Page 25 of Hacker Identified

“Seb?” a shaky voice asked.

“Are you hurt?”

“No. I have great news for you. Aaron Ross had me audition over video chat and offered me a small part in his upcoming film. I’m a grieving girlfriend. Where are you? I missed you this morning when I woke up.”

“I got tied up,” Sebastian grumbled. “I’ll be home soon.”

Antonio ripped the phone out of his hand and hung up the call. “Not until you help us track down Ash.”

My phone in my pocket buzzed.

Sophie: I need you back at the house.

Me: Is Hannah okay?

Sophie: Just get to the house with backup.

“Trouble at the house.”

I didn’t wait for Antonio to respond as I took off at a dead sprint toward my home.

Chapter7

Hannah

“The wedding isn’t real. Technically, it is, but we are getting it annulled in six months. So why are you insisting that I wear something blue?” I asked Sophie before she snuck into Zack’s closet.

“You should double-check the annulment criteria for Virginia. The Tucker men do nothing without an agenda. They can be sneaky as hell. That’s why I will ensure you enjoy your special day, and not open your marriage to bad juju.”

I flopped back on the bed and stared up at the white ceiling. “I think I was born cursed. No need to break superstitions now.”

“She’s in here.” A woman’s voice called out. "I'd recognize that godawful scar anywhere. Zack could do so much better than you ugly bitch."

A scream erupted from my throat as a woman dressed in black slacks and a white shirt stepped into the room. Angie Vaughn had a gun pointed at me. I’d seen Zack’s Public Relations Manager on television several times.

From the corner of my eye, Sophie moved, but I needed her to stay hidden.

I rose from the bed and held out my hand. “You must be Angie. I can assure you I’m not a house intruder. There is no need for you to point a gun at me.”

“You need to come with me this instant.” Angie’s clipped words held no emotion. What worried me the most was she hadn’t lowered the gun.

“Let me grab my phone, and we can call Zack. I’m sure this is all just a simple misunderstanding.” I sidestepped her toward the nightstand.

“You take one more step toward your phone, and I’ll put a bullet right through your heart. Zack pays me to take care of issues like you. We wouldn’t be in this situation if he would learn to keep his dick in his pants. No, instead, he caused a media storm that will take me weeks to clean up unless his fiancé drives off a cliff and dies.” She took a step into the room, and once more, she couldn’t see Sophie.

Sophie fervently shook her head as I stepped forward. My only hope was Sophie got a hold of her husband and Zack. Kat had put me through a refresher self-defense classes in the last two days. She had demanded I prove I knew what I was doing. I hadn’t realized how quickly I would need to use them.

Angie continued. “The media will eat up the story. With the amount of press and everyone feeling sorry for the grieving man, he could easily run for president again and win. Now move your scared ass downstairs bitch.”

Kat’s voice ran through my head.Take a deep breath. Wait for your perfect opportunity, don’t rush yourself or get yourself killed. This can all boil down to a split second. The main thing you need to remember is to stay calm.If I survive this, I plan to tell Kat a gun pointed at you, and someone planning your demise doesn’t make for a calming experience.

Angie pressed the gun against my side as I carefully stepped down the stairs.

“I don’t understand why you are doing this,” I said. “Art is in the house; he won’t let you kill me.”

She didn’t answer me. Instead, she shoved me forward. Stumbling, I grabbed onto the railing to stop from falling down the stairs. That’s when I spotted Art’s lifeless body on the white marble floor. His head lay in a pool of blood. “You killed him.”

“The man was always too trusting. He let me right in and wrapped me in a hug. The idiot deserved to die. Zack needs to start realizing all the things I do for him.”

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