Damn it. Of course he’d get straight to the point. After seeing Viktor Ivanov yesterday she’d been feeling out of sorts and then the file she’d received this morning had completely knocked her world off its axis. She didn’t know what to think of it—didn’t know why Ivanov had sent it to her. “It’s personal.”
Porter gave her a pointed look. “I know that. What’s in it?”
“I’m…not telling you.” She felt bad, but she just couldn’t.
He frowned and sat on the edge of her desk. “If you need help with anything, you just have to ask.” The true concern in his voice nearly undid her.
But she couldn’t tell him what was in the file without telling him more about her past. Okay, considering how hard she’d been vetted, she figured Porter already knew about her past, but still, that didn’t mean she wanted to talk about it. Even if she did open up to him, she couldn’t do that without crying. No way in hell was she going to break down here and in front of her boss. Talk about mortifying and unprofessional. Red Stone Security was a male-dominated workplace, and while she loved her job she didn’t want to be seen as anything other than professional. And crying at work? Not happening.
“I’m good, promise… Has my work been suffering today?” She’d been on autopilot all morning and now felt really guilty. If she’d been slacking she’d make up for it tomorrow.
He blinked. “What…no. Jeez, Dominique. I’m talking to you as a friend, not your boss. You’re on top of everything as usual. I just want to make sure you’re okay. With what happened to Raegan I think we’re all a little on edge. I just wanted to make sure things are good.”
“I swear I’m fine. I…would you mind if I left work an hour early today? I skipped lunch, so—”
“Just go now. I’m about to clear out anyway. We can afford to sneak out early one day.”
The truth was, this week was one of their slower ones. All his guys were on long-term security jobs for the next month so her duties were standard and she could do them in her sleep. That would change in a few weeks when the guys started moving to new contracts. Still, it felt weird to leave early, but she was going to do it. For her sanity, she needed to. “I really appreciate it.”
Once he’d returned to his office she shut down her computer and headed out. Instead of leaving, she rode the elevator up a few floors to Lizzy’s floor. To her surprise, Lizzy’s assistant got her in to see Lizzy almost immediately.
“Hey, chica. What are you doing up here?” Lizzy was stretched out on a chaise lounge with her laptop next to a window instead of sitting at her desk. And she was wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt.
“Is there a new dress code I don’t know about?” Dominique laughed as she headed over to the chaise and perched on the end of it.
“Ha ha.” Lizzy was sitting cross-legged and slid her laptop to the side. “I can’t go to the gym after work so I ran up and down the stairs during my lunch break. Just haven’t had time to change and since I don’t have meetings today I’m staying comfy.”
Dominique figured that Lizzy could pretty much do whatever she wanted, and not just because she was married to Porter. The woman was one of their online security experts and a more than decent hacker. In fact, Dominique had heard some of the guys call her scary good. Something she was really hoping for right now. “That’s a little insane.”
Lizzy shrugged. “If I don’t let the energy out, I go insane.”
“Fair enough… Can I ask you a favor that you can’t tell your husband about?”
Lizzy’s expression turned serious. “Depends on the favor.”
“It’s not work related. I just…need to know where someone is right now. I need to talk to him and it has to be in person.”
Lizzy frowned, absently pushing back a loose strand of her long, dark hair. “Why not call this person?”
She could. Heck, she probably should. But no, this needed to be an in-person conversation. Dominique needed to see Ivanov’s face, gauge his reaction. “It’s…personal.” Dominique was friends with Lizzy but she never forgot that Lizzy was also her boss’s wife. Shaking her head, she stood. “I know I’m putting you in a weird position and that I’m asking you to invade someone’s privacy. Can we just forget I asked—”
“Who do you want to track down?”
She shifted from foot to foot, debating if she should just leave, but she really wanted to know where he was. And to talk to him right freaking now. “Viktor Ivanov.”
Lizzy blinked in surprise. “Is this about Raegan?”
“Not remotely. Nothing to do with her, the club, or work. It’s very personal. This is his number.” She held out a sticky note she’d scribbled the number on earlier.
Lizzy gave her a mischievous grin. “Personal, huh?” She pulled her computer back into her lap and her fingers started flying over the keyboard at an alarming pace.