Not about to make a bigger fool of myself, I headed for the stairs.
Tomorrow, Noah said he would take me home.
But if he thought I was done with him, he was wrong.
I still planned to find out the truth behind my father’s murder. If Noah had been the one who’d pulled the trigger, then I wanted to know why. I would do some undercover investigating while I was here. Try to discover new information somehow.
No matter how attracted to him I was, I couldn’t let him get away with murder.
If he’d killed my father, then I would make sure he paid for it.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Noah
Not until Shannon disappeared up the stairs was I able to breathe again.
I leaned back in my chair and rubbed a hand over my face. Damn. The woman was more tempting than a slice of homemade strawberry pie. And I fucking loved strawberry pie. If you dangled both of them in front of me, I feared I would leap for Shannon instead of the pie. And I wasn’t the type of guy who got all caught up in a woman. Hell, the only thing that really interested me was my tech stuff. Not that I didn’t appreciate a good-looking woman when I saw one. Shannon was definitely hot. Honestly, I can’t imagine why a woman like her would even look twice at me.
Yet moments ago, the sexual pull between us had been so powerful, it had been all I could do to not drag her into my lap and kiss her senseless. It had come over me like a slow burn, an acute awareness, gradually heating my skin, then turning into full-blown want as it speared me and spread straight to my groin. She’d stared at me like she’d wanted me to kiss her, and fuck, I didn’t know what to do about it. No woman had ever looked at me like that before. With such intense longing.
If I didn’t know better, I would think she’d actually wanted me to take her upstairs. But no, she couldn’t truly want that. Shannon and me…impossible.
The damn woman confounded me.
It had been a long, long time since I’d felt such a strong physical attraction toward a woman, and never had a female made me so breathless before. When I was around Shannon, I couldn’t seem to find my voice, let alone my breath. She did something to me deep inside, stirring me in ways and in places that had been dead for years. She made me yearn for things I’d never wanted before. She had consumed my thoughts for over a week now, infusing herself in my mind like the persistent reporter that she was.
Think about me, Noah. I know you want to.
I shook my head in annoyance. Damn her. She had a beautiful body, slender, well-toned, with curves in all the right places. The damn dress she was wearing was so revealing, she might as well have been naked. Shannon was stunningly beautiful. Those big blue eyes that were so full of emotion. That gorgeous, silky blonde hair that I wanted to tangle my fingers in so I could yank her close and press my mouth to hers. The delicate arch of her neck that I’d been so tempted to brush my lips across moments ago. I had desperately wanted to taste her, to lick my way up her neck to her ear. Then down between her breasts…
I squirmed uncomfortably in the chair, my jeans growing tight with my lustful thoughts. Why was she doing this to me? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about her?
Every time she opened that smart mouth, I wanted to latch onto it and suck until she shut up, and then make her moan in sweet surrender.
Jesus. Now I needed a cold shower. I couldn’t dream about touching her, because it would never happen. Ever.
I squirmed uncomfortably again, thoughts of my “houseguest” refusing to leave.
Shannon was witty. Determined. Brave. Confident. Strong-willed. All of the things I found attractive in a woman. She was also annoyingly persistent, which I didn’t particularly like. I had no doubt she would continue her investigation into her father’s death, no matter what I said or did to discourage her. I had a feeling she would never give up. So, I’d come to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to slowly reveal the truth to her, bit by bit. All at once would likely be too overwhelming and too unbelievable, but if I gave her little pieces of information at a time, then it wouldn’t be so much for her to take in. And then she would realize the kind of man her father had been.
The only problem was, if I revealed the truth to her, then I would have to reveal little pieces of me, let her see who I really was. I would have to expose her to what being a dreg was all about. I feared Shannon would want to make a story out of me, and the other dregs, and I couldn’t allow that. Before I gave her any information, I would need a sworn vow of silence. Of secrecy. But would she give it? Would she play me? I couldn’t trust the woman, so I wasn’t sure what to do. How did one go about throwing a bloodhound off the scent? I would have to distract her somehow, toss her a bone to chew on that would keep her occupied for a while. Would it work?
In the meantime, I needed to keep my distance from her. Fortunately, I was a man of extreme self-control. As much as I longed to touch her, I wouldn’t. Shannon Collins was in a league far above me. She was the senator’s daughter. I would be an idiot to get involved with her in any way. She was a connection to The Company, whether she was aware of that or not. So I needed to stay away from her.
No matter how much the idea of getting my hands on her appealed to me, I would resist. I had to. If for no other reason than my own sanity. I had a feeling if I touched her, I would be sucked under her spell, that I would lose myself in her. And I couldn’t allow that to happen. That woman could so easily chew me up and spit me out, until I was nothing but ground up baby food. She could ruin me. And I refused to be that man. The one who got his heart ripped out by a woman.
I had told her I would take her home tomorrow, but was that really wise? The Company was likely hunting her now. If I turned her loose, she would be at the mercy of The Company. How could I do that to her? I needed to protect her somehow, but I couldn’t exactly hold her prisoner here.
