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

Chapter 6

Jana

The lines werebusy as they often were for a Friday night. Last night had marked my first week with my security detail. It felt strange, and even stranger still when I learned Rex had been put in charge of fetching me from my shift.

Once more, Rex had been the one to show up to chauffeur me to my job again tonight.

I hadn’t heard much from Brycen, aside from the short texts letting me know he was busy with another client who required his expertise. Other than that, the playful exchanges we’d been sharing prior to my being entangled with NSI had abruptly halted.

Truth be told, I missed those messages. They’d been a semblance of normalcy and short-lived joy for me during otherwise monotonous and sometimes dreary moments—a little bit of light to each day.

Grabbing my phone, about to head on my break, I planned to initiate contact for once instead of letting him be the one to touch base.

“Hey, Janice,” Steve called me as I walked by his office, “this package was delivered for you earlier today. If you’re heading for your break, I’ll just leave it at your desk.”

“It’s Jana, Steve, and thanks.”

“Right. Sorry, Jana. Old habits and all that.” He got up and grabbed the parcel that was on the table just inside his office’s entrance. “I’ll leave it on your chair.”

With a singular nod, I hightailed it to the break room with my nose stuck in my phone.

It’s nearly midnight and I’m taking my first break. Just thought I’d check in, but I’m secretly hoping you’re in bed and not locked away in your techno dungeon.

Within seconds, those telltale bubbles began to play about on my screen, indicating he was writing back.

IT Dude:

Hey, gorgeous. In bed but far from asleep. How’s your shift?

Busy with regular beginning-of-weekend shenanigans, enough to be entertaining for once.

IT Dude:

Does that mean nothing hinky?

Thankfully, no, but I did get a parcel in today’s mail.

Bubbles, then they stopped. Then the bubbles resumed.

Not sure what it is, because I haven’t opened it. It’s odd, I never have anything delivered here.

IT Dude:

Do me a favor?

What’s it gonna cost? ;)

IT Dude:

I’m trying to be serious here. Now you’ve got my brain going a mile a minute, trying to avoid putting my foot in my mouth with something entirely inappropriate, seeing as I’m supposed to be on your protection detail.

Part of me felt disappointed with his statement. Since when had we become so platonic?

Probably since you ran to him with your troubles?I had, but then again, I hadn’t. I’d only done what the good detective had asked of me. The rest had been taken out of my hands.

I’d rather you stuck that foot in, if you please. :D

IT Dude:

The professional in me would tell you not to open it until Rex or I are there with you.

More bubbles.

And the other side of you?

The other would ask if you’d perhaps ordered something to treat yourself on those cold lonely nights and mistakenly had it sent to the office instead of your home? The weather is getting chillier these days.

I laughed.

Oh, honey, we both know I sleep in the buff, remember? That applies to even the coldest of nights.

Okay, so I liked toying with him this way. Despite not wanting a relationship, a woman could still indulge her sense of attraction to the opposite sex every now and again. And Brycen Matthews was safe.

IT Dude:

Gorgeous, as much as I’m enjoying your playfulness, I need one thing from you right now.

Oh?

IT Dude:

Please wait to open that parcel. I’ll be there to pick you up at the end of your shift.

And what if I don’t?

IT Dude:

Fu$% that! Just humor me, ’k?

Mmm…maybe? Text later. Gotta head back to work.

After a quick bathroom break, followed by making myself another cup of coffee, I walked back to my desk, smiling as I knew my lack of assuaging his concerns was inciting Brycen to continue with a myriad of additional messages.

IT Dude:

Don’t. Open. It.

I swear, if you open that thing before I’m there, I’ll…well, I don’t know what I’ll do yet, but my hand is itching here.

A spanking. Yes, that’s what you need. :D

You make me crazy, woman.

In all seriousness, Jana. I’m worried. Please wait.

Disregarding every subsequent message popping up, I grabbed the pair of scissors from my desk drawer and slit the tape at the top of the box, removing some of the brown packing paper that covered whatever item it was. As the contents came into view, I froze, dropping everything like a hot potato. A blood-curdling scream that I never could have imagined coming from me rang through the open-concept floor.

Brycen

Goddamnit!That bloody woman was driving me insane, and I doubt she was trying to do so on purpose. As much as I was attracted to her, I had decided, for the foreseeable future, I’d try to maintain a slightly more professional stance. Of course, her fucking teasing texts made that incredibly hard, so I played her little game because hell, as much as I shouldn’t, I couldn’t help myself. We’d established that part of our relationship—or whatever you could call it—before her world had turned to hell.

When Jana messaged less than fifteen minutes after she’d gone offline, I knew she hadn’t heeded my earlier warnings.

Jana:

Need you ASAP.

Stay where you are. I’m on my way.

Without wasting any time, I jumped out of bed, into a pair of jeans, grabbed my Sig P365 from the safe in my closet, tucked it in the back waistband of my pants, then grabbed the first T-shirt in my dresser drawer. Remembering I needed socks and shoes, I hurried further, grabbed my keys, locked up, then hightailed it as quick as my foot and gas pedal could get me to Jana’s office building. What should have taken me half an hour, even at this late hour, took me twenty.

“Where is she?” I growled to her boss as he escorted me beyond the security desk in the building’s main lobby.

“I put her in the quiet room we have reserved for those that need to get away after nasty calls. Follow me.”

The moment the door opened and Jana’s eyes met my own, she rushed me, throwing herself into my arms.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen. Fuck, Brycen, I—” her voice broke, and her body surged with tremors. I looked behind me after the door had snicked shut, Jana’s boss having left us alone.

“Shhh.” My hand drifted to the back of her head, soothingly running down her hair as my other arm cradled her close to me. “I’m here. Whatever it is, I’ll handle it.”

Her head shook left to right as much as it could, what with her viselike grip on me. “It’s not what you think. It’s worse. So much worse,” she whispered through a hiccup.

“Okay,” I whispered, then walked us toward the tiny sofa in the room and guided her to sit next to me, cradling her against my chest. “First, I’m going to look after you. Then, when I’m sure you’re a little calmer, I’ll see about that parcel. Is that okay, sweetheart?”

She nodded, farther tucking her head under my chin. “I feel like I’m falling apart here.”

“Fuck, babe. I’m so sorry this had to happen,” I told her. “I’ve got you.”

“Don’t let go.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”