Techno Crazed (Hacked Investigations) (3 page)

“I keep him happy enough. Besides, my power doesn’t let him impact me much.” He glanced back at the door. “Unfortunately, we need to get going before he bursts in here again.”

She nodded and stared down at the quilt. “Would be easier if I had something to wear. I saw your living room floor; you cut my blouse off.”

He sighed. “Right. Well, I can give you some sweatpants and a T-shirt. Guess we’ll need to do some clothes shopping.” Cocking an eyebrow at her, he smiled. “Not that I mind.”

“Okay, what did you do to the Ian I know? You used to hate when I took you shopping.” She grinned.

Ian shrugged. “I’m just glad to do stuff with you now. I’m not like I used to be.” He glared at the door before glancing back at her. “Trust me.”

“I do.” She nodded. “With my life.”

His lips thinned into a pink line. “I’m going to do everything I can to make you safe again. I swear.” He caressed his thumb along her jaw line and brushed his lips against hers once more before getting out of bed.

She leaned her head back, indulging in the masculine scent from his pillow. Her body relaxed into the plushness of the mattress. She could lay like this forever. Who knew if working together would affect their relationship in more than just a nice to see you, strangers passing in the night way? She shook herself and eased out of bed, careful of her side. It still felt like she was being repeatedly stabbed.

“Here’s some clothes for now. I’ll be right outside,” he said, setting the gray sweats on the bed. His gaze lingered on her face, then dipped lower, as if he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

Not like she could blame him. She felt that way about him too.

“Thanks. I really appreciate this. All of it. I’d be in real bad shape if it wasn’t for you.” She smiled.

“You wouldn’t be in this danger if it weren’t for me. I don’t know why Rich called you. I could strangle him… that is, if he hasn’t already gotten himself killed, which from what you said, he probably has.” He left, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Ian crossed his arms and stared at the bedroom door, waiting for Hannah to appear. Munching noises sounded from the kitchen. Just as well that Bernard was stuffing himself again. Although Ian didn’t appreciate the gnome’s inability to ration, since they didn’t have much money.

Maybe he was overreacting. He couldn’t help the frustration that flowed off him in waves. It wasn’t Hannah’s fault, but he’d been right. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have nearly died tonight. He’d helped to design the software MAX Home Security used—or should he say misused—and when he’d tried to say something, he was fired.

Obviously, they didn’t just fire employees these days. They fired and then killed them, by Hannah’s description.

The door to his bedroom creaked open, and she stepped out wearing the T-shirt and sweatpants, which were baggy on her. She seemed distraught but holding it in. Damn it. He’d hurt her. He didn’t like that.

Soft footsteps hurried in from the kitchen, and he looked to see Bernard staring at Hannah in fascination. He cocked his head to the side and blinked before tottering back into the kitchen to resume his munching. “Go to WORK!”

Sighing, Hannah grabbed her purse and heels before heading toward the door. Ian stuck his head into the kitchen, keys in hand. “Don’t screw around while we’re gone. I’m serious.”

“Hrrummmpft!” Bernard munched away on his turnip and turned his back. “La-la-la. I don’t HEAR you.”

He shook his head and walked out of the apartment. Hannah stood stiffly in the hallway. Probably wasn’t happy to be near him. Not like he blamed her. He wouldn’t want to keep his own company.

Holding his hand over the doorknob, he pushed magic into the lock, activating the ward he’d designed with Bernard’s help. He turned his gaze to Hannah again, and she stared at him. “Just locking the place. Wouldn’t want anyone to get in while we’re gone.”

“But you…” She stopped herself. “Okay. I’m not sure we should walk to the destination. It’s pretty far away. Do you have a vehicle? If not, we could call a taxi.”

He grimaced, pulling out his phone. He didn’t have a car. Couldn’t really afford one. Not with the gnome’s eating habits and the increasing price of rent. He’d made a decent salary from MAX Home Security, but with his current freelancing, he didn’t get much work.

Not many people wanted to take their chances on the little man when big companies had fancy commercials and huge offices. And deadly guards. Those who kept a low profile ended up with little pay. Corporations easily outbid and provided other services at rates he couldn’t afford.

