Page 15 of Jezebel’s Liberation (Hellfire Hackers #1)

Two days later…

“ I ’m fine.”

I stare at Jez for a long moment before nodding. We’ve adopted a routine over the last few days, which is oddly domestic, but she still fights me when it comes to helping her.

Stubborn woman.

“Shout if you need anything,” I tell her before walking out of her bedroom to leave her to shower.

It’s mid-morning, and almost time for me to call Soul to give him an update, but I refuse to do that without Jez by my side. It’s taking a lot for her to trust that I can be loyal to her, and I won’t do anything to jeopardize the hard-won peace we’ve found so far.

As I sit on the couch, I pull my cell from the pocket of my sweats.

I open up the calendar app and scroll through the schedule for Stella and Saints productions, the recording studio Apple and I run.

Of course, I’ve already discussed with her that I’ll be absent from the business for a while since I’m on protection detail, but that won’t stop me from staying in the loop.

Apple might be Malice’s old lady, but she was my best friend first. From the moment we met in a dark, dank alley, she quickly became one of the most important people in my life, and nothing has changed that.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I smile when I see the name that flashes on the screen.

“I was just thinking about you,” I say by way of greeting.

“How’re you doing?” Apple asks.

“She’s doing better. Still sore, but that?—”

“Jesus, you really don’t listen. I didn’t ask about Jez. I asked about you. ”

“I’m fine,” I say quickly.

She laughs. “Bullshit, Mark. You’re forgetting I know you better than you know yourself sometimes.”

I sigh, running my free hand through my unruly hair. “What do you want from me, Apple?”

“I want to know how you’re doing. I want to know that my best friend is okay.”

The problem with her question is that I have no fucking clue how to answer it. If I lie, she’ll see through it, but if I tell the truth, I risk exposing myself in a way I’m not sure I’m prepared for.

Before I’m forced to decide, a tone sounds in my ear letting me know I’ve got another incoming call.

“I’ve gotta go,” I tell her. “Call you later?”

“You better,” she huffs.

I switch calls. “Hello?”

“I’ll be back this afternoon,” Phantom says.

I do my best not to groan. “Got everything sorted out east?”

“Yeah. Took me longer than I was hoping, but I had to find someone to take over the lease of my apartment since I won’t be coming back.”

That’s news to me.

“Where the hell will you live?”

“I thought that was obvious.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Enlighten me,” I snarl.

“I’m not leaving Jez again,” he replies, his tone guarded but firm.

“And if she doesn’t want you here?”

“Are you worried about her… or you?” he fires back.

Desperate to change the subject, I ask, “What time does your flight land?”

“Two forty.”

“Good, find your own way home.”

I disconnect the call and toss my phone onto the cushion beside me.

“That was rude.”

Whipping my head in the direction of the stairs, I smirk when I spot Jez glaring at me.

“Do you wanna deal with airport traffic?”

She scrunches up her nose. “No.”

“Didn’t think so.”

I watch her carefully as she walks toward me. There’s less weariness in her expression, and her eyes even light up a little the closer she gets. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t realize how readable she is because if she did, she’d surely put a better mask in place.

“So, what’re we gonna do until Phantom gets home?” she asks.

“This is his home now?” I snarl.

Damn her, she only shrugs. “It seems so, even if it is temporary.”

“Might wanna tell him that,” I mutter.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demands, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa.

Once again, I’m saved from having to answer a question because of an incoming call. When I lift my phone and glance at the screen, my stomach drops.

“Hey, Prez,” I say when I answer.

Jez immediately stiffens and moves to get up, but I lean forward and snag her wrist to drag her back down to sit next to me. Then, making sure she’s paying attention, I put the call on speaker.

“I told you I wanted an update in forty-eight hours,” he snaps. “It’s been forty-eight hours and twenty minutes.”

Jez opens her mouth to smart off to him, but I put a finger to her lips to silence her. My dick twitches at the contact, and I shift to try and get more comfortable.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” I say. “I was coordinating with Phantom since his plane lands this afternoon.”

I realize my mistake the moment the words are out of my mouth.

“He’s not there?” Soul barks.

“Uh, no, he went home to get some of his things so he could be here for the duration of whatever the fuck is going on.”

Soul sighs, and I can imagine how deep his worry crease is. Glancing at Jez, I grin because her forehead is wrinkled exactly the same way.

Twins, man.

“She’s still not talking,” he says matter-of-factly.

“Nope.” I force a chuckle. “Unless you count cussing me out every chance she gets.”

Jez grins at that.

