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“Nothing that can’t be handled via video call.” In today’s world, that was a given. “You need to start taking these threats seriously, Mr. Clayton. If I could get to you, so can a trained hitman—and from what I’ve heard, there are plenty eager to take the job. The price on your head is high.”

He cleared his throat. “I see you’ve thought this through.”

She grinned. “Pretty much. Look, I know it’s not ideal. Trust me, I wasn’t a fan of this plan either, but it’s a good one. With your house surrounded and someone on the inside with you at all times, even when you’re asleep, no one will be able to get to you. You’ll have round-the-clock protection.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Just so we’re clear, we are not sleeping in the same room. The house is big enough for you to have your own, right next to mine.”

“If that’s the way you prefer it, sir.” She didn’t meet his gaze. Hawk, one of the other operatives at Blackthorn Security, had told her how a target had been kidnapped from under his nose in the same hotel just last year. But she got his need for privacy. She didn’t relish the idea of sleeping in the same room as this arrogant, bad boy billionaire either.

He sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m consenting, but only because this is so important. My new update will change the face of cryptocurrency forever. It’s essential it gets released. Even if something happens to me, the changes must be implemented. If you can guarantee me that, then I’ll take you on.”

She hesitated. If something happened to him, it would mean she had failed, but she didn’t want to think about that. “I’m not sure I can make that promise. No one on our team is qualified to do that.” She sure as hell wouldn’t know where to begin and she doubted anyone else in the unit would.

“You don’t need to know how to implement it,” Clayton reassured her. “It’s a piece of code that makes changes to the cryptocurrency’s default wallet where the privacy features are stored. You must locate the code and give it to James Holloway, the head of my development team. He’ll see that it’s implemented. I haven’t told him where it is for his own protection. It’s bad enough having a hit out on me, I don’t want to lose my head developer or any members of my team too.”

“Excuse me for asking.” Thorn tilted her head to the side. “Why don’t you just implement this upgrade now and get it out of the way? Wouldn’t that mitigate the threat against you?”

He gave a stiff nod. “It would, yeah, but the U.S. Government is pulling the strings here. They’ve asked me to wait until the global Crypto and Blockchain Summit in Miami. Something to do with setting up a sting operation. I agreed because it is perfect timing. The annual summit is where all new crypto updates are released. Global tech firms from all over the world will be there, reporters will be ready to pounce, shareholders will be poised to act, consumers will be waiting to buy. It’s where it all happens.”

“Miami?”

“Yeah. It’s somewhere different every year. This year it’s Florida’s turn.”

Thorn ground her jaw. Miami added another variable, which meant more potential for things to go wrong. But it wasn’t her call. There were forces bigger than her at play here.

“I’ll agree to your terms, if you tell me where the code is hidden. I can’t pass it on to your head developer if I don’t know where it is.”

As Clayton had said, only he knew where the update was hidden. Not even those in his inner circle were privy to the code that would peel back the layers of secrecy surrounding the cryptocurrency transactions so that users were less protected. That’s what made him such a hot target.

Get rid of Clayton, get rid of the upgrade. Problem solved.

Once the fix had been implemented and the open-source code was available for the world to see, no crypto network would ever be the same again. For many players that meant Game Over.

CHAPTER 3

“Smile,” Damian muttered, as the limo driver—a former Navy SEAL—approached the gates of his sprawling estate on the outskirts of San Francisco. He scowled at the swarm of reporters who’d gathered outside the property, buzzing with excitement over the news of his surprise nuptials.

“It’s not every day one of San Francisco’s most eligible bachelors gets married,” Thorn said, glancing across at him. He wasn’t sure if she was mocking him or not. It was hard to tell with her, there was always this edge of hostility to her voice. Either way, it didn’t make him feel any better.

He hated the term “eligible bachelor.” Bachelor he could handle, but eligible made him feel like an item of clothing being inspected and tried on by an enthusiastic shopper. Besides, he still wasn’t convinced all this was really necessary. It felt like overkill—although, when he thought about the men whose entire criminal enterprises were at risk due to his software update, he suppressed a shiver. Maybe it was.

The fake wedding ceremony, otherwise known as the official briefing, had been held at a downtown hotel, after which a carefully worded press release had been sent out over the wires. He had to hand it to Blackthorn Security, they were a slick organization.

The internet had exploded with rumors, conjecture and wild guesses as to who crypto billionaire Damian Clayton’s mystery bride was. The radio stations had picked up the story, whipping up a frenzy of curiosity. Poor Christine was mentioned as a possible candidate, but she would know by now that it wasn’t her.

He regretted hurting her, but he’d tried to warn her, to let her down easy. It was for her own good, too. Once he took her out of the picture, anyone targeting him would know she wasn’t the way to get to him.

The conversation hadn’t gone well.

“I’ll be working from home for the next two weeks, until the conference.”

“Really?” She’d actually lit up at the prospect. “Should I come over to your place and work from there?”

“No. That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Oh? Why not?” The disappointment etched in her face was enough to make him cringe. How would she feel she found out he was getting married—just not to her?

To be fair, they’d only had a casual fling a couple of months back, but he knew she hoped for more, and if he were totally honest with himself, he’d been keeping her hopes up just a little, for those nights when the loneliness set in, and he needed somebody to hold. To hold him. But that wasn’t fair on her. He didn’t have feelings for her, not like that. Sure, she was attractive, and they had a good time, but there was no spark. She didn’t make his blood pump, not like Rebecca had.

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