Page 26 of Hacker Christmas

“Keep your eye out in case for some crazy reason she found you guys. I have to go. The lead detective is heading my way.”

“Bye.”

I turned to Aaron. “You already bought the house, didn’t you?” It would be the only reason for him to have squirmed when I mentioned buying it.

He shrugged. “I thought it would be easier to move us when we weren’t home. I purchased it before we left, and the movers are moving everything in. But what I’m worried about is Daisy. Do you think that crazy bitch, Regina, knows where we are? Should I call and have my brother and his partner fly out tonight?” Aaron’s brother Asher owned a mercenary company with his twin, Antonio. Asher was engaged to CJ. All were supposed to arrive the next day for a big Christmas Eve dinner.

“No, I don’t think she could’ve made it to Denver already. If she flew, Brock would’ve caught it when he did his initial search.”

Aaron leaned over and wrapped his arms around me. “Let’s go get our woman and get her home.”

The blast of warm air felt good as we opened the heavy wooden door. Since the lounge was for owners only, it wasn’t crowded. But the place was amazing. The chandeliers were crystal, and rich oak ran throughout. When we entered the main area, I spotted Annabella on a plush white couch in front of the fire.

I gazed around the room, looking for Daisy, but I didn’t spot her. Aaron was in step with me as we made it over to where Annabella sat. Her eyes gazed at the fire. She hadn’t heard us walk up to her.

“Annabella?”

She jumped in her seat and pressed her hand to her chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”

I took the seat next to her, and Aaron sat in the matching white chair. “Where’s Daisy?”

“Oh, you didn’t see her? She just went to the bathroom.”

“How are you enjoying the lodge? You sure you don’t want your future husband to come and spend some time with you?”

Annabella took a big swig of wine. “It’s complicated. I hope you don’t mind me spending the holidays with you. If I’m a burden, I can stay here at the lodge or catch a flight back.”

Daisy would have been upset if Annabella left. I also wanted her around for when we broke the news to Daisy that the crazy bitch from her nightmares was out of prison. We spent the next ten minutes talking about Christmas Day. Annabella was excited to meet everyone flying in.

But the longer Daisy was gone, the more I worried.She should be back by now.“I’m going to go make sure Daisy is okay.”

Aaron nodded, and I headed down the hall. I opened the frosted-glass door a sliver. “Daisy, are you in there?” When she didn’t respond, I became more concerned. “Is anyone in there?” When no one replied, I opened the door and stepped inside. My stomach clenched when I saw Daisy’s white purse, its contents spread across the bathroom floor. Her pink iPhone lay next to the purse. I pushed the door to each stall open and called her name. She wasn’t there.

Did the bitch from California have her?I dialed Aaron’s phone. “Someone took Daisy,” I said when he answered.

14

Aaron

Icouldn’t help but pace outside the bathroom. The detective was inside, and it seemed like an hour had passed since Neal called to let him know that Daisy had disappeared. If anything happened to her, I felt as though my world would crumble. She completed the three of us. I felt helpless. Neal sat in a nearby chair, his fingers working the keyboard.

Numbly, I plopped into the chair next to him.

Neal looked up from his keyboard with a grim look. “Someone cut the video feed to the building. The person who took her knew what they were doing. This system has a state-of-the-art firewall. The other possibility is they knew someone who works here.”

I ground my teeth. “The price to live here is high, and it would cost a lot to pay someone off.” Taking a deep breath did nothing to get my mind under control. I wanted to punch the wall.

“Here.” Annabella handed me a glass of water. “It might help.”

I glanced around the room. The lodge guests huddled behind the tape, trying to get a look.I glared at the property manager as he gawked with the other patrons. He must haverealized I wasn’t happy, so he had the people move back into the main area. They couldn’t leave until the police had questioned them.

“Thanks,” I muttered before I took a sip of the water.

“I’m sorry,” Annabella whispered. She had tears running down her face. “I should’ve gone with her. I didn’t know she was still in danger.”

There was no doubt in my mind that Annabella felt bad. I stood up and pulled her into my arms. She started to cry harder. “I just… got her… back.” She sobbed into my shirt.

“We will find her.” I wouldn’t stop until we did.

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