Bobbie descended the stairs looking as though she’d just been through a wind storm, her hair tugged in all directions. A good indication, Tarin thought, of how her talk with her mother went. Tarin winced but rather than speak about her mother, she decided instead that Bobbie needed a distraction and she needed to do some snooping.
“I was thinking about going on a wine tasting tour. Care to join me?”
“God yes. After that call with my mom—let’s not go there. I’m in. I’ll make sure Kim can babysit. You’re not taking Chance, right?”
“No.”
After several missed turns due to Tarin’s poor directions, they finally arrived at their destination.
“If you’d told me we were going to Caspian Winery, I’d have been able to get us here with no problem. They have awesome wines. But do you realize we passed about eight or ten really good ones on the way here? The Reynolds Winery right next door is really good.”
“I know. I saw Caspian’s ad, so their name stuck in my mind. I was a bit curious. We can hit the other ones another time. Okay? You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah. Several times. I come here at Christmas for the tour; it’s so cool. They do it up right. We’ll have to come this year. We should have come by cab.”
“That’s okay, I won’t drink. Have you ever met any of the staff here?”
“The guy that does the vineyard tour is rather hot.”
“Anyone else?”
“Yeah, I guess but I don’t remember names or anything. Why?”
“I thought maybe you could get us a private tour.”
“No. You’ve got to be family or close friends for that, I imagine.”
Tarin thought about her hopeful connection through Knights Associates. If... no, when she got the job, she’d ask. There was no if’s about it; she had to get that position. As she entered the building, she realized Bobbie was already asking about the tour and was being told the next one would start in about twenty minutes. They could wander around until then. Bobbie sat down.
“I’ll wait.”
“I’m going outside, okay?”
“No problem, I think I’ll have a glass while I sit here.”
Tarin smiled and headed out the door. The vineyards were down the hill to the left. Behind her was the area for the wine making but she wanted the administrative center, the best opportunity for locating their computers and data.
Walking around the building, she noted there were several other buildings. She wasn’t sure what they were for but since there were no windows she doubted any were offices. Around the back, she noticed there were a few workers milling about, some on machinery while others were entering and exiting the shops. Squaring her shoulders, she purposefully strode with an air of authority. At the far end, she turned the corner and found a two-story she was certain contained offices. The side and back doors were locked so she continued around to the front, realizing they were attached to the main winemaking building. There had to be a way into the offices from inside. As she was contemplating what to do, someone walked past her and entered a side door to the winemaking building. She didn’t hesitate to follow suit. Once away from the glare of the sun, her eyes had to adjust to the dimmer light. The incessant noise of the machines had her clapping her hands over her ears. Not wasting any time, she followed a hallway to her right.
“Excuse me. What are you doing?”
She spun around so quickly, she wished she’d worn runners as her heels slid on the cement floor and she slammed backward into the wall.
“Ouch.”
“Hey, are you all right?”
The young man grabbed her arm keeping her upright. She was about to pull back when she saw the darkening of his pupils. Taking a deep breath, she thought it was okay this one time to use what God had given her. She felt as though she was auditioning for a part in a play, if the nerves in her stomach were anything to go by. Bobbie had always told her as a kid she should use what she’d been given.
“Thank you so much. Do you think there’s somewhere close by where I could sit down? Get out of this noise?”
“Well—”
“Ooooohhhh. It hurts.” She did what she hated; she gave him her best helpless female, imploring expression that seemed to make all men think they could leap tall buildings. When he still hesitated, her lip quivered and she forced tears to rise to the corners of her eyes. She repressed the shudder of revulsion at what she was exploiting.
“Yeah, come on. I’ll take you into the reception area.”
A few minutes later, she found herself precisely where she wanted to be, in the central office reception area. He got her a glass of water from the water dispenser. She bent over and rubbed her ankle as though it was painful.
“I think I might have sprained something. I need to sit for a minute.” She slowly sipped her glass of water. “What’s your name?”
“Cory.”
“Nice to meet you. Have you worked here long?”
“I’m new this summer. I’m still learning my way around. Are you ready to go? I really have to get back to work.”
Tarin stood but instantly sat down. “Do you think I could sit here for a minute? You go and do what you have to do, come back in about ten minutes, I’m sure I’ll be ready by then.”
He hesitated.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your saving me like that. Usually, I’m not so clumsy.” She eased her shoe off so he could see her passion pink toes. It only took a few more minutes of flirting to cajole him into trusting her. As soon as he was out the door, she kicked off her other shoe and immediately went around the receptionist’s desk and hacked into her computer. There was a lot to read but nothing of use. She logged off and made her way down the hallway situated behind her. Along the wall were several pictures. She glanced at them but didn’t want to get distracted. Another time, she’d study them.
