Page 12 of Hacker Identified

I blinked back, the tears pooling in my eyes. "No. John is very handsome."

She zoomed in on the picture. "Except you stated you were ugly, because you have a mark on your face."

I tried to stand, but Kat appeared next to me out of nowhere. "Sit down."

My fingers curled around the chair, not sure what the women would do to me. For a good portion of the afternoon, the women joked about how Kat had killed a man with a garden gnome. Now all that was gone. I wiped a tear from my cheek. "I didn't mean to offend you. Please let me leave, and I won't bother any of you again…I promise."

Kat threw her arms around me, and I stiffened for a moment. “Shit, I scared you. That wasn't my intention. We all think you are beautiful."

"What she said,” Annabella agreed. "My husband's scar is a very sensitive subject for me. John couldn't understand why I wanted to be with him. Your comment triggered me for a second, and I hope you forgive me for being rude."

I took a couple of deep breaths. "You have nothing to be sorry for, but I still think I should learn to cover my scar."

Darlene walked me through each step of the process. Kat jotted down the names of the products for me on a piece of paper. After Darlene applied lipstick, she held up a mirror, and my eyes started to water again. I barely recognized the person staring back at me.

"I have makeup remover, don't cry," Darlene panicked. "We can change the colors up."

"No, I love what you did. For once, I'm not staring at the mark that reminds me of my father. I should have learned to do my makeup years ago."

Darlene chuckled. "That makes me feel better. Let's finish your hair, and you can go back to the sexy man across the hall."

"You think they came up with a solution?"

Patty waved her phone. "Sam said they have a plan. He won't tell me the details, which leads me to believe they came to the same conclusion as I did. "

"Which is?" I asked.

Kat shrugged. "My guess? Marriage."

I blinked at her and waited for her to laugh. "Be serious. What options do I have?"

"I'm with Kat. The same idea crossed my mind," Patty said. "Marrying Zack would put you directly at the center of every conversation online. You would also have secret service protection."

"Don't forget the added intel his protection detail receives in regard to threats," Sophie pointed out.

The six bottles of wine and two bottles of champagne had to be the only logical explanation for this crazy idea.

"No way would Zack agree to this plan. Plus, we would need a prenup and a marriage certificate. All those things take time."

"Zack won't have you sign anything. As to the rest, you're in Vegas, so we can obtain a license well past five o'clock."

I downed the last sip of wine in my glass. Marshal Gibson would talk sense into this group once I reached him.

Darlene turned on the blow-dryer, and I mentally thanked her for stopping the insane conversation. After she straightened my last section of hair, I planned to march over to Zack's hotel room and say goodbye. All I needed was to withdraw some funds and leave town.

Patty answered the knock on the door and grabbed a large white garment bag. She came back to the table and handed it to me. "I think I got your size right."

I figured there was no point in arguing. So instead, I grabbed the outfit and strode to the bathroom. When I glanced in the mirror, I couldn't stop myself from swiping my fingers over my scar. My long curly brown hair was now ashy blonde with darker roots. Darlene had transformed me into a different person. I stripped out of my clothes and slipped the white dress from the bag.

A thump against the door caused me to squeal. "Yes?"

"Does it fit? We want to see you," Patty said.

I glanced at myself one more time before I opened the door. Before I could step out the girls all fawned over me.

"Zack's going to lose his mind when his eyes land on you," Sophie said.

Annabella stepped in front of me and held my hand. "You look breathtaking, but you also looked beautiful without makeup. Don't let anyone ever tell you to hide your scar. Wounds from our past might hurt, but they help us become stronger people. Yours happens to be on the outside, but many of us have deep cuts on the inside."

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