Page 30 of Royal Hacker

“I would come over and help you settle in tomorrow, but the media might have a heyday with me walking into Black Hat Security, with the claims of espionage and everything. I could send CJ or Sophie over to spend the day with you. Wait—I have a better idea. Alex, let Jessica work remotely for the next week, so she can be with Patty,” Bridget said, giving Alex a pointed look.

We all decided that Patty would go in with Neal, and when she was ready, Neal would head over to my office. I planned on picking Patty up earlier in the day. I didn’t know how I would get any work done when all I was going to do was worry about her.

Once we had the game plan set, everyone left. Patty looked exhausted. “What do you want me to order for lunch? I think we can have something delivered and then sit out on the patio to get fresh air.”

“I want this all to be over and my life back so we can move on with ours. I’m not hungry.” Patty shrugged.

We ended up spending the remainder of the evening sitting on the patio, watching the sun set over the ocean.

16

Patty

The week had flown by, and I was having a hard time concentrating on the code in front of me. All I could think about was my dad arriving the next day—and we still hadn’t found my stalker. Sam repeatedly told me to let my dad know I was in danger. But if I told Dad about the stalker, I would also have the royal guards watching my ass. I already had way too many babysitters.

The problem was Dad would definitely find out about the stalker on his own. He would go off on me for a few days about how irresponsible I was being and insist I return to Shialia with him. At least Sam would be there to back me up on the not-moving part.I hope.

The stalker had upped his email game to sending me one every day. We had everyone working to figure out who he was. I hadn’t told anyone, but I was scared out of my mind. When Sam stopped by the store to pick up supplies, I snuck in and bought a burner phone to stick in my theft-proof purse that wrapped around my waist, in case something went wrong.

Jessica was getting more freaked out also as each email got a little creepier than the one before. Sam tried locking me out of my account so I wouldn’t see what the creep sent me. I needed to know, though. Maybe I could figure something out. It was like a drug.

After opening the last email, I wished I’d listened to Sam. The stalker had gone to a new level.

From: B. Waterville

To: Patty Beckett

Subject: I can’t stop thinking about the old days.

My Dearest Patty,

Why do you keep going against my will? I asked you to stop seeing that abusive man you seem to have attached yourself to. I really didn’t want to expose you to the tabloids. But I thought if you saw how the world would see him, you would leave him.

You know we are meant to be together. My plan is coming together. It will only be a few more days, and we will be united forever.

Your one and only,

Waterville

Even though the tabloid story had died down a little, I was worried what my dad would say when he found out that my identity had been leaked to the world. I pulled up the news station on my computer to see if the police had somehow found the fucker. The only thing on the front cover was a story about a missing kid. There were no news updates, which brought back the feeling of dread.

Everyone was at Blackwood, working on my case, except John, who was stuck babysitting me for the day. Since my identity was out in the open, I’d been working at Black Hat Security for the past week. I’d pretty much taken over Neal’s office. The view from Neal’s office on the twenty-seventh floor overlooked downtown. I could see the ocean off in the distance to the east.

The security in the building was extremely high tech, and even though Neal had given Sam and his team access to the video feed, Sam had made me promise that morning that I would text him every hour. Once I finished sending the text, I tried to concentrate on the code in front of me again.

Neal wanted me to get more acquainted with working at Black Hat. So, I was running the show while he worked with Brock. Once again, the alpha Doms were making the decisions without my two cents.

When Neal’s desk phone rang, it startled me. “Hello?”

“How’s my pixie doing?”

I wanted to break down and say, “Come get me. I need you.” All the things going on were starting to be too much. Being cooped up was one of the things I hated the most. That was why I never wanted to live in Shialia.

Instead, I put on my big-girl panties. Well, figuratively, since Sam liked me to wear those things that have no material to them. It might have been more comfortable to wear no underwear than the thin piece of string he liked. “Fine. Working on some code and taking over Neal’s office. How are things going for you? You know I have skills that can help.” I wished they would let me be there. I was close to calling a cab and going to Sam’s office. I would need to ditch the bodyguard outside the office door, though.

“We have no new leads. You’re too close to the case, and I don’t want it getting you more upset. We have Neal here, helping us. I have some exciting news.”

With everything going on, I was ready for any information that wasn’t depressing. It seemed like only horrible news had been delivered lately. I felt like dyeing my hair black to match my mood. “What’s the good news?”

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