Hacker Exposed (White Hat Security Book 1)

by Linzi Baxter

  Sophie didn’t have a filter. She said things no matter how mean they were. “Did you actually do that to yourself on purpose?” Sophie asked, pointing at Patty’s hair and trying, unsuccessfully, not to laugh.

  At least I got credit for not laughing at her. Patty got mad and stormed out of my office. Sophie sat in the chair across from me, still laughing. Before she could ask about Patty, I held up my hand. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. What’s going on today?”

  Sophie’s position with White Hat Security was Cyber Security Network Engineer. Her ability as a hacker was well known on the dark web under the name Phoenix. She recovered from laughing and gave me a rundown on open projects. Then she said, “There was a strange phone message this morning from a Mr. Ross. He wants to know if you’ll have dinner with him tonight to discuss a project.”

  I didn’t imagine anything could top Patty’s hair and outfit today, but a call from Mr. Ross was certainly unexpected. I hadn’t seen Mr. and Mrs. Ross since they had put my dad in jail.

  I didn’t blame Mr. Ross for what he did. My dad was corrupt. He stole money from them and a lot of other people. After Dad had gone to jail, my mom continued down a road of depression, and I had to come up with a way to support the family. At one time, we had millions of dollars. After the government raided our houses, we moved to the projects with what little money we had left.

  I started White Hat Security at twenty, and six years later, we were doing well. I could pay for my mother’s care, and we didn’t talk about my dad. He was still in jail, where he deserved to be.

  “Bridget, did you hear anything I said? Who is this person? You look like I just said someone came back from the dead.”

  “Did he say where to meet him?”

  “He mentioned a restaurant. I’ll listen to the message again to get the name. I do remember he said something about eight o’clock.”

  “Tell him I will be there. Alexander Ross is the person who put my dad in jail for embezzlement.”

  “Wow!” Sophie exclaimed. “You’re saying the Ross family as in the Ross family? With the playboy sons and more money than God? Wait, did you say your dad’s in jail? I thought your dad was dead or a deadbeat, and that’s why you guys never talked about him. We’ve been friends for years, so why am I only hearing this now?”

  After my dad had embezzled millions, and my mom, my sister, and I moved to the projects, we changed our names and hid our past life. We haven’t spoken to or associated with anyone from our past since. I worked hard to change our identities so no one would know who we were.

  I still followed the Ross family to see how the boys and their sister were doing. I’d always had a crush on Alex, and I had been close with the twins, Antonio and Asher. We’d been inseparable and best friends throughout school.

  “Hey, Bridget. Come back to earth and answer my fucking questions! Why didn’t you tell me about your dad, and who is your dad?”

  Sophie’s yelling snapped me out of my thoughts. It was time to come clean. My past was a touchy subject, and Sophie didn’t have any idea what was about to come out of my mouth. I met Sophie in tenth grade when I transferred to my new public school. She took me under her wing since we both loved computers, and we discovered we both loved to hack. I had told her we moved from another state and were starting over. Now it was time to explain the truth about my past. She was going to be pissed.

  “My father’s name is Samuel Highmore.” I said it so faintly, I wasn’t sure she heard me.

  She was quiet for a good five minutes before she started to yell at me. “You’re Samuel Highmore’s daughter? That family was one of the wealthiest in the country. They had houses all over the world. Their kids went to private schools and had everything!” She looked a little pissed—okay, maybe outraged. If this were a cartoon, she’d have had red smoke coming out of her ears.

  “I changed my family’s identity after the incident. Mom’s name was Katherine, Cassandra’s name was Elizabeth, and my name was Claire,” I said. “We didn’t want the stigma of what my dad did to follow us, so we started a new life.” Talking about my past always made me sad for two reasons. The first was what my dad did to all those people. The second was all the friends I had lost.

