CHAPTER NINETEEN
Draco paced the small holding cell almost continuously overnight, but when he heard keys rattling in the door, he sat down on the edge of the bed—such as it was. The cold, concrete plinth jutted out from the wall, dressed in a filthy, slender mattress and a uniform grey blanket. The void inside him was twice as cold.
A police officer brought in a plate holding a mug of tea and a dry piece of toast. “Breakfast.”
“No, thanks.”
The officer put the plate on the floor and gestured at it. “Drink it, you’ll be leaving soon.”
Before Draco had a chance to ask anything, the officer turned away and was gone, relocking the cell door as he went.
Leaving? They were letting him out until he was charged.
Draco sipped the lukewarm tea and tried to decide what to do when he got out of there. He hadn’t considered it. The cold void of loss inside him hadn’t allowed him to do so.
Rory had texted his address to him a few days before, and made a big point of inviting him over to stay. It was a peace offering, because he’d been so much more agreeable about them seeing each other. Right now it sounded good. Sanctuary, maybe. He’d already had to give his home address in Wales to the police, and he wasn’t ready to resort to going home as yet. Rowan had enough on her plate without him turning up like a stray dog that had been starved and kicked.
He’d let his previous room go when he’d moved into the apartment with Lara. He didn’t have a base in London now, but if Rory and Sky were really open to him he could go there, get his head together, and try to put this behind him. It wouldn’t be easy to do that, because of Lara. Draco simply couldn’t imagine not seeing her again. That’s exactly what he should do, to keep her safe.
Yes, Rory and Sky’s sounded good.
Beyond that, he couldn’t think straight. He’d spent the whole bloody night going back over what he’d said in his statement – double-checking he hadn’t in any way implicated Lara. Hopefully he’d kept his back up story straight, stating he’d ingratiated himself with her at college, and she knew nothing of his background and his relationship to Sean Rattigan and hacking.
It’d been hard enough to give his statement, and afterwards, alone in the cell, no matter how many times he went over it, it got harder to be sure. It didn’t help that the crackhead in the next cell kept shouting his mouth off and kicking at the walls. The noise and what was behind it rubbed Draco up the wrong way, shaving way too close to the bone of his childhood memories. It brought back the many nights he’d spent on the landing outside his sister’s door in case their mum lashed out at the girls. It also hammered home there would be more of the same ahead, once the courts banged him up properly for cyber crime at Compton finances.
Soon enough, the key in the door drew him to his feet. There were two officers standing there and one of them gestured for him to leave. The other guided him through the warren of corridors and out into the station processing area. Predictably, they double checked his place of abode and then returned his possessions to him.
“You’re free to go,” the desk duty officer said as he pushed the tray toward Draco.
Draco lifted out his belt and began to put it on. “Court date?”
“Charges have been dropped.” The policeman eyeballed him suspiciously. “You got lucky. This time.”
Charges have been dropped. Draco had to silently repeat the words several times before he realized the significance. What the hell?
The police officer nudged the tray containing the rest of his possessions toward him, urging him to take his stuff.
Snapping to it, Draco pocketed his wallet and phone and put on his watch.
A moment later, he heard the heavy bolt on the door behind him.
Beyond the open door, he saw Lara rising to her feet from the chairs in the waiting area. Lara. Looking pale and fretful, but it was really her. She was really here and waiting for him.
That empty place inside him no longer felt void and cold, because her presence altered his state of being. God, he loved her. Knew it in a flash, right then,
Concern marked her expression but it quickly broke when she caught sight of him. “Draco,” she called out, darting toward him.
He moved fast, closing the space, unwilling to let her see beyond the desk to the warren of gloomy corridors behind him.
“Hey.” He captured her in his arms. “What the hell are you doing here?”
She looked up at him, her eyes glazed with tears. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t worry, you’re not implicated. I kept you out of it.”
“I don’t care about that! I’ve faced up, told my dad I hired you I told him everything.”
Confused, he stared at her. “Christ, Lara, you didn’t need to do that.”