“Sounds about right,” Prez says, his tone softening.

I know the man misses her and worries about her, but he has to stop treating her like she’s a little kid or he’s gonna lose her. I decide to put the poor guy out of his misery.

“Look, she’s healing and getting the rest she needs,” I tell him with a sigh. “That’s the most important thing, right?”

“Fuck off,” he mutters, and I chuckle.

“Jez is strong, Prez. You’ve made sure of that. When she decides to open up, I’ll be here, and so will Phantom,” I add in what I hope is a grudging tone. “She’s not alone in this.”

“Whatever this is.”

“I need you to trust me, brother,” I say. “And Jez needs you to trust her.”

“I do,” he insists. “If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be there. But don’t for a second think I won’t bury you alive if anything happens to her on your watch. Losing your patch will be the easy part of your punishment.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” I pause for a moment to let that sink in. “Anything else, Prez?”

He sighs. “No. But I expect updates, Demon.”

Jez scowls, and I give her a reassuring smile. “I swear, you’ll get all the information you need to ensure your sister is safe.”

In other words, he’ll get jack shit unless Phantom and I can’t do our job.

“Okay. Um…” He takes a deep breath. “Tell her I love her, yeah?”

“I will, but she knows, man, I promise you that.”

Without another word, the call ends, and I shove the phone in my pocket as I keep my gaze locked on Jez.

“You didn’t tell him anything,” she says quietly.

I shrug. “Wasn’t really anything to tell, but even if there had been, I told you… I’m loyal to you.”

“Why?”

Leaning back, I tip my head and stare at the ceiling. “Like I said the other day, you’re mine.”

Jez doesn’t speak, but she does rest her small hand on my thigh, and my muscles bunch under the touch.

“You’re playing with fire,” I growl as my heart thunders behind my ribcage.

“I…” She takes a deep breath, removing her hand quickly. “I’m ready to talk.”

Twisting my neck, I peer at her. “Why now?” I ask skeptically.

“Because I trust you.”

Jez scrambles to her feet, tugging me along with her. When we reach the basement door, she drops my hand and unlocks it.

“Brace yourself, Demon,” she says. “It’s not every day you get to see genius.”

I grin at the playfulness in her tone. This is the Jez I know and love, the girl I swore would be mine one day, from the moment my brother introduced me to her when we were kids.

I follow her down the steps to the finished basement and then across the room to the hidden door in the floor. Knowing she’s still bruised and sore, I nudge her out of the way so I can lift the hatch. She glares at me, and I roll my eyes.

“Don’t,” I order, already hearing her argument in my head. “Just… don’t.”

Shaking her head, she precedes me down another set of stairs, and I can’t help but watch the way her ass moves with each step.

“Welcome to Hellfire Hackers HQ,” she says proudly when the lights flicker to life.

I’ve been down here before, as recently as a few days ago, but it’s like I’m seeing it all for the first time. I take in all the monitors and electrical equipment, and pride floods my veins.

My girl is smart as fuck.

It takes a few moments for Jez to fire up all the screens, and when they all come to life, the underground room looks more like a spaceship than a hacker’s paradise.

“Hellfire Hackers, huh?” I ask, moving to stand behind her where she sits in a chair.

Jez shrugs. “Seemed fitting. When Grim and I started all this during Soul and Malice’s military stint, I never realized how big things would get, how much evil was out there.

It didn’t take long for my eyes to be opened.

Saints Purgatory is amazing, but they can’t do it all.

” She leans back to look up at me. “I do what they can’t. ”

“But you do more than just hack,” I say.

“Well, yeah,” she replies unapologetically. “Sometimes evil requires more permanent means of destruction. If I can ruin a sinner with only the skills of me and my team, then that’s what happens. But for people like Ted McCormick…”

My head buzzes at the name. I know he’s dead, but the memories—no, the nightmares—are still very much alive in my mind.

“He required more than the vengeance obtained behind a computer,” I finish for her.

“Exactly.”

“So, tell me more about your team,” I say.

She grins as she returns her attention to the screens and types away on her keyboard. Pictures fill the monitors, and I’m stunned to see that Phantom is the only man in the group.

“That’s Diabla,” she says, pointing to the first image. “Self-taught like me, and a total psycho if you cross her.”

“Diabla? Isn’t that the female version of devil in Spanish?”

She smirks. “Exactly.” Jez nods to the second and third pictures. “That’s Loki and Jinx, respectively. Both are amazing hackers, and I have no doubt they’re easily the life of any party they attend.”

“Wait, you’ve never met them?” I ask, confused.