Besides, Ryan, Luke, and I needed to get the hell out of Georgia. The longer we stayed, the more dangerous it became for us.
But I couldn’t just abandon Shannon.
It was time to toss her a bone. Give her something to chew on while I figured out what to do with her and how much of the truth to reveal at this time. But what bone should I throw her? What information should I reveal?
The faint sound of water running from upstairs indicated she was in the shower. Good. That would keep her busy for a little while. I could continue working on my “project” that I hadn’t had time to delve into lately.
I clicked on the folder on my computer desktop that contained The Company files that I had downloaded off Darcy’s computer the night she’d met with Nate and asked for our help. There were hundreds of subfolders, each containing thousands of Company documents. Over the past few months, I’d been going through the subfolders a little at a time, learning what each contained. The Company had kept detailed records on all of the recruits, from date of recruitment, to date of death. Hundreds of soldiers had perished at the hands of The General and his sick counterparts. About a week ago, I’d discovered a folder containing encrypted documents that I knew in my gut were important. These files weren’t normal encryptions requiring a simple password to decrypt. Even using specialized decryption software that in most instances decrypted the most complex encryption types, I had so far been unable to access these secret Company files. These files were a challenge, even for me. This was the secret project I hadn’t told the other dregs about yet.
The encrypted files had been bothering me for days. Rarely did I come across something I couldn’t access with time and effort. But these secret files had been encrypted by someone who was very talented. Someone who didn’t want anyone else to know what was in those files.
And that just made me more determined to break through the encryptions and figure out what was inside. If I could find documentation linking General Waters, Ronald Aikens, Senator Collins, and the other shareholders to The Company, then I could turn the information over to the FBI and let them handle it. It might be wishful thinki
ng on my part, but if the FBI swooped in and arrested the remaining shareholders, then we wouldn’t have to hide anymore. The bounties on our heads would be useless.
The dregs would be free.
When software failed to do the job, I had to rely on my brain. I was, after all, The Hacker. I just needed time and some peace and quiet to concentrate. No distractions. My mind needed to see the pattern in the encryption. Once my brain found the beginning of the code, it would work like software to write its own decryption program, unlocking the password.
I snatched up the packet of mints from off the desktop and popped one in my mouth. Then I closed my eyes and pushed everything out, letting the mint soothe my brain, concentrating on nothing but the task at hand: decrypting the files. I breathed in deeply, then out. Opening my eyes, I focused on the monitor and the list of decrypted files. I randomly clicked on a file and went to work, letting my mind work through possible decryptions.
Time passed. But I just kept at it, letting my brain attempt to decrypt the file. I typed in each possible decryption, one by one, keeping track on paper of all the variations I’d used. The list kept growing. And growing. My mind kept plowing onward. Onward.
I popped another mint into my mouth.
And continued on.
Then, suddenly—bam!—my brain came up with the right decryption, and I opened the file.
My heart pounding, I perused the document. It was a business document, articles of organization of a limited liability company titled, “Super Soldiers, LLC”.
Excitement surged through me as I read through the rest of the document. It listed all the members of the company: Edward Waters, Ronald Aikens, Jack Collins, Mark Ellington, and Jonathan Hughes.
Holy shit! These were the same men who were the shareholders of The Company. This was what we’d been looking for. A connection to The Company. Now I had to find documentation linking The Company to Super Soldiers, LLC. I had a strong suspicion I would find that documentation among the encrypted files. My excitement waned as I stared at the long list of encrypted files. Hell. How long would it take me to decrypt all these documents?
We—the dregs—had already taken care of Waters, Aikens, and Collins, but the remaining two shareholders, Ellington and Hughes, were still out there. Ellington was the CEO of a large pharmaceutical company, while Hughes was a sergeant in the Army.
This was a major breakthrough. I couldn’t keep this to myself.
Snatching my phone off the desk, I called Logan.
I strode across the room, then back, while I waited for him to pick up.
“Hey, man,” he answered after the third ring. “Nishi and I were just talking about you. You heading to Idaho yet?” Their last text had said they were in Arizona. They had sent some pictures of the Grand Canyon. They planned to head north from there, doing more sightseeing, and reach Idaho in another few days. Even at the leisurely pace they were traveling, they would arrive long before I made it there.
I chuckled. It was good to hear his voice. “Not yet, but I’ve got some good news. You remember that project I told you I was working on?” He listened while I told him what I’d just uncovered.
“That’s great news!” Logan responded. “We’re that much closer to taking the shareholders down. You da man, bro!”
My acute senses picked up a faint sound behind me. I spun around to see Shannon sitting at the chair I’d just vacated, looking at the computer monitor.
Shit. I’d been careless, walking away from the desk like that. Giving Shannon an opportunity to sneak in behind my back.
I would not make that mistake twice.
“Gotta go. I’ll call you later.” I stuffed the phone in my jeans’ pocket and marched toward her, intent on removing her before she discovered what the document meant.
She turned toward me as I reached her. “What’s this?” she pointed to the monitor. “Super Soldiers, LLC? My father was a member? Why didn’t I know about this company?”