She shook her head, her hands clutching at his shirt. “I’m so sorry. I never should have dragged you into this. It was a stupid idea and I—”
“Shush.” Tears slid from the corner of her eye and he wiped them away with his thumb. He couldn’t believe she was there, and more than that, he was having trouble processing what was going on. Charges had been dropped, which was good, but she’d confessed to her father. That was bad news. He didn’t want C.S. to know he’d been hired as a hacker. He wanted to be seen as her friend.
He figured Compton Senior must have realized Lara would be in trouble too, unless he dropped the charges. Draco was annoyed she’d exposed her involvement, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with her. Not with her looking so tenderly beautiful, so concerned about him, with such yearning in her eyes.
How was it he could have gone from hell and back in the space of twenty hours, believing he’d lost her? He took her hand and made ready to leave. “Let’s get out of here. We need to talk.”
“No. Let’s just sit here a minute.” She held onto his hand, but rooted herself to the spot, halting him.
“You want to talk…here?”
“My dad’s outside, in the car. He’s waiting for us. We need to talk before we go out there.”
Draco turned back and grasped her by the shoulders. “He’s not come down on you, has he?”
He noticed how tired she looked. There were shadows under her eyes, and she wore the same clothes as the day before, her hair awry. There was sadness in her eyes. She’d been awake all night as much as she had. Bloody hell, what a mess.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, dabbing her nose with it.
Draco realized just how upset she was. Her eyelashes glistened.
Lara shoved the tissue back in her pocket, then grabbed and embraced him.
Draco responded in kind, drawing her closer still, seeking out her mouth. Their kiss was tender, tentative. It was all he could do to hold back from making an exhibition of them both, showing her just how relieved he was she was there and willing to touch him.
As she drew back, she pulled his tie from his jacket pocket and stood up his collar, blinking away tears as she did so. With a tentative smile, she nodded at him. “Let’s get you tidied up.”
Realizing he likely looked a mess, Draco smoothed back his hair the best he could with his hands. Meanwhile, Lara did his tie and adjusted his collar. Sheepishly, he thanked her. “How do I look?”
“You’ll do.” She looked at him with fretful eyes. “I don’t know what he’s going to say. Just listen. All we can do is hope for the best.”
It was a warning. He held her hand and took it to his mouth to kiss it, before they made their move to the door.
Outside, Lara led the way across the crowded street to a black stretch limousine parked opposite. The rear windows were tinted. A uniformed driver sat in the front seat, window lowered, observing them as they approached. When a break came in the traffic Lara opened the door, and climbed in to the plush cream-colored leather interior. Draco paused long enough to take a deep breath, and then followed.
Lara took the seat next to her father and nodded at the seat opposite. They had their back to the driver, and he was facing front. Immediately Draco noticed Lara kept her eyelids lowered and her lips sealed.
Tension crackled in the atmosphere.
Compton Senior looked informal in faded jeans, with a sweater under a tweed jacket that suggested he might be going golfing later. He observed Draco from under hooded eyelids, his expression stern. Lara pulled her seatbelt on, but Draco wasn’t sure he was going to be in the car long so left his undone.
Compton Senior knocked on the glass between them and the driver, and the car pulled out into the stream of traffic a moment later.
Draco reluctantly did up the seatbelt, wondering where they were headed. Considering the look of contempt on Compton senior’s face, Draco figured the driver had instructions to swing by the local refuse site in order to discharge him into the waste incinerator.
The silence continued to weigh heavy, increasing the tension inside the car.
“I hope you’ve had enough time to cool down and consider the severity of your situation,” Compton Senior stated.
“Yes, thank you, Sir.” Draco hadn’t meant to sound quite as sarcastic as he did. For a moment he thought Compton’s mouth twitched, as if he was suppressing a smile, but in a second it was gone.
“I understand you’re an ambitious young man. Lara built a strong case for you, but I could see it myself. However, I don’t appreciate being hoodwinked, nor did I request advice on how to run my own company.” He stared across at Draco, but when Draco went to respond, Compton put up his hand to stop him. “I’ve had my IT department go over everything you’ve done. The database is a vast improvement on what was already there and you’ve built in some impressive features.”
