As I made my final trip out to my Jeep, Ryan and Luke were loading the last of their bags into their cars. When I’d told them earlier that I was ready to leave and that tonight would be the best time to go, they’d happily begun packing. Though they hadn’t pushed me over the past week, I sensed they were relieved I was finally ready to go. They had sold their motorcycles a few days ago in preparation of leaving here.
“You ready?” Ryan asked, eyeing me as I set my duffle bag in the back seat of my Jeep next to the box of food items.
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
As I strode around the Jeep toward the driver’s side, the two-way radio that I had set on the hood of my Jeep went off.
“Hey, Noah! This is Tommy!” he shouted. “Mayday! Mayday! That hot chick you warned me about? Shannon? She’s heading toward you right this moment. She’s stumbling around in the dark with a flashlight and using lots of swear words.”
Shit. She was here already? Using lots of swear words? For some reason, that made me chuckle. I’d warned Tommy earlier to be on the lookout for Shannon Collins. And now, apparently, she was here. The girl didn’t waste any time, did she?
The dregs had all made a deal with Tommy when he’d discovered us moving into our hideout a little over a year ago. We tutored him with his schoolwork in exchange for him helping to keep this place a secret and notifying us of anyone approaching through the woods. His warnings had saved us several times over the past year. Tommy was a good kid. I was more than happy to help him out whenever he struggled with his schoolwork. His mother was an alcoholic who was constantly changing boyfriends, so the kid didn’t have much guidance at home. The least we could do was make sure he got good grades in school.
“Thanks for the warning. Now you should get to bed,” I gently chastised him. “Your mother would be upset with me if she knew I was keeping you up so late.”
“Mom’s out with her boyfriend. She’s never here anymore. And I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited to see if Shannon would show up. I’ve seen her on T.V. She’s hot.”
I was sure half the men who watched Shannon on television had fantasies about her. But right now, I didn’t have time to fantasize. We needed to get the hell out of here before she found us.
“She moves fast,” Luke commented. “Now what? Should we take off and try to elude her? Or would you rather intercept her in the woods and scare the shit out of her?”
Ryan chuckled. “I like that idea. Let’s scare her so bad she never wants to research you—or any of us—ever again.”
I snorted. The problem was, I didn’t know if we could scare her.
The smart thing to do would be to just disappear before she found us.
But I knew I wouldn’t do that. I was about to meet Shannon Collins. The woman who had consumed my thoughts for over a week. Anticipation swept through me. The thing about Shannon was that she was an open book. Blunt. Honest. She’d mentioned on her blog once that she had a fear of the woods. We could use that to our advantage now. We could scare her so bad she never returned.
“Thanks for the heads up, Tommy,” I said into the radio. “Is she alone?”
“Yeah, she’s alone. No bodyguards or anything.”
That was good. No bodyguards meant it would be easier for us to scare her off. “We’re all leaving this place now, Tommy. I don’t know if we will ever be back. So take care of yourself, all right? You can still call us at any time. Now get your ass to bed. You have school in the morning.”
“Ah, man,” he grumbled. “I’m gonna miss you guys.” He sighed. “Okay. Later. Bye Luke! Bye Ryan!”
I handed Ryan the radio. “Bye Tommy,” he said. “Stay out of trouble, kid.”
Ryan passed the radio to Luke. “See ya, Tommy. We’ll be checking up on you later.”
Tommy groaned. “I know you will. Bye guys! Wish I could come with you.”
Luke handed the radio back to me.
“Your mom needs you, Tommy,” I pointed out. “Once you graduate from high school, you can come visit us. Until then, do good in school and stay out of trouble.”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “I’ll do that. See ya.”
I tossed the radio into the back of my Jeep.
“So, what’s the plan?” Luke asked.
“Let’s scare her off. She scared of the woods. Apparently that’s her only phobia. Once she’s gone, we can head out.”
Ryan snickered. “We’ll get rid of her. This will be fun.”
Luke was good at mimicking animal sounds. That would come in handy in this situation.
We all headed back down the escape hatch, discussing how best to scare her off. I prayed it would work, but with Shannon Collins, who knew? We gathered the items we decided we might need, then we headed back up the escape hatch. Moments later, we entered the forest, letting our acute senses scan the trees for danger. It was frosty out, the temperature only around thirty-two degrees.
We headed off in three different directions, each wearing a communication device in our ear, and black ski masks over our heads to hide our faces. Luke headed to the east. Ryan to the north. And I headed to the south. If she was coming from Eatonton, one of us would intercept her before she reached the old plantation home.
I crept slowly into the woods, pausing constantly to listen and scan for Shannon’s whereabouts, trying to pinpoint her location. Losing my right eye to a bullet had caused my other senses to heighten considerably, everything having to overcompensate to make up for the vision loss. My fingertips in particular were extra sensitive now, easily detecting faint temperature changes in the air that might indicate a presence close by. It was especially helpful when my other senses were unable to pick anything up. I lifted my hands, spreading my fingers and feeling for the slightest dip or increase in temperature.
Several minutes passed with nothing except the silence of the night.
