“Tell the pilot to hold steady,” Ronnie shouted above the noise. The wash of the blades whisked away her words. Had Quirk heard her?
Taking a deep breath, Ronnie hopped onto the car next to her, then launched onto the edge of the ledge. A shot pinged off the cement.
Crap. Guess the FBI agent would shoot her in the back. One of the risks one took when they were the FBI’s most-wanted cyber criminal, but there was no turning back now. Then the sound of the firing pin hitting metal filled the air. Then another. He was out of ammo.
Not wasting a moment, Ronnie jumped for the helicopter. Her foot found the railing as she grabbed for the handle of the door. The only casualty was her body suit, which ripped along the shoulder. Ronnie went to haul herself into the helicopter when it tipped precariously. Her body swung out, facing the FBI agent full on as he replaced his clip.
Ronnie really wanted to close her eyes if she was going to be shot to death, but Quirk was right. The agent really was just that hot.
* * *
Zach slapped the clip in and raised his weapon, but stopped as the hacker’s body suit ripped even further, revealing the curve of a breast. What the hell? Then Robin Hood’s blond hair tumbled out of its restraint, flying around her head like a halo.
“The Robin Hood Hacker isn’t a guy,” Warp said in his ear.
By no definition of the word, Zach thought as she looked into his eyes.
Then the helicopter righted itself, reminding him why he was here in the first place. To arrest the hacker, chick or not.
He raised his weapon, going for the good shot, but the hacker made her way into the chopper, slamming the door shut behind her. Zach shot, but he hit the door. Then the helicopter was hightailing it away. Maybe he could hit the gas tank or a rotor, but the chopper rapidly flew out over the desert. Zach fired until he ran out of ammo.
“The hacker is a woman,” Warp whispered into his ear, as if the tech were afraid to say it too loud.
“How quickly can we get our chopper in the air?” Zach asked.
“Again, it’s Christmas. I can’t imagine getting someone—”
“Then contact the local PD,” Zach ordered as he watched the chopper gain more and more distance. “They’ve got a rescue chopper.”
“But it’s out at a major accident on the I-85, and, before you ask, the news choppers are all out there, as well.”
This could not be happening. He could not have come so close to lose the hacker now. But that was exactly what was happening. The chopper was flying way under any radar. Once they made it past the outskirts of town, they could head anywhere. Including south, to Mexico, where they could lose themselves before you could say extradition.
Zach holstered his weapon and leaned against the concrete ledge, doing the only thing he could…
Watch the Robin Hood Hacker fly away.
EPILOGUE
Ronnie watched the sun set from the window of the train. The Mexican desert streaked past as they entered night. Freshened up and changed into actual clothes, the stress of the near miss slowly melted away.
Quirk opened the door to their compartment. How did he always look like he had walked off a Milan runway? The only concession to their anonymity was the hat he wore to hide his perfectly raven-black hair. And even the damned hat was high fashion.
“I thought we said ‘low key,’” Ronnie complained.
“What?” Quirk retorted. “I am not wearing feathers, sequins or appliqués, so, I repeat, what?”
Ronnie didn’t bother to argue the point. Or mention the fact that his pants were faux snakeskin or that his boots were orange. She could never win. However, she did stop him from sitting down.
“Nope,” she said. “We’re going to the dining car.”
“Ugh,” Quirk groaned. “I just want to sit down, apply some apricot exfoliating cream and take a nap.”
“After dinner,” Ronnie insisted, turning him around and nudging him through the door.
As the train rattled underfoot, they made their way down the hallway and into the dining car. The place was empty, except for one person sitting at the far end of the booth.
“I thought we’d bought out the car?” Quirk asked.
“We did,” Ronnie said, urging him forward.
The figure stood up and walked toward them.
“Oh my god!” Quirk squealed, then threw his hand to his mouth. “It’s William Shatner.”
Ronnie laughed as the sci-fi icon joined them. “Yes it is.”
