Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
My expression darkens. “Good. Because if someone’s screwing with my system, I want to know who—and I want to know now.”
A sharp snap echoes through the air, followed by a piercing screech as a wire gives way above us. A massive steel beam breaks loose, hurtling downward with a deafening rush.
“Shit! Watch out!”
Without thinking, I yank Georgia against me, my arms locking around her as I dive to the floor. The impact knocks the air from my lungs, but there’s no time to process it. A deafening crash erupts beside us as a steel pipe slams into the forklift, missing us by mere inches. Sparks explode in every direction, the metallic clang reverberating through the warehouse.
Georgia trembles beneath me, her breath shaky against my chest.
“We got it!” Gary shouts from across the floor. “We got it under control!”
I barely hear him, my focus solely on the woman in my arms. I draw her closer and frame her face in my hands, my eyes frantically searching hers.
She’s pale. Stunned. Her lips part, but no sound comes out.
“Are you okay?” The urgency in my voice cuts through the air.
Nothing. No reaction.
Panic grips tighter. I smooth my hands over her arms, down her sides, checking for anything—blood, bruises, anything that might explain why she won’t answer me.
“Georgia,” I say, my tone dropping as fear coils in my gut. “Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?”
Still nothing. Just wide, unfocused eyes.
I cup her face, forcing her to look at me. “Georgia, please. Answer me—”
“Good thing for these hard hats,” she cuts in, her voice light, teasing.
My eyes snap back to hers, and a damn smile curls the corners of her lips. The kind that makes my pulse spike—that makes me forget, for a moment, that we’re lying in the middle of a near disaster.
Then I become painfully aware of just how close we are. Her body, soft yet firm, tucked beneath mine, every inch of her pressed against me. There’s no way she doesn’t feel it—the hard, undeniable evidence of what she’s doing to me.
“Glad you find humor in this, Peach,” I murmur, my voice lower than I intend.
Her lips part slightly, teasing, taunting—just enough to push my restraint to its breaking point.
“Mr. Blake, are you okay? Either of you hurt?” At the sound of Wayne’s voice, I release Georgia and stand, helping her to her feet.
“I think so.”
Wayne stares at Georgia, and she replies, “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Her words offer some relief, but the fear still lingers, feeding the anger rising in my chest. Something could’ve happened to her. Jaw clenched, I snap my attention to Wayne. “What the hell just happened?”
“I don’t know.”
Gary, one of the foremen, rushes up, breathless. “The system glitched again.”
I whirl toward him, my patience barely holding on. “Again? How?”
“The same issue with the machine—it stalled, glitched, then shut down,” he explains, his forehead lined with frustration.
A muscle ticks in my cheek, my mind racing. “How the hell is that possible?” The odds of this happening twice in a row are extremely unlikely. The system is designed for efficiency, built with fail-safes to prevent this kind of failure.
Both men exchange uneasy glances, equally stunned.
“Someone better give me a goddamn answer,” I growl, my voice edged with fury.
Gary swipes a hand over his face. “I don’t know. The system has never done this before. There’s no reason this should—”
“But it did,” I snap, cutting him off. Rage coils tight in my chest. My entire operation is at risk due to a phantom issue that shouldn’t exist.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to regain control over my anger. “I want all production halted immediately. Shut it all down. Wayne, get everyone with access to the operations system in your office now. I want names, timestamps, and every single goddamn keystroke logged from the past twenty-four hours.” My fists clench at my sides as I scan the factory floor, my gut telling me this isn’t a random malfunction. Someone’s behind this. And I’m going to find out who.
Georgia flinches beside me, startled by my tone. I’d forgotten she was there, too caught up in my fueling anger. Forcing myself to rein it in, I exhale slowly and pull my phone from my pocket, firing off a quick text to William. Shifting my body back to Georgia, I try to soften my voice as much as I can. “I’m sorry. We’ll have to cut this field trip short. William is going to drive you back to the office.”
She nods. “Of course.”
“Gary will walk you out.” Disappointment flickers in her eyes, and as much as I want to erase it—hell, kiss it away—this situation demands my full attention.
Without another glance, I turn to Wayne, my voice all business. “Let’s go.”
Chapter eight
Georgia
Thirty minutes later, we pull up to the curb. I thank William for the ride and climb out, watching as he drives away before heading into the building.