Page 25 of Hacker Christmas

A cold chill crossed my skin, and I looked around the lodge for what caused it. Something seemed off, but maybe it was the lack of hot chocolate in my hands. The waiter must haveread my mind because he walked over with a fresh cup, and I took several sips. I gripped it in my hands, and it helped to take the chill out of the air. But something felt wrong.

“Did you see something?” Annabella asked, concerned.

My gut told me something was off, but I didn’t know what. My nerves had been on edge since James had gone to jail, but the evil man was behind bars. I knew no one else who would be after me.

I’m overreacting.“I don’t know. Something just felt strange.” Sudden exhaustion overtook me. “I think I’m getting tired.”

Annabella opened then closed her mouth. “Maybe we should head back to the cabin. Neal and Aaron wouldn’t be upset if we headed back, especially if you’re tired. They would probably be mad if you stayed here while you were sleepy.”

“I think I’ll head to the bathroom, then we can go.” I had consumed four hot chocolates in the past hour, but the damn imported, expensive chocolate was so good. I didn’t even want to know what they cost. Aaron said everything went onto his card and not to worry.

Annabella stood to follow me to the bathroom, but I told her I was okay and I could go by myself. The bathroom was on the other side of the lodge. With each step I took, my eyes became more tired.Damn, maybe Annabella should’ve come with me.I wanted to lie down on the floor, curl up in a ball, and take a nap.

My eyelids felt as though someone had put weights on them. I strained to keep my eyes open as I reached the bathroom door. I pulled the door open and spotted a chair inside the room. I needed to sit for a second. My body wouldn’t go any farther. I sat in the chair then pulled out my phone to call Annabella and ask her to meet me in the bathroom.

Something wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have been so tired. It had seemed to hit me as I’d sipped the last hot chocolate. Once I had my phone out, I tried hard to read the contacts, but my eyes wouldn’t focus. The last thing I remembered was the door to the bathroom opening before my world went dark.

13

Neal

Iloved the feel of the powdered snow as I raced Aaron down the mountain. I knew he let me win the first time we went down. Aaron had hired a private instructor to teach me the basics before we went down a green trail. I couldn’t wait to come out here again and do it with Daisy. At the thought of her name, I looked in the direction of the lodge.

We had done our last run of the day as we skied to the bench to take off our skis.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” I knew Daisy would say yes when we asked her to marry us, but my stomach twisted anyway.

Aaron pulled off his gloves and sat on the bench next to me. “I’m not nervous. If I had a choice, we would fly to Vegas before the new year to make it official.”

My phone shrilled in my pocket, and Brock’s name flashed on the screen. I closed my eyes and tried to banish the dread. Brock said he would only call if there had been a change in the case.

I glanced in Aaron’s direction before I answered the phone. Aaron clenched his jaw, and the same dread went through me before answering. I didn’t think the worry would ever go away, or until all the people from Daisy’s past were locked up. I swiped across the screen to answer.

“Brock?”

“The FBI searchedJames’s housethis morning. They found three women in the basement. If it weren’t for Daisy, the women would still be down there.” Aaron motioned for me to put the phone on speaker. Brock’s voice boomed through the phone. “Damn, Neal. These women were in worse shape than Daisy.”

“Are they coming back to Ft. Lauderdale?” Brock and his team had brought Daisy back and made sure she got the treatment she needed.

“I don’t know. Daisy called to the dom in me, and I wanted to help her. Don’t get me wrong, these women need help, but I don’t know if they want my help. They are in the hospital as we speak, and I’m going to sit with them when the detective talks to them.”

I didn’t know who the women were, but I wanted to make sure they got the help they needed. “You can use our penthouse. I know your place is at the club, and we don’t know how much that will affect them. Aaron and I planned to move closer to his parents, anyway. A house came on the market this week we can buy.” Brock and Jessica lived in the same building as Club Sanctorum. The club entrance was through locked doors, but Neal didn’t want to jeopardize the women. And it was time for the three to move out of the penthouse and into a house.

“Thanks, man. That’ll help if they want to come back. We talked about them staying with John, but his house is small.” John had served as a Navy SEAL for ten years before he retired and joined Blackwood Security, Brock’s mercenary company.

“The women will be in the hospital for another week. I planned to stay here, but the woman in charge of James’s house escaped the authorities. I’m going to stay and help them find her. From the video surveillance, Regina Ward was the lady whowas in charge of Al’s house too.”

I had a sudden urge to check on Daisy.

Aaron spoke for the first time. “How is that bitch on the streets? I thought they had sentenced everyone involved with the kidnapping to thirty years. How did she get out early?” From the testimony Daisy had given, Regina had tortured her. I also had an alert set up to notify me when she got out of prison, but I hadn’t heard anything.

Brock let out a sigh. “The California prison system is overcrowded,and they released her on good behavior. I’m digging into why I wasn’t notified. We need to ask Daisy if she received a call about Regina being released.”

I looked in Aaron’s direction.Do we want to tell Daisy about Regina getting out?Aaron was lost in thought. Maybe we could reach out to her therapist and figure out the best way to let her know the woman was back on the streets. “Have you pulled the surveillance around the house?”

Brock huffed. “Yes, Neal, that was the first thing I did. She left this morning, and the FBI raided this afternoon. If she tried to return, she turned around and left. I tracked her car to an office building this morning. The car is there, but she is nowhere in the vicinity.” He let out a sigh. “Jessica is flying into Denver tomorrow. She will stay with you until I can get there.” Jessica was Brock’s very pregnant fiancée. She was also the CFO for my older brother’s company, Ross Enterprises. But more than anything, she was one of Daisy’s closest friends. They needed to tell Daisy that night about Regina. She would ask questions if Jessica showed up and Brock was still in California.

“Aaron and I finished skiing for the day and are heading into the lounge to pick up Annabella and Daisy. When I get back to the cabin, I can help you look for information. Aaron will call the real estate lawyer and purchase the house.” When Aaron shifted, I looked in his direction, and his cheeks had blushed. Seemed our dom was holding on to a secret.

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