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” Quirk repeated, over and over again.
Shatner extended his hand, but Quirk could only mutter his fanboy chant. The star chuckled, clearly used to the reaction, then offered his hand to her. She was pretty much in awe, too, but managed to return the handshake.
“Thank you so much for making the trip,” Ronnie said as their hands parted.
“Can I call you Captain?” Quirk blurted.
Shatner nodded. “With the payment your friend made to get me here on Christmas? You can call me anything you like. Kirk. James T. Your call.”
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”
Ronnie waited, hoping that Quirk could pull it together enough to say something coherent, then realized that was not going to happen. She turned to Shatner.
“When we reach Hermosilla there will be a private plane waiting to fly you to Los Angeles, where you will meet up with your new horse. There will be a climate-controlled trailer there you can drive up to your ranch at Three Rivers.”
The star cocked his head. “How did you get the imperial family to sell the stud? They swore they’d never part with him. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
Ronnie shrugged as Quirk continued his shock-induced mantra. “A girl’s got to have some secrets.”
“Well, I can’t thank you enough,” Shatner said, then eyed Quirk. “Just an hour of face-time, though, right?”
“Yeah,” Ronnie assured him. “Normally he’s a bright, articulate firebrand,” she said.
“They all are,” the star said with a smile.
Ronnie patted Quirk’s shoulder as she passed by. Hopefully he would come to his senses before the sixty minutes ran out.
“Wait,” Quirk blurted just as she was about to exit the car. He trotted up to her. “Thank you!” The normally glacially cool hacker wrapped her in a bear hug. “This is the best Christmas present ever.”
“Oh, but it’s not,” she said. “Meeting Shatner is your birthday present. Happy Birthday, Quirk.”
Tears filled her assistant’s eyes, and damn if her eyes didn’t respond. Years ago she’d sworn off feelings, or relationships of any sort. A hacker’s life was a life lived best alone.
Until now.
“Thank you so much, Ronnie,” Quirk rushed on to say. “But I’ve only got fifty eight minutes left and there are twenty-nine episodes—”
“Thirty, if you count the original pilot,” Shatner commented.
Quirk’s face lit up like a sci-fi super nova. He pointed his finger at his hero. “Just one of the things we’re going to debate.”
Ronnie pushed him toward his present. “Go.”
With one last quick hug, Quirk was gone. He was pelting Shatner with questions before she could even make it out the car. The star was going to wish for the “oh my god” mantra to come back after a few minutes of Quirk’s geekery.
Despite the near-death experience in the elevator shaft, the swallow suit nearly burning up and getting shot at, Christmas had turned out pretty damn good for once.
* * *
Zach walked up to his mother’s apartment. It was way later than even his usual. The aftermath of nearly catching the Robin Hood Hacker had taken far longer than it should have. But when you shatter the law enforcement’s worldview on the number-one most wanted cyber criminal, there was some serious paperwork to be done.
He’d wanted to head home, but when he texted his mom, she’d hear nothing like that. It was still Christmas, and they were having dinne
r. End of story.
Before he could knock on the door, though, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He would have ignored it, since he’d already given like five different statements, but it was his boss, Danner.
“Yes, sir?”
“Sorry to bug you, Hunt, I know I said you had the rest of the night off, but what are we supposed to do with this guy in holding?”
Crap. Zach had forgotten all about the jaywalker. “Let him go.”
“Did I hear that right?” Danner asked. “Special Agent Zachary Hunt is letting a suspect walk?”
“The Christmas spirit has overcome me, sir,” Zach chuckled. “But tell him if he misses another court date, I will lock his ass up for Valentine’s Day.”
“Will do,” Danner said before the connection clicked off.
He didn’t even have time to knock as the door burst open. “Zachary!” his mother exclaimed as she launched into a hug. “It is so good to see you.” Wow, it looked like, for once, she was going to let his tardiness go—until she rubbed his back. “Finally.”