Then Luke let out an animal call, a piercing scream that made even my hair stand on end. Damn. He was good. Very convincing.
Then a soft curse came from the east about the same time I spotted Shannon’s flashlight. I headed toward her, moving silently, keeping to the shadows, hiding behind tree trunks and underbrush as I approached. I spoke into my mic, telling Ryan and Luke I’d spotted her and letting them know my location. They responded that they were heading my way.
Luke called out again, a long, deep howl.
Shannon let out a soft scream and dropped the flashlight. “Dammit, I hate the woods!” Even at this distance, I felt her fear.
Then a real animal bounded forward, slipping past her feet. She screamed again, shouting, “Go away, you, you…whatever you are!” She waved at the animal. “Shoo, you little…beast!”
I held back a chuckle as a raccoon hissed at her, before scampering up a tree. Raccoons were omnivorous and mostly nocturnal. They were active year-round here in Georgia, though they tended to stay in their dens during the colder months. I was surprised to see one out foraging on this chilly night.
Shannon bent to retrieve her flashlight, muttering under her breath about creatures with sharp fangs and deadly claws.
While she was distracted, I made my move, slipping silently up behind her.
The sound of her heart thumping wildly reached my ears. The scent of her soft femininity teased my nostrils. For a moment, I was so overwhelmed, so affected by her presence that I froze.
She straightened, lifting the flashlight.
Get a fucking grip, man.
I breathed on her neck, whispering, “Boo,” before darting behind a tree.
She gasped and spun around, her eyes wild with fright. “Who’s there?”
When I didn’t answer, she closed her eyes and whispered, “It’s just my imagination. I’m not afraid. Just my imagination.”
Guilt sank in. How could I traumatize her like this? Feed on her fear? The poor woman was scared to death.
Then she gathered herself, lifting her chin and opening her eyes. “I’m not afraid,” she told herself. “I can do
this.”
Admiration swept through me. This girl was tough. Fighting back her fear.
But dammit, she was messing up our plan. Scaring her off with animal sounds obviously wasn’t working.
Time to improvise.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Noah
I stepped out from behind the tree and wrapped an arm around Shannon’s waist, yanking her back against me and covering her mouth with my other hand. She screamed, the sound muffled behind my hand, and dropped the flashlight again. She squirmed, lifting a can of pepper spray with her other hand, and aiming for my face. I knocked it aside, then tightened my arm around her.
I breathed against her neck again, a soft hiss.
She fought and squirmed wildly against me, kicking and flailing, her bag falling off her shoulder. I let her struggle for a few moments, hoping she would wear herself out. Then I grabbed her arms, managing to subdue her. She was probably five-foot-seven or eight, her body slim and well-toned. I imagined she went to the gym daily or had her own gym in her house. She was the senator’s daughter, after all. Whatever she wanted, she could afford. I tried not to notice the enticing flowery scent of her hair. Or the feel of her firm ass rubbing against my groin as she struggled. Or the way her hips flared out in a purely feminine fashion. Or the flat tummy beneath my arm. Or the way her breasts bounced, then rested against my arm as she squirmed.
Heat shot to my groin. Longing stirred from somewhere deep inside me. Shit. I hadn’t been attracted to a woman in too long to remember. For a moment, her effect on me was so confusing, it threw me off my game. I had already convinced myself I wouldn’t like her, that she would be a hateful person. Just like her father. So why was I so affected by her presence?
Confusion swamped me. It wasn’t just my strong physical attraction to her that confounded me, but the woman herself. What the hell?
I should have disappeared before she arrived. Now it was too late.
Ryan appeared off to my left. He let out a soft chuckle. “Looks like you caught yourself a plaything. Can I share?”
Kidnapping her like this hadn’t been part of our plan. Now we’d have to wing it. Fortunately, Ryan was quick to realize this, and his words were perfect.
Shannon went rigid, her body turning to stone. She made a muffled sound against my hand that sounded like, “Hell, no.” I felt the tension in her limbs, her terror flowing into me. I didn’t want to traumatize her, but we had to scare her away. We had to convince her to stop investigating me and her father’s death. Dammit. Touching her had been a mistake. I hoped I didn’t fuck this up.
Then Luke arrived on my right, stepping forward. “Oooh! Ain’t she a purty thang? I always wanted a foursome with a blonde. Can I do her first?”
Shannon made another sound beneath my hand. No.
Her fear intensified, flowing into me. If I’d wanted her scared, I’d gotten my wish. Maybe this would work better. Maybe she’d be more afraid of us than any forest creatures.
“I found her,” I said, following Ryan’s lead. “I get her first. You can wait your turn. Both of you.”
She started to squirm again. I tightened my arm around her waist, trying not to be turned on by the feel of her soft body against mine. But damn her, she affected me, even though I didn’t want her to. I couldn’t deny it. And I had no doubt she could feel the evidence of the way she affected me pressing against her ass.
“I told you to stay away, but you didn’t listen,” I whispered in her ear. “Now you’re going to suffer for that mistake. You can scream all you want. Go ahead. No one will hear you. No one is out here but the four of us.” My goal was to scare her, not hurt her. But she didn’t know that.
