Chapter 47

CHAPTER47

Haven Technologies Building

“What am I looking for?” Nathan asked as he stood there, willing the elevator to move faster.

“You’ll know when you see it,” Casey said, checking her phone as he reached over and pressed the button for the second floor again, praying that it wasn’t too late.

“I want you to go back upstairs and wait,” Nathan said, slowly exhaling as he watched the second floor come into view through the gate and-

“Not happening,” Casey said as he reached for the gate.

“Casey, I’m not fucking around right now. Go upstairs and…what the hell is that?” Nathan bit out, only to end up frowning in confusion as he pushed the gate open when the sounds of “Mmmmbop,” blasting suddenly hit them.

“The final piece of the puzzle,” Casey said as she moved past him.

“You really are like the little pain in the ass,” Nathan bit out as they headed towards the large group of employees forming in the back of the room.

“Turn it off!”

“Dear God, someone turn it off!” someone shouted as Nathan pushed his way through the group to find Jess covering her ear with one hand and yanking the power cord from the wall with the other.

“I’m trying!” Jess said, wincing when the move only caused the volume to go higher.

“Pull the battery out!” John said as he moved to do just that when Casey cut in front of him and quickly dropped down in the desk chair and set to work on the laptop that belonged to the woman that Nathan didn’t see anywhere.

“Not yet,” Casey murmured absently as she broke past Kelly’s password in a matter of seconds.

“Let me get in there and see if I can stop this,” Jess offered as she moved to reach for Kelly’s laptop.

“She’s got this,” Nathan said, making her pause as he threw one last look around the large room before he moved closer, placing his hand on the back of Casey’s chair as he watched her work. Within seconds, the music was turned off and Casey was quickly going through Kelly’s files.

“What’s going on?” came the question that had Nathan glancing back over his shoulder to find everyone moving closer to see what Casey was doing.

“Nothing. Why don’t you guys go back to work and we’ll take care of this?” Nathan said with a pointed look that had them grumbling as they reluctantly went back to work.

Once they were gone, Nathan turned his attention to Jess, who was frowning in confusion as she watched Casey work. “Where’s Kelly?”

“Umm, I have no idea,” Jess said, looking even more confused as she gestured to Casey. “What the hell is she doing?”

“Putting an end to this nightmare,” Nathan said as he leaned in closer to Casey to watch her work. “What have you got?”

“She’s managed to access this computer remotely,” she said, making his stomach drop because that was the last fucking thing that she should have been able to do.

“Did she manage to get into our system?” he asked as he watched her fingers fly over the keyboard as windows were opened and closed just as quickly.

“Not from a lack of trying,” Casey murmured absently as she pulled up another screen, this one with information that was being generated while they watched.

“Can you tell where she is?” Nathan asked, moving to take a knee next to her only to decide that wasn’t going to work.

Without a word, he picked Casey up, earning a disgruntled grumble from the small woman who didn’t stop typing as he sat down in the chair and settled her on his lap. “I know where she’s not,” Casey said, shifting to get comfortable on his lap as he wrapped his arm around her and shifted them closer to the desk.

“Where?” Nathan asked, watching her work.

“She’s definitely not in the building,” Casey said as she continued to do whatever it was that she was doing.

“Nathan, what’s going on?” Jess asked, shifting her attention from the small woman on his lap to the computer.

“It’s a long story,” Nathan said with a heavy sigh as he found himself absently caressing Casey’s stomach, needing the comforting action to stop him from losing his fucking mind.

This had to work.

“I bet,” Jess said as she pointed to the screen. “There are two IP hits now.”

“Smart,” was all Casey had to say as she worked while Nathan sat there, regretting all of those times that he ignored his sister when she rambled on about all of this shit.

“And now, there’s a third,” Casey said, sighing heavily as she somehow managed to type faster.

“What are you doing?” Nathan asked, slowly exhaling as he struggled not to lose his fucking mind.

