HACKING THE BILLIONAIRE

by Jenny Devall

  Eliza nodded, but he knew she wasn’t going to give this up. “Okay. Whatever you say. Can you start bringing these salads out?”

  “Sure, Mom.”

  He carried some out to the long table on the deck. Chad was standing with a beer in his hand. Dirk wasn’t drinking today, since he was flying. Sometimes Chad drank enough for both of them.

  “Hey, big brother.”

  “Hello, Chad. How’s business?”

  The smile fell off of his brother’s face. “You always ask that first. Why don’t you just ask me how I am? Why is it always about business?”

  Dirk shrugged. He’d play along. “So how are you, Chad?”

  “Okay, but I think I’ve spotted my next conquest.”

  Chad pointed to Riley. Dirk’s back stiffened. “She came with me.”

  Chad put up his hands. “Okay. I get it. Hands off. Hopefully Mom invited some other single women for me to hit on.”

  Dirk shook his head in disbelief. Chad saw any gathering as a meat market. Shameless. “Yes, that’s her mission in life, to get you married off.”

  “Well, it isn’t like you’re going to get married. You’re a big commitment-phobe.”

  Chad wasn’t wrong. Dirk freely admitted that he didn’t want to be tied down. He’d made no secret of it. Chad was one of those men that needed a woman. His girlfriends usually brought out the best in him. Dirk didn’t need anyone in his life to do that. He was the oldest, and therefore he was always responsible.

  “Someone needs to give our parents grandchildren.”

  Chad rubbed his chin, then took a sip of his beer. “Guess that falls to me, since Luzy can’t seem to keep her marriage together.”

  “Not completely her fault. Her husband’s a dick,” Dirk said.

  He’d never liked the men that Luzy chose. Too many of them were like him, but without the scruples to be honest about it. She had such a role model in their father. Why did she choose so badly?

  “I think Mom need some help. You’re always the good kid. Go help her,” Chad said.

  Dirk didn’t like his tone, but he would go help her.

  Before he could return to the kitchen, their mother poked her head out. “Boys? I have more to come out.”

  Dirk laughed at Chad rolling his eyes, but they both went to help their mother.

  Chapter Twelve

  Riley needed a restroom, and she was hard-pressed to find one. Each door she opened was just another room. Each of them tastefully decorated. Nothing ostentatious. Finally she found a bathroom.

  She used it, then washed her hands. When she left it, she had no idea how to get back to the backyard. “They should give out a map.”

  “Lost?”

  She jumped. Chad was leaning against the wall. She hadn’t talked to him yet and would have preferred Dirk to be there. Chad gave off a creepy vibe, and she guessed, from his red face, that he’d been drinking.

  Not just a little. He had a drink in his hand right now.

  Riley cleared her throat. She’d dealt with the Chads of the world before this. She straightened. “Yes, I’m lost.”

  “It’s a big old house, isn’t it?”

  Were they going to shoot the shit before he showed her how to get out of here? She could play this game.

  “Must have been interesting playing hide and seek here,” she said.

  He didn’t move from his spot. Just shrugged. “We only spent summers here.”

  “Still, you played.”

  “At the beach.”

  Whatever. “Would you mind showing me how to get out?”

  He smiled, but to Riley it seemed predatory. She didn’t want to think that of Dirk’s brother, but he was giving off a creeper vibe. As if he’d followed her here knowing she had no idea where she was.

  What was he going to do?

  He pushed off the wall. “Sure. Wouldn’t want big brother to not be able to find you.”

  Seemed like an odd statement, so she just smiled and said, “Thanks.”

  He nodded in the direction she thought she’d come from. “This way.”

  He led her down the hallway, but none of it seemed familiar. She hadn’t been paying that much attention, as her bladder had been full. She’d been in dire need and hadn’t been able to get away from some aunt who was talking to her.

  Now she was paying for her politeness. She should have asked the aunt for directions. There might have been one closer to the patio than this. Instead she was relying on Dirk’s brother to get her back to the party.

