How to Hack a Hacker (Unholy Trifecta Book 3)

by AJ Sherwood

  “It’s just, um.” Kyou bit his bottom lip, trying to figure out how to phrase this without sounding kinky in a weird way. “I put the butt plug in during my shower this morning, and…well, that was three hours ago….”

  “And now, without anything filling you, it feels a little strange and empty?”

  “Something like that.” That sounded good. Brannigan didn’t seem to think that he was weird.

  A hand slid down over his ass, then one slender finger found its way into his hole, entering in a smooth glide. Kyou groaned softly in pleasure and relaxed against Brannigan like a puppet with its strings cut. Ahh, perfect.

  “Is that better, caro?”

  “So much better.” Kyou kissed his chest, then closed his eyes and rested there. “Thanks.”

  “I’m perfectly alright fingering you any time.” There was a smirk in Brannigan’s voice. “I also like that you’re a little kinky.”

  Smiling, Kyou murmured, “Only for you.”

  Brannigan went taut for a moment before he forcibly relaxed. “Caro. I want us to date openly. I want to introduce you to family, friends, colleagues. I don’t want you to be this secret, hidden affair I’m having.” Brannigan was back to holding his breath.

  Kyou knew very well why Brannigan feared bringing this up. “You think I’ll say no because of what’s happening now, with someone trying to find me.”

  “Yes.”

  He’d thought he was right in that stance for years. It was what had kept him away from Brannigan all this time. But… “When you were on the phone with Ghostshot, you said we were lovers. You told the man precisely who my team is. It was that, more than anything, that made him back down. The guys pointed out that there’s always going to be enemies. But I also think that just as many people will steer clear of us because they’ll know who they take on if they mess with any of us.”

  There was hope in Brannigan’s voice as he asked, “Then you’ve changed your mind?”

  “I…I think I have. The guys made it clear I should never have assumed the burden of trying to protect all of us at once. It was a stupid decision to make, really. Or maybe it was just habit, I don’t know. For so many years I only had myself to depend on. But when shit hit the fan, everyone pulled together to push through it. If I had tried to handle it all myself, we’d still be working through the problem. Maybe—” This was a little hard to admit because relinquishing control wasn’t something Kyou was good at. “I know we’re still working out the finer details of how to build my information web, but I feel good about how that’s coming along.”

  With his free hand, Brannigan tilted Kyou’s head up and kissed him sweetly. “I’ll do everything I can to make it safe for you. Safe for us. I want a life with you, Kyou.”

  Kyou found this far easier to admit. “I want one with you, too.”

  “I promise to stop picking fights with the Irish Mob,” Brannigan tacked on brightly.

  Snorting, Kyou rolled his eyes. “That would help, yes.”

  “So we’re doing this? Really doing this?”

  “We’re really doing this. God help us all.” As nerve-wracking as it was, Kyou strangely looked forward to it. “In fact, I think I have an idea how to go about this more easily.”

  Kyou called for Chinese and invited everyone over for a strategy meeting. For the first time since he’d moved into the apartment, the dining room table was clear. Kyou may have done a speed cleaning on the place, slightly embarrassed for Brannigan to see it in such a sorry state.

  They arrived in time for food, Carter bringing some beers. With lo mein and eggrolls making the rounds about the table, Kyou cleared his throat. “So. I know we’ve talked a little about it, but I think I’ve figured out a way to do this where my anxiety doesn’t spike but I’m working only eight or so hours a day.”

  Carter accepted the carton of lo mein from Aiden but his eyes were on Kyou. “I never thought I’d see the day. Alright, lay it on us. I know you want to use Tricksy.”

  “She’s half-information broker, half-thief and she’s got her ear to the ground. Plus, we can trust her with the truth. She’s around us often enough that she’d figure out the situation pretty quickly anyway. Why not pull her in?”

  Remi clapped, so excited she was giddy with it. “She already said she’s digging at who’s looking for you. She’s mad that she didn’t know there were problems.”

