Night Hack: A forced proximity alpha hero hacker romantic suspense (Nightshade Book 4)

Chapter 2

Jana

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”My brother Jason looked up from the thermos of coffee he was doctoring for himself.

“Afternoon,” I corrected, considering the microwave clock reminded me I’d overslept as it was just past one twenty. “Sorry, I’m a little behind. How’s Mom this morning?”

Sighing as he screwed the lid on his coffee, he proceeded with, “Same. Nausea’s getting worse. Listen?—”

“Not this again,” I groaned, fetching myself a coffee mug from the cabinet. “It’s not time, Jace.”

“Don’t you think we should at least put a plan together for when the time does come?”

“Not yet,” I said, nudging him away from the single-cup coffee maker, setting my mug under the nozzle, popping the first K-cup I grabbed from the basket holding a bold variety, then pressing the button that would brew what I predicted to be my first cup out of a half dozen cups of java for today. “Steve’s asked me to train this new manager…”

Jason’s brows furrowed, and his posture straightened. “They passed you up again?”

As the Keurig sputtered its last few drops, I gave him a curt nod in answer, then proceeded to pour my favorite hazelnut-flavored creamer into the steaming hot liquid.

“Sis…”

“Don’t say it.” My gaze lasered onto him.

His hands came up in a peace-keeping gesture. “I was simply going to say that they’re crazy for looking elsewhere.”

I agree, big brother.

For once, I’d have loved to have spent my first day off lying in bed, sleeping, and gorging myself on cookies and ice cream. It’s what I did when life served up a hefty dish of disappointment, or rather, what I used to do. But since Mom’s breast cancer relapse, particularly in these last few months, I had no substantial time to wallow. Instead, I did what my mother would have told me to do—I picked myself up and kept fighting the good fight.

Because she can’t.

My time would come. I knew it. I also knew if I couldn’t put my foot down at work with certain people—my boss, mostly—I would forever be the next in line for a promotion. Yeah, I was a little soft in my professional pursuits. Funny how that didn’t seem to apply to all other areas of my life, however.

Last night, I’d walked out of my office building, gave a half-assed wave to the security guard at the front desk, then drove home, all the while pondering why I hadn’t argued with Steve about this latest turn of events. The first two times, I’d accepted his and management’s decision on passing me up, but then again, the candidates had been far more experienced and qualified—and internal. Now, however, despite the numerous positive reviews regarding my work, not to mention the additional training and experience I’d acquired, I had a hard time believing my boss’s words.

“It’s not like I ever expected a promotion to management to be dropped into my lap, but I’ve given it my all, Jason.” And they’d given it to some outsider with who knows what kind of experience.

“He’s probably some telemarketer or service line rep or something. Bet you this is all he’s been doing for the last decade of his life, and this is him trying to finally get into something with more excitement,” he mumbled to Kiki, my Maine coon fur baby, giving her a good scratch under her chin. The cat simply looked up at me from the back of the couch as I reached into the freezer, a twinkle in her eyes before she dropped her chin back onto her front paws when Jason headed toward the front door. “In any case, sis, I say give it another six months. If that curmudgeon can’t see your greatness from now until then, I say cut your losses and get out. Maybe it’s time you put that nursing degree to good use again.”

“Yeah.” But I don’t want to because Mom needs me, then I added, “Maybe.”

Settling onto the couch, with my coffee and a miniature tub of Ben Jerry’s in hand—I know, I know…breakfast of champions, right—I met my brother’s eyes.

“She’ll probably sleep through most of the day.” His eyes displayed the exhaustion that all of us were feeling these days. “Seriously, think on what I said.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said as I shoved a spoonful of Chunky Monkey into my mouth.

“Sexy,” he laughed. “That’s some guy’s wet dream right there, sis.”

Nearly choking on my treat, I grabbed the nearest throw pillow and chucked it at a smirking Jason, mock-shouting, “Bite your tongue and get out of here, would you!”

Leaving the utensil in my mouth, I grabbed the remote and started to look for the latest episode of Lucifer.

I absolutely adored the satire, loved the plot, and Tom Ellis wasn’t hard on the eyes, nor was Kevin Alejandro, or D.B. Woodside for that matter. I had most likely an hour to myself before my daughterly duties beckoned.

