Sky pulled up a search window and typed in Brighton Business Solutions. It was a company based in Virginia. Business software applications, like Bliss had said. Ordinary enough. So what did Bill Martin possess that had piqued the CIA’s interest and gotten him killed? Whatever it was, it was in his files.
“I think I found something,” Bliss said a few minutes later, and Sky turned to gaze at her, one arm on the desk and one along the back of the chair. Her long hair hung over one shoulder and her blue eyes met his over the top of her computer. “Someone named Marty McFly posted three months ago that he had a worm to sell. The worm was guaranteed to take down every power grid in a geographic area through means of a Windows kernel exploit. Or so he said.”
Sky frowned. “Sounds a lot like Stuxnet.”
Bliss nodded. Stuxnet was a worm developed by US and Israeli intelligence for the express purpose of causing Iranian nuclear generators to burn out by spinning too fast and too long. The plan had been brilliant—except for one thing. It had been intended to only affect the Iranian generators, which weren’t connected to any outside computers, by means of insiders who would connect the USB sticks to the network. But nothing was ever that tight, not when deploying weapons that could take down nuclear reactors, and Stuxnet had soon escaped into the wild. Hackers had been dicking around with the code ever since, though they hadn’t quite cracked the whole thing.
“According to Marty, it’s more sophisticated than Stuxnet.”
“More sophisticated? What’s that mean?”
“Don’t know. But Marty insisted it was undetectable when deployed.”
“Sounds like Sun God’s brand of BS.”
She nodded. “It does, and it doesn’t look like anyone really took him seriously. But what if it’s not? What if Marty McFly is our guy and this thing is for real?”
Sky considered it. If it was real, and undetectable, then someone had managed what government engineers had not with Stuxnet. Hard to believe since that project had originally had unlimited funds attached.
Then again, it only took one evil genius to think of something that nobody else had. Though Martin was hardly an evil genius when he’d left his laptop vulnerable to attack at a freaking Starbucks.
“When was the last post?”
“A week ago. He was soundly laughed at by the wider community. A few called it a scam.”
“But if Marty is Bill Martin, then someone answered him and set him on the path to the Starbucks.” He stared at her. “You know what this means, right?”
She licked her lips and he tried not to let his dick respond. He failed. Damn thing throbbed to life anyway.
“We know it’s malware,” she said.
He smiled. “Hell yeah. Good job, Bliss.”
She dropped her gaze, focused on her screen. Tucked a lock of long black hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”
He remembered wrapping his hands in that hair. Spearing his fingers into it while kissing her. He also remembered her riding him, her tits bouncing, that hair tickling his balls when she threw her head back and moaned. He’d never seen anything so beautiful as Bliss’s body as he drove up inside her, her pussy taking him in, her juices dripping down his cock.
“Where did you go after we split?” he asked.
He saw her stiffen. And then she sighed. “I went to work. I bought a house. I stayed busy. You?”
“I got reassigned.”
“I’m sorry you got in trouble because of me.”
“So you’ve said.”
“Yeah, well, I mean it. It’s been four years and it doesn’t matter if you believe me or not anymore. We have no relationship to save, so I’m not making it up. I’m sorry that I caused you trouble.”
If anything could cool his desire, it was talk of the past. “I thought I was done after you wrecked my career. I figured I’d finish out my last year and leave the Army. But someone believed I was worth another chance. They gave it to me. That’s where I’ve been since.” He didn’t know why he’d told her that.
She smiled softly. “Anybody with a brain would give you a chance, Sky. You’re good.”
“You didn’t think so.”
She frowned. “What I thought of your abilities had nothing to do with what happened. Major Tucker was selling secrets. He had to be stopped. And it couldn’t be anyone in his chain of command who exposed him. It had to be someone from the outside. You know that, whether you like it or not.”
He glared at her for a long moment. Yeah, he knew it. Didn’t mean he liked it. And he damned sure didn’t like what came after. “Once the mission was done, you could have stopped lying about who you were. You didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t. I wasn’t cleared to tell you the truth. So I didn’t.”
“But you said yes when I proposed. For months you upheld the fiction that you worked for HP. All that travel—not HP at all.”
“Nope.” She shrugged. “Nothing we can do now, right?”
“No, not really.” He turned his attention back to his computer. The program was still working, still running through all the possibilities. He put the screen to sleep and stretched. Bliss still sat on the bed, computer on her lap. He stood and moved toward her. She was small and vulnerable in her jeans and tank top, her long hair hanging in a wild tangle over her shoulder.
He had a strong desire to kiss her. “Time to get some sleep,” he said gruffly. “While we can.”
“Think I’ll take a shower first,” she said, pushing off the bed and stepping back. Out of his way.
“Whatever.” He went and yanked the covers partway back. The bed wasn’t premium, but it was reasonably clean. And there were no bedbugs because she’d verified that. “I’ve had a long day. I’m going to sleep.”
He lay on the bed, fully clothed, and folded his hands behind his head. Bliss stared at him. He watched her, satisfied that she was uncomfortable and somewhat uncomfortable himself.
