Hacker Enclosed: A Bodyguard Billionaire Romance (White Hat Security Book 8)

by Linzi Baxter

  “See you Sunday,” Lena said before ending the call.

  The phone clicked.

  I sat down in the chair in the guest room and dug through the company’s inbox. Lena and Cruz weren’t much into the contract side of the business. I would pick through the cases that came in and see what they wanted. All the fraud cases where the research needed to be done online, I took care of.

  The first case was a wife convinced her husband was cheating. No sign of abuse, so I wrote her back saying we couldn’t take the case. The next three emails were all the same, and I politely declined each. I didn’t want to be rude just in case we needed to open up that part of our business again.

  A few emails down, a real estate company thought someone had hacked their network and was listening to their calls and reading their emails. That would be a case I could take. I had programs I could run on the network to see if someone cloned any files or if any of the usernames were being used after hours. I’d seen a few internal employees stealing info from their own companies in the past.

  I pulled our contract from the server and sent the company our pricing. Once they got the info back, I would start. If someone had hacked the company, the sooner I found the leak, the better.

  One last email was about Stark Night. I didn’t recognize the name, but the subject referenced Stark Night. My eyes quickly scanned over the email. Someone didn’t like me poking around, looking to find out who the owners were. It was a payoff. A large payoff. Whoever owned the company wanted to give me a hundred thousand dollars to stop digging. That only meant we were closer, but it also meant we’d pissed someone off.

  I forwarded the email to Cruz and Lena. They would need to see it so they made sure to be careful. Someone who offered that much money would also be willing to kill.

  “Addie?” Abe’s voice came from the living room.

  “In here,” I shouted, my eyes still trained on the email. I opened it to look at the header. The IP would probably be a dead end, but I planned to trace it.

  “Hey, are you…” Abe cleared his throat. “Is that what you plan to wear? Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re hot, but I will spend the night fighting men off.”

  “Fuck.” I sat my laptop to the side and tried to cover myself with my hands. “I got working and completely forgot I didn’t put clothes on.”

  Abe’s eyes traced up and down my body. “I don’t mind at all. Is this how you normally work?”

  “Out.” I grabbed my dress off the hanger. “I will be ready in a few.”

  “I’m going to go take a cold shower.” Abe chuckled as he walked down the hall.

  ABE

  “T here’s no turning back once you walk out there,” Antonio said, handing John a beer. “Next thing you know, you will be helping your wife hide the bodies.”

  The room of men burst out laughing. In Antonio’s case, that was true. His wife had been a top assassin for the CIA for years. She didn’t like seeing women abused, and she ran a women’s shelter. Every so often, Antonio would come home to find his wife feeding the bodies to gators. When she was nine months pregnant with her twins, he’d come home to her trying to get rid of a body. What was even worse was she was in labor. Asher, Antonio’s brother, had stolen the video feed and shown everyone at work.

  John rolled his eyes and flipped Antonio off. “I’m pretty sure Anna isn’t going to kill anyone. Especially after what she went through with her friend Nate.”

  Before Annabella met John, she’d been planning to marry Nate, her longtime friend. They weren’t in a real relationship; everything was for show—until she came home and the cops accused her of killing him. Then he actually went on the run from some mob bosses. John had worked to clear her name, and Annabella still hadn’t forgiven her friend.

  “I saw Nate and his husband out in the seating area. I’m surprised she invited him.”

  “We talked about it, and she didn’t want to regret him not being here. They still aren’t on the best terms.” John took a swig of his beer. “How’s my sister doing?”

  I shifted my feet. The image of Addie sitting in her white lace bra and underwear flashed through my mind. I couldn’t wait to strip her out of her dress later.

  “She’s up in the balcony. There’re a lot of people here.” I couldn’t help but glare at my friend for putting his sister through this. I knew it wasn’t all his fault—Addie wasn’t telling John how bad her phobia really was. “I’m not sure she will get back on that plane tomorrow. I was going to talk to you and Antonio tomorrow about driving her back instead of flying.”

