Hacking Mr. CEO by Anna Hackett
Repercussions
Mav
“Vander, what are you doing in New York?” Mav asked.
“I had some work to do for Roth, here. Ace and I flew over. I was already worried when you texted to tell me about The Shadow. Then Zane told me everything else that’s been going on.” Vander shot an inscrutable look at Remi.
Ace lifted a tablet. “The company that owns the house listed in SoHo is offshore. Caymans.”
Mav frowned. “So, a foreign owner?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Ace shrugged a shoulder. “It’s a favorite place for good, old-fashioned American bad guys to hide assets, as well.”
Vander crossed his arms. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with?”
“We’re trying to find out who,” Remi said.
“He wants one of my company’s military projects,” Mav said. “That’s not happening. He’s also tried to killed Remi’s family, and shot at us.”
Vander and Ace traded a look.
“Let us look into it,” Vander said.
Mav released a breath. “Okay.”
“Sit tight. We’ll get back to you soon.”
Mav considered getting Rollo involved, but he had a nagging feeling. He didn’t want Rollo in the middle of this mess, as well. Vander and Ace were better equipped to deal with it.
Remi paced, her moves jerky. “So, we just wait? I hate waiting.”
“You might have mentioned that before. Vander, and his man, Ace, are good. Beyond good.”
“I get that. Vander looks like he could personally take down a small army before dinner without breaking a sweat.”
Mav’s lips twitched.
“He’s the kind of man who gives a woman ideas, but deep down, she knows she could never tame him.”
Mav frowned. He didn’t want Remi thinking about Vander at all, let alone taming him.
Remi’s phone rang, and she snatched it up. She touched the speaker button. “Hello?”
A robotic voice filled the space. “You made the wrong choice, Rogue Angel.”
Mav watched anger flare on her face. Fuck. How the hell had the guy gotten her new number?
“You tried to kill my family! You shot at us! You’re a criminal. If you think I’m doing anything for you, you’re crazy.”
“There will be repercussions.”
Now Mav saw the flash of fear in her eyes and his hand curled into a fist. He was tired of The Shadow toying with Remi and making her afraid.
“No, there won’t be—” she snapped “—because we’ll find you. You—”
The Shadow hung up.
“Dammit.” She threw the phone and it hit the desk with a clatter.
Mav wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“I want all this to be over, Mav.”
Her words were like a blow. Did she mean what was between them as well? He tried to tell himself it wasn’t about him. She was scared, worried about her family.
Right then, she turned, pressing deeper against him and he realized he wanted to keep her exactly in that place.
Wanted to keep her. Period.
Sensation washed through him, and it wasn’t exactly comfortable.
A word beginning with L reared its head.
Fuck.
“You hungry?” he growled.
She looked up. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Pull the tough guy routine, then, but yes, I could eat.”
He led her out of the lab and down to the kitchen and lounge. He watched her ooh over the snack selection. She snagged another cookie, a packet of M&Ms, and an apple.
She crunched into the apple, leaning back on one of the long tables. “This cancels out the candy.”
“I don’t think it works like that.” He watched her. “When we get back, after all of this is over, I want to take you out to dinner.”
She choked a little. “I’m staying with you. Of course, we’ll have dinner.”
“No. Out.”
She lowered the apple. “Like a date?”
“Yes. And we’ll have lunch with my parents.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Mav—”
“And once your family is home safely, I want us to get away. Just us. Beach. Cabin. Winery. Wherever you’d like to go.”
She blinked, then licked her lips. “Mav, this—” she waved a hand between them “—is not going to last.”
An ugly sensation cut through him and he scowled.
“We’re having a hot affair. Hot sex. It’ll burn out.” She gave him a strained smile. “I know that Hannah woman did a number on you, but one day, some pretty, smart socialite who dresses well, and goes to…I don’t know, charity lunches, will catch your eye.”
He growled. “You really believe that bullshit?”
“No,” she growled. “But I have to, because I’m a foster kid from Brooklyn, thrown away by my parents, and several foster families before Mama, and I’m a hacker for a living. You’re—” her gaze ran over him “—amazing. You can have anyone you want. Someone with an excellent pedigree and style.”
Mav crossed his arms over his chest. “Seems I want you.”
She closed her eyes. “It’ll pass. It always does.” She met his gaze, and he saw such sadness it made his bones ache. “People seem to have no trouble walking away from me.”
“Remi—” His phone rang and he cursed. “It’s Vander.”
She nodded, and moved up beside him, but he noted that she was careful not to touch him.
Dammit. He’d deal with that later. He’d get it through her thick skull that she was his. He didn’t care where she came from.
Mav put the call on speaker. “Hey, Vander, we’re here.”
“I’m here with Ace.” The man’s tone was dark and it made the hairs rise on the back of Mav’s neck.
“Whoever owns that SoHo place is a ghost,” Ace said. “Owns some other places around the country. All in the larger cities.”
“Bolt holes,” Mav mused.
“Yeah,” Vander agreed. “I want to know who this asshole is.”
“What do you suggest?” Mav asked.
