Dark Steel

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2021 by Fable Gray. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author.

  authorfablegray@gmail.com

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 1

  “I could probably walk better in those heels than you,” Xander said through the earpiece at my ear.

  “Shut up,” I grumbled under my breath as I approached the security desk.

  Xander could see where I was through the pin on the lapel of my jacket as well as hear me—even when I grumbled under my breath. He was a whiz at electronics and computers and any sort of technology.

  Which was exactly why he was helping me today. After all, there was no way I could infiltrate Dark Enterprises on my own.

  “Can I help you?” the security guard asked.

  I smiled and nodded. “I have an appointment for an interview at Smith and Stein at noon.”

  “It’s in the system,” Xander said in my ear.

  “They told me to tell you it’s in the system,” I repeated.

  The guard checked his computer, then squinted his eyes. “Name?”

  “Samantha Thompson.” Not my real name.

  “Right. Temporary security pass,” he said, pulling a lanyard from a drawer and passing it over. He pointed. “The elevators are around that corner. Fourth floor.”

  I knew exactly what floor I was supposed to go to, and exactly what floor I had no intention of going to.

  I flashed him a brief smile. “Thanks.”

  “Good,” Xander said in my ear. “You want to make a good impression but not stand out. You want—”

  “I know. I want to be forgettable,” I muttered, focusing more on walking straight than where I was going for a moment.

  I wasn’t exactly a business suit and heels kind of girl. More like a backpack and hiking pole kind of gal.

  I put the badge on when I spotted the elevators and slowed down to give Xander a clear view of the space.

  I was only here for one thing. To provide a visual of as much of Dark Enterprises as I could. The building was massive, with laboratories in the back, skyscraper height, and even a cafeteria that the website boasted served the finest cuisine in the area.

  We had blueprints, and Xander was certain he could hack into their security cameras, but he assured me it was safer this way. We’d get our own cameras in here and do our own scouting and there was less of a chance we’d get in trouble if things went awry.

  After all, Dark Enterprises was a high-profile organization. They were affiliated with half the businesses in the city and the laboratory did ground-breaking work.

  But that didn’t mean there weren’t shady things going down at Dark Enterprises, and we were going to figure out exactly what they were.

  “Basement first,” Xander said.

  I grimaced and paused in front of one set of elevators. “That’s the riskiest place,” I whispered under my breath.

  “Exactly,” he returned. “That way, if something goes down, your face will be on fewer cameras. We’ll start there, and if things go smoothly, we’ll get the rest.”

  My heartbeat picked up. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for espionage,” I mumbled.

  A woman stepped up to my side and gave me a curious look.

  “Sorry,” I said, smiling at her. “I was just grumbling about how much these shoes are making my feet hurt.”

  She sighed. “Tell me about it. Unfortunately, memory foam sneakers don’t go with pinstripes.”

  I grinned. “The price we pay for beauty.”

  She stepped inside the elevator when it opened, and I waved her on. “I’ll get the next one.”

  I released a breath when the doors closed.

  “The price we pay for beauty,” Xander said with a laugh. “You mean the ball cap you usually wear? Or the tinted moisturizer that you call foundation?”

  Another elevator door dinged, and gratefully, I stepped in alone. “Zip it,” I told him as I pressed the button for the basement.

  “All right. Camera in the corner,” he said, immediately going serious again.

  I glanced over my shoulder, searching for the best place to put a camera.

  “Casually,” Xander said softly.

  I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the tiny camera that wasn’t much bigger than my pinky nail. I peeled the paper off the back to reveal the sticky surface and then stuck it between my fingers.

  “Hurry,” Xander said.

  I backed up and set my hand on the rail, using that moment to block my hand from the elevator camera and push my own camera to the wall.

  The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal a basement corridor.

  Nerves raced through me.

  I was already on a few of their cameras. If anyone wanted to check to make sure I was legit, they’d know I wasn’t. They’d see that I hadn’t pressed the fourth-floor button and gone to where I had claimed I was supposed to go.

  But that was a bogus interview anyway. Xander had put it into the computer so I’d be allowed through security. Smith and Stein wasn’t expecting me any more than they were expecting the Easter bunny.

  I peeked both ways down the hallway and then turned to the left.

  “We know there’s a door to the laboratories to the left, so go that way first and see if we can get a camera there.”

  I did what he said, trying not to rush and make myself look suspicious. Once I’d placed a camera there, I did the same with the other corridor.

  Keeping my anxiety to myself, I followed Xander’s directions and placed cameras wherever he instructed, only checking to make sure he got the feed before moving to the next.

  My worries mixed with elation. This was working. It was really working.

