Slade crouched down and got in the man’s face. He was pleased with the fear in the other man’s eyes. “You’re fired. I want you on the first plane back to Dallas. Your secretary can clean out your office. If I catch you on Black Oak property again, I will have you arrested. If I see you near our fiancée again, I will have you killed. No one will ever find your body. Is that understood?”
Preston hobbled back with a nod, and Slade had to wonder if this coward would climb a tree to take pictures of a woman. It didn’t seem like his speed, but Slade wasn’t about to underestimate anyone’s desire for Hannah. He knew firsthand how it burned, how it made a man crazy. Even if everything didn’t add up perfectly, Slade still didn’t want the bastard anywhere near his woman.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to find Dex sauntering up. His younger brother stared at Preston, who whimpered and tried to cover his face.
“Punching him feel good?” Dex nodded with malice at the other man.
Slade smiled. “Imminently satisfying.”
“Perfect. I’ll let the receptionist know to book him on the first flight to Anchorage and to make sure his ass travels in coach.” Dex started to walk away, then stopped short. “Oh, and I came in to get you. We have a conference call with the Lenox brothers in five minutes.” As Dex left, Lyle rushed through the door, then knelt to help his former boss to his feet. Lyle pulled Preston up, and the rolled-back cuffs of his shirt sleeves slipped up, revealing wiry arms covered in scratch marks. Slade suppressed a smile. The quiet ones always had the freaky sex lives. He wondered who would have scratched the hell out of a twerp like him.
Slade turned toward the door, but before he could leave, Scott, the blond tech who had supposedly identified the problem, stopped him. “Sir. Can I talk to you privately?” Slade hesitated then opened the door to a small conference room. “What is it?” If Scott said a word to him about Hannah, Slade swore he’d lay the prick out flat, too.
“It’s about the bug, sir. Like I said, it’s a nasty virus, but fairly common. Mr. Ward thinks it’s Internet security issues from the porn, but it’s not. It looks like someone uploaded this bug directly on to the system. Someone who had access to our software wanted this system to fail and at a very precise time.”
Slade felt his body go cold. Then he paused. Believe Scott or not? Too early to tell. He needed more information. “When was it uploaded?”
“I don’t have a firm time right now, but the bug crashed the system around eleven a.m.
yesterday.”
Right around the time the corporate jet took off with Hannah, himself, and his brothers, on their way to Alaska. Lyle had seen Dex carry Hannah out the door. Since the guy was still hovering protectively around his former boss, Slade could guess that Lyle was Preston’s bitch.
He would have told Mr. Harvard that Hannah had been whisked away. Ironic how perfectly timed that virus was. Preston was definitely smart enough to write the code to crash a system.
Hell, depending on Lyle’s loyalties, the little asswipe might have helped his former boss.
Slade marched into the IT cubicles, pinning a hard stare on Lyle. “Thanks. Get back to work.
Fix that bug.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, then watched Slade drag a sputtering Preston away.
Building security joined him to walk the former CIO out. Slade vowed to sic Burke and Cole on him the second Preston’s feet touched Dallas ground again.
* * * *
After finishing her lunch and finding some halfway decent clothes, Hannah explored the house. She was never again letting Dex pack for her. He hadn’t brought along a single pair of underwear and refused to tell her where to buy some. She was commando under her cotton skirt.
Bras, it seemed, didn’t make Dex’s list of necessary items, either. Her silk blouse brushed against her hard nipples making her so aware of her body and all the ways it ached. Now that she’d had sex, she couldn’t seem to get it off her mind.
She peered into each room. Last night, Slade had recounted a few stories about this place and his time with Gavin here as kids. Now she was fascinated by this grand log home and its remote majesty, which skirted a placid little lake framed by snow-capped mountains in the distance. The sky was such a bright blue that it almost hurt her eyes. She’d never seen anything like this.
As she wandered into the office, Hannah peeked out the window at the grounds. Everything from every view seemed vibrant and alive. There were a couple of golf carts at the back of the house that she’d been informed by the staff she could use to get to the stables. She definitely wanted to see those before she left. She was a West Texas girl, so horseback riding had been part of her upbringing. Dex and Slade had promised to take her on a ride sometime this week. She was far too sore today since she’d spent her whole night riding hungry men.