Page 125 of Wicked Beautiful (Wicked Games 1)
Connor says, “The Citibank hack? The Scientology job? The International Space Station?” His voice rises to a shout. “My fucking Origin system?”
Tabby flutters her lashes, coy as a geisha. “Sucks to be you right now, doesn’t it, Mr. Machismo? I bet all five of your poor little brain cells are really scrambled! Outdone by a girl…the tragedy!”
He curls his hands to fists and makes a sound like a bear rudely awakened from hibernation. Tabby laughs in delight.
“B-but the Hello Kitty doll in Victoria’s luggage,” I protest, my already overloaded mind struggling with this new bit of information.
“That was mine,” answers Tabby. “I packed it for her as a good luck charm.”
“Then why…why would Victoria say she was you? That she was Polaroid? Why wouldn’t she have corrected me?”
All the laughter fades from Tabby’s eyes. “Because she was protecting me, Parker. That’s what you do for the people you love.”
That skewers me straight through the heart.
Connor says darkly, “You mean for the person who was paying you to fuck with other people’s livelihoods.”
Tabby snaps, “That’s just because you tried to fuck with ours!”
“I only tried getting into her email account; you fried my entire system!”
“It’s not my fault that you left your back door wide open, jarhead.”
“If you think you’re insulting me by calling me a jarhead, woman, think again; I’m proud to be a Marine! I was in goddamn Special Ops!”
Tabby retorts with a snotty, “Not smart enough for the Navy SEALs, hmm? Or does that apelike body of yours not float?”
My mind is going too fast for me to pay much attention to Tabby and Connor and the bizarre hate-fuck vibe zinging back and forth between them. Because if Tabby is Polaroid, that means she’s the one with the incredible computer skills, not Victoria.
Which means she knows her boss’s new identity.
I jump to my feet. My chair skids back with a screech. Darcy, Tabby and Connor all stop what they’re doing and look at me.
“You created the new passport and new papers for Victoria, didn’t you?”
Tabby nods. “Yes.”
Relief floods me, quickly followed by a potent dose of adrenaline that makes my hands shake. “So you know her new name.”
Connor and Darcy connect the dots at once. Darcy whoops, Connor abandons his sexually charged glare-off with Tabby for a second to glance at me and mutter, “That’s great,” but Tabby shakes her head.
“I already checked for any activity with the new identity. Victoria used the new driver’s license to rent a car in Newark. That’s the first and last time she used it.”
“What about the passport?”
“No hits on any train, airline or cruise ship manifests. Or anywhere else.”
My heart pounds like a jackhammer. A wave of hope surges inside me. “So she’s still in the States.”
“Not necessarily. She’s got more than enough cash to bribe a border crossing agent.”
“Which leaves us with Canada and Mexico,” says Darcy excitedly.
“Tabby, did Victoria return the rental car yet?”
“Not since I last checked.”
My heartbeat rockets into the stratosphere. “Let’s check again. Right now.”
