Page 45 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

"Really?" My heart raced as the implications settled in. "Do you know what files they were trying to access?"

“No. Not yet. To be honest, I’m not sure the hacker did either. They were haphazard, like they were searching for something but didn’t know where to look. I’m still investigating, but since you’re in Boston and this hack came from Boston, I figured I should let you know.”

“I appreciate it. Keep digging and let me know what more you learn.”

“Will do,” Buddy promised before hanging up.

Setting my phone down, I scribbled notes about the call and the hacking attempt on my notepad. If this intrusion was related to what the mystery texter was looking for, perhaps Liam had stumbled upon data that could shed light on the criminal activities he'd been involved in. Or maybe the hacker was searching for any communications I'd saved from Liam, hoping to uncover some hidden clue. It was impossible to be sure, but one thing was clear. I needed to learn more about the world Liam had been immersed in.

Staying up late into the night, I continued to pore over the documents and files scattered across the table, wishing I'd paid more attention to what was going on with Liam before he died.

I finally hit a wall. Exhaustion forced me into bed, my mind still churning over the information and my guilt at failing Liam. Sleep came slowly, dragging me down into a restless slumber.

All of a sudden, I was standing in the alley by Frankie’s pool hall. The air hung with ominous danger. My heart race.; My eyes darted around. What was going on?

"Is this all you've got?" Liam's voice echoed through the alley, tinged with disgust and anger. He stepped forward, his blond hair disheveled and his mischievous smile replaced by a scowl. "You don't know anything, do you? You never did."

"Liam.” He was standing right there. I reached out, needing to touch him, but he stepped back. "I'm trying to help now. I'll make it right, I swear." Desperation filled me. This was my chance to make amends. To put things right.

"Too little, too late," he spat. “You gave up on me. Wrote me off.”

I shook my head. “No. Never. I wanted the best for you.”

He scoffed. “You wanted Lindsay. And with me out of the way, there was nothing stopping you.”

"Please." My heart shattered under the weight of his condemnation. "I didn't know. I didn't understand what you were going through."

"Didn't want to understand, more like. You just thought the worst of me.”

I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t. It hadn’t occurred to me that he was trying to bring down the crew. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing? I could have helped you.”

“More like help yourself to Lindsay. But she’s mine. I might be gone, but she’s mine.”

The dream shifted, and suddenly, I was no longer in the dark alley. Instead, I was in Lindsay’s old home, standing in her bedroom, watching her sleep. She moaned and flailed like she was having a nightmare. I stepped to her, desperate to wake her and comfort her.

She held me and I held her. Soon, I was inside her, savoring the sweetness of her body. She moaned. “Liam.”

Fucking hell.

A dark chuckle sounded from the foot of the bed. “I told you. She’s mine.”

I jolted awake. A fresh wave of guilt and shame washed through me. It was a dream and yet very real. It was a brutal reminder of just how much I had failed not only Liam, but Lindsay as well. If I wanted to make things right with Liam, I had to put an end to my feelings for her and instead finish what he'd started.

If she planned to be involved in this, I’d have to make sure that we stayed friends, helping each other just as we had when Liam was alive. Untangling myself from the sheets, I rose from bed and began my day, starting with a cold shower, not to dampen sexual desire but to blast away the remnants of the dream.

Dressed and focused on the job at hand, I called the FBI office in Boston, navigating my way through a maze of automated options and transfers. It took longer than I would have liked, but eventually, I found myself speaking with a female agent named Veronica Marsden. She wouldn’t give me any information, yet she agreed to meet with me later that morning. That had to mean there was something to the rumor of Liam talking to the Feds, right? It was a small victory but one that I held onto. I was determined to make amends to Liam.

I sent Lindsay a text message telling her about the appointment and asking if she’d meet me beforehand at the coffee shop. I wanted to share the information Buddy had given and perhaps come up with a game plan on talking to Agent Marsden. She responded that she’d meet me at the shop in thirty minutes.

After hanging up the phone, I grabbed my coat and headed out to meet Lindsay. I found a table and waited. When she walked in, my heart skipped a beat. She was so fucking lovely. And smart. And brave. And Liam’s.

"Hey." I tried to keep my voice casual as she sat in the chair across from me. “I took the liberty of getting you a chai latte.”

She smiled, though I could see the shadows still lurking behind her eyes. "Thank you.” She wrapped her hands around the mug. “So, you got the appointment.”

I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee before telling her about how I believed the attempted hack into my computer was connected to the guy looking for whatever Liam hid.

“It makes no sense to me why our anonymous texter won’t tell us what he’s looking for. But I’m wondering if it’s some sort of data.”

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