Blackout: A Romance Anthology

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  CHAPTER 10

  Pure bliss is the only way to explain the feeling rushing through me as I curl myself into Jason’s arms.

  A slight giggle escapes my lips, and Jason pokes my side. “What’s so funny?”

  “You. Us. I’ve never done anything like this with someone I just met,” I say, tucking my head into his chest.

  His hold on me tightens. “Believe me, I haven’t either.”

  The thought makes me smile. I run my hand down his chest as a shiver runs up my body.

  “You’re cold.” He rubs his hands over my arms to warm them. He grabs his sweatshirt and wraps it around us.

  A light shines off in the distance, and I shoot up, taking the sweatshirt and pulling it over my head. I do the same with my panties and the sweatpants, not wanting to get caught naked in the back of the truck.

  He dresses and when we both step down to the ground, the light gets closer and closer.

  I hold on to his arm, not sure what’s going on as three cars approach us and stop, creating a semi-circle around Jason’s truck. The bright headlights zooming in on us make it feel like we’re under interrogation.

  Jason’s head drops to his chest for a brief moment before he places his hand over mine. “It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about, okay? You have to trust me.”

  “Trust you?” I ask, even more frightened as to what’s going on and wondering who these people are.

  A man wearing suit pants and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up steps out of one of the cars. He’s a tall, slender man with a black hat casting a shadow on his face. As he walks toward us, Jason stands taller, making his presence known and showing that he’s not intimidated, which is fascinating because my heart is racing a million miles a minute.

  “Harold,” Jason says matter-of-factly.

  “How are you doing, Jason?” the guy asks, sticking his hands in his pockets. The movement is very non confrontational.

  Jason laughs, but it’s obvious he’s being facetious. “I know you don’t really care what my answer is.”

  Harold inhales, turning to see if anyone else has followed him out of the car. They haven’t. He turns back to Jason and sighs before he says, “Some habits die hard, don’t they?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

  “Well, I knew this was a place to look for you, so what does that say?” He takes a step closer and Jason stands even taller.

  “That you paid attention to me, to Tyler at one point, maybe even called us your friends.”

  The guy purses his lips, seemingly frustrated with Jason. “You want to tell me why you’re in town.”

  “I did used to live here. I still have friends. I came to visit them.” Jason shrugs like there’s nothing else to say.

  “You really want me to believe the entire city of Las Vegas, every hotel and casino, goes black, and you, the biggest hacker in probably the country, if not the world, just happens to be in town?”

  I inhale a sharp breath. Did he really just say hacker? I start to pull away from Jason, but he places his hand over mine.

  “You know I’m not like that.” Jason steps toward him, making sure his point is known.

  “Do I?” The man removes his hands from his pockets in annoyance. “I know that desperate people can do desperate things.”

  The way he said that makes me want to smack his face. Where he was trying to be comforting earlier now he’s just smug.

  Jason’s tone lowers to a meaty growl. “What makes you think I’m desperate?”

  The guy sighs. It’s obvious smug is not his normal personality. He’s not happy having to be here like this, questioning Jason this way, but why?

  “Jason, come on. You know we’ve been trying to keep our eyes on you. I knew you were in town before all of this even happened.”

  “If you’ve been keeping tabs on me, then you know I’m clean.”

  “I also know that you’re the one person we can’t keep full tabs on.”

  Jason throws his head back sarcastically. “What? Are you guys scared of what I can do? Or jealous?”

  The guy takes me in, looking me up and down, questioning who I am and why I’m wearing Jason’s clothes. I guess he doesn’t know Jason as well as he thinks. But maybe I don’t either.

  “Who’s your friend?” he asks, tipping his head my way.

  Jason moves in front of me in a protective manner. “None of your business.”

  “Then, how about you come with us? We have some questions we need to ask.” He motions to the cars that are sitting behind him. With their headlights shining our direction I can’t make out who’s inside.

  “Why should I?” Jason spits in fury.

  “Because you are a hacker, like it or not, and there are a lot of things I do know as facts. I don’t think that’s a box you want me or anyone else to open.”

  Jason’s jaw clenches, and I feel the muscles in his arm tense.

  “I have all the paperwork still,” the guy says.

  “And I don’t give a shit. Once they know what you did—what we did for you—they won’t question you faking any paperwork. Don’t think I don’t have my own set of proof, you know, just incase.”

  A stare-down between the two men continues. When a door opens from one of the cars, the man holds out his hand with one finger up, asking for more time.

  “If you didn’t do it, then there’s nothing we can keep you on. If what you’re saying is true, then you’ll be out by morning. We just have some questions.”

  Jason narrows his eyes and then turns to me, walking us backwards so the man can’t hear what he’s saying. “Why don’t you head back to the strip? You shouldn’t be out here alone. Stay in the truck. When the power comes back on, take my truck back to the hotel. You can park it in valet, so you don’t have to worry about it. I won’t be long.”

  “Jason, what’s going on?” I whisper, trying to hide my lips from the man.

