Page 34 of Hacker Revelation

“Beer.”

When I joined Antonio back at the table, he pulled me onto his lap. A wave of need hit my body when I felt Antonio’s hard member press against my back. Antonio wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in closer. Just having his arms wrapped around me made the world fade away.

Antonio grabbed the cold beer I set on the table and took a long swig. I could feel the tension in Antonio’s body. He needed to tell me something, but he didn’t want to.

A million bad things raced through my mind. Had Sophie been kidnapped or killed? Had Greg come after Lily again and actually got her? The longer the silence went on, the more I worried.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong? The longer you're quiet, the more things I dream up.”

He stiffened, took another swig of beer, then continued. “It’s good and bad.”

“Let’s go to the living room and talk about this.” Sitting on his lap in the dining room was not the most comfortable place to be having a conversation about anything bad. Antonio followed me into the living room.

Before I could sit down on the plush gray couch, Antonio pulled me onto his lap again. “Alex found Lily a job.”

That was amazing. With everything Lily had been through, she deserved to find a job. “God, that’s so amazing. I can’t wait to celebrate with her.”

Antonio’s arms tightened around me. “Kitty…”

“Okay, tell me the bad news.”

He huffed out a breath. “Alex looked for someone with good security. We wanted her to be safe wherever she went.”

I waited for the shoe to drop.

After a pause, Antonio shook his head. “Have you heard of Jacob Black?”

Jacob Black owned Space Rock, one of the leaders in space exploration. He didn’t just do businesses that dealt with space, though. He was one of the top innovators for clean energy. He was in the process of developing solar shingles that would power a house, which would no longer need regular electrical service. I nodded, letting Antonio continue.

He paused, and his voice came out strained. “I know you’ve become good friends with Lily, but I think this is a great opportunity for her. We can’t let our feelings stand in the way.”

“I’m confused, Antonio. Why do you think I would be upset about this?”

“Kitty Kat, Mr. Black runs his company out of Dallas. She will have to leave tomorrow, and you won’t get to say goodbye. Greg is still out there, and we don’t know when you can talk to her again.”

I hadn’t thought about that. Tears burned my eyes. Lily was the first true friend I’d found on my own. I wouldn’t get to say goodbye, and I didn’t know when I could see her again.

“Do you think Alex can find her something else?” I was being selfish. If I were her true friend, I would be happy for her.

Antonio let out a sigh and tightened his arms around me. I was already pressed tightly against his powerful chest. We sat there in silence.

“You know she needs to take this. Lily will be working directly with Mr. Black, and he promised to have at least two bodyguards on her and one on Tommy. Deep down, you know this is best for her even though it hurts you. I will keep looking for Greg, and once he is back behind bars or in one of your alligators’ stomachs, you can jump on a plane and go see her.”

I let out a huff. “You moved my alligators.”

Antonio let out a chuckle. “When I know you’ve stopped killing people for sure, I will take you to visit them.”

That put a smile on my face. I had grown to like my green monsters in the backyard.

I needed to think about what was best for my friend and not what I wanted. After being apart from people for so long, I wanted to collect them and keep them close, even though that made me sound like a serial killer. “Thank you,” I said softly. It was a loaded thank you.

Antonio understood. He kissed the top of my head, and we sat in silence for couple of minutes. I leaned my head back and enjoyed his arms wrapped around my body.

Antonio grabbed his beer from the end table and took the last swig. “Where’s my mini clone?”

“Your mom came by earlier and picked him up for the weekend.”

“We have the house to ourselves all weekend?” The growl in Antonio’s voice gave me tingles. “I can have my wicked way with my wife all weekend?”

---