The storm outside rattled the tall windows of Blackwood Enterprises, its wind howling like a warning. Natasha had stayed late again, digging through procurement records tied to Alden Foods. The numbers were too neat—almost too neat—as if someone had scrubbed the trail clean.
She was cross-checking supplier payments when the office lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then the entire floor went dark.
A soft curse escaped her lips. She reached for her phone flashlight, only for a shadow to move at the far end of the hall.
"Natasha."
Her chest tightened at the low voice. Edward emerged from the darkness, his face partially lit by the pale glow of his phone. "Come with me. Now."
Before she could ask, he took her hand and pulled her toward the emergency stairwell. His grip was firm, grounding her as they descended two floors, only to slip into a locked storage room. Edward closed the door behind them, the metallic click echoing in the narrow space.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
"Someone tripped the security system. This blackout isn't random—it's a cover."
"For what?"
His eyes, even in the dim light, were intense. "For getting to the servers. If they erase the files, we lose everything."
Natasha's pulse spiked. The room was small—so small her shoulder brushed against his chest when she shifted. The scent of his cologne, warm and sharp, wrapped around her, making it impossible to ignore the heat between them.
Edward leaned closer, his voice dropping lower. "I need you to stay here while I check the east wing."
She shook her head. "I'm not hiding while you run into danger alone."
A ghost of a smile curved his lips. "You're stubborn."
"You hired me. You knew what you were getting."
He exhaled, the sound mingling with the rain against the windows. "Fine. But you follow my lead, no matter what."
When he cracked the door open, the corridor outside was silent—too silent. They moved quickly, their footsteps muffled by the carpet. As they turned the corner toward the server room, Natasha spotted a figure crouched by the access panel.
Edward reacted instantly, pushing her against the wall and shielding her with his body. She could feel the thud of his heartbeat against her back, rapid and strong.
The intruder jerked upright, a mask covering half his face. He bolted down the hall. Edward gave chase, and Natasha followed, adrenaline surging. They cornered him by the freight elevator, but before Edward could grab him, the man swung a metal bar. Edward dodged, grabbing the weapon and twisting it from his hands.
The struggle ended as suddenly as it began, with the masked man breaking free and vanishing into the stairwell.
Edward cursed under his breath, then turned to Natasha. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, breathless. "No. You?"
His jaw tightened. "I've had worse."
They returned to the server room to find the door lock forced—but the core files intact. Natasha moved to the console, quickly backing up the critical data while Edward stood guard at the door.
When it was done, the tension that had held her upright seemed to collapse, and she leaned against the wall, exhaling. Edward stepped closer, close enough that the shadows of their faces merged.
"You handled yourself well," he said, his voice quieter now. "Better than some of my trained security."
Her lips curved faintly. "I had a good teacher."
For a moment, they just looked at each other, the charged silence more intimate than words. His gaze flicked to her mouth—then back to her eyes.
The thunder outside cracked, loud enough to make her flinch. He reached out, fingers brushing her jaw in a gesture so unguarded it felt out of place for him. "You shouldn't be here after hours," he murmured.
"Neither should you," she replied softly.
Edward's hand lingered for a second longer before he stepped back, the space between them feeling colder instantly. "Come on. We'll review the footage tomorrow. Whoever that was, this isn't over."
As they left the building, Natasha couldn't shake the sensation that the night had shifted something—not just in the investigation, but between them. The danger was still there, but so was something else.
Something she wasn't sure she was ready to admit.