Elena knew that wherever they were going, she was happy to have Michael with her. His handsome face still took her breath away and she hated the empty, awful feeling that invaded her when she thought something had happened to him.
“I could have lost you,” Michael said, looking Elena in the eyes.
“What do you mean?” Elena asked. “I’m not going anywhere.” She put her other hand over his in a gesture that was meant to be reassuring. She had never realized how deeply Michael’s feelings for her had to be and that knowledge only made her love him more.
“They had your information,” Michael said, speaking more quickly than usual. The words tumbled over one another as he began to explain what had occurred. “The software should have been impenetrable, but it was breached. All of the secure information on my computer was hacked.”
Elena gasped as Michael continued.
“Terrorists,” he said. “I had a security detail for just this reason and I never had any reason to doubt any of them. It could have only been an inside job, though.”
Elena was speechless, feeling as though she was in over her head and not knowing what to say to Michael.
“It wasn’t just that the computers were hacked. All that information is very sensitive. That’s bad enough. But they were in my office, Elena. In my personal space.” Michael’s voice was growing louder and his speech more animated.
“What happened?” she asked.
“The office was empty when I got home, but I knew immediately that someone had been there. I keep everything a certain way and things were out of place enough for me to notice.”
“How do you know it was terrorists?” Elena said, frowning. Just the word ‘terrorist’ was enough to make her stomach turn.
“Their calling card,” Michael said bitterly. “I’d been threatened before. That’s an unfortunate part of working in defense. But things got personal.”
“What happened?” Elena asked, her hand squeezing his more tightly.
“A bomb in my car,” Michael said and the full horror of the situation was occurring to Elena. “Obviously I wasn’t in the car at the time, but my whole garage is decimated.”
“A bomb?” Elena said, her mind fixating on that image.
“It missed me,” Michael said. “And there are files that weren’t taken. But someone had been in my personal files, including the ones about you.”
“You have files about me?” Elena asked.
“Yes,” Michael said simply. “I keep everything carefully organized. But as soon as I discovered that they had your information, I knew that they would try to get to me through you. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“I’m here,” Elena assured him. “Always.” She smiled at him and he placed his hand on the side of her face.
“I don’t know what I would do without you, Elena,” Michael said and there was a vulnerability about him that Elena found endearing.
“You won’t ever have to find out,” she assured him. She could feel him tremble and she sensed that he was holding back.
“Whoever set the bomb must have been caught by surprise because he attacked me. Punched me in the ribs and got away.”
Knowing that whoever had stolen Michael’s files had still been in his house while he was home was frightening to Elena and she forced herself not to think about what could have happened to him. They were safe and together and that is all that mattered.
“I’ve never been this angry,” Michael said and Elena saw the struggle he was having. She wanted to help him calm down however she could.
“I know,” Elena said, still holding his hand and watching him. “You need a release.” It was more of a statement than a question and Michael looked at her.
“Take it out on me,” Elena said simply. “Use me. Release your frustration and rage.” Elena was offering herself up for whatever Michael needed. “I want you to do whatever you need, Michael.”
“I could hurt you,” Michael said, frowning.
“I know,” Elena said simply. “I trust you.” She didn’t want to say anything further, didn’t want to feel as though she was pushing Michael so she just watched him.
Chapter 5
The change that came over Michael was immediate and now Elena trembled. “Get naked. Now. Kneel,” Michael said. His voice was cold and Elena scrambled to obey. She knew he needed this – and she did as well. The thought of being separated from him was unbearable. Knowing that he had been so close to danger did something to her, made her feel like she needed to connect with him.