Page 15 of Wired Fear

“That’s just what I was going to confirm to you, Kim.” Sophie held up copies of bank statements that she had pulled from the Festival’s accounts where the computer’s camera could capture them for Kim to see. “The budget being given to the governing board is being followed—but the actual work and advertising being paid for is not being provided, even though it is on paper. Just don’t ask any questions about how I got this information.”

Kim shook her head. “I won’t. What’s next?”

“I think Jake and I should visit the advertising agency that’s our main suspect. Go in undercover. Pitch ourselves as possible clients and see what we can see.”

“That sounds good. Keep me posted!” They ended the call. Sophie busied herself taking some notes, waiting for Jake to get back to whatever he’d been doing.

Instead, he reached out for Sophie’s hand. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing.” She tried to pull her hand away.

Jake wouldn’t let go. “Look at me.” He lifted her hand to his lips and nibbled on her fingertip. Sensation shot through Sophie and lit her up.Those gray eyes were hypnotizing her.Damn those lashes of his, they were like black winter branches around an icy pond…

“Not in the office,” she breathed.

Jake held Sophie’s gaze, kissing a path across her palm and onto her wrist with his warm, supple lips. “Mm. We never did break in this desk,” he murmured.

The door opened silently, and Felicia stood there, holding a file. Her face drained of color as she took in the scene, meeting Sophie’s eyes. The receptionist withdrew abruptly, shutting the door.

Sophie tried to tug her hand away again. “Felicia saw you doing that.”

“So what?” Jake was intent on her, oblivious to the heart he’d just broken. “I have a couple of apartments I want us to go see. It’s time for us to get out of that motel.”

“We’re not moving in together, Jake.”

“Why not?”

Sophie swallowed, feeling sick again. “Because. It’s too soon.”

“Explain to me how it makes sense for us to go through the expense and hassle of renting two places when you know we’ll just end up spending the night at one place or the other.”

Sophie shut her eyes as he resumed making love to her hand like he had all the time in the world. Delicious ripples of feeling moved up her arm and over her body, and headed south from there.

So much work to find her own place, deal with all the paperwork and applications, expense, and hassle. But living together? So much more of a commitment than dating exclusively.On the other hand, they might be having a child together…

She yanked her hand away and tucked it into her lap, where it tingled as if separate from the rest of her body. “I agree we need to get out of the motel, but I don’t feel ready to move in with you.”

“Fine. I kind of guessed you might get stubborn about it.” Jake didn’t even sound annoyed—he just settled back in his chair with an air of getting down to business. He took out his phone. “I found two apartments in the same building. Ocean views on Hilo Bay, close to running trails, and pet friendly for the dogs. Now that we’ve finished the meeting with Kim, we can go look at the units. I already made an appointment.”

Gratitude that he was not only accepting her boundary but helping with the challenges of moving filled her. Sophie leaned across the desk to kiss him. “Can we get some lunch, too? I’m really hungry all of a sudden.”

Chapter Eleven

Akane Chang threw back his head and howled his grief.“Nooo!”

He turned and hit the heavy workout bag, dangling beside him, with a flurry of blows. The padded gloves he wore thumped like bullets hitting flesh.

He had no family left: his parents, his brother, his closest cousin—all dead.

He had never expected Terence to make this kind of balls-out deadly move in a million years. Killing his own relatives in cold blood in front of a roomful of witnesses? It was the act of a much harder man than Akane had ever imagined his cousin to be. And now Terence had the whole board eating out of his bloody hand with a combination of fear and reward.

He hit and kicked and thrashed on the bag until his first paroxysm of emotion was expended.

Lee Chow, deliverer of the bad news, cleared his throat awkwardly. “I’m sorry, man.”

“You’re sorry?” The unreasoning beast of rage roared up through Akane’s veins and gave him super strength. He leapt upon his associate, raining blows on Chow’s body until the man’s defensive posture, with his arms up over his face, finally reminded Akane that this was no enemy.

He heaved himself away from Chow and stalked around the small, empty gym, swearing vengeance, muttering the names of his lost family members in a litany that gave him little solace.

---