  Soon, I’d have more answers. I have clues about what Dark Enterprises was up to and answers to how my father was involved.

  There was no way we’d get into the laboratory, but I put cameras close to those doors as well. I made sure to take a different elevator each time until I’d placed a camera in all four.

  The last one went to the top, to the peak of the impressive skyscraper where Mr. Dark himself had an office.

  I’d read enough about him to know he was deeply involved in the company. And every time I saw his face on another computer screen or embedded in another article, I vowed to uncover his secrets.

  And tried not to get drawn in by his stare. By the enigmatic arch to his brow or the strength in his jaw. It was sinful how gorgeous he was
.

  But I made sure that only fueled my hate for him a little more.

  Nerves made my hands shake when I stepped from the elevator. If anyone caught me from here on out, I had no idea what would happen.

  I feigned surprise when I saw the woman at the desk outside imposing glass doors.

  “What floor is this?” I asked.

  Her eyes narrowed. “The top floor.”

  I let my mouth drop open as I walked to her desk, trying to appear mortified. I held up my hands briefly before putting one in my pocket with the cameras. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even paying attention. I was supposed to be meeting someone on the floor below and then I got a text and…” I shrugged and gave her a sheepish smile. “You know how it goes.”

  She nodded and seemed to relax a little. I used the moment to put a camera on the desk, discreetly placed in between the panels of wood.

  “I’m so sorry,” I told her, turning back to the elevators. “This is so embarrassing.”

  “No problem,” she answered and got back to work.

  I blew out a breath as I stepped inside the elevator again.

  “Good job,” Xander said. “All cameras are up and running. Now get out of there.”

  I pressed the button for the lobby and the doors started to close.

  “Oh, shit,” I heard Xander say.

  I was about to ask him the problem when a hand slapped against one side of the elevator doors, stopping it from closing.

  My gaze lifted and my limbs froze when I saw who had halted the elevator.

  Declan Dark.

  Chapter 2

  Our gazes locked like two magnets drawn together. My breath caught, the whole world dropping away around me for one brief moment.

  Even though he was a few feet away, it felt like our bodies were only inches from touching, heat swirling around us and forming a cocoon.

  Ever so slightly, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that was both amused and confused, like he had no control over it.

  I tore my gaze away and backed up until my ass hit the metal handrail, only inches from the tiny camera I’d stuck there.

  “Holy fuck,” Xander said in my ear. “It’s Declan Dark.”

  I gritted my teeth to stop myself from saying something snarky in return. No shit it was Declan Dark. And Xander had probably seen him coming just before the elevator doors closed.

  A woman followed Declan into the elevator, barely casting me a look before returning her gaze to her phone.

  “It froze,” she said, elegant neck bent to stare at the screen.

  Declan leaned forward to press the button for the lobby, and I watched the muscles beneath his dark jacket bunch and relax. His movements were graceful.

  Like a predator.

  But the woman next to him didn’t even seem to notice. She frowned at her cell phone. “It won’t even turn off.”

  “Hold down the power button,” Declan suggested, his voice deep enough to send chills racing down my spine.

  And God, he smelled good. Like the forest after a solid rain. Earthy, raw, almost primal.

  “The devil is a sex god,” Xander said.

  I choked and then tried to turn it into a cough.

  The woman’s gaze was still glued to her phone. Declan angled his head, then cast one slow, simmering look over his shoulder. His gaze alone could have set me on fire.

  Shut up, I wanted to tell Xander. But I couldn’t give myself away.

  Xander continued. “I mean, we already knew he gets all the ladies. But now we can see why.”

  I swallowed hard. I could definitely see why. Hell, I could feel it. The way my body was responding right now wasn’t natural. Heat. Throbbing. A sensation that made my legs feel like they were going to buckle.

  That’s just the heels, I lied to myself. Your legs are getting tired.

  But the primal response the rest of my body was giving had nothing to do with my heels.

  “Still not working,” the woman sing-songed, her voice irritated. “I swear phones are going to be the death of us.”

  “What kind of phone is it?” Xander asked.

  I tried to peer over the woman’s shoulder but couldn’t tell. What the hell? No. I was supposed to be fading into the background, not making it obvious I was here.

  I cleared my throat, hoping Xander would get the message to stop talking.

  “What kind?” Xander persisted. “It’s probably just a little glitch. She can reboot it or—”

  “Excuse me,” I said to the woman if only to get Xander to shut up. “What kind of phone do you have?”

  She angled in my direction and squinted at her phone, holding it out so I could see.

  “It’s the most recent version,” she said, then frowned. “Still a piece of shit.”