It wasn’t what Draco expected to hear, and it brought some level of relief, and yet he sensed a big “but” was coming.
“You’re talented, there’s no question. And as far as we’ve been able to establish, you’ve only looked at the critical query Lara requested of you and haven’t overstepped those bounds. Had you in any way benefited personally from your short time in the student placement in my company you’d be banged up for a long time ahead, believe me.”
Draco nodded. He knew he was getting off lightly, but he didn’t dare hope for the kind of reaction he was receiving. Compton had been through his history. There wouldn’t have been trace of his actions anywhere, because that’s what he was good at. However, it was a relief they hadn’t simply assumed he’d been lining his own pockets.
“As you so rightly pointed out,” Compton continued, “I didn’t have a college education myself. Cute reminder, thanks, I needed that.” Now it was Compton who sounded sarcastic.
Draco tried to remain impassive and focused.
“I pulled myself up by the boot straps, using whatever skills I could lay my hands on, just like you.” Compton gestured vaguely at him with his hand. “It was different back then, but if you had confidence, a decent suit, and access to headed notepaper, you could make a career path and that’s what I did. Things are more complicated these days, commercial rules and regulations are tighter. They have to be because the business model is so tightly ingrained with the technical side. I’d advise any young man seeking a career in finance or IT to get themselves a college education.”
Finally he paused, expectantly.
“With the greatest of respect, Sir, that wasn’t possible for me due to family circumstances. We didn’t have the money, I still don’t.” It was the God’s honest truth. “I’m keen and I’ve got skills. I regret my time hacking, in fact I’d vowed to stay clear of all of it.”
Again Compton Senior lifted his hand. “I’ve heard this from Lara, all night long. She wants to take the blame, which I wouldn’t allow if you had in any way benefited it from your access to the company’s accounts and software.”
Draco stared across at Lara. She’d been fighting his corner all along. His chest ached with pride. Finally, her eyelids lifted and she looked back at him. Draco was sure then, as sure he could be, she felt something for him the way he did for her.
“Sir, I never would’ve done anything to jeopardize Lara’s relationship with you. We became close.” And I’m in love with her, he silently added. He nearly said it aloud, but the stern look on her father’s face assured him it wasn’t the right time. Did Compton senior suspect there was so much more between them? “I valued the chance to work inside an organization such as yours.”
At some point the car had drawn to a halt.
Compton Senior glanced at his watch. “Go get yourself cleaned up. Come to my office at two this afternoon. We’ll discuss the possibility of extending your student placement in the company.”
Draco reeled.
Compton reached for the door handle and opened the door, gesturing with his hand, indicating Draco should get out.
“Yes, Sir.” Draco undid his seatbelt, but paused.
Lara hadn’t moved. She was staying put. He glanced outside and realized he was being dropped off at the apartment, alone.
He reached across and briefly took Lara’s hand in his own, squeezing it affectionately. It wasn’t much, but he hoped it would mean something to her, the way it did to him.
Once he was outside the door closed behind him and the stretch limousine sped off. Staring after it, Draco tried to organize his thoughts and feelings. Most of all he wanted to hang onto Lara, to keep her by his side, but that was clearly nonnegotiable. She’d known that’s how it would pan out from the moment she stepped into the police station. Had it been a pay off? Fetch him then leave him alone to see if he took off or stuck it out?
The important thing was the door was still ajar.
He needed to get his arse back into Compton Finance before C.S. changed his mind and the door was slammed and bolted.
** *
Lara looked back at Draco standing outside the building. She craned her neck and peered out the rear window until she could no longer see him.
Slumping back into her seat, she quashed down a heartfelt sigh.
“You really think he’s worth it?”
Her dad had been watching her.
She knew, but she couldn’t help herself. “Yes, I think he’s worth it.”
“He’s stood up for you, which I admire. But he’s not who I would’ve chosen for you.”
