Who the hell knew Alaska would be so warm? He made a move to tug at the collar of his shirt, but the old lady gave him a look, and he put his hand back in the air.
“Look, if we could just talk to Daniella, we could sort this whole thing out,” Gage said as he tried to think of anything that would convince the old lady he was here to help not hurt.
She shook her head. “You leave Dani alone.”
Dani. Good to know. Sweat was trickling down his back. He glanced around the kitchen. No air conditioning. Probably didn’t need it usually. The woman made him come inside so she could call the police, but now she seemed to be toying with the idea of shooting him.
He glanced at the countertops to see if there was any other weapon handy but, apparently, Mrs. Williams was a very neat housekeeper. The place was spotless, and the counters were bare except for some rather delicious looking cookies in a Tupperware container. Gage’s stomach growled.
He took a deep breath. His levels of crankiness and exhaustion were high at the moment, but he’d survived Afghanistan and Iraq without losing his shit under pressure. Some old lady with a shotgun was not how his time on the planet ended.
Gage tried again. “We can’t stand here all day, so why don’t you put the gun down so we can have a reasonable conversation.”
“Why don’t I call the cops, and they can sort you out?” She took a step sideways, bringing her closer to the handset on the counter. Just then the phone rang, and the woman jumped.
Gage’s gut knotted. This woman was nervous, and her finger was on the trigger. She moved to answer the phone. Gage shot out a hand toward the woman. “No, please don’t do that. It could endanger Daniella—Dani’s life further.” He didn’t have time for her to be chatting away while holding him hostage.
“Why would answering the phone or calling the sheriff put Dani in danger? Hal’s a good man, and he knows what he’s doing.” She moved next to the counter and glared at Gage as she reached for the phone.
“He’s right, Mrs. Williams,” Dani said.
Both their heads swung in her direction. She was standing in the dining area off to the right and behind Mrs. Williams’ left shoulder.
She wasn’t what Gage expected. She looked young, like in her late teens, but Gage knew that couldn’t be true. She might be five-feet-four on a good day. Her hair was a dark brown bordering on black. Her eyes were so dark that with the distance separating them, it was hard for Gage to distinguish her pupils from the irises.
She wore baggy clothes, but they didn’t disguise her curvy figure. She looked like a college kid, but those eyes were definitely older. They’d seen a thing or two. Something about her made Gage instantly want to protect her. There was a vulnerability there he hadn’t seen the likes of in a long time. It appealed to him in ways it shouldn’t.
He hadn’t even heard her come in. Sloppy. He needed to do better than that. He cleared his throat. “Dani, my name is—that is, your boss sent me. I’m with Callahan Security.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He didn’t mention it.”
Mrs. Williams’ glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Do you want me to call the sheriff? Hal will take care of him.”
“Uh, let’s hold off on that a minute.” Dani whipped out her phone and snapped a quick picture of Gage and then texted with a speed that was far beyond anything Gage could manage. She glanced up at him and started chewing the corner of her lip. She looked back at her screen, waiting for a response.
“Dani,” Gage said, “we really don’t have time to waste. Clock’s ticking. We need to get out of here.”
Mrs. Williams waved the shotgun again. “Don’t you say anything else. You need to leave her be.”
Dani shot Mrs. Williams a grateful look and then went back to staring at her phone. An eternity later, the phone pinged, and Dani nodded.
“You can put down the gun, Mrs. Williams. Janet, my boss’s assistant, confirmed he sent this man to help me.”
“You sure, child?” Mrs. Williams asked.
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Mrs. Williams lowered the gun but didn’t put it down.
Gage dropped his hands. “We should talk somewhere privately, don’t you think?”
Mrs. Williams started to bring the gun back up, but Dani took a step forward and waved her off.
“Mrs. Williams, I haven’t been completely honest with you. It’s not really a crazed boyfriend I’ve been avoiding. It’s more…more of a work thing.” Dani glanced at Mrs. Williams’ face and then looked down and fidgeted with her phone. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I just really needed to be safe.”
