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We both turned to Daniel. “What’s that?” I asked.
“There is zero sexual innuendo in any of it.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that too. Not gonna lie, it’s an immense relief.”
“For sure. It’s just very unusual. As though he wants you, badly. But not in that way.”
“And he’s so very careful not to give anything away. It’s all very mundane.” Scarlett continued scrolling. “If you didn’t know he was an evil mastermind and world class hacker wanted by the FBI, you’d just think he was your good buddy, checking in on his friend.”
Before I could respond, Scarlett’s security system buzzed, letting us know it had detected movement out in the hallway. Calm as you please, Daniel got up from the couch and went to check the screen.
Probably just a neighbor on their way through. That only happened about twenty times a day, what with us being on the lower floor and all. Absolutely nothing to be worried about.
But I could see the moment the tension slammed into Daniel, and he reached over to the security screen, pressing the record button. Scarlett and I stared at each other for a moment before we both jumped off the sofa and went to the door.
“Fuuuuuck,” I breathed. Standing right in front of my door was a guy in dark jeans and a hoodie. He raised one gloved hand and knocked. My skin prickled and a heavy knot tightened in my stomach. The hacker was right there, mere feet away from us. There was zero chance it was anyone but him. With her eyes glued to the screen, Scarlett reached out and took my hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.
The man knocked on my door again, turning his body slightly to look up the corridor. We got a view of his profile and it looked like he had something in his other hand. Something for me?
“Turn around, turn around, turn around,” Daniel chanted under his breath.
Giving up, the guy put something on the ground in front of my door and turned to go. Scarlett acted instantly, grabbing Daniel and pushing him hard, so he hit the door with a thump.
The hacker spun around to look at the door, and I fucking swear, it felt like he was looking straight through it, at me.He knows I’m here. He knows we’re watching him!
“Oooh, yes,” Scarlett giggled. “Show me that again.”
Instantly figuring out what she was doing, Daniel laughed. “You wanna see that again?”
I could see the moment the hacker relaxed, and I let out a breath of relief. He gave my door one last look, then walked away.
“Un-fucking-believable.” Daniel was already pulling his phone out, typing away.
“Aren’t you going to go after him?” I asked. “Follow him?”
Daniel shook his head. “I have two guys in a car up the street. I’m letting them know to tail him. But it’s crucial that we’re very careful about this. The last thing we want is to have him suspect you’re not on his side.”
“Right, but I don’t understand why you aren’t arresting him right now?”
“Because we don’t know one hundred percent that he is the hacker, for a start. And we need to gather enough evidence to put him away for decades. To do that, we need to know where his base of operations is. On top of that, I’ll need to get the bomb squad in here.” He was firing off text messages, as though he didn’t have a care in the world.
“What. The. Fuck?” Oh my god, the way all the air left my lungs at his calm, casual tone, made me feel like I was gonna pass out.
“I highly doubt the guy has left a bomb at your door, but we’re just gonna be careful about it.”
My phone bleeped. “Jesus Christ. He’s texting me. I can’t handle this.” Now, more than ever, I wanted, no, needed, Grayson. I was not equipped to deal with this. That island getaway he mentioned sounded better than ever.
“Bomb squad are on their way. What does he have to say for himself?” Daniel slipped his phone in his pocket and, taking my elbow, led me back to the couch. “Take a seat and a few deep breaths. Scarlett’s going to make some tea. And here’s Patti.”
Poor Patti, my emotional support kitten, sure was getting a workout recently. Not that she minded. The moment Daniel handed her to me and I cuddled her, she curled into my neck and started purring. Okay, that made me feel calmer. Calm enough to read the text.
Hacker:I’ve just been to your place.
Me:Oh? I’m so sorry I missed you.Not.
Hacker:Me too. But I left something for you.
Me:No way! What is it?