Black Hat Hacker (Chicago Syndicate Book 6)

by Soraya Naomi

  However, there was one disturbing moment during our talk, and I’m beginning to think that Mary can actually see through me – I guess my poker face wavers when it comes to her. The way she was evaluating me and asked me directly if I was honest with her gutted me for an instant. Of course, that damn pesky guilt regarding my lies resurfaces, but I’m in so fucking deep that there’s no way out anymore except by finishing this.

  While Adriano, Carmine, and I make our way downstairs and outside, Adriano informs me, “Logan texted me that a soldier spotted Keano on Edendale Road.”

  I’m about to ask what his plan is when the alarm on my phone chimes in, warning me that the location settings on Tara’s phone have been turned on for the first time in five days. I need to check it out, so as I yank the car device from my pocket, I suggest, “I can go home and look at the footage from the security cameras in that area from my laptop. Are you two on your way to Edendale Road?”

  “Yes,” Adriano replies, “Carmine and I are going to scour the area ourselves. Call me as soon as you know more.”

  “I will,” I assure him and stop at my vehicle as they nod at me, continuing on to Adriano’s silver convertible parked behind mine.

  I jump into my car and fire up the engine, steering left with one hand and blocking a honking car to pull out of the parking lot and race home.

  ***

  Seated behind my laptop, I track Tara’s phone to Abraham Street, which is a side street of Edendale Road – I bet Tara’s with Keano.

  “Now I’ve fucking got you!” I surge upward, flinging my glasses onto the desk.

  Within seconds, I strip my clothes and hurry into the bedroom to grab jeans and a t-shirt and throw them on. Running out, I take my biker jacket from the coat rack and step into my boots. Inside my jacket, I feel for my Smith & Wesson and check to make sure it’s fully loaded.

  ***

  Edendale Road is crowded on this stormy Friday night as I recognize several soldiers searching the area. I’ve texted Adriano and Carmine that I didn’t find anything on the public security cameras on this street.

  Dashing between two high-rises, I dive around the corner until I come upon a residential building that stands out due to its old bricked construction. According to my tracker, the phone is in there.

  Unluckily, the entrance is locked, so I wait until I see someone exiting the building and then run in behind them before the door closes again.

  After going down a scant hallway, I hike up the stairs to the third floor and stop at the first brown door to my right. Pressing my ear to the surface, I hear someone cursing inside as I grab my gun with silencer from the inside pocket of my jacket and knock once.

  Immediately, the door is pulled open.

  “Where the hell have you been, Tara?!” Keano snarls right before he sees me and attempts to slam the door in my face, but I place my foot in the doorway and shove him inside.

  Clutching his throat and placing the end of my pistol against his temple, I spit, “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” And I kick the door shut, hurling him backward onto the creaking, worn-out floor. The apartment is tiny with dingy, yellowed walls, and I notice a desk and computer in the corner.

  He scrambles up and I kick him in the jaw, sending him flying back again. “That’s for kidnapping Mary.” I pin him down with my boot at his throat, and with my aim on him, I demand, “Where’s your accomplice?” Then I push down hard with my foot, choking him for several seconds as he wraps his hands around my ankle. “And that’s for killing Mary’s dog, motherfucker!”

  Keano coughs, stammering, “I-I don’t know where she is.”

  “But I know you’re waiting for her and that her phone is here, so she’ll come.” I lift my foot but keep my aim on him as he gulps a breath. “I’ll just wait with you, and in the meantime, you can clarify some things for me. I want Tara, and if you help me now, I’ll let you go before the owner of Club 7 turns up here, because he’ll gladly torture you.”

  He grunts from pain and glares at me. “Fuck you! You’ll just shoot me after I talk.”

  “That was my initial intention, yes. But I’ve reconsidered because I think you’re just a pawn in Tara’s game. Isn’t that correct?” Lowering my arm, I let my gun dangle from my hand. “I was you a few years ago. She’s used me to do her dirty work as well.”

  His eyes narrow, and I can tell he’s wondering if I might really let him go, so I continue, “Tell me what she’s planning and what your part is in it, and I’ll let you leave the Loop – alive.”

  I step back as he evaluates me with suspicion, standing up slowly.

  “You don’t have long to think about it,” I pressure him.

  Hesitantly, he inches sideways, and I don’t move a muscle but sigh in agitation. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d have done so already. I want Tara. Other men are on the way, and once they get here, it’ll be out of my hands. Tell me how the fuck you met her and what she intends to do!”

  He glances away yet answers, “It’s been all her plan from the beginning. Tara and I met at a restaurant downtown. We got to talking, and after we each got a few drinks in us, we talked some more and discovered that we were both hackers. She convinced me that we could take money from Club 7, and she hoped my black hat skills could get us into your system. I’d been unemployed for over a year, so I agreed.”

  “How long ago did you meet?” I ask, knowing he met Mary six months ago.

  “About six months ago.”

  “And?”

