Redeemed: Ruined and Redeemed Duet - Book 2

by Johnston, Marie

  “Where in the US?”

  “Various places.”

  Is he being cryptic? I’m about to ply him for more, but Diana calls.

  “Hi, honey. Roland wants to know if you’d like to go out with us tomorrow night?”

  I groan. “Is us Danielson?” Jacobi’s eyes flash and he leans harder on the counter, not going anywhere, but not giving me any privacy, not that I care for any. I never want Jacobi farther away.

  “Yes.” I can picture the wince I hear in her voice. “I know, I know. He’s been so insistent. I think he just wants to make sure we’ll all get along. He’s been hinting at getting more serious.”

  “Hinting like how?”

  “Well, like, asking if my house is too much now that it’s just me and an empty nest.”

  That house was too big for the three of us when Dad was alive and I was at home. “Is he suggesting moving in, or you selling and moving in with him?”

  “His place is nice. It’s just… small.”

  “Roland has a small house?”

  “Condo. It’s in Arcadia.”

  That’s not where I’d expect a guy like Roland to hang his three-hundred dollar hat. If he manages millions of his clients’ money, he’d probably be living closer to them.

  “And for now Danielson is staying there—”

  “Wait, what?” Enough of this. I’ll go straight to the problem. “Never mind. Tell them I’ll go with you.”

  Jacobi’s shaking his head, but I ignore him as I get the details from Diana. I hear the relief in her voice, along with the apology. She doesn’t want to pressure me, but she also doesn’t want conflict between me and Roland. I think she likes being with him, but I’m worried that she likes not being alone more.

  When I hang up, Jacobi’s anger radiates off him. His dark eyes are sparking, his shoulders are impossibly wide, and he’s a mass of restrained tension. I’d be scared but I know he’ll never hurt me.

  “What the fuck, London?”

  “It’s dinner in a public place. Maybe I’ll get some answers.”

  “Maybe you won’t and he’ll just think you’re cracking the door open, hoping he’ll bust in.”

  “Maybe.” I fiddle with the screw top of my water bottle. “But you’re blocking his entrance so it’s not important.”

  “I don’t like you leading him on,” he growls like my buff computer geek got replaced with a caveman pissing on his territory.

  “I’m having dinner with Diana and her boyfriend and his son. I’m going into it thinking nothing more than that. Whatever Danielson thinks, even Roland, is on them. But if those two guys are nothing but two dudes trying to make it work in LA, and Roland and Diana get serious, then I should be on civil terms anyway.”

  Jacobi’s tension drains out. “I don’t like it.”

  “Why, do you know something I don’t?” It’s more blatant than I meant to ask, but it’s out there.

  His brow crinkles, but he says, “No.”

  There’s that feeling that he’s hiding something. He’s mentioned fearing me finding out his secrets, but those are in the past. I want nothing between us moving forward.

  “Don’t lie to me, Jake.”

  He flinches. “Fuck, London. Fine. I looked into him. You asked me not to, but Elsa wasn’t coming up with shit.”

  “Did you? Come up with shit? And are you going to get arrested?”

  “They don’t even know I was there and they should teach all of their employees not to open links from emails they don’t know.”

  That’s how he got into Natural Glow. He’s putting the blame on them. “I guess they deserve it then?”

  He lifts a shoulder. “I make sure to include company-wide training in all my packages. You go cheap, you get cheap.”

  “And what’d you find?”

  “Roland’s broke as hell.”

  “What? But he has that business?”

  He drew his lips in until they sucked against his teeth. His eyes are shadowed. He’s not telling me something. “Doesn’t mean he’s good at it.”

  My shoulders drop. It’s one thing if it’s me on the line. I have Jacobi. But Diana lost my dad, I don’t live with her anymore, and she’s finding happiness with Roland. “So he’s using Diana?”

  “We can’t know for sure.” But his tone says probably. “Not yet.”

  His tone weighs heavy, but I don’t dwell on it. “What should I ask during dinner? What should I do?”

