Undercover Engagement by Lucy McConnell Read Free Book Online Page B

bit peeved that he would pick-pocket me. It was a violation and, in a way, his actions left me wondering about him again. Who was he – really? I'd gone back and forth on this so much in the last two days I could have taken medication for emotional whiplash.
    “T.C.S. I told your parents I wanted to propose to you and I showed them the ring. I apologized for waiting so long and acting so secretive. Your mom’s figured out my deep dark secret and loves me anyway.” He smiled. “Your dad, well, he doesn’t love me, but I think he respects me.”
    I snorted. That’s what you think.
    “So, the last thing I need to do is get that ring back on your finger.”
    I leaned away from him.
    “I know you’re not ready to wear this in front of your family yet, but will you at least keep it?” He looked so humble.
    Carefully placing the ring in the deepest corner of my front pocket in silence I gave him a non-committal shrug.
    He sighed. “We’ll go over the plan for tomorrow in the car.”
    “Okay.”
    Yeah, tomorrow, the day I officially become an information thief and ruin my boss’s life – neat.

Chapter 11
     
     
    J ason drilled me the whole way home. By the time he dropped me off at my condo, the plan was cemented into my head and my head felt like it was full of cement.
    A restless night’s sleep followed – I debated the morality of what I'd agreed to do. Stealing was stealing, even if it was in the form of 0’s and 1’s and coded so I didn't know what it was. What I did know, was that I was about to help incarcerate a man who had been good to me, a man I considered a friend. What would Karyn, his wife, do while he was in jail? If what Jason said was true, she'd probably divorce him and I would be responsible for ruining not only his career and life in general, but also his marriage.
    I kicked the covers off in frustration. It all came down to believing Jason, the guy who lied to me for months. I prayed for guidance and finally fell into a light slumber where I dreamed I was glued to Devin's chair behind his desk and entered the wrong password.
    When my alarm clock went off, it took a moment for the panic to abate.
    Jason knocked on my door five minutes before I was set to leave for work. He handed me an ordinary looking USB drive. “This is the decryption device. All you have to do is plug it into his computer and push enter. It should do all the rest.” I nodded, taking my first piece of spy gear. It sounded so simple . Drive to the office, do my work, and then break into my boss’s office and destroy his future and possibly his children's future. No problem.
    “I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby. If anyone asks, we’re going out for a late dinner to celebrate things going so well with your parents.” He gave me an ironic smile. Grabbing my hand, he felt my ring finger. The corners of his eyes dropped. “You really should wear it to the office.”
    “Oh, yeah.” I walked back to my room to retrieve the ring from my jewelry box. I’d placed it there last night as the internal conflict raged. Knowing I was about to lie to my coworkers and plunder information from my boss left me sick inside. I wasn’t that type of a person. Some kids have the I-took-a-candy-bar-from-the-store story, but I never did. Honesty had been preached and expected in our home. I knew telling the truth was the right thing to do, even if it was hard. Yet, here I was, acting as an accomplice and helping Jason commit a felony.
    Guilt already clung to me like mud from a pigsty and I hadn’t even done anything yet. Add to that the questions I had about marrying a man who would ask me to do these things and you had one discombobulated girl. Of course, I’d forgotten my ring! I hadn’t been able to eat breakfast, so my hands shook as I slipped it on. For the first time since Jason proposed, I felt the weight of the ring on my finger.
    Ugh. Life stinks. Seriously, where did my prince charming and happy ever after go?
    “Are you