Page 28 of Tempt My Heart

"Um, good morning. I was just wondering if it worked?" Her hands twisted into fists at her side and she did her best to try and get them to uncurl.

Denver smiled, his teeth perfectly white and even, highlighting his cupid's bow. "Finished deleting everything this morning."

It felt like she had been walking around with weights attached to her legs that had been suddenly cut, leaving her feeling ten pounds lighter. She sat down in the chair opposite Christopher's desk before she could fall down and sucked in a few breaths before springing up again to hug Denver hard.

"Thank you."

He had stiffened at her leap but relaxed when she squeezed him and pulled away.

"You're not out of the woods yet, but I'm glad I could help. I can’t guarantee that he doesn’t have other copies stashed away somewhere though."

Her boss' jaw was strangely tight as he watched Denver put some space between them and she winced, realizing she had probably overstepped charging in here the way she had.

"Sorry, I'll let you get back to your meeting."

"Wait," Christopher said, dark brows slanting down into a frown as he stepped toward her. "Don't you want to discuss your next steps?"

"Isn't it over?" Biting her lip, she slowly sank back down into the chair when Christopher gestured to it.

"We need to be sure this is finished before we make any other moves."

"You want me to meet him again." Did her heart always race this much? She fanned her face but nodded. "Okay. I'll message him now."

Typically, her phone was buried right at the bottom of her purse, and by the time she pulled it free her hands were shaking with nerves. She wanted so badly for this to be done with and over, but Christopher was right. They had to make sure Jared wasn't going to try something else.

His reply came back to her almost immediately and she had to imagine he was seething that his files were gone, if he even knew yet.

Alison:We need to talk

Jared:I already told you that the time for talking is over. Don't make me remind you, Alison.

"He doesn't think we need to meet again," she told the two men lurking at her side, trying to keep her voice steady even as panic started to rear its head.

"Just tell him you have information for him," Denver suggested, taking in the shaking of her hands with concern.

"Okay," she whispered before repeating herself louder. "Okay."

Alison:I have an update for you. Information.

Jared:Send it now.

Alison:Can’t. Need to meet.

There was a pause as he clearly mulled over her words before his reply came again and she let out a breath of relief.

Jared:Fine. Arthur’s. 3 PM.

She held up the phone so that Christopher and Denver could read the message and then sagged against the chair. Logically, she knew there was no reason for her to be shaking this much. She had dated this guy for nearly three months and had never worried for her safety. But it felt different now, like the gloves were off and masks dropped. She wasn't sure what Jared was capable of anymore.

Voices were talking quietly around her but she couldn't focus on them, all she could hear was her own labored breathing. Was this a panic attack? She'd had one when she'd found out her dad had died too, but otherwise she wasn't usually prone to anxiety or panic attacks. Though, these were extenuating circumstances and admittedly she’d been feeling on edge a lot recently.

"Ali." It was a quiet murmur from a deep voice, its timbre sinking into her bones and momentarily quelling the shaking until it started up again. Warm hands slid under her chin and deep brown eyes took up the whole of her vision. They had surprising streaks of amber that would have been impossible to view until she was as close to his face as this, but she knew these eyes familiarly, fondly, anyway.

"Christopher," she whispered and he shushed her as her head continued to spin.

"Just breathe for me, Alison."

What was he talking about? Were those not her gasping breaths she could hear?

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