Page 84 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

Once I reach my office, I take a deep breath and start my computer, then patch into the live group chatroom that Spike, Teagan, and I set up for this particular mission.

“Alright, how’s everyone doing?” I ask, making sure my Bluetooth earpiece and mic are connected.

“I’m good, ladies.” Spike’s voice pours into my head. “Locked and loaded.”

“I’m pulling into the side alley now,” Teagan chirps.

“If your husband could see you,” Spike chuckles.

I can’t help but smile as I do a quick systems check and turn on every VPN and shield interface I’ve got on this computer before I upload Spike’s worm into an innocuous link and drop it into an equally innocent-looking corporate email that Teagan’s positionwill help launch straight into the Mancinis’ Portland server.

“My hubby is fast asleep, and I made sure he stays that way ‘til morning,” Teagan says.

“You slipped something in his nightcap, didn’t you?” I ask, already aware of the answer.

“It’s harmless. Herbal stuff. My doctor prescribed it for my pre-wedding jitters!”

Spike laughs. “You devil, you.”

“Okay, I’m in the alley.”

I can’t see any of them, but I have a clear image of Spike and Teagan in my head. Spike is back at his place, running his side of the cyber ops, while Teagan is behind the wheel, parked in pitch-black darkness, hitting the power button on my laptop.

It’s supposed to run smoothly.

“I’m ready on my end,” I tell them. “Systems are up, and the email is ready to send. Teagan, all you need to do is let me know when you get the green window pop-up.”

“Got it. I’m running every icon you have on the laptop’s desktop screen now.”

“Five of them,” I confirm.

“Yes, ma’am. All five running… Ugh, fifteen minutes left.”

“It’ll probably be less than that,” I reply. “I’ve tested it on three different beta targets. Response times varied based on the server size.”

Spike scoffs. “The Mancinis may have a few computer whiz kids on their payroll, but they’re notthatsmart. Come on.”

“Where are my brothers?” Teagan asks.

“Fast asleep. Though I didn’t use any herbal sleep tricks on them,” I shoot back with a giggle.

“How are they on the baby front?”

Spike groans. “Ladies, this is a massive hacking operation, not a girls’ chatroom.”

“Shut up, we’re good here,” Teagan insists. “It’s quiet. No one’s coming.”

“And Spike has the CCTV footage altered and on a loop for that angle, right?” I ask.

“Absolutely.”

“Then, to answer your question, Tee, they’re stoked.” Spike became privy to the nature of our relationship because he’s one of the few people I trust to keep it a secret. Besides, if this were ever to become public, I would need his scrubbing skills for the worldwide web to protect the Hawthornes and myself. I’m good, but Spike is even better at taking things down from a public platform—especially a media outlet. “Cassius wants us to get the nursery ready, starting this weekend.”

Teagan laughs. “I’d better tell River to keep Cass on a tight leash. Once that man sets a plan in motion, he goes off the rails in minute detail.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you will go through ten different contractors before Cass is happy with the wall colors or the flooring. He is sucha stickler for details, I almost kicked him out of our apartment when he first came in to help,” Teagan says.

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