The irritation isn’t entirely rational. She works as a maid, and her job involves maintaining the household whether there’s a security alert or not. I didn’t explain the lockdown procedures or show her how to secure the office, so from her perspective, helping Carmen might have seemed like the responsible choice.
Still, the fact that she’s out here in a potential security situation when I specifically told her to stay safe bothers me more than it should.
We wait under the covered area until the women finish their work and head inside. Danielle catches sight of me and approaches with hesitant steps, water dripping from her hair and clothes.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Vetrov. Carmen needed help before everything got ruined by the rain. I thought?—”
“The security alert meant stay where I told you to stay.” My voice comes out harshly. “When I give you instructions related to safety, they’re not suggestions.”
She flinches slightly, suddenly tugging at her polo shirt to peel it away from her body. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
The apology is sincere, but she clearly doesn’t fully grasp why her safety might be important to me. How could she when she doesn’t know that I know her well-being affects more than just her own life? “Go back to my office. We’ll continue our conversation from before.”
“Of course.”
As she heads inside, Andrei receives a call on his secure phone. I listen to his side of the conversation, full of short responses and grim acknowledgments that suggest business complications.
“Rodriguez situation?” I ask when he hangs up.
“More updates from Annie in IT. They think the system failure might have been a test run, possibly to see how we respond to infrastructure attacks.” His expression is carefully neutral, but I see the concern underneath. “Meanwhile, our contact at customs believes one of Luca’s shell companies has successfully rerouted a shipment that should have come through Rodriguez’s port.”
I curse. “They’re testing our systems to see how we respond to pressure.”
“Exactly. If today’s security failure was connected to that, they know we can be compromised temporarily.”
I consider this as we walk back inside, shaking rain from our jackets. The timing of everything that makes me uneasy. “Shelve any retaliation plans for now. I want to see how bold Luca’s willing to get before we respond, but make sure Annie knows to harden our systems so this can’t happen again.”
“That’s risky.”
I nod. “Everything we do is risky. The question is whether the risk serves our long-term interests.”
He tilts his head slightly. “Does it?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” I smooth my damp hair and straighten my shirt before heading back to my office.
Danielle is there, carefully organizing papers that got scattered during our hurried exit earlier. She looks up when I enter, herexpression apologetic and still slightly nervous. “I really am sorry about not staying put. I wasn’t thinking about security. I was just trying to help Carmen before the storm got worse.”
“In the future, when I give you instructions related to safety, follow them exactly. No improvisation and no exceptions. Neither of you should have been outside when the alarm system was down.”
She nods. “Understood.”
I settle back into my chair, watching her work. The rain has made her hair curl slightly around her face, and despite the professional uniform, she looks younger than her twenty-seven years. Young enough to have been overwhelmed by an unexpected pregnancy and to have made decisions based on fear rather than logic.
“You mentioned you might have other commitments tonight,” I say, returning to our interrupted conversation. “Did you manage to sort that out?”
“Let me make a call and see if I can figure out something.”
She pulls out her phone and dials, turning away slightly for privacy. I can hear fragments of her conversation—something about delaying a pickup and working a few extra hours. The way she speaks suggests she’s talking to family, so possibly whoever watches Leo when she’s working.
When she hangs up, she looks relieved but still uncertain. “I can stay a little longer. Not all night, but a few extra hours should be fine.”
“Excellent.” I lean forward, resting my forearms on the desk. The rain is falling heavily now, drumming against the windowsand creating an intimate atmosphere that encourages honest conversation. “Why do you always seem like you’re holding back when we talk?”
She stops organizing papers and looks at me directly, something vulnerable flickering across her face before she rebuilds her walls. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You watch me sometimes when you think I’m not looking, like you’re trying to solve a puzzle.”
“Maybe you’re the one doing the watching.” Her response surprises both of us with its boldness, and I see color rise in her cheeks. “You seem to pay a lot of attention to what I’m doing.”
