Heart leaping into her throat, Emma jerked around.
Her big boss stood there on the other side of the tape, a slight smile on his handsome face.
“Oh! Dr. Light. I was just…I, er…” Her brain fogged with an odd combination of embarrassment and excitement. Her tongue felt like it belonged to someone else. Her wolf was happily wagging its tail.
“Investigating? Me too.” He lifted one leg and stepped easily over the tape barrier. “I don’t trust that Omniss to get it right.”
She blinked at him. Besides the casual display of leg strength that made her wolf wag its tail harder, he’d not only understood what she was doing, not only approved, he was doing it too?
An image of him and her, doing it too, painted her brain in colors of bow-chicka-wow-wow. She clenched her eyes.
“And it’s after hours, Emma. You don’t have to call me Dr. Light. Yes, I like a little formality at work—it creates a space so if I have to take disciplinary action, employees don’t feel like a friend is punishing them—but it’s okay to call me Gabriel now.”
“Oh, well, um…” She opened her eyes and tried to give him a bright, non-sexual smile. “I would, but I’m still a trainee and it doesn’t feel right. And what if it gets to be a habit and I forget during the day? Maybe I’d better not.”
He considered her for long moments, and she worried he’d take offense. But then he simply smiled. “Okay. What have you discovered?”
She released a relieved breath. “Nothing much. I just got started.” She turned from all that was male and glorious and tried to get a better scent of the thief, disguising her actions with an intent stare at the empty stand. Everything was overlaid by the scent of the crime scene techs, but fortunately theirs were fainter because of their coveralls. She sifted through the smells for the strange male. There. She caught it again. Definitely a man, with a heavy tang of testosterone. So either aroused—by stealing, eww—or he was young and still producing lots of the stuff. She ignored the scent of meat to sort through the layers, identifying a curl of cologne woven into the male’s scent. Without knowing what kind of cologne, she’d guess the vanity of youth. The combination made it more likely the man was young.
“What do you see?” Her boss’s deep voice came softly from behind her. As he stepped to her side, his breath touched her cheek.
Minty, fresh. Perfect for drinking in through a deep kiss with lots of tongue… She suppressed a shiver of lust, covering it with a bright smile at him. “Well…if I had to guess, the thief is a young male.”
“Why is that?” He cocked a questioning brow above his glasses.
She felt her face heat. Why? Because she smelled it. But she couldn’t tell him that. Time to distract him with random facts. “As Omniss said, the antitheft cable is still intact. The phone holster doesn’t look broken.” She pulled a pen from her pocket and tipped the holster to see it better. “And the alarm box is still intact, too. The siren would have gone off if the lock wasn’t properly opened. So it’s likely the key was used.”
“Good theory.” Dr. Light’s tone was approving. She stood a little straighter. He continued, “Sorry about Omniss grilling you earlier. You were the first one called in. I had no idea he was going to be such a prick.”
That surprised a laugh from her. It was funny hearing her boss, dressed in all his college-professor glory, saying “prick”.
“Thanks for intervening. Is he an adjuster or an investigator?”
He made a face. “His title is adjuster. But the way he’s treating us, I think he thinks he’s the investigator, judge, and executioner all in one.”
His use of “us” heartened her even more.
“There is one other way to unlock this model holder without triggering the alarm, but it’s not generally known.”
“There is?” she said. “What?”
“Extreme vibration, like an earthquake. The holder company says it’s not a flaw, it’s a feature.” He stepped closer to the empty holster and bent to peer at it. “Impossible to tell if that’s what happened her.”
He straightened, and she saw the step that put him closer to the phone also put him closer to her. Dr. Light stood right there.
Her stomach lurched. Face to face, she didn’t just see how big he was compared to her—she felt his dominance. If he were pack, he’d be alpha.
Even as a human, he was commanding. Her boss, their Techie Titan leader. Yes, he was definite geeky in his glasses and sweater vest. But he was techie royalty, their geek king.
She felt as if she should bow to him. Like a maiden of old, kneeling to her king.
Which would put her on the level for some interesting things if they were dating as well.
She realized her eyes must’ve been burning a hole in his abdomen…and drifting lower. She shot her gaze up to his face. He tipped a smile at her.
“Omniss had a good point,” she blurted. Blushing, she rapped out, “Means, motive, and opportunity. It’s almost certain the Wrapphone was taken while the store was closed. But I think he wasn’t concentrating enough on motive. Sure, the employees could have done this—we all had means and opportunity. But who would have done this? Carol said nobody would cross you or Pan.”
Dr. Light shrugged, and for a second she lost herself in the sheer beauty of his shoulder and arm muscles bunching and stretching. “It could be a disgruntled employee, wanting to get back at me. But I don’t want it to be.”
