Page 28 of Insidious Threats
She nodded. He poured himself a glass of Scotch. She decided to stick with herbal tea.
They made themselves comfortable on the couch. Connelly sat at the end closest to the fireplace, ostensibly so he’d have an end table within easy reach for his glass. She couldn’t help but notice, though, that the position also gave him a clear shot at the front door and a good view of the porch stairs through the window.
She wriggled in next to him and rested her head on his lap, propping her feet on the opposite arm of the couch and arranging a fleece blanket over herself. She imagined they looked like a picture of cozy domesticity. And to some extent, they were. But her vantage point allowed her to keep an eye on the kitchen, scanning for shadows outside the back door. They sat in silence for a few moments. The only sounds were the old clock ticking over the mantle and the trees creaking in the wind outside. Mocha’s soft snoring cut through the quiet, and they laughed.
Sasha looked up at Connelly. “Did you delete the Dryve Time app from your phone?”
“I did. It feels like the genie’s out of the bottle, though.”
“I know. But at least it’ssomethingwe can do. If you have the other two companies’ apps on your phone, get rid of those, too.”
He nodded. He placed his chin in his hand and cracked his jaw, a sure sign that he was thinking.
“What?” she prompted.
“Maybe we should move. Not to a castle, obviously, but someplace more secure.”
Her chest tightened. She didn’t want to move. She loved their house and their walkable neighborhood. But more than that, she didn’t want to let fear drive her decisions. She wouldn’tallowfear to drive her decision. Turning into someone who mistrusted her neighbors, eyed every stranger as a threat, and fortified her home with layers of security wouldn’t make her safer, but it would make her a prisoner of her fears.
“No.” She twisted and propped herself up on her elbow to look him directly in the eye. “We’re not moving.” Her voice was firm and fierce.
“It’s just a suggestion. You’re the one who’s so freaked out.”
She softened. “That’s fair. But look, if the world’s richest man wants to get us, any measures we take are going to be useless—short of actually holing up in a castle or a bunker somewhere. And even then …”
He finished what she couldn’t. “Leith Delone’s a powerful enemy, and he’ll beat us in the end.”
She sighed and slumped in on herself. “Right.”
They sat with the unfamiliar emotion. They weren’t used to feeling outmatched. Sure, they’dbeenoutmatched—more than a few times—but they’d never believed they couldn’t prevail. Facing down a multibillionaire with a vengeful streak felt different, though.
“So, the threat?” He took a sip of his drink.
She took a moment to organize her thoughts. “Amanda was angry at the meeting, but when she ambushed me in the car, her demeanor had changed. She was frightened, almost desperate. She told me that Maisy had humiliated Delone publicly, and he wasn’t going to let that go. She said Maisy would have to pay for what she did. I thought for a minute she was going to pass out, she got so worked up.”
“About Maisy criticizing Delone on the air?”
She paused, trying to recall the exact words that had rattled the other woman. “Yeah, I countered that what Maisy said happened to be true. That Delonedidinterfere with the reporting on the case, and the disinformation he was trying to spread would have hurt my case.”
“If it hadn’t settled.”
“Right. Which is what he wanted all along, right? A settlement. So, why does he care what Maisy said? He’s Leith Freaking Delone. There are entire websites devoted to making fun of him and criticizing everything he does. He can’t bethatthin-skinned.”
Connelly bobbed his head. “I mean, hecouldbe. But it sounds more like Maisy’s comments struck a specific nerve.”
“I think that’s right,” Sasha said slowly. “Maisy must’ve really gotten under his skin. I wonder why. ATJ—”
“Who?”
She rolled her eyes. “Delone’s lawyer wanted everyone to call her ATJ because it saves time. More efficient than saying her full name.”
“She sounds fun. Although, think about how many more billable minutes you could squeeze out of every week if you made everyone call you SCM?”
“No, thanks. I’m not looking for peak efficiency at the risk of becoming a soulless automaton.”
“Like ATJ?”
She relented, “Actually, that’s not fair. She wasn’t acting like a robot. She was acting like someone who was scared, really scared.”
