by K. C. Crowne
I knew that getting involved was going to be messy. I should have known that I’d get burned again.
Except this time, it was my own doing. I really had no one to blame but myself.
The guest bedroom still smelled like her, the faint trace of vanilla lingering on the sheets and in the air. I stared at her empty bed, remembering the sound of her lovely laugh or the brilliance of her smile. It made my chest hurt, knowing I could no longer experience it in person.
With a heavy sigh, I wandered into the kitchen for something to snack on. Not because I was hungry, just because I was bored and needed something to keep me occupied.
Had I really stooped to the level of stress eating? Vivian would laugh if she knew.
“Why is there so much damn tofu?” I grumbled bitterly, slamming the fridge door closed.
I didn’t like this. Any of it. Feeling listless… I wasn’t used to it. I was the kind of man who had a plan and stuck to it. Followed and completed tasks step-by-step. Now I had nothing to do and I didn’t know what to do with myself. It gave me way too much time to think, and being alone with my thoughts was proving to be a challenge.
My son wasn’t talking to me.
I couldn’t be with the woman of my dreams.
When did everything fall apart?
I nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone buzzed. Was it Wally? Was it Vivian?
Nope. Just Theo.
“Hello?” I greeted, gruffer than I intended.
He chuckled. “Did you just wake up or something? You sound like death.”
“I’m fine. Anything to report?”
“All’s clear. Lance just messaged me. He’ll be arriving shortly to transfer Vivian to Ridge Point.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Lance was one of my more veteran bodyguards. He understood the ins and outs of the job, and most importantly, he was dedicated. If I couldn’t protect Vivian myself, at least I knew she was in good hands.
“Keep me posted,” I said.
“Ridge Point, huh?”
“Yes.” I squinted, unappreciative of his questioning tone. “What of it?”
“Oh, nothing. We normally reserve Ridge Point for our high rollers.”
“It was the only safehouse available on short notice.”
“Is that so? What about Bayview? It’s been sitting idle for months.”
“There’s too much traffic,” I argued. “It’d be a nightmare getting out of the area if she needed to make a quick escape.”
“Mm-hmm.”
I huffed. “What? You questioning my judgement?”
“Not at all. You’re the boss, you call the shots.”
“Damn straight.” Then, after a deep breath, “How is she?”
“Good,” he answered simply.
“That’s it?”
“Do you want a full medical and psychological report?” he asked, words dripping with sarcasm.
“Don’t be a dick.”
Theo chuckled. “Man, you’ve got it bad.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bullshit.”
“You know what? Forget I asked.”
“Vivian’s good,” Theo said quickly. “She was feeling a bit ill this morning, but—”
“Ill? What’s wrong? Do we need to send the on-call doctor?”
“No, nothing like that. Dinner just didn’t sit well with her, that’s all. I love my wife very much, but sometimes her cooking can be a bit…” Theo made a sound, indicating his uncertainty. “Ava gave her a Tums. She’s much better.”
“Good, good.”
“What’s going on between you two?”
I stiffened. “Nothing.”
“How long have we known each other?”
“Too fucking long.”
“So you should know by now that I know when you’re lying.”
I smacked my lips, relenting. He was right. Theo was one of the few people in the whole world who could read me.
“I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, Theo.”
“That’s a first.”
“It just… It happened so fast. I didn’t mean for it to, but…”
“Have you told her how you feel?”
“What’s the point? We can’t be together.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Well, for one, she’s young. Really young. I don’t think she wants to settle down with someone my age.”
Theo outright laughed. “You’re so stupid.”
“Shut the fuck up. I’m being serious, man. She deserves to be with someone who isn’t going to weigh her down.”
“Jesse, I think I’m uniquely qualified to tell you not to worry about it. Trust me. The sooner you tell her how you feel, the better.”
“Believe me, I would if things weren’t so complicated.”
“What’s the problem?”
“My son. Vivian and Wally used to date. He found out about us yesterday.”
“And judging by your tone, I bet it went swimmingly.”
“Oh, yes,” I mumbled dryly. “So great. I don’t suppose you have any advice about seeing my son’s ex-girlfriend, do you?”
“No, sorry. You’ll have to figure that one out by yourself.”
“Thought so.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Keep me posted on the transfer. Let me know if she needs anything.”
“Will do, boss. Hang in there.”
I ended the call, tossing my phone onto the kitchen island. I couldn’t tell Vivian how I felt. Things weren’t that simple.
The truth of the matter was that I didn’t do things in halves. When I committed to something —someone— I committed wholeheartedly. Marriage. Kids. The whole nine yards. I could imagine her with a ring on her finger, puttering around a house that I bought for her to live comfortably. Maybe a bun in the oven.
But I didn’t know if I had the strength to do it all over again. I thought I’d found happiness with Melissa. I gave everything I could and that still wasn’t enough. I wasn’t as naive as I used to be; I wouldn’t let rose-tinted glasses skew reality anymore. What if things between Vivian and me fell apart like they did with Melissa?
