The Hacker and his Heart's Desire

by James, Rebecca;

  “I guess that’s that. If he doesn’t answer, I don’t know what we’ll do,” Tony said.

  I put my arm around his shoulders. When that drew a few raised brows, I cleared my throat and said, “Tony and I are a couple now.”

  Hung took the trash into the kitchen, probably so he wouldn’t say something negative and make Blaze angry.

  “Cool,” Foghorn said.

  Dante looked between me and Tony and shrugged.

  “I knew it,” Axel said.

  Of course Blaze and Tease already knew, but Matteo looked confused.

  “I thought you guys didn’t get along.”

  “I’ll fill you in sometime,” Tony told him.

  “I think you two make a cute couple,” Nick said. He’d sat on Royce’s lap again, and the older man stroked Nick’s stomach with his thumb. I looked toward the kitchen in time to see scowling. There was definitely something going on there.

  “Anyone have anything to say?” Blaze asked.

  “Surely there’s something we can do to help,” Axel said.

  “We just wanted you all to be informed of what’s going on,” I said. “If you can get the feds there, Blaze, you’ll be doing a lot.”

  Blaze sighed. “That’s a big if. They’re interested in the pictures, but I don’t think they’re going to set up a sting. Not in time to save this group of people anyway.”

  Tony bit his bottom lip, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked him.

  “Just wondering who we could call on for help. We haven’t tried the police department.”

  “Fuck them.” Hung was back, looking surly. “Those guys are probably in Bruder’s pocket.”

  “Much as I hate it, I have to agree with Mendoza,” I said. “I’ve seen too many of New York’s finest at my cousin’s social events.”

  “Doesn’t surprise me,” Axel said. “We’ll just have to handle it ourselves.” He cracked his knuckles. “If Bruder knows what we look like, we’ll just have to wait outside the tunnel by the pier and nab them all there.”

  “I don’t think there are enough of us to deal with them.” Tony looked to me, and I shook my head.

  “Karl will have a good dozen men or so, fully armed. And he’ll probably have a few posted at the pier.”

  “We’ll just have to call in a favor,” Blaze said.

  We all looked at him, and it was Bullseye who asked, “Who from?”

  “The Pistons, who else? We helped them out; now they can help us out. And they’re a big club, way stronger since Wallace took over.”

  Tony’s eyes lit up when they met mine. “That could work.”

  We finished off the pizza, and Blaze ended the meeting.

  Alone in my room, Tony and I undressed for bed.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with Jeo. He was fucking rude to Royce and Nick, and the way he snapped at Nick…I don’t understand it at all. I know I’ve said it before, but he’s changed so much since I got back from my trip.”

  “I think he’s got a thing for Nick,” I said.

  Tony looked up from folding his jeans. “What?”

  “I think he likes Nick. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at the kid. And he’s jealous as fuck of Royce, particularly because the man is rich.”

  “I don’t know,” Tony said doubtfully. “Although Jeo did ask me about Royce one time, and I thought it was odd.”

  I winked. “Just remember, I called it.”

  Tony laughed. “Come here and give me a kiss. It was sexy as fuck letting them all know we’re together. I could tell Nick had about a million questions.”

  I shut him up with my tongue and lips, pushing him back on the bed and sinking my weight into him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Tony

  During the days leading up to the 25th, I felt like I was walking on eggshells when I was at the penthouse. Bruder stayed busy, but somehow I felt as though he was constantly watching me. I finished Shika’s portrait, and when Bruder paid me the rest he owed me for it, I wrote a long letter to my mother. In it, I purged a lot of what I’d held back for years, and at the end, I told her I wasn’t going to be sending her any more money, so she needed to make the most of this final check. Then I told her goodbye and went through an entire box of tissues crying over it.

  I felt awful but also really relieved. I don’t think I could have done it without Cane supporting me. I’d discussed it with him at length, and I was beginning to see my mother’s manipulation more clearly. He told me I didn’t have to send the letter. I could even burn it. Writing it was the important part, but I was going to send it. I wasn’t doing my mother any favors by enabling her to sit around and drink.

