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into a chair. “I don’t want to believe you would betray me. But couldn’t you have delayed, come up with some excuse?”
    “I might have been able to buy you one maybe two hours. But what would that get you? As I said, my juniors knew about it. If they’d gone up to him and had gone around me, I’d have lost credibility. I couldn’t risk that, not if I wanted to stay on top of this thing.”
    She swallowed and nodded. “I guess.”
    Straightening, he put his hands on his hips. “Look, those emails—no one could ignore them. Trust me, Victoria, if there was anything different that I could have done, I would have done it.”
    “I guess it isn’t your fault—I know you didn’t create those emails. But I’m just so…so…”
    “Upset?”
    “How about murderously angry, hurt, and I want to get back at whoever did this!”
    “It’s okay. We are going to get to the bottom of this mystery and uncover the real culprit.”
    Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. How could she have doubted him? Had she become so focused on work only that she had forgotten what friendship was? Or was she lashing out because she’d gotten the shock of her life today? She cleared her throat. “How are we going to uncover this plot?”
    Trent nodded. A smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “We? I am going to dig into this lie. No one gets into my system without leaving some footmarks. Someone not only stole the information, but he or she set you up as the scapegoat. I might have forgiven the first crime, but not the second. That’s just not done.”
    She hugged herself. “And what am I supposed to do now?” Misery twisted sharp inside her. “I feel so alone, Trent.”
    He walked over and hugged her. Warm, strong arms wrapped around her and she clung to him. He pressed her tight against his chest. “You’ll never be alone. Don’t ever think that. I am there for you, always.”
    She rested her head on his shoulders. He smelled like garlic and ginger, too, and her stomach grumbled. “I’m sorry that I said such awful things to you.”
    He laughed and pulled back. “It’s okay. I’ve had worse from you.”
    “From me?” Lifting her head, she smiled. An old memory flashed. “Second year of college—I ran behind you with a baseball bat in my hand, trying to land one on you.”
    “The baseball incident—what else.”
    “You deserved that one. Who told you to put a cockroach in my bed?”
    “Hey! I was trying to toughen you up. Who, I ask you, is scared of a cockroach?”
    She pushed away from him. “You did it to win a bet!”
    He dipped his head, but glanced up at her, a small smile playing in his eyes and around the corners of his lips. “Oh yeah! I forgot that part.”
    As she stared into his eyes, a feeling of desire rippled through her, warm and inviting. She stood and went over to the food. She was just hungry. And tired. And…and how could she feel that way about Trent? He’d felt safe when he’d held her—warm and strong. That was all. A safe harbor. She wasn’t his time and he wasn’t hers.
    She dug out one of the take-out cartons from the bag. “Let’s eat.”
    He started to head into the kitchen to get plates, but she told him they’d just use chopsticks and the boxes. He’d brought beer with him and they opened two. It was always comfortable with Trent, but tonight something different seemed to be happening. She could sense a chemistry sparking between them. Was her mind playing tricks on her? And was it mutual? She tried to watch him, but Trent just seemed like good old Trent, making jokes, trying to get her to laugh and lighten up.
    After they’d pulled out all the food, Victoria sipped her beer. “Did Peter say anything to people in the office? You know—after the ax fell.”
    She winced. She’d tried to make it sound casual, but she’d voice choked on the words.
    Trent avoided her stare.
    “Oh, who am I trying to fool. He told everyone, didn’t he? People must be whispering now, meeting up in