  “I have been your friend for years. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

  “I didn’t want anyone to know who we were. I gave up that life. I don’t understand how Mr. Ross found me. Our identities were buried extremely well. I did it myself. I’m taking this meeting to see how he found us and what he needs. I know what he did tore my family apart, but at least he took my dad down.”

  “Fine. Take the meeting. When I get to my office, I’ll send you the name of the restaurant. But we are going to talk about this again later. I want to know what life was like back then and details about all the rich people. My best friend was famous at one time and friends with the Ross family!” Sophie got up and walked out before I could even respond. I had a lot to consider before this meeting.

  Chapter Four

  Bridget

  “I’m here to see Mr. Ross,” I said to the maître d’. The local Italian restaurant was busy for a Monday night.

  As the waitress led me to the table, I started to feel sick. My world was getting turned upside down. The new life I had created for my family wasn’t supposed to collide with people from the past. The closer I got to the table, the more I started to sweat. Great. I was about to meet a client, and now I had sweaty armpits. At least I remembered to put on deodorant this morning. Or I hoped I had. There was no time to check.

  “It’s so good to see you, Claire. I’m sorry, I mean Bridget.” Mr. Ross stood and swept me into the biggest hug. His smell and voice alone brought back so many memories that my eyes started to leak. I hadn’t actually cried since my dad betrayed us, so my eyes were just leaking.

  Mr. Ross pulled back and looked down at me with ocean-blue eyes. I had to look up because he was over six feet tall, and I noticed his hair was short with a dusting of salt and pepper. It looked like his eyes might start to leak, too, when he cleared his throat and asked me to have a seat.

  “It’s been way too long, Bridget. We’ve missed you.” It seemed like he was trying to convey more than what he said.

  I needed to figure out how our identities had been exposed. I had to fix that little issue so others couldn’t find us. There were high-profile people who were still mad at my dad and, therefore, at my mom and us. “I wanted to ask how you…” I stopped talking when I saw a Greek god floating toward our table.

  Okay, so it wasn’t a Greek god, and he wasn’t floating. Alex Ross was headed toward our table, walking with purpose. He was at least six foot five with short dark hair, the trademark ocean-blue eyes of the Ross family, and a body that would make any woman drool. Hopefully, I wasn’t drooling, but my clit was beginning to throb. The man was wearing a beautiful suit, and I wondered what he would look like without it.

  Next to me, I noticed Mr. Ross smirking, and I wasn’t sure why. I needed to get my lady parts under control and focus.

  “Good evening, Father,” Alex said. The sound made my lady parts throb even more. Was it possible to have an orgasm from the sound of a voice? Snap out of it, Bridget, and get your head in the game. “Who is this lovely lady?”

  “Hello, son. You remember Claire Highmore. She goes by Bridget Boggs now. Bridget owns a local IT firm called White Hat Security. I was hoping she could help you with your little money issue.”

  Alex was visibly shocked by the introduction. His eyes bugged out like a cartoon character’s. Once he recovered, Alex put his charming smile back in place and aimed it at me, but I didn’t know why. I was just a five-foot-four, glasses-wearing, curvy, black-haired IT nerd.

  “Cla—uh, Bridget, it’s great to see you. Have you met up with the twins yet? I know they would love to see you again.”

  The meeting with the twins was the one I was most worried about. When we were younger, Asher was confused about certain feelin
gs. I had hoped he would come out and tell people how he felt. But I followed the media over the years, and nothing had changed. Antonio would be angry at me for leaving and not asking his family for help.

  “No, I haven’t contacted Asher or Antonio yet. I’ll need to talk to them before I start this project. I still don’t know how Mr. Ross found me.” I looked at Mr. Ross. He just smirked and popped a piece of bread in his mouth. It didn’t look as though I’d be getting my answers this evening.

  I heard Mr. Ross’s phone chirp with a text. He checked it then said, “I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to skip dinner. Martha needs me at home.” Mr. Ross stood and kissed me on the cheek. “Bridget, please bring your mom and sister over for dinner this Sunday. Son, if you need anything, let me know.” He walked away before I had a chance to respond.

