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

Chapter 5

Jana

“What in thehell do you mean there’s a fucking psychopath after my sister?” Jason yelled.

“Mr. Elway?—”

“Jace!” I scolded my brother at the same time Dalton spoke.

My big brother turned on his heel, his fury solely directed at me. “How long has this been going on? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do?—”

“Nothing,” Brycen interrupted, then made to approach me, but I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time for my brother to discover I had a budding anything with one of NSI’s team members.

“Until we can get a grip on who this perp is, we need you and your family secured,” Dalton stated. “I assure you, it’s for the best.”

“For the moment, we are tracking all methods this guy has used to contact your sister, but since her digital footprint is next to nothing, it’ll take some time to locate him,” Brycen added. “Trust me, I’m doing everything I can to keep her…you all safe.”

Jason turned to Brycen, his arms crossed over his puffed-out chest, looking as though he was the greatest defender of all time. “And you expect me to have faith in some surfer?—”

“No, we expect you to have faith in your local and federal judicial system,” Dalton interjected, clearly at the end of his rope. “This isn’t our first contract with JPD, nor do I expect it to be our last. You don’t have to like it, but it is what it is. JPD is stretched thin enough as it is, and the FBI is in this in a strictly advisory capacity unless this case blows up and is officially declared a serial. That’s where we come in.”

“I need you to be on board with this, Jace,” I said, sounding far too defeated than I’d have liked. “I know it’s not ideal. And with Mom in the shape she’s in?—”

“And that’s the part that has me worried, Jan. I know this isn’t your fault, but did you stop to think about what this could do to Mom’s health?” He began pacing in front of us, and all I could do was watch him diffuse his frustration and obvious worry onto the carpet. “Her immune system is going to take a hit with this coming and going of random?—”

“Jace, I know you’re worried about Mom. So am I,” I began. “If I thought there was an easier alternative, I’d have argued with Dalton and his team. As it is, you won’t even notice anything is amiss. Brycen will be outside, watching the house, and when he’s gone, Rex who you’ll meet tomorrow, will be here.”

“And if neither of those two can make it, then one of our other men will be on task,” Dalton assured. “Our part in this isn’t to disrupt your everyday life. You’ll keep going about your daily lives as you have been.”

Jason turned abruptly to face the head of NSI. “And you’ll stay on top of Jan at all times?” After a few seconds, my brother turned my way and studied me. With a resolved expression, he gave me a curt nod. “So, what’s the plan?”

“I’m so glad you have these friends, dear,” Mom patted my cheek as Cade and my brother settled her down on the sofa.

“Are you comfortable, Mrs. Elway?” Cade asked.

“Oh, pish, I’m fine, young man,” she stated, then wagged her eyebrows at me. “Where’d you find all of these fine young men, baby girl?”

My face burned as Cade tried to stifle his laugh unsuccessfully, probably more due to Jason’s look of mortification. Even Dalton’s—the ever-serious man I’d discovered he was—lip quirked up on one side.

“Seriously, Mom?” Jason whined.

“Oh, Son, I’m not dead yet, and even a blind lady could figure out how handsome all these men are just by their sheer baritones.” She sighed for dramatic effect.

“All right, I give,” Cade started. “Jana, I think you can handle this little spitfire yourself, but let me know if you need anything. I’ll leave my work schedule on the kitchen counter for you. You’ll find that I’ve set mine up so I can sub in when you’re at work. That way, your brother will have some extra hands if needed.”

All I could do was nod at his impeccable timing, but then wondered how in the world he knew what my shifts were going to be.

My confusion must have shown on my face because Brycen explained, “I called your boss and asked for a set schedule.”

I stared at him, my brows rising. “Oh.”

“I’ll be back later to drive you to work. Meanwhile, I’ll be out there,” he said before dropping a quick kiss to my temple, then turned, heading out on Cade’s heels.

“Before I leave,” Dalton interrupted my whirling brain, “I have a few housekeeping rules for all three of you.” He was the only one left. “First, tomorrow, or the day after, this house will be outfitted with one of our best security systems. Individual codes will be provided for each of you. Memorize them, then destroy the piece of paper they were written on. From that moment forward, you’ll be using them as much when you’re home as when you are away. Second, once the system is installed, you’ll notice that your TV’s channel three will be set to the security system. I don’t want anyone answering any door without checking things out first.”

In another situation, in another universe, I’d be laughing at the automatic nods my brother and mother provided the man. It’s as if Dalton Kippers was a master puppeteer, manning the strings attached to their heads.

“Third, whenever either of you are heading out with Jana, you’ll have your own escort. As I said, Jana living with you both is conditional, so long as things don’t escalate. To safeguard everyone in this house, one of my men will be going wherever she goes. And lastly, if anything seems off, trust your gut. I’d rather get a call in the dead of the night that pulls me from my wife and kid for some stupid noise than get a call during daylight hours saying something serious has happened.”

“Are you sure this is all necessary?” Mom asked, her eyes having rounded as wide as saucers.

“Ma’am.” He paused, then smiled. “I assure you, if you were my family, I’d most likely still feel as though this isn’t enough.”

“O-okay,” she stammered, her gaze widening as it met mine.

“I’ll leave you to your evening, then,” Dalton said as he took his leave. Pausing at the living room’s entrance he added, “Jason?”

“Yeah?”

“A word outside, please.”

My brows furrowed as my gaze met my brother’s, but he simply shrugged, then followed the man out.

What the hell is that about?

Brycen was most likely minutes away from providing me with an escort to work. No sooner had the thought occurred, the doorbell chimed. Next thing I knew, a key in the deadbolt turned, and Brycen had let himself in.

This is going to take some adjusting,I thought as I simply stood there, gawking at the man and his show-stopping grin. Before any of us said anything, Jason joined us to see who had rung.

“There’s been a change of plans. Our man, Rex, should be here in a few hours to introduce himself,” Brycen announced.

Jason nodded, rumbling a, “Sounds good,” then turned for the kitchen without another word.

“Forgive him,” I said. “He’s still grumpy that he can’t be my savior. You know, typical big brother gig.” I tried to smile, but judging by Brycen’s sympathetic look, I’d say it came off looking forced.

“I can only imagine. If the same thing happened to one of my sisters, you can bet your ass I’d be grouchy too,” he confessed. “Ready?”

I nodded. As ready as I’ll ever be.

Brycen

There was no way in hell I’d get through this in the next few hours—even with Devolin’s help. As it was, Mr. and Mrs. Kippers were off for the evening, and I was the one on-call. Then again, when one of our largest clients called you about funds being misappropriated, I knew the job would inevitably fall on my shoulders.

That also meant I needed to put someone else in charge of Jana for the end of her shift.

“Yo,” Rex answered after two rings.

“Listen, I need you to handle getting Jana home after work,” I explained. “Case just dropped and since Dev is off, I need to get the files up and going for an audit.”

“Got it. Seven thirty?”

“She gets off at eight, so yeah. I’ll let her know you’ll be the one to pick her up. Thanks, man.”

“Hey, it’s no skin off my nose, bud. With a looker like that, it’s one of the few perks of the job.” He hung up, letting me stew in my frustration and, dare I say, a shit ton of jealousy.

Within seconds, my phone pinged in my hand with a text:

Rex:

Relax, asshole. I know she’s yours. :p

Respect, jackass.

I knew I didn’t have to say anything. As much as my coworker behaved like a Neanderthal, he’d been nothing less than respectful of any and all of our clients, and especially the guys’ women, throughout the years. Like Cade’s girlfriend, Aspen, would say—a veritable teddy bear.