Heading for the office at the end of the hall, she took out her lock picking set and tried to jimmy the lock. It didn’t work. No matter what she did, it wouldn’t open. Frustrated, she tried the other doors. It was only when she reached Oliver Gibner’s door that it opened. Not sure what she had done differently, she realized that she’d obviously missed something in the twenty minutes of YouTube videos she’d watched on lock picking. Bobbie had always been good at it when they were kids, but it wasn’t really a skill she could casually ask Bobbie how to do.
Tempted to go back and try the CEO’s office, she decided she was wasting time and she had better be thankful for opening one. For the hundredth time, she pushed away all the guilt over what she was doing. She kept reminding herself that this was for Chance.
Oliver Gibner, the Shipping and Receiving Manager. A couple of minutes and she was into his computer. Since she didn’t have time to snoop, she downloaded a number of folders onto her USB and logged out. Knowing her time had to be up, she let herself out and was strolling down the hallway when she heard the door open. She scurried to get behind the main desk before sinking to the floor. As soon as she knew she had an audience, she started moaning.
“Oooohhh.”
“Excuse me? Miss? Where are you?”
“Here behind the desk. I was trying to find the bathroom.”
He squatted down beside her, staring at the ankle she was clutching. “Let me see. It doesn’t look swollen.”
“I know. That’s what’s so weird.” She continued to moan.
“Let me carry you.” Before she could respond, he picked her up and carried her out. He stopped long enough for her to grab her shoes and then he proceeded through the building to the front.
Bobbie jumped to her feet. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” She opened her eyes wide hoping her friend would get the message and not make a big deal about it. “But we need to go. I twisted my ankle a bit. Nothing serious.”
“If you’d stop wearing those stupid things.” She nodded at the stilettos dangling from Tarin’s fingers.
“I know. Let’s go.”
After being carefully put into the passenger seat, she put her hand on the young man’s arm. “Thank you.” He turned a light shade of red.
As Bobbie drove away, she said, “He’s kind of young, don’t you think?”
“Funny.”
“So what was that all about?”
Tarin hesitated briefly before saying, “I got lost, ended up somewhere I shouldn’t have been. I’m not like you, I don’t know how to talk my way out of that so―”
“So you played the damsel in distress card.”
“Something like that.”
“If any guy would carry me, I’d play it up, too.”
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be, believe me.”
The rest of the trip was made in silence. Tarin closed her eyes, glad that Bobbie was driving. The insanity of her actions washed over her. The last time she’d done anything this crazy, she’d been sixteen and she and Bobbie had hacked into the school’s computer to change her mark, which hadn’t ended well for Tarin. Sadly, she realized she’d included Bobbie again, only this time, Bobbie wasn’t even aware of it. In fact, Tarin was sure Bobbie would be shocked if she knew what Tarin had just orchestrated. She couldn’t believe what she’d pulled off. The sick feeling was still present but the excitement of what she’d done was starting to consume her.
“Stop the car, Bobbie.”
She immediately slowed, turning the corner not far from her house before pulling over. “What’s up? You okay? You look almost giddy.” She touched her hand to Tarin’s forehead.
Tarin ducked. “I’m fine. I’m going to walk—”
“What about your ankle?”
“It’s fine. I need a bit of fresh air. I think I’m only a few blocks from home, right?”
Bobbie nodded. Tarin climbed out, closed the door and started walking slowly down the sidewalk, even though the nervous energy bounced around inside her like a young child on a sugar high. Finally, Bobbie pulled away and waved as she passed. As soon as she rounded the corner, Tarin slipped off the heels she’d slipped on while in the car. She did something she’d never done: she ran.
The USB in her pocket sat about as comfortably as a load of bricks, and it felt as though it was radiating heat. It may not have been burning a hole in her pocket but it sure was in her mind. Did it have anything helpful or had all that risk been in vain? Would the guilt prevent her from even going through the information to discover what she’d stolen?
Her stomach felt as if it had dropped past her knees. Her breathing suddenly hitched. She stopped, bending over huffing and puffing liked she’d run a marathon instead of a mere twenty feet.
Her phone chirped a message notification. She pulled it out, warring with herself whether to look. Odds were that it was Stephen venting about what a witch she was—though he’d never called her anything that nice. She’d ignore it if it was from him. When she checked, she realized she’d missed a phone call. Listening to the message, she couldn’t help but smile. She’d done it. She’d gotten the job. Things were going to work out.
A few people turned as she ran by in bare feet, a big grin on her face, stilettos in one hand and her cell phone in the other. It wasn’t until someone honked that she even realized how ridiculous she must look... and how mortified her father would be that the young woman he’d groomed so meticulously had just thrown her manners out the window. She immediately stopped running but refused to put her shoes back on. And nothing was going to dispel the excitement she was feeling. Everything was going to work out.