He shrugged. "I don't have time to waste on Pierre. I'll know for sure whether he's innocent or not when the prints come back from the lab."
"And when will that be?"
"Soon. Today or tomorrow."
She fidgeted with the papers on her desk. "Is there anything else?"
Dillon jumped up and paced around the office. He wanted to kick something. Hard. "Hell, yes. I just don't know where to start." He really needed to get a grip here. "Number one--you shouldn't have left this morning without waiting for me."
Her chin lifted and she took a deep breath, preparing to blast him he was sure. "Listen--" she began.
"No, you listen." He crossed the room, made his way around the desk and crouched down beside her. He needed to make her realize the danger she was in. "He's done it again, Claire. The hacker sabotaged all three companies early this morning."
"Was it bad?"
Dillon took hold of her hands. To reassure her--and himself. "Pretty bad. Real bad. He left a message."
Claire gripped his hands. "What kind of message?"
"Encrypted. Hidden in the system files." Her hands were small and warm in his. He rubbed his thumbs over the delicate wrists. He'd nail this guy and keep Claire safe. Then what? Dillon wouldn't . . . couldn't think about what would happen afterwards.
"What did the message say?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
"He indicated that he's near the end of his game. He has something big in mind. And he threatened you again." She seemed to withdraw into herself, a stricken expression on her face.
"What have I done to cause such hostility?" Tears flooded her beautiful eyes. Dillon couldn't stand to see the sadness and helplessness revealed. Her confidence and independence were two qualities he admired about Claire. They sometimes frustrated the hell out him, but he admired them just the same.
"It's not your fault, babe. It's not your fault."
Dillon stood, pulled her from the chair and held her in his arms--like he'd been aching to do ever since he'd left the van. Anger and frustration dive-bombed him all over again.
Claire trembled in his embrace, a sob escaped from her throat. She leaned her head against his shoulder. She was hurting and he could feel her pain.
"We'll get him," Dillon said. "I won't let anything happen to you."
He felt her nod. Felt the dejected and defeated slump of her shoulders. Dillon tightened his arms around her. He vowed the hacker would pay, not only for the destruction done to the companies, but for what he'd done to this woman. Dillon wanted the old, spunky Claire back. He enjoyed their bickering, almost as much as he enjoyed the lovemaking.
"I'm not letting you do the upgrades alone tonight." He expected her to put up a fight. Before the threats, Claire wouldn't have allowed that comment to pass without an argument.
She stepped away and swiped at her tears. "Okay. You can help, and when we're finished we'll go home." She tried to smile, but sniffed instead.
Dillon felt like he'd been whacked in the stomach with a two-by-four. The Claire he knew and admired would never give in so easily. Her response surprised him. Saddened him. Stirred up those protective feelings. Dangerous feelings he needed desperately to ignore.
CHAPTER TEN
A week and a half later, Claire sat at her kitchen table, sipping juice and waiting for Dillon to finish his shower. Everything was ready for the anniversary celebration. And today was the day. After all the preparations, it was finally party time.
There'd been no more disruptions from the hacker since the computer break-ins ten days ago. No letters, no emails, no messages. No nothing. The lab results hadn't told them anything either. There hadn't been fingerprints on the letter. Dillon and his partner were waiting and watching. So was Claire.
This feeling of helplessness was tearing her up. She preferred to be in control. Wondering about the hacker's next move was driving her crazy. When would he strike? Where? How? Was she truly in physical danger? Or was he going to do something sinister to the cafe? And what about her other locations? Were they in jeopardy, too?
She'd worked hard to make e*Claire's successful. Worked hard to gain her independence. She hated this mess and would be thankful when it was over.
But even after it was over, Claire knew her life would still be a mess. Dillon would return to Dallas, taking her heart with him. She would have to reconstruct her life. She had the feeling it would never be the same again.
"Ready to go?" The deep voice slid across Claire's skin, caressing her as surely as his hands did every night since he'd moved in. She couldn't help the delicious shiver of desire rippling inside.
Dillon stood in the doorway, watching her. His intense gaze warmed her through and through. He stepped the rest of the way into the kitchen, shrugging on his jacket. "We need to get a move on. Don't want to be late."
Claire finished her juice and pushed back her chair. "I have a million things to do today."
"Let's get going then," he said, holding her coat for her.
Claire slipped it on and grabbed her purse. Dillon placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her toward the door. He was being kind and sensitive again, she thought. Treating her with consideration. Almost like he believed she was fragile and about to break apart.
He'd done an about face since the night they upgraded the computers. After they'd come back to the condo, Dillon had made sweet, gentle love to her. His tenderness destroyed Claire's last defenses. Her heart crumbled when he held her in his arms, soothing away her apprehensions and fears about the hacker and the situation. But not soothing away the apprehensions and fears about falling in love again.
Yeah, her life was a mess all right.
Claire drove her car, with Dillon following close behind. His constant presence put a major dent in her hard-won independence. There'd been an altercation yesterday when she'd had to check on the cafe in College Station. He'd reluctantly let her go alone, but he'd called her every hour on her cell phone.
