Page 54 of Hard Wired

Chapter Seventeen

Tanner pulled up to the curb in front of Dominic’s house and shifted the truck into park.

“You sure about this?” he asked.

Sylvie grabbed the bag nestled between her feet. “Max already asked that earlier.”

“But Max doesn’t know about you and Crane, does he?”

She tilted her head to look at him. “You don’t either.”

Over the past week, her text conversations with Dominic had morphed into friendship territory. Yet she still didn’t truly know the man she’d been talking to.

Was he real? Or a lie?

It was like Sylvie had two different people in her head: the woman who genuinely liked Dominic, who wanted to know more about him. Who’d even shared her secrets—true secrets—with him. And then there was the Bennett Security employee who was actively plotting to betray him.

Now here she was, right outside his house. Desperate to see him again and dreading what she had to do.

She’d never been so confused.

“I know what Priyanka told me,” Tanner said. “How you and Crane looked ready to strip each other naked the first day you met?”

“Since when are you talking to Priyanka? I told you to steer clear of her.”

“I’m steering clear. But she likes to gossip in the breakroom.”

Damn it. Sylvie’s assistant would need another talking-to. “Don’t worry about me and Crane. I’ll handle it. Come on.”

She had her custom-designed bundle of programs ready to go, loaded onto a USB flash drive. She hadn’t actually seen any of Dominic’s computers during her previous visits, but he’d mentioned those fancy porn sites. Clearly, he had a device somewhere. She’d find it. And if it didn’t have a USB connector, that wouldn’t stop her. She had plenty of adapters at her disposal. She could probably even work with his phone if need be.

Wrestling with the moral implications of her plan had presented more of a challenge. But she had a job to do.

Sylvie and Tanner approached the front door. The bell rang, and she heard it echoing in the entryway. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as her nervousness grew.

No matter what else she thought of Crane, he’d been outwardly sweet to her. Made her feel comfortable in a way that no man had before. After their conversations, assuming he’d been genuine, she could even consider him a friend.

And he was still the most attractive man she’d ever seen. So yeah, there was that, too.

In the past week, Sylvie had gone back and forth a dozen times on whether she thought Dominic had lied to her. She kept coming to the same conclusion: even if—if—he’d done nothing to intentionally deceive her, she still couldn’t trust him to remain neutral.

If the Syndicate was threatening his life, he might be willing to make all sorts of compromises to ensure his own safety. Whether he wanted to get his leadership position back or not, Crane had no reason to show any loyalty to Bennett Security. Sylvie’s priorities were incompatible with his.

She had to protect the company and the people she cared about. It was as simple and as crucial as that.

This was going to be shitty. No way around it.

Maureen opened the door. “Sylvie, what a pleasant surprise. And you’re Tanner, isn’t that right? Lovely to see you again.” She stepped out onto the porch and pulled Sylvie into a hug.

“I’m sorry I haven’t gotten in touch before now,” Sylvie said. “How have you been?” Dominic had mentioned Maureen in some of his texts, but Sylvie hadn’t spoken to the woman directly.

“Oh, I’m fine. It’s been a bit nerve-racking, sticking around this place. But it seems that’s what’s in the cards at the moment.”

Sylvie wondered how much Maureen knew about the attack or the Syndicate’s new leader.

“What can I do for you today?” Maureen asked.

“I was hoping to take another look at the security system. We’d better make sure there won’t be any more problems.” This was the story she’d decided on to get in the door. Of course, once she and Dominic were alone, she had a different explanation for what she was doing at his house.

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