Page 28 of Forbidden Virgin Mate

Suddenly, a thought strikes me. What if I could make sure she's okay after the dust settles? I won't feel as guilty if I know she'll be fine, whatever happens.

I rush back to my secure laptop and bring up the back-office files I'm working on to access the pack's banking systems. Something immediately catches my eye. I smile as I see some minor obstacles and adjustments within the system—another hacker has been in here. I can't help myself; I love the challenge.

The hacker isn't bad; they're just nowhere near as good as me. I dance around their code, deliberately throwing them off at points and setting traps to trip them up occasionally. I can't keep the smirk from my face as I see their hacker has ringfenced some funds, thinking I won't be able to touch them—but I can.

I also note that Zack's access has been revoked. I pause for a moment until I spot an old account that isn't used anymore. It appears to be an old savings account with a terrible return. The account still has Zack's name on it, and access to it is through his business account.

I check the name of the other person who has access—Diego. By freezing him out, I can siphon funds into the old account and ensure Zack is the only one with access to them.

I check the ringfenced funds, noting that the amount has increased significantly in the last few days—no doubt due to the fundraising ahead of the sports tournament. My fingers are flying over the keyboard now. I'm in my element, pulling together the fragments of an elaborate heist. It's no wonder the FBI preferred to put me to work rather than lock me up.

I schedule a hidden transfer for the day of the tournament when the fundraiser should hit its maximum. It’ll go straight into Zack's account. This will be the final nail in the coffin.

I don't hesitate to set the transfer, but afterward, my fingers hover over the keyboard for a second. I was so lost in the magic of hacking that I hadn't even second-guessed myself.

Maybe that's for the best. I came here to execute my plan, one I'd been working on for over a year. And I'm going to carry it out. For my family.

But there is something I can do to soften the guilt building within me. I open up one of my favorite untraceable offshore accounts and go through the process of setting up a brand-new account. In Saffy's name.

In a throwback to my days of running the hacking group that put us all through college and bought my condo back in the Bay, I start siphoning money from the pack accounts, major corporations, and other offshore funds to build an almost untraceable fund for Saffy. The fund amounts to just over five million dollars.

Satisfied I've done enough without compromising Saffy or myself, I finalize the account details. Then, I set up an anonymous email account to send her the details a month after the final transfer that will confirm Zack’s guilt. I’ll be out of their lives by then, and long gone by the time the accusations really start to fly.

Am I being a coward, not staying to watch? Maybe.

I think about the man in the bar the other night, the gossip at the fair, and the nasty comments from people when I first arrived and tried to rent somewhere. The thought of all that being levied at Zack and Saffy doesn’t sit well, despite what I’m doing for Saffy. My bravado as I worked against the pack hacker—flexing my skills as I overrode all their failsafes, laughing off their attempts to trap me—suddenly fades.

I check my messages to see three missed calls and five messages from my mom. She wants an update, and I know she'll love to hear how my plan is coming to fruition. By any hacker's standards, I’ve pulled this off to perfection. But I can't bring myself to reply and hear her gloating about Zack and Saffy's downfall. She doesn't even know them.

Agent Barnes will be expecting me to log on for the debrief soon. I feel like I'm treading a thin line between being the villain and a hero. The FBI loves my work, and I've no doubt this debrief will be another glowing one. But I feel like the worst of the worst right now.

Just as I'm about to log on, my phone buzzes again. The familiar feelings of stress wash over me as I check to see if it's my mom again. Instead, Zack's name flashes on the screen. My heart sinks as I look at his message.

I really want to see you. Let me know if you're free. - Z x

What can I do? The only thing I can do.

Ignore him and leave town as soon as possible.

Chapter 14 - Zack

I finally put the tools down in the back room. The dust in the air is so thick now, it's managed to infiltrate the mask I'm wearing. I can feel it coating every exposed part of my skin. As the air starts to clear, I look around at my handiwork. This section of the house has been pretty much unfinished since I moved in; I've been too busy to complete the drywall. Now that I'm practically a recluse, it's given me a focus. I'm almost disappointed this is the final section.

What the hell am I going to do next?

I go from the house to the forestry office and back again—that's it. I haven't been near town in over three weeks. Saffy's not even working at the store at the moment. Diego and Quinn bring food and supplies to us and pretend everything is going to be okay.

Saffy's still going to college occasionally, but she's mainly completing assignments at home now. I'm damn proud of her for attending all. It's more than I could do.

Diego came by last night in one last attempt to convince me to participate in the sports tournament today. I get it—it's a big deal to have the alpha stand by me like that, and so publicly. But there's no way I was ever going to go. I was supposed to head up the relay team, and not one of those men has bothered to reach out to me since I stopped going into town. How could I possibly lead a whole team of them?

I think deep down, Diego knows that, too, but he didn't want to admit it to me. He told me that he nearly canceled the sports tournament altogether but decided that might not be the best thing for the pack. The pack comes first, of course.

I wander into the kitchen, not even caring that dust is now falling all over the floor, and pour myself a drink to try and clear my throat. Saffy would go mad if she saw the mess, but she's with her friend Emily. I'm so grateful that she has one friend who has been brave enough to stand with her. The girl's parents have been great, too. In solidarity for Saffy missing the sports tournament, Emily offered to skip it, too, so they're having a sleepover instead. I know Saffy will never forget that kindness.

I don't think she wanted to leave me here alone, but I insisted. All I want is a breakthrough or some kind of development. Anything.

Diego mentioned that Mateo's hacker had noticed new activity on the accounts, but no money was moved. The hacker also said that whoever’s doing it has serious skills—the sorts of skills he'd only seen in government-level attacks. That should only make it less likely that I would be the culprit, given I'm just a forestry owner living in the mountains.

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