Lost Faith (The Firm Book 1)

by April Zyon

  “We’re taking it to go,” he told her. “Already arranged. She’ll bring it out when she brings the check. I figured we’d both be straining the seams on our clothing once I knew what the meal was. Gotta be able to think on the fly and plan ahead, sweetheart. Holy hell but that was good. Only problem is I’m not going to be hungry again for days.”

  “Damn you are good, far too good for my own wellbeing because you seriously rock at guessing what I might need and want at any given time. I’ve never had anyone get me as well as you do and I like it. A lot. I hope one day I will be able to do the same for you.”

  “I’m sure you will, sweetheart. Now, how about we pay the bill and blow this popsicle stand. I have this sudden urge to have a nap and somehow have the impression they might raise a fuss if I was to do it in my chair. Although, getting up may prove to be challenging.” Lifting a hand, he waved down the waitress. Gabbie caught the thumbs up the woman threw before she disappeared into the kitchen.

  “You will get up just fine and you know it. Just think of having me in bed with you curled up tightly against your body while we nap together. That’s something that I look forward to. I know that we will have a great nap that way, wrapped in each other’s arms.”

  “Not sure if that image was quite the thing to put in my head. Part of me is definitely up, I’ll give you that much,” he said with a laugh. Accepting the check from their waitress he went to work on the electronic device and a few minutes later handed it to her, and took the bag with two take-out containers inside in return. “Thank you for the lovely service, and our compliments to the chef. It’s going to be a slow, but enjoyable waddle for the door today.”

  With a laugh, the waitress stepped back. “Enjoy your evening folks and we hope to see you again soon.”

  “Oh, trust me, you will. I’m going to make him bring me back here at least once a month. It was delicious, please give the chef our compliments.” Gabbie told the waitress and let Tobias pull her up and out of her chair so that they could get started for home.

  It took them a little longer to get back to his truck, but soon enough he had them on their way home. Twenty minutes later they pulled up at the house and slid into the garage. Both of them sat there for a couple minutes before practically rolling from their seats. With an arm around her waist Tobias got her inside. The ride home had made her sleepy and Gabbie was beyond ready for a nap now that her belly was full.

  “Thank you.” Gabbie said finally and looked up at him and pressed a kiss on the side of his neck. “I utterly adore you, Tobias.” She hugged him once again and together they walked into their house. She didn’t fail to notice that he checked out everything around them, he disarmed the system and rearmed it very quickly. “Now, put the dessert in the fridge and let’s go to bed.”

  “Go get naked, I’ll be there in a minute or less.” Pressing a kiss to her lips he smacked her ass and sent her on her way. He headed toward the kitchen and she took a moment to watch him walk.

  She got into the bedroom and was naked before she even made it to the bed. Once there she crawled up into the middle of it and waited on him. When he appeared, she licked her lips. “You know, we could of course work off some of our calories, if you wanted to that is.”

  “How about after we nap?” he asked. With a groan filled with relief he released his belt and ditched his clothing. Climbing up onto the bed next to her he fell onto his back and turned his head enough to look at her. “I think right now all I can manage is this. Not feeling all that energetic.”

  “Aww, my poor honey.” She whispered to him and moved so that she was curled up around him. “Okay, once we’ve had our nap we will see about killing off calories.” To be perfectly honest she didn’t care how long it took before they made love again because she knew that it would be spectacular as always.

  “You do say the sweetest things ever.” Wrapping an arm around her he pulled her into his body and gave her a kiss. “I adore you more each day and my love for you seems to know no bounds. I have to say that kidnapping you has to be me all-time best damn idea ever.”

  “I’m glad that you adore me as much as you do. I think that me deciding to stay with you is something that was the best choice of my life. Being able to have you in my life is amazing.” He made her life worth living, made her more than a shallow and pale imitation of herself. “Now, sleep baby.”

  “Pleasant dreams, sweetheart.” Tobias pressed another kiss to her lips and then cuddled her in closer. Draping the blankets over them both she felt his chest rise in a deep sigh, still, and then lower when he let the air out. His body relaxed instantly and she knew, without a doubt, he was already asleep. She totally needed to get him to teach her that trick.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A week later...

  Gabbie had settled into being a part of Tobias’s crew and workforce easily. It was actually pretty crazy just how easy it was to find her own little niche with his crew. She was able to settle in easily with those of his tech team and found herself teasing them just as much as they teased her. Right now, she was earning some tips from Winston on hacking. She was good, but he was much, much better.

  Winston settled back into his seat and handed her a bottle of juice before setting his coffee down on the holder well back from all the gear. And the man had gear. Laptops and desktop computers of all kinds and dimensions, some were even Frankensteined versions he’d personally created to get what he wanted from specific brands all in one machine. Right now, they were sitting at his main desk with the triple screens facing them. He held out a little book to her and a USB key.

  “These are your tools of the trade. Manual codes to get you around many things are in the book, and the USB stick holds several codes you can drop into a system for unlocking it and the like. Do not ever lose these, and do not ever let anyone put their hands on them. They are yours and yours alone. As you get better versed you’ll make your own adjustments to the codes to personalize them, your signature basically. Now then,” he said cracking his knuckles. “Ready to hack the NSA with me for shits and giggles?”