I slowly lowered my hand away from her mouth. I expected her to scream loudly. Instead, she took me by surprise once again. She went completely still.
“I already know what you look like, Mr. Hacker,” she announced bravely, “so that mask isn’t hiding anything from me. But if it makes you feel better, then by all means, wear the damn thing.”
Ryan snickered. He and Luke exchanged a glance, then looked at me. Now what?
Shit. How were we going to pull off the “mean-thugs-about-to-rape-her” act if she wasn’t even scared?
Shannon squirmed again, but I didn’t release her. “Were you guys the ones who killed Michael and stole my file? Of course, you were. Who else would it have been?”
If she thought we were the ones who’d killed Michael Kent and stolen her file, then she would probably be more afraid. I had no doubt The Company was behind this. They may have even followed her here. We needed to scare her off pronto.
And get the hell out of here.
By the looks in their eyes, Ryan and Luke had obviously come to that conclusion as well.
“Yeah, that was us,” Ryan said in his “mean-thug” voice. “You keep sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, lady. But I think we can still have a little fun with you before we kill you.”
Her heartrate kicked up again, indicating she was indeed frightened. Good. She squirmed against me once more. “Let me go, you bastards. I’m a senator’s daughter.”
“A dead senator’s daughter,” Luke pointed out, his voice so realistically cold that he almost fooled me.
She cringed. “Why? Why did you kill my father? What did he ever do to you?”
What did he ever do to us? Oh Shannon, if you only knew...
“More than you will ever know,” I responded, my voice cold. “And none of it good. You should have listened, Shannon. You should have stayed away. You have no one but yourself to blame for what is going to happen to you now.”
I glanced at Ryan and Luke, both of whom nodded, letting me know it was my call. What did we do now? It was time to finish this. Time to scare the living bejesus out of her. I began dragging her across the forest toward the nearest tree. She gasped and fought and squirmed in a valiant attempt to escape, but she was no match for me. My plan now was to blindfold her and tie her to a tree—lightly, so that she could easily escape on her own—and then flee before she came after us. She wouldn’t be harmed, but hopefully, it would scare her enough to drop her investigation. We had brought along rope, a blindfold, and zip-ties just in case it came to this.
Reaching a large pine tree, I spun her around and pressed her up against the trunk. She lashed out at me, trying to hit and kick, but I easily subdued her, yanking her arms above her head and deliberately pressing my body against hers, forcing her back into the tree. Her eyes widened. My jeans tightened as my body instantly responded to the feel of hers. Damn. Big mistake. The more I touched her, the more aware of her I became. Idiot!
Ryan and Luke came up behind me, gathering around in an attempt to scare her even more.
But she didn’t cower. Her eyes darkened as she glared at me. “Go ahead, then, Mr. Hacker. Have your way with me. But know I won’t give in easily. I will fight you. I will hurt you!”
Luke snickered. “Yeah, Mr. Hacker, wear her out, would you? Then she won’t fight when it’s my turn.”
Shannon cringed, her terror flowing into me. She was trying to be brave, but I felt her fear. I didn’t like doing this. I didn’t like scaring her. But I had to get rid of her somehow. She could expose us. She could ruin me. Were we doing the right thing? Trying to scare her without actually hurting her?
We should have just fled.
“Where’s the blindfold?” I glanced over at Ryan. He stepped forward and pulled a hood over her head. I spun her around and yanked her arms behind her back. Luke wrapped a zip-tie around her wrists, pulling it tight. She hissed and fought and cursed the entire time.
“You can take my body, but you will not break me! I will fight you! You won’t get away with this!”
I forced her to her knees on the cold ground. “Tie her to the tree,” I said. “We’ll leave her here for the forest creatures.”
She let out a soft gasp. Her heartrate accelerated. Her breathing turned rapid. Now her fear of the woods overrode her fear of u
s.
Luke stepped forward with a rope. “Are you scared of the woods, Shannon?” he taunted. “No better time than the present to face that fear.”
She hitched in a breath, trying so hard to be brave. I had to admire her courage. Right now, she was terrified.
A faint sound from off in the trees caught our attention.
We all turned, our senses alert to danger.
“Someone followed her here.” Luke dropped the rope and disappeared into the trees.
Ryan quickly snuck off in a different direction, leaving me alone with Shannon.
Someone—The Company?—had followed her here. And now they were close to our hideout. We needed to lead them away, deal with them somehow. Then come back and get into our cars. And flee this place for good.
“Who’s coming?” Shannon demanded, tilting her head toward me.
“No one good.”
“Help!” she screamed. “Help me! They’ve taken me prisoner!”
I lunged forward, slamming my hand over her mouth, muffling her, and knocking her back onto the forest floor beneath me. “Shut up,” I growled. “The people who are closing in are not your friends. If they catch you, they will kill you.”
She muttered something beneath my hand that sounded like, “I’ll take my chances.”
Damn, she was stubborn. And brave. Part of me wanted to just let her fend for herself. But that would be cruel. She was an innocent. Blind and bound in the forest. She would be helpless against an attack. So I would have to take her with me, then get rid of her as soon as I could.
The Hacker Page 5
