Page 66 of Near Miss

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. Somehow, her colleagues had all filed out without her realizing it, leaving just her and Jared in the room.

Something, some expression she couldn’t interpret, passed over his face and was gone in an instant, but it was enough to put up her guard.

“Could you come to my office?” He motioned for her to follow.

She had to walk fast to keep up with his long legs. He and Lachlan seemed to forget at times she was a short woman in high heels. A flash of grief hitched her stride, and she tamped it down with a firm press of her lips.

He motioned her toward the settee in the corner. “I’d offer you a drink, but it’s a bit early.”

She smoothed her olive knit dress and sat, the leather cool against the back of her knees. It creaked beneath Jared’s weight when he settled next to her. “I’m fine. I need to be at work.” The last part was true, at least. “Lachlan was murdered. We need to tell the police about Roshan Haider.”

The look of pity on Jared’s face stiffened her spine. “The police haven’t released an official cause of the explosion yet. If it turns out to be a deliberate act, I’ll tell them everything I know about Haider.” He gave her hand a pat that made her teeth clench. “Trust me. There’s nothing we can do for Lachlan. My concern now is for you and your safety.”

Trust me.Lachlan had said the same thing. Now he was dead, and she was trapped in a web of lies. “What about Fred?”

Jared frowned. “What about Fred?”

“Why was he in DC late at night when he lives twenty-five miles away, in Chantilly? Aren’t you the least bit concerned that two of your employees have died in mysterious circumstances in two weeks?”

“What are you implying? Maybe he was meeting someone for dinner or a drink. It’s DC. Fred was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His death has nothing to do with Lachlan.” Something shifted in Jared’s eyes, like a shade had lowered, leaving them devoid of emotion in a way that made Sophia’s neck shiver. “Unless you know something you aren’t telling me?”

Her inner voice whispered at her to stop talking. No one could blame her for being paranoid, given everything that had happened, but she wasn’t the only one at LAI keeping secrets. And until she knew who else was, no one, not even Jared, could be trusted.

“I don’t know anything more than you do.”

The need to escape flooded her muscles, vaulting her off the couch and toward the door.Damn you for dying, Lachlan Mackay.“And don’t worry about me. Roshan, or whoever was behind Lachlan’s death, got the revenge he wanted.”

She fled to her office before saying anything more that might make Jared suspicious. Lachlan had kept the papers she’d gotten from Fred’s office. Maybe Fred had made other copies.

There was only one way to find out. She dug her phone out of her purse in case she needed to take any photos to send to Admiral Dane, picked up her coffee mug, and pretended to head for the breakroom. Penny was typing away on her computer and didn’t look up. Jared’s door was closed. Christian and Rob’s offices were further down the hall.

Fred’s door was closed but thankfully, unlocked. She slipped inside after a furtive glance to ensure no one was watching.

She combed through his folders, scanning for anything relevant. If there was a smoking gun in all of this paperwork, she wasn’t finding it.

Fred’s computer. She booted it up, then searched every inch of his desk and beneath his keyboard for a clue to his login credentials. Her access code would get her nowhere. Rob set the system up to allow employees access to computer files related to their particular division and general corporate HR and IT files. She didn’t have permission to access Fred’s files, and with Fred gone, she wasn’t sure who did other than Jared.

“Dammit.” She wasn’t big on cursing, out loud at least, but it fit the moment. Crossing her arms with an exasperated sigh, she glared at the computer.Now what?

Maybe Lachlan hadn’t taken the information with him when he left for Kabul.

It was a slim hope but worth pursuing. She made sure Penny’s back was turned before sneaking out of Fred’s office and down the hall toward Lachlan’s. When she passed the breakroom, the smell of coffee lit up her olfactory receptors.

Her gaze dropped to her hands. She had her phone but must have left her coffee mug in Fred’s office. She’d get it later.

The brass nameplate on Lachlan’s door brought another stab of grief. She traced the letters of his name, pretending she was touching him.

Glancing around to ensure she could get inside unnoticed, she snuck in and closed the door, making as little noise as possible. She opened Lachlan’s cabinet drawers and brought a stack of folders to his desk.

A faint hint of his woodsy scent clung to his high-backed chair. She pressed her nose into the leather, her heart giving a painful lurch.

She thumbed through the folders. So far, she was coming up empty. Lachlan wouldn’t have left damning evidence lying around for anyone to find. What was she thinking? The adrenaline and caffeine she’d been running on since arriving at work this morning washed away on an ebbing tide of disappointment. She needed a way into Lachlan’s and Fred’s computers.

The door opened without warning. She jumped, her heart taking off on a sprint.

Jared’s narrowed gaze shifted from her to the files on Lachlan’s desk and back. “What are you doing?”

Her pulse thumped like a bass drum, so loud in her ears she had to wonder if Jared could hear it.“I needed additional information for the government report.” She returned the files to Lachlan’s cabinet and palmed her phone. “I’m finished.”

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