INTRUSIVE

CHAPTER 10

It was 8:55 and she sat outside of the coffee shop, an untouched coffee in her hand. Her other hand was buried in her purse on her lap, wrapped around her pistol. She didn't know what Michael really wanted – but if he wanted to hurt her, she wouldn't let that happen.

"You're late," a voice said from behind her. Ember jumped in her chair, turning around and instinctively pulling her hand out of her purse – but it was just Rylan. She pulled her hand out of her purse slowly, hand empty.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she growled. It wasn't a question she should ask her boss, but she was beyond caring about that now. She hadn't seen him since their brunch date, and she hadn't wanted to see him.

"You didn't show up at work today and I got worried," he answered, pulling up a chair beside her. "May I sit?" Ember shook her head, but Rylan sat down anyway. "I thought maybe I should check the surrounding area, maybe I would find you. And look, here you are."

Ember narrowed her eyes at him. It was possible, she admitted. The coffee shop was only a block away from the office. But she knew that wasn't how he had found her.

"You're lying," she stated. "You've been reading my emails."

He spread his hands wide, a hurt look on his face, and feigned disbelief. "Me? I would never!"

"Do you think I'm stupid? I flagged an unauthorized access point last night. Why?"

Rylan smiled and sighed, saying, "I guess the jig is up."

"Why?" she repeated.

"I'm still worried about you, Ember" Rylan explained. A waitress came out and he paused long enough to order a coffee before continuing, "So I looked in on you."

"I don't need you to worry about me," she said. She scanned the crowd, half expecting Michael to show up at any time. She dreaded to see what he would do when he saw her with Rylan again. "I never needed you to worry about me. Now less so than ever."

"Well, you're skipping out on work. That's troubling."

Ember had to admit that he had caught her there. "Look, this is the last time my personal life will interfere with the job. I promise."

"Oh, I know," Rylan said, smiling. Everything but his smug exterior was gone: his confusion from Saturday, the little bit of tenderness he had shown to her, everything between them.

"What do you know?" Ember asked. He knew more than he was letting on.

"I've known there were problems with Michael Allston for some time now. He's been poking around, staying on the fringes of legal work for a couple of years. He's desperate to make his big mark on the world."

At the mention of Michael's name, Ember felt her veins turn to ice. How does he know?

"He's been a rival for a long time. I knew you two had worked together in the past, but I never would have guessed that your relationship would continue to blossom throughout the years."

"There is no relationship between us," Ember snapped. "There never was, and there never will be!"

"He's sure been talking to you an awful lot, lately."

What could Ember say?

"He's always had something for you, Ember. But when he saw that you'd joined my firm, he took things to the next level. It wasn't just about getting back at you, you know. He was using you to hurt us both."

"I don't understand..."

"Michael's been itching to take me down for years. Always looking for an in, a way to break me down from the inside."

"And he saw a chance with me," Ember said. She didn't know whether to be relieved or bothered that she hadn't been his main target. "What's his endgame, though?"

"To begin with, he was going to extort you for money. Then, he was going to use you as leverage to insert himself into the company. Get his foot in the door, so to speak. He would have milked you dry, using your work as his until he could set himself up with enough of a career that he could rival my own. His plan was to make it big, be even more than you or I could ever hope."

"Was?"

"You, and in extension, me, will never have to worry about Michael Allston again," Rylan said, his voice quiet as the waitress dropped off his coffee. He flashed her a smile, slid a ten across the table, and then looked back at Ember.

Those words were like music to her ears – almost as reassuring as the sound of her fingers on a keyboard. But it sounded too good to be true.

"How do you know?"

"Have you checked the news lately?" he asked, leaning back and taking a sip of his coffee. For once, that signature grin of his didn't make Ember want to smack it away. Only a few days ago, she would have found it quite charming. But now...

She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, immediately checking the news. She didn't have to look for long. The top headline read: HACKING CONSPIRACY FOILED.

"You did this?" she asked breathlessly. He nodded. Ember felt herself smiling.

I should feel guilty. Michael is going away for a long time, she thought, reading through the article. But then she realized what he had been intending to do to her. He was going to ruin her life. Forever. He deserved what happened to him.

"If it's any consolation," Rylan started, leaning in close and smiling as if they were part of some conspiracy themselves. Ember found herself leaning in, too, trying to get close enough to hear his quiet voice. She could smell him – an intoxicating, manly scent, charming in a way that made her head swim. She pushed the thought away. "He was guilty. I just – helped the authorities discover it before it went too far."

Ember was inches from his face, and she felt the overwhelming need to kiss him again. She wanted to reach out, to hold him, to hug him, to thank him. But she knew she couldn't do that. Not anymore, not ever again.

He looked as if he wanted it. As if he was warring against his emotions. But before either of them could make a mistake, Ember leaned back into her chair.

Rylan's signature grin was gone: all that remained was a look of some far away sadness. As if he'd had something good that had slipped through his grasp.

"I need to go," she whispered.

"Take the morning off. But I'll need you in after lunch," he said.

Ember got out of the chair and took a few steps away. "Rylan, when you first brought up Michael in your office – you hadn't accessed my emails yet." He nodded his affirmation. "So, how did you know about him contacting me?"

"You're not the only one with secrets, Ember," he said. It was Ember's turn to nod. Then she turned and walked down the street.

Her mind was racing. Everything that had been on her mind – all of the dread that she had been feeling these past few days, had been taken care of. Michael was out of her life, hopefully for good. She was free.

Relief should have flooded her body. She should have been smiling. She should have felt like her life had just started over.

But while she was free, she wasn't out of the woods just yet. She didn't know where she stood with Rylan – he'd went out of his way to protect her, to keep her working for him.

Was it just self-preservation? He'd said that Michael had him in his sights. Or was it for Ember? A bit of both? If it was for Ember, what did it mean? Was it purely professional, or was there something more to it?

If anything, she was more confused than she'd ever been. But one problem out of her life was gone, at least. Now she just had another: keeping Rylan at a safe distance where her feelings couldn't get in the way of her career.

You're not he only one with secrets, Ember. Those words kept echoing through her head.