Gunner: The Hacker's Code

by Michelle C. Reilly

CHAPTER 7

  Gunner racked his brain trying to figure out what she did. Then he realized if it was Vargas, this was their chance to get on the inside. Maybe they would be able to track down Kristine.

  He considered the men in the van once again. Other than the gun pointed at him, their Uzis were held haphazardly within the vehicle. He loved guns, but wasn’t a fan of the Uzi. They were effective for crowd control, but he felt they were more for show. Their accuracy wasn’t the greatest. In his estimation, this was a strike against these men.

  Another huge negative was their mistake of not checking him for weapons. Upon his second thorough inspection, he came to the same conclusion that the leader, Jorge, was the most dangerous of the group.

  He watched the streets go by and thought about where they were going and what his plan would be. Gunner had a special hatred for human traffickers. The women and men they abducted were often sold into some type of sexual slavery situation. Or they were held for years on end and offered up to clients for sex. Many were from other countries and brought into the U.S. by the traffickers and kept as slaves until their transportation debts were paid off. His hands clenched into fists.

  It made him sick. He knew firsthand what that kind of life did to someone. His mother, Melody, had been one of the most beautiful women to have graced this planet with her long, blonde hair and wide blue eyes. His father got her pregnant on the first try. Something almost unheard of with the Anathergians because of their struggles to procreate. Which was the reason Gunner’s birth had slipped through the Anathergian cracks. Life wasn’t easy for a single mother back in the 1840s in Austin, the new capital of the Republic of Texas.

  His mother had been determined to survive, which was the reason she’d named him Gunner. She’d always tell him to keep shooting straight. There weren’t many options for her, so she turned to the one guaranteed profession for females: prostitution. When he was seven years old, he came into her room and found her strangled to death.

  The van turned into a dark parking lot at the back of a downtown casino. They drove into a parking garage leading underground and parked on the second level. Three Hispanic men stood guarding the area. Gunner could make out bulges from their weapons hidden under their black blazers.

  “Here’s the deal,” Jorge said after they parked. “We’re taking this nice and slow. I’m sure none of you want to lose any digits, or other important body parts, for not behaving. Got it?”

  When Gunner didn’t say anything, Juan nudged Gunner’s jaw with the barrel of his weapon. “Sure thing,” Gunner muttered. He forced himself to cool down as the heat of anger made his blood boil.

  The door slid open, and they pulled Nay from the van. When she almost fell, she jerked her arm from the man and stood with her shoulders back. “I can walk without your help.”

  Gunner smiled. The man next to him scooted backward out of the van, keeping his gun aimed on him. “Vamanos.” He tilted his head.

  Gunner followed, keeping his movements slow and even. He didn’t want anything to go sideways and risk his plan. He stepped out and slid up next to Nadine. She stared up at him, her body trembling and her pupils wide with fear. He lifted one side of his mouth and winked at her. Her lips parted.

  They were escorted through a long corridor and a multitude of hallways that twisted and turned below the casino. Gunner memorized each of the steps, all the while trying to determine where they hid their captives. Dark globes along the ceiling indicated cameras. He took note of which areas had the most as they would be the likely places Vargas’ kept his valuable items.

  For lack of a better term.

  Gunner found no evidence of a great security detail.

  Another weakness.

  It meant they greatly depended on the video feed.

  And video feeds can be hacked.

  A stairway door opened and a man gripping the arm of a girl in her mid-teens came from the opening. Her light brown hair hung in bedraggled curls over her bare shoulders and red dress. She stumbled in her high heels. Dark color marred the skin beneath her blue eyes and her glazed eyes had wide pupils from whatever drugs they’d ramped her up with.

  When her escort saw him and Nay, he paused and forced the girl around. She fell to a knee and cried out. “Get up, you stupid bitch.” The man gritted his teeth at her. The girl mumbled incoherently.

  Nay sucked in her breath and swiveled toward the girl. Gunner darted out his hand and grabbed her arm, stopping her. She shot him an accusatory glance, and he shook his head at her. “We can’t do anything.”