  Bruder had hung the portrait of Shika over his bed, obviously very pleased with it. When I walked upstairs the last morning I was working for him, the bedroom door was closed. Bruder was in his study on the phone. I worked through lunch to get everything done, and as I was finishing up my reports on my last day, I heard him walk upstairs and into the master bedroom. Seconds later, he began cursing loudly. Picking up my things and walking into the hall, I immediately saw what he was angry about. The painting had a giant Fuck You written across it in red lipstick, and clothes were strewn everywhere. Evidently, Shika had packed her bags and taken off.

  “The bitch!” Bruder yelled, stomping on a Gucci purse that had been left behind and then kicking it against the wall. “After all I’ve given her!”

  “Evidently, what she wanted was fidelity,” I said without thinking.

  I probably shouldn’t have said that. Bruder’s face grew crimson with anger, but then he suddenly calmed and smiled at me. “You tell it like it is, Tony. I like that about you.”

  For some reason, his words didn’t reassure me.

  “I’ll get the last of the reports to you after lunch,” I told him and left.

  On the phone at a Panera around the corner, I asked Cane if he’d seen Greer, who had disappeared from Bruder’s place as fast as he’d appeared.

  “Karl’s probably sent him on a little vacation while he tries to get Shika to forgive him. She walked in on them the other day and threw a fit.”

  “Oh, God. Well, that explains what happened. Shika defaced the painting, packed her bags, and left.”

  “What? You worked hard on that portrait!”

  I shrugged. “And I got paid. I’d rather not have my work hanging in Bruder’s bedroom anyway.” I sighed. “It’s going to feel so good to leave there. And so is this huge bill for my services I’m writing up as we speak.”

  Cane chuckled. “I’ll bet. Listen, I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you tonight.”

  I finished writing the bill, ate the rest of my salad, and walked back to Bruder’s building.

  Even though I’d been leading the charge to nab Bruder, I was secretly getting nervous about it. I didn’t want Cane to get hurt. Or any of the guys. Anxiety was going to eat away at me until it was all over.

  Nick’s name popped up on my phone as it vibrated, and I sat down on a bench a block from Bruder’s building to answer, hoping it was good news. As of yet, Royce had not heard back from Bruder about his email, and I was beginning to panic. Without Royce down there feeding us information, things were going to be a lot more dangerous for us.

  “Hey, Nick.”

  Nick didn’t waste any time. “Royce finally heard back from Cane’s cousin in an email.”

  I sagged on the bench. “Thank fuck. What did he say?”

  “He said he has what Royce wants, and he can ‘pick up his tea’ after the convention taking place tomorrow at Rockwell Center. Sounds like you and Cane really hit it on the nose. And he gave him a price that has to be delivered to him immediately in cash. There wasn’t a code for the amount or anything, probably since this was all last minute and Royce was contacting through a friend.”

  “That’s great! Did Royce email him back?”

  “Yeah. He said he’d bring
the cash to him at his office this afternoon, and he couldn’t wait to pick up his tea.” Nick sighed. “He’ll be safe, won’t he?”

  “As safe as we can possibly make him. I’m sorry Royce got mixed up in this, but at the same time, I’m so glad he’s willing to help.”

  “Fuck Jeovanni for suggesting Royce. He did that on purpose to get to me.”

  “Isn’t that a little much to get back at you for being a bitch when waking him up for appointments?”

  “Hey, he was hard to wake up!” Nick sighed again. “I don’t know.”

  “Forward the email to me, so I can print it out. Blaze is sending all the information to his FBI contact, but he’s already been told it was going to take a few weeks to get anything together. Which means we have to do it all ourselves and call the cops. But they won’t be able to ignore it when we’ve got a group of kidnapped people to show them.”

  “Did the Pistons agree to help?”

  “Yep. I guess they felt honor-bound to after Blaze loaned them that money so willingly. I have to say, it’s all working out.”

