Page 3 of Hacker Revelation

“Oh.”

It wasn’t often that I shocked Kat out of a lecture. I reached across the center console, grabbed her hand, brought it up to my lips, and kissed it. She didn’t fight me at all.

“Kat, everyone on my team, including me, wears GPS trackers. Our team takes on dangerous cases, so Asher and I decided to make sure each team member was protected. Many of our significant others and the people we are protecting wear them as well. I don’t want to lose anyone, especially you and Ant, again. I knew you would protest, so I put the devices in your shoes. It took me a few days, since you have close to a hundred pairs. Are you still mad at me?”

“No, but I wish you would have let me know. Can we stop and pick up dinner? I’m not in the mood to cook.”

Asher had texted me when we were at the school. He and CJ were bringing dinner over along with the video CJ pulled from the area around the school. CJ was my brother Asher’s fiancé. About a year ago, Asher had told the family he was gay. CJ was a perfect partner for my brother.

“Asher’s bringing food. Do you want to call Sophie and see if she and Zane want to come over for dinner?”

Kat tried Sophie, but she didn’t answer. I wasn’t surprised. She and Zane had finally made up after a month of putting each other through hell.

When we got home, Asher and I spent the night analyzing the video. The video confirmed Ant’s story that Juan had been at the school. We used satellite surveillance to follow his car. He had pulled into a public parking lot. I asked my newest hire, Jacob, to go to the parking garage and report back what he found.

He later sent me a text saying Juan’s car was parked in theback of the garage and wiped down. Juan had escaped our grasp again, and we were back to square one.

2

Kat

For the last few weeks, I had been working on changing my life and had enjoyed every moment.

The biggest change was learning not to kill first and ask questions later. If Antonio ever found out about the alligator in our backyard to whom I’d fed a few bodies over the last few weeks, he would put me on house arrest.

Since my retirement from the CIA as their top assassin, I had volunteered at the Ross Women’s Outreach Center. The Ross Family Foundation ran the center and worked to eliminate domestic violence. It felt good to give back to society. It was also one of the hardest jobs I had ever experienced.

Each day, I saw women come in with black-and-blue eyes or cracked ribs. The women at the center dealt not only withphysical abuse but mental abuse as well. Some women had lived on the streets for years, waiting for a spot to open at the center.

Each of the volunteers helped in different areas of the center. I assistedthe women working on their GED. I also planned to run a self-defense class in the next few days.

Lily, one of the women I’d met, had been in and out of the center for the past two years. She still lived with her abusive husband. During the day, she came to the center to work on getting her GED. Each day, I discussed with her the options she had for leaving her abusive husband. Lily reminded me of a Victoria’s Secret model, but years of abuse had made sure she couldn’t see her own beauty or worth.

“How are you doing today, Lily?” When I wrapped my arms around her to give her a hug, I noticed she flinched as I touched her back.

I saw red. The need to find the man who hurt her was at the forefront of my mind. I wantedto demand answers and ask if she had called the police. But that wasn’t the best way to approach abused women.

Lily had gotten pregnant her last year of high school. When her parents found out, they kicked her out of their house. Her father was a minister, and her mother worked for the church. They said she had embarrassed her family’s name.

After her parents disowned her, she turned to her then-boyfriend and father of her child. She and her child had lived with him off and on for the past six years. When the beatings became too much, she would find shelter.

I’d been trying to get information about her husband or where they lived. If she didn’t give me the info soon. I was going to follow her home some night. Not in a creepy, serial-killer way, though. At least, not for her.

“I’m okay. I need to study for my GED. I'm taking the test tomorrow.”

Lily’s son, Tommy, was the reason she fought for a better life. “Mom’s going to pass the test. Then we’ll move away from Greg.”

A shadow came across Lily’s face. I needed to figure out a way to protect Lily and Tommy or eliminate Greg. Antonio kept telling me I couldn’t help everyone. But over the last two weeks, I’d become close to Lily. We had formed a bond instantly, and she was part of my family now. I would do anything to protect her and her son.

I took a seat at the round table and joined Lily and Tommy. “You’re right. Your mom will pass tomorrow. You know why your mom is going to pass?”

The little man climbed into his mother’s lap. Her wince of pain didn’t go unnoticed. “Duh. Everyone knows. My mommy is the smartest.”

“You’reso smart,” I told him. “I bet you will be a doctor when you grow up.”

“Nope. A policeman to protect my mommy from bad men.”

Those words broke my heart, and when I looked up, Lily’s eyes had a sheen to them. I thought Tommy might like to spend time with Antonio and Asher at AA Security. The little man would enjoy being told stories about the bad guys they had taken down. He would also get to spend time with good role models.

---