  “We don’t head out for another mission until the end of the month. I’m okay with you taking the week off. You haven’t taken any time off since you started with us,” Antonio said.

  My boss was right. I had hundreds of vacation hours racked up. It wasn’t like I planned to ever use them. After missions, Antonio and Asher gave us time off, so that was when I took my vacations.

  John eyed me for a second. “I would really appreciate that. Annabella and I fly out first thing in the morning.”

  They were heading to Italy for a few weeks and then back to California, where they usually lived full time.

  Mia walked into the groom's room, dressed in a black pantsuit. “Are you guys almost ready?”

  John and Annabella weren’t conforming to the usual wedding standards. Mia was standing with Matt, Brock, and Me. On Annabella's side, it was Daisy, Jessica, Sophie, and Kat. I knew John wanted Addie to stand up too, but he hadn’t asked.

  Brock walked over and put his arm around John. “Today is about you and Annabella. Don’t worry about anything that doesn’t go one hundred percent to plan. Think of it like a mission—we’re always thrown a curveball, but make it out alive.”

  John went a little pale. “Not sure that was the best advice, boss. There will be no kidnapping, gunshots, or explosions at my wedding.”

  Matt glanced up from his phone. “I’m not so sure about that. There is a sexy sub sitting on the bride's side, and I plan to kidnap her later when we head to the club.”

  “See, what did I tell you? Just like a mission, and Matt has a plan already worked out.”

  “You guys are insane,” John joked.

  My mind wandered back to when I brought Addie to the apartment after the rehearsal dinner. She’d fallen asleep on the way home and I carried her up to bed. I watched her sleep, she looked so peaceful. When she was at the rehearsal dinner, her body was wound so tight I worried she would have an attack at any time.

  The door to the groom’s room opened taking me out of my thoughts. Antonio’s brother, Alex, walked into the room. He was holding his youngest baby, Alexia, on one arm, and his son, Alonzo, was holding on to his pant leg. All my friends were having babies, one right after the other. The Ross family seemed to be spitting out twins as fast as they could have them.

  “Where’s Ant?” John asked.

  Antonio smiled. “He wanted to stay with the women and make sure they got ready in time. He’s also watching over the twins.”

  Ant, Antonio’s oldest, was already a charmer.

  The door opened again, and CJ and Asher walked in, both in perfectly pressed suits. Asher was the second part of AA Security, and CJ was his partner, but Asher had a frown on his face. “Abe, can I steal you for a second?”

  My mind ran through a list of the current missions we had going on. I nodded and followed him out of the room. He led me to the back stairs. Before my foot hit the first stair, I knew something was wrong with Addie. “Is she okay?”

  Asher let out a sigh. “I tried to sit with her to see if it would help, and I think I made it worse. CJ is going to talk to John. If John needs three people to stand up, Antonio can, or I can stand. I know it won’t be the same, but I think John would rather have his sister at least see the wedding.”

  When I stepped onto the top stair, I heard the whimper, and Asher gave me a sad smile. “I got it.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the wedding rings. “Here,
John might need these.”

  Asher grabbed the two boxes from my hand. “I’ll make sure he gets them.”

  Addie was curled up in the corner of the room with her arms wrapped around her legs. The closer I got, I could hear her talking to herself. “Addie?”

  She didn’t look up or acknowledge I was there. I sat on the ground next to her and pulled her into my arms. A wayward tear fell down her rosy cheek.

  I knew she wanted to watch the wedding. I gripped her chin and gazed into her eyes. “Addie, I won’t let anything happen, but I need you to talk to me.”

  She nodded. “I wrecked my brother’s wedding, didn’t I?”

  “Nope, the wedding hasn’t started yet. Do you want to join me on the chair over there so we can watch it, or do you want to tell me what set the panic attack off?”

  Her pretty blue eyes had tears in them. “I heard a loud bang and panicked. It almost sounded like gunfire.”