  Nick and I disconnected our call, and I continued my walk back to Bruder’s. Once in the penthouse, I headed straight to the study with the reports and the bill.

  Bruder sat staring at a photo of Shika on his desk.

  “I can’t believe the fucking bitch ruined the painting,” Bruder said, obviously not over it. “What the hell?”

  “If you really want to keep it, you might be able to have it cleaned,” I said.

  “Ah, I don’t know if I want to look at the cunt’s face now.” Bruder shoved the framed photo away from him and leaned back in his chair.

  “You know what they say—love’s a fickle bitch,” I said, wanting to fill the heavy silence that took over the room.

  Bruder frowned. “Who said that?”

  “I don’t know. Somebody on Reddit?”

  Bruder smiled. “You’re a funny guy, Tony. I hope to work with you again.”

  I cleared my throat and handed him the folder. “Here are the last of my reports and the bill. I don’t think you have anything to worry about when it comes to your competitors. Your business is solid, and none of them are doing nearly as well as you are. Your protection is state of the art, so I don’t think you have anything to worry about there. Oh, and I printed out an extra list of the products you provide that your competitors don’t.”

  Bruder didn’t even look inside the folder. He just kept staring me down with his cold, dark eyes. “It’s good to have you in the family, Tony.”

  “You make it sound like the mob,” I said lightly, tempted to point out that after today we were done, but what was the point? Soon Bruder wouldn’t be in business any longer.

  Bruder didn’t smile at my quip. He just kept staring, and a prickle of unease skated down my spine. Cane had told me about the wife of the guy I was filling in for—Travis—dying at Bruder’s orders. I guess I was sheltered because in spite of belonging to a motorcycle club, violence didn’t cross my path often.

  I left the building, hoping to never have to go back into it again.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Cane

  The day of the convention dawned sunny and cold. Tony’s spirits were high, and I wished I could be as positive as he was. But I knew my cousin too well. Tony hadn’t seen what I’d seen over the years, although I’d done my best to warn him.

  We had time for only the briefest of kisses before I had to leave to meet Karl at the Rockwell Center.

  “Be careful,” Tony told me.

  “Same to you,” I said.

  “I’ll be there later.” He smiled, and I gave him my most reassuring smile back, even though my stomach was in knots. We’d both been so tense the night before, we hadn’t had sex even though the house had been empty for a good couple of hours—we’d lay in one another’s arms all night, sometimes talking, sometimes sleeping, but always touching.

  I’d told Karl if we dressed in suits like he wanted, we’d scare off potential buyers. Surprisingly, he’d listened to me and I was able to wear a pair of lightweight slacks and a short-sleeved shirt—infinitely more comfortable than the alternative.

  He sent me to the first booth while he went to make sure the last was set up the way he wanted. He planned to push B-Natural’s exclusive products there.

  Georgia, manager of B-Natural and one of Karl’s former girlfriends, unpacked the boxes of products Bruno and I had carried in and stacked them in the booth. Bruno left to do a walk-through down the aisles, something I once would have thought ridiculous at a health products convention but now realized had more nefarious reasons than scoping the place for vitamin competition. Which made me feel like a fool. Sure, I’d purposely closed my eyes and ears to things, truly not wanting to know, but Tony had made me realize what a coward I’d been, although he would never call me one. He defended my actions as those of someone who’d been traumatized and brainwashed, but I knew better.

  Tony showed up around lunchtime with Nick in tow, and I suddenly felt like I could breathe again.

  “Hey,” Tony said, giving me a special smile that melted me from the inside out.

  “Hey, yourself.” I looked at Nick, who was subtly dressed for him in a brightly colored men’s romper with skulls and roses all over it. He was definitely cute, but I much preferred Tony with his short blond curls, casual jeans and blue Polo.

  “You just get here?” I asked.

  “About twenty minutes ago,” Tony said. “Someone insisted on coming with me and wouldn’t let me talk him out of it.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s got a stake in this too,” I said, and Nick flashed me a dazzling smile.

