That was when he saw it. A small black flash drive on the counter. I’d left it there on purpose. It was bait.

He snatched it up. “What is this? The files? The passwords?”

“It’s the truth,” I said.

He lost control. He grabbed the heavy marble rolling pin from the counter and swung. I ducked, but the blow caught my shoulder. Then came the shove. My head hit the pantry door, and the world began to tilt.

As I lay on the floor, drifting in and out, Ethan stood over me. He didn’t look like a CEO. He looked like a cornered animal.

“You should have stayed quiet,” he whispered.