The Temp (32 page)

84

“Tell me the truth, Trigger.”

“Eve, calm down,” he placed a hand on her forearm. She shook it off.

“Did they leak that information? Is it done?” her voice rose to a frantic whisper. She cast her gaze around her apartment as if
they
could see her here. She had occupied Trisha’s apartment since she’d moved out and so far there wasn’t any sign of those men and the sensation of someone following her was gone, for now.

She didn’t know if they knew anything else. “Was it you?” Eve said. “Tell me,” hurt lined her voice.
Oh, Trigger,
she’d had such high hopes for him and to do this-

“Eve, this weekend be ready,” Trigger moved in closer to her. His hand pressed onto her arm pulling her gaze closer to his face and his lips. There was the warmth she’d expected, the electric spark between them though it was fizzling in size, smaller than before. He took out a memory stick from his pocket. “Use this, you’ll wait for instructions and then come straight to where I tell you to.” He placed the stick in her hand, she was trembling all over. After so long of waiting, this was what it would all come down to.
This.
His fingers closed over hers holding firm, a shimmer of warmth flowing at their connection. “Be vigilant and take care of yourself.” His eyes were intent and she knew he wanted to say more, didn’t. The glimmer of hope that this was all over was snuffed out.

Trigger hadn’t answered her question probably because she couldn’t know. She felt it though, the rolling of the dice, the falling of the dominos, the imminent crash of something big.
Roman.

When this was all over, would they be together?

Would he still want her?

Could she make this right?

85

Eve let herself in.

It was Saturday morning on the weekend she’d been told to act. She tiptoed into Roman’s apartment depositing her handbag on the counter. She’d been given clear instructions by Trigger over the phone.

The call had come the night before. She’d planned to see Roman the same day, since the new security system was being put in place it would mean it wouldn’t be until the next day.

“Eve,” Trigger had said, as he called her from a blocked number.

“Don’t write this down,” he said at first. “If you have to write it, memorise it and burn the evidence.”

Sweat trickled down her brow. She grabbed a pen and paper as he gave the instructions. The memory stick weighed heavily in her pocket; it was also some kind of decryption key that would bypass the log in and passwords. It was far more complex than Eve had envisioned. She wrote down the instructions, file pathways of where to go and what to copy. Her pen was unsteady; she finally made somewhat coherent notes.

“After it’s done, don’t stay there. You’ll have a perhaps an hour or less before the breach is detected and if you’re caught before you get”-he breathed heavily. “You’re on your own.”

Eve swallowed, her mouth dried up. “You said you would help me.”

“They will. I’ll do everything in my power, you have to follow the instructions to the letter. Come to the Bourbon Hotel Room 511, when it’s done.” There was a moment of numbed silence. “And Eve, take care.” He’d hung up with the last word.

Eve tiptoed into the foyer towards the living room of Roman’s hotel apartment.

Her fingers itched over the memory stick.

It was now or never,
now or never.

“Eve?”

“Roman,” she nearly jumped out of her skin. He sat amidst the cream lounge dressed in a light suit and pants. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“I mean, I thought you were still finishing up at the office,” her fingers numbed in her pocket. The memory stick fell to the bottom of it. Roman was here,
he was here.
It would be the last time he would see her before she committed the crime.

Why couldn’t she stay with him? She was torn between the rational and irrational. It was a delusion to think she and Roman would have a normal relationship after this. It had been so clear all along, why was she only seeing it now?

“Roman,” she breathed barely keeping it together.

“What’s wrong?” he rose and held out his hands, their fingers interlacing and she elicited a sigh. That night when they’d held hands after sex, something had changed between them, something had become real.

Roman Pierce was letting down his barriers. So was she.

“I was so worried about you,” she choked. She couldn’t tell him, how could she? In a few hours she’d steal whatever it was the blackmailers wanted all to protect her hide and run away. Roman Pierce was a fantasy that was going to end.

I love you.
She couldn’t say that either, knowing she would break his heart.

“Eve,” he pulled her in a sweet kiss and she weaved in holding him for dear life.

“We’ll go sailing again,” he said as he drew her at arms length. His eyes crinkled at the corners. “We’ll get away from the chaos of the city and its problems.”

They shouldn’t go, she knew as much. She needed to be here where she could commit the crime and get out. She stared deep into those eyes, the image of herself shining back. There was so much riding on his last request. The look was clear; Roman Pierce too needed to get away from the troubles of his world.

“Yes,” she whispered.
A few more hours with you.

*

“Trigger,” Roman was terse on the phone. “Can’t it wait?”

He shouldn’t have answered, with what had been going on lately, he couldn’t risk not knowing if there were new leads. He’d just docked the yacht into a small leafy bay off a small island. The sun basked on his back over the horizon. It wasn’t the same island as last time but it was stunning and the reef and its fish could more easily be seen from here. He hadn’t expected to get a call, much less reception. Being away from the city was the best for him right now, for both of them.

Eve was crumbling under the pressure of Carra. Eve was here, that’s all that mattered.

“It can’t buddy. I’ve got some bad news.” Roman glanced to Eve huddled on the sundeck, he put the phone to the other side of his jaw. “The tech team has narrowed down your suspects and there’s one thing that sticks out. One key card was used on the night of the leak to access the building. It’s Eve, Roman. Her key card showed up at midnight. I thought you should know.”

