Page 51 of Hiding Hollywood

“I did. Great discount, but I couldn’t let Brian know what I did for a living.”

He caught her hand as it began to fiddle with his top button. A completely subconscious move. He looked too delicious. She had to try.

She smiled. “Since your mom gave me free access to use the computer in the family room, I’ve been able to do these camera searches.”

“But you can’t do your other job. Why? What do you do?”

Why was it so hard to tell him the truth?

“I work for this group. We get assigned various types of jobs.”

“So does a pizza deliverer.”

She cocked her hip out to the side and tilted her head. “Funny.”

“You’re the one giving unnecessarily vague answers.”

“I don’t want to involve you more than I need to.” His lips pressed together with annoyance, but he motioned for her to continue. “I receive a job. The work is either for a government, maybe the United States, maybe not, or a private citizen. The payouts are quite large, so not many private citizens are capable of hiring our group.” She crossed her arms. Time to rip off the bandage. “We hack into computer systems and expose criminals. I gather the data and provide it to my boss. Sometimes we’re operating in real time, leading to an arrest as we’re in the system and sending in the information.” She remembered her last banking job. “There have been times when we’re attacked back, either through the computer, or they try to find us, and we’re the ones scrambling from being caught.”

His face hardened. “Why would a government use you and not their own IT people? Or even law enforcement?”

“We’re the best.” She ran a hand over his arm, enjoying the connection now that she had one and the freedom to touch him. She still wanted time to see his tattoo again.

“Government jobs don’t pay as much as our skill set is worth.”

“How much worth are you talking about?” He asked with so much testiness in his voice, Addie dropped her hand from his arm.

“If I ever get to finish the one assigned to me now it’s two hundred thousand.”

His eyes closed. “You get paid two hundred thousand dollars to hack into computer systems, and you’re saying it’s not illegal.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t illegal. I don’t obtain information for my own personal gain. I trust my organization. Plus, the price varies with the risk we take and the complexity of the job. This job is straightforward but risky. And it’s even harder because I’ve limited what I’ve done on your mom’s computer. I don’t want to get her involved in case my precautions fail. Besides, since I’ve started helping you with this case, my mind hasn’t been focused enough to figure out another way. I really need to go buy a new laptop and get to a different internet connection, not in your parent’s house, not at the library, but something secure. But I don’t have any money.”

Cameron blew out a breath. What was he thinking? Impossible to tell with darkness settling around them. Risking him pulling away, she moved close enough to slip her arms around his waist. She rose on her toes and kissed him. Like before, he broke it off with a jerk of his head.

“Right now, we need to get back and eat dinner. Mom won’t start without you there.” The emotionless tone in his voice hurt more than a slap in the face. “Give me my mom’s keys and climb in the truck. I’ll come back later to get her car. I think you’re up to four tickets now.”

“Four? I’ve only driven three times.”

He pointed at the car. “You parked in front of a fire hydrant. I need to move it before we leave.”

“Cameron…”

He held out his hand. “Keys.”

Great. She’d finally confided in someone and look where it’d gotten her. Back to Mr. Rules and Regulations.

She slapped the keys into the palm of his hand. It didn’t matter what he thought about her job. She’d go right on doing it after her court date. She’d probably move back home with Trevor, away from Hollywood and that lifestyle. She’d be free to work any time of day in the northern coast of California, hide away like a hermit and live off her earnings without fear of someone questioning her.

He held open her door, and she somehow tried to imagine how to slam it in his face. But since she would end up slamming it in her own face, she settled for crossing her arms and staring straight ahead.

He slid into the driver’s seat. “Buckle up, Addie.”

“Ugh! You’re such a jerk.”

He didn’t even flinch from the insult. “Because I follow the law?”

“Because you can’t see beyond your badge. Do you act this narrow-minded because of what happened with Jennifer or was it something you were born with?”

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