Page 10 of Hacker Identified

"You okay?" Patty asked.

I blinked away the memory. "Yes. My mind drifted for a moment."

"If you want to talk about anything, we are here to listen," Kat said. "I'm guessing today triggered many memories from your past."

"Thank you," I replied, still unsure how much of my past I should divulge.

When I went to the feds about my father, I had only a hundred dollars to my name. My job paid enough to live comfortably, but nothing like Patty. No matter what, we would never be true friends. I loved my job and made enough to support myself, but I would never be able to afford to eat at the same places as any of Zack’s friends.

Kat slid into the seat next to me, and I figured this was the best time to have a frank conversation with her. I took a deep breath. "I don't expect you guys to pay for my makeover or pretend to like me. All I need is Gibson's number. He can put me in contact with someone to change my identity."

"I'm a very direct person, Hannah," Kat said. "If I didn't like you, we wouldn't be sitting here. Now from what Sophie found running a quick search, you went into witness protection fifteen years ago. In those years, the FBI and local law enforcement still haven't taken your father down. I have a question for you. Ignore the fact Queen Blackwood is in the room or that my husband's family is listed in the top ten richest families on Forbes. For years my job was to read people, and from the way you’re flicking your fingers, I'm assuming you’re stressed. Do you want to go back into hiding and continue to live in fear? Or do you want your sperm donor to pay for his crimes?"

Many nights over the years, I had plotted ways to end my father's tyranny. I fed information to the FBI that I believed would send Watson Creed to prison. Yet each time a case failed to convict him, my hopes to see him behind bars diminished.

Now hope dangled in front of me again and I wasn't sure if I trusted Zack or his friends. They hadn't given me a reason not to. Though nobody did this kind of favor for free, and I couldn't figure out anyone’s motives, especially Zack's.

"It's not a simple yes or no answer," I hedged.

"You're right," Patty said. "One thing I learned since I became queen is to lean on people I trust, because you can't conquer the world or run a country by yourself."

"No offense, but I just met everyone in this room a few hours ago."

The door to the suite opened, and Sophie strode in with a MacBook in her hands. "Neal's with the guys. Arron and Daisy are taking care of all the kids. If we go wheels up, they plan to head back to Ft. Lauderdale with them. I love my little one, but I'm enjoying my free time. Also, Annabella hasn't left for Los Angeles and is bringing her hairdresser to join us."

"The actress?" I asked. Celebrity Today had put a photo of Annabella and Zack on the webpage hugging. Articles buzzed about a relationship, except her husband was only a few feet away. The two did look cozy together though. Annabella seemed so nice from her interviews, and I couldn't imagine her hurting her husband like that. She was set to film Heart of War and I was excited to see it. The idea of meeting an A-list movie star caused my stomach to turn.

"Yes. We need to circle back to the prior conversation," Kat said, acting like meeting Annabella wasn't a big thing. "You have no reason to trust any of us. The tabloids paint me as a stuck-up soccer mom living off the Ross family fortune. A month ago, I spotted a headline story while in line at the grocery store about how I had never worked a day in my life. I'm about to tell you a secret. The tabloids don't even have this tidbit of information. I have way more money than my husband. The rags print whatever will sell, not the truth. For example, my Uncle Juan Sanchez dropped me off at Camp Peary at the age of sixteen, where I was molded into an assassin. The agency's official name for my position was a field officer."

I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud knock on the door.

Kat pulled a gun from her waistband and held it in her hands ready. Patty rolled her eyes and opened the door. Annabella Harper strode into the suite. Her long black hair was tied up in a bun, and she had a white dress that was snug around her rounded stomach. Next to her was a tall woman with pink hair and a large backpack slung over her shoulder.

"You must be Hannah. This trip keeps turning up more surprises." The actress held out her hand. "I'm Annabella Harper, and this is my fabulous hair and makeup artist, Darlene Redd."

Darlene dropped her bag on the table and came to my side. "Your hair is absolutely stunning. You know how much I charge people to get large ringlets like this?"

Most of my life, people had made fun of my curly hair. Fall and winter were the only times I didn't wear it in a ponytail because the humidity caused it to be an untamable frizz ball. "What is your cost to straighten it and dye it blonde?" I asked.

"Nothing," Patty cut in. "Zack's footing the bill for your hair, makeup, and outfits. Don't even try to argue about it with us."

Sophie raised a brow in Patty's direction. "You don't understand what it's like to have to work extra hard to afford the little things. It's not easy being the person with not much money and having extraordinarily rich friends. Hannah, let Zack foot the bill. He is the reason you need to have a complete makeover anyway."

Darlene ran her hand through my hair a few times. "I'm thinking more of a dirty ash color. If you don't like that then we can try to go lighter. As for your curls, even though I really don't want to, I'll do a hair relaxation treatment, as well."

"That will work," I said, biting my tongue before I asked what she would charge Annabella for the same treatment.

Annabella sat across from me, and I was stunned by how beautiful she was. People had flocked to the theaters for her blockbuster movie last month. I’d caught her interview on the Late Night show, but the camera didn't do her justice.

"Okay, fill me in. The men are hard at work in the other suite. John jumped at the chance to help with the case…" Annabella paused. "Sorry, my husband is John; he runs the Blackwood Security offices in Los Angeles, but they end up with mostly bodyguard cases. He's called his second-in-command back to headquarters to have him take over for the rest of the week, so he can assist and maybe go on an adventure. Which means I'll spend more time with the girls and maybe take a trip to Sanctorum."

Annabella must have made fifty million dollars for her last movie plus a back-end deal, and she was excited to spend time digging into a case?

"Why?" I blurted out. "I can't afford all of this. Don't take this the wrong way. I've wanted nothing more than to send my father to jail for the crimes he committed. But why would you want to spend your free time helping me?"

Kat leaned back in her chair, and a devilish grin appeared across her face. "Your father is a piece of shit. Our group has grown so much over the years, and many times, we don't run operations together anymore. This mission will let us all work the same case and eliminate a corrupt man. My gators love nothing more than to snack on the scum of the earth. The men in the room across from us are alpha males and hate seeing any woman taken advantage of. We've all been in your place. Each of us has a long, crazy story. Sophie and I were torn apart for years. I was led to believe she was dead. The same person convinced me my husband was dead. Annabella, her father's wife tried to have her framed for murder. Patty might be a queen, but she has a lot of ugly stories in her past. So, don't judge us by the articles you've read."

Sophie looked up from her computer screen. "Sis has a point. We haven't all worked on a case together in a long time. Zack is also my brother-in-law. Before Zane and I came to the room, I received a Google alert with a picture of Zack with you in his arms. To be honest I thought he would end up with Angie when he retired from office. I was never a fan of her and wasn't sad when she married that other man. But I've wanted Zack to be happy. I saved the picture of him carrying you in his arms. The way he held you and stared down at you. He's not going to let you go without a fight. The Tucker men fall fast. I swear they are the poster children for insta-love. You might not believe in love at first sight, but I know Zack does. You'll learn a little about each of us in time, but I'll do anything for the people I care about. To me, family isn't always blood. I'll fight for everyone in this room as hard as I would for Kat. At one point in my life, I plotted to take down the director of the CIA, because he double-crossed me."

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