There it was. His mom’s patented guilt-inducing zinger. Luckily, he was too tired to really care. “Yep.”
As they entered the living room, Zach glanced around. “Julia left?”
His mother snorted. “Oh please, she didn’t make it through the first hour of waiting.”
“She’s gone home then?”
“Home? Julia? When she’s mad?” His mother was shaking her head. “No way. She joined some girlfriends who were going to a bar for eggnog shots.”
Yes, that did sound like Julia. He couldn’t blame her, though. It was Christmas, after all. Ellard had warned him.
“Son, that girl is absolutely beautiful, but high maintenance. If you want to keep her you’ve got to—”
“Don’t worry,” he interrupted his mother, guiding them to the dinner table. “I’ll make it up to her.”
His mom put a hand on his arm. “Dear, using sexual gymnastics to solve the problem will not work forever.”
“Mom…”
“I’m just saying that pleasing her in bed isn’t going to make up for—”
“Mom!”
His mother waved him off, then straightened the tablecloth. Most of the food was already plated and ready. “Just because I’m a senior citizen doesn’t mean that I can’t remember what it was like to be young and engaged.”
Zach sighed. “Mom, I was going to give her a ten pack punch card for her favorite Pilates studio.”
“Oh my,” his mother said frowning. “You mean sexual gratification isn’t working anymore?”
“Mother!” Her prying was bad enough. And when she was on the cusp of being right? “Can we just eat?” he begged.
“Of course,” she said, a smile replacing the frown. “I’ll get the turkey.” Zach started toward the kitchen, but she urged him to a chair. “No, no. You sit down. I’ll be right back out.”
He didn’t argue. His legs were tired. His arms were tired. His brain was tired. It had been one hell of a day. Then his phone dinged. He’d meant to turn the damn thing off, but he found the text was from a blocked number. A link to a video.
It took a few seconds of the film running for Zach to realize it was a compilation of satellite footage of the chase after Robin Hood. The hacker flinging herself off the oil company building. His car chasing her through El Paso. Then, finally, their confrontation on the garage roof.
The final shot lingered on the Robin Hood Hacker’s face just before she turned to board the helicopter. A smile flickered at the edge of her lips. With her hair flying around her face, the hacker looked a little like Julia in one of her old photo shoots. Only this woman wasn’t in a harness or strapped onto a dozen safety lines. She was actually riding the side of a helicopter in the air, tilting over nearly on its side, for that matter. There was nothing fake about that shot.
Below her picture were the words, “Better Luck Next Time.”
“Ta da!” his mother announced as she carried out the turkey on a platter.
Zach turned off his phone, slipping it back into his pocket, but not before thinking to himself…
Game on.
Afterword
Thank you so much for going on this ride with Ronnie, Zach and Quirk. I was asked so many times how the trio met that I finally had to write Hacked!
If you enjoyed this tale, I would ask you for a huge favor and have you return to Amazon and leave a review. We indie authors live and die by our reviews!
Want more action packed adventures? Check out the next section for more from Carolyn!
Other Works by Carolyn McCray
Encrypted – Extremely controversial historical thriller
If you enjoyed the adventure-filled romp of Hacked, you might also enjoy Carolyn’s action-packed techno-thriller, Encrypted.
“Dan Brown blinked, and Carolyn McCray took over. Encrypted is the best thing that I’ve read in the thriller genre, hands down. It’s got history, mysticism, and shadowy organizations manipulating world events. Oh, and did I mention the most incredible opposites-attract relationship EVER? This novel knocked my socks off.”
ThrillersRockT
Book Reviewer
More praise for Encrypted…
"I found this book to be just as the title said an action packed techno thriller. I read at least a book a week but this was one of those impossible to put down books. It was well worth the money and based on this book I bought her other book and will be placing the next in her series on my wish list."
