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

As we waited, I sent a text to Mama.

I got an instant response. The kids were good, she was fine, and Boone was an excellent chess player.

Is your boy taking good care of you?

I laughed.

Mav stroked a hand over my hair. “What?”

“Mama just called you a boy.”

He looked amused.

We’re good. Miss you.





I tapped the desk again, and hoped that Vander and Ace were okay.

“Do I need to find a way to keep you busy, so you don’t stress?” Mav asked.

I wrinkled my nose. Then I noticed a flicker on the screen, in one of the windows of the building. I frowned.

“What is it?” Mav asked.

I leaned in. “I…nothing. I thought I saw something in that window.”

Suddenly, Vander’s tense voice cut through the quiet. “Abort. Abort.”

Oh, no. I straightened, and Mav did, too.

“Something’s wrong,” Mav said.

Then the house exploded.

I cried out, watching the screen with horror.

Windows shattered, spraying glass. Smoke and flames billowed, and for a second, I was back standing in front of Mama’s burning house.

That was what I’d seen. A flicker of flames in the window.

I grabbed Mav’s hand, my gaze locked on the screen.

God, Vander and Ace.

All we could do was watch the fire burn.





17





He Wouldn’t Leave Me





Mav


Fuck. Fuck.

Mav yanked out his phone. The lights on the ceiling flickered, then steadied.

He pressed the button and called Zane.

“Mav. Shit.” Zane’s voice was tense. “Liam and I are parked on the street here. We called 9-1-1.”

“Vander?”

“No sign yet. Hold tight.” Zane ended the call.

“Oh, my God.” Remi was pale faced. On the CCTV, they watched the fire intensify.

The Shadow wasn’t playing around.

Mav tapped his foot on the floor. They’d underestimated this bastard. And right now, he just prayed that Vander and Ace were okay.

Mav pulled Remi into his lap.

“What if—?”

“Shh,” he said. “It’ll take more than some traitorous asshole to take out Vander Norcross.”

“The Shadow won’t stop, Mav. We’re all in danger. You, my family.”

He pressed a hand to the back of her neck and squeezed. “I’m mean, and I have resources. We will take him down. I promise. I won’t let him hurt you, or any of your family.”

The computer chimed with a call. Mav swiped the screen.

Zane was sitting in the front seat of his car. Behind him, in the backseat, Ace and Vander came into view.

Relief punched through Mav, and he heard Remi let out a hard breath.

Ace’s long hair was loose and tangled, brushing his shoulders. Vander had a smudge of black on his cheek.

And Vander was angry. Icily angry.

“You okay?” Mav asked.

Vander gave a curt nod. “We got out a window in time.”

“What happened?” Remi asked.

“The place was rigged to blow,” Ace said.

“At first, it looked normal,” Vander said. “Like someone lived there. But something felt off.”

“Staged,” Ace said.

“But we did get into a locked office.” Vander ran a hand through his hair. “And a safe I don’t think we were supposed to find. I’m guessing the asshole figured it would go up in the explosion.”

The tone of Vander’s voice made Mav’s insides go cold. “You found something.”

“Your guy is organized, keeps good records. I found a list of the jobs he’s done.”

“Jobs?” Remi frowned. “Like hacking jobs?”

“No, The Shadow is a jack-of-all-trades.”

“So, he isn’t a foreign government, or a terrorist?” Mav asked.

“No, but he sells to them. He’s someone who sells to the highest bidder. He carries out impossible, high-risk jobs—steals items, espionage, and doesn’t just acquire hard-to-reach info.”

“Vander,” Mav growled. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“He’s an assassin.”

“What?” Remi’s eyes went wide.

“A good one.” Vander’s gaze bored into Mav’s. “Mav, you and Remi need to get back to the city, and we’ll get you to a secure location.”

Remi sucked in a breath. Mav ground his teeth together. “What did you find?”

“He knows this job has gone bad, and he’s the kind of man to tidy up loose ends. He’s coming after you and Remi.”

“Fuck. Okay, we’ll head back now.”

He had to keep Remi safe. That was all that mattered.

Suddenly Vander’s image distorted.

“Mav… You… Fast…”

Dammit. “Vander, you’re breaking up.” Mav tapped the keyboard. “Wait, I’ll—”

They were plunged into darkness.

Remi gripped his arm. “What happened to the backup power? Um, this isn’t good, right?”

“Right.” Mav pulled out his cell phone, and turned on the flashlight function. It bathed them in a bluish-white glow.