“Ace and I are going to go in and take a look around the SoHo property.”
Mav glanced at Remi. She was fiddling with her packet of M&Ms. “Okay, when?”
“Now,” Vander replied. “We need thirty minutes to prep. We’ll do some surveillance. If the place is empty, we’ll go in.”
“How will you know no one’s home?” Remi asked.
“Easy,” Ace said. “Get pizza delivered and see if anyone answers the knock.”
“We’ll also scan with an infrared camera attached to a drone,” Vander added.
Mav wondered what the hell Vander packed in his bag when he traveled. He glanced at his watch. There was no time for him and Remi to get back to the city before Ace and Vander made their move.
“All right. Good luck, and keep us posted.”
* * *
Remi
I bounced my foot, trying to control my nerves.
Mav put a big hand on my knee. “It’ll be fine.”
I nodded, sitting back in the computer lab chair.
Vander and Ace were getting ready to break into The Shadow’s property. Right now, they were pulling up outside.
“In position.” Vander’s deep voice came through the computer speaker. He was wearing an earpiece.
“Scanning with thermal camera,” Ace murmured.
I chewed on my lip.
“Clear,” Vander said. “Initiating entry.”
For a split second, panic flared. I turned to look at Mav. “He’ll have an alarm.”
“Ace can handle it. He’s former NSA.”
“Screw this.” I couldn’t handle not knowing what was going on. I tapped on the keyboard, and data flowed and flashed.
“What are you doing?” Mav asked.
“I want to see what’s going on. I’m hacking into CCTV in the area.”
Mav made a sound. I looked up and saw he was shaking his head, but he was smiling.
I kept working. “There.”
On one of the screens, several images of the SoHo street popped up.
“That’s the building there.” Mav pointed.
I leaned forward, staring at the dark gray house. “I don’t see Vander or Ace.”
Mav snorted. “You won’t. Have you heard of Ghost Ops?”
I shook my head.
“Teams are made up of the best of the best of special forces operators across all branches of the military. Delta force, Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Green Beret, Marine Recon.”
I felt a small shiver go down my spine.
“These teams are made of the toughest, baddest men who did the toughest, baddest jobs.”
“Vander was Ghost Ops,” I whispered.
“Commander of a Ghost Ops team.”
King of the badasses. I wondered just what kind of woman would catch the attention of a man like that.
“We’re in,” Vander murmured.
Wow, he was good. I tapped my nails on the desk. When this was over, and The Shadow was behind bars, I was going to paint my nails a nice selection of pretty pastels to celebrate.
Mav turned my chair to face his, his legs on either side of mine.
“We didn’t finish talking before, in the kitchen.”
Oh, no. The guy was going to wear me down, reel me in, and then, when he finally moved on, I’d be a heartbroken shell. No, a heartbroken amoeba. Just a blob of sadness.
I refused to meet his gaze. “We did.”
He gripped my chin. There was anger in his eyes.
“You’re angry at me?” I whispered.
“No, I’m angry at life. At the things that made you doubt what’s between us.”
I went still. Oh, God. He was serious.
“Mav—”
“Remi, I get it. After Hannah, I shut myself off. Looking back, it wasn’t so much because I loved her. I doubt we’d still be together today. She was nice, sweet, and what I thought I wanted at the time. It was more that she broke my trust. After, I doubted myself, my own judgment.”
I leaned in and touched his leg. “We’re all human, Mav. Even you.”
“I know. It took me a while to accept.”
My lips twitched.
“But the situation, it damaged my trust in myself. In opening up and taking risks again.”
I looked away, my chest tight.
“Life did that to you, too,” he said.
“I don’t hold back. I love Mama, my family—”
“I know, but I’d guess that took a long time. A part of you is still reluctant to take the risk.”
I swallowed. “Look at us, two relationship-phobes with trust issues.”
He gave me that sexy smile that I loved, and I watched it unfurl on his rugged face.
Loved.
Oh, shit.
“I’m asking you to give us a chance,” Mav continued. “After we deal with The Shadow.”
“Mama needs her surgery—”
“And I want to be there to hold your hand. I’m going to prove to you that this, us, is worth taking the risk and facing our fears.”
My throat closed. “Mav.”
Suddenly, the lights went out.
We were plunged into darkness.
“God,” I said with a gasp.
“It’s okay.” He took my hand. “We have backup power.”
A second later, the lights blinked back on, and the computer screens followed.
Mav touched the keyboard. “Ruben?”
A harried-looking Ruben appeared on screen. “Sorry, we had a power surge from warehouse two. The backup power is on.”
“Tisdale?”
Ruben scowled. “It could’ve been him. They haven’t caught him yet. They’ve spotted him again inside the fence.”
“So he’s here inside the park?” Mav asked, brows drawing together in a fierce scowl.
“Yes, but security is chasing him.”
“Keep me posted.”
I turned back to the CCTV feed. I wondered what the hell Vander and Ace had found.
I stared at the unassuming building in SoHo.
Mav pulled me in, and pressed a quick kiss to my temple. “This will all be over soon.”
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.