“Girl, no apology necessary. Makes no difference to me who you were hiding from. As long as you’re safe, we’re all good.”
Dani smiled, and Gage could see the relief etched across her face. She obviously cared about the old lady. “This man, uh…Gage, is here to help me.”
“Okay then.” Mrs. Williams put the shotgun down in the corner of the kitchen. “How about those cookies?” Just then the phone rang again.
Gage glanced at it. “Ah, ladies, as much as I like the idea of a cookie, Dani, I think we need to chat and maybe get a move on.”
She nodded at Gage. “Maybe in a bit, Mrs. Williams, okay?”
“Okay. You go get yourself sorted,” she said as she reached to answer the phone. “That’s probably another one of the girls calling to tell me about you being in a hit and run.”
“Wait! Don’t answer that.” Gage spun around to face Dani. “What hit and run?”
“There was a woman who was hit by a van downtown. She was wearing a coat like mine and her hair was blond like mine was—well, until late last night.” Dani shrugged. “I guess she kind of looked like me.” There it was again, the tough exterior trying to hide the worry and fear. Gage blinked, and the look was gone from Dani’s face.
“I see. People think it’s you. I assume the woman was badly hurt?”
“She’s dead,” Dani said in a flat voice.
Mrs. Williams nodded. “One of my friends already called to tell me. Damn near gave me a heart attack ’til I saw Dani. I ’spect that’s why the phone is ringing off the hook this afternoon.”
Gage grimaced. “You tell Drake?”
“Yes. It seemed like too big of a coincidence.”
“Okay. Mrs. Williams, please don’t answer the phone. I need people to think the dead woman is Dani for as long as possible. There are some people out to hurt Dani, and if they think they already succeeded, we’ve gained some breathing room.”
Mrs. Williams frowned. “Well, I guess I could avoid it, but soon enough, people will start dropping by. Juneau may have thirty thousand plus people but it’s really a small town. We all know each other.”
“We’ll go as quickly as we can. Let’s get your stuff, Dani,” Gage said as he turned and headed for the front door. He peered out the window and checked the street. It looked clear. He gestured for Dani to follow him out and gave a quick nod of acknowledgement to Mrs. Williams. Then he and Dani were out the door.
Gage moved quickly off the porch and headed to the garage apartment. He stayed close to Dani, keeping his body between her and the street while he kept his head on a swivel constantly checking for any danger. “Do you know why they tried to kill you? It kind of doesn’t make any sense.”
Dani snorted. “It does if they think they already have the software.”
Chapter Four
“What?” Gage swung around and looked directly at Dani, but she just continued past him to the apartment and then opened the door. “Do they have the software?” he asked as he walked in and took stock of the small apartment.
“No. They took a USB drive I had on the counter. It was encrypted. I suspect they think it has the software on it.”
Dani walked directly across to the little dresser in the corner. She reached behind it and grabbed a duffle bag. She hadn’t brought much when she moved here, and she hadn’t bought much since she arrived. It was a small town
, and she’d spent all her time programming. It wouldn’t take her long to pack up her life.
“Wait. They were here? At this place?”
“Yeah. They must have broken in when I went out this afternoon. When I came back a while ago, the place was trashed and the USB drive was gone.”
“Why would they think this USB drive was the software? What about your lab? Wouldn’t it be there?”
“My what?” Dani asked as she moved around the room, packing her stuff.
“Your lab. You know, where you do all your coding. And what about your people? Drake didn’t say anything about the rest of your team. Just that you were his coder.”
“Coder. Lab. That’s funny. Yeah. No. I’m the hacker Drake paid to build his software. There’s only me, and this”—she spun around with her arms out—“is my lab.”
“Son of a bitch.” Gage ran his hands over his face. “I thought you were legit with a company or something, but you’re not a professional. You’re just some hacker kid Drake hired.”
