Page 74 of Near Miss

Sophia’s head was already shaking before Emily finished. “What if the admiral stops at Lachlan and doesn’t dig deeper? I know in my heart Lachlan is innocent. I need to find the information that will prove it.”

“Are you sure he’s innocent? Maybe he is involved and tried to double-cross his partner in crime, and that’s why he was targeted.” Sophia started to protest but stopped at Emily’s raised palm. “I love you, but you tend always to think the best of people, even when it’s not warranted.”

Emily’s comment stung. Sophia forced herself to assess the situation and her heart as realistically as possible. The evidence so far made Lachlan look guilty as hell. His past haunted him. He was a bad bet for a smart woman.

And she loved him anyway.

“What’s the matter?” Emily whispered, “You just turned white as a sheet.”

“Nothing.” She needed time to process the revelation before telling anyone, even her best friend. “I understand your concerns, but I’m doing this. I have to.”

Emily gave a pained sigh. “Okay.” Her gaze slanted to the living room. “Let the fireworks begin.”

The women huddled in the kitchen, their voices low. Lachlan’s peripheral vision tracked their every twitch. When their heads lifted, he could tell they’d reached a decision. He and Nathan stood as they approached. Maybe Sophia’s friend had talked some sense into her.

His gut twisted into a knot at the look in Sophia’s eyes.

“I’m going home. And to work tomorrow.”

Hell. No. “Sophia, that’s not wise.”

Her gaze turned steely. “Let me finish. I can help you more by showing up at LAI.”

“It’s not safe.” His knuckles brushed the smooth skin of her cheek. “Stay here, just for a little while.” He would fix everything.

“Trust that I’m trying to help you.” Her eyes pleaded with him.

“I do trust you.”

She gave him a sad smile. “If you trusted me, you would have told me you were alive sooner.”

Her words put another arrow into his chest. He threw up his defenses, put his emotions in a box, and slammed the lid.

Fresh pain swamped Sophia’s eyes. “I hate when you do that.” Her chin lifted. “Emily and I are leaving.”

What the hell did she want from him? He spun and gave everyone his back, stalking to the fireplace. Where had this stubborn streak come from? She didn’t understand the danger. His fingers curled into fists. He felt like a grenade with a pulled pin. Pounding the bricks until his knuckles bled might release some of the pressure inside, but it would make everyone else question his mental status.

“Lachlan.” Nathan’s tone was careful. Lachlan knew he wouldn’t like whatever his friend said next. “Whoever set you up and tried to kill you thinks they’ve succeeded. They probably don’t consider Sophia much of a threat. Their guard will be down. Let Sophia go in and upload a backdoor into LAI’s computer network so I can get in there. Give her one more day.” Nathan’s heavy hand landed on Lachlan’s shoulders, his icy gaze somber. “It’s the best chance you’ve got, amigo.”

“Please.” Sophia’s soft plea pushed him over the edge.

“Fine,” he snapped. “One day. Then I’ll kidnap you myself if I have to and tie you to my bed if that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”

“Well, isn’t that kinky,” Emily drawled. Sophia blushed.

Nathan clapped his hands. “Everyone have a seat. Let’s come up with a plan.”

It didn’t take long. Nathan downloaded a file from his computer to a thumb drive and gave it to Sophia. “Remember, you just need to log into the network, then download the file on the thumb drive. It’ll do the rest.”

Sophia’s brows furrowed. “I’ll need to use Jared or Rob’s login credentials. They’re the only ones with network-wide access to all the files on the system.”

“No,” Lachlan said. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll give you my login credentials. Nathan can access my files and breach the rest of the system from there.”

“Actually,” Nathan sent Lachlan an apologetic glance. “It’d be a lot faster if I got into the main network without having to break down firewalls, but I can do it.”

“No,” Lachlan repeated. His temple pounded, and the cuts on his face stung. He was knackered and pissed off. “I don’t want Sophia doing anything that might call attention to herself. We don’t know who’s watching.”

“I’ll drive Sophia to and from work,” Emily piped up. “We’ll say her car is in the body shop getting repaired.”

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