  After a few more turns, they came upon tall, glass double doors guarded by two men. With a quick glance, Gunner determined these two were of the more professional type. Their bodies were stiff and alert, and their eyes, hidden behind their dark sunglasses, took in everything.

  Probably prior special ops.

  One leaned over and opened the door for them. Gunner didn’t look at them so they wouldn’t catch on he was analyzing them. As they passed over the threshold, he took in the security attached to the entryway and the bulletproof glass. He knew they were entering Vargas’ domain.

  The guy probably has a backup escape route hidden somewhere.

  The long room was dark; the only light came from dull bulbs running the perimeter of the ceiling. The environment, decorated in brushed chromes and blacks, was cold and unwelcoming. Exactly how Vargas wanted his guests to feel. Half a dozen men stood quietly, watching them as they marched along a plush, dark brown carpet running down the middle of the room. A wide, black desk sat at the far end of the room where a Hispanic man in his mid-forties sat in a leather seat.

  Gunner smirked. El Cucuy. The boogeyman.

  The man’s black, slicked back hair glistened in the low light. His shadowed stare took them in as they approached. A plate of blackened fish with steamed vegetables and rice sat before him. When they reached the desk, the man gave a slight nod, and he and Nadine were pressed down into the curved leather seats facing Vargas.

  Gunner suppressed every alpha molecule in his body, doing his best to appear nonthreatening. He used the opportunity to study the man and gather all the intel he could to use it against the criminal. Vargas’ gaze flicked to him, his dark irises scrutinizing him for a few moments and then dismissing him.

  Gotcha, motherfucker.

  When Vargas switched his regard to Nay, the anger within the man was so consuming, Gunner’s weak sensing abilities picked up on it. The man’s outward calm demeanor never let on to the rage gripping him. Another emotion floated through the man… Satisfaction. Gunner frowned internally.

  Vargas lackadaisically studied the girl. Nay stared back unflinchingly. One of the fingers of her clasped hands twitched, the only indication of her nervousness.

  Vargas folded his hands together and placed them on the desk between his chest and his steaming plate of food. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring and his wide shoulders rising with the action. “Ms. Hawkins,” he said, and nodded at her.

  “Mr. Vargas,” Nay replied.

  The man’s lip lifted slightly. “You took something of mine.”

  Gunner forced himself to go still, barely suppressing his urge to gape at Nadine.

  What the fuck did she do?

  “You took something of mine,” Nadine retorted.

  The man sniffed. “I did not take anything. It was donated.”

  “So was yours.”

  The man nodded, not necessarily in agreement, but more as a person who is assessing their hand during a game of poker. He tilted his head and a man behind them stepped up and placed laptop on the table.

  “Return what belongs to me,” he said as he lifted the lid.

  “Not until you’ve returned what belongs to me.”

  The man sat back in his seat and smiled. “I had heard you were good, but I must admit I doubted you were that good. You have surprised me, Nadine.”

  Gunner’s heart skipped a beat.

  What the hell is going on here?

/>   Nay shrugged.

  Vargas lifted his fork and scooped a piece of flesh from the fish and put it in his mouth. His chewing echoed loudly in the quiet room. He swallowed and took a drink of water from the glass before him. “Tell me, Ms. Hawkins. Have you ever gone fishing?”

  She shook her head, and her bangs fell in front of her eyes, giving her a younger appearance. Nay lifted her hand and pushed the strands back with shaking fingers.

  “You see, in order to get the fish you want, you have to make sure to get the right kind of bait,” the man explained as he speared a piece of broccoli and put it in his mouth. He grinned as he chewed.

  Fuck.

  Gunner gripped the arms of his chair and tore his gaze from Vargas to study Nay.

  Her brow creased and then smoothed. Her chest heaved and she shook her head. “I… I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “Oh, come now, Ms. Hawkins, let’s not play games. You and I both know how clever you are.”

  Gunner used his peripheral vision to take in the room, trying to assess his chances of success if he took out everyone. He’d make it. Nay would not. There was no way he’d risk her.

  I should’ve seen this coming. Stupid dip shit.

