Page 7 of The Perfect Lie
“Not that, Kenzi, the last part?”
Kenzi looked at me with confusion before she asked. “You mean the part about the server being secure? At the time, I didn’t think it was important. It was only after waking up that it occurred to me that it was strange.”
She was right. Davian told me that I had access to a computer whenever I needed to use one and that the server was secure and unhackable. “I think we should let Davian know.”
“Before we do that, I have something else to tell you.” Kenzi’s expression became serious, and I knew that whatever she had to say was pretty important.
“What is it, Kenzi?”
“Maybe it’s from working in a lawyer's office, or maybe just instinct, but I think your parents getting arrested might have been planned.”
Kenzi was smart, but I wasn’t sure if her theory about my parents’ arrest was accurate. However, I wondered if I should tell her about the conversation with Kian last night and what Giles Curtis said about my adopted father. As much as I trusted Kenzi, the last thing I wanted was to jeopardize Davian's trust by sharing information that he didn’t want known.
Downing the last of my coffee, I waited for Kenzi to get dressed before we headed down to the computer room, where Davian spent most of his time. Come to think of it, the only time he came upstairs was to eat and sleep and, of course, have sex. Other than last night, we hadn’t had much time together since we left the Caymans.
I tucked those thoughts away when Kenzi appeared. As we headed down the steps to the computer area, a thought came to mind. If Kenzi was right about the information that popped up on her computer, there was a good chance that someone might have hacked an unhackable system. Without warning, like a vise around the throat, I couldn’t breathe.What if it was Rui Salko?I felt myself on the verge of hyperventilating. Unable to take another step, I became dizzy due to a lack of oxygen.
“Reyna, what is it?” Kenzi reached out and took hold of my arm as I grabbed the railing for support.
Lowering my body onto the step above where I stood, I tried to control my breathing. Rubbing my hands across my face, I tried to gather my thoughts. “I just need a minute to clear my head. I think I am overthinking what you said and making myself panic.”
“I know what you’re thinking, Reyna.” Kenzi placed her hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before leaning over and hugging me from behind. “If Rui Salko had anything to do with the arrest of your parents, or was using it to get to you, Davian would stop at nothing to protect you. I know you know that. And another thing. If someone did hack the server, Patton would know. He would crush any further attempts to get into the system. You need to have a little faith.”
Kenzi was right. But I couldn’t help think about Rui and how long it took for Davian to find me. After sitting for what seemed like hours instead of minutes, I rose to my feet and let faith take over. “Let’s do this.”
∞
When we reached the computer room, Patton, Axe, Calvin, and the rest ofThe Society'smenwere diligently typing away at their computers. My focus wasn’t on them; it was on Davian. He wasbeautiful,if that was even possible for a man to be. His hair was combed back with product, with one stray strand hovering above his right eye. Moving my eyes lower, I could see the muscles in his biceps flex as he stretched his arms behind his head while he focused on the computer screen before him. He exuded power in a way that should have scared me, but instead, it left me in a lustful haze. From the first day we met, which I couldn’t believe was close to two months ago, I was mesmerized by his dominant demeanor and sexy persona. I should have run for the hills that night at‘Stage One,’but there was something about him I felt compelled to explore. Not even Tyler had this effect on me, and we dated for over a year. Maybe the reason I never gave him my virginity was that I was holding out for something better. And that something better was Davian.
Taking stock in his handsome features, my ogling was broken when Kenzi nudged me from behind. “Are you just going to stand drooling over Davian, or are you going to tell him what I told you?” Even though Kenzi was sometimes a pain in my ass, I had to give her credit. She was always direct and to the point.
“I’m getting there.” I yelped as she pushed me along.
Pulling his focus away from the computer, Davian locked eyes with me. Nothing could bring a smile to my face like being greeted with his brilliant smile. He pushed away from the desk and my eyes were glued to the muscles of his biceps, stretching the thin layer of his black t-shirt. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt was a rare look on him, but one I liked most.
Before heading our way, Davian stopped behind Patton, seated at the desk next to his. I could see the movement of Davian’s lips and wondered what he said. When Patton moved his head up and down, I could only assume that Davian requested he do something. My assumption was correct. Patton pushed away from his desk and walked in the opposite direction, away from Davian.
Meeting Davian at half the distance from where we stood, he pulled me to his body and kissed me on the forehead. “I thought for sure you would still be sleeping.” Holding me at arm's length, showcasing his perfect smile, he looked between Kenzi and me. “What brings you ladies down here?”
Kenzi was about to tell him her theory, but I interrupted her before she said too much. “Kenzi and I have something to tell you. Given that the news came over Kenzi’s tablet, Kenzi brought up a good point this morning.”
“I’m listening, princess.” Davian moved his attention to Kenzi before he reverted it back to me.
“Well… Kenzi found it strange that the news report on my father would come over the Internet the way it did, especially when you said that the server was unhackable. Kenzi found it strange that it popped up out of nowhere.”
“That’s right, Davian.” Kenzi stepped forward to back-up her claim. “It was strange that the news flash popped up on the screen when we were looking for birthday ideas. What is even more alarming is that it involved her parents. I feel like someone knew we were on the Internet at that exact time.”
Concern flashed across Davian’s face as he turned his body. “Patton.”
“Yeah,” Patton answered, calm and collected as he came back in the room.
“Check the servers. We might have been hacked.”
Taking my hand, Davian tugged me toward Patton’s desk. When we reached it, I wasn’t sure what Patton was doing. Having never been hacked, I watched him eagerly pound his fingers against the keyboard until rows of white numbers mixed with letters appeared on a black background. I wasn’t sure if it was because Patton had typed some sort of encryption code or if it something totally different. By no means was I computer illiterate, but searching for a hacker was something way above my head.
Taken by surprise, Patton cursed, “Fuck,” which was a word I never heard from his mouth, at least not in my presence. “Sorry, ladies,” he apologized, “but you were right. We’ve been hacked.”
My heart just fell into my stomach, and I was more scared than I’d ever been. No matter how much protection Davian had over me, it was no match for what Rui was capable of. Hacking the server was just a stepping stone. Sooner rather than later, I knew he would have his goons surrounding the warehouse, and even though I knew Davian and his men were capable of protecting the girls and me, it was no match for the power Rui Salko had. He took me once, and nothing would stop him from taking me again.
