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

“Okay, you guys be careful,” Zane said.

After Mav showed his friends out, we tracked down his parents. They were finishing their coffees in the living room.

“I’m sorry, Mom and Dad, Remi and I need to go to my labs at Syracuse. It’s important.”

His mom gave him a look I’d seen on Mama Alma’s face too many times to count, then she nodded. She must’ve picked up on the seriousness.

Mav hugged his mom. I fought off the edgy itchiness. I wanted to get to work, and away from the scrutiny of Mav’s parents.

“To make it up to me, you need to come home for a family dinner next week,” Mrs. Rivera said.

“Okay, Mom.”

I felt a little flash of heat on my cheeks. Was there anything sweeter than a big, strong man who clearly adored his mother?

“And bring Remi,” Mrs. Rivera continued.

“What?” My eyes widened. I shook my head, but Mav pretended not to notice.

Then Mrs. Rivera turned my way and I smiled.

“I’d love to, Mrs. Rivera, but I—”

She gave me the mom look. Wow, that really packed a punch.

“I’d love to,” I said in a rush.

Dammit.

Mrs. Rivera beamed, patted Mav’s arm, and then touched my cheek.

Mav’s dad just smiled at us.

After they’d left, I decided to ignore the dinner thing. “I’ll pack my laptop.”

He nodded. “I’ll get your shoes.”

Soon we were in his sexy, little roadster, zipping down the street. My sooty shoes couldn’t be helped. I just hoped I didn’t make a mess in his fancy car.

When he drove into a garage at the Rivera Tech head office, I frowned. “Do you need to pick something up from here?”

“Yeah.” He grabbed my laptop bag and swung it onto his shoulder.

He used a fingerprint scanner and retinal scan to get us into the building. Soon, we were in an elevator, shooting upward.

In my head, I calculated how long it would take us to drive to Rivera Tech Park. Every hour of delay was time wasted. I wanted The Shadow exposed. I wanted Mama and my family safe.

“Have you heard from Boone?” I asked.

“Yes, he’s busy trying to beat Charlie and Jamal at Mario Kart. And Naomi is cooking up enough food for all of Long Island.”

The tension inside me eased a little. They were safe.

“I told him to give them your new number,” Mav added.

The elevator doors opened and I frowned. This wasn’t Mav’s office.

“What are we doing?” I asked.

He pushed open an external door. “Getting our ride to the lab.”

The whump-whump-whump of rotors hit me. I stepped out and sucked in a breath.

A sleek, black helicopter sat on the helipad, the side door open and the rotors spinning.

The Rivera Tech logo was painted on the side of it.

Mav waved a hand. “After you.”





15





Rivera Tech Park





Mav


A short while later, the helicopter swept in over Rivera Tech Park.

Several large, hexagonal-shaped buildings were surrounded by lush gardens, and not far away were several enormous warehouses, with assembly lines for tech they constructed locally. Mav tried to provide as many local jobs as he could.

Beside him, Remi bounced in her seat, nose pressed to the side window of the helicopter.

She didn’t hide a single ounce of her joy and curiosity.

The helicopter pulled in, hovered, and then landed on the helipad outside the main building. Remi caught his eye and smiled.

“There you go, Mr. Rivera,” the pilot called back.

“Thank you, Mark.” Mav open the side door, climbed out, and then helped Remi out.

“Wow,” she mouthed.

A man in pressed pants and a checked shirt with a lanyard dangling around his neck strode across the helipad to meet them. Dr. Ruben Jones, a tall, lanky, African-American man in wire-rimmed glasses, was the head of operations.

“Didn’t know you’d be visiting on a Sunday afternoon, Mav.”

“Chill, Ruben, I’m working on a special project, and needed some more computer power. Ruben, this is Remi. Remi, Ruben’s the boss around here.”

“Hi.” She shook Ruben’s hand. “The place looks great.” She took in all the glass walls of the building, and the green interior walls visible through the glass. There were plants everywhere.

“You work in tech, Remi?” Ruben asked.

She nodded. “Cybersecurity.”

“Well, wait until you get a look at Mav’s computer lab.”

Remi grinned. “I can’t wait.”

Mav rolled his eyes. “We don’t want to be disturbed while we’re in my lab.”

“You got it,” Ruben replied. “There are only a few people here today, anyway.”

They headed down the hall. Ruben showed them the kitchen area near the lab—fully stocked with a coffee machine, sodas, and snacks.

Remi grabbed a cookie. “Must be nice to work here.” She took a bite.

“Most people like it,” Mav said.

“Unfortunately, there are always a couple who are unhappy.” Ruben glanced at Mav. “You got the report on Tisdale?”

Mav scowled. “Yeah.”

“Security caught him trying to cut through the fence on the eastern side of the park a few days ago.”