Chapter 5 - Protection Became Possession
Three weeks later, Cindy discovered Andrew had assigned surveillance to her anyway.
She walked into his office carrying a security report.
Andrew knew immediately.
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
Cindy threw the folder onto his desk.
“You tracked my car.”
“For security.”
“My apartment.”
“Exterior only.”
“My gym?”
Andrew hesitated.
Wrong hesitation.
Cindy stared.
“You tracked me inside my gym?”
“Entrance and exit.”
“Andrew.”
“After David—”
“Stop using David.”
His expression hardened.
“He nearly killed you.”
“And you promised choices.”
“I promised I wouldn’t control what happened to David.”
“That’s lawyer language.”
Andrew stood.
“Someone targeted you because of me.”
“And that gives you ownership of my life?”
“No.”
“Then remove the surveillance.”
“No.”
Silence.
Cindy’s expression changed.
Not anger.
Disappointment.
Andrew hated that more.
She removed her company badge.
Placed it on his desk.
“What are you doing?”
“Resigning.”
His face changed.
“No.”
She laughed once.
“You just proved my point.”
“Cindy.”
“You don’t get to say no.”
Andrew came around the desk.
She stepped backward.
He immediately stopped.
The distance between them became unbearable.
“You’re safer here.”
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“Safer.”
She shook her head.
“You think if something is safer, you automatically get to choose it for me.”
Andrew’s voice lowered.
“I almost arrived too late.”
Cindy stopped.
For the first time, she saw what sat underneath his control.
Fear.
Andrew continued.
“I heard you crying. Then the phone went dead.”
His voice became quieter.
“I have replayed those twelve seconds every night.”
Cindy’s anger softened.
But she did not surrender.
“That explains what you did.”
Andrew looked at her.
“It doesn’t excuse it.”
He said nothing.
Cindy pushed the badge toward him.
“I care about you.”
Andrew froze.
She almost smiled.
Apparently those four words frightened the most feared man in Manhattan more than a gun ever could.
“But I will not belong to you.”
“You don’t.”
“Then prove it.”
“How?”
“Remove every tracker I didn’t approve.”
Andrew’s jaw tightened.
“All of them?”
“All.”
He looked miserable.
Cindy waited.
Finally Andrew picked up his phone.
“Lucas.”
A pause.
“Remove Cindy’s unauthorized surveillance.”
Lucas apparently said something.
Andrew closed his eyes.
“Yes. All of it.”
Another pause.
“No, I haven’t lost my mind.”
Cindy smiled despite herself.
Andrew hung up.
“Done.”
She reached toward the badge.
Andrew covered it with his hand.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“You resigned.”
“I reconsidered.”
“No.”
Cindy stared.
Andrew almost smiled.
“You said I’m allowed choices.”
“You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
He moved his hand.
Cindy picked up the badge.
Andrew’s smile disappeared again.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“Nathan talked.”
Cindy waited.
“He wasn’t working alone.”
Her smile vanished.
“Who?”
Andrew placed a photograph on the desk.
Marcus Bell.
Cindy stared.
“No.”
“He claims Marcus recruited him.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know.”
“Marcus’s daughter was threatened.”
“Exactly.”
Cindy looked at Andrew.
“You think Nathan is lying.”
“I think somebody wants us looking at Marcus.”
Cindy picked up the photograph.
“Then we look somewhere else.”
Andrew nodded.
“Where?”
Cindy thought for several seconds.
Then her eyes widened.
“The original access alert.”
“What about it?”
“It happened while David was breaking in.”
“Yes.”
“Marcus supposedly controlled the compromised credentials.”
“Yes.”
“But he was at home.”
Andrew understood.
“Someone needed access to both Marcus’s credentials and the internal network.”
Cindy nodded.
“Who maintains executive authentication?”
Andrew’s expression changed.
One name.
May you like
“Lucas.”
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