Page 13 of Hacker Salvation

She huffed on the other end of the line. “You don’t need to keep doing that. I can have my food delivered. And don’t think I didn’t notice it’s the same man each time. How much extra do you pay him to check on me?”

Now I shifted in my seat uncomfortably, not because my dick hurt, but because Addie knew I had someone checking on her. “Hey, sis, I have someone in the car who would like to say hi.”

“Hi, Ad—” Annabella didn’t even get out my sister’s name before Addie let out a shriek so loud, it made my ears ring. Annabella’s face lit up with the biggest smile. It was the first time I had seen her smile in the past twenty-four hours, and I wanted to see her smile like that again.

“Oh my God!” Addie exclaimed. “I’ve seen every movie you’ve made—Running from Justice, Mistaken Love, Cops on the Run, Affairs, Kept,and I watch you when you’re on TV for awards.”

I laughed. “Breathe, Addie.”

My sister ignored me. “And your charity work with agoraphobia is amazing. Not many people put time into that charity. You know how amazing you are for that? When does your next movie come out? What is it like working with Aaron Ross and Jake Mansfield?”

“Sis, let her answer your questions, and you’ve met Aaron Ross before.”

She didn’t stop. “Are you going to work with Jake again? I like it when you two work together.” She took a deep breath. “Also, I don’t think you killed your fiancé since it’s a marriage of convenience, not love. And wow, that will!”

Annabella looked at me with a raised brow.

“You need to stop hacking,” I mumbled to my sister, even though I knew she wouldn’t listen to me.

Addie huffed out a breath. “Like Neal and Brock didn’t hack to see what they could find to help out.”

“Well, you asked a lot of questions, so let’s see if I can answer all of this,” Annabella said kindly. “You are correct—I didn’t kill Nate. Yes, I like working with Jake and Aaron. They’re both charming.”

“Aww,” Addie cooed.

“I’m glad you like all of my movies. I’m shootingLast Loveat the moment.” Annabella paused for a second before she continued. “Agoraphobia is close to my heart. My mother had a severe case of agoraphobia and never left the house. She got really sick from cancer when I was eighteen and wouldn’t go to the hospital, so she ended up dying.”

I reached over, grabbed Annabella’s hand, and squeezed it.

My sister was quiet for a moment. “Don’t worry, John,” Addie finally said. “I still go to the doctor.”

Annabella’s head swung in my direction. I mouthed, “She has agoraphobia.”

Annabella’s eyes flickered with something I didn’t understand, and she squeezed my hand. “Where do you live, Addie?”

“Boston. I own a PI firm out here.”

“Next time I’m in Boston, I will bring you a cup of coffee, and we can sit down and talk about all the movies I’ve been in.”

Addie squealed. “I can’t wait for that. John will give you my number. Bye, big brother.”

“Bye, pip-squeak.” Before she could answer, I clicked off the phone.

“How old is your sister?”

“Thirty-five. We’re the same age—she’s my twin.”

Annabella twisted her hands in her lap. I could tell she wanted to ask more questions.

“Our mother also had agoraphobia. I didn’t notice the signs in Addie until it was too late. Our mom disappeared when we were young, and I spent so much time trying to make sure we had a house and food, I forgot to make sure my sister spent more time out. She isn’t as bad as our mom. She will leave the house when she has to, but she prefers not to leave at all.”

“How does she run a PI firm?”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Never wanting to leave the house, Addie spent hours on the computer. She codes and learned to hack. Brock uses her sometimes when we have too many cases. All of her employees do the fieldwork and report back to her.”

“I’m glad she can make it work. Do you mind me asking how your mother disappeared when she has agoraphobia?”

I parked the SUV in Annabella’s front yard, behind a squad car. “That’s the reason Addie opened her firm. She doesn’t think my mom wandered off. She thinks someone took her. I don’t know why they would’ve. She never left the house. But Addie won’t drop the case. She continues to look for our mom.”

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