  I’d never stopped and listened too hard to the surrounding things. I did pay attention to people and watched for things out of the ordinary. Being in the military for years and spending time outside of the military with guns. I could almost pinpoint the weapon used by the sound of the shot, and I hadn’t heard anything earlier. “Even if there was a gunshot, this would be one of the safest places for you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you have a building full of military-trained men all carrying.”

  Her eyes widened. “You have a gun on you?” She lowered her voice. “We’re at a wedding.”

  “Yes, I always carry, and so do all the men and women I work with. I would put money on Mia carrying at least two guns, and if Antonio didn’t frisk Kat, I bet she hid one under her dress.”

  The deadly assassin didn’t need a gun most of the time. She’d killed someone with a garden gnome.

  The organist played a soft melody, and I knew that was the cue for John and the groomsmen to walk out. “Come sit with me on the chair, and we can watch your brother tie the knot.”

  Addie stood from my lap, and I walked with her to the set of chairs and sat. Before she had time to take the seat next to me, I pulled her into my lap. She tried to move at first, but I pulled her in tighter.

  Brock stood next to John in my spot. It didn’t bother me that I couldn’t stand next to my longtime friend, because I knew helping Addie would be what John wanted more than anything. John walked down the aisle, followed by Ant pulling two wagons full of babies. The guests awed at the little babies, and Ant smiled like he was in charge.

  John’s eye looked through the guests until he saw Addie and me together. He smiled and winked.

  “See? He’s happy you’re watching.”

  She let out a sigh. “But you should be next to him.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  The wedding march played, and everyone rose. Annabella walked down the aisle in a white dress and carried a bouquet of pink roses. I stopped watching the bride and trained my eyes on my best friend. John showed nothing but love for his future wife. When she turned, I caught a sparkle of her diamond necklace. Only half of the people in the church would know what her jewelry really was. A few months back, John had presented Annabella the necklace at the club.

  Addie stayed on my lap for the entire wedding. When it came to the vows, she cried and laughed. The ceremony was only twenty minutes, and when the pastor introduced them as husband and wife, everyone clapped. John dipped Annabella and kissed her.

  Everyone started to get up once the bride and groom left the altar. Addie stiffened under my arms, knowing she would have to face the crowds again soon. I’d already set a few things up at the reception. There was a back door to the reception hall. I had them put a table near the exit so it would make it easier for Addie to come and go, and if the crowds were too much, we could sneak out the back door.

  “I guess I should get off your lap,” Addie grumbled. “I’m becoming too reliant on you.”

  “We don’t need to leave yet.” I tightened one arm around her waist and trailed my other hand up her thigh.

  She batted my hand away. “You can’t do that. We’re inside a church.”

  “Most of the thoughts I have about you aren’t appropriate for church.” I lifted her off my lap. “Let’s head over to the reception for a little while. We don’t have to stay the whole time.”

  ADDIE

  I couldn’t help but smile. My brother twirled Annabella around on the dance floor. Abe was the only reason I didn’t run out of the church, although the panic attack didn’t make it easy to leave. When we first arrived at the church, he’d walked me up to the balcony and told me to watch from above. He made sure his number was in my phone before heading downstairs.

  When the attack hit, my finger hovered over his number, but instead of calling, I tried all the techniques I’d learned over the years. Pills dulled the world around me, and I didn’t want that feeling at my brother’s wedding. I hadn’t taken a Xanax that morning either, and I knew that was one reason my anxiety was running higher.

  Abe waited until the church was empty before walking me out to his truck. The reception was only a few blocks from the church. Instead of leading me toward the front door, he knocked on a side door, and a waiter opened it for us. We hadn’t needed to walk through the main area to get to the ballroom. He rested his hand on my back and walked us to our table.

  The table Abe sat us at was in a back corner behind some massive pillars. Annabella and John had spared no expense on the celebration. Pink roses lined the pillars, and white crystal hung from the ceiling. Their names were engraved on the dance floor.