  Considering how fond the woman was of Remi, Kyou wasn’t the least bit surprised by this. He’d gotten a few messages from Tricksy already, clarifying what Kyou knew. Which, sadly, still wasn’t much. They’d only split up and gone to their own homes because it was clear that whoever was looking for Kyou still hadn’t found him. Staying in the safe house didn’t make sense until they knew what the danger actually was.

  Aiden took an eggroll, eyeing them all. “But who else do you trust aside from Tricksy?”

  “Back in the day, before I met these guys, I actually worked as an information broker alongside two other people. We worked in tandem, exchanging information with each other at a discounted rate. I still do it, sometimes. We’ve kept in touch over the years.” Suspecting the names might mean something to at least half of the table, Kyou clarified, “Dutch and Kimmie.”

  Ivan snorted a chuckle. “Of course you know the best.” To his husband, he explained, “Dutch has been in game many years. He’s at point now where he has his own hub of information. He sits there like spider in web, letting all information flow to him. I think we’ve all used him at least once.”

  “Oh, it was more than that,” Ari agreed. “Kimmie’s a little newer, about as long as Kyou’s been around, but she’s good. Quite good. I’ve bought intel from her often as well.”

  Carter was already nodding, a smile spreading over his face. “Yes. Yes, I can see this working. With those three feeding you information, you’ll be more than set. In fact, with Dutch doing it, you might run into information overload.”

  “Quite possibly.” Kyou shrugged, not bothered by that. He’d rather have too much intel than too little. “I can set up an online storage system, let them dump their intel in there every day. That way they’re not having to type up a report just for me. I let my system do a quick scan of it, see if any keywords spark, then I can take a closer look. Saves me from having to read it all.”

  Brannigan followed closely, his hand coming to rest on Kyou’s shoulder for a moment, the warmth of it spreading through his thin turtleneck. “How much time does this buy you?”

  “Quite a bit, really.” Kyou had to think about it. “Maybe six hours or so a day, I’m just looking for intel. Having it delivered to me once a day will cut that down to an hour. Maybe more, if it’s a light week.”

  Brannigan’s eyes went wide in his face. “Six hours a day?!”

  “There’s a reason why we told him to outsource,” Carter piped up, voice dry as a martini. “Okay, are we all in agreement that this is a good plan? Any objections?”

  “Not an objection, but a question.” Brannigan looked to Kyou once again for the answer. “How long will it take to set all of this up? I know you’re worried about not knowing who’s after you.”

  “Yeah, I’m only getting slightly closer to the answer. I think it’ll only take me two hours or so of talking to Dutch and Kimmie, not to mention Tricksy, setting it all up, then the information will be pouring in.” Kyou rubbed his hands together, a feral smile curling his lips up. “And between the four of us, we’ll figure out who this bastard is.”

  17

  Brannigan

  Brannigan sat with Carter in the park, watching the people walking by in a manner that hopefully looked idle. In truth, he was avidly looking for the woman they were all about to meet.

  He was all for the outsourcing plan, as he didn’t want his lover dead from a stress-induced heart attack at forty. And he wanted, selfishly, to spend time with Kyou. Two of those informants had already been hired, and Kyou had done it remotely with nothing more than an hour-long interview and an
automatic payment system.

  This informant, apparently, was special. “Carter, I’m not sure why this woman warrants a face-to-face interview when no one else did. And why are we all meeting her?”

  Carter turned his head to give him a surprised glance. “I thought Kyou explained.”

  “Not everything. He tried, but we got interrupted twice. This woman, Tricksy, he said she was friends with Ivan and that she knew everyone. Ivan said she’s quite a good thief. That’s about all I know.”

  “Ah.” Carter went back to searching their surroundings with a slow pan of the head. It was a lively day at the park with children running around, people walking dogs and playing frisbee in the green area nearby. Their group of adult men and one little girl didn’t even warrant a second look. “Tricksy has the added benefit of knowing us all personally. She’s met everyone but Kyou in real life—even Remi.”

  Brannigan let out a low whistle. Alright, that definitely explained a few things.

