Con gave a nod before he pivoted and walked away. She shook her head, wondering why every encounter with Con left her more confused than before.
Despite her wanting to ignore Con’s words, she couldn’t. Did Ryder really regret what he’d done? He’d said as much when he thought her asleep, but she hadn’t believed him. She wasn’t even sure she believed Con.
They could be attempting to get her to fall for Ryder again so they could use her as a mole in Kyvor.
She started toward the computer room when she heard her mobile phone ringing. Kinsey walked faster, but it stopped long before she reached her chair.
When she checked the phone she saw that Cecil had called her three times last night and twice that morning. She set her coffee down with a groan.
“Bad news?” Ryder asked without looking in her direction.
Kinsey turned her head to answer him when she saw he was now working on fourteen of the monitors. “It’s Cecil. I forgot to turn in a work order yesterday to give me a reason to remain on Dreagan.”
“They didna put a tracking device on your phone, but they could hack in and locate your GPS. However, on Dreagan, they wouldna be able to find you.”
That was a small comfort. “If that’s true and my tracking isn’t showing up, then they know I’m still here.”
“Aye,” he said, typing.
She leaned back in her chair. “Will you sign whatever work order I draw up?”
“Of course. We need you here.”
She almost asked if they would allow her to leave, but then she realized it didn’t matter. If she wanted to prove her innocence, she needed Ryder. The only way to do that was to stay on Dreagan for however long it took.
Kinsey pulled out her tablet and typed up three different work orders. They weren’t anything that would look suspicious. In fact, they were add-ons to what she originally was sent to Dreagan for.
When she finished, she handed the tablet to Ryder, who signed without looking at what she wrote.
“Aren’t you even curious about what they say?”
“Nay,” he replied before returning to his monitors and scrolling through picture after picture of men.
Kinsey sent the orders to Cecil. Then she picked up her phone to return his calls when she hesitated. “I thought you’d still be in bed when I woke.”
Ryder gradually turned his head to her. “You were sleeping soundly, and I was needed here.”
“We didn’t talk much last night.”
“You were clear in your thoughts.”
Was he upset? Had she hurt his feelings? That thought unsettled her. For a while she used to want to wound him as he’d hurt her, but those thoughts had faded quickly.
Now the idea that she caused him to suffer distressed her. He’d wanted honesty last night, but she hadn’t been able to give him the answers he wanted to hear.
But how easy it would’ve been to give in and see if she could have a future with Ryder.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kinsey saw Ryder tense slightly when her mobile rang again. She didn’t glance at him as she answered it, putting it on speaker as she continued to run encryption software on the e-mails.
“Hello, Cecil,” Kinsey said. “I was just about to call you.” It was a lie, but Cecil would never know. The man was too concerned about gaining another title to consider anyone might be lying to him.
“Good, good,” his voice came over the mobile. “I was getting worried.”
Kinsey paused in her typing and looked at her phone. There was strain in his voice. Her gaze shifted to Ryder to find him looking at her as well. She shrugged, letting Ryder know she didn’t have a clue what was going on.
“Because I was late with the work orders?” she asked.
Cecil laughed nervously. “I told you it was important.”
“And I said I’d get it done. I did.”
“Well, girl, you’ve never let me down before. This would be a bad time to start.”
That took Kinsey aback. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve always done my job.”
“Of course you have,” he said quickly, then laughed to try and divert her questioning. “There’s just a lot going on around the office.”
But Kinsey wasn’t going to let it go. “Why would you think I’d let you down?”
“Well,” Cecil said with a slight hesitation. “They put a lot of emphasis on how well my people do.”
“They always have. Yet I’ve got the distinct impression that you’re making it sound much more serious. What’s going on?” she asked.
Ryder gave a nod of approval at her approach, which made her want to smile.
Cecil stuttered over himself before he said, “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“We’re way above quota. Right?” she urged when he was silent.
“Right.”
But his answer was much too hasty. Kinsey lifted her hands helplessly to Ryder. He motioned for her to continue where she was going with her questions.
“Is your job in jeopardy, Cecil?”
His nervous laughter was answer enough. “In this era of hacking, encryptions, spying, and protection of everything electronic, my job is never completely secure.”
“Then perhaps I should talk to Harriet. She needs to know that you’re doing a good job managing us out in the field.”