  “Nothing, but be your own goddamn self, London. You’re not a detective. You’re not a fed. This isn’t your world. I promise you, I’m going to find out and take care of it.”

  “Don’t put yourself at risk, Jacobi. I mean it. It’s not just you anymore.”

  Several emotions war in his eyes. He wants to promise me, but he can’t ditch his old ways. They’ve worked so well for him before. But he’s reactionary. What he did to Sully. How he got me. If he keeps going, one of these times it isn’t going to work out in his favor.

  Chapter 23

  Jacobi

  “We destroy them. We destroy both of them.” My voice is steady. Kase nods, his fingers tapping on the tabletop. He can’t quit moving. Cannon is next to him.

  There was no good time for a meeting like this, except when London’s out to eat with two fucking con artists it’s the best time.

  “Destroy them how much?” Kase asks, caution weighing heavy in his tone.

  “Not kill them if that’s what you mean.” Memories rush back. “And not drive them to kill themselves. Enough to make them leave California and not want to come back.”

  “The Sully package it is.” Kase wasn’t involved in Sully, but we exchanged techniques. My ideas helped him evade the career his parents pressured him into. He’s still got one foot in—he’ll always have one foot in—but this way he can sleep at night.

  “What exactly did you find on them?” Cannon’s been busy with Elsa and planning surveillance. With London around, I haven’t been able to update him as much.

  “Roland is broke. He made some bad investments and is hiding it from his clients.”

  “A Ponzi scheme?” Cannon asks.

  “Basically. When his clients find out, it’s going to get ugly. So, step one is making sure his clients see the real records of their investments.”

  “And Danielson? A chip off the old block?”

  “Close. His business is legit, but not doing as well as he’d like everyone to think. He sold that one big program but has struggled to back it up with consistent designs and sales. He’s used to the easy life and I think Diana and London are the key for both of them.”

  Understanding dawns in Cannon’s gaze. “Diana has a few million sitting around that Roland can use to bail his firm out, and Danielson can program at home in his PJs while London brings in the big bucks?” He gets a teasing glint in his eyes and glances at my shorts.

  “Haha.” I bring in as much in my PJs as London does in her downtown office. “I think he also wants to slide through life on her trust.”

  “Then why not bite when Elsa was an obvious target?”

  Kase takes that question. “Cons can sniff out other cons. There was always a chance it wouldn’t work anyway. She’s not his type. Her wealth is unknown and he’d have to go through the work of verifying it. Diana and London are a package deal. He’s lazy and he has an in already.”

  Cannon scrubs his face, his dirty blond whiskers making a scratching sound. “Got it. I’m out and you two are in. Whatcha gonna do?”

  Kase starts pacing like a storm cloud pinballing all over the county. “The real question is, do we drive Roland and Danielson away anonymously? Or do we let them know damn well who is behind it?”

  “I can’t have London facing any of the repercussions,” I say.

  His dark eyes flick up. Like Cannon, he has a face full of scruff, only his is as dark as his eyes. “Incognito it is. Then we start with Roland.”

  “You get on that. I have to do some more digging with Danie
lson. The people in his company aren’t as willing to open phishing emails, but I got in through a couple. Lower-level employees, lower access.” But enough to tell me that his company isn’t a shooting star ready to take off. It’s barely burning and will snuff itself out without more fuel along the lines of clients.

  “We should do it at the same time. If we tap Roland, then Danielson has time to react if he doesn’t have his own shit to clean up.”

  I glance at the oven to check the time. London’s meeting Diana and they’re both going to meet the guys. I can’t force London to do anything, but I stressed heavily that I didn’t want her riding with them. At no point should she be dependent on them.

  “For fun, we could fuck with their credit cards so when they try to pay tonight, they’ll show their true selves.” Kase’s grin is pure wickedness.

