care about possessions...and to stop choosing the highest insurance deductible.
“Look! On the other side of that sedan.” Victoria tapped her finger against the glass. He followed her gaze and spotted Charlie crouched down with a walkie-talkie against his cheek. “I’m so relieved he’s okay.”
Jeff turned to her, focused. “I think it’s time to get out of here.”
“But the files,” she sputtered.
“The reboot is a little too convenient, isn’t it? I’m guessing your file is long gone now.” He led her across the department floor to a different set of stairs.
She let out a long breath. “You believe me.”
“I believe something is going on. I just don’t really understand what yet.”
She grabbed the stair railing and followed after him. “Where will we go? Your car—”
Jeff frowned but didn’t slow down. Surely an idea would come to him by the first floor. He pushed his legs to go faster. Adrenaline always helped clear his mind. Victoria let out a cry, and he jerked to a stop just as she slammed into his back. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. I was trying to keep up and missed a step.”
She straightened, and Jeff managed a quick look at her ankle. It seemed okay, but his gut twisted anyway. He was so focused on the anger from his car being blown up that he wasn’t being considerate. His mouth parted as an idea formed. “I know where we’re going.”
Once
