Playing in Secret(23)

"I understand. I won't say it didn't hurt me, because it did, but I get it."

"I'd like to try the whole cooking you dinner thing again if you'll give  me a second chance. Or third chance. Is there a third chance?"

"There can be, but not tonight. Jimmy asked me to hang out."

"He's taking his chance, huh? I don't blame him."

"He has a girlfriend. He just wants to hang out while he's in town, and re-connect."

"Here?"

"No. We don't just bring anyone here. This is our home."

"You brought us here."

"I did."

"God, I want to kiss you."

"Not yet. Glad to know I'm desirable today, though, and not looking like a slob."

"Audrey."

"I've got to get going. I'll have Ellie and Aiden meet you in the lobby.  Aiden's friend, Theo, just got to town, and he said he'd go to the high  school with you later, Blake. You can meet him at Corrigan or he can  meet you here."

"Corrigan, I think. I'd like to see Jeanne's set up."

"I'll let everyone know."

"Audrey," I say again, wanting her to look at me, but she won't.

"Bye," she says, and then walks out the door.

"Well that went well."

"It did, actually. She didn't hit you, and she pretty much said you get another chance."

"True. Grab your stuff and let's get going. We don't want to keep her friends waiting."

When we get to the lobby, I stop in my tracks. I didn't realize her  friend, Aiden, was Aiden Ford, whose father is the Vice-President of the  United States. Ellie looks like a badass Barbie, and the vibe coming  off of both of them tells me I wouldn't want to mess with either one.

"Hi, I'm Jeanne. Thank you for letting us ride with you."

"No problem," Aiden says, smiling at her.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Blake. Good to meet you."

I hold out my hand, and both of them look at it and then glare at me.  Okay, no new friends for me. At least not while Audrey is upset with me.  Good to know.



Audrey

"You have someone here to see you," Alex tells me over the intercom as I'm working in the lab.

"Who is it?"

"He says his name is Jimmy. Security let him up because he asked for you by name. He seems nice."

What the hell? "He seems nice" is code for "he tried to bring in  surveillance equipment or something to hack us with." What is he doing  here, and what is he thinking?

"I'll be right there."

"Great. I'll have him wait on one of the couches."

I throw off my lab coat and call Ainsley as I walk. "Talk to me."

"He has a jammer, and a USB drive that's carrying a virus which would allow access to most computer systems."

"Not ours?"

"Of course not. He doesn't know it, but he wouldn't make it past the first firewall on our system."

"I thought he was a friend."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. Reina knows?"

"Yes. She would like you to take him to the PR office, and try and find out why he's really here."

"Got it. I'm almost to the lobby. Is my comm active?"

"It is now," she says responding through it so I hear her in my ear. I  close my cell phone, and put a smile on my face. Jimmy stands as I walk  off the elevator.

"Hi Aud. I thought I'd surprise you."

"It is a surprise. I thought we were meeting later."

"I wanted to see where you work. That's okay, right?"

"Of course. I was just finishing up a meeting. Let's go into my office."

I smile at Alex as we walk past, and she nods. Once we're settled, I  watch him as he takes everything in. My real office downstairs is larger  than most CEOs offices, but this one is just medium-sized. It has some  modern art on the walls and comfortable chairs, but it's nothing  special.         

     



 

"I need your help, Audrey."

"I'll help you if I can."

"Oh you can," he says with a smile.

"What do you need?"

"Jeanne Armstrong."

"What?"

"My boss wants her, and I want my boss. You just need to get her to meet you and we'll take her."

"You're delusional if you think I'm giving that girl to you."

"My boss will hurt you, Aud. I'm trying to stop that from happening  because we're friends. Just help us get her, and then you can walk  away."

"Keep him talking. I've got a team closing in on his boss, and we're  looking here for his hired help," Reina tells me through the comm.

"What is so important about Jeanne?"

"She's brilliant. Like crazy brilliant. The only people I think could  score higher on the challenges we gave her are Scott Griffin, and a girl  you've never heard of, Ainsley Martin. And they're grown-ups."

If only he knew that I've not only heard of Ainsley, but that she's  currently working to take him down, he'd probably fall out of his chair.  "Okay, so why not wait until she graduates from at least high school,  and offer her a job?"

"That would be too late. The tech world isn't like the scientific one.  Things change every second, and we need to be ahead of the game. Jeanne  has the potential to take us to the next level, and keep going. She's so  young, and with the proper training, she could elevate us to the top  and keep us there."

"You can't just hold her prisoner and make her work for you."

"Why not? You know Blake and Misha. They're both so self-absorbed that  neither one of them will miss her. She'll probably thank us for taking  her."

"Blake loves her. He'd miss her. And she'd be miserable without him. Let  me help you get out of this situation, Jimmy. You're a good guy, I know  you are."

"She won't marry me if I don't bring Jeanne back with me. I love her, Audrey."

"She doesn't love you."

"She does," he says, jumping from his chair and leaning over the desk.  "She just needs to keep her company going. She likes her lifestyle, and  she wouldn't want to have to leave me for someone else who could provide  for her."

"Are you listening to what you're saying?"

I know I shouldn't poke the bear, but this is nuts. I'm pretty sure he's  riding the crazy train along with his woman, but maybe I can appeal to  whatever part of his brain is still functioning. Or at least keep him on  his toes until I get word that I can take him down.

"You don't need to understand, but you should. Wouldn't you do anything  to get Blake Armstrong? Oh wait, you tried that in high school, and that  didn't work. Do you still have your yellow prom dress?"

"Insulting me isn't really going to help you here."

"Ah, so you do have it."

I do, but that's none of his business. "Actually, no. There was no  reason for me to keep that dress. It belonged to a girl who thought her  identity was contingent on a boy who humiliated her. As a woman, I know I  don't need a man to define me. Would I like one-Blake-yes, but I can  live a very happy life without him. So to answer your question, no, I  would not do anything to get him."

"This guy is really a piece of work, and I'm sorry you're stuck with  him. His boss is taken care of, but we haven't gotten the other guys  yet. Ainsley and Scott also found something weird on his company's  server that they want to check out further. Just hang in there," Reina  says.

"You may not need Blake, but you need a man. I saw the way you dressed  last night. If I'd invited you up to my room last night, you would've  gone with me."

I stop myself from laughing, even though that's really what I feel like  doing. "No. I wouldn't have. I thought it would be nice to catch up with  an old friend, but that's it. Did I dress up? Yes, but that was for me.  I was having a rough day, and I wanted to feel pretty."

"You looked hot. You look hot right now, too. If I wasn't engaged, I'd make a play for you."

Which the little asshole basically just did by saying that. He wants me,  and I could use that to my advantage, but I really don't want to. He's  unstable, and I'm pregnant. Just one of those things in this situation  would be bad, but together they could be deadly for one of us. Or both.





Chapter 17


Blake

I'm supposed to be at the high school right now, but Reina called and  asked me to have my assistant director cover today's practice. She also  had me send the tutors home. Jeanne and I are just sitting here, waiting  for someone to tell us what's going on. Audrey's phone is going  straight to voicemail, and that has me worried, too.         

     



 

The door opens, and Jeanne freaks out. "Oh my God! You're Scott Griffin."

"I am, and you are Jeanne."

He holds out a tattoo covered arm, and shakes her hand, and then nods at  me, before smiling at my daughter once again. I see her sway a little,  and I think that means she just swooned. Oh hell no.

"What are you doing here?"

"We need Jeanne's help, and since I'm the least useful with a gun, they sent me."

"I'll help you with whatever you need," Jeanne tells him.