Thinking back to MAX Home Security, he’d been lucky not to have any evidence, just a strong suspicion, when he approached his supervisor with his doubts. A few weeks later, he was fired. Had he possessed any evidence, he probably would’ve been “in an accident” or murdered, like the others.

He slid his cell phone into his pocket. “No, let’s walk. I don’t have enough money on me, and your banking chip could be monitored. Do you have security services at your home?” Ian asked as they walked through his apartment building’s dimly lit hallway.

“Of course I do. Everyone does.” Hannah stopped and cursed under her breath. “That’s how they found me so fast, huh?”

“Don’t worry. MAX works through so many subsidiaries with different public names that they have difficulties understanding it themselves,” Ian said, heading toward the exit.

CHAPTER FOUR

Gray skies above signaled impending rain from the sea, something not common around here anymore. Later in the year, the winds would change. Water and exhaust from inland chemical plants would mix, creating corrosive acid rain. The effects were evident in the small holes marking the pavement.

Ian and Hannah walked into the donut shop to find the area thoroughly cleaned. No signs of struggle were apparent. No puddles of blood or bullet holes littered the brick building. Business continued as usual. The workers were helpful and said they hadn’t witnessed anything.

“Well, it wasn’t a waste of time.” Hannah ran her hands through her hair. “Now we know he was caught before he got here. Let’s walk around a little. See if we can find anything.”

“Okay.” Ian stared at the people milling around the street in small groups. He should’ve been there for Rich. If he’d just continued with MAX, he could’ve figured this out sooner.

Now look where he was.

Neon signs pulsed overhead, advertising enhancers for improved performance. Mechanical pets followed their owners through the crowd hiking up Fifth Avenue. He wove his way through them and glanced into a darkened alleyway.

A trail of blood vanished behind the Irish bar’s Dumpster. He pulled out a flashlight and followed it. Three gunshots had been fired on his now-dead friend. Rich’s remains were mutilated, his fingertips cut off and teeth removed. Multiple stabbings littered his torso, and a gouge tore through his right arm, exposing raw muscle and bone where a lion tattoo had once been.

“Oh, shit!” Hannah gasped and stepped to the side, bumping into him.

“You okay?” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She took a couple of deep breaths and gagged, moving farther away. “Not really.”

The walls in the alley were heavy concrete, showing nothing but blood splatters from the body. Judging by the trail along the far alley, Rich had pulled himself quite a distance before dying and being finished off.

Ian searched Rich’s clothes but found only old receipts from various bars Rich had visited. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a pocketknife. Tracing his fingertip over Rich’s left wrist, he felt the ID and banking chips below the skin and sliced them out with his knife.

“What are you doing?” Hannah asked, edging closer to him. “Are you nuts?”

“These things keep track of more than you know. Rich might have left us a clue or two. Maybe without even knowing it.” His lips thinned, and he stared at his old colleague. Regret dizzied him. If only he could’ve done more for Rich. “Come on, I don’t want to linger around a corpse with a bloody knife,” Ian said.

On the way back, they stopped at Find-It-All, a large department store. It had everything from groceries to clothing to electronics.

Ian headed toward the grocery section to browse the fresh fruit and vegetables, allowing Hannah to clothes shop. When they met up again outside of the store’s entrance, he noticed that she wore a new pair of blue jeans and a pink T-shirt with black tennis shoes.

His eyes widened, and he took a breath, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. She was beautiful.

Smiling, she held out a plastic bag with his workout clothes. “Looks like you have quite a selection of food there.” She tilted her head at the groceries.

He shrugged a shoulder. “Now that I have company, I need to keep you fed. Although, most of it’s to keep Bernard happy. Wouldn’t want him to cause much trouble while I’m not home. He likes to eat.”

“I see. Shouldn’t he be growing his own little garden?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

He smirked and watched the people walk in and out of the store with their shopping carts. “Yeah, he does, but his plants don’t always have things ready for harvest. He gets greedy and hates waiting. Anyway, we should probably get back to my apartment.”

She nodded and walked ahead of him on the sidewalk.

He glanced around the parking lot to make sure no suspicious types lingered. Not easy in this rougher part of the city. He enjoyed the shopping center near his home, but this had been on the way. It was better than nothing.