Dani narrowed her eyes. “I’m a professional hacker. I’m damn good at what I do. If you’re looking for a bunch of dorks in a lab, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Gage sighed. “I should have known something was up when I was chasing your shadow all over Europe.”
The heat crawled up her cheeks. “I am…” She swallowed. “That…wasn’t my fault. I didn’t tell Drake I was there. I just didn’t correct him. I also said I needed to check something so not to send anyone until I was sure. It’s not my fault he got all excited and sent you out.
“I told him it was a false alarm, but he was going on about how it was too dangerous anyway and he insisted I stop the project.” She took a breath and silently added I need to finish it for Carly. “I…couldn’t leave it undone. So I refused to tell him where I was. I set up the whole European false trail thing a while ago just in case anyone was looking for me.”
Gage glared at her. “Someone was.” He pointed to his own chest. “Me! And I wasted a hell of a lot of time doing it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I have no idea why Drake let you get away with not telling him where you were. Especially after you called for help. It’s stupid.”
“He had no choice. I refused to tell him, and he knew that if I found out he was looking, I would stop working on the software. It’s safer for me to work on my own.”
Gage turned away from Dani and started prowling around the small space, checking every window and then re-checking them. He kept clenching his hands into fists and then opening them again.
She watched as his gaze did a complete sweep of the apartment.
“And when did the hit and run happen?” he asked through tight lips.
“I dunno. Maybe an hour ago now.” She stuffed clothing into her bag. When she advanced toward the ladder, she banged smack into Gage as he was leaving the kitchen area underneath her sleeping loft.
“Ooof,” she mumbled as she bounced off his chest. He grabbed her arm to steady her, but she shook him off. The last thing she needed was to be close to him. He threw her off her game. He had since she first saw him.
He was so damn big and scary looking and sexy at the same time. It made her feel all jumbled up. She needed to keep her focus. It was the stress of the situation, she kept telling herself as she climbed up to her sleeping loft. Yeah, that’s what was making her jumpy and a mess. Clearly.
She reached under her pillow and grabbed her favorite T-shirt. It said Champlain across the front in green letters. It was soft from the many washes it had endured over the last three years.
Dani held it tightly for a second as she remembered the day Carly had given it to her. It had been her birthday. Dani was auditing a video game programming class at Champlain College, and Carly had somehow managed to get her the T-shirt to celebrate, not only her birthday, but the fact that Dani was actually taking a class. Well, sort of. She smiled and then swallowed hard as the tears started to fill her throat. Now wasn’t the time. Besides, Carly was going to be fine. Just fine.
Gage rolled his shoulders. “I guess the USB bought us some time, but soon enough they are going to find out it’s not the software. What was on the USB?”
She hesitated but decided it couldn’t hurt to tell the truth. Anyway, she could tell he wasn’t going to stop asking until he got an answer. He seemed like an asshole that way. “It contained info on some people I worked with. Screen names of other hackers with notes about them. It’s all written in code, so I’m not worried about them reading it.”
“You coded the list and you encrypted it?” He raised an eyebrow. “Must be some list.”
She nodded. “I’m all about keeping people’s personal information secure.” She tried not to laugh at the irony.
“Isn’t stealing people’s personal information what you do?”
She scowled at him. “It’s called sarcasm. And not all hackers are created equal. Some of us do things for the right reasons.”
“Uh huh,” he grunted in response. “Sure, you do.”
So maybe she hadn’t started out that way, but that’s where she was now, and she wasn’t going to take any shit from him about it. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about your opinion, so why don’t you just spend your energy on getting us the hell out of here?”
Gage froze. He turned and looked up at her. “Why don’t I get us out of here?”
His voice had gone soft. His eyes were a deep blue-gray and were so intense, Dani wanted to lean back into the loft so he couldn’t see her, but she forced herself to remain still.
