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Quinn jumped, her already heightened anxiety leaving her back teeth grinding together. “Is it bad out? I hadn’t noticed.” She did nothing to hide her sarcasm. “I mean, I’ve only been standing out in this crap for nearly twenty minutes waiting for you to show up.”

“It’s only been fifteen.” Justin appeared from around the building’s corner. “And I’m here.”

Beneath the protection of his dark gray hoodie, a flash of near-perfect teeth appeared with the twenty-six-year-old’s boyish smile. With the jeans and a faded denim jacket he always wore, Quinn thought—and not for the first time—the guy could totally be related to the famous Hemsworth brothers.

And the way his handsome face lit up when he saw her…

Sometimes he looks at me as if I’m his everything.

Quinn’s worried heart filled as Justin joined her beneath the narrow overhang, but the moment of serenity was over as quickly as it came. As she stared up into those crystal blue eyes that had stolen her young heart months before, she could almostfeelthe shift in her universe begin.

“Hey, babe.” Justin leaned in for a quick, chaste kiss. “You ready to do this?”

Am I?

Her gaze flittered to that black car again before bouncing back to him. Quinn swallowed her apprehension and smiled. “Yep.”

“That’s my girl.” He kissed her again.

Reaching around her, Justin unlocked the padlock on the plain metal door next to where she stood. With a quick glance at their immediate surroundings, he yanked the metal lock free, pulled the door open, and ducked inside.

Quinn risked a hidden glance to her right. The heavy downpour all but concealed the black car now, which explained how he’d missed seeing it.

Giving the invisible men inside a final look, she followed her boyfriend through the back door of what had been a small deli. But like most business in this area of the city, the local establishment hadn’t lasted.

It was there one day, and plywood boards and newspapers covered the windows the next. An unfortunate turn of events for the owners…a struck of luck for Justin. The perfect spot, he’d called it.

Perfect. Right.

Guilt assaulted her as she moved cautiously into the unlit space. Walking past the stainless-steel counters, sink, and commercial-grade stove, the two made their way through the empty kitchen and into the open space at the front of the unoccupied business.

“Wait here,” Justin ordered, not waiting to see if she’d obeyed before shifting directions.

As instructed, Quinn stayed put, watching his shadowed form move toward the blackened corner of the wide-open space to their right. Her lips parted in surprise when a light came on and the reality of the situation sank in.

The small lamp’s warm glow revealed a long table fitted with four large, curved computer monitors, two wireless keyboards, a state-of-the-art desktop, and a laptop she didn’t recognize. Resting to the side was a small, portable machine she recognized as an instant issuer credit card embosser.

Praying her acting skills were up to par, Quinn lifted a stunned gaze from the tech-filled table to him. “Justin… When did you get all of this?” The better question to ask was, “Wheredid you get it? You don’t have the money for this sort of set-up.”

“Correction.” His lips curved into an arrogant smirk. “I didn’t have the money.”

“But you do now?” Quinn frowned.

Like her, Justin had come from nothing. It was the first of many connections they’d made along the way, and the driving force behind his plan. Also like her, he still jumped from job-to-job. Always part-time and rarely over minimum wage.

That’s how she knew there was no way Justin had the savings to cover something like this. Not without help.

“Where did you get the equipment, Justin?” she asked again.

Quinn knew full-well where it had come from, but she needed him to say the words aloud.

Their original plan had been to use a refurbished PC he’d bought from a guy at the big box store where he currently worked. They’d scrimped and saved, pooling their cash together to cover the cost.

When they finally had enough, Justin brought the computer home, to their run-down apartment, and she immediately went to work taking it apart. Rebuilding the computer from scratch, Quinn had used all new parts, each purchased as soon as they could afford them.

It took several weeks, but by the time she was finished, they were the proud owners of a custom-made PC with enough power and speed to pull off the biggest hack they’d ever attempted.

Biggest and most dangerous.

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