Ordinarily, she would find Dillon's solicitude smothering. Under the circumstances, she had to admit it made her feel more secure. For the past week and more, they'd constructed their own little world where they worked together, lived together, made love together. Temporary. Real; yet unreal.
When they arrived at the cafe, Claire banished all the perplexing thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the party preparations. The million and one things she needed to do occupied every minute of the short time before opening.
All the while, she was conscious of Dillon working at the computers. He allowed her space, for which she was grateful. But from time to time, she found him watching her. Watching out for her. The reality of the situation intruded and she didn't like it.
Natalie buzzed around, hanging streamers, blowing up balloons, setting up tables along the wall for the free food. Claire noticed an underlying tension in her friend, apart from the celebration frenzy. What could be wrong with Nat?
Richard was holed up in a side-pantry working on his big surprise. He'd made Claire promise to keep everyone out of the kitchen area. He planned to unveil his masterpiece at lunchtime. She wondered about it, since she'd only caught a glimpse of the sketches on Richard's desk. She smiled in anticipation of finally finding out what was going on and Dillon's reaction to her chef's creation.
The clock above the espresso machine showed straight up eight o'clock. Party time.
****
"All right, Nat. Open the doors." Claire quickly fastened a streamer and balloon on the last computer monitor, then straightened a vase of flowers on one of the coffee tables near the over-stuffed chairs.
Natalie hugged Claire. "You've worked hard for this. It's been a terrific five years. Thanks for letting me be a part of it."
Claire hugged her back. "Hey, we've both worked hard." The frantic grip of Natalie's hands on her shoulders set off alarm signals. "What's the matter, Nat? Is something wrong?"
Natalie shook her head and eased away. "No. Yes. I don't want
to talk about it right now. I won't let anything spoil today."
Claire didn't press the issue. "Okay, but if you need to talk, I'm here for you."
"Thanks. Maybe later." Natalie headed for the entrance, where a crowd of customers waited outside in the cold morning fog. She unlocked the doors and they poured into the cafe ready to enjoy the festivities--regular patrons, students, teachers, and people from the other shops along the drag.
Everyone smiled and offered Claire congratulations and compliments. They warmed the ragged edges of her heart and thawed the icy grip of fear created by the hacker's threats. The outpouring of good will and good cheer put to rights Claire's tilted world and allowed her to forget for the moment that someone wanted to hurt her.
Claire helped Natalie behind the counter, pouring coffee, lattes and cappuccinos. She enjoyed trading jokes and receiving congratulations and good wishes from all the customers. It had been a long time since she'd worked behind the counter. She missed it. Expanding the business had been interesting and profitable, but managing all the cafes left little time for interaction with people--in her business life, as well as her personal life.
The morning passed in a blur of happiness and warm feelings. Before she knew it, lunchtime arrived. Claire walked to the kitchen to see if Richard needed any help.
Dillon intercepted her in the hall. "You okay?"
Claire took a deep breath and summoned a smile. No, she wasn't okay. Too many things were conspiring against her for her to be okay. "Sure, how about you?"
"I'll be better once I know what Pierre's been up to. Still not going to give me a hint?"
"You've got that right, buster." When Dillon looked at her like that, she wanted to give him a lot more than a hint. She took hold of his arm and turned him from the kitchen. "Just a few more minutes and the suspense will be over. Now scoot."
"Not before I get a kiss." He grabbed her and covered her mouth with his, then quickly let her go. "I'll be waiting with bated breath." He winked and strode down the hall.
Claire stared after him, her lips still hot from his kiss. Her heart beat a mile a minute. How could she have been so foolish? She should have guarded her feelings better. Now, it was too late. When Dillon left town, she was going to be hurt. Big time.
Just then, Richard opened the kitchen door. "Mademoiselle, all is ready. I hope you will like it." He squeezed her shoulders, turned her around and pushed her toward the cafe. "Go, go! We will bring it out for everyone to see."
Claire walked back to the common area. She searched the crowd for Dillon. He stood near one of the computers deep in conversation with his partner. Stan Brozek looked like he'd been up all night. The rumpled clothes, mussed hair and dark stubble made him appear dangerous--a force to be reckoned with. From both men's body language, she gathered something had happened and it was a safe bet it wasn't good.
Before she had the chance to go over and see what it was all about, Richard made his grand entrance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with immense pleasure that I present to you my humble offering for this celebration." He clapped his hands and his assistants rolled out two large stainless steel carts, each holding something bulky on top, everything hidden under white linen tablecloths.
With dramatic flourish, Richard whipped away the coverings. "Voila!"
Everyone in the crowd oohed and ahhed. Claire glanced in Dillon's direction. He shook his head and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
Nothing could have prepared Claire for the magnificence of Richard's surprise. The chef had surpassed himself.
One cart held a beautiful ice-sculpture of the logo for e*Claire's. The carved letters stood over three feet high, crystal clear and sparkling.
On the other cart, two large cakes held center stage--one in the shape of a computer and monitor; the other, a cup of coffee with steam rising above.
Richard moved toward Claire and took her hand in his. "Mademoiselle, this I have done for you and for e*Claire's." He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it with tenderness, then led her to the sculpture and cakes.
"What do you think of my surprise? You like?"
