Page 13 of Hacked For Love
At eight sharp I’m sitting at one of my restaurants downtown, pre-gaming with a single Manhattan, which I nurse very slowly as I watch the door. The walls are made of structural-strength glass panels, thick enough that the rain striking their outsides is distorted a little. From my seat at the edge of the mezzanine above the bar, I can covertly watch everyone walking or driving byoutside.
The door opens one minute after eight, and a slight figure strides in, wrapped in fawn-colored gabardine. She puts her hood down, and I blink slightly as I focus on her face and the glossy mane of shoulder-length hair surroundingit.
The AI had the face nailed. She has the innocent features of a Renaissance angel. She hasn’t gone heavy on the makeup—it’s all tasteful and subtle…except for short fingernails the color of steel—and thathair.
She looks like a class act, too, in all aspects but one. Those tresses. Soft flattering waves, dyed in multiple colors, giving it depth and texture...but...those colors are all shades of green. Emerald strands shimmer in the light as she shakes out her hair and takes off her coat, revealing an aubergine dress and tights beneath. A simple strand of steel-colored pearls crosses her throat. She looks like a punk—an elegant punk, tastefullyoutrageous.
I wonder if she has any tattoos under that dress. And then I have to fight down a surge of lusty curiosity, because apparently my cock doesn’t give a damn what color her hairis.
I stand after a moment, ignoring any mild awkwardness, and gesture to the hostess. She nods and goes to bring Miss Locke up tome.
“Good evening,” I greet the young hacker once the hostess has left us alone on the mezzanine. “Thank you for joining me, MissLocke.”
Chapter7
Robin
He’s even hotter in person. Big, graceful, the faint scent of an expensive, spicy cologne hanging around him. Photos can’t capture the power of those steely eyes or the subtle play of emotions across his beautifulface.
I could watch him all day.That’sdangerous.
He pulls out my chair for me as I try to figure out how to respond. “Thank you,” I finally manage as I sit down. “Not like you gave me muchchoice.”
“I apologize for that. But even though you may have included me in your little… venture…by mistake, actions have consequences, and this needs to be put right.” He smiles tightly as he settles into his chair, his eyes locked withmine.
I stare back, resolving not to let him take full control of the conversation. Rich guys always act like they have the right to dominate those around them. It pisses meoff.
“I’ll help get Marcone off your tail,” I say quickly in a low voice. “And if you want to know how the money was spent, I’ll show you. But I swear to God, if you go after those people I’mhelping—”
He holds up a hand, sounding tired but firm. “I’m not going to go after them. I just want to know what task is so important that you would risk making such dangerous enemies to completeit.”
I pause, sizing him up again. Past all that self-assured, dominant beauty, the man across the table from me doesn’t actually seem angry. Not unhappy at all, actually. Instead, he seems verycurious.
I hesitate on the edge of opening up a little, skittish as a stray cat with this stranger who has every reason to want to ruin my life. “So, you didn’t bring the police. I’m presuming you didn’t bring recording equipment, since that fan up there puts out enough white noise to ruin anyattempt.”
“That’s deliberate,” he replies smoothly. “I’m not here to call the police on you, lead you into a trap, or gather incriminating evidence. I want exactly what I asked for. Thetruth.”
He’s being a gentleman about this, way more than I probably deserve at this point, especially from his point of view. I lay my briefcase on the table, open it, and pull out a folder ofprintouts.
“Last night alone your money saved these families from everything from foreclosure to death. If you want me to apologize for that, I’m not going to. But if you want me to apologize for mistaking you for someone you’re not, and for potentially getting you in trouble with those…other guys, I’ll kiss your fuckingboot.”
His eyebrows climb toward his hairline. But then he just smiles lopsidedly and rumbles, “That won’t be necessary. But given your vehement free-spiritedness, I’ll take the apology with the gravity youintended.”
“Good. If I didn’t feel like crap about catching you up in this, we wouldn’t be talking.” I slide the folders over to him. I’ve redacted all contact information and social security numbers—he could probably still find them, but it won’t be by myhand.
“The whole idea is to make those who don’t give a damn pay their share anyway and save people who don’t have a chance otherwise. But you’re already paying yours. I should have caughtthat.”
I can’t stand sloppy work. I know that the mess with the apartment next door knocked my emotions off the rails and is half to blame for my rash decision, but it’s more than that. I was just looking for rich guys who ticked enough boxes on my “evil” list to justify stealing from.Hell, I vetted my recipients more closely than I did my “donors.”
“You’re blushing,” he comments without looking up from the profiles he’s slowly paging through. There is the tiniest note of teasing in hisvoice.
“I…uh…ah…”Shit!How does he do that, without even reallytrying?
I’m blushing even harder now, and I can’t stop. I stare down at the tabletop, my face burning. “Look, I’m just bothered that this happened. Let’s not make a big deal over some dilatedcapillaries.”
“Oh, I’m not, but apparently you are.” His lips curve in a faint, lopsided smile before he goes back to reading. “Why not pick targets halfway across the world, or give to people well away from where you are, to keep anyone from connecting you to thislocation?”
It’s a fair question. I can’t tell him how little I actually care about my own outcome in this, as long as I finish the job, so instead I simply say, “This is my community. And their needs are more important than mysafety.”
