How to Resist Prince Charming(64)

Glancing at a pen on the table, Braxton slowly rolled it across the desktop, from one hand to the other. When he finally glanced up, Tom thought he was going to suffer from a massive coronary. The anxiety was killing him. God, he was too old to handle such an extreme level of apprehension.

“If I truly believed you were the one who was in my computer, then yeah, you’d be gone,” Braxton said.

Tom’s eyes flashed wide with hope. That “if” word sounded promising.

“As it is,” Braxton added, sighing wearily and rubbing at his face. “The fact that I know you’re lying royally pisses me off.” He narrowed his eyes. “But then, you’re an excellent liar, aren’t you, Tom?”

Tom licked his dry lips. “What makes you so sure I’m lying? I wanted to know what you were up to just as much as everyone else around here.”

Braxton shook his head. “It’s not a question of wouldn’t. It’s couldn’t. You’re a relic on the computer, Tom. Sure, you’ve learned the basics. You do what you have to do, but other than that, you’d rather not mess with that kind of technology.”

Tom didn’t see how that meant he couldn’t snoop on Braxton’s computer. Like the kid said, he did what he had to do. He could turn his processor on and log in—

Suddenly comprehending, his eyes flashed to Braxton’s.

Braxton nodded to confirm. “You don’t know enough to get into the files this person hacked into. You aren’t that clever. Whoever broke in went through passwords. They cracked encrypted codes, found back doors. You may be an intelligent man, but you are not techno savvy.”

“You’re wrong,” Tom said, not knowing why he bothered. Hell, Farris was right, and everyone knew it. Even Spencer. He knew nothing about getting by passwords.

Braxton sighed. “No, I’m not wrong.”

More scared than he’d ever been, Tom kept thinking about the mortgage he owed. The car loans. The two kids he still had to get through college. He was going to lose his insurance, his home, everything. If he lost his job, his life as he knew it would be over.

“Fine,” Braxton said on a short nod of the head. “You say you broke into my computer. Then prove it.”

Tom frowned. “What?”

“Tell me where you went. Tell me what you copied. Tell me when you did it.” He lifted the file in his hand. “I’ve got the facts right here. I know when, and I know what was snooped through.”

Tom paused.

Fuck. How was he going to answer this one?

Braxton shook his head, looking disappointed. “You can’t tell me, because you didn’t do it. You know who did though, and they gotta be close enough to you that they gave you the heads up about Lenna and me. They probably even gave you all her pictures they copied.”

Tom’s face drained of color; his breathing went shallow. For the first time in his life, he thought he was going to pass out.

“Who was it?” Braxton said. “Charlie? Ben? Pat? I know it was one of your good buddies. They’ve kept quiet about Lenna in loyalty to you; otherwise that news would already be spread through the entire office as the biggest piece of hot gossip yet.”

Tom said nothing.

“Whoever it was also copied some very sensitive information, information that, if sold to a competitor, would put Farris in a very vulnerable position.”

“No.” Tom shook his head, denying it. Ben would never sell out Farris. He’d been with the company for almost as long as Tom had. He wouldn’t believe it of his friend.

“Believe it,” Braxton said. He leaned over the table toward Tom. “Someone printed out bank account information and stock numbers. If that’s used against us, it could hurt everyone in the company. Are you seriously going to protect a traitor? A thief?”

“I’m sorry,” Tom croaked. “I can’t tell you.”

Braxton’s eyes filled with bitter disappointment as he fell back into his chair. “Then you’re suspended. Effective immediately. You have thirty minutes to pass your workload along to other people; then I want you off Farris property.”

Tom’s breath shuddered from his lungs. “Until when?” he managed to ask.

Braxton shrugged as if unconcerned. “Until you tell me who. Or until he comes forward. Or until I find our culprit on my own. Whichever comes first.”

Tom glanced one last time at Braxton’s father.

Spencer Farris shook his head sadly. “Don’t look at me, Tom. I would’ve fired you.”

Swallowing, Tom nodded. He glanced one more time at Braxton.

The kid lifted his eyebrows. “I do have to give you kudos for one thing. That little trick you used to get Lenna away from me was ingenious. I mean, why would she ever doubt her own father, the man who loves her and raised her, taught her the difference between right and wrong? She admires you and looks up to you like I’ve never seen any daughter love her father. She and trusts your word above anyone one else’s in the world.”

Puckering his face into a mock look of regret, he sighed before adding, “It’d be a real shame if she ends up hating you after she finally realizes how deeply you broke her trust.”

Tom’s face drained of color.

Oh, shit.

Braxton smiled grimly. “Hadn’t thought of that, had you, Tom?”