By Tuesday afternoon, I was drained of energy and feeling defeated by the latest test results my mother’s doctor had discussed with us. Let’s not leave out I was also dreading my next shift at work. I’d be, for all intents and purposes, training my own manager, Kyle what’s-his-name. It simply wasn’t right. Nothing was.

But you agreed, without putting up a fuss. Who does that?Me, that’s who, and I was going to suck it up. This one last time.

With a new go-getter outlook on my professional life, I made sure to dress comfortable, but in something that made me feel confident, which meant I was sporting some of my favorite lacy undergarments—a guilty pleasure of mine. I would need it tonight.

Half an hour before my shift was scheduled to start, I was at my desk, making sure my system and phone were logged on and in fully functional order. All was a go for when the clock struck eight.

Hitting the Do Not Disturb option on my phone, I got up and headed to Steve’s office as per his request.

“Boss?” The man’s head popped up, and I noticed he wasn’t alone.

Some scrawny dude was sitting across from him, red hair, thick black-framed glasses perched on his nose, and I swear he blushed five shades of red in the few seconds he’d laid eyes on me. The kid barely looked freshly out of college.

“Oh, good!” Steve got up from his seat and motioned toward the slightly postpubescent, barely-an-adult male. “This is Kyle, our new manager. I want him to stick with you tonight and listen in on your calls to see how things roll here. Make sure to take him around and introduce him to the crew that’s on schedule tonight. And Kyle,” my boss turned his head to the man-child, “you’re in phenomenal hands here. Janice has been with us for five?—”

“Six,” I interrupted the exchange. “Nearly seven, sir.”

“Nearly seven years,” the man parroted without looking my way.

So the man does listen!Therefore, I added, “And it’s Jana.”

Our superior sighed, then continued, “If you have any questions, Janice is the one to ask. Good luck, bud.”

Bud? What in the ever-lovin’ hell, who called a subordinate bud?

By the time midnight hit, it was clear the freaks were starting to come out to play. What else became quite evident to me was Kyle, who’d confessed Steve was his mother’s first cousin, wasn’t cut out for the job in the least, no matter how much managerial experience he may have had. To be honest, with the perplexed look on his face following each call I handled, I’d be shocked if the guy returned for his shift tomorrow night. If he couldn’t hack it shadowing a dispatcher, he wouldn’t survive as one—let alone cut it as their supervisor—which made him a piss-poor candidate to manage the group of us on any given shift.

I’d like to see how he would have handled Hamburger Dick the other night, I mused just as my phone rang.

Sighing, I focused on my screens, then clicked the pop-up for the incoming call. “9-1-1, this is Jana, what is your emergency?” I answered with my usual script.

I didn’t hear an immediate response. Instead, I was met with heavy breathing, followed by gurgling.

“Sir? Ma’am?” I urged.

“K-kill-ing m-me,” sounded in my ears, almost as though the person was trying with all their might to choke out their words.

“Ma’am, hold on for me. The EMTs are on their way.” My fingers danced over my keyboard as I attempted to triangulate the call to get a location, hoping the connection lasted long enough for our systems to find where the caller was calling from. My system informed me the emergency was being rung via a mobile device.

It took approximately thirty seconds before I hit paydirt.

“Ma’am? You still there?”

“Dy-ing,” she rasped, a wet sounding cough following her words, then a gurgle.

“What’s your name, ma’am? Keep talking. Someone will be there to help soon.” Christ, please let her last another five minutes.

More gurgling, but this time, I swear I heard the moment her last breath left her. Minutes later, still fused to the line, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. A moment longer, the line disconnected.

Help had arrived—I only hoped that it hadn’t been too little, too late.

By the end of my shift, just as I’d guessed, Kyle was nowhere to be found. He’d excused himself at roughly around five in the morning, citing he needed to use the facilities. And the little rat bastard never bothered to come back. What was worse, my boss never bothered to check in with me either.

By eight, after having clocked out, I knocked on Steve’s door.

“Gonna need you as acting manager until we find someone else,” he grumbled by way of greeting. The man never had the audacity to even approach me to let me know my charge had left for the rest of his shift.

“Next in line, remember?” I told him, my inner feminist cheering me on.

