Page 45 of Assassin's Prey
“And you can send a message without being in the same location or connecting the groups by wires or computers or anything else?”
Eli nodded. “Exactly. There’s nothing to hack. You have to have the corresponding photons to read the message.”
I still wasn’t certain I understood it, but Eli seemed to, and that was all I needed. The implications, however…
“Every government in the world would be scrambling to acquire a system like that,” Remi said.
Eli nodded. “And every criminal organization.”
“They’ve actually done this?” I asked. “They’re not just in the theoretical stages?”
“Unknown,” Eli said. “The idea has been around in theory for decades. Their team of scientists has published several papers on the subject in the past few years, but recently there’s been some rumors in the security community that Hacr is on the verge of a breakthrough.”
“They’d basically be printing money,” I said. No wonder this wasn’t just about the trust. Nineteen years of investments and interest on my parents’ already substantial fortune would set someone up for life, probably more than one someones. But this… Anyone in control of such a significant development could become the most important person in the world.
This wasn’t just about money. It was about power. Control.
Christ.
Abby yawned again, shifting beside me, her breast pressing against my arm. When I glanced at the clock, I realized it was well past midnight. “We need to hit the sack.” We weren’t going to figure this all out tonight. It would have to wait till tomorrow.
Abby threw me a grateful glance as she stood and stretched. “I want out of this dress,” she said.
Eli and Remi choked, their laughter reviving Abby’s sass. She flipped them the bird.
Honestly, I knew how she felt. It was time for this straitjacket of an outfit to come off. And with the added benefit of watching Abby strip, I had zero compunction about leaving my brothers to clean up our dinner.
In the bedroom Abby flicked on the bedside lamp, the soft glow warm on her skin. “At least this place has a decent bed,” she said, her smile small. She had a point. Safe houses weren’t made for comfort, something she’d experienced more than once.
I ripped the dangling bow tie away from my collar and dropped it to the floor beside my tux jacket, wondering if I could get away with burning the damn thing. “If you’re uncomfortable, princess,” I teased, “let me know. I’ll fix it for you.”
I was only half joking.
“Riiight.” Deep green silk slid down her body. She was left bare from the waist up, a nude lace garter belt gracing her hips, the long straps clipped to creamy thigh-high hose. Tired as I was, my cock stirred.
Abby noticed the look in my eyes and laughed. “Keep the beast locked up. I’m way too tired for any of that.”
I held back a smile as I stalked toward her, Abby retreating until her back hit the wall. Her hand came up to land on my bare chest where my shirt gaped open, but not to push me away. No, she settled it above my heart, absorbing the thump of it beating.
“I love you, Levi,” she said. Simply. Quietly.
I went weak in the knees. Only planting my fists into the wall as I leaned over her kept me upright. “I love you, too,” I said against her mouth.
A sweet, tired kiss was her reply; then she pushed me away. “Go get ready for bed, sexy.”
I was smiling like a fool as I turned toward the bathroom.
Thoughts of giving Abby a foot rub, easing the ache from those far-too-tempting heels she’d worn all evening, maybe extending the massage up her perfect legs to places far more intimate, filled my brain when I walked back into the bedroom—and found Abby fast asleep on top of the covers, one small hand tucked beneath her cheek.
I stopped to stare, to absorb the moment—a moment most men would take for granted, possibly even get angry over. My woman was too tired for sex; how “real life” was that? What would it be like to have Abby asleep in our bed, exhausted from a day of caring for a child? Or desperate for sleep after the restless nights that came with pregnancy?
Less than half a year ago, I couldn’t have imagined the desperate longing that filled my chest in that moment. Couldn’t imagine a life where a wife was possible, much less a child. And now…
Abby had asked how revealing my identity would affect my life, my brothers’ lives. I still didn’t know. Even with my parents’ money, I couldn’t imagine not working, not making the world more just, one kill at a time. But maybe—
A buzz caught my attention. At first I couldn’t place it, staring around the room before I scrambled toward the tuxedo jacket I’d dropped on the floor with so little consideration. In the outer pocket, a slim phone, barely thicker than a credit card, waited, screen lit up.Unknown Caller, it said. I tapped to accept the call.
Silence on the other end.