  “She and Remi adore each other. They call each other and talk, and there’s a lot of giggling going on in those conversations. Tricksy is something of a female mentor for my daughter. When Kyou told us about his plan, my first thought was Tricksy—not only because she’s good, but because she’s fond of us. She’s got a personal investment in making sure we’re alright. That’s hard to come by in this business.”

  New pieces of information whirled and fit into an overall picture. Brannigan inclined his head slowly, accepting this. “Gotcha. So the meeting with all of us here?”

  “Partially so she can meet Kyou face to face. Partially so she can take Remi shopping afterward.” Carter rolled his eyes, but there was an indulgent smile on his face. “I have been reliably informed by both women that I don’t know how to pick out the right stealth clothes for girls.”

  Brannigan pondered that for a moment. “I’ve got a sister and mother. I don’t argue with them about shopping.”

  “Same. A wise man just lets them do as they like. Ah-ha, there she is.”

  A blonde bombshell of a woman walked up to them along the sidewalk, her gait casual in heels that could double as weapons. She looked stunning, really, and part of Brannigan did notice that, but what really caught his attention were the little signs of her being armed—a gun, two knives at least.

  Remi popped up from the opposite bench where she’d been sitting with Ari and ran for her. “Tricksy!”

  “There’s my girl.” Tricksy ducked down to hug her, rocking back and forth for a moment before letting go. “I swear you grew again. No wonder your stealth clothes aren’t fitting right. Carter, Ari, Ivan, Aiden, nice to see you. Heard about your trouble up here. I bet it was Ivan’s idea to blow it sky high.”

  Ivan shrugged and didn’t deny this. “Was fun.”

  “You crazy man.” Shaking her head, she faced Brannigan, her eyebrow arched a little in question. “Brannigan Genovese. Nice to meet you. I’m Tricksy.”

  Brannigan extended a hand, taking hers in a firm shake. That handshake alone told him he didn’t want to piss this woman off. “The pleasure is mine.”

  “And who’s this cutie?” Tricksy regarded Kyou with a puzzled frown.

  Kyou seemed amused by the description, if his smile was anything to judge by. He did look scrumptious today in a black turtleneck, leather jacket, and form-fitting jeans that hugged him in all the right places. “I believe this is the first time we’ve met in person, Tricksy.”

  It took her a second, then her eyes flew wide. “Holy shit. K?!”

  “The one and only.”

  Her jaw stayed dangling for a full second. “Oh man. Fucking damn. When you called for a meeting out here, I assumed you’d be attending via phone, like you normally do. What the hell, warn a girl!”

  Kyou shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t want to advertise who I am until more protections are in place, and since you’re one of those protections…”

  “Yeah. Okay, sure, I guess I can see why you’d keep that on the down low. Wow. What’s brought you out of the woodwork?”

  Brannigan reached out and caught Kyou’s hand before bringing it to his mouth and kissing the back of it. Kyou gave him a sweet smile in return.

  Not slow on the uptake, Tricksy whistled low. “Shit. A lot of things suddenly make more sense.” Then she looked around at all the men standing in a loose circle watching this play out, and she repeated with more force, “A lot more sense. This group has zero chill about anything affecting one of their own. Poor Irish Mob had no idea who they had pissed off. I feel like I need to sit down. K, you said you wanted to outsource information gathering. I assume so that you have an actual life outside of a computer chair?”

  “In part,” Kyou admitted freely.

  “Makes total sense. I’m not blaming you. Am I the only one you’re contracting with?”

  “No, you’re one of three.”

  “Hmmm. Guess that’s reasonable. We’re all going to hear different things.” Tricksy’s eyes went down to the little girl still standing at her side. There was a moment when fierce determination flashed across her face. “You know, kiddo, I won’t let anything happen to these guys. I know what it’s like to lose family, and you’re not living through that hell.”

  Remi wrapped both her hands around Tricksy’s hand and swore, “We’ll protect you, too.”

  Her blue eyes softened as she stroked hair back from Remi’s face. “Thanks, kiddo. Nice to know it goes both ways. Okay, guys, walk me through exactly what you need. Remi and I have shopping to get to.”

