Page 54 of Hacker Identified

My phone vibrated, and Nicole’s name flashed across the screen again. “Let me get this real quick.”

“Hello?”

“Hey, Hannah.”

“Hey, I’m busy. Can I call you back later?”

“No. I’m sorry. I know your wedding is tomorrow, but we really need your help. Tim’s here with me, but I can’t find anyone else. We could really use you...Only you.”

I glanced across the table at Kat and realized this was my out.

“Where and what are you protesting?”

“I’ll text you the address. Come meet Tim and me.”

“Okay, but you didn’t say what the protest is about.”

“I have to go. Once you get here, I’ll explain everything.”

“Okay, but I would—” The call was cut before I could ask another question.

My phone dinged with the address a second later. Kat’s fingers tapped against her phone’s screen.

When she was done, I said, “Seems like something came up, and I can’t have that drink with you guys.”

The waitress set our food down on the table, breaking the conversation for a moment, but Kat picked it right back up when the woman stepped away. “What came up?” Kat asked.

“They want me to come help with a protest.”

Sophie’s brows drew together. “But Willy is out of town. I thought he organized all the events for the group. Believe me, I have to listen to him talk about his activism all the time. If he wasn’t such a good hacker, I would never have agreed to add him to my team.”

“Nicole said they are down on numbers. It’s only her and Tim. Honestly, I need this, and it will probably help me relax,” I said.

I loved Zack and his life, but I missed getting dirty and standing up for my beliefs. Once I was Zack’s wife, I knew it wouldn’t be proper for me to be on the news for protesting. Not to mention getting arrested could also hurt my Wildlife Education Project.

“So, when do we have to be there?” Kat asked.

I pointed to myself. “I have to go right after lunch.”

“Nope. I’m coming with,” Kat said.

“I’m not.” Sophie held up her hands. “The last time I joined you, I ended up with mosquito bites in places I never realized they could even find. Call me when you need someone to bail you out of jail or when you guys are ready for that glass of wine.”

Kat bounced in her chair. “I can’t wait. It’s been a long time since I got arrested. I’m worried my street cred is dropping at the local police station.”

“If it gets to the point they want to arrest someone, we would bail first. I’m not spending my wedding day in jail.”

“We would get out before you had to walk down the aisle,” Kat said before she took a bite out of the hamburger larger than her hand.

“A few months ago, I’d agree with you. But now who would send their kid to my education center when I have an arrest record? Plus, Zack doesn’t need his future wife’s name flashed across national news. Or my mug shot posted on the paparazzi websites.”

“Don’t worry about your picture making it online. That’s why we have Sophie and a ton of other hacker friends,” Kat said as if that solved the world’s problems.

I shook my head. Even though I knew Sophie worked on projects like this daily, she needed to use her skills on the missions she ran for the government. Hell, she’d already done enough for me. Part of me wanted to ask her if she could look at my computer, because it seemed to flash every so often and the cursor would move. Except I didn’t want to look like a computer idiot, so I shut the laptop down and haven’t used it for a while.

“If you want to make my job easier, give me a heads up before you’re put in handcuffs,” Sophie added.

“You sound so convinced we’ll be arrested,” I said before popping a cheese-covered fry in my mouth.

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