Calculated Risk. Heather Woodhaven

       THREE

      Jeff strode toward his office. Was it a coincidence that Wagner was moving him out of this department at the end of the day? He hadn’t told Victoria yet; no one else knew, in fact, but Wagner and Human Resources. There would be an announcement around lunch today. Victoria had come to him because he was her supervisor. If he told her now that she’d have a new supervisor come Monday, he couldn’t predict what her reaction would be, given the circumstances. So, for her sake, it was probably best to wait.

      In fact, Victoria was full of surprises. She’d always been polite and answered his friendly attempts at conversation, but never beyond the bare minimum. She never initiated the conversation, either, unless it was work related. It seemed like she was friendly with everyone else in the department, and yet, she made goodies for only the security department. Why had she never brought her famous fudge to their break room? Perhaps he’d mistaken her aloofness for being shy?

      He slowed his steps. Victoria wasn’t following. He turned to find her frozen, white as a sheet, barely outside of the elevator.

      “We’re just here collecting a report. We’re not trying to expose fraud, jeopardize thousands of people’s financial portfolios, risk our jobs and ultimately shut the entire company down.” Victoria said the words rapid-fire and stared ahead, but it was as if she wasn’t seeing anything at all.

      Was the shock from the fire catching up with her? He reached out for her hand. “You’re freezing.” He placed his other hand on top of her wrist in an attempt to warm her. “Hey. We’re just trying to get the truth. Nothing more.”

      He leaned down a bit so she couldn’t avoid eye contact. “Victoria, you’re here because you’re a good employee. You care about doing the right thing.”

      That seemed to do it. She blinked and looked straight into his eyes for the first time he could remember. He sucked in a breath at the intensity of her stare and his own sudden attraction. She glanced down at his hands over hers. The color in her cheeks made her blue eyes contrast with her dark hair. She was beautiful. Realizing his gesture came across as intimate, he dropped her wrist like a hot potato and straightened. “We don’t have much time before Wagner will arrive. Let’s find the files and get you to that FBI appointment. I’ll sort out what the deal is with your security clearance later.”

      “Thank you,” she said softly. Victoria stood behind him when he took a seat at his desk. “Just so you know, I don’t usually freak out like that, but I’ve also never had someone try to kill me before either.”

      “Well, that would do it,” Jeff mumbled, logging into the mainframe. He needed to focus on the task ahead and get her off his mind. “Now where’d you hide the file?”

      She tried to direct him through the catalog of records, but she kept sighing and pointing at the screen over and over. Clearly, she was getting frustrated with his less-than-speedy computer skills. He wasn’t an accountant or a computer specialist; he was a supervisor who put in the time to work his way up the ladder.

      She confirmed his suspicions when she pointed to his mouse. “May I?”

      “Sure,” he said, and dropped his hands. Jeff intended to scoot back and let her have the chair, but she caught him off guard by leaning over his shoulder and reaching for the mouse. Her long hair swung down as a curtain between her face and his. Instead of focusing on the screen, he let his eyes close for the briefest of seconds as the coconut aroma enveloped him.

      “It’s still there!”

      Her exclamation snapped him from his thoughts. Victoria took a step back. He could see the file on the monitor, but the bald security guard standing in his doorway didn’t give him the chance to examine any further.

      “I’m afraid I need to ask you to step away from the computer. We have a security breach. I need to escort you and your guest out of the building. We’re asking everyone to go home until the all clear is given.”

      Victoria stiffened beside him. “A security breach?”

      “Yes, ma’am. Please step away from the computer.”

      Jeff put a hand on Victoria’s back. “After you.” He looked directly at the guard, trying to recall if he’d ever seen him, but the man’s beady eyes darted around the room. “Is this really necessary? Charlie could’ve just called me.”

      The man stared straight ahead. “Charlie is out, investigating.”

      Jeff leaned forward. “The security breach?”

      The man nodded but didn’t meet Jeff’s gaze. Why did he feel as if this man was hiding something? Jeff stepped toward the doorway with Victoria by his side. She looked at the ground and clung to her purse.

      In the elevator, the guard stepped in after them. His finger hovered over the buttons, as if not sure which one he was going to push. Victoria grabbed Jeff’s hand and pulled him back on to the floor. “I forgot I’m claustrophobic,” she called behind her shoulder, dragging Jeff to the stairway door. “We’ll meet you downstairs!”

      Without waiting to see what the guard would do, she shoved open the stairway access and dropped his hand. “I don’t trust him.”

      She took the stairs by two, and Jeff matched her pace. “Why are we going upstairs?”

      “Shh,” she scolded. “I just want to go to the next level and take a different set of stairs down.” They rounded the corner and were halfway up the flight when they heard the stairway door behind them. Victoria froze and looked at him wide-eyed. She put a finger on her lips.

      He wanted to tell her she was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t deny her pleading eyes. He remained still. They heard a few choice words muttered under the guard’s breath as his feet slapped the stairs going down, down, down.

      Another stairway door slammed. Victoria crept softly back down the stairs. He followed until they had returned to the fourth floor. Her long fingers pressed on the door handle gently, opening the stairway without a sound. She held it open just wide enough for Jeff to slip through before she eased it closed.

      “Why are we playing hide-and-seek, Victoria? What if there really is a security problem?”

      “Did you notice he wasn’t sure what elevator button to push? Like he was debating where he was going to take us?” She lowered her voice. “I think he’s the guy that was following me yesterday. I think he’s the one who set my house on fire.”

      “Are you sure?”

      Her eyes widened. “Of course I’m not sure or I’d be the first one calling the police right now. I never saw him that close, but I have a strong feeling.”

      “We need more than a feeling to go to the police.”

      She threw her hands up and charged toward his office. “Don’t you think I know that?”

      “The security breach could be real, Victoria. Let’s go.”

      “Then why didn’t he tell us what the security breach was? Don’t you think that’s a bit odd?”

      Jeff rubbed his left temple. He needed more coffee. “Maybe they thought the