  “Right, so give the codes to everyone.” She teased just so she could see that look on his face, the shock that he gave. “And no. Tobias told me that I am to keep you on the straight and narrow. No hacking the NSA.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Instead how about we hack Google and fuck with their search parameters so that everything comes up with something strange. No matter what someone types into search make it say, did you mean to search for...?” It sounded like fun to her at least.

  “Tobias is a wet blanket, and you are not funny. This is legitimate business. They’ve got some new firewalls in place as of two days ago but are worried they aren’t going to do the job they demand of them. We’re going to test them, poke at them for holes or possible places to breach. If we get flagged we’re fine because it’s all above board.” He rolled his eyes when she stared at him, turned and then swung back to hand her an envelope. “The personal request from the director of the NSA himself to our company to conduct the testing. Date and time to begin so they have their people watching their end to see if anything pops up that shouldn’t or should but doesn’t. We’re getting paid enough money for me to buy my own laser cannon so let’s not fuck this up. Which reminds me, if they catch you they will ding you a point and then release. They know our ISP addresses we’ll be using and will be watching for them, but not actively trying to stop us. We’re doing all the heavy lifting and our only target, should be managed to actually sneak through, is the office picture for someone’s retirement two weeks ago. It’s in this folder heading and in this directory.” He handed her a slip of paper with the information on it.

  “As long as you are sure.” She told him and then wiggled her fingers. “Okay, let’s get to poking at the NSA so that we can see if we can find some holes. I really do want to fuck with Google as well.” She was nothing if not a silly girl who liked to play tricks on people. “So, what are we looking for?”

&nbs
p; “We are looking for the swiss cheese of the firewall. Big holes you avoid, they are usually traps set to lure unaware hackers in. You need to look for the miniscule holes or the cracks in the foundation. Just remember the first time they snag you you’ll likely jump a foot, they are not subtle, be ready for it. Once they let you go review what you did, what you assumed and remember not to do the same again. It’s all about pounding the shit out of this thing until it shows us the money spot.”

  “Sounds like a plan. We will get started then.” She was on one computer while he was on another and they were both ready to go. She was ready to see what she could do just as much as he was. “Now, come to momma swiss cheese.” She liked this part of hacking, the whole testing and poking, the prodding and trying to be smarter than the next guy.

  “Remember, you are a ninja not a bull in a damn china shop. You need to use stealth and subterfuge to make it give you what you need. Good, nice approach. I see what you’re doing there and that’s smart. Keep it up and you might just hack the NSA today.” She knew he was watching over her shoulder a few more minutes before finally turning to his own set-up. Only when she heard the clack from his keyboard did she feel herself truly relax and her focus sharpen.

  Gabbie continued and then leaned back. “Will you turn on some tunes while we are working?” She did her best work while she was working with music. Once he started the music she began to dance in her seat while clicking through the data packs she knew would help with hacking the NSA. “So, what do we get paid if we are able to get into the NSA today?”

  “An obscene amount of money. Tobias negotiated it. I think, but don’t quote me, if we make it through we get fifty grand, and another fifty if we can patch everything for them inside a week. If we fail miserably we get twenty for the effort and they’ll come to us down the road again for whatever other needs they may have of this nature. We also gain referrals within the community that are handy to have. While this isn’t our normal gig it gives me something to do during our down time which is why Tobias allows it,” he muttered distractedly. “Apparently I’m a menace when I’m bored.”

  “Huh, so what would I get if I got in first?” She was smiling as she hummed and worked. “And the repairs, the patching the holes would have to be done quickly because there are a lot of them.” She turned to look at him. “So, do you want to know what sort of file that they have on you?” They had to have been working on this project for hours but she had just found an in, thank goodness.

  “Unless they’ve done an update recently I’ve already read it. Several times. Whoever wrote it lives partially in a fantasy world I think,” he said. “If you want to read Tobias’s while you’re in there go for it. I already have the file from the folder.” Winston shot her a boyish grin and cracked his neck.

  Leaning back in his seat he turned his attention back to the screen. “You did really well, Ella. Barely even a blip on the radar which is what we wanted. But that was way too easy. Either they hired a total hack and got scammed, not something you should do to the NSA or government in general. Or,” he trailed off. He was frowning now with his hands hovering over the keyboard again but not touching any keys.

  “I might have seen someone hack them before.” She admitted finally. “So I did have a small little heads up but it wasn’t as easy as you think. We’ve been at this for six hours. Tobias has been in and out several times and has brought us several drinks. Have you been that zoned out?”

  “Probably,” he said. Stretching his arms over his head he twisted and she heard his back pop. “I tend to fall into a different place when I’m programming or hacking. There are very few things that can actually break through and ruin my concentration. People in and out, conversations around me, or even a party on the desk wouldn’t bother me. But I only ever do that in a safe place or with someone watching my back. Don’t need any more holes in my gorgeous bod than I have already.”