  “And within a week of meeting Tara, she informed me of her plan. It all started with Mary. So I went to her school, posing as a student, and met her. But one month later, Mary became friends with you, so I had to keep her away from you while Tara tried to get her hooks into you. I was able to hack into Club 7’s system once, on her command, and your computer too. But after that, we weren’t able to bypass your firewalls again. She just wanted to keep you distracted to ensure you wouldn’t suspect us or our connection.”

  “So you used Mary from the start?”

  Does he know I’m Tara’s husband?

  “Yes. But then Mary ended it with me, and you and Carmine locked me up. When I saw my chance to escape, I took it. I stopped at the first town I came to in the dead of night where I called Tara and she picked me up. She forced me to take Mary and was supposed to give me money to leave the Loop.”

  This guy is fucking pathetic, putting all the blame on Tara to save his own ass. “And what’s your plan now?”

  “Nothing. We’re in over our heads. I get that, but Tara doesn’t.”

  Thinking quickly and needing this problem gone, I shift forward and signal toward the computer in the corner, directing my gun between his eyes as he holds up his palms, shouting, “I gave you the truth! What more do you want?”

  “I believe you, but I want my files at City Hall unlocked, and something tells me you can help me with that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you know how Tara locked my files, and can you unlock them? If so, I’ll let you go with enough cash to leave the Loop right now.”

  “I’m not sure...She did tell me she put some programming codes in a document. That’s her computer.”

  I jerk my barrel toward the desk, ordering him to move it, and he jumps into the chair as I press my gun to the back of his head. “I suggest you think hard about what she’s told you. Unlock my files. Now.”

  The keyboard clanks and I see Tara was stupid enough to keep a City Hall tab open. He accesses City Hall’s system, and I watch carefully what he does, seeing he’s stumbling upon the same issues that I did – not being able to alter my file. But then he opens a Word document and copies and pastes the code into the system and it unlocks immediately.

  “Hurry the fuck up,” I command, shoving my weapon against his scalp. Tara will be here any minute and I need to end this before Adriano or a Syndicate member locates this place. “Change my status to single and delete the history and marriage certificate.”r />
  He types for a minute with trembling hands. “Done.”

  At long last, I’m divorced and Tara isn’t linked to me anymore.

  Then, all of a sudden, a loud bang has Keano swinging up from his chair as we hear a commotion coming from the hall.

  Lightning fast, I hook my arm around his throat and push my pistol into his side while he struggles. “Do you honestly think I would let you live after you took my girl and killed her dog in front of her, motherfucker?! You’re going to burn in Hell.”

  “No!” he yells, and I pull the trigger while releasing him, letting him topple sideways with a loud thud.

  Determined not to make the same mistake twice, I take care of one problem forever. Rolling him over with my foot, I shoot him in the chest, and he lies there, dead, with his eyes open. Hurriedly, I search his pockets and stash his phone in my jacket just as I look up to find Tara’s tall form darkening the doorway.

  We both freeze for a split second before she turns to run, and I leap toward her, trying to seize her arm, yet she shakes me off and collapses forward. Stooping low, I manage to grab her ankle and yank her inside, smothering her mouth when she screams while I sit astride her hips to hold her captive, my gun pointed at her temple.

  She struggles for breath as I grin slowly. “I know everything.” And I lift my hand from her mouth.

  “Son of a bitch! What the hell did you do? Did you kill Keano?”

  “Yes, I did. And you’re next,” I tell her, and her movement stops.

  “What? No. I’ll unlock your goddamn files. Who the hell are you? You killed a person, Henry!” she whispers in disbelief, and acute fear blisters across her face.

  “I told you that you never knew me, and you have no idea who you tried to scam. Club 7 is the Chicago Syndicate.”

  Her eyes widen so that the whites are entirely visible.

  “I warned you not to mess with us. And I don’t need you anymore; Keano unlocked my file.”

  In the distance, I hear male voices while Tara begs, “No! Henry. I’m sorry. I don’t want to die!”

  And when they get close enough for me to recognize, I end this once and for all. This is my only choice, and I’ve worked too damn hard to secure this position and Mary’s trust.

  “You should’ve thought about that before you abducted Mary.” I pull the trigger, and the bullet perforates her brain, blood gushing out as I rush to get up.

  Stealing her wallet, I make sure neither of the corpses have any other ID and swipe the back of my hand over my mouth, feeling nothing but a sense of victory. This is who I am. I take lives to protect the one person I’m attached to. Does that make me an immoral person? Undoubtedly, it does, but because they murdered Mary’s dog, I don’t care.

  I look up as footsteps come closer from down the hall and Adriano peeks inside, directing his weapon through the space in the open door.

  “Henry, you okay?” he asks, surveying the room as two other men stop behind him.

  Thank fucking Christ the scene makes it appear as if we fought and I killed these two in self-defense.

  While breathing raggedly, I nod. “They attacked me, and I had to end them both.”

  He frowns. “She was the accomplice? Who is she?”

  “His lover, apparently. She doesn’t have any ID, so I think she’s simply someone he picked up. It looks like just the two of them were working together.”

  He steps inside and makes one trip around the cramped apartment before stashing his gun in his ankle holster and saying, “Good riddance. This entire situation needed to be dealt with anyway. Have the soldiers clean this place and burn the bodies at the warehouse, and check his computer for any vital information before you destroy it. Then go to Mary’s to tell her it’s over.”