“What?” she asked.
“You planning on leaving once I’m asleep?”
“No. Why would I?”
“Who knows? But if you go, Bliss—if you think you can take my laptop and the work it’s doing—it won’t work. The instant you disconnect it from the Wi-Fi, it’s over. That program is not resident on my machine. It’s a powerful grid in a remote location. You break my log-in, nothing’s happening.”
Her forehead knitted. “You seriously think I’m an idiot, don’t you? First of all, I understand how this works. Secondly, if I didn’t make it clear before, I have nowhere to go. You’re it, Sky. You’re the only person who can help me get out of this mess.”
She turned on her heel and went into the bathroom, shoving the door shut with a loud click. The shower started. Sky groaned as his mind conjured up an image of her shedding her clothing, revealing smooth skin, firm full breasts, round hips, and the prettiest little pussy with its small patch of trimmed hair. He could still taste her on his tongue after all these years. He palmed his dick and groaned.
The sooner he broke this encryption, the sooner she’d be gone. He couldn’t wait.
Chapter Seven
Bliss took a shower, not because she needed one but because she needed to think. And a hot shower was the perfect place to do so. She side-eyed the bathroom and the ancient iron tub, complete with rust stains, but it was clean. There wasn’t any mold, and there wasn’t any carpet, thank the good Lord. The towels weren’t quite musty, but they weren’t fragranced either. They smelled, well, plain. She dried off and slid into the long T-shirt and sleep pants she’d fished from her bag. Then she opened the door and strode into the dingy room.
Sky lay in the same position she’d left him, hands still behind his head, eyes closed. She glanced at the laptop sitting on the desk and, for half a second, contemplated stealing it.
But she knew he was right. The hashing would stop if she tried to walk out of here with his computer. Besides, she didn’t really want to leave. She wanted to stay, wanted to let him find the answers. Not because she wasn
’t good at her job but because she needed the help.
If it were simply a matter of stealing and handing it over, she could do that. But break the encryption and find the malware program? Nope, that wasn’t her skill set. And right now it was a skill set she needed.
She padded over to the bed and flipped the covers back on her side. The sheets were clean, and she already knew there were no bedbugs. She couldn’t vouch for the state of the comforter, but the sheets were good.
Sky lay mostly on top of the covers, his big body preventing her from pulling the top sheet down as much as she wanted.
“You going to get under or what?” she asked.
He cracked open an eye and slanted it at her. “Hadn’t planned on it.”
She tugged the sheets. “Then at least let me get into bed.”
He lifted his gorgeous form and she yanked more of the covers free. Then she climbed into the bed and dragged the sheets to her chin. She was tired. So damned tired. She’d spent the past two days running, and she’d had to be on alert. She should still be on alert, but something about being with Sky made her feel like she could hand over that responsibly for a couple of hours at least.
She flipped onto her side, damp hair falling into her face. For the first time in days, she wanted to melt into the bed. It wasn’t a luxurious bed, but she didn’t care.
“Can you turn out the light?” she murmured.
He moved and the bed dipped. But then the light snapped out and plunged them into darkness. A glow came from outside the room, but it wasn’t very bright. A streetlamp probably.
“Thanks.”
“Sure.”
They lay in silence for a long while. She drifted in and out of sleep, but always she jerked awake, conscious that she wasn’t in her own bed. She flipped over, shoved her arms beneath her pillow, and turned her head.
“You done?” he asked.
“Done with what?”
“Flipping and jerking. It’s annoying.”
“You’re the one who booked the room. If you’d gotten two queens, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
“Jesus, Bliss—this isn’t the fucking Marriott. What they had is what we got.”
Her ears were hot. “Okay, fine. Then don’t complain when I can’t get comfortable.”
He flipped onto his side, facing her. Her heart jumped, beating faster. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so she could see his features pretty well. His eyes gleamed. He was watching her. Her body prickled with heat.
“You were always restless at night. Always moving around.”
She trembled. It was such an intimate thing to say. It was true, of course, but it cut right to the heart of her to remember how he knew. Perhaps she hadn’t properly considered her options when she’d decided that Sky was the only person who could help. She’d thought she was immune to him after everything that had happened, but maybe she wasn’t as immune as she wanted to be.
Her walls were penetrable. She didn’t like it. “I’m surprised you remember.”
“I remember a lot of things.”
“I can’t imagine why. You’ve done nothing but show your contempt for me since I arrived.”
“I might not like you much anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how hot it was between us. You’re the only woman I ever married. It’s hard to forget a thing like that.”
So much meaning in those words. “Have you ever been tempted again?”
“Hardly. Once was enough, thanks.”
“Is there a point to this conversation?” She sounded snappish. Because she was, dammit. Why was he even talking to her if all he wanted to do was bitch about the past?
“The point is you’re keeping me awake with all your flopping. I’m annoyed.”
“So you decided to annoy me in return? Good plan, Sky.”
“Why should I be the only one who’s irritated?”
“Well, aren’t you just the perfect gentleman, wanting to share with me like this?”
