Page 30 of Hacker Revelation

The one man I counted on as I grew up was coming after me and everyone that meant something to me. He’d never given me a chance to live a happy life. The instant I started to see what happiness was, Juan ripped it from my grasp.

Who would he go after next? Antonio or Ant? Nausea rolled through me again at the thought of someone hurting my baby. A sob caught in my throat. What if Juan went after more than my close friends and family? Daisy and Neal could be in danger just for being near me. The women at the shelter might be on his radar. Was anyone near me safe? Sophie was already gone. I couldn’t lose anyone else.

The only way to stop Juan was to turn myself over to him. I couldn’t stand for anyone else to be hurt because of me. I was never meant to have the “happily ever after” I’ve seen on TV or read about in books.

At least Ant would be happy with Antonio. They would miss me for a while before they both moved on.

With the decision made, a calm settled over me. I had already lost my sister. I couldn’t lose anyone else. Hopefully, Juan would be happy with me and leave my remaining family alone. I turned toward the exit. It was time to confront my uncle.

“Kat?” Antonio’s voice rang out. But I didn’t stop. He wouldn’t have understood what I needed to do.

A shiver went down my spine as I thought about what Juan might do to me. I planned to contact all his known associates, letting him know I was ready to come in. Would he take me out with one bullet, or would he make me go back to work for him? If it kept Antonio and Ant safe, I would do anything. I had experienced true happiness for the past two months with Antonio. Maybe that was all I could have.

“Katherine!”

I turned and headed for the car. The mass of bodies caused my anxiety to spike. I took a deep breath to stay calm. I needed to stay calm. The parking lot was in sight. Antonio kept speaking to me from behind. When I made it to the car, I would head north and talk with anyone I could find in New York. Someone had to know where Juan was.

“Kat, you need to stop.” Antonio wrapped his muscular arms around my waist, stopping my progress to the car.

“Let me go!” I screamed and kicked back.

The only thing I cared about was keeping Antonio and Ant safe. I needed to stop Juan, and I was the only one that could do it. He wanted me.

“I can’t.” Antonio swung me over his shoulder. “You’re my everything, and I won't let you sacrifice yourself.”

I couldn’t hold back the sob. “He wants me. Let me save everyone else from getting hurt. You have to let me go.”

“You are not going to sacrifice yourself, damn it.” Antonio ignored my protest. He walked toward the door and looked back at Neal. “Find Asher and CJ and have them meet me in my father’s study. I want you and Daisy in there too.”

No matter how much I wiggled and moved, I couldn’t break free from Antonio’s hold. “You have to let me go, Antonio. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you or Ant. What happens if he goes after our friends or Asher? Do you want to lose your brother?”

“Nobody’s going to take Asher or me out. You need to trust me.” Antonio continued in the direction of the office in the Ross mansion.

“It’s too late. He already got my sister. How can you just stand here and do nothing? He killed my sister, my last living family member. Don’t you understand why I need to do this?”

Antonio walked into his father’s office and set me down on the brown leather sofa. When I went to say something, he put a finger over his mouth, motioning for me to stop talking. “Stay put.” He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I will explain everything soon.”

He pulled a device out of his father's desk that looked like a walkie-talkie and switched the device on. He didn’t look my way. Instead, he walked around the office, waving the device over every square inch.

When he waved it over his father’s desk, it made a loud beep noise. Antonio flipped the laptop over and unscrewed the bottom panel. From underneath the panel, he pulled out a device the size of a dime and stomped on it.

His father’s office was bugged. Juan had been in here.

Antonio made a couple more passes through the office. He looked like he was ready to tear someone apart.

Antonio joined me on the couch and pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry. I need you to forgive me.”

“You couldn’t stop Juan. Why are you sorry?” Tears started to run down my face. The shock from earlier was dying down, and my emotions were going all over the place.

“You need to forgive me, Kitty Kat. He was watching. Zane and I needed your emotions to be believable. I didn’t want to do it this way, But Zane and I needed to make a quick decision.”

Why did he say “believable”? Did that mean Sophie was okay?

“I need you to spell this out for me, Antonio.”

“I had to lie to you. Juan was on the other side of the fence, watching. Asher and CJ went after him.”

“Lie? Sophie didn’t get into an accident?”

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