  “He didn’t give me a choice about Sunday dinner. Hell, I haven’t even told my mom and sister our cover is busted.” I was having a mini panic attack when Alex broke through my thoughts.

  “Dad has a way of getting what he wants,” Alex said with a shrug.

  “I guess that’s why he’s so successful in life. He doesn’t give people the option of saying no,” I said evenly. “We can get down to business so you can get back to your evening plans.” The last part of that statement made my stomach churn with jealousy.

  Alex gave me a pantie-wetting smile and said, “You have the job. Bring the contract over in the morning, and we can get started. The faster we find the person that did this, the better.”

  I was stunned. Didn’t he want to make sure I knew what I was doing? “Don’t get me wrong—I’m happy to take the job. But don’t you want some references or to check out my firm’s reputation?”

  “No. My dad wouldn’t have recommended you unless he was sure you could handle the job,” Alex replied in a voice that didn’t leave room for argument.

  I bit the inside of my cheek, holding in the smile and the cheer. This would be one of White Hat Security’s biggest private company contracts. I wanted to do a little dance, but it would have to wait until I got home. “I’ll ask the waitress for the check, and we can leave. I assume you have plans tonight.”

  “No.”

  “No?” I replied, not sure what he was saying.

  He smiled again. I had to wonder if that smile was attached to a nerve ending in my pants because it was making me so wet. I couldn’t wait to get home, have a glass of wine, pull out “Bob,” and take a nice bath. I would have some great mental images to take with me tonight.

  “No, we are still having dinner, and I’m paying.” Like his father, he didn’t leave room for negotiation. What is it with these men? He waved the waiter over and ordered for us. If he wasn’t so hot, I might have been angry. It’s 2017; I presume I can order for myself. We would duke it out another night. Okay, that might have been wishful thinking.

  “How are the twins?” I asked. I missed them so much. We should have figured out a different way to cope back then, but Mom was getting tormented by the media. We thought changing our identities was for the best.

  “Asher is still quiet, and Antonio is still arrogant,” Alex replied. “They opened a security company after they got out of the military.”

  I might have been the only person who knew the reason Asher was quiet. He wasn’t living the life he wanted. I thought I might have an idea about how to help him. And Antonio had always been an arrogant prick to everyone but me.

  “So, do you have a boyfriend?” Alex asked. “I notice you don’t wear a ring, so you must not be married.” Out of all the questions Alex could have asked, I didn’t expect he’d ask about my relationship status.

  “No, I’m single. I don’t really have time to date. We’re still trying to make White Hat Security successful.”

  His brow furrowed. “Do you need referrals? I have a lot of business associates who could use your help.”

  “No, Alex, we’re good, but thank you. I work hard to keep us in the black.” However, it felt nice to have someone else concerned about us.

  We continued asking questions back and forth all through dinner. Alex told me about his brothers and sister and what they were doing currently. I explained a little about Mom and Cassandra. I didn’t get into how we lived. I didn’t want the Ross family to feel sad about what happened to us.

  “Wow, am I stuffed! It’s been years since I’ve eaten here. The twins used to take me here all the time. Nice to see the family still has its own table.”

  As I stood from my chair, Alex was right next to me. He smelled so good. I might have brushed against him and taken a sniff. He led me out of the restaurant with his hand on my lower back. My body got all tingly.

  “Did you drive or take the subway?” he purred in my ear.

  How did he get so close? Or do I keep scooting closer to him? I needed to get my body and mind in check. Oh shit. He asked me a question. What was the question again?

  “I drove. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Alex started to lean in, but then the stupid valet asked for my ticket. Did the asshole not see that the god had been about to kiss me?