“Making sure that the only file they’re getting is the one that I gave them,” Casey said, clicking away, and Christ, was she fast, Nathan thought as he watched her work.

“What file?” Jess asked as she grabbed a chair and dragged it closer.

“The one that’s going to tell me everything that I need later,” Casey mumbled.

“What does that mean?” Nathan asked, watching as “Massachusetts” suddenly appeared by the first IP address, making his stomach turn. A few seconds later, “Chesterville” joined it.

“Isn’t that where Quinn took Bailey?” Jess asked as Nathan watched “Thorne, Georgia” appear near the second IP address.

“Yes, it is,” Nathan said as he watched “Emerald Bay, Florida” appear by the third IP address and-

Oh, fuck…

* * *

Emerald Bay, Florida

“Why areyou being so mean to me?” Bailey asked, unable to help but pout as she watched the large man who clearly didn’t understand her needs as he took another sip from the Coke that had been left outside their door as promised.

“Because you’re a pain in the ass,” Quinn said with a heartfelt sigh as though the knowledge somehow pained him as he placed the Coke back on the nightstand and reached for her.

“That was my Coke,” Bailey mumbled sadly as she allowed herself to be pulled onto his lap.

“Which you got for an interrogation that I still have questions about,” Quinn murmured absently as he placed his hands on her jean-clad hips while she took in the incredibly handsome man that she couldn’t seem to get enough of.

Last night…

She honestly had no idea how to describe just how good it felt to be in his arms. The way that he’d held her, touched her, and the way that he’d looked into her eyes as he moved over her, his gaze softening as he’d leaned down and took her mouth in a tender kiss. He’d swallowed her moans, groaned her name when she screamed his and held her like she was the most important thing in the world to him while she’d struggled to catch her breath and-

She never wanted to let him go.

“You know my asking price,” Bailey said with a firm nod as she shifted to get more comfortable on his lap.

“Do I?” Quinn murmured as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“I believe you do,” Bailey said with a heartfelt sigh as she began toying with one of the buttons on his shirt.

“Refresh my memory,” Quinn said, absently running his hands down her thighs as his gaze met hers.

“I like to be worshiped,” Bailey said, gesturing for him to get on with it.

“I’ll do my best to remember that,” Quinn murmured absently as he considered her.

“It would make things easier, especially if you threw a Coke into the mix,” Bailey assured him as she watched him think that over for a moment and-

“What are you keeping from your brother?” Quinn asked as he settled back against the headboard, his intense gaze remaining locked on her.

“Many things,” Bailey said as she couldn’t help but decide that this would be the perfect time to finish getting a few answers of her own. “You know what I’ve been wondering?” she asked as she casually reached over and helped herself to the Coke.

“And what is that?” Quinn drawled as he plucked the Coke out of her hand.

“Were you ever planning on taking me back to Massachusetts?” Bailey asked, only to follow that up with a grumble as she watched him finish off the Coke.

“No,” he said with absolutely no hesitation, his gaze remained locked on her as he placed the can back on the nightstand.

Nodding, Bailey thought that over. “And that whole scene with Nathan firing you?” she asked, watching his lips twitch as he went back to running his hands over her thighs.

“It was something that we worked out ahead of time to let me know that he suspected someone,” he explained, taking her by surprise.

“It was a trap?” Bailey asked, watching him curiously.

“Yes,” Quinn murmured as he trailed his fingertips up her thigh and over her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.

“You knew Jonathan was lying?” she asked as he leaned back in and kissed her forehead.

“Yes,” he said against her skin as he took his time trailing his fingertips over her arm.

“How?” Bailey asked, trying to ignore just how good it felt to have his fingertips teasing her skin.

“What are you hiding from Nathan?” Quinn asked, pulling away only to turn his head so that he could press his lips against the spot just beneath her ear, making her breath catch.

“You have to be more specific,” Bailey said, feeling his lips twitch against her skin.

