1

      ADDISON COBALT’S FATHER had made a living out of taking down bad guys, so she knew the world had an ugly underbelly. But knowing it and experiencing it were two different things. She smoothed her hands over the printed email that sat on her desk. Hateful words stared up at her.

      “I don’t understand what’s going on here,” she said, furrowing her brow.

      Rhys Glover, the IT manager for Cobalt & Dane Security, pursed his lips. “He’s threatening you.”

      “Yes, I got that from the ‘I’m going to kill you’ section of this email. But I don’t know who could have sent it or why. I don’t have any enemies.”

      “Clearly, you do.”

      Raking a lacquered red nail down the neat rows of twelve-point print, she searched for a clue as to the identity of the anonymous email sender. “You’d think that if he was going to threaten my life, he could at least introduce himself first.”

      Rhys narrowed his dark eyes. “You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously, Addi.”

      One of Rhys’s staff members had come across the email that morning when she’d been combing through the spam filter on an unrelated assignment. She’d brought it directly to Rhys. The message had never made it to Addison’s email address because of its excessive profanity.

      “I’m not sure how anyone could take an email seriously from someone who calls themselves ‘your worst nightmare.’ I mean, how clichéd is that?” She rolled her eyes. “Thanks for bringing this to me, but it’s probably a hoax. Just some guy who hates women and wants to get his jollies by sending a nasty email. I’m not too worried—”

      “I think we should involve Logan.”

      Addison bristled. “He has bigger things to worry about than some misogynistic idiot.”

      Truth was, she didn’t want Logan getting involved. She tried to keep anything remotely personal as far away from him as possible. Their relationship was strictly business, and it had to stay that way. It was bad enough that she had to accept that everyone viewed him as the boss despite their being equal partners, and she’d rather stab herself in the eye with her own stiletto before admitting she needed his help.

      Besides, there was the issue of her top secret plans to start her own business separate from Cobalt & Dane. Having Logan stick his nose into her personal life wasn’t something that she could allow at the moment.

      “The safety and well-being of everyone in this company is his responsibility.” Rhys ran a hand over his cropped dark hair.

      “Our responsibility,” she corrected. “Since my name is on the wall here, his responsibilities are also mine.”

      “You know what I mean. This is Logan’s bread and butter, not yours.”

      Like she needed the reminder. “That might be true, but I’m still your boss.”

      “Are you telling me not to say anything to him?” Rhys shook his head. “I’m not comfortable—”

      “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She scanned the email again. “Whoever this person is, they haven’t made a move. This email was sent two days ago and I haven’t had any strange phone calls or anyone stopping me in the street. It’s a load of crap.”

      “The things he says are pretty specific.”

      “Precisely my point. If he were planning to execute any of this, why wouldn’t he keep his mouth shut instead of leaving a happy little trail of evidence like some kind of deranged version of Hansel and Gretel?” She shrugged. “Now, security might not be my ‘bread and butter,’ but that seems a little odd to me.”

      Rhys made a noncommittal noise. “Better safe than sorry.”

      “I am safe. My apartment is totally secure, as are the offices here. I appreciate the concern, Rhys, but I’m fine.”

      Addison drummed her nails against the surface of the desk. She wouldn’t admit it to Rhys—or anyone—but the email had shaken her a little. It was so angry. So vitriolic.

      But if there was one thing she knew for certain, it was that people were much braver in front of a computer screen than they were in real life. Addison was an active participant in several women-in-business groups. She’d seen firsthand the kind of crap people posted online, but she’d bet her last dollar bill that none of them would have the guts to say those things to her face. So she didn’t put much stock in this email.

      And she certainly wouldn’t subject herself to asking Logan freaking Dane for help.

      “You’re not worried?”

      She shook her head. “This is just some weak little person sitting high and mighty behind his keyboard trying to get his thrills by scaring a woman who dares to be in a position of power. I’m not falling for it.”

      “I still think we should tell Logan.”

      “Rhys, I promise if anything else seems out of the ordinary I’ll bring it up with him.” She folded the email in two and tucked it into her organizer. “But we’ve got the leadership retreat starting on Monday and I have a ton of stuff to do in preparation. And I want Logan’s eye on the prize with this strategy stuff. He’ll do anything to get out of it. Don’t give him the distraction.”

      “I really don’t feel comfortable sitting on this,” Rhys said.

      “I don’t care.” Addison stood and made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now, get out of here and don’t stay late. You should be spending the weekend with that lovely woman of yours. If she stops sending brownies into the office, the staff will have my hide.”

      “Fine.” Rhys pushed up from the chair on the other side of her desk and went to leave. “But promise me you’ll let one of us know the second you see anything odd. Okay?”

      “Cross my heart and hope to die,” she replied, making a cross over her chest with her finger. “Now get out of here.”

      She smiled to herself as Rhys left. Her IT manager was a great guy, if a little too uptight in her opinion. But once he was gone, a feeling of unease developed in her chest. Surveying her office, she tried to shake it off.

      It’s nerves about the retreat, that’s all.

      The Cobalt & Dane management team would be spending three days in Addison’s cottage in upstate New York assessing their progress against the business strategy