Page 16 of Hacker Salvation

“I’m not working with anyone who would hurt Nate. He’s my best friend, and I would do anything for him, hence the marriage to a man who is only my friend.” I pushed my soda away. I needed something stronger. The whiskey John had given me the other night would taste good right then.

John leaned forward, his eyes intense on Ms. Orchard. “What did they want you to do with the tape?”

The older woman blushed, but she didn’t answer.

“The police would’ve grabbed the video footage,” I said. “Why would anyone think the footage was still here?”

Ms. Orchard sniffled. “I wanted to look to see if there was something unusual. My boy is missing, and I’m worried.”

Nate had been keeping so many secrets from me—hiring his boyfriend’s mother to be our housekeeper. Every time more evidence came to light, it made me question our friendship. I’d planned to marry Nate because I didn’t think he would hurt me like men had in the past, but apparently I was wrong.

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” John asked. “When did your son go missing?”

“The same night Nate did. I went to Pedro’s house earlier that morning, and his place was turned upside down. When I went to leave, I was approached by two men. They told me if I wanted to see my son again, I needed to go to Nate’s house and call the cops once you arrived. So I called the cops. I figured since they knew your name, you were behind this.”

“If I was in on it, why would I want you to call the cops on me?”

Ms. Orchard’s mouth opened a couple of times as confusion washed over her. “I didn’t think that much about it. I just want my boy back.” She wept into her hands.

John reached over and held her hand. I wasn’t happy she’d broken into my house. I understood she wanted her son back. I wanted my life back. And I really wanted to have a long conversation with my best friend… maybe soon-to-be-ex-best friend. Not only was I suspected for a murder, but he’d taken my jewelry. One of the pieces was my mother’s.

John patted Ms. Orchard’s hand. “How about you come with us? We can help you find your son.”

Wait. What?“I think we should talk about this.”

John leveled his gray eyes on me. “Ms. Orchard might be able to help us put things together faster. Also, someone is working to keep something quiet. Let’s get back to Daisy’s house and talk with the team.”

* * *

Neal,Aaron, and John sat around Daisy’s dining room table, asking Ms. Orchard questions. Daisy walked up beside me and handed me a glass of wine. “You seem more upset than when you left this morning.”

I let out the sigh I had been holding. “She called the cops on me. She’s also the mother of my fiancé’s lover. He hired her and didn’t tell me their connection. Nate and I used to be so close, and over the last couple of months, all he’s done is lie to me and hide things.” I reached into the fridge and pulled out cold cuts and cheese. It was close to dinnertime, and my stomach had started to growl.

Daisy grabbed the bread and set it on the counter. She played with the edge of the bag for a few seconds. “If you find Nate, are you going to go through with the wedding?”

Am I?The answer seemed fairly clear. “No. I agreed to marry Nate to help him. What he did these past few days is uncalled for. The evidence might look like he’s dead, but I know something isn’t right. He cleared out all the money from the safes and took my jewelry. Most of it I didn’t care about, but the necklace from my mom was all I had of her.”

Daisy frowned as she pulled out the bread and laid a few pieces on a plate. “I only met Nate a few times. But he’s a grown man and needs to stand up for himself. You can’t keep being someone for him to lean on.”

I reached into the silverware drawer and grabbed a butter knife then started smearing mayo across the bread. “You’re right. I’m going to find him, prove my innocence, and move on.” My eyes darted to the sexy man sitting at the table. He didn’t seem to care what movies I was in or how much money I had.

“Um, Daisy, is John like Neal and Aaron?”

“Bisexual?”

“No,” I whispered. “Is he into the other stuff?”

Daisy reached up and ran her fingers along her necklace. “Yes.” She shifted her feet. “He took care of me for a few years after they rescued me.”

Jealousy clouded my vision.

“But we never slept together. Don’t get me wrong—he’s slept with many women at Club Sanctorum. You like him, don’t you?”

“Yes. But too much is going on around me to weed through my feelings for John.” I grabbed the sandwich tray and walked toward the table, wondering what it would be like to have John run his hands down my body. If I didn’t think about that, the only thing I would think about was the fact that my best friend was missing. The seat next to John was empty. I placed the tray of sandwiches on the table and took the chair next to him.

He was looking at the photo of Nate and Pedro that we’d taken from Nate’s office. “We need to go here,” John murmured. Then he pulled the picture out of the frame. “We need to check out the address. Was it a vacation spot, or is this where Pedro lives?”

Pedro’s mother traced the photo. “They went on vacation there last year.”

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