Hacking Mr. CEO (Billionaire Heists #3) by Anna Hackett

I swallowed. “Please don’t hurt my family.”

His dark gaze focused on me. He didn’t say anything. For a second, he reminded me of my picture of the warrior angel.

I stepped up to the fence and gripped it. “If you do…”

“I’m not going to hurt your family.”

The deep growl of his voice shivered through me, and mixed with a surge of relief.

My breath shuddered out of me. “I am sorry. I didn’t know what the Calix Project was. I guess I thought it was a design for a new phone, or something.”

He continued to stare at me.

“That doesn’t make it right,” I continued in a rush. “And I don’t know who the people who approached me are. It was stupid, and dangerous.”

He put his hand on the fence, an inch from mine.

This close, I felt the heat pumping off his big body.

“I won’t hack your system,” I said.

“Tell me everything that’s going on,” he demanded.

He said it like he was used to issuing demands and having them followed.

I shook my head.

“Remi.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. He knew my name. I nibbled my bottom lip, my belly churning. I saw his gaze drop to my mouth.

Oh. Shit.

My gaze flicked up and I swore I saw desire on his face.

God. I couldn’t deal with this. I was attracted to him. Hell, any woman with a pulse would be. And it appeared he felt the same.

Right, because I was a tall, lanky model/actress/socialite. I swallowed a snort. The guy wanted me arrested, not naked.

I was either imagining things, or Maverick Rivera didn’t mind sampling new flavors. The man was notorious for having no long-term relationships. Well, I wouldn’t be anyone’s flavor of the week.

“Look, just forget I ever existed. Go back to your fancy Manhattan pad, and our paths will never cross again.”

“I want to know who contacted you, and how. I want to find the asshole.”

I shook my head. “There is no way to find him. Look, I have to go.”

I really needed to get away from him.

His hand moved, his fingers touching mine. Just the smallest touch of our fingers through the mesh.

I gasped. I felt that sensation sear through me. I saw the answering echo in his eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Remi.”

“I seem to remember the threat of police and jail.” I dragged in a ragged breath. “Actually, I’m glad you stopped me from making an even bigger mistake.”

I started to turn away.

“Don’t go.” His fingers tightened on mine.

I had to go. There was no way a scrappy hacker and a tech billionaire belonged in the same room, let alone breathing the same air.

God. I drank him in. I wished we did though.

Impulsively, I leaned in. He did too.

I pressed my lips to his through the mesh, the wire cold on my skin.

I barely got the faintest taste of him.

Then I turned and ran.

“Remi! Goddammit.”

I sprinted onto the next street, and kept running until I was out of breath. Then I slowed to a walk.

Overhead, the clouds churned. There was a storm coming. A cold wind picked up, blowing down the street and I pulled my coat around me.

God, I just kissed Maverick Rivera.

Oh, well. A fun story to tell my future grandkids. I hunched deeper into my coat. My life was still a mess. I’d almost committed treason, and I had no way to pay for Mama’s surgery.

My phone vibrated. I had an email. I opened my email app.

Any progress on the job?

I stilled, my insides going cold. The sender was a gibberish string of numbers and letters on a Gmail address.

Who is this? I replied.

Your new employer. You can call me The Shadow.

Oh God. The Shadow.

I tapped in a reply.

No. I’m not taking the job after all.

A second later, a response came back.

You agreed to the terms, Rogue Angel. You can’t back out now.

Anger spurted through me. He was trying to intimidate me.

I can, and I have.

Then I’ll just have to convince you that completing the job is in your best interests.

There was a photo attached to the message.

I opened it and tasted bile in my throat. No.

It was a picture of Charlie, Jamal, and Naomi, with backpacks slung on their shoulders, entering their school.

Four days to the deadline.

The world collapsed in on me. I’d tried to help Mama, but all I’d done was put everyone in danger.

My knees felt like Jell-O, and I wanted to collapse. I bit my lip so hard that I tasted blood.

I turned to head home, my feet leaden. My stomach was so churned up I thought I’d be sick.

What did I do now?

I no longer had bad choices, I had monumentally horrible ones.

Be a traitor, or put my family in the firing line of some shadowy bad guy.

Tears welled, and one slid down my cheek. I swiped it away angrily. Crying wouldn’t help. I’d learned that years ago.

My cell phone rang. There was no number on the display, and my gut clenched. Was it The Shadow?

Rage welled and I stabbed the screen. “If you hurt my family, asshole, I will find a way to make you pay, I swear it!”

There was a pause.

“I told you that I wouldn’t hurt your family.”

The air rushed out of me. Maverick’s deep voice.