Page 7 of Hacker Christmas

“Daisy.”

I jumped at the sound of Jessica’s voice. “You scared the crap out of me. Are you working upstairs today?” Jessica, who worked for Alex Ross, Aaron’s older brother, at Ross Enterprises, worked from Brock’s office most of the time but worked remotely a couple of days a week. I glanced at her growing belly, and a twinge of sadness came over me. But Dr. Robison said I shouldn’t worry until I met with a doctor.

“I have a doctor’s appointment today. Brock planned to go to the doctor with me, but something went wrong with his current mission. I haven’t talked to you since the other night. Do you want to go with me?”

“Sure. Just let me tell Brock.” I reached for my desk phone.

“I already told him I planned to ask you. Let’s head out.”

I locked my computer and sent Neal and Aaron a quick note telling them I was going with Jessica to her appointment then lunch. Sometimes, Neal stopped by with lunch, and I didn’t want him to show up and worry why I wasn’t at work.

I followed Jessica outside to her SUV. She barely waited for me to click the seatbelt before she fired off her first question. “Are you and the men okay?”

“Things at home are better. They’re scared to touch me because of my back. But it looked good this morning. Dai—I was dumb to do what I did. I’m happy they forgave me.”

“I can’t believe how well you’re doing with talking in first person. But I still want to know why you scened with Fredrick.” Jessica grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I understand if it’s too private and you don’t want to tell me. But I care about you and want you to know I’m here for you.”

“Neal asked me to go to California for Aaron’s premiere, and I panicked. Everything hit me at once. What will I do when they leave me? What will I do if I’m kidnapped again? The nightmares have finally slowed down, and now I’m going back to where it started. I would love to see my friends again in California, but I’m worried I’ll panic when we touch the ground there.”

“Firstof all, Neal and Aaron won’t leave you. When Brock called Neal about the scene, he panicked. Brock had never heard Neal so worried. He left his meeting with the president of the United States and came back to Ft. Lauderdale, but Aaron wanted him to wait to talk to you. He spent the night destroying the life of the man you scened with.”

“What do you mean he destroyed Fredrick’s life?”

“Brock got his name then researched him. Fredrick is a bastard. He beat his wife. When she tried to leave with their kid, he divorced her and somehow got sole custody. Brock told me Neal found video evidence of him beating his wife and sent it to her along with money out of one of Fredrick’s offshore accounts. Now, she will be able tofight him fair and get her kid back.”

I couldn’t hold back a smile. Neal used his hacking skills to help people. What he did probably wasn’t within the law, but if he helped that woman get her kid back, I would be happy.

“He said nothing.”

“When Neal and Aaron didn’t call that night and Neal asked me to stay at your house, I figured our relationship was over. When I showed up to the penthouse the next day and Aaron sat perched at the counter, I didn’t know what would happen.”

Jessica shifted the car into Park, and I looked at the glass windows wrapping around the building. The clinic she went to was a state-of-the-art facility. I knew it was the clinic Brock used for his employees—he donated tons of money to make sure they had the latest and greatest of everything. It was no shock Jessica’s doctor was there. “I think they needed time to cool down,” she said. “They found out their girlfriend scened with someone without permission, which hurt both of their feelings.”

When Aaron had mentioned that he was moving in with Neal and me, excitement coursed through my body. I loved Neal, but it felt like something was missing when Aaron wasn’t around. “I think you’re right. Aaron’s moving in with Neal and me at the start of the year. I need to figure out my emotions so I can go to Aaron’s premiere. I’m scared.”

“Do you want Brock and me to come too?” Jessica asked, rubbing her belly.

I needed to face my past with Neal and Aaron, and I couldn’t keep using the crutches I’d come to depend on. “No, but thank you for the offer. Let’s get you checked in.”

The scent of roses hit me when I opened the glass door. White rose bouquets sat on the entry table on the way to the check-in desk. No patients waited in the waiting room. As Jessica checked in, I took a seat in one of the leather chairs and grabbed the latestStarmagazine on the table. Annabella’s picture graced the front. Guilt hit me as I looked at her photo. Over the years, she’d tried to contact me, but I ignored the calls. I didn’t blame her for what happened. I just didn’t like to talk about my ten years of captivity.

It looked as though Annabella had set a date for her wedding. The nurse escorted Jessica through the hallway door, and I walked up to the receptionist. “Daisy—sorry—I was wondering if I could make an appointment with a fertility doctor.” The young woman scrolled through her computer.

“We have a cancellation with Dr. Jones, she is normally booked months in advance and hard to get an appointment with. But her twelve o’clock appointment canceled. The appointment is yours if you want it, but I will need your medical card and license.”

My hands shook as I dug in my purse. I hadn’t planned on an immediate appointment. I was going to schedule something for next week then work up the courage.

The young girl behind the desk grabbed my hand as I put my medical card on the counter. “You have nothing to worry about. Dr. Jones is the best.” Her soft voice calmed my nerves. I paid the copay and took my seat in the leather chair. I picked up the magazine to read Annabella’s story, but the words blurred together. I didn’t even hear Jessica walk up to my chair.

“Daisy, I’m so sorry, but Alex fired the HR manager at work. I need to get back to Ross Enterprises before Alex fires anyone else. Do you want me to call Mia to come get you?” Mia was one of Brock’s mercenaries.

“No, the nice lady scheduled an appointment for me today. I’ll text Neal and take an Uber back. But let’s have lunch tomorrow.”

Jessica gave me a quick hug before she ran out the door to fix her boss’s issues. Alex couldn’t hold his temper most of the time, but his bark was louder than his bite. They would eventually hire everyone Alex fired back at a higher salary.

“Dakota Michaels?”

I almost missed my name. It had been years since someone said my real name out loud.

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