The man’s eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed much like a fish out of water.

“Steve, you know I’m more qualified than anyone else on that floor,” I argued, aiming my index in the general vicinity of the bullpen, where all the operators performed our duties. “Hell, I’ll even start off as the nightshift manager and stick to it for the next year if it’s what it takes.”

“That’s just insane.” He crossed his arms over his soft chest, which only looked larger while sitting because his massive gut—due to too much fast food since his wife had left him—shifted upward. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if one of us would have to dispatch an EMT to our offices because the man looked one quarter pounder away from a heart attack these days.

I lifted my hand with my palm facing my superior. “Swear I will.”

“That’s unfair,” he stated.

On a curt nod, I added, “You’d be right, but I’d do it just to prove to you I’m exactly what you’re looking for. And don’t get me started on the fact that Kyle was a family favor.” I wasn’t about to threaten the man about going to upper management for nepotism, but letting him know I knew about Kyle’s family ties to him could potentially work in my favor, not to mention his own. “You said so yourself, no less than three days ago, I was the next best candidate. Save yourself the trouble of another job posting and several more interviews and let me handle things. Hell, you just asked me to act in the role! If you didn’t trust my judgment and aptitude, then why would you ask, albeit, temporarily?”

His assessing gaze scanned me from head to toe. “All right.” He nodded.

My lips tugged up into a wide grin. “Thank you, Steve. You won’t regret it.”

“I better not. This is your only shot, Jana.”

“Hallelujah, he does know my name!” I joked. “Seriously, I’ll have you wondering why you hadn’t hired me in this role sooner.”

The man’s brows furrowed. “I’m not sure where this self-assured attitude came from since I saw you on your last night cycle, Janice Elway, but I’m hoping it sticks. You’ll need that assertiveness to tackle the rest of the team.”

Brycen

“Babyface, get your ass in here!” Dalton hollered, then slammed his office door closed.

Oh, fuck!

First, the man had to have been watching the monitors at his desk to know I’d just walked through NSI’s main entrance. Second, he was miffed as all get out, judging by the slamming of his door. Third, no good conversation came from when he called me by that fucking nickname I despised so much.

Shuffling my feet to the man’s office, I opened to find him bent over his garbage can, puking his guts up.

“My, have the mighty fallen?” I joked.

Bloodshot eyes pierced through me as Dalton grabbed a Kleenex and wiped at his mouth, throwing the soiled tissue into the puke-filled can. “Shut the fuck up and close the fucking door,” he rasped.

“Why the hell are you in, D?” I moved inward after closing the door but stayed a good six feet away from the man. Whatever bug this thing was, it was a strong one if Dalton looked like he was knocking on death’s door.

“Picking up a few things, mainly files, then heading home,” he announced.

“Could have brought you that shit, bro,” I told him.

“S’okay,” he mumbled, leaning his head back on his chair, closing his eyes. After a few deep breaths, he opened his eyes and gazed over my way. “Good work on that First Bank account. Wanted to tell you Mayer called this morning and he’s happy with the work you put into their systems to fortify them. Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were channeling a little of my woman.”

He wasn’t too far off the mark. “Let’s just say those little games we play,” I referred to the times we hacked into each other’s systems, “have definitely helped. Your woman might be on the straight and narrow now, but she’s still got a clever streak a mile long. W-W-D-D.”

“W-W-D-D? Fucker, stop that tech talk and speak English. I have a feeling I’m about to puke up my spleen next. Think I left my liver in that garbage bag when you walked in,” he said.

“What would Dev do? W-W-D-D.”

“Dork,” he said as he picked up the garbage can once more.

“On that note…” I turned and headed toward the door as the man wretched again. “I’ll go finish that report for Mayer. It should reassure him that his data wasn’t stolen. Then, I’ll be sure to have this entire office suite fumigated once you get out of here.”

Dalton peered above the edge of the can at me. “Fuckin’ right.” On widening eyes, he jolted to his feet, an “Oh, shit!” wrenching from his mouth as he made a beeline for his office bathroom, still clutching the can in case he didn’t make it in time.

I hurried the hell out of there before the plague got to me too. To make sure to eradicate any germs on my hands, I emptied about half the small hand sanitizer bottle from my desk drawer into my palm, not caring that it was dripping all over the floor.

