Uncovering You 7: Resurrection Read Free Page B

sidetracked me. I did not bring you here to discuss the etymology of names. Already, I’ve taken up more of your time than I intended.”
    “Then what did you bring me here for?” I ask.
    “To issue a warning,” he says. “Jeremy—Mr. Stonehart—no longer exerts as much power as he believes over his board. The company is slipping through his fingers, now at the most vital time.” He raises his gaze and meets mine. “Whispers attribute that to you.”
    “To me?” I scoff. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t have any influence over—”
    I stop when Hugh brings out an envelope and slides it across the table. “For you,” he says.
    “What is it?”
    “Look.”
    I peel open the top.
    Inside, I find a collection of photographs. Some are grainy and blurry, obviously taken from a distance. Others are clear as if the photographer stood ten feet away.
    They show us—Jeremy and me—on his tropical island. There are ones of us swimming. Others of us holding hands, cuddling on the beach. My eyes widen in shock as I leaf through green tinted photographs, taken at night, showing us making love.
    “How did you get these?” I ask. My voice is hoarse. “Who else has them? Who else knows?”
    “None but I, my dear,” Hugh tells me. He reaches across and pats my hand in a disturbingly fatherly gesture. “Keep them. They are yours. I’ve got copies.”
    “If you’re trying to blackmail me…” I begin.
    He chuckles and leans back. “No, Miss Ryder. I am not. But given your new—and might I say—quite fortuitous position within the company, I thought you might like to know. I understand you are in charge of PR?”
    I nod dumbly.
    Hugh leans back. “Now then, imagine the scandal that might arise should these photographs find themselves in the wrong hands.”
    “What are you saying…?”
    “Only that we are about to enter dangerous waters, Miss Ryder. There are sharks around. And they have smelled blood.”
    He stands. “But I don’t want you concerned. Your secret, for the moment, is safe with me. We’ll talk again soon.”
    I stand, knowing I’ve been dismissed, and reel toward the door, the envelope of photographs tight to my side.
    “Oh, Miss Ryder?” Hugh calls out, just as I’m about to turn the handle. I look back at him. “I notice you’ve forsworn a certain adornment you used to wear.”
    He touches his neck.
    And then, to my horror, reaches into his desk and pulls out a perfect replica of my collar.
    “I have one more here, fully functional, should you wish.”

Chapter Four
     
    I dash from Hugh’s office, my vision spinning. I feel nauseous, light-headed, dizzy. My stomach churns, doing flips. I rush blindly to the elevator and hit the call button. Again, and again, and again.
    The doors open. I throw myself inside. They start to slide shut. Already, I’m hammering the button for the top floor.
    Jeremy. I need to see Jeremy. He can tell me what’s going on. He can tell me who this ‘Hugh’ is. He can tell me what the photographs mean, what we’re going to do with them, why he’s being watched by members of his own board…
    The doors are fully shut now, and I’m alone inside. Still, the elevator isn’t moving.
    Why isn’t the elevator moving?
    I feel frantic. Panicked. Trapped.
    I pound on the button with growing urgency. Only then do I hear the computerized female voice coming through the speaker, repeating the same phrase over and over, prompted by each one of my desperate presses.
    “ Access denied. Access denied. Access denied.”
    Of course! I’m a moron. To get to Jeremy’s floor requires that damn implant. That chip in his wrist. Plus the retina scan…
    Beads of sweat form on my back, making my clothes feel too heavy, too restricting. My palms are clammy. I’m freaking out, close to a panic attack. Not knowing what else to do, I keep hitting that top button. And I keep being greeted by that mocking voice.
    “Access denied. Access denied. Access – ”
    Suddenly, I