  “Everything’s fine. They can’t keep me if they don’t have anything against me. I’ll come get you when I’m finished.” He holds both of my hands in his and stares me in the face. “Just don’t forget your purse. I put it behind my seat in my backpack, okay? Never forget today’s date and where my brother is.”

  His eyes soften, and I know he’s giving me a message, but what is it?

  I’m so confused. What the hell is going on?

  When I don’t answer, he leans in, softly kissing me, trying to bring me back to what we shared just moments ago.

  It works, even for that brief second, and I respond with, “Okay.”

  He turns to walk toward the man, and without saying another word to me, he sits in the back of the car. Two of the cars drive away, but the one he’s in comes closer to me as I stand there, still in shock.

  The driver’s window rolls down to reveal the man we just spoke to. “Jason has asked that we don’t leave until we see you drive away. He wants to make sure you’re safe.”

  I jump in surprise. Of course. I was so in shock that I wasn’t thinking about the fact that I’d be out here, all alone, in the middle of the night.

  I nod, turning to get in the truck where Jason left the key in the ignition. I adjust the seat and then the mirror. When the car comes into my rearview, my stomach turns.

  Who are those guys?

  Who’s Jason?

  Did I really just have sex with a hacker who could have caused all of this?

  I start the truck, put it in gear, and head back to the main road.

  The truck follows behind me, which creeps me out even more.

  Are they going to follow me?

  Is he making sure I don’t steal his truck?

  I close my eyes for a brief second and inhale a deep breath.

  What the hell is going on with me tonight? First, I sleep with a guy I don’t know, and now, I’m driving his truck because he got taken away by …

  I drop my head against the headrest in frustration.

  I don’t eve
n know who or what they were.

  Were they cops? They sure didn’t look like cops. At least, not ones I see every day.

  Jason obviously knew who they were, and he didn’t seem freaked out by them being there. More pissed really.

  Did they actually call him a hacker?

  My mind wanders to everything I know about him, only to realize I don’t know much. All night, his answers were very aloof. He answered my questions more with questions of his own.

  Is that why? Did I mistake his mysteriousness for sexiness when, really, he is a crook? But is he?

  I know we teased about him being James Bond or Jason Bourne, but holy shit, I think we were on to something with our jokes.

  Does he work undercover? I know he left his job in Vegas, and obviously, these guys knew him when he was here.

  Were those guys undercover? He didn’t want to introduce me to them; that’s for sure.

  Wait, holy shit, do they already know who I am? Were they following him this entire time? Did some spy cameras from a satellite just watch us have sex?

  I grip the steering wheel, forcing myself to calm down. My mind is going in twenty different directions, and I need to stop.

  When I hit the main road, I turn right, but the car carrying Jason turns left. I search in my rearview mirror to see where they’re going, but in just a matter of seconds, they’re out of my sight.

  I’m all alone in the middle of the night in a stranger’s truck.

  A stranger I just had sex with.

  I turn up the radio to relax my nerves.

  The radio DJ speaks, “No one can figure out what’s going on in Vegas. The power is still out, but things have calmed down. In true Vegas fashion, the party must go on, am I right? Multiple parties have taken over the streets of Vegas. Even DJs have hooked into power outlets in the back of people’s cars to set up their systems. I hate to say it, but whoever is responsible for this has created one hell of a party!” He hoots and hollers as he starts another song.

  I shake my head and let out a small laugh, glad the radio has helped to lift my spirits at least. I feel more comfortable about being on my own and heading back there.

  That is true Vegas right there. I can only imagine my sister being right in the middle of it, too. The thought gives me peace.

  As I drive, my mind races through everything that has happened tonight. Everything that was said.

  He was very elusive at first. Like he didn’t want to meet me. Is that why? Was he there to just hack the power grid and then leave? Was he working with someone or alone?

  Dylan obviously wasn’t in on it, but he did—oh my God, he did say some really weird things tonight. Like he knew it was something Jason could possibly do.

  Holy shit.

  Visions of me getting locked out tonight pop in my mind. Every person who walked out of their room and into the hallway got locked out.

  But not him.

  He was the only person who knew to flip the lock, so if he needed to, he could get back in.

  And where was he going? He was so calm, not concerned one bit about what was going on. Just him and his—

  Fuck me.

  His backpack.

  He told me to get my purse out of his backpack. I was so lost on what was going on that I didn’t think twice about it. But I don’t have my purse. I have nothing. Was he trying to speak in code to me?

  My stomach flips, and I think I’m going to be sick.

  This can’t be happening. Did he really freaking do this? Was everything a lie tonight?

  And, now, I’m here. In his truck.

  Am I going to be considered an accomplice? Did he meet me to try to hide his tracks?

  No, that can’t be. He didn’t seem too happy that I was stuck with him at first.

  Shit! Of course he didn’t. Because he did do it, and he was trying to escape, but there I was, scared out of my mind and begging him to help me.

  God, I’m such an idiot.

  Tears fill my eyes before slipping down my cheeks. Here I thought, I was having the best night of my life, and it was all a lie. Every bit of it.

