The Paris Assignment. Addison Fox

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СКАЧАТЬ to her problem—a problem that originated in the rarified universe of computer security—and she couldn’t help but wonder if Campbell Steele was the equivalent of fighting fire with fire.

      * * *

      Campbell didn’t miss the assessing glances of the oh-so-intriguing Ms. Abigail McBane. He’d sensed a sharp, discerning businesswoman throughout her presentation at the press conference, but the woman seated opposite him was an intriguing mix of qualities.

      Shrewd, yet perfectly willing to lay a few cards on the table. Smart, in a way that was approachable instead of stuffy and irritating. And very, very beautiful.

      He’d been a student of many things through the years, game theory riding high on his list of interests. The choices someone made through a negotiation—and the implications of those choices—had always fascinated him. The average person thought of a negotiation as something simply to win, but the truly adept negotiators—the ones who most often got what they wanted—understood that it took some measure of give and take to net out in an acceptable place.

      Abby was honest with her analysis and had also been more than willing to share it with him. So what was her bigger game?

      And who was the nameless, faceless threat?

      “I can’t imagine anyone wants to hurt my business. Or me,” she voiced the afterthought, in direct opposition to her drawn brows and slight frown.

      “Yet you’re sitting on a significant problem in your technology infrastructure. A problem—” he leaned forward for emphasis “—that has possible personal overtones.”

      “Why do you say that?”

      “Why else are you looking for a resource outside your company to fix it? You clearly don’t trust the people who work for you and have access to that technology.”

      The dark depths of her eyes clouded over with a noticeable layer of fear and Campbell inwardly cursed himself for his hasty words.

      Damn it.

      His brother, Liam, was the smooth one, not him. Why the hell had Kensington sent him into this job in the first place?

      Despite his best intentions, Campbell knew his own personality swung more often to blunt instrument than suave operator. And now he’d gone and scared their client, five minutes into their first conversation.

      “My sister often accuses me of being so narrowly focused on my goals, my manners suffer. I think this is one of those times.” Campbell sat back, settling into the plush leather of the couch. “Why don’t we start at the beginning and you tell me in your own words what you think is happening and why you felt the need to call us.”

      Campbell saw her visibly relax and he felt his own stomach muscles unclench a bit. Damn, but Kensington was right.

      As usual.

      His rush to solve a problem usually meant a polite facade and any lick of charm he might possess were nowhere in evidence. And if he peeled back the layers of the woman opposite him, it was clear she was more scared than she was letting on.

      “Do you mean Kensington or your other sister, Rowan?”

      Campbell couldn’t hold back the grin. “Both of them, really. But I was actually referring to Kenzi. She’s accused me of being the proverbial bull in the china shop on more than one occasion.”

      Abby—and that was the name he was fast coming to think of her by—cocked her head. “Oh, I don’t know. You seem to be a man who simply likes to get things done. There’s something innately practical and efficient about that.”

      “So now I’m a vacuum cleaner?”

      A light flush crept up her neck. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

      He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

      “Well, I count practicality and efficiency as virtues to be celebrated, so please consider it a compliment.” She took a deep breath, the light fall of her blouse fluttering around her breasts. “No matter how poorly given.”

      “Why don’t we call it even and start over again.” He leaned forward and extended a hand. “I’m Campbell Steele. It’s nice to meet you.”

      She flashed a quick grin before extending her hand. “Abigail McBane. And likewise.”

      The feel of her hand in his registered somewhere in the middle of his chest with a hard swift punch as her palm rested against his.

      Her deep dark eyes grew wide for the briefest moment before he let her hand go and Abby exhaled on a heavy breath before she sat back. “Okay. The beginning. As you no doubt know, modern business depends on the integrity of the services we provide.”

      “As does modern government, modern education and pretty much every other industry you can name in the technology-laden world we live in.”

      “Exactly.” She nodded. “So to the point I made in the press conference, we maintain a very strict set of procedures for ongoing checks of our systems.”

      “Are the mysterious seven minutes the only breach?”

      “Not exactly.”

      “You’ve had other problems here at McBane?”

      A light flush crept up her neck. “Not exactly.”

      “Abby. What’s going on?”

      “I’ve had several attacks on my home system.”

      Whatever Campbell expected her to say, that answer wasn’t it. “Your home? As in personal threats.”

      “Nothing as overt as a threat. Just problems. Inconsistencies. And a whole lot of attacks on my firewalls. I maintain government-level security on my home systems.”

      “How long has this been happening?”

      “A few weeks. A month, maybe.”

      “Well, what is it? A few weeks or a month?”

      “The first thing I noticed was about five weeks ago.”

      He shook his head, unable to believe it had taken her so long to do anything. “Why’d you wait so long to call us?”

      The slight flush of embarrassment flipped to irritation in the blink of an eye. “I know how to manage my own affairs. I called your firm for another opinion. Kensington indicated you could look at our systems.”

      “That’s my first priority but my sister led me to believe you need more than another opinion. I’ve got tickets to fly with you to Paris tomorrow.”

      “Yes, well, that was a bit premature.”

      Campbell stood and paced the office, the sudden wave of panic in his limbs forcing him to walk. He wasn’t easily panicked, but he was well aware something that had escalated to her home was a different sort of threat.

      It was personal.

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