  I place my gun inside my jacket. Finally, everything has been handled. Every roadblock has been eliminated.

  “Okay. I’ll take care of it,” I reply, and anxious to get to Mary, I start ordering our men when Adriano strides out.

  ***

  I pass the guard at the Astoria reception area and demand, “Did anything happen?”

  “No, sir. Mary and I were back from the coffee shop within twenty minutes. She’s in her own apartment.”

  Of course, I have a key, so after going up to the thirty-ninth floor, I unlock the door and find her in the living room, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows with only the light from the chandelier above illuminating the room.

  In a much more serene state than I was earlier, I stop behind her, winding my arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. “We’ve got Keano, baby. He’s dead. It’s all over.”

  Stoically, she observes the dark sky. “One problem down, but it seems we have another one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  As she turns toward me, I release her and she wraps her fingers around my wrist, pulling back my sleeve and touching the wedding ring on my leather wristband that I’d forgotten all about. Then she looks up despondently. “Having a wife is a problem to me.”

  My blood fucking boils when I have to see the distrust in her vibrant eyes that have captured me entirely, her glare hitting me in the heart as if she’s shot an arrow straight through it.

  CHAPTER 34

  Mary

  “Hello, Mary.” Tara stretches her arm out as the barista hands her a coffee. Glimpsing at me, she says in a rush, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while.”

  “Why?” I stand straight because she’s so much more poised than I am.

  Her expression turns icy as she narrows her eyes, which are rimmed with a perfect cat eyeliner, muttering, “Because you don’t know Henry like I do.”

  I arc a brow, surprised at her audacity, making me feel the need to be wary about her. Just because we rescued those dogs that one time doesn’t make us friends.

  “Really?” I retort and proceed to defend the man I love, “I know him well enough to realize that he won’t like some ex bothering his current girlfriend.”

  She sends me a seething glance. “Ex? Is that what he told you? I’m not his ex, sweetheart. I’m his wife.”

  The world around me slows until my heartbeat resonates like the bells in a church tower, and a shiver of suspicion alerts me as she shows her teeth, making my insides twist into a knot.

  “You and all the other women are just fillers until I take him back.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I demand.

  “Henry and I have been married for six years.”

  I all but howl, “That makes no sense. You’re lying.”

  “Do you know that black wristband he wears?” she hisses. “It has a silver ring looped into it; that’s his wedding ring, sweetheart. Be thankful that I’ve warned you. The way he’s playing you is kind of sad.”

  A stone drops to the pit of my stomach while the room starts to spin. This can’t be true.

  When I look to the side again, she’s gone and my guard has returned.

  “Mary,” the barista calls, and the guard leans over the counter to take our two steaming coffees.

  “Let’s go,” the guard comments, leading the way outside.

  My coffee tastes like ash while a ton of questions whirl through my brain, and my palms are clammy, even though it’s a chilly night and thunder roars in the sky.

  Has Henry been lying to me? Has he used me for...something? Every question raises more doubt, and doubt only weakens a relationship.

  ***

  Utterly bemused, I’m in my apartment, staring at the rain spitting against the window when the front door opens and Henry appears from down the hall. I study him in the reflection of the glass as he stops behind me. His thick, black hair is in disarray, and there are blood spatters on his t-shirt that are revealed as he zips open his biker jacket. When he circles his arm around my middle, his ocean fresh cologne reminds me of the memories we’ve made.

  He begins, “We’ve got Keano, baby. He’s dead. It’s all over.”

&
nbsp; Relief fills me, and not an ounce of regret accompanies it. Keano deserved to die because of his mistakes and for killing Strawberry. This is his own fault, and I refuse to allow any sorrow to seep in. But despite the fact that I don’t want to believe Tara, I keep hearing her words over and over in my thoughts, and my body is coiled tight.

  Looking up to meet Henry’s stare in the window while I’m praying she was lying, I say, “One problem down, but it seems we have another one.”

  His brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

  I swivel around, and his arms drop from my waist. Taking his hand in mine, I hold it up. Slowly, I slide back the sleeve of his jacket to expose his wrist and turn the black leather wristband with the ring upward before I read the inscription on the silver ring: Tara. My wife, my love. Then I gaze up at Henry with moisture in my vision.

  His eyes fall closed for a moment in a silent admission of remorse.

  “Having a wife is a problem to me.” I let go of him as if he’s burned me.

  Henry’s eerily calm. “Did she talk to you?”

  “Yes, your wife informed me about who she was when I ran into her at Starbucks.”

  “Don’t call her my wife!” His control snaps and he turns his back to me, clutching his hair. No one’s ever appeared guiltier.

  “That’s what she is. Tell me what’s going on! What kind of game are you playing?”

  “I forgot about the fucking ring!” he grinds out, pivoting back around. “What did she say?”

  Is he mad at me?

  Anger takes over, so I ignore his question. “No! You need to tell me why the hell you’re married?”

  “What did she tell you?” he echoes in a low tone.