Rather than go home after a day’s work, I headed over to McAskill’s, a bar owned and operated by an acquaintance of mine. This week, I’d been making a concerted effort to clock out at a decent time, if you can call seven a decent hour when I’d been hard at it since five this morning. But I had no interest in crashing on the couch, watching mindless television tonight, though.

I’m not what you’d call a social butterfly by any means, but I do enjoy people watching, and let’s face it, I haven’t eaten anything all day and one of Ben’s burgers would do me just right in filling the growing pit in my stomach.

Finding a seat at the end of the bar, I’m properly positioned to see McAskill’s patrons come and go. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with the same idea early on a Friday night.

As the raven-haired statuesque beauty that had some height to those voluptuous curves of hers let herself drop into the seat next to mine on a long sigh, I couldn’t help myself.

“Long day?”

“More like a long week,” she mumbled without looking my way.

“Hey, Matthews, got a new IPA on tap last week, you want?” Ben lifted an empty glass with his inquisition.

“Pour her generous, Ben, and get her anything she wants.” I tilted my head in the woman’s direction.

“Y-you didn’t have to do that,” she said, her cheeks filling with a subtle blush that intrigued me a little too much.

“No trouble. You look like you could use a couple.”

Ben eyed her in question as he waited for her order. “I’ll have what he’s having and add your best bourbon chaser. One for him too, please.”

“Brycen Matthews.” She took my proffered hand and a frisson skittered from my fingertips, up my arm.

The woman’s eyes widened, and her lips pursed. “Jana. Jana Elway.”

Jana.A good name befitting an exotic natural beauty with a killer smile and curves to rival the world’s best sports car. This night just got miles better.

Jana

My girls weren’t able to come out and join me, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from celebrating my promotion. It’s too bad the day had been shrouded with the news my mother’s cancer had metastasized. To make matters even more difficult, the proverbial dark cloud had only grown darker when the crime beat in the local newspaper had been covering the very same call I’d handled with the choking, dying female on the daily since Wednesday.

One call.

Countless articles.

A single murder.

And I’d had the displeasure of being the operator for it.

You’re here to celebrate,I reminded myself then proceeded to ask Ben, the owner it turned out, to get me and my lone wolf of a drinking partner, Brycen, a second round of his newest IPA and bourbon.

By one in the morning, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much in my entire life.

Brycen Matthews, although a pathological flirt who claimed he only spoke the truth, had turned out to be pretty easy on the eyes, with that dashing smile, surfer boy dirty-blond hair, broad shoulders, a killer sense of humor, and an intelligent wit to boot. His best feature though, was his eyes. Those brown orbs shone with truth and gentleness; they were smooth as chocolate.

“Give me your phone,” Brycen requested as the night neared its end.

My brows met my hairline. “Why?”

“Because I’ll program my number in it. You see, I don’t get out much.” His smile was self-deprecating as he whispered the next, “I’m kind of a workaholic. It’s been a nice night, talking to a beautiful woman who was able to keep up with my shenanigans and put me in my place. I’d like to do it again sometime. That is, if you?—”

A giggle escaped. With my latest promotion, I wasn’t sure as to how much free time I’d have to myself, except for my off days, and even those were about to become an even bigger challenge. However, I knew, just from tonight, hanging out with Brycen wouldn’t be a hardship in the least. If anything, he’d be good for my ego and a few laughs during some dark personal times. I wasn’t looking for anything more than that because it just wasn’t in the proverbial cards for me. I’d seen it with my folks, coworkers, and most recently, with my boss. No one can hold on to a decent relationship when their work demands such an unreliable change in schedules. Plus, after the disaster that was my last relationship? No, I didn’t need it. But a good friend of the opposite gender? That, yes, that I could do.

When he handed me my phone back, his device pinged a few seconds later. Grabbing his phone, he hit a few buttons, then a few more with that teasing grin on his face. My cell began blasting “I’m Too Sexy” from my hand.

“You’re quite pleased with yourself, aren’t you?” I laughed while muting my device, then shoved it inside my purse without looking to see what he’d texted me.

He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s my thing. The guys at work know it, and most of them get a kick out of it.”