  Should she trust him? Dirk hadn’t said anything bad about his brother. He was one of Riley’s suspects, and that could easily color her reaction to him. She shrugged off her foreboding and tried to talk to him.

  “So Dirk said you are in computer security?”

  Chad stopped. “Yes.”

  His gaze roved over her and her uneasiness returned. He leaned in close to her. “It’s probably above your head, honey.”

  Honey?

  Suddenly he stopped and opened a door. “Here we are.”

  Eager to be away from him, Riley didn’t notice that he’d led her into a pantry. She spun around when she did realize, but he was blocking the door, a not every nice smile on his face. “At last. We’re alone.”

  “Let me out of here, Chad. I’ll scream!” she said.

  Meanwhile she was searching for a weapon to fend him off with. He approached her. “No one will hear you. Everyone is outside.”

  She swallowed. Oh shit. Zeke all over again. What was it with the people around Dirk?

  “Don’t come any closer.”

  “And you’ll do what? Big brother doesn’t even know you’re gone. Don’t flatter yourself that he cares. He’ll dispose of you just like he does to every woman in his life.”

  That hurt, but it shouldn’t. This was business. Nothing personal. No emotion.

  Chad then had her against the only wall that didn’t have shelves on it. He’d put down his drink when she wasn’t paying attention. His breath smelled of scotch. She flinched when he breathed on her.

  Maybe if she lit his breath on fire, someone would notice. “Get off of me, Chad.”

  “Playing hard to get?”

  Chad laughed, his breath wafting across her face. She worked her hands up to his chest and shoved. His face grew redder.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “Yes, and I’m not impressed.”

  He swung his hand, but she deflected his slap. “Bitch.”

  He grabbed her hair and yanked. She saw stars, and when her vision surfaced, he had her blouse partially undone. She slapped at his hands to stop him.

  What the hell? Then her knee came up and connected with his balls. He grunted and swore. He didn’t let go. She tried again, but this time he turned so she didn’t hit anything important.

  He shoved her harder into the wall, his body up against her. His grabbed her breast as he tried to kiss her. She shoved again, but couldn’t get leverage.

  So she bit the tongue he was trying to shove in her mouth.

  “Ow. Bitch!”

  He slapped at her again, but didn’t have the leverage to do much damage.

  “Help!” she yelled.

  “No one’s coming, so you might as well give in,” Chad said.

  That was not happening. She struggled and thrashed, but he didn’t let go. Shit. This guy was strong.

  On impulse she stopped struggling, but became dead weight in his arms. She landed on the floor. She lost any advantage when she climbed on top of her. He forced her legs apart, and she screamed with all of her might.

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  She thrashed more, desperate to get out from under him. “Stop!” she yelled.

  He kissed her neck. “Just let it happen. It’ll be worth your while. I promise. I’m better than my big brother.”

  Riley wanted to throw up and wondered if that would dissuade him. She finally got her leg under him and shoved. He hit a shelf and that seemed to make him madd
er.

  She got to her feet and put her hands up to defend herself. He launched himself to her, and she wasn’t sure she could fend him off this time. She was trapped with no way out.

  ***

  Dirk realized that he hadn’t seen Riley in a while. He glanced around, but didn’t spot her red hair.

  “Did you get to eat yet?” Eliza said.

  He smiled at his stepmother. He ran a multi-billion dollar company, but she still worried about him eating. “I did. I was looking for Riley.”

  “I haven’t seen her in a few minutes. I think she went in the house.”

  “Crap. She might be lost. I better go rescue her,” Dirk said.

  He once had a girlfriend going through the house sizing up how much everything was worth. He hadn’t brought a woman home since then, but he didn’t really think Riley would do that.

  She didn’t seem to care that much about his money. One of the things he liked about her. He passed his father on his way into the house. “Have you seen Riley?”