  Xander agreed in my ear. “Yep. Okay, tell her she can try a soft reboot and then…”

  He explained what to do, and I instructed the woman, sounding like a robot as I repeated technological jargon that meant nothing to me.

  The whole time, I was aware of Declan watching me. His gaze bore into me in scrutiny. Fuck, he knew something was wrong. He knew I was an imposter.

  Any minute now, he was going to call security.

  The elevator had almost reached the lobby. Hurry, hurry. The faster I could get out of here, the sooner I’d be able to breathe.

  “It worked!” the woman said, a smile spreading wide on her pretty face.

  She was probably Declan’s lunch date. A jolt of jealousy hit me, followed by the immediate desire to slap some sense into myself for ever feeling such a ridiculous emotion.

  I wasn’t supposed to be drooling over the man, I was supposed to be investigating him.

  “Tell her she should probably back up her information,” Xander said, sounding distracted. He went on to explain how, and I relayed the information as the elevator dinged and the doors open.

  We all stepped out together and Declan took my elbow to steer me to the side as a group of people moved to take our place.

  His fingers held barely veiled strength, steel under a gentle touch. His smell surrounded me, threatening to take me down.

  Good thing Xander could only see what I saw, not feel what I felt.

  “You’re a lifesaver,” the woman said, looking like she was on the verge of hugging me.

  Declan released me, taking away the warmth of his grip. I blinked and nodded. “Of course. Have a good day.”

  “Wait!” the woman said.

  I grimaced and angled back, plastering a fake smile on my face.

  “You have to let me thank you,” she said, glancing at Declan as if trying to convince him as well.

  I shook my head. “It’s really not necessary.”

  Besides, the one she should be thanking was Xander. He was a supervisor for some phone company, dealing with this kind of shit all day long. It was a cover, sure, because he needed to appear above board even though more than half the things he did with technology were illegal.

  “What kind of business do you have here at Dark Enterprises?” Declan asked.

  My throat dried. I couldn’t tell him the truth. It would probably blow my cover if I said, Stalking your ass. I shook my head instead. “No—no business. I mean, I was just leaving. I was here for an interview.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. Shit. That didn’t explain why I was all the way on the top floor.

  “Did you get the job?” the woman asked.

  “No.”

  Xander cleared his throat. “Lie a little better, I think. She’ll believe anything you say. Him—not so much.”

  “Unfortunately. I didn’t,” I told her, infusing regret into my smile. I shrugged. “I wasn’t meant for the job, I guess. But then, I thought, since I’m already here, I’d love to take the elevator all the way to the top of one of the most famous skyscrapers in the city. It’s pretty impressive.”

  Xander snorted. “Yeah, lay it on thick. Men like him love flattery.”

  But Declan didn’
t look flattered so much as he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

  I made my smile larger as the woman spoke.

  “I’m so sorry you didn’t get the position,” she said. “Let me make it up to you—and thank you. You should come to lunch with us.”

  Oh, shit. I tried not to turn and run. “Really, it’s not necessary—”

  “Persuade her, Declan.”

  Declan’s jaw flexed. He put his hands in his pockets. “It’s Russo’s across the street. I know the chef.”

  “The best Italian food you’ll ever eat,” the woman insisted. “By the way, I’m Maggie.”

  Xander spoke to me again. “Oh, yes. Russo’s is the place to go. And I hear their breadsticks are to die for.”

  Dammit. He was supposed to be helping me, not making this even harder.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I told Maggie, keeping my gaze from Declan’s. “I wish I could, but I have a—a doctor’s appointment in about thirty minutes. I’d hate to cancel.”

  “Oh.” She looked genuinely disappointed.

  Declan cleared his throat. “Tell you what. You need a job and I have something opening up that might work for you. Be here at ten o’clock tomorrow for an interview.”

  Panic enveloped me. I didn’t really need a job. I—I needed a fake job. Help me, Xander! I screamed inwardly.

  “Take it,” he said immediately. “We need information. You can be our mole.”

  I wasn’t cut out to be a fucking spy and I’d already told him this. But saying no was even more suspicious.

  Just say yes and then don’t show up. No problem, I told myself.

  “That’s too kind,” I said, flashing that smile that was starting to feel like a second skin.

  “That’s a great idea,” Maggie said, nudging Declan’s arm. “Perfect.”

  “We won’t keep you any longer,” Declan said, lifting his chin. “Tomorrow at ten.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured. What else was I supposed to say?

  I turned abruptly, my brain yelling at me to run. Then I heard Declan’s deep voice behind me and thought I was going to pass out.

  “One more thing,” he said.

  Oh God, this was it. This was where he uncovered all my secrets.

  I couldn’t even muster a smile when I turned.