Page 83 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

Spike and I exchange nervous glances. “I’ll be fumbling their CCTV footage remotely with a loop, just in case. But if the shit does hit the fan, you just haul ass out of there, babe. And don’t look back.”

“Even if it’s before the twenty minutes are up? Where will that leave you?” Teagan gives me a worried look.

“Same as where I started.”

She shakes her head slowly. “What do my brothers think about this?”

“They’re not fans,” I sigh deeply.

“No surprise there,” Teagan says.

“They’re being protective, and I get it. Lord knows, I appreciate it. And while they’re still working on the legal options… I have to try this, even if it exposes me. I know your brothers won’t let anyone come near this house or their offices. It’s what I’m actually banking on.”

Spike lets a heavy sigh out and takes a long sip of his coffee. “Honestly, I don’t like this either. But Christa and I went over every possible scenario. This is the best out of the worst-case situations, and if it gets her closer to destroying the Mancinis without getting other people hurt or killed, I’m game.”

“They’re rich and powerful and dangerous, but back at Perry-Sage, they relied on my expertise,” I remind Teagan. “Whatever Vince wants to do to me, it’s deeply personal. I don’t think he’s really considered the risks.”

Spike gives me a wry grin. “It’s probably because his father is one of the Mancinis who ended up in prison after Perry-Sage went down.”

“Revenge crossed my mind more than once. Whether it was for the money and the front they lost with Perry-Sage or the actual personal cost doesn’t really matter. He is hell-bent on tormenting me before he kills me. And I’m afraid your brothers, whom I love deeply, might not be enough to stop him. It’s not that I doubt the Hawthornes’ power, it’s because I am well aware of how determined the Mancinis can be.”

Teagan offers a slight nod. “Will it help keep my brothers safe, too?”

“If we succeed, yes,” I say. “All of Federal hell will rain down on that wretched family. They will have no choice but to pull back and close ranks.”

“Once Christa gets into their main system, it’ll be smooth sailing from there,” Spike further explains. “They won’t even know she breached their firewalls. Hell, they won’t be aware of any download or copies made, nothing. I designed my worm to perfection.”

“Teagan, I need to reiterate something,” I gently interject. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Secrecy, however, is of the utmost importance if we succeed. No one can know. Plausible deniability is what will stop the Mancinis’ defense attorneys from any aggressive tactics in court.”

“You thought this through and then some.”

“I had to. For everyone’s sake. If we’re going to survive and even thrive when all of this is over, I have to make sure every crack is sealed and everyone, especially River, Cassius, and Nathan, are protected,” I say.

She gives me a long, pensive look. For a moment, I see that high school troublemaker in Teagan’s hazel eyes. I can almost hear her playful cackle from the last stunt we pulled when we were kids. It got us a few days in detention, but it was worth it.

I have to make this worth it, too.

“You can count on me, Christa. We’re family, even if not by blood. And family means everything to me.”

“Good, because you mean everything to me, too,” I tell her with a trembling voice.

“I’m down for a group hug, if you want, ladies,” Spike chimes in.

That gets a hearty laugh out of both of us, and it moves everything along. I find comfort in the company of my close friends. I find hope in the future for the first time in a while—especially after the desolation I felt on the heels of Vince Mancini’s visit.

I’d hoped for a cleaner resolution.

Alas, Vince Mancini backed me into a corner without fully realizing what I’m capable of.

It’s well past midnight,and I sneak out of the Hawthorne mansion without triggering any sensors. I don’t like not telling the brothers what I’m up to, but it’s for their own good. Cautious and light on my feet, I jump over the fence on the south side of the property and order a car from a ridesharing app.

I have the driver take the longer route across the city along with several unnecessary turns before he drops me off outside the Hawthorne building.

I’m set,Spike writes on our group chat.Ready when you are.

I’m two minutes out from Mancini’s office, Teagan replies.

Give me two as well, and we’re good to go, I text back and slip through the service entrance on the east side of the building. I copied several access cards with different credentials and clearance levels to cover my tracks.

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