Heather frowned. “Isn’t that kind of information hard to get? Not to mention the privacy issues involved.”
“Yes, it’s hard to get. At least legally anyway.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about? Are you seriously trying to get that information illegally?”
“It’s the only way,” he said, pounding away at the keyboard.
“Simon, I forbid it,” she said. “You cannot risk going to jail to save me.”
“Too late,” he said. “I’ve already started. Which means I’ve broken the law already.”
She groaned. “There’s no way your lawyer advised you to do this.”
“I don’t always listen to my lawyer,” he said.
“But you expect me to listen?” she cried, her infuriation mounting.
“Yes, I do. Because I love you.” His gaze lifted to hers and his breathtaking blue eyes narrowed. “Now, be quiet so that I can work.”
The way he said he loved her without hesitation was making her stomach do flips. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl all over again, and it took everything in her power to not melt into a puddle right then and there. “What exactly are you doing?” she demanded.
“I’m hacking into Dover’s financial information,” he said. “I’m going through every company-solicited credit and debit card to find the spy.”
“You’re hacking against the hacker,” she said.
He nodded. “It’s time to fight fire with fire.”
There wasn’t a chance in hell of convincing him to stop what he was doing. Not with that determined light blazing in his eyes.
She let out a sigh. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes,” he said. “Monitor my phone. Tell me when there’s an incoming message from my lawyer. Or... the police.”
Heather got to her feet, walked over to him, and took the phone from his desk. While he did whatever it was that he was doing, she returned to her seat to anxiously watch all incoming messages on his phone and her phone as well.
Hours crept by. She paced while he worked. Eventually, she went into the break room to make some coffee and grab some snacks for them.
While she sipped her coffee, a text came through her phone. She searched through her messages again, and her eyes landed on a recent text from her new lawyer.
“What is it?” Simon asked.
“My lawyer has been in touch with the police and believes the cops came by to question me. They were trying to use it as a threatening tactic to see if I would confess.” She sighed. “But my lawyer also says that if we can get proof that clears my name, the police will back off.”
“Does he say how much time we have?” he asked.
She grimaced as she reread the message. “He says, considering the time, we can probably hold them off all night until around eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”
He glanced at his watch. “So, we’ve got what? Eight hours?”
“Is that enough time?” she asked with a frown.
“We’ll see,” he said, his lips forming a grim line.
It felt like ages crept by before his fingers stopped flying across the keyboard. He cursed under his breath.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It can’t be.”
“Simon.” She shot him a pleading glance. After hours of sitting around while he did all the work, she refused to let him avoid her questions. The hacking scandal had put her through hell and she had the right to finally get some answers.
“The hacker is a board member,” he said.
“Which board member?”
He rubbed his eyes. “It’s... Everett.”
“What?!” Shock made her jump to her feet. “Everett Eastman? He’s the most senior board member!” She ran every possibility through her head, dread filling her as she realized the impact. “If Everett is the hacker, do you know what this means?”
“That Dover’s most senior employee has been plotting to destroy it for months,” he said. “Maybe even years.”
“You’re certain?” she asked.
He nodded and looked at her. “It’s no wonder he was so eager to blame you for everything. He’s been spying on us this whole time. He put my former assistant up to the insider trading. He paid the electricians. Plus, he personally hacked into my home system. A lot of people think he’s just some executive in a suit, but Everett knows tech inside and out. He has the skills to hack into my system if he really wanted to.”