“It doesn’t mean she did it.”

Trigger sighed over the phone. “I didn’t want to believe it either.”

“Why am I only finding out about this now?”

“The security team missed it at the time.”

“What do I pay them for?!” Roman turned back to Eve; she met his gaze and waved him over. He put the phone down and sat down next to her.

“Anything important?” she smiled up at him her big doe eyes shimmering in the sunlight. She was clad in a matching cream dress to his light cream suit. She folded her legs diagonally shifting to the breeze. Her hair flared out in wisps framing her face, marron and feint blonde, sun kissed, her neck arched catching the breeze.

“I wish it could always be like this,” she whispered, closing her eyes. Roman stared at her, how could Eve be the one behind this? It wasn’t possible. She wasn’t capable and moreover she’d been with him that very night. Would she have been able to slip away unseen and unheard? This was Eve, clumsy, gentle and too innocent for corporate espionage. “Rome?” he sat down next to her. “Are you alright?” she said, worry marring her delicate features.

His arms enclosed around her, holding her tight, breathing her in, she was so small and fragile to the touch. He could overpower her in a heartbeat. He could have her here on the boat and nobody would stop him. Nobody would hear her scream.

“What was the call about?”

“Nothing,” he tilted his head, the corners of his mouth turning up, his hand stroking her flesh playing a smile across her lips. “Business as usual.”

He stood up and took her hand pulling her up to him.

There was something he needed to say before he lost his nerve.

“Eve I’ve known you only for a short time, everything comes alive when I’m with you. I know it’s a cliché,” his mouth found the nape of her neck.

He pulled back and looked into those doe eyes.

Eve smiled. “I like cliché. You’ve changed me.”

“No, you’ve changed me.”

“I’m no longer playing games.”

“I don’t understand,” he caught the way she bit her lip, fear brimming to the surface. She was so vulnerable in this moment, so in sync to his rapidly beating heart.

How could he tell her he felt the same way? He felt the vulnerability for the first time in forever and the sensation was…

“Eve, I love you.”

86

Eve cried in deathly silence.

Tonight had been perfect. Absolute perfection and it broke her heart to know things would never be like this. She would never be Roman’s. Never. It wasn’t meant to be. I love you, he’d said the words. How could he not have seen through her? Her heart ached from its imminent betrayal. Roman was finally her knight in shining armour and she was going to throw it all away.

Tonight had been perfect, a perfect ending. They’d made love on the yacht and again in the bed where she now lay with him side by side. She’d been curled inside his embrace, whispering her final goodbye as he slept. He was fast asleep, she could tell by the even rise and fall of his chest.

After tonight, she would never see him again; it was the bitter truth she had to face. The tears had come without any prompting. She was a sick and twisted person for doing this. She’d whispered the consequences over in her head. Over and over.

She turned one last and final time to Roman sleeping in a world away.
“I love you.”

There was a numb ache were her heart should have been, a silent shattering.
Eve rose from the mattress in agonising motions. Her cheeks were wet, her hands hot. She grabbed her things and tiptoed down the stairs into the living room.

She dressed herself in her day dress, the cream one she’d worn that day, it was an easy slip-on dress chosen for how quick she could put it on if she was against the clock. To think that’s what she’d chosen it for, she was so conniving it made her sick.

The apartment was all shadows and shapes, spilled curtains and silver clouds.

She let her vision adjust. She knew enough of the layout to know where the office was. 

It was downstairs next to one of the guest bedrooms. Roman kept it locked when he left during the day; she’d seen him in there before. Maybe it was unlocked. Maybe.

Eve gripped the door handle and pushed. It didn’t relent. Her heart slammed against her chest. Not that she wasn’t prepared for it being locked. It just hit her hard, Roman even if he loved her did not trust her.

Of course he shouldn’t. Why would he?

She held the key with trembling hands. It had come from Roman’s side dressing table; she’d seen it there before and hoped it was the key she’d need. Another part of her hoped she’d fail and nothing would come of it.

She put the key into the lock and turned. Her blood pounded hard in her ears. There was a feint click and the door released. She sighed in a whimper.

The room was black as night. She’d never been in here before, had no idea of its layout. Eve put out her hands and edged into the room one foot at a time. She didn’t dare turn on the lights. It was painfully slow as she touched around a chair and finally a desk. Her fingers trailed onto a computer screen and eventually she found the button and the screen came to life, bright light flared out on the screen. She squinted back.

Then came a noise.

What was that?
Roman?
A siren wailed in the city below and died out seconds later. Eve panted in the dark. For a moment she was convinced they were coming for her. The memory stick was hot and moist in her fingers. Her hands were shaking, she had to relax. She pressed it into the USB slot.

The stick worked fast, spooling through links and passwords and suddenly Eve was looking at the blank screen of a desktop. She let out a breath she’d been holding ever since she’d entered the room.

Oh god.
What was she doing?

She pressed her finger to the touchpad and clicked away.

-

-

-

Oh my god, I’ve committed a crime.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she got up and took the stick out of the slot. There was no turning back now…no forgiving her sins. What had she done? How could she?

She slid out the office making sure to close the door again. The key was hot in her fingers. Should she put it back? Was she able to? In a part of her mind she wanted to return the key and have Roman believe it wasn’t her. Even if it was. Only the worst kind of person would want that. 

She slipped upstairs and put the key back crying all the while.