  On the drive home, all I could think about was the kiss that had almost happened. But it was good that we didn’t kiss. Alex was about to be a client, and he was also the biggest playboy in the family. Tonight, I would go home and bask in the memory of the Greek god who almost kissed me. Then tomorrow after work, I would stop by the hospital and tell Mom and Cass that our cover was blown.

  Alex

  Of all the people Dad could have picked to help with the missing money, he picked Claire. I was not expecting to see Claire again. When we were young, she was extremely attractive but off-limits because she was Asher and Antonio’s close friend. As an adult, she was even more beautiful than I remembered.

  Throughout dinner, I was mesmerized by how Bridget had provided for her family and made the best out of an unpleasant situation. It showed how strong and independent she was. I could feel myself becoming infatuated with her. I didn’t care if she was Asher and Antonio’s friend anymore. She was the perfect woman to start a family with. I had a feeling she might be what was missing in my life.

  Chapter Five

  Bridget

  When I got home, I noticed the lights were on. It looked like Sophie wasn’t going to wait until tomorrow for the scoop.

  It was like rapid fire when I walked in the door. She didn’t even let me take off my jacket or put down my purse before she started in with a string of questions. “So how was dinner with the upper class tonight? Did you get any details about those hot boys of his? I like the two twins. I wonder if they would have a threesome.”

  “I had dinner with Mr. Ross and his son Alex. We got the contract. I’m heading over there at nine tomorrow morning. I will take this project on myself with the help of CJ. As for the twins, I’m pretty sure they don’t have threesomes. I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to say to them. They were my closest friends growing up.”

  “Wait! Did you just say you were close friends with the twins? My dream guy, times two, was best friends with my best friend?”

  “Stop yelling. I’m right here. If the twins don’t hate me for what I did, I will introduce you. I think you’d like Antonio better. Maybe you could settle down with him.” An expression of horror showed on Sophie’s face, and it made me smile. “Something wrong with your face? You look constipated.”

  “I don’t want to date anyone. I’m looking for a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, nothing more.”

  “One of these days, someone will steal your heart when you least expect it, and you will settle down.” I tried saying it with a straight face, but I couldn’t.

  Patty and CJ walked into the house. I wasn’t sure why we were having an employee meeting at my house this late at night, but I had a feeling Sophie invited them over so I could tell them all about dinner.

  CJ and Sophie had been friends for years before I met them. Sophie introduced me to CJ when I started at their school. The three of us spen
t hours learning computer code and everything we could about the dark web. During our senior year of school, CJ’s family kicked him out for being gay, and he came to live with Mom, Cass, and me. Since his love for technology was the same as Sophie’s and mine, it was an automatic decision that he would work with us when I opened White Hat Security.

  “What the fuck happened to your hair now?” I asked. Patty’s hair was striped black and orange, and she was wearing a neon-green dress.

  “I wanted a change. You said my hair looked like a basketball, so I had highlights added.”

  “I don’t believe you understand what highlights are supposed to be.” It was getting late, and I didn’t want to drag out this impromptu meeting, so we would have to tackle the hair issue another day. “I need to talk to you guys about our new client.”

  My staff was like my second family. We all had bad pasts we didn’t talk about. Some of them were worse than others, but each of us had stories to tell.

  “We already know you met with the Ross family tonight. Why else do you think we’re here? That family is gorgeous, and we want to know when we get to work with them,” CJ said. Okay, so they wanted info on the hot family. I didn’t need to tell them about my past.

  I saw Sophie narrow her eyes at me. She expected me to tell them the story. Damn. For a second, I thought I wouldn’t have to. “CJ, I’m going to need you to hand your projects off to another employee. The Ross family hired us to see if we can discover how a million dollars went missing from one of their projects.” We had another six employees that did the grunt work, but CJ, Patty, and Sophie were my right-hand people.

  “That sounds like an easy job. Why do you need me? Are you getting too relaxed in your old age and don’t know how to hack anymore?”

  I might have to hack his home computer network tonight and mess with him for making that comment.