“You listen to me, little Ms. Hacker. We would’ve been already safe in New York, not running from some unknown killers, if you would’ve told Drake the truth about where you were. Instead, I had to traipse all over Europe looking for clues. The situation here is much worse than I thought. You’ve already been found. So now you are going to finish getting ready as quickly as humanly possible so we can leave ASAP.” He turned back around and walked over to stand by the front window.
Dani sighed and crawled down the ladder and went to her bathroom. “Fun times,” she mumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes. Well, it didn’t have to be fun. He just had to keep her alive. That’s all that mattered.
She shivered and then started to collect her things. She opened the closet behind the bathroom door. They hadn’t touched the laundry she’d left in the stackables. They must have missed the closet entirely. They’d probably found the USB by that point.
Her stomach dropped. There was her coral coat. She’d hung it to dry in the small space next to the washer/dryer unit. She put her hands on the unit to steady herself. Taking deep breaths she tried to control the weakness in her knees. She ran through a couple of lines of code in her head, focusing on every detail. Finally, taking one last deep breath, she grabbed her laundry but left the coat. She wouldn’t ever wear it again.
“How are we getting out of here?” Dani asked as she shoved the last items into her duffel bag. She walked over to the coffee table and started packing up her computer stuff.
Gage glanced over at her. “Flying.”
She saw him take in the stickers on her laptop cover. He blinked and then his lips twitched. She wasn’t about to explain why she had Frozen stickers on her laptop. It was none of his business. “Not unless you’ve got a private plane. All the regular flights are grounded.”
“What? Why?”
“Big storm moving in. Something about all the heat and some sort of pressure thing. Anyway, there’re storm warnings about torrential rain with thunder and lightning. A possibility of hail. It’s about to get ugly.”
Gage quickly jerked his phone out of his pocket and started typing what was probably quickly for him, which wasn’t bad, but not really good either. He could type faster if he didn’t pound so hard on the screen.
She turned and then paused for a second, took a last look around. This was it. She was leaving what had been her home for the last few months. Funny, she had stayed longer in a l
ot of other places, but here was one of the only times where she’d felt safe. In another life, it might have been her home. She shrugged that thought off and said, “Ready.”
Gage didn’t seem to have heard her. He was busy reading something on his screen. Then he made a call.
She watched him walk around the room as he spoke in a low voice into the phone. His dark brown hair was a bit long, and a lock fell over his forehead. His eyes were now a deep blue that complemented his navy sweater. Did they change according to his mood or the lighting? They were eyes that had seen a lot in life, she could tell. It takes one to know one.
His nose must have been broken once or twice because it was slightly crooked, but if she was honest, it was his hands that drew her attention. He had big, masculine hands. Dani always noticed hands. It was instinctive.
Growing up in foster care, she would look at the hands of any new boyfriend her foster mom brought into the house and try to calculate if they had hands that liked to hit.
Gage’s hands were strong and tanned. They were banged up a bit and had plenty of scars, but they gave her the impression he could take care of things. There was no doubt in her mind they were hands that could hit, but for some reason she couldn’t fathom yet, she was sure they weren’t going to hit her.
“Fuck!” Gage had ended the call and was back to pacing between the windows. “Flying is out. Even private planes are grounded, and no one wants to take the chance, no matter how much I offer them.”
“Thunderstorms here are no joke. Since we’ve had record-breaking heat this summer, we’ve had a lot of storms. Ten thousand lightning strikes in the last two weeks alone over the whole state. Lots of forest fires, too.” Dani dropped her duffel, eased the backpack off her shoulders, then plopped down on the sofa.
“So they keep telling me. I’ve asked about boats, but no one wants to chance getting caught in the storm.” Gage leaned his back against the pole that held up the sleeping loft.
Dani breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she wanted out of Juneau, taking a boat, any kind of boat, was her nightmare scenario. She wiped her palms down her jeans.
Hit and Run: A Thrilling Novel of Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security series Book 3) Page 2