Ah hell. Too late. She was quick.
“You didn’t know because your father probably didn’t want you to know.”
Our gazes locked. “But you know.” Her gaze searched mine. “What else do you know about my father that I don’t?”
I turned away from her, unsure how to answer that.
She bolted up from the chair and grabbed my arm. The heat of her touch scorched me, burning through my shirt and into my skin like a hot fire poker. I jerked loose, turning to face her.
“Tell me,” she demanded. “I have a right to know.” She motioned at the computer. “What else is on there?”
I hesitated. I had planned on slowly feeding information to her, a little at a time, just enough to keep her interested, but not enough for her to figure out what was really going on. Now that she’d seen that document, I wouldn’t be able to do that without arousing her suspicion.
Then it occurred to me that I could use her desperation for the truth as a way to keep her here with me, so I could keep her safe from The Company. Here with me was the safest place for her right now. I refused to contemplate why I would want to keep her around any longer than necessary, especially when I knew she was out for blood. The truth. And I was a big part of that truth. Was I a complete moron? Probably. But I had her here now where I could keep an eye on her and prevent her from causing any trouble.
“I’ll share what I know on two conditions.”
She perked up at that, stepping closer, her gaze on mine. “Name them.”
“One, you keep what you discover to yourself. You don’t do a story on it. You don’t tell anyone else. Because if you do, you will die, Shannon. And that’s not a threat from me. It’s fact. There are people who don’t want you to know the truth, people who will stop at nothing to keep you quiet.”
She held my gaze. “Before I agree to that, I have to ask you, were you and your friends the ones who killed Michael and stole my file?”
While I had originally wanted her to think it had been us so that she would be more afraid of us, now I needed her to trust me, and she wouldn’t trust me if she believed I’d killed Michael Kent. Which meant she really wouldn’t trust me when she found out I’d killed her father. But I didn’t know how much longer I could keep that from her.
“No, Shannon. That wasn’t us. I promise.”
Her gaze searched mine for a long moment, then she nodded. “Okay. Then I agree. And your other condition?”
“That you stay here with me where I can keep you safe.”
Something flickered in her eyes, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she contemplated her response. Shannon was no fool. Her nostrils flared slightly. “Keep me safe? You mean so you can keep an eye on me, don’t you?”
I sighed. “That, too. Believe me, I don’t like the idea of you staying here anymore than you do. But if I turn you loose, there’s no telling what might happen to you. And I’d rather not have your death on my conscience.”
A beat of silence passed while we stared at each other. I let my gaze travel down, noting she’d changed into some type of light blue pajama pants and a matching top. The outfit was feminine, but modest, hinting at innocence and purity, not seduction. It was a complete one-eighty from the dress she’d been wearing at the auction. One of the bedrooms upstairs had previously been inhabited by a teenager, which was apparent from the clothes and things that had been left behind. A girl who was about Shannon’s size. I imagined that was where Shannon had found the outfit.
Her hair was still damp from the shower, neatly combed so it fell over her right shoulder, ending just above her breast. The scent of her clean skin washed over me, a mixture of soap and flowers and…woman. She was totally delectable. I wanted to snatch her up and eat her for dinner.
I jerked my gaze back to hers.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll stay. I promise I won’t share the information you give me with anyone else. But if I agree to these terms, then I want one thing from you in return.”
I tensed, fearing wh
at she might want.
“And what might that be?”
“The truth.” Her gaze bored into mine. “Did you kill my father?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Shannon
Noah squirmed uncomfortably, glancing away, his natural eye following the wallpaper border around the far corner of the room, while the prosthetic eye stared straight ahead, unmoving. Fascinated, I stared at his face, at his eyes, waiting. The Hacker intrigued me. He was unlike any man I’d ever met before, and I wanted to know more about him. How did he know things about my father that I didn’t? What was his connection to my father? Who was he? And what, exactly, did he know? I was so close to learning the truth about what had happened to my father. I sensed it.
At last, Noah pulled his gaze back to me, the natural eye focusing on me while the prosthetic eye stared unseeingly ahead. “Yes.”
I stumbled back in shock. “Yes?”
I don’t know what I’d expected. But certainly not an admission. A part of me had wanted him to deny it, to say he wasn’t responsible.
“Yes, I killed him.”
I gasped, tripping backward into the computer chair. He reached out, steadying me. I jerked back, pulling free. “Don’t touch me, you, you murderer!”
“You asked for the truth,” he reminded, his voice cold, his gaze turning hard.
“Why?” I fought back tears. “Just tell me why!”
He pulled the computer chair back, sinking into it. He clicked the mouse a couple of times. Then he typed something on the keyboard. Was he just going to ignore me now? Pretend I wasn’t here? Jerk! I wanted to fling something at his head.
“Come here,” he said without looking at me. “I’ll show you who your father really was.”
I swallowed hard, forcing the tears back. What was he talking about? What did that mean?
Don’t chicken out now, Shannon. If he’s going to show you things, you need to look. Even if it hurts.
What if he’s lying? He’s a murderer, so why wouldn’t he be a liar, too?
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