Undercover Fiancee

by Rebecca Winters

  Annabelle gulped.

  “That’s awesome,” Bryan enthused. “Do you guys have kids?”

  “Not yet, but we’re working on it, aren’t we, sweetheart.”

  She mumbled something incoherent and kept doing the walls with the mop.

  “They’ll be lucky.”

  “You think?” she interjected.

  “Yeah. They’ll be able to play the kind of music they want and not get grounded for it.”

  “Do you know who Mozart is, Kevin?”

  “Heck, yes. I’ve had to take piano lessons since I was six. I hated them. Last year I quit. My parents went berserk!”

  “You want to know something funny?” she confided.

  “What?” By now he’d plunked himself on an Italian provincial chair with legs stretched out in front of him, obviously lonely for a little company and happy to have someone to talk to.

  “My dad asked me not to play Mozart’s Requiem Mass when he was in the house.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “No. He said it was too sad. After my mom died he couldn’t listen to anything classical. That’s why he didn’t mind rock or metal.”

  “That’s amazing. My parents won’t let me listen to anything but classical at home.” He looked up at her intently. “You love classical?”

  She nodded. “I do. When I was a lot younger, I’d go down the basement, put on my headphones to listen to it, then I’d play around on my computer which I loved as much as my music.”

  He sat forward. “I love computers, too.”

  “She’s really into them,” Rand offered, having finished up one set of windows and starting on another. “Sometimes I accuse her of loving her Tronimania 500 more than she loves me.”

  “You have a Tronimania?” Kevin’s mocking laughter filled the room.

  She moved her pail along the floorboard to a new section of wall to wash. “Don’t knock it. That computer has all the latest stuff for a one man band. When I hook up the amplifiers, I can practice my drums and feel like I’m with the old group again.”

  Rand paused between panes. “What kind of a computer do you have, Kevin?”

  “I own a half dozen different kinds, but I’ve torn the motherboards apart and have rebuilt my own computer.”

  Annabelle shook her head. “I don’t even know what a motherboard is. How did you learn to do things like that?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders. “My parents gave me a Dunbarton when I was twelve. I really liked it and read all the literature. Pretty soon I was turned on to computers big time. Now when I need to repair something, I just buy old parts and fix them and everything works.”

  “You remind me of that teenager in WarGames. Did you ever see that movie?”

  “Sure. Everybody has.”

  “Except nobody could really do the things he did in that show,” Annabelle baited him, then scooted her stuff down the room a few more feet.

  Bryan followed her. “What do you mean?”

  “Breaking in on big computer systems, decoding security devices. It’s a great story for the movie audience, but it doesn’t happen in real life.”

  “Sure it does.”

  Behind Bryan’s shoulder, Annabelle could see Rand giving her the thumbs-up signal. “Kevin’s right, sweetheart. It happens.”

  She schooled herself not to react to Rand’s endearment. In a quiet aside to Bryan she said, “I’m afraid my husband believes everything he sees on television.”

  “I heard that.” To her surprise, Rand closed the distance between them and kissed her on the neck. A river of molten heat ran through her body making it throb.

  “Don’t you remember that article in Time magazine?” he murmured against her skin. “The one about the sixteen-year-old kid who broke into the main computer at a brokerage firm from his own house and made thousands of dollars buying and selling stock?”

  The touch of his lips left her trembling and vulnerable. He distracted her until she couldn’t think clearly. Their teenage interloper was clearly enjoying the byplay.

  “How could he do that without a password of some kind?” At this point she only had one more section of wall to finish cleaning. Rand started on another batch of windows at her end. Bryan stuck to them like glue.

  “He got it by running someone’s program from a local server and learning the password. Apparently the police caught up with him and he went to prison.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “That kid was stupid,” Bryan blurted.

  Rand’s eyes sent Annabelle a private message before he switched his attention to the teen. “What do you mean?”

  “The guy you were talking about had to break in on another program to figure it out which was a dumb thing to do, a dead giveaway.”

  “If it had been you, how would you have done it?” Rand asked in a nonchalant manner. Annabelle held her breath, waiting for Bryan’s answer.

  “Easy. I’d just make friends with somebody whose sister or brother worked for the company and get them to slip me the password. That way no one could trace anything.”

  So that was how Bryan had broken in on Rand’s technical line. He didn’t have an accomplice. Annabelle imagined Rand was feeling a great sense of relief about now. So was she.

  “I can see a family member getting that kind of information out of another family member, Kevin, but I can’t see that person giving it to you or anyone else.”

  “They would for enough money, like a thousand dollars.”

  Good grief. Only someone like Bryan could bribe a friend with that kind of incentive.

  Rand nodded. “Yes, I guess a friend your age would probably do anything for that kind of money.”

  “Yup.”

  “That’s interesting. From a purely monetary aspect of course. What is sad is that the kid who went to prison had never been taught that it’s morally wrong to hack.”

  “Morally?” Bryan sounded impatient.

  “Of course. Hackers don’t know about the costs associated with their actions. Most kids are too young to realize the full ramifications. That teenager didn’t own any property or have a job. He didn’t have any idea of what it means to be responsible or care about anyone but himself.