“I know, but my heart chose him. You can’t choose who you love.”
“There’s truth in that.”
Curious, she glanced sideways at him. He had a glum, resigned expression. It was like something else was bugging him, something outside of this.
“He’s a decent person,” she added quickly, “really, dad. He could have just taken off. There was no reason for him to come clean with you, except he’s a really good guy.”
He nodded. “He stepped up to the plate, and if you’re right about his reasons for being a hacker, it’s in the past.”
She looked at him, willing him to mean what he was saying. “You didn’t have the best start in life. You created your own path, created an empire.”
His expression softened. “I’m glad someone remembers.”
That amazed her. The others didn’t? “Of course I do. I loved hearing those stories. I’ve missed you, Dad.”
He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I’ve missed you too, Princess.”
The moment was poignant, and she felt horribly guilty about what she’d done.
“He wanted a fair share for you. That’s what made me listen.”
She nodded, sadly. That was her fault too. She looked forlornly at her dad.
“Whatever else you do,” he warned, “please don’t tell me he reminds you of me.”
Lara laughed. “He is rather old-fashioned at times, just like you.”
“What did I say?”
“Hey, you mentioned it. Seriously though, Draco is an intelligent, thoughtful guy. I don’t think he’ll go back in life, only forwards.”
“Time will tell, Lara, time will tell.”
She could do no more than nod in agreement, and hope.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Draco stared at the information screens on the wall in Compton Senior’s office, astonished to find himself back there.
He’d been ushered in by Janice. She’d left him there alone, waiting.
Another test?
Mesmerized by the shifting information on the screens, he stood there and studied it—looking for numeric patterns, finding sense. It fascinated him.
When the door opened and Compton walked in, he quickly straightened his tie. Janice was fast behind him, with a tray containing a pot of tea and fine china. When she set it down on Compton’s desk, Draco stared at in amazement.
“Sit down. Relax.” Compton pointed at the chair in front of his desk. Before he sat down he poured two cups of tea. “Do you take sugar?”
“No, thank you.”
“Very wise. I’m trying to give it up, but it’s hard when you get to my age.”
Draco took the cup and saucer offered to him and tried not to let it rattle as he sat down.
“Feeling better?” Compton raised his eyebrows and studied him over the rim of his teacup.
“Yes, thank you, Sir.”
Compton put up his hand. “Stop with the sir business, please, no one calls me sir. You can call Mr. Compton, for now.”
“Thank you, Mr Compton.” Draco braced himself. “Before anything else is said, I feel I need to give you full disclosure on my background.”
“Your stepbrother is the hacker who managed to access our systems remotely last year, is that it?”
Draco nodded, astonished.
“Lara cleared the decks, it took a long while to get around that particular hurdle, but we did. Mind you, she hunted you down, so it’s just as well you turned out to be a fairly decent sort.”
“Actually, Sir, I mean Mr. Compton, my stepbrother Sean is a pretty decent sort too. It was just a challenge really, trying to see how far we could get.”
Compton stared at him silently for some time.
“Lara meant well, and I was hoping to keep her out of this.”
Compton gave a dry laugh. “An impossible task, given that this was all her doing. A madcap scheme if ever there was one, fraught with problems, and it’s just as well you owned up when you did.”
“That being said…I did underestimate my daughter. I didn’t even think she’d be interested in being part of the company for any great length of time. I took it at face value when she said she needed to do a student placement as part of her degree course.”
“She tried to find a way to impress you, even though she doesn’t have a stake like her brothers do.”
“She has a stake, that’s not an issue.”
“She wasn’t aware of that. The way she described it to me, it sounded like she was disadvantaged because of her gender.”
Compton laughed, and it was a real belly laugh. “Let’s not get into the sociology of it, please. I’m an old-fashioned man. I suppose deep down I wanted Lara to be wooed by a gentleman millionaire.”
A millionaire? Give me time, Draco thought to himself.
“I’m delighted she’s interested in the company.” He put down his teacup. “Now, to business.”
That was just the opener? Draco wondered what was coming next.
