Chapter 252
Chapter 252:
Inside the marble bathroom of Suite A, June stood under scalding water, letting the heat soak into her exhausted muscles, trying to wash away the bitter sting of the failed operation. She stepped out of the glass enclosure and wrapped herself in a thick white terrycloth robe, tying the belt firmly at her waist. Her long dark hair hung completely soaked, dripping cold water down her neck.
She walked into the bedroom with her mind still racing, replaying the failed sting, searching for the variable she had missed. Then a thought struck her — a potential flaw in the warehouse’s digital security footprint that she had overlooked during the operation. It was a long shot, but it was a new angle, and she needed to run the simulation while the idea was still sharp. She also needed a second set of eyes on the municipal blueprints, and Crawford had the only hard copy.
June looked at the clock. It was late. But the urgency gnawed at her, and sleep could wait.
She crossed through the dimly lit shared living room, the only light coming from brief flashes of lightning that lit the space in pale white bursts. She stopped in front of the heavy wooden door to Suite B and knocked softly.
“Crawford? Are you awake p>
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The door swung open in under five seconds.
Crawford stood in the doorway wearing loose black silk pajama pants and a matching shirt that hung completely unbuttoned, exposing the hard, muscular planes of his chest. When his dark eyes landed on June — standing at his door in nothing but a bathrobe, wet hair clinging to her collarbones — a violent, electric jolt moved through him. He forced his breathing to remain steady, his jaw clenching tight to suppress his reaction.
“I had an idea about the warehouse firewall,” June said, holding up her tablet, entirely unaware of the tension radiating off him. “I think there may be a backdoor through the building’s HVAC control system, but I need to cross-reference it with the physical blueprints you have p>
Crawford stepped aside, his movements deliberately measured. “Of course p>
June walked past him into the room. The air was thick with the scent of cedarwood and expensive scotch. The blueprints were spread across the glass coffee table. She knelt on the thick rug and set her tablet beside the paper schematics. Crawford knelt beside her, the heat from his body a palpable presence in the quiet room.
“Here,” he said, his voice noticeably deeper and rougher than usual as he pointed to a section of the blueprint. “This is the main server conduit. It runs parallel to the primary ventilation shaft p>
June leaned in closer, her focus entirely on the technical details. As she reached across to indicate a point on her tablet, her arm brushed against his. The collar of her robe slipped slightly, exposing the pale, delicate curve of her neck.
Crawford’s knuckles went bone-white against the edge of the table. The restraint required not to move was becoming its own kind of torment.
A silence fell over the room — sudden, dense, and impossible to ignore.
June stilled. She looked up, her face inches from his. She could feel the intense heat radiating from his body and see the dark, dangerous fire burning in his eyes.