  One of the ladies would be stuck with the tab, and while that wouldn’t hurt either of them, it might be enough to make Danielson savvy to what we’re doing. “We’ll use the time she’s eating to dig into Danielson. I’ll show you what I’ve found.”

  The two guys follow me up to the office. We circle around my desk. I show them where I’ve been able to dig into Danielson’s work.

  “His work might be legit,” Kase says. “Focus on his personal life.”

  That’s trickier. And riskier. Kase doesn’t have to ask if I’ve started on the personal side. He knows I have. Hacking isn’t something I can do in a few hours, and especially not with someone as technologically knowledgeable as Danielson.

  There’re also all the legal tripwires. Nothing I’m doing is above the line, but when I wormed into his company, it was just his company. It’s not like what I got away with in regard to Sully. His passwords were weak and his virus software nonexistent or outdated. To do a thorough search on Danielson, I’d have to veer into other companies’ programs where the water gets muddier with harsher penalties for swimming outside the buoys.

  Cannon unfolds his laptop. “Gimme his personal details. I have a friend that’s a fed.”

  “A friend with benefits friend?” Kase asks cryptically. There’ve been times when Cannon’s tried to use a “friend” and it’s backfired because he’d left that friend’s bed without a call. Most of the time, he charms his way back into their pants. But his dick magic won’t last forever.

  Cannon scowls. “An old army buddy that owes me a favor.”

  I don’t bother to ask what the favor is. He probably won’t tell me anyway. But when he says those words, he gets stuff done.

  I send him Danielson’s full name, his photo, license plate number, and there’s not much more. I’m irritated at myself, but I’m trying to be good. Or at least not bad enough to get tossed into jail like London fears.

  Cannon clicks away on his keyboard. Several minutes later, he announces, “All right. He’ll have it by next week.”

  “Any quicker?” I growl.

  “Not without getting his ass canned.”

  It’ll have to do. Kase and I go back and forth about what our options are in regards to Danielson, but we go nowhere. It’s mostly to keep distracted from the idea that London is eating out with a guy who, at the very minimum, wants in her pants.

  * * *

  London

  If I slide over any more, I’m going to be sitting on Roland’s lap. It’s not what I want, nor is it the desired effect Danielson’s after.

  We’re seated at a table. Thankfully, we arrived at the restaurant first, because I asked Diana to. And I insisted on a table to keep me from being pinned into a booth. She’s been a good sport. I know she likes Roland, she’s not head-over-heels, and that’s maybe why she feels guilty over dating him. She’s extra accommodating because she’s not comfortable openly dating around me.

  I’m going to shamelessly use that feeling until Roland and Danielson prove themselves. And so far, Danielson is only proving that he can come on too strong.

  He’s turned in his chair so his knees are close to my side. His elbow’s on the table and his head is tipped toward me. All of that is annoying, but he moves his hands every time he talks. His fingers have brushed against the sleeve of my billowy top, then grazed along my skin. I almost jumped out of the chair when he feathered my hair behind my ear.

  I debated on what to wear only because I didn’t want anything about my appearance to be inviting. I did opt for black skinny jeans, but my shirt goes past my ass. With as close as Danielson is creeping, I wish I had football padding underneath to create a bigger buffer.

  To give him credit, he’s not being overt. In my pre-Jacobi days, I’d probably be charmed down to my ballet flats. I’d see that he liked merlot with his steak and I’d research all the best merlots. Later, after we started dating, I’d surprise him with a wine tasting and he’d think it was sweet. Until he noticed I stocked only merlot, and only drank what he drank, and then he’d start getting weirded out.

  He’d be justified. And that would be the decline of our relationship. I’d double down trying to please him, learning what his father liked and making sure he thought I was the best choice for his son. Danielson would feel constrained until he finally broke it off.

  With my luck, I’d pass him while buying off-sale and he’d think I was stalking him like Jonathon did.

  They were weak. Jacobi’s words in Cabo flow through my mind. I was weak then, too.

  It’s quite freeing not to be that girl anymore. Not only that, but I have a guy who tracked me to Cabo to keep me from sleeping with anyone else.