“You were right, I instigated the macro. I did it to see who out of my sons would shake things up, because they badly need to be shaken up. I’m almost ready for retirement. I’ve got competent managers but they don’t often think about the company in the long term. The workers are good, but again I want to find ways to make loyalty a priority.”
He appeared to be thinking aloud, but paused and looked directly at Draco. “You’re sharp, you notice things. Tell me, what did you notice about the working environment?”
“I didn’t get any sense of the managers, not from the shop floor, as it were. Apart from Susanna.”
“That needs to change, for a start. The team managers need to be with their staff, not on the floor above. What did you think of Susanna?”
“Easy to talk to. She’s good with people, which has to be the number one requirement for a Human Resource Manager, but she’s not good on the tech stuff. She needed an assistant to take care of that. The database was a mess, and I understand it was outsourced?”
Compton nodded. “And?”
Did he really want to hear this? “I don’t know your sons very well, but personally I need a solid goal, something to work toward.”
Compton nodded. “My fault. When you get somewhere in life, you don’t want your kids to have the struggle you did. The way it’s turned out, Lara’s been the most challenged and she’s the most motivated.” He was silent a moment, thoughtful. “Jamie’s leaving the company anyway...” He glanced quickly at Draco, but didn’t comment further. “I think Charles needs a change of direction too.”
“I’ve had time management people in who’ve charged thousands of pounds to quote textbook stuff on how paperless offices should work—in an ideal world.” He shook his head.
“From my brief time working here,” Draco ventured, “everyone seems happy, it’s a great environment. You treat your staff well and you have great facilities. But people commute, they have families. They’re desperate to get on the Internet for five minutes to order some groceries. You could make it official, allow shopping online during the lunch break, something like that.”
“Limits on personal use of internet are difficult to instigate.”
“Unless you need a publicly acceptable reason to fire someone.”
Compton laughed. “Given.”
“You allow smokers a smoking break. Why not give them an Internet break so they can order food for their kids, you could make it part of the flexi time lunch break.”
Compton stared at him. “Okay, you’ve got my attention.”
Jeez, it that what it was about? Draco broke into a laugh, he couldn’t help it. “Mr. Compton, what is it I need to do for you to take me seriously?”
Compton smiled. It made him look so much more human. “I have a team meeting tomorrow morning, management level. I want to expose how easy it was for you to access the systems. I’d like you to prepare a short presentation, tell them how you did it so they can work on closing loopholes.”
“I can do that.”
“Work on it remotely. I’d like Lara to stay with us tonight. There are a few family changes we need to discuss.”
Draco nodded, but his mind whirred, an idea—a hope—lighting him up. “Can I bring in a friend to assist with the presentation?”
“A friend?”
“Call him an almost brother-in-law.”
“What sort of fee are we talking about?”
Draco shrugged. “A token, nothing extravagant. Some DIY vouchers would be especially useful.”
Compton’s puzzled expression was too funny.
Draco liked to undermine stereotypical expectations of him and his world. “He’s got house renovations to do. He’s good with code.”
“If you want me to take you seriously why don’t you deliver yourself?”
“I will prepare the information, the only request is Rory present it.”
“I’ve got my top management guys coming in here and you expect them to listen to someone who looks like a painter and decorator?”
“Biker, he looks like a biker.”
Compton rolled his eyes.
“There are two reasons why I suggest this. Rory looks like their expectation of a hacker. I was undercover and very few people knew, nobody figured out. Rory could have been working for you privately.”
“Why don’t you want people to know it was you? The kudos could be good for you. You could make a career out of it.”
“I guess you’re right, but I’d like to continue working for Compton Finance. If my cover is blown, people will never trust me.”
“True enough.” He held Draco’s gaze for a long moment. “You’re serious about wanting to stay on?”
“Yes, I am.”
A flash of admiration showed in his eyes. “I’m glad you like it enough to want to stay.”
“Does that mean you’ll consider it?”
Compton broke into a smile. “It means I’ll give it some thought.”
“Thank you, Mr. Compton.”