"It's wonderful," Claire said. "I had no idea it would be like this. It must have taken hours, days."
"Yes, yes. But it was worth every minute." He kissed her hand again, then lifted it toward the crowd.
"To Mademoiselle and e*Claire's!"
The cafe erupted in applause and everyone gathered around Richard, Claire and the carts offering congratulations, complimenting the chef and admiring his handiwork.
Claire extracted herself from the press of people and looked over at the computers for Dillon, but there was no sign of him or his partner. Disappointment stabbed through her. She tried to assure herself it was only because she'd wanted to tease Dillon about his suspicions.
"Looking for me?"
The hand on her shoulder sent rivulets of heat flowing through Claire's body. But there was something else. His hand felt like it belonged on her. Like it was part of her. Good lord, she was in deeper than she'd thought.
Claire pasted on a smile on her face and turned toward him. "As a matter of fact, I was looking for you."
"Well, here I am. All yours." He smiled back and the air whooshed from Claire's lungs. Why did he have to be so good-looking? And when had he become so nice? She needed to be strong.
"What do you think of Richard's surprise?" she asked.
"He outdid himself, didn't he?"
Claire leaned close and spoke softly so no one would overhear. "I told you he wasn't the hacker."
"Don't gloat. You were right. But so was I."
"What do you mean?" She backed away, surprised.
"Pierre's not our man. That's one point for you." He licked his finger and made an imaginary mark in the air. "Pierre's got the hots for Claire. One point for me." He made another mark.
"Oh, get real. Richard doesn't think of me that way."
"He sure seemed to enjoy kissing your hand."
"Jealous?" She searched his face, looking for what she didn't know.
"Maybe. Should I be?"
"We're not in a real relationship," Claire reminded him. And herself. "There's no need for jealousy."
He frowned. "Right."
Claire didn't want to dwell on their non-relationship. It was too depressing. "What were you and Brozek discussing? He looked upset."
Dillon glanced around the cafe. "Let's go outside." He took her elbow and headed for the door.
The day was brisk, but the sun was shining, the big Texas sky clear and blue. They walked in silence for a minute before stopping two doors down from the cafe.
"What's going on? Something's happened." Claire braced herself for bad news. Away from the cozy interior of e*Claire's and the happy festivities, the menace of the hacker and the situation quickly invaded with vehement force. When would it end? How? She didn't feel very strong and independent when confronted with the unknown danger lurking about.
Dillon stuffed his hands in his pockets. "All three companies' computers were broken into again last night. With an even stranger kind of virus than before."
"Were there more threats?" Claire wished he would wrap his arms around her and hold her close, but that wasn't going to happen out here. They were taking great care not to advertise their "relationship." And Dillon was good at keeping a low profile--both professionally and emotionally.
"No more threats," he said. "But every single computer froze with the word 'Bang' printed on the screen. Another juvenile trick from our sophisticated hacker."
Claire's stomach dropped to her toes. A frisson of fear curled around her spine. "Going out with a bang," she whispered.
"Yeah, it looks like he's ready to call it quits. He knows he's being watched. He could just lay low and maybe he'd get away with it all. But this last prank makes it look like he wants to get caught. I think this guy's off his rocker."
"Why would he want to get caught?"
"Who knows? We'll have to be ext
ra careful. I'll do my best to keep you safe. I won't lie to you--I'm worried."
"Yes, well . . . let's try to enjoy today. There'll be plenty of time to worry tomorrow. I need to get back to the party." Claire turned away from Dillon, wondering if anything would ever be normal again.
The cafe door burst open and Natalie rushed out. "Claire! Dillon! Come quick! Something's going on with the computers. Not just one, but all of them."
Claire's heart sank as she ran in the cafe. Customers were gathered in groups, staring at the monitors. Across every one of them scrolled the words: Bang.
Natalie stood beside Claire. "We've been hacked into, haven't we? Who would do something like this? And what does it mean?"
"It means we're shut down until we reinstall the systems," Claire said.
"Well, I'm calling the cops. This is ridiculous."
"No, Nat. No cops."
Natalie stared at her, wide-eyed and incredulous. "Why not?"
Why not? Think Claire, think.
"Dillon and I will take care of this. It's some kind of prank, that's all." She hated lying to Natalie. She hated the whole situation.
Richard walked up to them, twisting and wringing his hands together. "There is a call for you on line four."
"I'll take it in my office." Claire swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "Nat, tell everyone the party's over. E*Claire's is closed for the next couple of days."
She zigzagged through the crowd, across the cafe, speaking to a few of the customers along the way, then hurried down the hall to her office, all the time aware of Dillon shadowing every step.
He closed the door behind them; a frown marred his handsome face. With arms folded across his chest, he stood guard. He nodded toward the phone. "Take the call, Claire."
Anger and fear simmered close to the surface inside of her. She walked slowly toward her desk, knowing it would be bad news. How bad? Taking a deep breath, she picked up the receiver and pushed the button. "This is Claire."
With eyes glued on the man standing by the door, Claire listened, somehow made appropriate responses, then hung up the phone. She sank into her chair and let out a long sigh. Could the day get any worse?
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