Page 5 of Hacker Salvation

Jessica looked up. “Oh, he watches out for everyone he cares about. Haven’t you ever looked at his monitor on the right wall? It’s his running board of everyone. Last week, Mia had a date, and Brock checked him out. Mia cussed up a storm when she noticed his name on the monitor.”

Brock shrugged. “I’m not going to stop taking care of the people I care about.”

“Dude, a heads-up would be nice.”

“Oh, then you should know—I used your computer the other day and checked your internet history,” Jessica said. “You’re normally so quiet, and I wanted to know what to get you for your birthday. I found out you like to look up Annabella.”

Sometimes having close friends was a pain in the ass. “Dude, you both need to stay out of my personal life until I ask. You could’ve asked what I wanted. Guns, ammo, knives. See? The list is short. Furthermore, I only looked her up because Addie wouldn’t stop talking about her charity.”

“Are you talking about the charity she donates to that offers support to people with agoraphobia?” Jessica asked. “Did you know one point eight million Americans over the age of eighteen suffer? Does your sister have pain—”

Brock put a hand over his wife’s mouth. “Why don’t you go help Daisy out? People are starting to come in.” He took his hand away from her mouth, but Jessica just chewed on her lip and stared at him. “Jess, let me talk with John. I promise you can do research later.”

Jessica leaned in a gave Brock a kiss before she went to the front to help women check in.

Brock looked after his wife then turned and smirked at me. “She means well, man. When she finds something new to research, she wants to ask more questions to compile with the research she finds.”

I was used to Jessica’s quirks. The woman knew more about numbers and statistics than I could’ve ever imagined. Her need for knowledge sometimes took over, and she didn’t filter her words. “It’s no problem, but you need to stay out of my private life.”

Brock gave me a brotherly pat on the back. “Let’s grab a soda and get out of the way.”

I glanced around as the room started to fill up. A new woman walking into the center was giving Brock and me an odd look. I was used to it with the scar that ran down the side of my face.

Brock led us over to the kitchen in the back. “You know you could talk to her. She will be here today.”

“I wasn’t stalking her. Addie wants to meet her. I researched her a little so I could ask her to FaceTime with Addie. Secondly, she’s getting married.”

“Not so sure she’s marrying Nate for the right reasons.” When I leveled a look at Brock, he continued. “Daisy mentioned something the other day about how she was worried, so I might’ve looked into it.”

I didn’t care what her reason was for marrying Nate. I would never go after a woman if she were engaged, even if it was for convenience. Plus, Annabella was a drop-dead gorgeous superstar. I couldn’t think of one reason why she would like a scarred ex-seal.

“Doesn’t matter. She’s engaged.”

Brock took a sip of his Coke and glanced over to where Jessica was laughing with two women I’d never met. “When you find the one, things change. And I want you to have that. You deserve to be happy.”

Jessica glanced in our direction and waved Brock over.

He set his drink down. “Don’t let life pass you by.” Brock turned and walked toward Jessica with a smile across his face.

I realized I had gone through the motions of life the past few years. I knew sleeping with a new sub at Club Sanctorum every time I went left me empty. Maybe I would take Brock up on his advice and find someone.

A picture of Annabella in a silver dress flashed through my mind. Her blond locks fell past her shoulders. The woman was gorgeous, and her fiancé was equally handsome. Nate stood next to her in the photo, dressed in a black tux. His blue eyes were piercing. No matter how hot she was, though, she was off-limits and out of my league. My hands started to sweat as I thought about approaching her and asking her to talk to my sister.

Fuck that.I was an ex-SEAL, and she was a woman. I would ask her the quick favor. The worst she could say was no. Daisy always talked about how nice she was. But she’d said Annabella was going to show up earlier. The doors had opened an hour ago, and the sexy actress still wasn’t there.

The words “drama queen” came to mind. I might’ve cyberstalked her a little, and people reported that she had to have things her way, or she would throw a fit. Maybe she wasn’t all Daisy had talked her up to be.

As if she knew I was thinking about her, Daisy caught sight of me and headed over. She wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest. “Have I ever said how much I appreciated you over the years, John?”

I awkwardly patted her back as her two men, Neal and Aaron, shot daggers in my direction. “Anyone would’ve done what I did. Now, you want to tell me what brought on the hug. Don’t get me wrong—I like it—but I think your men are going to be over here soon if you don’t let go.”

Daisy stepped back and rolled her eyes. “This wouldn’t have been possible if you and Sam hadn’t rescued me from that asshole five years ago. And you flew across the country to help me with the opening.”

The place looked amazing. The ten-thousand-foot building had classrooms, play areas, and sleeping quarters for women and kids trying to get back on their feet. I remembered times when my dad would lock Addie and me out of the house, and we would end up at a shelter. This place was like the Hilton compared to where we’d stayed.

I cleared my throat. “I will always be there for you, Daisy.”

She started to reply, but her phone rang. She pulled it out and frowned as she looked at the screen. Then she tapped the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Where are you, Annabella?”

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