“Well, maybe the theft wasn’t aimed at hurting you or Choice Buy. Maybe it’s a Wrapphone competitor.”
“Trying hurt the developer—or even to reverse-engineer the phone?”
He considered her, head tilted, a small smile on his lips. “You’re smart, aren’t you?”
She felt a blush of pleasure rise up her face. “I just like to consider all the possibilities.” She’d learned that from the fiasco of attacking her mother’s lover.
“That works. Sure better than one of my store family.”
His family. Her insides twisted in longing. “Maybe it was just a random theft.”
“Someone snatching up small, expensive toys he could sell for quick cash. Then why this phone, which was tethered, and only this phone?”
“You make a good point.” She was surprised to see him straighten as if she’d fed his pride in return—as if he cared about her opinion of him as much as she cared about his of her. “Maybe the thief is one of us.” She dared include herself in “us”. “But working for an outsider.”
“Industrial espionage?” He shook his head, firmly. “No. That I won’t believe. Not my people. They might act out in rage against me. But my people won’t stoop to federal offense.”
“Your people. Yes. But…” She felt her cheeks heat. “But you didn’t hire me.”
“Carol did,” he said with gratifying immediacy. “That’s good enough for me. Besides, I knew you were right for us the moment I saw you facing product so efficiently.”
“You saw me this morning?” She felt her eyes widen.
His cheeks stained with color. “Yes. I would have come over to introduce myself but…but…”
“But you had to rally the troops after being gone. I know.” She smiled up into his eyes, so gorgeous behind his glasses. He noticed me. Miracles did occur. Maybe she hadn’t imagined that dusting of masculine desire this morning, after he’d rescued her from the villainous falling television set. “So where does that leave us?”
“Us?” His color darkened, and he coughed. “Oh, where does that leave us with the case.”
“Yes, that’s what I meant.” What did he think she meant. Us—him and her? Her inner wolf’s tail started whapping at the thought. Down, girl.
“There is one more investigative string we can pull. If you have a few minutes.”
“Sure.” She liked that “we” entirely too much.
“The video surveillance caught something last night. I was going to look at it next. The program’s on my computer in my office.” He stepped over the tape and looked back at her. “Interested?”
In being alone with you in your office? Very interested. “Yes! I mean, yes. I’m very interested…in clearing my name.”
He raised the tape with one hand and she ducked under.
“This way, then.” With a cheery saunter, he led her toward the back area.
Emma followed, optimism bubbling inside. Sexy Gabriel Light was being nice to her. She would’ve been happy with him just not shoving her out the door. But he was including her in his investigation, inviting her into his office. Maybe that even means he likes me…? She took a quick, hopeful sniff.
The air trailing him curled into her nose. Headily male, overlaid by cotton twill and subtle, expensive cologne…
And nothing more. No extra testosterone, not even a hint of male desire.
She drooped. No matter how nice he was being to her, scent didn’t lie.
He wasn’t even remotely attracted to her.
Dr. Light keyed open his office door and led her inside. “Never had to constantly lock this before,” he muttered. “But Omniss insisted.” As she followed him in, he picked up the heavy guest chair like it was doll furniture, brought it around the back of the desk, and sat it beside his behemoth chair. “For you, m’lady.” He swiped a hand toward it with a quick bow and a mischievous smile. “You will not be harmed this time. I promise the dragon has gone for the day.”
She smiled back. Even if he didn’t like-like her, he was acting like he at least regular-liked her. “Thank you, m’lord.” She slid into the chair and dared ask a somewhat personal, “You game?”
“Absolutely. Just finished a campaign last night with my guildies. You?” Throwing himself into his own chair he grabbed his mouse and started clicking intently. With his other hand, he turned the large flat-panel monitor toward her.
“I used to. My new condo has pretty crappy wifi.” She leaned toward the monitor to see it better. A set of thumbnails cued up in neat rows and columns, each labeled a terse THE01, DVD03, CAR02, and the like. “Are those the security cameras?”
“Yes. This is the camera over the Wrapphone display.” He clicked on the thumbnail labeled PHO01. The screen filled with the main phone display area, customers dotted throughout. Center-picture, the Wrapphone was clearly visible on its stand. Carol stood beside it surrounded by half a dozen wide-eyed customers. Dr. Light right-clicked up a context menu, picked TIME from the menu, then when an entry popup displayed, rapidly touch-typed on the numeric keypad. “Between interviews, I ran the video from last night for Omniss, and we found this.”
The picture redisplayed with empty aisles. The time stamp was eleven p.m., the date the previous evening. Carol appeared briefly as if checking on the phone, then disappeared from the shot.
“The store alarm was armed a few minutes later. Then this happens.”