  “Not only didn’t he consider that it was a federal offense to steal money, he ruined hundreds of programs, caused the loss of data which cost the company millions of dollars.”

  “My dad says that every big business builds a loss factor into their operating budget. It’s the price of doing business.”

  Bryan Ludlow might be a brainy child, but he had developed a self-serving attitude to justify his actions.

  Annabelle finished the last section of wall, then walked over to the teen with her mop. “You mean like a supermarket that expects four percent of its merchandise to be stolen per fiscal year and they just have to deal with it?”

  “Yeah. Exactly. I mean, if the company has bad security, then that’s their problem.”

  “What if it were your company, Kevin?”

  He flashed her a self-satisfied smile. “One day I’m going to own a computer business and no one will ever be able to rip me off because I’ll have a foolproof system.”

  Annabelle winked at Bryan. “Didn’t you know there’s no such a thing as a foolproof system?”

  “Mine will be.”

  “I think that’s what the kid said to the judge before he was sentenced,” Rand informed him. “Well, sweetheart? We’re finished in here. What do you say we put the furniture back in place, then go out for a hamburger?”

  “That sounds good. You want to come to lunch with us, Kevin?”

  After a slight hesitation, “No thanks, but maybe if I give you some money you could bring me back a couple of double cheeseburgers with everything and some fries? I’m supposed to be here all the time.”

  “You mean you never go out?”

  “Well, sure. My folks come over and do my job for me when I need a break. The thing is, I’m saving al
l the money I can and the Owens are depending on me to do a good job. Besides bringing in the mail and watering plants, I’m supposed to hang around as much as possible to be on the lookout for intruders. If you want to leave now, I’ll put everything back.”

  “Thanks, but that’s our job.”

  “No, really! I haven’t got anything else to do. Just let me run and get some change.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  He nodded.

  “Okay. We’ll meet you at the car then.” Without warning Rand slid his hands onto Annabelle’s shoulders from behind. “Come with me, Mrs. Adams.”

  Mrs. Adams?

  “Don’t you think you’re overdoing it just a little bit?” she complained as they started down the length of the room with his arm around her shoulders.

  When they reached the French doors he murmured, “I haven’t even gotten started yet.” Suddenly the room tilted. She found herself engulfed in a powerful pair of arms, then Rand’s dark head was descending.

  Unable to help himself, he covered her mouth with his own. He’d been insane with wanting to taste it again.

  She wasn’t fighting him, but she wasn’t exactly meeting him halfway, either. Maybe it was the distance between them causing the trouble. If he evened the odds...

  Wrapping his arms more tightly around her, he picked her up so her feet were off the ground and brought her head level with his. Then he deepened their kiss.

  A little muffled gasp escaped her throat before her mouth opened to him completely the way it used to do.

  Suddenly Rand wasn’t in control of the situation. Their kiss had taken on a life of its own. Like a mighty river, the blood rushed through his veins. When he’d first kissed her a year ago, he had no idea a woman’s mouth could give a man so much pleasure. Not just any woman’s mouth. Annabelle’s.

  More moaning sounds escaped her throat, igniting new fires. He lengthened their kiss, aware that the desire to lower them both to the floor and remove their clothes was growing into a raging need. Rand was fast reaching that dangerous point of no return.

  “I—I think you’d better put me d-down,” she stammered when he finally allowed her to take a breath. It sounded more like a desperate plea. Her body was trembling, just like his.

  Both of them were on the verge of being swept away. He could ignore her weak supplication, or he could do the gentlemanly thing. If he let her go, they would both suffer deprivation. To do what his body was screaming for him to do would bring them rapture because he knew she wanted it as much as he did.

  But afterward, she might despise him for moving everything ahead too fast. They were just starting to get to really know each other. But not enough time had passed for her to fully trust him yet.

  Struggling against his own nature, he slowly lowered her to the floor. She averted her eyes and backed away from him.

  “Do you know,” Rand began in a voice that sounded oddly husky even to his own ears, “you have the most delectable mouth. I think I have to have another taste of it.”

  So saying he captured her lips once more, never wanting to stop drinking from her sweetness.

  “Whoa. You guys are worse than some of the couples on the soap operas.”

  Rand finally lifted his head. He had no idea he and Annabelle had had an audience. What they’d experienced just now was private and sacred. Annabelle’s cheeks were scarlet.

  “That’s because we’re still on our honeymoon.”

  “You’re kidding! How long have you been married?”

  “Five years,” he called over his shoulder as he ushered a subdued Annabelle through the rest of the house and out the door to the driveway.

  As he opened the passenger door of the rental car so she could get in, she whispered panic-stricken, “Don’t forget that Phil is out in the surveillance van and can hear everything we’re saying.”

  Obviously she was embarrassed, but he didn’t particularly care. Her eyes revealed she’d been dazed by their passion. He’d seen her in this state many times before when they’d been dating in Phoenix. She sort of fell on the seat, limp. The magic was still there, stronger than ever. He would do whatever it took to get her back.

