Book 5

LUKE

If I thought that I was going to meet this mysterious woman right then and there, it was because I’d forgotten the snail speed at which everything government moves. 

First, I was presented with a bunch of paperwork to sign, basically agreeing not to ever reveal anything that happened. I’ve already signed this stuff before but I guess they have a different layer of legalese if you’re in actual contact with a cyber terrorist. 

It’s about an hour later when I’m led down another hallway. There wasn’t much time for me to review the folder of information on the suspect. I got nothing more than a name. 

Sarah Parker. 

It means nothing to me. 

Agent Walker stops right outside a nondescript gray door. 

“We’ll be right on the other side of the glass. Don’t accuse her of anything but try to get her talking about her mission. Find out what the hell she was looking for and how she even knew where to start.”

“Right. Get her talking. I can do that.”

He hesitates and then opens the door. I step inside and wait until I hear the gentle click of the door shutting behind me. The knowledge that I’m being watched behind the large mirror on the wall doesn’t help my anxiety any. 

The table in the center of the room is empty. I turn around, looking behind me. I’m about to bang on the mirror and ask what the hell is going on when I notice her in the corner. 

She’s small, so small I almost mistake her for a child. A curtain of long, dark hair covers her so completely that all I can see are the tips of her Chucks. They’re electric blue.  

Then she looks up. 

We stay suspended like that for what I hope is just a few seconds before I find enough brain cells to speak. 

It’s the girl from the rain.

“Hey. What are you doing on the floor?”

Large, dark eyes continue to watch me as I take a seat at the table. I’m trying not to move too quickly or do anything to spook her. She already looks pale. She’s probably terrified. 

I remember what it was like being interrogated by agents as a teenager. I fear any sudden movements will just freak her out more. 

Aware that we’re being watched, I’m unsure of how to proceed. Walker said she put my name as her emergency contact. But I’m positive that I’ve never seen this girl before that day in the rain. 

So why would she claim to know me? 

More importantly, what could she hope to gain by using my name? 

Not too many people know about my consulting with the department in the first place. There’s no way she could have known that my name would even work in her favor.

None of this makes any sense. 

The FBI is tiptoeing around this innocent-looking little girl when she looks more likely to hack into the Disney servers to get some free Princess shit. 

“Hey, why don’t you tell me what happened. I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong.”

She’d gone back to staring at the tips of her shoes but at my words, her eyes swing to mine. I almost shift backward in my seat at the sudden cunning gleam in her eyes. This is not some innocent little kid.

“Are you sure about that? I’m no angel.” 

It’s the first time she speaks and the soft whisper of her voice sends a little shiver down my spine. Then she leans forward and once our eyes meet again, she smiles. 

“Well, I’m an angel online but only after dark.” 

My heart stops in my chest and as we stare at each other, our eyes play out a hundred conversations we can’t speak aloud. There’s no mistaking the emphasis she put on the word dark. 

Except for a few slip-ups when I was a teenager, I’ve been careful about covering my activities online and there’s only one person who has been around long enough and is skilled enough to figure out my real identity. 

If she knows about my online alter ego, DarkAngel, then there’s only one person she could be. 

C7pher.

As soon as the thought occurs, it’s disregarded as impossible. Maybe she just happened to choose a strange way of phrasing things. 

As if she can sense the shift in my thinking she says, “You always said if I needed you, just call.” 

In those few moments, my entire world realigns and everything I thought was real becomes a dream. After all, how can you rely on anything if the person you’ve trusted the most isn’t who you thought they were? 

I stand so fast the metal chair screeches against the floor. Just before I reach the door, she calls out. 

“Luke!”

My hand stills on the doorknob. There’s nothing we can say with an entire roomful of agents watching. The conversation that needs to take place between us cannot happen here. 

Because no matter how pissed I am, I can never forget that this is the one person who can destroy me.

“Just a minute, Sarah. I need to explain to Agent Walker that there’s been a misunderstanding.” 

I deliberately raise my voice and turn toward the mirrored wall. A few minutes later, Agent Walker comes in. 

“What’s going on, Luke?”

I point at Sarah. “I didn’t realize who you had in here. She’s not a terrorist. She’s a white hat. Top Fortune 500 companies hire her to test their systems. She tries to break in the same way any other hacker would, then provides them with an assessment of their vulnerabilities.”

Walker glances between the two of us suspiciously. “So, you do know her? Why didn’t you say so?”

“I, uh, didn’t recognize the name at first.”

Sarah stands then and glances at me. “Luke and I have fallen out of touch recently.”

“You were on a job when they grabbed you, right?”

She nods. “But it’s all supposed to be confidential so I wasn’t sure if it was safe to talk. But yeah, I was hired by a private company to test their security. I had no idea that was a government server until it was too late.”

Agent Walker doesn’t look completely satisfied but at least he doesn’t look quite as hostile.

“Sarah is skilled enough that if she was trying to hack into something unauthorized, she wouldn’t have done it without rerouting through some foreign ISP first.”

Agent Walker nods as if he has any idea what that means. 

“I’m sure Sarah can show you the emails from the company that hired her. That should give the FBI something to go on in tracking these guys down.”

“Of course,” Sarah agrees quickly.

“And we can go back to my place and catch up.”

They both stare at me. 

“W-What? Your place?” Sarah swallows and then glances over at Agent Walker. “Right. I am pretty tired.”

“Now, wait a minute—“

I hold up a hand. “You would have had me under surveillance when I left anyway. Now you can watch us both together. Look, you know she’s not behind this. It was obviously a setup and she’s going to cooperate fully. At least let us get some sleep.”

I can tell he doesn’t like having the decision taken out of his hands but doesn’t have a good reason to stop us. And I have no doubt that the look in my eyes is pretty scary right now. 

Because I have a mission of my own tonight. 

To interrogate the beautiful little liar who has been trolling me for the past decade.

Blue-Collar Billionaires

Inheriting billions from the father they never knew sounds pretty sweet. Until they find out what he really wants in exchange. 

Tank :  Fake Dating the billionaire’s son should have been easy. He’s a bad boy and not my type. But he’s also loyal and kind with an unexpected soft spot for rescue cats. Suddenly all I want is for this “fake” love to be real.

Finn : When she left me, I had nothing. Now I have it all: money, cars and most importantly, power. She’s struggling to save her business, and I’m in the perfect position to save it. For a price. 

Gabe : She thinks I’m arrogant and cocky as hell. She’s right. A reformed con artist and a perfect little princess don’t belong together. But I still can’t leave her alone.

Zack : She’s my brother’s ex. Off limits. But she needs a nude model for her show so I’m taking one for the team. Turns out she needs more than just my picture…

Luke : My online BFF is the only hacker better than I am. Then I’m asked to consult on a hacking case for the FBI and the hauntingly beautiful suspect seems to know a lot about me. Things I’ve only told one other person…

Blue-Collar Christmas : Emma has a plan to bring the high-rolling billionaire Marshall brothers back to their roots with the perfect blue-collar Christmas.  But as presents go off course and secrets are revealed, it turns out the “perfect” Christmas has a price tag no one expected…