  Others might think that should be a warning sign, but not the new me.

  “Tell me about your company.” Danielson’s attention is solely on me.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard plenty from Diana.”

  “She really loves Natural Glow. Your father left quite a legacy.”

  My forced smile falters. It wasn’t my father’s legacy to leave. Yes, he was the one who watered and grew it, but he stole the seeds.

  “It’s something I’m really proud of, and I have so many ideas of how to expand into the future.” Like going back to the basics. Going back to Jacobi’s mom’s recipes and recognizing her work and her contribution to the business. His dad, too.

  What would he think of that?

  “And with you and Diana, it’s really been growing?”

  I nod, my mind still on the ideas popping up.

  “Of course, my interest is on the IT side. Mind if I ask who you use?”

  I blink at the turn in conversation. Normally, I wouldn’t think twice. IT is Danielson’s business. His bread and butter and therefore his passion. Just like I run Natural Glow, but can geek out over makeup formulas and have been known to talk with other makeup company CEOs about product more than business plans.

  But I’m cautious with my answer. “I went with Top Shelf Logistics.”

  “Oh.” Danielson’s face is the perfect mask of light surprise. “I guess I assumed you would say Dixon Incorporated, given your relationship.” Didn’t he pretend not to know where Jacobi worked the other night? Before I can think on it longer, he tilts his head, a fine line forming between his brows. “I apologize. Are you in a relationship with him?”

  The ready yes hovers on my tongue. Am I in a relationship with Jacobi? We stay overnight together, work together, and have sex. He’s my ex-husband. But we haven’t defined what we are since that time I came home to find him in my living room.

  I’m not not in a relationship with Jacobi, but saying he’s my boyfriend minimizes everything he is. He’s not my spouse, not anymore. Neither is he a fiancé.

  He’s more like a partner. My other half.

  “Jacobi and I are… close.” I leave it at that. He can read between the lines.

  “Ah. Well, Top Shelf has certainly earned their name, but I want to extend an offer of service.” His voice is warm and smooth. Pre-Jacobi me would’ve found a way to incorporate Danielson into my company, to build up his ego and use his services, all to please him.

  Jacobi
knows I purposely didn’t choose his company and he couldn’t give two shits. He’s been helping me out, but he hasn’t asked to take over cybersecurity.

  He manages to close more distance between us. “Any way I can be of help, let me know.”

  I seize the opening. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been alerted to some odd tampering.”

  A ripple of surprise crosses his face and he leans in. If I move farther to the side on my chair, I’m going to fall off. “Indeed. Any company can expect a constant level of attempts to gain access.”

  Which I know. Because I’m the boss and I work with my own IT department and Top Shelf to secure my company. I like how post-Jacobi me can sniff out bullshit easier. “Right, but obviously this is different or I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  His left eye twitches. He doesn’t like being questioned. Not by me. “Oh, no. Of course not. I meant it as only a starting point, for reference. What, may I ask, is happening?”

  I give him the rundown, using Jacobi’s terminology and finish with, “Any ideas?”

  I watch him closely. There’s a red flush under his collar that hasn’t yet crept under his neck. “Interesting. I’d love to look into it for you.”

  “I’ll think about it.” I take a sip of water and look to Diana for help, but she’s chuckling at something Roland’s saying.

  “You know, I’ve been having similar issues.” Danielson smiles and strokes his chin. An innocent move, but one that leaves me with a feeling of dread. “Funny thing is, I’ve traced the origin of the attempts back to LA.” He laughs. “What are the odds?”

  Cold washes through my veins. He traced cyberattacks back to here? Indeed, what are the odds… “Really?”

  He nods, his expression earnest. “Oh, yes. It started shortly after I moved out here. I don’t know if a competitor is testing me, or…” He shrugs. “I guess it keeps me sharp. Why don’t you send me the IP addresses and I can do my best to track them.”

  “I have someone on it.” I sound hollow.