  “You guys are awesome.”

  Rand shut the door after her, then took the money from Bryan. “We’re not so different from any other happily married couple.”

  Bryan dogged Rand’s footsteps around to the driver’s side of the car. “I never see my parents kiss like that.”

  “How do you know they weren’t like Lois and me when they were first married?”

  “I guess I don’t. But you guys will probably act like this even when you have kids.”

  “I’m planning on it,” Rand vowed, “but everyone shows their feelings differently, Kevin. Just remember how lucky you are that your parents decided to have you.” He got in the car and talked to Bryan through the open window.

  The teen actually blushed. “Well, yeah. But you know what I mean.”

  “Ray’s right, you know.” Annabelle finally found her voice. It, too, sounded low and husky. “And when you think about it, I haven’t heard of very many kids who are given a Dunbarton computer at the age of twelve, let alone expensive piano lessons for all the years you were growing up. You ought to be counting your blessings. My mom died giving birth to me. I envy you having both parents around.”

  He averted his eyes.

  “Do you have a girlfriend, Kevin?” Rand asked casually before he started the ignition.

  “Yeah.”

  “Someone special?”

  “Yeah. Trina and I have been going together a couple of years and plan to get married someday.”

  As Rand fastened his seat belt, he decided the two teens must really care about each other, otherwise Trina wouldn’t have been so desperate to trace Bryan and help him stay out of trouble.

  “We can relate, can’t we, Lois?” Rand pulled Annabelle next to him on the seat and kept his hand on her thigh. It was an intimate gesture. He knew she wanted to push it away, but didn’t dare with Bryan looking on.

  “Picture this, Kevin—There I was talking with my buddies in the high school parking lot when this great-looking redhead in a Jeep roared into an empty space, her cat’s eyes glowing. We all stood there in breathless anticipation waiting for her to get out. You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah—” Bryan’s smile had widened into a huge grin.

  “When she did, all I can say is, it was well worth the wait.”

  “I agree,” Bryan offered boldly.

  It was Annabelle’s turn to go all shades of red.

  “That’s when I decided that one day my pocket Venus would be my wife!”

  “Ray!”

  Bryan laughed his head off. “You really call her your pocket Venus? That’s perfect!”

  Rand’s eyes made a slow appraisal of her face and figure. “She is pretty perfect, isn’t she.”

  There was fire in her eyes now.

  “I think we’d better get going, Ray. We’ve got half the main floor to clean after lunch.”

  “You’re right.” With great reluctance he removed his hand and started to back down the driveway to the part where they could turn around. “See you in a little while, Kevin.”

  The teen waved them off. Annabelle waved back before moving as far away from Rand as possible.

  “Your case is practically solved, Mr. Dunbarton. All we have to do is find out from Trina which friend of Bryan’s has recently come into a lot of money and we’ll know which older brother or sister inadvertently gave out the security password.”

  “It’s scary how clever you are, sweetheart,” he mocked.

  She kept her head turned away from him. “I think I’ll wait to phone Trina until she’s home from school. My PTA persona might not go over a third time.”

  “Now that I know our boy genius isn’t working with a professional, we can both afford to relax a little. Come on back over here.” He patted the empty space between them.

  “Y
ou can stop the act now, Rand.”

  “What act? You told me to play this by ear. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

  “But it wasn’t nece—”

  “I beg to differ,” he said in a slightly sterner tone. “Without the right approach, butter wouldn’t have melted in that kid’s mouth. Thinking we’re a lovey-dovey couple has taken him completely off his guard.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ANNABELLE’S heart thudded from too much adrenaline. Your ploy may have fooled Bryan. but it has practically destroyed me.

  “I’ll open the gate,” she volunteered, practically leaping from the car to get away from him long enough to suck fresh air in her lungs.

  As soon as she got back in the car, Rand turned to the left and they drove down the street past the surveillance van. Phil gave her the victory sign.

  “What exactly did that signify, Annabelle?”

  “That he’s picking up sound and apparently it’s very informative.”

  “Maybe Bryan’s friend is hiding upstairs or down in the basement.”

  “When he ordered two double cheeseburgers, I wondered the same thing.”

  “Except that I used to eat two of everything for every meal at his age.”

  “But you’re a much bigger man than Bryan.”

  “You noticed.”

  “I noticed,” she said before she could stop herself. “When I first met you in Phoenix, I couldn’t believe you were the head of Dunbarton’s. I thought you were a lineman for the Green Bay Packers.”

  “Why not the Denver Broncos?”

  She bowed her head, afraid to look at him. “My dad loved Coach Vince Lombardi, so I guess it was the first team that came to my mind.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  “Did you play football?”

  “I did, but not after high school.”

  “Were you an all-stater?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could you have gone on to play college ball?”

  “Yes, but my real interest lay in another direction.”

  “Obviously.”

  He cocked his head. “It’s true I’ve always enjoyed the computer scene, but I’m talking about my love of history. After mother died, I hitchhiked through Europe with a couple of my buddies. We saw and did it all. I didn’t want to stop there. I would have liked to have gone on to Africa...