And even if Wally were on board with our relationship, how would it work? Vivian was still in college. She had goals and aspirations. Her life was just beginning. I doubted she wanted to get married so young. I doubted she wanted children. She certainly never made any mention of it. What if we wanted different things? What if we got together and she eventually came to resent me for it?
I couldn’t stand the thought.
Vivian was beautiful. Intelligent. Funny and sweet and all things good. I was sure she’d eventually move on. Find someone more her speed, more aligned with her life goals. Vivian would settle down when she was ready, start a family with someone she could grow old with.
I convinced myself that it was better this way.
It had to be.
Chapter 29
Vivian
The new safehouse was nice. Lance, my new bodyguard, was nice, too. It was all very nice.
But I was fucking miserable without Jesse. I missed him. Found myself aching for him. I couldn’t count the number of times I caught myself thinking about him throughout the day.
I was in bed, curled up in a ball beneath the fine goose down duvet. I was surrounded by a mountain of fluffy pillows, smooth silk sheets gliding against my skin. My little nest was the only place I felt stable, safe. Lance would check on me every now and then, knocking on my door to see if I needed anything, but I always sent him away.
What I needed was to tell Jesse I was pregnant.
What I needed was for Jesse to tell me everything was going to be okay.
I’d consider Lance a miracle worker if he could get me both those things.
Gently rubbing my stomach, I wondered how my little one was doing. I was overwhelmed at first. I was being hunted by a cartel, for goodness’ sake. The last thing I wanted was to drag an unborn child into the mix. The mental imagery of Chi
cago’s criminal underbelly and cute baby showers clashed inside my brain. They were as opposite as opposites could get.
Yet the idea of being with child excited me. I was going to be a mother. There was life within me, a hopeful beacon of light despite the turmoil of my situation. The possibilities were endless. Thoughts of picking out schools and teaching them how to ride their first bike and reading them bedtime stories every night brought a smile to my face.
I was sure I’d be a good mother. I learned by example exactly what not to do. My memories of my own mother were foggy, but what little I could recall wasn’t the greatest. I wasn’t addicted to anything like she’d been. I had an education. I was independent. I had a good head on my shoulders. As far as I was concerned, I was already leagues above her in the parenting department.
I’d always loved children, too. Growing up in different foster homes, I came across countless kids going through the same things I was. We looked out for each other. We understood the struggle of trying to fit in. I always paid particular attention to the younger ones, kids who were new to the system and afraid to open up. I did what I could to take care of them, help them along. If I could look out for them, I was sure I could look out for a baby of my own.
But not with the Azure Cartel keeping me on my toes.
I needed to deal with them as soon as possible. As long as they were still hunting me, that meant my baby was in danger, too. Whether it was self-perseverance or an innate motherly instinct, I threw my covers off and got to work. Enough was enough. They were going down.
I got out of bed and shifted through the contents of my duffle bag, retrieving the USB I’d swiped from Blue Cloud Financial weeks ago. I’d hidden it within the inner lining of the bag for safe keeping, afraid to lose it.
No progress had been made in terms of cracking open the encrypted files. I didn’t know the first thing about computer programming, and I didn’t come up with anything useful despite my extensive online research.
No. What I needed was a professional. Someone who knew what they were doing.
But who?
I rubbed my temples, fending off the impending headache I sensed coming. “If only I knew someone who worked with computers for a living…” I muttered to myself.
And then I remembered.
Devin White. Jesse’s brother. Wasn’t he the head of cybersecurity at Pegasus Star? It hadn’t even occurred to me that maybe decrypting sensitive files like these would be right up his alley. If I reached out to him, would he be able to help me? If we cracked open these files and sent them to the police, maybe I’d finally start to gain some traction against the cartel.
It was worth a shot.
I exited my room and found Lance in the living room, seated on the black leather couch. The TV was turned onto the news channel, volume on its lowest setting. He wasn’t actively watching, instead scrolling through the news feed on his phone.
If I had to venture a guess, Lance was approximately ten to fifteen years younger than Jesse. Just as serious, but not as broad or commanding. He was a capable man, but I didn’t get the same sense of confidence from him than I did with Jesse. Lance was a yes man, not the man being said yes to.
He noticed me out of the corner of his eye and stood, pocketing his phone. “Miss Jones. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Um, yes. I was wondering if you could get a phone number for me.”
Lance arched a brow. “Of course. Who are you hoping to reach?”
“Devin White.”
He tilted his head, clearly confused by my request. “The boss’ brother?”
I nodded. “Yes, that’s him.”
“I guess I could get you his number, but may I ask what this is pertaining to?”
I held my breath. Lance would have a field day if he knew I was in possession of proof of the cartel’s illegal money laundering scheme. Once I had access to the files, I’d be putting myself in danger. I said as calmly as possible, “I was just having some issues with my laptop. Thought he could help me.”