  When I wipe my face, the visitor sticker comes into view where he placed it in the door. I grab it, closely examining it as I drive down the freeway. I read Torrance Memorial Medical Center written at the bottom.

  So, maybe all of it wasn’t a lie.

  CHAPTER 11

  I wasn’t ready to go into Vegas completely, so I found a parking lot at the end of the city that had enough people around to where I felt safe, but I kept my distance with the doors locked.

  The sun should be coming up soon, and once it does, I’ll try to find my sister and hopefully gain access to our hotel room once the power is back on.

  Right now, I just want to go home. I want to forget any of this ever happened. I want to forget about Jason and what I did. I’ll chalk it up to the time I had a one-night stand and move on.

  As I sit in the truck, my curiosity gets the best of me. Jason’s the one who mentioned the backpack. He obviously wanted me to know it was there.

  I reach behind my seat and pull the backpack around to the front, placing it on the passenger side and sliding the zipper open. The only contents stare me square in the face.

  A computer.

  Why would he only bring his computer, leaving everything else behind, if he wasn’t a hacker?

  My pulse starts to race.

  Could he have done this with this computer? Is that even possible?

  I lift open the silver case of the MacBook Pro and am met with a password screen. Of course it requires a password. A hacker would obviously have it protected. Then, why would he point it out to me?

  Memories of his words spoken as he walked away stand out to me. Today’s date and where his brother is … he had to have been hinting to the password.

  I take a chance, enter in the information, and, bam, I’m in. Knowing he wanted me to snoop makes me feel better about doing so.

  The desktop photo is of Jason with his arm wrapped around another man who I assume is his brother. They have the same features, but most recognizable are their eyes. His brother doesn’t wear glasses like Jason, and I see very similar blue stunners that I got completely lost in a mere hour ago.

  The photo was taken at Red Rock Canyon, where we just were. He said it was his favorite place—at least, that seems true.

  Seeing Jason like this—so happy—makes my heart pound harder. This is exactly who I thought he was. This is the man I gave myself to so fast. Not the hacker that he’s turning out to be.

  Is it possible for someone to be two different people, or can they both be the person I thought he was?

  The desktop is clean of any files, except for the hard drive icon. I click it and open it to see normal, everyday files, like applications and downloads. As I search around, nothing seems odd, but I realize quickly I have no idea what I’m looking for.

  I click the Chrome browser and search his history. Since it’s not connected to the internet, I can’t click on any sites, but the sites are cached, giving me the names. Besides The Mob Museum I ran into him at, his history includes pages about GI cancer or personal loan sites. The thought breaks my heart. He’s honestly trying to save his brother.

  Does this blackout have something to do with his brother? Did he do it for money? He obviously wasn’t stealing anything because he was with me the entire time, away from this computer.

  But why did he bring it with him? Was he supposed to do something, and I stopped him?

  Now, my heart breaks in another way. What if I did stop him, and now, his brother won’t get the help he needs?

  Here I go again, my mind going in millions of different directions. I’m going to drive myself crazy.

  I close the browser and click the Photos icon, hoping they’ll calm my thoughts. As I scroll, I see more pictures of him, his brother, and other friends. Photos of him hiking and surfing in the ocean flash across the screen.

  Everything here proves he’s
the person I thought he was. I don’t see many pictures of girls, and even the ones that are there, it’s obvious they aren’t in a relationship. There are no scandalous photos of naked women or even ones of them hugging. All photos are wholesome or of things he’s seen in nature. There is nothing here that screams hacker or even bad boy.

  Is that why he wanted me to snoop?

  ***

  A loud tone rings throughout the truck cab, filling the silence around me, startling me awake. I frantically reach for my phone, not believing it’s actually ringing.

  When I see my sister’s name flashing across the screen, a huge sense of relief flies through me.

  “Sam!” I squeal into the phone.

  “Oh, thank God! Are you okay?” Sam says, obviously as happy as I am to hear her voice.

  “I’m fine. Where are you?” I wipe the sleep from my eyes as I look around me. The sun has barely risen, but right in front of me is a flashing streetlight.

  The electricity is finally back on.

  I searched Jason’s computer until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. Grabbing the blanket behind the seat, I crawled in the back and hid, making me feel a little safer, being asleep and alone.

  “We’re heading back to the hotel. Where are you?”

  “Did you get my text?” I ask.

  There’s a pause. She must be searching her phone. “No, nothing’s come through yet. Service came back on, and I called you right away.”

  I glance around the truck, not feeling ready to tell her where I am or what happened to me last night. “It’s not a big deal. I’m not far. I’ll meet you there.”

  I hang up before she asks me any more questions. I haven’t even thought about talking about what I’ve been up to all this time.

  I don’t want to.

  I’m not sure why though. Is it because I’m embarrassed that I let this man—this maybe thief, this hacker—use my body in ways I never imagined, or is it because I want to protect him?

  I want to believe he is the man I became infatuated with in such a short time, but I need to remember why we’re here in the first place. My sister fell for a guy who was a complete fraud.