  “Sure, take his side,” Tony teased.

  “Tony, what a surprise.” Karl’s voice invaded our friendly little chat like scalding water in a swimming pool. I hadn’t noticed him walk up and told myself I needed to be more vigilant.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Bruder,” Tony said, and I could see the annoyance flitting across Karl’s face that Tony still refused to call him by his first name.

  “I didn’t think you took an interest in health products,” Karl said.

  “I don’t, really, but I knew you were excited about the expo, and you did say we’re family.”

  “I’m glad to have you here. As you’re so familiar with my competitors now, maybe you can tell me if they’ve brought in any new products we didn’t know about,” Karl said, his eyes moving to Nick.

  “I’d be glad to,” Tony said.

  “And who’s your friend?” Karl asked, smiling as he looked Nick up and down. Nick shifted on his feet, jutting his hip out in a sultry pose, and I bit my lip to hide a smile. He knew Karl liked what he saw and was playing it for all it was worth.

  “Oh, sorry. This is Nick Chambers. Nick, this is Karl Bruder, Cane’s cousin. I did some work for him recently.”

  “A pleasure,” Nick held out his hand a little limply.

  Karl squeezed it and placed his other hand on top, drawing Nick closer. It was like watching a tiger with a gazelle. “Do you have a special interest in health products, Nick?” he asked.

  “Well, I do think it’s important to stay healthy.” Nick put a finger of his free hand to his mouth. “Do you have something for sexual stamina? My boyfriend is quite a bit older than I am and has trouble keeping up.”

  “If he lacks stamina, perhaps you need a new boyfriend,” Karl said, wrapping their arms together.

  “Why, that’s just naughty of you, Mr. Bruder,” Nick said.

  “Karl, please.”

  “Karl, please,” Nick repeated in a breathy voice, and I could practically see my cousin vibrating with sexual tension. He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Go eat lunch, Cane, before it gets busy. Nick and I are going to take a stroll to scope out the competition.”

  “I thought that I was going to do that,” Tony said innocently, but Karl ignored him and walked away with Nick on his arm.

  “Join me?” I said to Tony.

&nb
sp; “Love to,” Tony said, watching the two men meander through the crowd. “Think he’ll be okay?”

  “I’d say Karl will be too busy today to be able to yank Nick into a closet for a quickie,” I said as we sat down at the long table set up behind the booth.

  “Nick is such a flirt. He loves it. I’ve seen him flirt with ninety-year-old men.”

  I began unpacking the food Karl had had brought in from a nearby restaurant on the long table behind the booth. I looked around but didn’t see Bruno or any of the others.

  “Bruno should be here,” I said, choosing a sandwich marked Italian veggie from the pile. “He’s always with Karl.”

  “Bruno? He the guy with the big head?”

  I laughed. “Yeah. He’s my third cousin and Karl’s chief enforcer.”

  “Well, I hope he’s good to his mom on Mother’s Day. That head must have been a bitch to push out.” Tony unwrapped a salami on rye and bit into it.

  I leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I want to fuck you so hard right now.”

  Sucking in a breath, Tony shut his eyes. “Are you trying to kill me? We have to stay on task today.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. “Now, tomorrow we’ll find someplace private, and I promise you, I’ll make it worth the wait.”

  I groaned and adjusted myself under the table.

  We ate and chatted casually, keeping our eyes open. The rest of the Hedonists were staying clear of the convention center, having decided it safest to station themselves at the pier, except for Blaze and Matteo, who were meeting with the Pistons to bring them up to speed.

  Too soon, Tony and I finished lunch and cleaned up our trash. Before walking away, Tony briefly hooked our pinkie fingers together and squeezed. It was incredibly corny and junior high, but I found myself smiling for a good five minutes after he’d disappeared into the crowd.

  More and more people poured into the convention center, strolling down the aisles between booths, making it difficult for me to keep an eye on Tony. I knew he’d be okay, but I felt better when I could lay eyes on him every now and then. Business at the booth became heavy, and I had to help Georgia out with customers.