Page 23 of Misunderstood Hacker

“What did that treadmill ever do to you?”

Not wanting to talk, I continued my run, hoping it would make the heartache go away. Not taking the hint, Mia climbed onto the treadmill next to me.

“She’ll get over it.”

How did Mia know what was going on? “Did you talk to her?”

She shook her head. “No. You look like someone stole your favorite toy. From what you said earlier, Jessica just found out you were keeping things from her. I put two and two together.”

I slowed the treadmill down. “She left me and wants nothing to do with me.”

Mia let out a bark. “Boy, men are stupid. You pissed her off. Give her some time.”

“She went home with Neal,” I grumbled. Logically, I knew he wouldn’t hit on her. Emotionally, I was jealous. I didn’t understand why she wasn’t mad at him or why the fuck he hadn’t called to tell me what was going on.

Mia was about to speak when my phone rang. I looked down and saw Neal’s name flash across the screen. I couldn’t swipe the screen quick enough. I answered the phone and shut down the treadmill.

“What that fuck is going on, Neal?”

Neal grumbled something about military men being hotheads before answering. “Calm down. Jessica is fine. We’ll be at the meeting tomorrow.”

“Why is she so upset with me? You withheld information from her too.”

There was a long pause before Neal answered me. “She received some photos at work today. Jessica didn’t want you to see them. She thinks you would look at her differently.”

My stomach dropped. I hoped it was the photos I thought they were. “What photos, Neal?”

“You already know. There was also a note inside she hadn’t seen until we got home. It says he’s coming for her soon.”

“Fuck. I’m on my way.” There was no way I would let Jessica out of my sight for even one night until we made sure this fucker was dead. Last I talked to Sam, Axmed was still in prison.

“She’s already asleep. I will bring her over tomorrow.”

“No.” Not waiting to hear his opinion, I hung up and headed toward my office. I grabbed my go bag and the work I needed to do. I sent a text to the team letting them know to be at Neal’s house in the morning.

Jessica was sound asleep in the guest room when I got to Neal’s. She looked so peaceful. I would do anything to keep her that way.

I hacked into Ross Enterprises to look at the video footage. CJ would call me in the morning to give me hell about hacking in, but I didn’t want to ask for access. I pulled up the footage monitoring the desk of Jessica’s administrative assistant, Joana. She was opening mail. I could tell when she got to the photos of Jessica because her face went pale. I rewound the video feed, looking to follow the package.

The person who put it on her desk hid their face from the camera and wore gloves. That ruled out fingerprints, but we had one clue to work with. It was a woman, though someone could have hired her to deliver the photos. She looked familiar from behind, but I couldn’t place her.

Blood-curdling screams brought me out of my concentration. I rushed to Jessica’s side. She was thrashing on the bed.

I gently put my hands on her shoulders to shake her. Her skin was clammy and cold. “Jessica, sweetheart, wake up.”

Her pretty gray eyes opened and shut a few times before focusing on me. “Brock?”

I brushed her blond hair from her face. “Yes, sweetheart.”

“You came, even though I was a bitch.”

“I will always come when you need me. You want to talk about what just happened?”

“Can you lie down with me?”

I stripped to my boxers and climbed into bed behind her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest. It felt like home. I could feel her body relax when I pulled her into me. “Are you ready to talk about it?”

Jessica was quiet for a while. I assumed she didn’t want to talk about the nightmare.

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