Page 41 of Hacking His Code

“These journals really don’t offer any help,” I finally say after spending entirely too long reading about Hack-Cracker and IntroMap. “It reads like a love letter to technology. There’s nothing about shady dealings or crazy sex clubs. She doesn’t even mention sex, and if I didn’t know otherwise, I would assume she was a virgin. All she did was work.”

“That’s what she was known for.”

“And they searched her office?”

“After my mother and father married, Lucy worked out of her apartment more often than not.”

“Really? Why?”

Hunter purses his lips, his eyes shifting from me to no particular point. “I don’t know. I guess I never thought to ask that.”

“How close was your mom with her sister?”

“Very, when they were little. They were best friends until their interests no longer aligned, at around fifteen. At that time, my mother traveled for acting gigs, and Lucy went to a prestigious school.”

“Then she began working for your father.”

“Lucy went on to intern at Davies Corporation when she started college. She was just that good. Rand and her really hit it off, becoming fast friends.”

“So, your aunt was close with your mother, then became best friends with your father. Interesting. What were the circumstances surrounding your parents’ courtship?”

“They met through my aunt, and my father was instantly smitten. Very shortly after they got together, my mother became pregnant.”

“Damn, I wish I knew how to crack that file.”

“I could probably get my father’s best men on the job, but discretion is necessary. I’m not even sure I want my father to know about it. What she said could be very hurtful to him.”

Working with Hunter, it’s become obvious to me that sometimes people ignore what’s right under their noses.

Lucy was not in love with some guy from accounting. Lucy was in love with Rand Davies, and if I’m right, his parents not only knew of her crush, but they did everything they could to deliberately hide the truth, not just from Hunter, but from everyone.

Why they would do that, I cannot say. It could just be embarrassing to them. Or, some fallout may have occurred. Whatever the reason, their secrets aren’t safe from me.

Hunter

Stayinga whole week with Arinessa in my apartment is going to be easy. With any other woman, I’d go stir crazy, but something about Ari makes me feel content. I don’t get bored, and she’s not annoying like the other vapid women I’m used to dealing with.

I know that may sound unfair and even a little misogynistic, but when you choose your lovers based on the number of zeros in their bank account, that’s the reputation you’re going to get.

Oddly, Arinessa is here for the money, but if she accomplishes what she’s set out to do, she’ll have earned it. There’s no manipulation from her, just data, facts, and an uncanny ability to hack.

Her hair is thrown up in a messy bun, her long fingers tucking loose strands behind her ear every time she turns a page in the file. Every once in a while, she scribbles something in her Five-Star notepad, her nose scrunching as she looks over her writings.

I’m convinced that in a world where women desperately try to copy and one-up each other, Arinessa is different. She’s sexy in an understated way and probably the smartest person in every room. That’s a line my father has used to describe my mother a thousand times, and it definitely suits Ari. I’d call her humble, but the fact is, in order to be humble, you have to be aware of your charms, and she is completely unaware of her best attributes.

My phone vibrates with a text from my mother, asking to take Arinessa to brunch on Wednesday.

The situation I’ve put them both in is grossly unfair and wholly selfish. The term ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ is easier said than done, though, when I have someone emailing me, telling me they’re my long lost aunt.

“Ari,” I say, hoping my request won’t cause her undue stress.

She turns towards me, eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”

“My mother would like to meet you for brunch on Wednesday at a small café less than a block away. Would you be interested in going?”

“With my deadline, I really don’t think—”

“You could dig up some information?” I reason.