  “Uh, I think she went inside,” Carl said.

  “Okay, thanks.”

  He took one last look over the deck in case he’d missed her, then went inside the house to look for her. It wasn’t odd for someone to get lost if they’d never been in the place before this. Dirk heard muffled voices. Where were they coming from? Was he going to catch two people having sex?

  He debated not finding them and searching for Riley. This pair would not be the first ones at one of his parents’ parties to be found having sex. He had no idea what the appeal was to do it during a party.

  There were so many other places to do that. And other times. He tracked the voices to the larger of the two pantries off the kitchen. He debated how to handle this. Should he clear his throat or make a noise to warn them?

  He chose the direct approach and yanked open the door. What his saw made his jaw drop. Riley was in a state of undress and Chad was kissing her.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  Chad stepped away from Riley, who held her shirt closed with her hands. “She tried to seduce me, Dirk. She dragged me in here.”

  This had echoes of what Zeke had said. Had he underestimated Riley? Was she really just like every other woman? They all seemed to cheat. He saw red as the anger rose in him.

  “You don’t seriously believe him, do you?” Riley said.

  Her hair was mussed and she had a red spot on her cheek. Passion?

  “Trust me, Dirk. This was her idea,” Chad said.

  Who did he believe? Riley hadn’t been screaming or seeming to stop Chad at all. Was she a willing participant? Given his past history, he had to assume the worst. That way he could protect his heart.

  Which was sinking into his stomach at the moment. Riley began to cry. A sight he’d never thought he’d see. She was a strong woman, but these could be sympathy tears.

  “I think it’s time for us to go, Riley.”

  She buttoned up her blouse, straightened it, then strode out as if she hadn’t just been kissing his brother. She didn’t look at him. Dirk said their goodbyes, but it was clear that his mother knew something was amiss.

  She didn’t ask and Dirk wasn’t telling. How embarrassing. He didn’t speak to Riley until they were aloft. “My brother?”

  She turned to him, her eyes wide. “You think he’s telling the truth? What reason do I have to go after your brother?”

  “You tell me. You seem to like to spread it around.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “Zeke told me about what happened in the elevator.”

  “If you think what happened in the elevator with Zeke is me spreading it around then you can fuck yourself. He came on to me.”

  She crossed her arms and stared out the window.

  “So I’m supposed to believe that both my married best friend and my brother found you so irresistible that they both hit on you?”

  “Sounds odd, I know, but guess what? That’s what happened.”

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Yes I do. Frankly, I don’t care if you do. We aren’t a couple, so even if I wanted to fuck a whole football team, I could. You have no claim to me and I have no claim on you.”

  She made a good point. He was acting like a jealous lover. He’d like to pass it off as pretending for the crowd at his parents’ house, but he’d really been jealous. His heart had just returned to its normal rhythm.

  He calmed himself down. “You are right. I have no claim on you.”

  “Remember that, but the reality is, your brother tricked me into going in there. I was lost.”

  That did sound reasonable, but he didn’t know why his brother would try to seduce Riley. He also didn’t know why she would fall for it, but he’d been cheated on before. Why would now be any different?

  He didn’t speak to her the rest of the way home. As soon as he landed, she jumped out. She was in the elevator before he could do anything. When he arrived at his parking spot, she was gone.

  He called her cell phone, but she put it to voicemail. “Damn it.”

  Even if he was mad at her, he wanted to know she was safe. He leaned against his car. What if Riley was telling the truth? What if his brother had tricked her? Not only had she been traumatized by Chad, now Dirk hadn’t trusted her.

  He smacked himself in the forehead, but chose not to chase her. He’d give Riley some time to cool off, then he’d go see her. Maybe. He couldn’t decide who was telling the truth in this situation.

  He trudged back to the elevator, sad that he was going to spend the evening alone. He was probably being a dumbass, but pride kept him from calling Riley again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Riley sat in front of her computer, in her temporary apartment, staring at the screen. Her program had netted another notification, and she’d received an e-mail from Zeke on top of that.