  “Are…” Nay cleared her throat and ran her palms along her jean clad thighs. “Are you trying to say you used my sister to get at me?”

  “Ah, there’s a girl.” He smiled, his teeth white against his dark skin.

  “I don’t understand. Why? Why would you want me?”

  “Because you,” he pointed at her with his fork, “are the future. You can do for me what many cannot.”

  She let out a nervous laugh. “I’m really not that good. Seriously, you don’t want me.”

  The man slammed his palm on the table, the sound like a cracking whip. Nay jumped and the utensils on Vargas’ plate clattered to the desk. “Let me explain the situation to you, Ms. Hawkins. You work for me, and your sister is fine. You don’t work for me, and your sister will be locked in the room with one of our more violent customers within twenty-four hours. Do you understand?”

  Gunner racked his brain trying to come up with a plan. He was always so good with putting the pieces together, seeing a situation from above and determining the best angle. This time he was trapped in a box. “Can you give her a few hours to wrap her head around it?” Gunner blurted.

  Vargas shot a glance at Gunner, and then back to Nay. Her pale face sagged, and she stared at some distant spot on the wall behind Vargas. He was pretty sure she’d gone into shock.

  Vargas’ gaze snapped to a man on his right. Both of them were yanked up, their arms pulled high behind their backs. Nay winced, and Gunner forced down the fire brewing in his gut.

  El Cucuy stared up at Nadine. “You have until sunrise. At that time you will give your answer to my men. Make sure it’s the right answer, or your property will become null and void.”

  Nay struggled against the bald man holding her. He pulled her tighter and she cried out. A huge blond guard held Gunner. The goons twisted them around and pushed them out of the office.

  Gunner scoured the area, trying to plan an exit strategy. Two men exited a door down the hallway from an office. They were more of the military type. Gunner had counted at least ten of them so far. As he continued to study the area, he followed their bald escort. The second followed behind them, his large, muscular thighs swishing against each other with each step.

  They entered a stairwell and took the stairs down one level. When they were herded out of the door, Gunner’s sensitive hearing picked up on sounds of crying and female chatter. The men directed them in the opposite direction of the sound and around a corner to a metal door. The blond pulled out a card and ran it over the panel next to the door. Gunner studied each move the man made.

  The door unlocked and the man entered the room and held the door open. The small area had two doors of the same type they’d just entered, except they had small, square meshed windows. A blurry face peered from one of them. The security man holding Nay opened the other door and pushed it wide. A light came on and the fluorescent glare shined off his bald head. He held the portal open and stood to the side.

  The blond gripped Nay’s arm and pushed her inside, and then Gunner after her. He plowed into her and they fell to the ground. Gunner caught Nay and spun around so she fell on top of him.

  The man holding the door laughed. “Lucky the other room is occupied. Means you two get to stick together.”

  He slammed the door shut, and the locking mechanism clicked. Gunner stood and stared out the window until the men left the room, then he spun around to pin Nay with a glare. “What the hell did you do?”

  Her eyes widened and she took two steps back and hit a wall. The cell was tiny, not even wide enough for him to lay flat on the floor. A cot sat snug in one corner and a metal sink and toilet filled the other corner. Nay’s gaze drifted to the side, a sure sign she was conjuring up a lie. “Don’t do it,” he warned. “I’ll know if you’re not telling the truth.”

  Her brow scrunched and she heaved in a breath. She glanced out the window. He followed her view and then looked back at her. “There aren’t any cameras in this room. There’s one in the outer room. So, feel free to give it to me straight.” He crossed his arms, not in the mood to fuck around.

  She squared her shoulders. “I hacked his bank accounts.”

  Gunner blinked. Of course she had the skills to do it, but that she actually had the balls to do it took him for a loop. “Why the fuck would you do that, Nay? Especially when you knew we were scouting the place tonight?”

  Nay’s narrow shoulders hiked up.

  “How much?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “A couple million. I transferred it to different charities that take care of the abused and homeless.”

  He heaved a breath out between his pursed lips. “How’d he even know it was you? You’re too good to get a hack traced back to you.”

