Page 9 of Hacker Identified

"Oh, don't you ‘Patty’ me. I need this," she countered.

Kat walked over to the two women and linked arms with Hannah. The three women headed for Patty's suite.

The door closed, and I was next to Sophie. "Spill it."

"I found Gibson, but he's in intensive care. Not a lot of information has come in yet, but the accident happened only twenty minutes after the news about Hannah and you broke," Sophie showed a grainy video of a large body being pulled out of an SUV by the paramedics.

Antonio motioned at the screen. "No way the crash is linked to Hannah. Even if someone figured out her identity, it would take more time to find her handler and have someone pinpoint his exact location."

"Unless Watson has a contact inside the marshals' office. Look here." Sam pointed to the report. "Claims the SUV lost control. Or did someone hack the vehicle and cause this to happen?"

Before I responded, my phone vibrated, and Angie's name flashed across the screen. I'd almost forgotten about our meeting until she called. Angie and I attended college together. She had majored in public relations and stood by my side from when I was the youngest senator to when I became president. She'd recommended Douglas as a person to help spearhead my library and other charity construction projects. He was a well-known developer.

"Good afternoon, Angie. I was about to call Douglas. Is he near you?"

Zane's attention shifted toward me. Not until after she announced her engagement had Zane told me over a bottle of scotch how he didn't like her. At the same time, I'd told him I'd loved her. We never slept together, but she was my closest friend for years, and I had deep feelings for her. The news about her engagement to Douglas shocked me. Not once did either of them mention they were together. A few times, she and I had discussed dating after I left the office.

Angie's voice cut through my thoughts. "Zack, what the hell are you thinking, announcing an engagement without telling me first? You know all press coverage comes through me. Not to mention, you can get anyone, and you chose Hannah Creed? Can't the woman at least wear some makeup to cover that scar? I guess we can spin this since her family has money, but she needs new clothes before the next photo op."

I yanked the phone away from my ear and stared at the screen for a moment. She'd never acted in this vein before or put people down. "My personal life doesn't need to go through you. Furthermore, how did you find out Hannah's name?"

"It's all over the media. Plus, her father is scheduled to do a press conference about his daughter."

"I'll take care of Hannah. I need to talk to Douglas."

"How about Douglas and I get a flight to Vegas, and we can work this all out? We can't have Hannah wrecking your image. I've got new numbers, and in two years, I think you should run again."

My fingers ached as I gripped my phone. "I've told you before, I'm not running again. Now tell Douglas to pull the proposal from the zoning meeting."

Angie huffed. "But we're so close, and he put so much work into this for you. Seriously, what is going on?"

I took two deep breaths. "I don't need to justify anything. Do as I say."

"He won't be happy with this. Not everything is about you, Zack."

The damn library was completely about me. It appeared I had to reevaluate a few things in my life.

"I made my decision, and I'm not going to debate this with you." I didn't bother saying goodbye as I tapped my finger against the End button.

During my conversation, Neal had took over half of the dining room table. He had the press conference for Hannah's dad streaming on the laptop.

"Anyone have an idea?" I asked.

"Marriage," Neal replied not even a second later.

"He's right," Sam countered. "Secret Service has to protect your wife. Plus, we can share the added intel we have access to regarding threats on her life. It would be a challenge if Watson wanted to come after Hannah."

I rolled the idea around in my head, and the more I thought about marrying her, the more I wanted to make the idea happen. All I needed was for Hannah to say yes.

A voice in the back of my head told me she wouldn't like this plan. But my ego knew I was a catch.

Chapter3

Hannah

Patty pulled out a dining room chair for me. Her hotel suite was almost an exact replica of Zack’s. The only difference was the color scheme. Patty's was mostly white with gold trim. Both penthouses were nicer than anything I had experienced in years.

Growing up, my father traveled around the world for business meetings. Many times, he had dragged my sister Hazel and me along, but would lock us in the suite while he met with his women or his associates. One time he’d left us locked away for two days without food or water, all because he didn't want to pull himself away from a party.

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