  Kyou felt that the meeting with Tricksy went well. It went well enough, at least, that when Brannigan suggested meeting the family for dinner, Kyou agreed. And that was a landmark event Brannigan never thought would actually happen.

  He arranged it for Friday, partially because he still had the aftermath in Roxbury to deal with. Partially because Kyou needed to get things properly set up and rolling, and that required space to work in. It was nice, having his lover’s voice in his ear and getting the usual texts and emails from him as Kyou updated him on things during the work day. It was even better to be able to just pick up the phone and call him.

  Brannigan may have abused that ability a little.

  Come Friday, Brannigan was in high spirits. It seemed everything was finally going right for him, and he really couldn’t be happier. He swung by Kyou’s apartment with the intention of picking him up. The family dinner with the Genoveses was set, and he knew his father was beyond excited to finally meet the man himself.

  He entered with only a knock, calling out as he came inside, “Kyou, I’m here! Are you ready?”

  “One second!” Kyou called back from his bedroom. “Do I need to wear a tie?”

  “I said wear something nice, not go formal,” Brannigan responded, already shaking his head. Kyou was very nervous about this whole thing. And yes, this was a dinner party, but it wasn’t something that required black tie. He ducked into the bedroom to find his lover glaring at the tie in his hand.

  Kyou cleaned up very, very well. He looked incredibly sharp in the black suit, with his hair styled in a sweep from his forehead. Downright lickable, really. Brannigan’s fingers twitched with the urge to strip that suit right back off of him. Brannigan had a compliment lurking in his mouth, but he couldn’t voice it because, at the sight of him standing like this, it hit him that he’d seen this very image before. “Holy shit.”

  Looking down at himself, Kyou seemed bewildered by this reaction. “What? I’m wearing pants!”

  “Holy shit,” Brannigan breathed, the memory flying through his mind. “The date you crashed. You were literally sitting four tables from me.”

  Kyou startled, staring back at him with wide eyes. “You noticed me?”

  “A hot man sitting nearby looking like a damn model without a date at the table? You bet I noticed you. I kept wishing I was on the date with you instead of what’s-her-face. And it was you the entire time. Damn. I really should have just gotten up and gone to your table.�
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  “I would have had heart failure if you’d done that.” A smile lifted Kyou’s face. He seemed delighted that, even then, Brannigan had noticed him. “I thought I was being incognito.”

  “You are far too cute to ever pull off incognito.” Brannigan shook his head at the thought. “Now, come on. We’re going to be late.”

  Kyou went amiably enough, his hand in Brannigan’s as they left the apartment and rode the elevator down. But there was a frown on his face and he kept checking his phone.

  Knowing the signs, Brannigan sighed. “Out with it. What’s wrong?”

  Sighing, Kyou shoved his phone back into his pocket even as the elevator dinged. “Tricksy texted me about a half hour ago. She’d heard something, and it may be our not-so-friendly stalker. It might not. We’re still pinning that down, but it spells trouble either way.”

  “On a scale of one to ten, how troublesome is this going to be?”

  “Maybe a six? Let me back up and tell you the story from the beginning. I don’t think you know how Carter joined us.”

  Brannigan shook his head. He hadn’t heard this story yet; he just knew Carter was the one who’d instigated them forming an official team. He led them out of the small elevator room in the parking garage, heading for his own car parked near the front entrance.

  “Right, so about two years or so ago, Carter was approached by a broker to reclaim a stolen painting. A Monet, to be precise. It was illegally housed in a very, very secure vault, and the museum it belonged to wanted it back. Carter took the job but knew very well he didn’t have the necessary skillset. He’d heard, though, that two men had gotten into this vault before—Ari and Ivan. Ivan he couldn’t track down, but he managed to find Ari and pitched the job to him. Ari pulled us in, as it took all three of us to do that particular job.” A reminiscent smile softened Kyou’s face. “The job was a freaking pain from start to finish, but that’s when Ari and Carter fell for each other. Anyway, the broker who initially contacted Carter was not a good one. We’d had a run-in with him before, and the man was basically a scam artist. Mid-job, we belatedly realized that it was the same guy.”