“Pam,” Quinn said, making her go still before she remembered who she was dealing with here and shrugged it off, hoping that it would be enough to move on.

“She’s an excellent assistant,” Bailey assured him as she shifted and opened her mouth to continue with her interrogation, only to end up releasing a soft moan when the devious man gently suckled on her neck, making it really difficult to focus.

“I’m sure she is,” Quinn murmured, only to pause so that he could press another kiss against her neck, “tell me how you met her.”

“Why are you so curious about Pam?” Bailey asked as she struggled to bite back a wince, wondering if Nathan found out.

“I’m curious about everyone you’ve lied for,” Quinn drawled as he brushed his lips across her neck and-

“Oh, god…”

-struggled to remember what they were talking about when his lips brushed against her ear, making it really difficult to focus.

“Where did you meet her?” Quinn asked, pressing one last kiss against her neck before he pulled back so that he could-

“Ran into her,” Bailey managed to get out when his lips found her throat.

“Where?” he asked, and when she didn’t answer him fast enough, Quinn turned his head so that his lips trailed down her throat, making her moan.

The man was evil, Bailey decided as she shifted on his lap to make it easier for him to continue doing that thing that he was really good at while she answered him. “Outside the coffee shop.”

“What was she doing there?” Quinn asked as he absently kissed a path to her chin and his hands slid back up her thighs.

“Looking for a job,” Bailey said, wondering how such a simple touch could feel this good.

“And?”

“And I, ummm, may have broken my promise to Nathan,” she said, pretty sure that he already knew everything. The man was devious, after all.

“Meaning…”

“I didn’t run a background check on her,” Bailey admitted, struggling to bite back a wince when she felt him go still against her.

“Because?” Quinn asked with one last kiss before he leaned back so that he could watch her as he waited for an answer that he wasn’t going to like.

She opened her mouth, only to rethink that decision, closed it, cleared her throat, and then, finally, “I would very much like to ensure that this won’t lead to Nathan following through with that threat to beat my ass.”

“I can promise that your brother won’t beat your ass,” Quinn drawled as she felt herself relax, only to wince when he added, “because I’ll most likely be spanking it.”

Clearing her throat, Bailey said, “In that case, then, I’m going to require you to promise not to do that.”

“Depends on what you tell me,” Quinn murmured, leaning in to brush his lips against hers.

“I’m afraid that I’m going to need a better offer than that,” Bailey said, making his lips twitch against hers.

“I’m willing to overlook the fact that you managed to negotiate a second Coke behind my back,” Quinn drawled, which was probably going to be the best offer that she was going to get.

“Because I knew that she was running away from something,” Bailey finally grumbled, only to swallow hard when he said, “And you still hired her,” and-

“Oh, that can’t be good,” Bailey mumbled weakly when she saw the look on his face.

When he didn’t say anything after a minute, which was really starting to concern her, especially when a muscle in his jaw began ticking, she cleared her throat, shifted, and decided that this would probably be a good time to change the subject. “I should probably get to work now,” Bailey murmured, even though she had to admit that might be an issue with her laptop currently locked in a metal bin somewhere.

She opened her mouth to inquire about his laptop, only to rethink that plan when his eyes took on a dangerous glint and-

“Why can’t you access your files remotely?” Quinn asked, thankful for the change of subject even as she tried to figure out the best way to explain this.

“Technically, I can, but I choose not to because I don’t like to take chances,” Bailey said, only to decide that she should probably further explain when his eyes narrowed dangerously on her. Clearing her throat, she continued. “Haven Technologies’ server is set up for in-house use only. I set it up to stop anyone from accessing files from an outside IP as well as set a safeguard on the files to lock if the laptops were taken out of the building.”

“And if they make a copy of the file?” Quinn asked, looking lost in thought.

“They won’t be able to access it without my key,” Bailey said, shrugging it off.

“What about the employees who are working on the program?” he asked as he ran his hands back down her thighs.

