Chapter Two — Allie
“Mr. Brighton, Ms. Rand, Mr. Peters is ready to see you.”
Those were the words I’d been waiting to hear for the last two weeks, but as Cooper started to rise from his seat next to me, my fingers gripped his arm with a sudden surge of terror. Mr. Peters’ assistant was standing in the doorway, her hands politely folded in front of her as she considered us. Justin Peters was one of California’s top lawyers, and had come with a high recommendation from Cooper’s family lawyer to handle our case.
It had been nearly three months since the night in Cooper’s office where I’d discovered the hacker that had nearly taken down Brighton Enterprises. Then, the next day, I found out not only the identity of the hacker, but that it was Clay, the boyfriend of my once-upon-a-time friend, Bryce, who actually turned out to be not a friend after all…
I still wasn’t over it. The experience had called into question the level of trust I’d gave anyone, and at times, I was gripped with a paralyzing fear that made me draw further into myself. I was beginning to feel the same as I had after my nasty breakup with my evil ex-boyfriend, Marx. All those same thoughts, doubts, and insecurities had been drawn out, and everything I’d stuffed away—insisting I’d deal with later— was now staring back at me in the face.
It hadn’t helped that the months following the event had been filled with private investigators, consultants, and tech gurus who Cooper had hired to collect evidence and bring everything together so when we went to Cooper’s lawyer, we had everything they needed in order to build a solid case against Clay and my so-called friend, Bryce. The invasive questions, interviews, and skepticism had only made me more stressed and withdrawn. We’d been waiting for this meeting for weeks, ready to get all the cards on the table, make our decision and move on with our life.
The only thing left to do was tell the other side of the story.
My side.
That was the part that had my heart racing, foot tapping, and my fingernails digging into the thick sleeve of Cooper’s jacket. He slid his hand under mine, loosening my grip, and folding his fingers around mine. “It’s all right, baby. Come on,” he whispered into my ear. His voice sounded calm and confident, like it always did, and I let his strength seep into me as we followed the assistant into an empty office space.
The assistant deposited us in a large conference room that was lined with floor to ceiling windows that flooded the room with light and gave a breathtaking view of the city. Cooper pulled out a chair for me and squeezed my hand before I sat down.
“Mr. Peters will be right in. Can I get you anything to drink? Espresso? Tea?” the assistant asked.
“Water is fine,” Cooper answered before taking his seat next to mine. The assistant smiled and scurried off, leaving us alone in the room. Once the door was closed softly, Cooper turned to me and ran a hand down the side of my face. “Whatever you want to do, that’s what we will do. You don’t have to do anything, or say anything that will make you uncomfortable. I don’t want you to worry.”
I smiled and relaxed against Cooper’s hand. “Thank you.”
His words meant more to me than I could fully express and made me feel even guiltier about the fact that I was holding back from him. But, there were parts of the story he still didn’t know, and although some nagging in the back of my mind told me I should fill him in, I hadn’t quite drummed up the courage to do it yet.
Moments later, a man in a navy blue pinstripe suit burst into the room. “Good afternoon. Let’s get right down to the brass tacks here,” he started, sitting behind his desk. I could feel Cooper bristle beside me at the man’s brash mannerisms, but he kept his face impassive and cool. “I’ve read everything from the investigators and I think you have a solid case. The question is, what do you want to do? Is this about money? Data? What do you want?”
“I couldn’t care less about the money, Mr. Peters. The only reason I am pursuing this is to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I want justice served for what this man tried to do to my company,” Cooper explained.
Mr. Peters surveyed us both for a moment and then flashed a tight lipped smile. “Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together like some cartoon movie villian, and if he’d had a mustache, I was fairly certain he would’ve twirled it before diving into his very detailed plan on the particulars of all the charges we’d be filing against Clay and Bryce.
The more he and Cooper talked—the farther and farther away I began to feel. Eventually, I shut down completely and sat back in my chair, their words nothing more than a droning hum in my ears. When the meeting came to a close, we stood up, shook Mr. Peters hand and then let him escort us back to the elaborate lobby area where Cooper set a follow up appointment with his assistant.
We were halfway across the parking lot before Cooper asked, “What did you think?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to think of any of it. I thought by now I’d know what to do, but I don’t. Although, it doesn’t really feel like it matters what I think anyways. You basically told him to let the dogs loose. He’s probably up there making phone calls and filing paperwork right now!”
“Allie, you heard what he said, right? If we don’t press charges, it leaves us wide open for this kind of attack to happen again. I think you’re forgetting what could’ve happened if you hadn’t caught the virus in time. Think of the damage that could have been done.”
“I know that, Cooper, but what about me? What about my wrongdoing? I might not have been planting viruses, but the last time I checked, stealing proprietary information was illegal too,” I hissed under my breath.
Cooper threw a startled glance around the lot, making sure no one was close enough to overhear. “I know that, but you heard what he said, since you weren’t hacking into anything even remotely connected with Clay and his company, there’s no reason it has to be brought up at the trial. You’re safe, Allie. We’re safe.”
I knew there was no point in arguing with him, so I shut my mouth and followed him to where he’d parked the giant SUV. He opened the passenger door and ushered me inside. When he was in the driver’s seat, we were stuck in an awkward silence for a few minutes, neither of us quite sure what to say or do next. I could feel his frustration rolling off of him, but didn’t know what to say to make it stop—even if I’d wanted too.
“Allie, baby, I don’t want to fight with you on this. I told you when all of this started, it would be your call. So, you do have the final say, okay?” He pulled me across the center console and my head naturally rested on his chest.
I sighed. “I don’t want Clay and Bryce to get away with what they did to you, to Brighton Enterprises, to me—us. It’s horrible. But, these last few months have been pure chaos and I don’t know if I can take much more. Going to court is only going to amp everything up. More questions, more stress, more sleepless nights. And what if they get vindictive and try to hurt us? I mean, this could go wrong in about a thousand different ways. Have you even thought about that?”
Cooper tipped my chin up, “Of course, babe. But, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” He brought his lips down to mine and just before he kissed me, it was like all the air had been sucked from the cab of the SUV, and I couldn’t breathe. I pulled back and wiggled out of his reach and pushed his hands back down my thighs, forcing them to rest on my knees.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” He asked, his eyes flashing with concern.
I shoved away from him, pressing back into the passenger seat. I lay my head back, closed my eyes, and took a long, deep breath. “No, I’m not. I just need to go home. I’m tired and don’t feel very good.” I glanced over at him—waiting for the series of questions I knew would follow. Cooper searched my eyes for a moment, and although I knew he wasn’t buying my story, he shifted the car in gear and took off in the direction of my apartment without another word.