“You said you work in security, right?” Brycen had said as much but hadn’t gone into any detail.

“I take care of the information technology side of things for Nightshade Security Incorporated,” he explained what his role within NSI was. “There’s Dalton and me as original owners, with Shane as a buy-in. Aside from us for staff, we have two full-timers, and the rest are all part-timers. We cover a wide range of services, really. We have retired military, an active police detective, a bounty hunter, who you’d listen to in a heartbeat because his ugly mug is a scary one, a search-and-rescue operative, and a few others with differing specialties.”

“Wow!” I was truly impressed. “You own part of the company too? Good on you!” The look on his face spelled “ah shucks, ma’am” which was an endearing expression. The man at my side could dish out the compliments but didn’t seem used to receiving them in return.

“It’s nothing, really. I get to do what I love, and help the guys do their thing.”

So modest too.“I’m sure you’re selling yourself short there, Brycen.”

His eyes dilated with heat. “I like you saying my name like that.”

I shook the effect of his deeper baritone out of my head and smirked. “I should get going. It’s been really nice chatting with you, and yes, we should definitely do this again sometime. Thank you for the drinks and the laughs.” Before I could think otherwise, I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his scruffy cheek. “G’night, Brycen.”

Walking out of the bar and toward one of the waiting cabs, I had enough time to jump in, giving the driver my address before my phone chimed with Right Said Fred’s one-hit wonder.

I smiled as soon as the name popped up. IT Dude?

IT Dude:

Good night, beautiful.

IT Dude? Seriously?

IT Dude:

Fine, you can change it to handsome, sexy, or some other flattering nonsense.

I laughed out loud, the driver’s eyes perusing me in his rearview for a short moment before the edges of his mouth quirked up in a smirk.

What about surfer boy?

IT Dude:

Honey, I’m all man. There’s nothing boyish in the least about me, I assure you. ALL. MAN.

Sporting a grin, I typed.

Fine. ‘Handsome man I met at the bar on Friday’ it is.

IT Dude:

Ha! I knew you thought I was handsome!

Before I could respond, another text popped up.

IT Dude:

Okay, sweetheart, get home safe and text me to let me know you got there. Preferably from your bed. ;)

You’re incorrigible!

And what if I did?

I bit my lip as I followed through with the next text. I was treading the deep end here, that proverbial line between friends and more, but I couldn’t help myself.

What if I did it nekkid?

IT Dude:

You’re killing me here.

I’m in the back of the smelliest cab, by the way. I hope your ride is faring better.

FYI…I’ll be answering in the buff myself. ;)

It’s the only way to sleep, isn’t it? And nope. This cab stinks to high heaven with cheap cologne and week-old milk.

IT Dude:

Mine smells of old farts and half-decomposed salami.

Ew!

Well, I’m almost home.

IT Dude:

Only halfway there for me.

Text when you get in.

I said I would. Jeeze! Demanding much?

JK!

IT Dude:

Oh, you have no idea, sweetheart. ;)

Oh hell!My lady parts had been dancing on and off all night, despite the fact I had convinced myself that nothing but friendship would come out of this encounter with one Brycen Matthews.

A few minutes later, I paid the cab driver and let myself into my moderate-sized bungalow, Kiki greeting me at the door.

“Hello, girlie,” I cooed, taking the time to scoop the feline up in my arms and buffing my cheek against her soft fur as I turned the deadbolt to the front door into the locked position.

A refilled bowl of water and a quick check on my sleeping mother later, I was in my bedroom, stripping out of my clothes before heading to my en suite bathroom. Teeth brushed, and settled on the cool sheets of my bed, I grabbed my phone, turned the camera’s picture setting so it faced me, and brought the blankets up just so a single bare shoulder and my face were all you could see.

Safe, sound, snuggled. G’night!

It took a few seconds and I saw those bubbles that were the telltale sign of an incoming text.

IT Dude:

Dead. :D

That’s one lucky bed, by the way.

A cold one.

IT Dude:

Now you’re just being mean.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Kiki, who had joined me on the corner at the foot of the mattress lifted her head, giving me the stink eye as if I’d just woken her from an overdue nap.

Good night. Text when YOU get in.

IT Dude:

Will do. Goodnight, gorgeous.