Scott Powner
Amazon Reviewer
Halting the spread of a weaponized redo of the Black Plague? Intending to plunge the world into a medieval hellish vision of the Hidden Hand? It's never good when the dead could turn out to be the lucky ones. That's a lot of responsibility resting on the shoulders of a brilliant cyber hacker and a sexy FBI agent. Makes you wonder who's calling the shots? God, the angels or a 13th century cult that would make Lucifer blush."
Taylor Lee
Author
Big Girls Don't Cry
To purchase or read a sample of Encrypted on Amazon, just click here.
* * *
30 Pieces of Silver – Extremely controversial historical thriller
If you loved the thrills, and excitement of Hacked, you should check out Carolyn’s #1 Bestseller in Men’s Adventure /War/Techno-Thrillers, 30 Pieces of Silver.
Be warned, however, that 30 Pieces of Silver is an EXTREMELY controversial historical/religious thriller. Please be sure to read the warning on the Amazon page before purchasing!
Unabashedly controversial, 30 Pieces of Silver has been described by NYT Bestselling author James Rollins (author of Bloodline) as…
“Part minefield and all roller-coaster ride, here is a story as controversial as it is thrilling. Hunker down for a long night, because once you start reading this book, you won’t be putting it down.”
And the praise doesn’t stop there…
“Even as I write this, I find I can’t do justice to the scope and breadth of 30 Pieces of Silver. It is cinematic in its ambition and execution, taking the reader on a well-thought-out and well-written journey.”
The Word Zombie
Book Reviewer
“If you are looking for an action-packed, archaeological thriller, then look no further than Carolyn McCray’s 30 Pieces of Silver. I cannot say enough good things about this book! I started reading this book and found myself taking it everywhere I went just to finish it. McCray has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.”
The Pen & Muse Review
Book Reviewer
We could go on and on. However, it is probably best if you sampled some of 30 Pieces of Silver for yourself. However, be forewarned! The ending is so controversial that New York would not put it into print! #youhavebeenwarned
To purchase or read a sample of 30 Pieces of Silver on Amazon, click here.
* * *
Moonrush – Carolyn’s pulse-pounding paran
ormal romance thriller
It's 2049 and it's not gold the prospectors are looking for, it's “Star Diamonds.” And these precious gems aren't in California but up on the moon!
Join Jarod and his team of treasure hunters, Rogues Incorporated, as they dodge a nefarious competitor, crazed moon-panning prospectors, and even their own government for the ultimate “motherlode.”
Praise for MoonRush…
“Reading this book after taking finals at school was like taking a much needed vacation…to Outer Space! All the characters are so developed and unique and the plot twists and turns make this book rank so high on my list that I'm writing a review about it. Something that I don't normally do. So buy this book and get ready for some quality entertainment from some witty innovative writers! “
Lisa Thurman
Amazon Reviewer
“This was a fast-paced adventure with entertaining characters and an engrossing plot. Reading Moonrush was like watching a great blockbuster summer movie except that I could enjoy it while on the beach. Won't disappoint.”
BookLover1960
Amazon Reviewer
“This book played out like an action packed adventure movie in my head. You know, an action packed adventure movie with a plot, and characters that you can really relate to, and care about. It's filled with everything from science fiction to teenage angst, and nerd humor. All of the elements of a great story are there, and that's what makes it so much fun.”
DudeMcMan
Amazon Reviewer
To purchase Moonrush on Amazon, click here.
* * *
All Hallow’s Eve – The one night it’s BAD… to be good
If you are in the mood for some more great serial killer catching I also have, All Hallow’s Eve: The One Night it’s BAD to be Good.
People are being martyred but not for their faith. Instead the deaths are part of a serial killer’s sick game as he chooses his victim by their name… then kills them in that Saint’s grisly manner.
What people are saying about All Hallow’s Eve…
“Scary and smart, All Hallow’s Eve is perfect for anyone who wants to read a horror story that makes them think. From the intricate psychopathology of the serial killer, to the hair-raising tension, to the skewering of pop culture, All Hallow’s Eve is simply a great read.”
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