Page 15 of Hacker Auction

I let out an aggravated sigh but knew he was only doing his job. “Let me take a few pictures.” I snapped the last two months’ worth of entries so I could study everything that happened because the women’s life we found online and in the apartment didn’t add up to what was in the file.

My phone rang on my way back to my car. “Hey, boss.”

“Find anything,” Brock asked.

“Yea, she went to a club called Rose. Also, pictures of her with other people were in the box. I have to wonder if the other women had the same thing, and the police missed looking, or the people who cleared out the houses took it.”

“You on your way back to the office?”

“Yes.”

“I have some new information. I’m not ready to share it with the police yet. I dug deeper into her financials. The stuff the police have is all fake. The job is even fake. They might have called in her disappearance, but that’s not where she works. Whoever is behind these kidnappings has deep pockets. Do I think the woman has a sheltered life, yes, but not to the extent we think, someone’s looking for her.”

“I’ll be back to the office soon.” I turned to Higgins with the phone still pressed to my ear. “I’ll call you later.”

The man nodded as I walked out of the apartment. When the humid Florid heat hit my face I caught sight of the landlord out of the corner of my eye, his phone pressed to his ear and staring in my direction.

Brock’s voice flipped over to the speakerphone in the SUV when I turned it on. “I can get you into Club Rose. It’s an exclusive club but I know the owners.”

“Really?”

“The Renold brothers are good men and run things tight like we do. I’m in their servers now looking around. From the looks of it all members have to get their medical evaluation done at Alexander General Hospital. Which is strange because the last victim’s information wasn’t in the hospitals database besides her current visit.”

“You thinking they all went to the same club?”

“I’m digging through their database now. I’m going to have to have a long talk with the brothers about their cyber security. A two year old could hack this server. Which would make it easy for who ever took the last victim.”

“You think you can get me in tomorrow?”

“I’ll make some calls.” Brock clicked off the phone.

My mind went back to Rachelle and our impending date. The last two weeks dragged on, and I couldn’t wait to spend some time with her.

CHAPTER6

Rachelle

Sage screamedin my ear as I paced the living room of my new house. Over the prior two weeks I moved from my parents’ home into the one the gifted me near the hospital. Half of mine and Sage’s things were still in boxes. No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find his favorite toy. The one that made him smile.

“It’s okay honey.” His little hands wrapped around my hair and tugged. I needed to find my phone and call off my date. I wasn’t even close to being ready. I also needed to call Mom and tell her not to bother coming. “Mommy isn’t going anywhere,” I mumbled out loud, and Sage stopped screaming.

His little cheeks were beet red, but at least he’d stopped crying. The doorbell rang, which caused Sage to start right back up. I was close to crying right alongside my perfect little boy. My hand rubbed over his back as I opened the front door to find the sexiest man standing there. “You’re early.” I wasn’t sure he could hear me over Sage’s wails.

I rubbed circles up and down Sage’s back, trying desperately to calm him down.

Wes’s mouth opened, but I didn’t hear anything he said as vomit splashed against my neck, followed by a little hand pushing it down my shirt. If the world was ever going to open and swallow me whole, this would be the best time. Nope, still here and now covered in baby throw up. “I don’t think the date is going to work.”

The sexy man cocked his head to the side. “Oh, I’ve dealt with much more than a little spit-up.” Wes grabbed Sage from my arms, and my baby stopped crying and started giggling.

My shirt was now close to see through, and I hadn’t even had time to put a bra on. When I glanced at my shirt, my cheeks burned with embarrassment. My nipples poked through the white shirt. I quickly crossed my arms. “Really, we can reschedule.”

“How about I change this little guy, and you can clean up?”

I blinked at the tall sexy man as he cradled my son in his arms like he was a fricken baby whisper. “You know how to change a baby.”

A smile spread across his face. He didn’t look offended by my words. “I’ve cleaned up after my niece a few times over the years. If I can handle her glitter bombs. I can handle this.” He shut the front door I’d left open, too distracted by the sexy man with a baby in his arms. “Which way to his room.”

“It’s not unpacked yet. Follow me.” I turned toward the hallway a little hurt. My baby boy was giggling in the stranger’s arms and only cried in mine. When we got to the door next to my bedroom, I pushed it open. Boxes covered the floor. “I’ll be fast.”

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