  Annabella was so sweet and down-to-earth. It was hard to remember how rich and famous she was. The first time I saw my brother on the front page of TMZ, I’d about choked. He didn’t look too happy when the photographer shot them leaving a restaurant in California. Everyone wanted to know when the big day was. It would come out in the papers soon. Nothing this big would be kept quiet, but I hadn’t seen any paparazzi when we came to the Ritz Carlton.

  I would send my brother texts when he graced the celebrity columns, and he would grumble back. He didn’t like how they followed Annabella, John worried about her safety.

  Across the room, I spotted Jessica heading out the front. I figured she was going to the restrooms, and I had to go. Abe had gone to the bar to get us a drink, and he would worry if I wasn’t at my seat when he got back. I sent him a quick text letting him know where I was going. Three bubbles appeared, followed by his text.

  Abe: I’ll go with you.

  Addie: I can go to the bathroom alone. I promise.

  I placed my phone in the pink purse Annabella bought me. My dress, shoes, and purse had been in a box waiting for me that morning. I didn’t even want to know the price of the outfit or the shoes. I’d never owned a pair of Prada high heels, and I loved them.

  Most people were over on the other side of the room. I was looking to the right when the man came up and grabbed my arm. He had a camera around his neck.

  “You Addie Walters, John Walters’s sister?”

  I twisted my arm out of his hands and stepped back. Another man walked up and stood next to the one who’d touched me.

  “I read his sister never leaves the house. This has to be someone else.” His comment didn’t stop him from taking a photo, and the flash blinded me for a second.

  Embarrassment flashed through my system, knowing that the media already knew I had issues. That wasn’t something I went around telling people, and it meant they’d looked into John’s side of the family. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out I never left the house. But the world knowing my issues sent my mind in a million directions.

  “Maybe your source got it wrong, and she’s deaf,” the man taking photos laughed.

  I turned to run, and my heel slipped on the marble floor. My hands reached out, trying to grab anything on my way down. The two men didn’t help me, instead, camera flashes went off behind me. My dress was short, and I co
uld only imagine my ass would be across TMZ. The headline would read “Annabella and John tie the knot. Sister had way too much to drink.”

  Tears filled my eyes as my knee and wrist hit the hard floor. I sat on my ass for a second, catching my breath. The paparazzi didn’t help me up. Instead, they continued taking photos.

  “Oh my god, Addie.” Jessica rushed over to me and held out her hand. When I was standing, Jessica had her ear to her phone and was talking in a hushed tone.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brock running across the open area, and Jessica tugging me toward the bathroom. I had forgotten I had to go for a second. Not wanting to have any more embarrassing photos taken of me, I followed Jessica down the hall to the bathroom. She pulled open the door, shoved me in, and locked it.

  “Are you okay?” Jessica stood in her pink bridesmaid dress, looking at me from head to toe.

  My ego was more than bruised. “Pictures of my ass are going to be on the internet.”

  With my back against the wall, I slid until my ass touched the ground. I never left my house, but after one weekend out of the house, and my ass might be put across TMZ.

  Jessica pressed her lips together. “It could be worse.”

  “How?” I barked out. Jessica was trying to be polite, but the paparazzi had pictures of me, not her.

  Jessica came over and leaned against the wall. “You could’ve not worn any underwear. Almost ten percent of people don’t wear underwear.”

  Leave it to Jessica to have that dumb stat. I still couldn’t believe I wasn’t completely having an attack. When the guys were taking photos, I was more stunned than anything.

  Jessica handed me a paper towel, and I pressed it to my knee. It wasn’t bleeding too badly, but it was throbbing. “Thanks for the info. Now I’m going to wonder if every person I talk to has underwear on.”

  Jessica shrugged. “I would offer to hand you a soapy paper towel, but studies show the soap dispensers have so much fecal matter on them. It’s almost cleaner to wash your hands in the toilet. Not too long ago, there was a petition going around to have the refillable dispensers removed from bathrooms.”