A dark, skinny blob, like a hunched teen in black hooded fleece, slid into view. Emma drew in a breath, her hands clenching in her lap. The figure hovered there for several tense moments, swaying toward the phone as if drawn by it.
Then the top of the figure wobbled as if looking around. But the features were too blurry to see.
Suddenly the figure disappeared out of the shot.
Like a frightened bunny, Emma thought. “Who was that?”
“We don’t know. The resolution isn’t good enough to determine appearance or even gender, although from its build, I think it’s a teenager.”
“Not Brant,” she said stoutly.
“Not Brant,” he agreed with the flash of a grin. “For one thing, there was no product crashing to the floor.”
She smiled into Dr. Light’s crinkled, blue-green eyes. She couldn’t help herself. He was sexy and smart and funny on top of it. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to her, but it was all too easy to be attracted to him.
“I gave a copy to the police. Their expert is cleaning it up. But rather than wait for them to share their results…”
She felt her eyes widen in admiration. “You have a professional video editor?”
“I do.” A sparkling male pride brightened his eyes. He turned back to the screen and clicked to stop the video.
The time, which had been running second-by-second on the bottom of the display, read eleven twenty.
It had started at eleven on the nose, and they’d been running the video in real time. Twenty minutes should have elapsed.
But it felt like only ten had gone by.
Being with Dr. Light made her feel giddy and time was wonky. But not missing-ten-minutes wonky.
He circled the mouse to click up another program.
“Wait.” Without thought, she laid restraining fingers on his forearm. Sensations crashed into her. Warm skin. Crisp hair. Hard tendon. Harder muscle.
His gaze jerked toward her, his eyes wide and suddenly dark behind his glasses.
“Sorry!” Embarrassment wicked into her. She jerked back her hand. “Sorry. I’m sorry.” Her voice didn’t work quite right and the words were raspy.
“No, it’s okay. You just startled me. What’s wrong?”
“Not wrong, exactly, but…the time.” She pointed.
He smiled. “You noticed the missing ten minutes? Nice. Omniss didn’t have a clue.”
Of course, Dr. Light had already noticed and cataloged the missing time long ago. The man was fearsomely smart.
Clicking up a complicated-looking video editor, he started working. “I think the thief fritzed the camera somehow—maybe an electromagnet pulse cannon—before he took the phone.”
Emma sat there in stunned surprise. She’d nearly had an orgasm just from touching his naked skin and he’d been neither uncomfortable nor offended. She took a hopeful little sniff…but no, he still wasn’t attracted either.
Still, he’d been impressed she’d noticed the ten minutes missing from the security video. If I can’t win his affection, at least I can probably win his respect. And that was almost as good, right?
Once her heart settled down, she got absorbed watching Dr. Light finesse the advanced video editor.
A couple minutes later he gave a final, satisfied click. “That should do it.”
Clicking back to the surveillance video, he ran it again. The dark blob slid on-screen, not so blobbish now.
Emma leaned closer. That was definitely a person in a hoodie.
“I’ll slow it down so we can see detail.” Dr. Light clicked and the seconds ticked by slower.
The figure leaned toward the Wrapphone…and suddenly straightened, glancing from side to side. That wobble had definitely been the guy checking out his surroundings. Maybe he’d heard something.
On one of the swivels, he turned his face toward the camera.
Young, male. Bottom half darkened with the scruff of an incomplete beard. Top half pale and frightened, nose twitching, the prey’s instinctive sensing of a predator nearby.
The boy rabbited out of the shot.
Emma sat back. “What do you think scared him?”
“You caught that too?” He nodded. “Whatever it was, it was off camera. I checked the other angles but didn’t find anything. Did you recognize him?”
“No. Are you going to show this version to Omniss or the police?”
“I’d give it to the police, but they can’t use it. I’m a suspect too.”
“No! That’s terrible.”
“Thanks for defending me, but actually, I’m glad. They’ll have their own expert clean up the video. If I were their expert, I’d have to testify in court.”
“And Omniss?”
His mouth flattened in that thin line she’d seen before. “Why bother? He’s already made up his mind it’s one of us.”
“Me,” she said sadly.
“He’s an idiot. But trying to convince him otherwise is futile at this point. Like trying to jackhammer concrete—with my face.” As she laughed, he added, “I saw this kid.” He thumped the screen.
Her laugh imploded in surprise. “You did? Where? When?”
“Today. Slinking out of the store just as the first customers came in at nine. I think he hid out in the bathrooms until after closing. Maybe trying to steal a couple phones or a batch of the latest movies. I think whatever happened last night spooked him. But I’m hoping he’s our thief.”
“Why?”
“Because I think he’ll be back tonight.” He took out what looked like an exact replica of the Wrapphone. “And I think we can trap him.”