Page 26 of Burning Bridges

I’m slightly surprised. I knew she would find a way to try and come to the Rivera mansion. She is snooping for information, and what better way to get in than come to our home. But the dinner-date part has thrown me. What does she stand to gain with sharing a meal with me? I’m intrigued to say the least. “When are you free?”

She looks at me, surprised by my question. She thought I was going to shut her down. “Tonight?”

“I’ll pick you up at six then.”

“Okay?” she says like it’s a question. Her earlier anger has been replaced with bewilderment. She takes one last look at me then wanders back across the street. When she gets to the other side, she tuns back to look at me again. I give her a nod then drive away. Round two, Princess. Let’s see who wins this one.

When I get to Queen of Hearts, I let myself in, switch on the lights, and enter the code for the alarm. The beeping that normally stops once the alarm is deactivated turns into blaring sirens. I key in the code again but nothing, it’s not working. For fuck's sake. I run back out the front, the sound now deafening.

“What the hell, man.” Jett rushes past me, coming back a second later. “The code's not working,” he yells over the ear-piercing sound.

“You think? Call the security company and get the thing shut off before we attract too much attention,” I growl, my head now pounding, my good mood from my chat with Piper vanishing instantly.

He calls the security company that he is the CEO of, Rivera Security, and yells instructions down the phone. Within seconds, the alarm finally switches off. “Yeah, all right, send me the report,” Jett snips, hanging up the phone. Walking back toward me, he looks defeated by the day already.

“What is it?”

“The hackers got through this time. They have changed the alarm system, that’s why we couldn’t turn it off.”

“For fuck's sake. Is this some kind of game to them? What else did they access?” I go back through the door, flicking on the lights and lighting up the place. We will have staff arriving soon to get ready for tonight, and I don’t want them to know a thing about this.

“I’m not sure yet. They're emailing through the report. But, Leo, this isn’t just some thugs, these guys are smart. They could have accessed our banking accounts, the client lists, staff details. They could have anything, and we might not have known about it for months or even years depending on what type of attack they were trying to conduct. They could've done it all without us knowing, but changing the alarm code on us was like leaving a calling card. It's like a giant 'fuck you.'”

I run a hand through my hair, knowing that what I’m about to say is going to sound ludicrous to Jett, but there is only one person I know who would want to do this to us and have the smarts to make it happen. “I think I know who's behind it. And if I’m right, Piper is going to be the key to us working out how the hell he’s doing it.” I walk behind the bar and pour myself a drink.

Jett follows me, pulling the ingredients out of the fridge for one of his green protein smoothies. He places the ingredients in a blender and turns the thing on, pouring his gloopy drink in a glass when he’s done. “You think it’s the Kings? Kobe told me what you said this morning.”

“If it is them, I don’t think they're intelligent enough to orchestrate something like this alone. They would need help. And you and I both know there aren't many people in the world, let alone the country, with hacking skills this good.”

“You mean other than me.”

“I mean just like you. Who is the only other person who could do this?”

The look he gives me, he knows exactly who I’m thinking about. “He’s dead,” he says like I’ve lost my mind. No one else has even considered Tony might still be alive. They all just believe what Axel said when he got back from the island.

“Yeah, something tells me he’s not.”

“You might be right, this does fit his MO. He had me do something similar to one of Axel’s businesses when he was messing with him. He was with me while I was working on it. With a little more computer programming experience, he would have been able to work his way in eventually. He also knows exactly how this place is set up. But if he is alive and it’s him hacking our systems, what do you think he wants?”

I glare at him, wondering if he took too many knocks to the head in training this morning. “What would you want, Jett?”

“Everything that was taken from me.”

“Precisely,” I agree. I know I could be wrong about this. Maybe the Kings have found someone experienced enough to get into our systems, but I know for a fact that Tony knew how to do it, and it would also add up as to why Piper has a new toy and money again. If she knows he's alive, she would be back working with him, being his little yes girl and doing whatever it takes to help her brother, just like she always did in the past. He would have had two years to plan his revenge and work out exactly how he was going to take us down.

The Acevedos also had connections with the Kings, and the two of them could be working together, although that part doesn’t add up as well with Piper, since Axel seemed to believe she was really freaked out about the information dropped off to her salon. But maybe she has him fooled, as well as everyone else.

Chapter 16

PIPER

Leohasgoneallout as well and is in a three-piece suit, and I have to say he looks damn fine in it. When I demanded he take me out if he wanted to see me again, I wasn’t expecting him to go to so much trouble. I just wanted to see what he was willing to do. But when he texted me to say he had organized this evening and I should dress formal, I had to see what he had planned for us. If for nothing more than curiosity’s sake. I also didn’t expect him to agree to let me stay at his place. In fact, I can’t believe he will permit me there at all. Surely he knows how dangerous it is for him, having me in his personal space. Anything I find I will use against him when I have to. But maybe he has already worked out what I’m up to and is luring me into a false sense of security. As we turn on to the freeway heading toward the desert, the thought comes to life in my head, maybe he’s taking me out of town to murder me because he has worked out Tony’s alive and I’m working for him. What better place to dispose of a body so no one will find it?

My stomach rolls at the thought. I have a gun in my purse just in case things go south tonight, but I’m not sure I would even have time to grab it. If Leo wanted to overpower me, it would be so easy for him to do. “Where are you taking me?” I ask him, trying to keep the anxiety from my voice.

He turns to me, his face unreadable. He really could be about to kill me. “It’s a surprise, you will just have to wait and see.” His voice is cool and calm, but that doesn’t tell me anything either. Knowing him, I'm sure he would be like this right up until he blew my brains out.

I glance down at my hands, finding the diamond bracelet I’m wearing and playing with it to distract myself. I’m feeling extra uneasy tonight. The events of the last few weeks are starting to line up in a way that feels all too much for me. It’s too late, though, I’m in the damn car with him now.

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