“Oh, sure,” he said, buying into my lie. “I’ll write it down for you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
The second he gave me the number, I hurried back to my room and locked myself inside. That worked way better than I thought it would. A part of me felt bad for tricking him, but I figured there were more important matters to deal with. Hopefully Lance would understand.
I called the number he gave me but was immediately put through to a generic voicemail message. I tried a second and third time, only to have the same thing happen. Did I have the right number? Or was Devin out of the office?
I tried once more. This time, he answered on the first ring tone.
“This is a private number,” he snapped gruffly.
“Devin? This is Vivian Jones. Do you remember me?”
“I remember you. You’re Jesse’s girl.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Oh, uh… I mean, we weren’t—”
“You were under his protection, right?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes. Yes, that’s me.”
“What do you want?”
I almost scoffed, indignant. They may have been related, but it was clear Jesse and Devin adopted an entirely different set of manners. “I’m calling to ask a favor of you,” I said, getting straight to the point. “I have some files I need decrypted. Is that something you’d be able to do?”
Devin snorted. “Child’s play.”
“Does that mean you’ll do it?”
“Didn’t say that.”
I groaned. “Devin, please. I know you’re probably a really busy man, but this is important. A matter of life and death.”
“I work in security. Everything’s a matter of life and death. What’s in it for me?”
My mind blanked. “What’s in it for you? I don’t know.”
“You called me on my day off asking me to do work, but you don’t have anything to offer in return?”
“How about a job well done and a pat on the back.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed. “Please, wait. I don’t know who else to ask. You might be my only hope.” I unconsciously placed a hand over my stomach. “Please.”
After a long silence, Devin finally sighed. “Fine. Give me your email address. I’m going to send you a link that’ll give you access to a shell that’ll give me access to your laptop. I’ll be able to see the files in question.”
“Can’t I just send them to you in an attachment?”
Devin made a sound that was half-way between a laugh and a choke. “Absolutely not. That wouldn’t be secure in the slightest. If these files are sensitive, we can’t risk leaving a trail. Got it? Or do you need me to explain again?”
I huffed. It was nice to know that Jesse’s cockiness wasn’t this bad. “No, I’ve got it. How long do you think this is going to take?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“A number of things. How many files, the kind of encryption language that was used, the size of the files, and so on. Why? Are you in a particular hurry?”
“Yes, actually. I was hoping you could get them done in a couple of hours.”
“This isn’t the movies. I don’t just type random things into my keyboard and boom. Hacked. I might need a day—”
“That’s not so bad.”
“—to a month.”
“A month?” I gasped. “I don’t have a month.”
“Look, you’re just going to have to be patient. It’s the way these sorts of things work, alright?”
I sighed. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Devin was the only one I could turn to. “Alright,” I said. “But if you do manage to break through the encryption—”
“When,” he corrected.
“Yes. When you do, can you send the information inside to someone for me?”
“Sure. Who?”
“Detective Anderson Monroe with the Chicago PD,” I said. “He�
��ll know what to do.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“No, that’s—”
“Got it.” He hung up before I could finish my sentence.
“What a dick.”
A weight lifted off my shoulders. It wasn’t progress in leaps and bounds, but at least I was getting somewhere. If anything happened to me, Devin would deliver on his promise to send the account files to the cops.
I returned to bed, sitting with my back against the headboard with my knees pulled up to my chest. I was tempted to go back to sleep —my bouts of morning sickness really took it out of me— but I was also tempted to order something to eat. I had the weirdest craving for banana peppers and vanilla ice cream.
Before I could decide to indulge my peckishness, my phone rang. I checked the screen only to find that it was from an unknown caller.
“Hello?” I answered hesitantly.
“Vivian!” a woman cried on the other line.
A chill shot through me, chilling my blood and leaving goosebumps crawling up and down my skin. I’d know that voice anywhere.
“Molly?” I gasped, sitting up straight. “Molly! Where are you? Are you okay? I’ve been worried sick about you. Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you—”
“Listen to me!” she shrieked. “Whatever you do, don’t listen to them! It’s a trap. Don’—” Molly wailed as she was silenced. It sounded like she was being gagged with something.
My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe it. After all this time, Molly was alive!
“Molly? Molly, talk to me!”
“I know you have copies of the files,” a man’s voice intoned. He sounded familiar, too, but I couldn’t quite place him past the ringing in my ears. “Listen to me very carefully, Miss Jones. I’m going to offer you a deal. Bring me that USB you stole, and, in exchange, I’ll give you your friend.”
Fire replaced the ice in my veins as I seethed. “You son of a bitch. Just let her go!”
“I won’t hesitate to kill her here and now. Is that really what you want?” When I didn’t answer, the man on the phone chuckled. “That’s what I thought. I’ll text you an address. Meet me there. Come alone. And if you go to the police, I’ll—”