  “This is true.” Gabbie swiveled in her chair and watched him carefully. “So, tell me Winston, why is it that someone with a bod like yours, sense of humor and charm as well as looks is still single? You are also super sweet so I’m trying to figure out why you are still single even though you have like a hundred or more women’s names and numbers in your phone.”

  “Three hundred and forty-six if you want to be specific. I actually have no idea who any but seven are, and that’s only because those seven happen to be family members. The others hit on me in bars, on buses, wherever and insist on giving me their numbers.” Shaking his head, he finally looked away from the screen and at her. “I find people annoying. I’m sure there is someone out there for me, but so far she’s hiding under a rock.”

  That had her leaning over and giving him a side hug. “If Tobias could find me where he found me you know that you will find someone soon. She’s out there. Who knows, maybe she’s been waiting for you to find her as well?”

  “That’s possible I suppose.” He looked uncomfortable by her hug. “But I don’t know if she’ll be as pleased by being thrown in a trunk as you ended up being. I’m actually impressed you didn’t take his nuts off for that.”

  Gabbie laughed at that. “Oh, I wanted to at the moment but I didn’t. He’s still sucking up for it however. He’s such a sweetheart. I truly do love that man more than I ever expected. It happened so fast that I am honestly surprised about it, how I feel for him that is. I just hope he feels the same for me.”

  “He’s been gone for you from the moment you got on board. Not that he’ll admit it. But we knew from the way he was talking that you’d done what no one else had. You should’ve seen what he did to Herc when the big guy mentioned taking you out back and putting two in your head. Never seen Tobias like that, we knew then he was sunk. We were, and are happy for him but the timing did kinda suck even you have to admit that.”

  “Believe me I know just how shitty the timing was.” She, after all, helped them kill her father. “I didn’t know that I caused issues with the other’s and him.” Now she felt like shit and understood why the man known to her only as Herc steered clear from her.

  “You didn’t. Herc said it to be flip but no one realized how deep Tobias’s feelings already ran. He shocked the hell out of us all. Tobias and Herc will find their balance again, don’t worry about that. Herc’s been avoiding you because he hasn’t wanted to piss of the boss any more than he has. Give it a few more days and he’ll eventually sneak in to say hi.”

  “I hope so because I really don’t want to be the reason that there is tension. I adore that man of mine, I really do, but he is a little stubborn, isn’t he?” She asked with a smile. “Now, did our task get a thumbs up or should we go back at it?” He hadn’t seemed so sure before they began to chat, now she was curious what happened.

  “They gave us the thumbs up but want a few hours to do some patches on their end. They seem to think someone screwed up there. We’ll let them do the patches, come back at it again tomorrow and if we can still get through then we’ll be doing the work to shore up their walls.”

  “Sounds like a plan. So, what do we do while they are patching up their walls? Is this when you go for food or go and bug everyone in the office?” She had heard stories about him going into the other people’s offices and sitting on their desks or playing with their toys just to keep busy while waiting.

  Winston shook his head and slouched deeper into his chair. “I have some other things to do and then I’m going to crash on the sofa for a couple hours. I could go home but that seems pointless since I won’t know when they are ready. And when they text me they’ll want to get started pretty fast.”

  “Ah, gotcha. Well then should I go and bug Tobias for a while so that you can relax without me in your space? I know that he kind of dumped me into your lap so if you want me to I’m really able to go and bug him.” She said with a grin. God knew she loved to bug Tobias.

  “You just want permission to go harass your man. Which you don’t need. Go and see him for a while. I’ll finish up
here and then go get some lunch. I’ll text you if the NSA gets back to me before you and Tobias leave for the day.”

  “Thanks, Winston, you are the best.” She rose, leaned in and kissed his cheek before racing off toward Tobias’s office to spend some time with him.

  * * * *

  Finishing up his call Tobias waved Gabbie in when she popped her head around the door. He gave a laugh at the parting comment and hung up. “I take it you and Winston were successful then? Or did the NSA spank you and send you to the corner to think about what you’ve done, or not as the case might be?”

  “Nope, we were successful.” She moved around the desk and looked at him, he was assuming she needed him to lean back so she could get into his lap again. Once he did his suspicions were confirmed when she settled into his lap and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I like working with Winston. He’s funny and smart. He’s a good person too but I still miss you while I’m working with him. At least he knows when I’m getting antsy to see you and makes some sort of excuse for me to come and see you.”

  “Winston doesn’t talk much unless it’s computers, code, or some combination of the two. But he’s extremely astute, very aware and reads people quite well.” Adjusting her in his lap Tobias rested his cheek to her soft hair. “He usually sends out probes of a sort to determine your mindset. Once he has that knowledge then he can subtly or not so subtly set you onto the path you desire. Depends on his mood.”

  “Ah so he’s a tricky one. Did he study psychology as well as computers so that he could learn that or is it just a god given talent that he has?” She leaned in and pressed another kiss to his neck. Fucking hell he loved the way that she touched him and always needed to move in closer to him. He didn’t get it, she was young and beautiful but she wanted him and he damn well wanted her.