“I broke the project down into pieces and assigned each piece to a different team, making sure that it couldn’t be pieced together without my code. So, even if someone was able to get their hands on every part, they wouldn’t be to-”

“Piece it together,” Quinn finished for her with a nod of understanding. “Are your files in the same folder?”

“No, I learned my lesson the first time that one of my games was stolen,” Bailey said with another shrug as she gave up playing with the buttons on his shirt and reached up and ran her fingertips along his jaw, enjoying the feel of his early morning whiskers against her skin.

“Meaning?” Quinn asked as he turned his head and kissed her palm.

“I keep my files on a separate server along with the completed parts from my team,” Bailey admitted as she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

“Does anyone else know?” Quinn asked, running his hands back up her thighs and over her hips as he returned the kiss, making her moan softly as she felt herself melting in his arms. God, she was quickly becoming addicted to his touch and that terrified her, but not enough to put a stop to this.

“No,” Bailey said, moving to wrap her arms around him.

“Good. Keep it that way,” Quinn said as he reached up and ran his fingertips along her jaw. “Where does Jonathan’s program play into this?”

“How much do you know about coding?” Bailey asked, not really sure how she was going to explain this.

“Nothing,” Quinn murmured with a slight shake of his head as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

“That makes it more difficult to explain this,” Bailey admitted as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth while she tried to figure out how to explain this to him.

“Try me,” Quinn said, leaning back against the headboard as he took her hands in his and entwined their fingers together.

Slowly exhaling, Bailey said, “This code for this game is more advanced than any of the other games that I’ve created and with it broken down like this, I needed something to hold it all together and make the connection seamless, but that’s a problem sometimes with millions of lines of code, each one with a different code structure because of how I broke this down. His program would have made it easier for players to move between levels and made sure that everything the player earned, coins, extra lives, powers, weapons, etc., moved with them.”

“Isn’t that the norm for video games?” Quinn asked, looking genuinely confused.

Shaking her head, Bailey said, “Not like this.”

“What’s different about this game?”

“Everything,” Bailey said, unable to bite back an excited smile as she thought about her newest baby.

“Meaning?” Quinn asked softly as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers again.

“Normally, each level provides the same player experience, making it easier for players to share codes and tips and know what to expect in the game. It also allows them to beat the game faster when they play it again because they’ve played it before and know what to expect, but not this game. I’ve created an AI program to enhance the experience so that it learns from the player, adapting to their skills, choices, and weakness so that it changes with each level, providing the player with a challenge and a whole new experience every time they play the game. There’s nothing like it on the market. A million players could play this game and every one of them would have a different experience.”

“Jesus Christ…” Quinn said, looking absolutely stunned.

“That’s another reason why the game has been broken down into so many parts because the game needs information and code to work with to make this happen,” she explained with a shrug.

“And Jonathan’s program would allow this?” he asked, watching her curiously.

“Yes and no. I’ve already developed the program to pull it off, but his program would have made it easier to connect everything,” Bailey said, slowly exhaling as she thought about all the work that she needed to get done.

“Can you pull this off without it?”

“Yes, it will just take more time, something that we’ve been trying to avoid,” Bailey said, trying not to think about all of the sleepless nights ahead.

“Have you ever accessed the files from outside Haven Technologies before?” Quinn asked, looking lost in thought.

“I’ve never had to before,” Bailey said, even as she told herself that she really didn’t have a choice anymore and-

Suddenly found herself placed on the bed next to him with a kiss on her forehead. That was followed by her grumbling pathetically as she watched him climb off the bed with an absently murmured, “Stay here,” and headed for the door.

“Fine,” Bailey mumbled sadly as she watched him go even as she reminded herself that she had a job to do. She allowed herself a moment to pout before she reluctantly reached over and helped herself to his iPad, deciding that this would be a good time to figure out what she was going to do about her laptop and-

I miss you.

-felt sick to her stomach when she saw the text message waiting for him.