  The notification said Zeke had sent another e-mail. Riley was still waiting on Joan to get back to her. Someone knocked on her door. She was half expecting Dirk, but that wouldn’t happen. They hadn’t talked since the family gathering, and he hadn’t had any public appearances, so he hadn’t needed her.

  Joan walked into Riley’s apartment. “I have some news.”

  “I hope it’s good news. I could use some right now.”

  Joan plopped herself on the couch behind Riley. “What happened?”

  “A few days ago, when I went to visit Dirk at work, his friend Zeke cornered me in the elevator. He said he got Dirk’s leftovers. The man is married. I rejected him, and then he told Dirk that I made a pass at him. Fast-forward to this past weekend. We’re at Dirk’s parents’ house for a party. His brother Chad corners me in a pantry and…tries to rape me. Dirk finds out and is now convinced I’m playing him.”

  “Oh my God, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She waved off her friend’s concern, unable to even think properly about what had happened to her. “I’m not even that hot for two men to want me that badly,” Riley said.

  Joan smiled. “You’re way hotter than you think.”

  Riley dismissed Joan’s words. “Doesn’t matter. He’s pissed at me, and I get to work with a pissed customer until I find the leak in his company. I’ve been waiting for a call from our boss that I’m off the case, but they have no one else. Lucky me.”

  “Did you try to talk to him?”

  “He was not interested in listening to me.”

  “What about now? He’s had time to cool down.”

  “I’ve decided I don’t care anymore,” Riley said. She did, but she didn’t want to, so it was the same thing in her mind. Dirk could screw himself for all she cared. That problem wasn’t her present one anyway. “Do you have an answer on that code?”

  “Yes, it is code that tracks the flow of information in and out of the firewall.”

  Riley sat back in her chair, tapping her chin. “Why would someone put that in?”

  “Because they want to know wh
at’s going in and out?”

  “I get that, but why? Did someone else know that there was a leak? This code isn’t amateur stuff.”

  Joan shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. There wasn’t a note about the motive of the coder.”

  Riley laughed, but it came out sardonic. The more she dug the more complicated this whole case became. To complicate matters more, part of her missed Dirk. She hadn’t done anything other than get lost, and he blamed her. The whole situation chafed at her. She wasn’t a cheater, and this was a job, so it was that much more important.

  Riley chose not to tell Joan about the e-mail from Zeke. He wanted to meet her. He knew about Dirk’s investigation and had information. Why so cloak and dagger? She didn’t trust him, but she wanted this case over. The sooner the better.

  “You need to get out. Get away from the computer,” Joan said.

  “Probably, but I want to figure this out.”

  “Let’s have a girls’ night out. The problem will still be here in a couple of hours. No worries.”

  Easy for her to say. She didn’t have feelings for a client. Riley did. That made it more important that she solve this soon. She wanted Dirk out of her life.

  “Yeah, I know, but I’m feeling like a dog with a bone. I want to figure this out. I don’t want to let it go.”

  Joan eyed her, and Riley was afraid to make eye contact. She didn’t want Joan to realize what her real problem was. Dirk. And her feelings for him.

  “Come on, Ri. You’re a boring girl, and I need a night out. Maybe pick up a guy.”

  Riley contemplated it. As long as she wasn’t seen with another guy to blow her cover, she should be fine going out. “Okay, but I don’t want to stay out late. I have to meet someone tomorrow.”

  “Something I should know about?”

  “No. Nothing to do with the case,” Riley lied.

  Joan cocked her head. “I think you’re lying, but I’ll let it go. I need a margarita and to dance.”

  “I need a shower. Meet me back here in an hour?”

  “Okay.”

  Joan left, and Riley went back to looking at the e-mail from Zeke. She puzzled over it. Why was he contacting her? How did he know about the investigation? How had he gotten her e-mail? Was it really Zeke?