  Nay hiked up her chin. “I left a clue.”

  “A clue?” he asked, and then snapped his gaping mouth shut.

  She nodded. “My sister’s nickname.”

  Gunner couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why the hell would you do something like that?”

  “Because he’s an asshole, and I don’t give a shit.” She huffed, her eyes blazing. Then she sniffed and rubbed her arms. “At least, I didn’t at that moment.”

  “It doesn’t even matter now. Looks like he was waiting for you to do something like this.” He heaved out a breath. “You know he’s going to kill you and your sister if you don’t do what he says, right?”

  Her lips trembled.

  “It’s a good thing I’m with you, or you’d never leave this place alive.” He rubbed his neck. “Okay, so I’m working on a plan. But, whatever happens, whatever I do, you have to follow every instruction I give you. I mean, you can’t deviate, even a little. You got it?”

  Nay nodded and squared her shoulders.

  “I want you to swear to me, Nay. Because I’ll have to do some things that aren’t very pretty.”

  “I swear,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Gunner. I didn’t mean for you to get involved like this.” She bit her lip so hard he was afraid she’d draw blood.

  “Come here,” he said, and he reached out and gathered her close to him. “I’ll take care of this, okay? You just gotta trust me to do it.”

  She nodded and burrowed her face against his chest. He lowered his chin and kissed the top of her head. Nay pulled back and gazed up at him, her eyes glistening from unshed tears. Gunner lifted his hands and cradled her head between his palms. She blinked, and the tears spilled down her cheekbones. Her lips lifted into a tremulous smile. “Thank you, Gunner.” She shifted closer, rose to her toes, and brought her lips against his.

  Gunner tasted the salt from her tears and groaned. Her lowered eyelashes silvered with the wetness. She raised her arms and gripped his hair, knocking his hat to the ground. He ran his hands down her back,
feeling the outline of her ribs beneath the fabric of her shirt. Gunner leaned over her, allowing his tongue to plunge deep into her mouth. It was hot and her breath danced against his advance. She countered, twisting her own tongue around his, gliding it past his teeth. Her taste was sweet with an undertone of urgency. Gunner attempted to predict her movements, but there was no rationale to them. Nay nipped at him and then pulled back. He pushed forward, not wanting to let go of her.

  Nadine cupped his shoulders with her hands and drove him backward. He fell onto the cot and she stood in front of him, the curve of her neck flushed, her chin high. Gunner let his gaze roam her body. For some, he supposed she wasn’t the most gorgeous girl in the world, but she made his cock ache with wanting her. Her hair fell forward, and emeralds glittered from her eyes between the frame of her dark wisps. Her petite hands skimmed the hem of her shirt and lifted it up, revealing her black sports bra beneath. Skin, pale and smooth, glowed in the fluorescent lighting.

  Gunner sat up and reached for her. She took a step backward and shook her head, the corner of her ripe lips lifting. “No. You stay there.”

  He let his hands fall to his sides and smiled. Right on.

  Nadine drew her bra over her head and her breasts sprang free. Her peach areolas were smooth and her nipples grew taut as he stared at them. Gunner swallowed the saliva in his mouth. She toed off her shoes and then shimmied out of her jeans and underwear.

  Completely bare, she stood with her head high and glared at him, as if daring him to say anything contradictory about her.

  Gunner shifted to allow space for his erection as his beheld her body, stopping for a moment at the juncture at her thighs. “Jesus, Nadine, you’re killing me here.”

  A saucy grin graced her features and then disappeared. “Take off your shirt.”

  I think I like this game.

  He did as she commanded while he continued to examine her nude body. The locket gleamed below the hollow of her throat. Her waist narrowed before her hips flared. Her belly extruded slightly below her navel. His tongue touched his bottom lip as he imagined tasting her there. Dark curls afforded him a peek at her folds and his fingers twitched.

  “Without standing up, remove the rest of your clothes.”

  Gunner reached behind him to retrieve his gun and place it beneath the pillow. Then he hefted his hips off the bed to allow space to push down his jeans and was soon as bare as she.