Mona drew in a long, deep breath. “Not until I was certain it was back. All I’m getting is occasional flashes. I don’t want to get too optimistic. How did you know?”
Ben smiled. ‘I’m an ex-cop and an ex-detective, remember? Picking up on most things comes second nature to me. But I couldn’t help noticing you weren’t using your wand as much as you normally do. And a couple of times, I caught you staring at me as if you could see me.”
“At times I can see you.” She blushed when she added, “Mostly when we make love and...I lose myself.”
“What do you see then?”
“You above me. Loving me. You started out being a bright flash of light, and then one night, there was more. I saw you. I saw your features clearly. It was in a flash but I saw them, Ben.”
“When?”
“While we were in New York.”
He nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mona smiled. “I know you, Ben. You would have made a big deal out of it, and I didn’t want that, especially if I’m hoping for too much.”
“Have you told your doctor yet?”
“Yes. I made an appointment to see him as soon as we got back.”
“And?”
“And he thought what happened was good. But he still warned me not to get my hopes up yet. He thinks we’ll know something more definite in another month or so.”
Ben pulled her back into his arms and held her tightly. “I told you my feelings on the matter. Even if you never regain your eyesight, Mona, I love you just the way you are.”
Mona started to reply, but the look on her face said, How can I reply to that?
“You can’t,” he said, letting her know he’d read her mind.
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I am a lucky woman.”
“And I’m a very lucky man.”
*
“Sheppard Granger didn’t take our advice, and his sons have hired a private investigator. She’s snooping around.”
The person on the other end of the telephone paused a moment then said, “That’s unfortunate. We’ve gotten rid of one private investigator who tried to prove Granger’s innocence, and we can definitely get rid of another. Continue to keep me posted.”
Twenty-Eight
Bruce glanced around at the people gathered in Dalton’s living room, waiting to hear what he had to say. “It was just as Percy said. Software was installed on that computer that was set to wipe everything out from a remote location.” He paused a minute. “It’s my guess that whoever is behind this doesn’t know we’re on to them—otherwise, the computer would have been wiped clean by now.”
Marcel nodded. “In a way, that’s a good thing. Hopefully, we can put a trace on it.”
“Good luck with that,” Bruce said, shaking his head. “The culprit is high-tech, way beyond us. You had better believe he or she has covered any tracks very well.”
Jace leaned in closer, his jaw tight and his body stiff. “Are you saying there’s no way we can find out who’s behind this?”
“No, I’m not saying that, but I don’t want any of you to think it’s going to be easy or quick. Whoever is on the outside is using someone on the inside, and identifying that person may be our only key.”
“We’ve done that already,” Caden said. “At least we know who uses that particular computer. But what do we know about her?”
Dalton spoke up. “She’s a young woman by the name of Ramona Oakley. She’s single, pretty and is friends with a lot of people in the company.”
Everyone stared at Dalton. Caden rolled his eyes. “Why doesn’t it surprise me that you would know all that?”
Dalton smiled at his brother. “Yes, why doesn’t it?”
“Is there a reason we should find all that important, Dalton?” Jace asked wryly.
“Yes, when you add in the fact she’s dating an older man.”
“Like Brandy,” Shana said, smiling, following Dalton and making the connection. “Are you thinking that whomever Brandy was involved with may be the same guy Ramona is seeing? Given that both computers were tampered with in the same way?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m thinking,” Dalton said, grinning.