Two men in business suits and dark sunglasses, one bald and the other tall with curly hair, stared at Hannah. Ian stopped and watched them, keeping a safe distance from her. Enough so the two men wouldn’t know they were together. The bald guy nodded toward Hannah and glanced back at the black unmarked van. The suits were going to take her.

“Hannah. Let’s go back to the store. I forgot something.” He waited for her to go inside before following her in.

Frowning, she stared at the full bag in the crook of his arm. “What did you forget?”

“Nothing. We need to get out of here. There are at least two guys in suits staring at you. They showed up in a van. That’s not good.” He cocked his head toward the back of the store and started walking.

A young associate blocked his way. “Excuse me. You really shouldn’t go back there. It’s for employees only.”

“Look, someone’s after my girlfriend and me, and we need to use the back exit. I’m not going to wait around for her to get shot. Do you want that on your conscience, dude?” He gave his best hard-ass face. Glancing back at the storefront, he noticed the suited men were moving toward the store. Damn it! They needed to run.

“Uh, no.” The associate looked at the front of the store too, then stared at Ian with wide eyes. “Follow me.” He jogged toward the back of the store, and Ian and Hannah followed.

Hannah didn’t run as fast as he’d like, but the pain tensing her face clued him in. Her side had to be killing her. “Come on, Hannah. We need to hurry.”

“Screw you. I’m hurting.” She clenched her hand to her side and lagged a few more paces.

They made it to the back, and the young associate showed them to the exit. “Hopefully you two make it somewhere safe. Those guys look like they’re not messing around.”

Yeah, he knew that much. “Thanks.”

Ian grabbed Hannah’s wrist and urged her on. Her skin had paled a couple shades. “Come on, beautiful. You can do it.”

“Bite me.”

* * *

Blood soaked Hannah’s fingers and the new shirt she’d bought. Hooray for new outfits. At least it hadn’t been her favorite of the three. She slowed, but Ian continued to tug on her wrist, dragging her along that much harder.

She hated this. Hated running for her life from creeps who wanted her dead. Her only mistake had been hearing information MAX Home Security didn’t want her to know. Yet that put her on their hit list.

She pulled her arm away and stopped. “I can’t go much farther.”

“We don’t have much farther until we get to my apartment.” He turned to face her. His gaze dropped to her side, and the corners of his eyes tightened.

She looked down at herself and grimaced at the big red stain on her hot-pink-clad torso. Weakness drained away her energy. Would she make it to his place? She sure didn’t feel like it right now.

“Shit,” he said. “I…” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and scanned their surroundings. “Let’s find a place for you to sit for a minute or so, and then we’ll keep going.” His hand tightened on her shoulder.

She shot him a glare, but what other option did she have? None. She couldn’t keep going, and she didn’t think they should sit around for long. Surely Ian’s home was the safest place they could be. He was a security expert. Yet doubt wiggled in.

Her gaze caught sight of a bench farther down the sidewalk. She led him toward it and eased her body down, but even that hurt. Closing her eyes, she tried not to hunch her shoulders. That wouldn’t be good for the stitches.

“Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?” Ian asked, sitting next to her and rubbing his hand over her back.

“Besides from the obvious?”

He grinned. “I’ll take care of you. I promise.”

She smiled despite the pain. “You’ve been doing that. Thanks.” Another wave of agony ripped through her, and she barely swallowed a scream. “I think I’m good to continue on. Or let me rephrase that. I need to see your elf again as soon as possible.”

Ian gave her a blank stare. “Gnome. Please, don’t say that in front of him. Elves and gnomes are mortal enemies. Elves tend to kill gnomes for being too intrusive and interfering with their magic.”

“Oh… okay. No, wait… are you saying—” Her mouth dropped open. Was she hearing that right? Elves were real too? God. What next?

“Afraid so. Not that I’ve met any, but Bernard mumbles about them. I figure if he’s real then he’s not bullshitting me about the other stuff.” He shrugged. “Hopefully he’ll be polite this time. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.” He stood and helped her up, which was harder than she’d imagined.

Whatever Bernard had done was starting to wear off. Had he given her freaking metaphysical Advil or what?