“Your accent deepens when you’re pissed. Did you know that?”
“Of course I know,” she burst out. “It’s why I try not to get angry.”
“You don’t like your accent?”
He was getting perilously close to territory she didn’t like discussing. “No, I don’t.”
“Why not? It’s cute. Better than mine.”
Bliss blinked. His accent was so posh. Like he’d grown up in the Hamptons and had everything his heart desired. Which he pretty much had, in spite of the fact his family had lost it all by the time she met him.
“I’d love to talk like you,” she told him. “Instead, I sound like a hillbilly from the sticks. Which I basically am, so no, I don’t find my accent cute at all. Especially not when I’m upset and can’t control it.”
“Trust me, nobody would ever look at you and think you were a hillbilly. You’re classy, Bliss. It’s not just the expensive clothes and handbags either. It’s the way you carry yourself.”
She couldn’t breathe for a long moment. Was he really complimenting her? What the heck had happened to him in that shower earlier? Had the water steamed his brain? “I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because there has to be an insult in there somewhere.”
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll think of something.”
She huffed a laugh. “At least you’re honest.”
“One of us has to be.”
And there it was. The zinger. She wasn’t even hurt by it. Instead, she sighed. “It was too good to last.”
He blew out a breath. “Damn, why’d you have to give me a line like that? I was trying to be civil.”
“Don’t strain yourself. We both know you don’t want to be civil to me.”
“No, but I was trying.”
“Go to sleep, Sky.”
“I was trying that too, but you kept moving.”
“Would it make it any easier if I went next door and climbed into bed with those guys? Maybe I could send one of them back here in my place.”
He swore. “No. Hell no. Just be still for fuck’s sake.”
“Next time find a place with two beds.”
He growled. “There’s not going to be a next time. I’m getting into Martin’s hard drive and then we’re done.”
“Fine with me.”
“Fine.”
Bliss turned over, flopping as heavily as she could, and punched the stale pillow. She was still fuming twenty minutes later when Sky let out a soft snore. She stilled, listening. And then, as if enchanted by the sound, she fell asleep too.
Sky woke to the ding of a message hitting his phone. The sky was still dark, but maybe not as dark as when he’d fallen asleep. Dawn was approaching. He picked up the phone, dragging a hand over his face as he did so. Beside him, Bliss was still, her back to him. It hit him like a two-by-four over the head that he was in bed with Bliss. His ex-wife.
Talk about things he’d never expected to do again. Spending time with Bliss, let alone in a bed, was something he’d have bet good money would never happen while he had breath left in his body. Yet here he was.
She lay on her side, her dark hair sleek and long and spread across the pillow. He almost touched it just to see if it was still as soft as he remembered. Instead, he turned away and focused on the message that had woken him up.
Saint: Turn on the news.
Got it, Sky texted back, fumbling for the remote and clicking on the television. He searched for a news channel in the basic cable listings, then flicked over to it, keeping the volume down. He expected Bliss was probably awake but pretending not to be. He didn’t ever remember her sleeping like a hibernating bear, so he figured the ding of the message had woken her as well.
As if thinking about her being awake made it happen, she rolled over and blinked at him. “What time is it?”
He glanced at his phone. “Five a.m.”
“Ugh.” She pushed up on her elbow. “Why are you watching TV? Could you not see I was sleeping?”
�
��Quiet,” he said as a picture of a man identified as Bill Martin popped up on the screen. He turned the sound up.
“…killed in what is being described as a biological attack. Authorities say Martin was found on a bench near the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. An employee for Brighton Business Solutions, he’d failed to turn up at work yesterday as scheduled. A spokesperson for the company confirmed that Martin worked there, but wasn’t able to confirm his position other than to acknowledge he was a software engineer.”
“Oh Jesus,” Bliss said, her jaw dropping. “A biological attack? What the hell?”
“An anonymous source links Martin with the missing person in the home invasion reported in Arlington two days ago.”
A picture of Bliss popped up on the screen. She squeaked.
“…Bliss Bennett has been missing since a neighbor reported shots fired at her Arlington address. It isn’t known whether she’s in danger, but she’s wanted for questioning in relation to the death of Bill Martin. If you see this woman, please call our tip line…”
“Oh fuck. Oh my God.” Bliss brought her knees up and clasped them as she stared wide-eyed at the screen. Sky muted the sound. Bliss turned her head. “That shouldn’t have happened. There should have been no way to connect him to me. I never made contact, not through the internet or in person. We were in the same coffee shop for twenty minutes. That’s it. This is crazy… I should call Jones.”
“Your CIA contact?”
She nodded. “I haven’t made contact since the day I took the files. I was supposed to meet him and make the drop, but like I told you, I decided it was safer to have a bargaining chip. Just in case.”
“So now you want to call him? For what? To hand it all over and say never mind? You realize it’s too late for that, right?”
She nodded. “I do. But if I call him, I can get an idea what’s happening. How I got connected with Martin.”
HOT SECRETS: A Hostile Operations Team - Book 13 Page 6