Chapter 37
Willow
She pushed the door open to the abandoned office they had chosen as their base. It had been vacant for months, so the likelihood of anyone prying was very slim. Plus, it was the perfect distance between the rival loan sharks.
“How’s it going?’ she asked her friend, who was seated in a very uncomfortable-looking spot on the floor near a window. There were no office chairs or desks in the space, so their laptops and wireless devices remained near windows where they could get the best signals.
Landon registered the additional company and stood up to greet him. He stuck out a hand. “Uh, I’m Landon. I don’t know what she told you, if anything. We’ve been friends for a while.”
Ryker took his hand without hesitation and gave him a firm shake. “Ryker. And uh… same. Not sure what she’s told you about me either. Or Ezra for the matter.”
Landon snorted. “I have no interest in details. I’m just here to help, and then I’m back on a plane headed south. I’m ready for the sun.”
“We’ll be done soon, I’m sure,” Willow replied. She pulled up her laptop and checked a few things before opening their program again. It had taken some time, but it wasn’t that complicated.
Ryker’s eyes darted between them. “So, what are you doing exactly?”
She gestured for him to join her and pointed at the screen. “So, you know how you can just connect to whatever wi-fi hotspot?”
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Well,” she continued, “It’s really easy to set up fake ones that look real.” She tapped a few times.
Ryker raised a brow. “And what do you do with the fake ones?”
“Once connected, you can infect the devices with malware pretty easily,” she said with a shrug. “I really like ransomware. It’s when you lock down everything so it’s unusable. Then, you make them pay to release it.”
He leaned in and planted a firm kiss on her temple. “You are something else, pretty girl.”
The open affection in front of someone else sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Her eyes flicked to her friend seated nearby, and she caught a faint huff escaping him as he typed away.
“All right, love birds,” he groaned. “I’m knocking out their current system, so they connect to the phony one, and then I’m going to head out to take a leak.”
His fingers flew across the keys before he stood and stretched his arms. “Back soon.” Then he made his way to the door and exited with a subtle wave.
This whole thing was going way too smoothly for comfort.
Just in case, she set up her contingency, the one thing that could potentially put an end to this whole thing if necessary.
But it was a risk if she had to deploy it, and it didn’t work.
Willow set it up. If she pressed the keys, then all of their collected data would go to the feds. On both of the sharks. Maybe she wouldn’t need it, but she was so on edge.
Obviously, you’re on edge, you’re hacking a fucking dangerous criminal who chops people up.
Now that they were alone, Ryker scooted closer until their thighs were touching.
If Landon was going to be gone longer, she might’ve considered letting out some of her current sexual frustration.
The way he’d pressed her to the brick and threatened to fuck her in the alley had made the building ache inside almost unbearable.
“You’re cute, all focused like that,” Ryker teased.
She snorted. “Thanks. You’re cute all,” she gestured with one hand but stayed focused on her program to see if they had connected yet, “being mister dangerous and brooding.”
“Brooding?”
“Oh yeah, you get this grumpy expression that makes you look way meaner than you are.”
“I’m not mean?” He took the laptop from her and set it on the floor before pushing her onto her back and settling in on top of her.
Willow tried to stifle a giggle. “Not really, no.”
His brows lifted, and his messy hair fell into his face. “Pretty sure I fucked answers out of you in that cabin.”
“Pretty sure I was into it.” She ran her fingers along the faint stubble on his jaw. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
“So,” she started, not quite sure of the words, “what would we be exactly? I don’t just want one of you. Is that something you could live with? I know, I know, not the best time for this conversation, and Ez should be here for it.”
He cleared his throat. “We can figure it out.”
“I’m not wrecking your friendship, right?” Willow asked, suddenly feeling like maybe all this work wouldn’t get her what she wanted in the end.
At least they wouldn’t be stuck anymore.
“Nah, he wrecked it by making me eat at Stacy’s all the time.”
Willow rolled her eyes. Before she could tell him off for making a joke, he said, “For real. I’ll give it a shot. Does it annoy me a little? Yeah, but why give up before even trying?”
“Okay,” she replied. She placed a hand on his chest. “Landon will be back any minute. Let’s not be a spectacle.”
Ryker rolled his hips and grinned. “What? Getting all shy now?”
Sitting up and disentangling herself, she replied, “No, you’re getting me all worked up.
Let’s save it for when we can actually do something about it.
Plus, I want Ezra, too.” She could feel the heat in her face that had probably changed it to an embarrassing shade.
She was about to say something else, but a subtle chime from her laptop cut through the room.
Willow leaned forward to confirm. “They connected. Now let’s see what we’re working with.”
This was strange.
“Their cybersecurity is a fucking joke,” she muttered. “It’s like they want to be hacked.”
A laugh echoed from the doorway, and they shot up to their feet.
Xander Coughlin was standing there with a firm grip on Landon’s hair and a gun to his head.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Very good, Willow,” Xander said, beaming. He marched his captive forward, making her friend’s jaw clench in frustration. “Davidiuk and I may loathe one another, but we have a common enemy.” His gaze narrowed on her. “Anyone who tries to take from us.”
“What happened to Ezra?” she asked, terrified of the answer. This was something she couldn’t have foreseen. Rivals tipping each other off?
“He’s a little tied up,” Xan replied with a devious smirk.
He turned his attention to his captive. “I take it this is the ‘friend’ you were supposed to signal. Tell me, how many men do you keep?” A dry laugh came from his throat after she stayed quiet.
She didn’t want to give him any more information if it could be helped.
“You shouldn’t play these kinds of games if you can’t think ahead. ”
“What do you want?” Ryker asked, squaring his shoulders.
“Willow is going to work for me,” he said simply. “And once her term is up—say four years, then she goes to Davidiuk for however long he decides. We worked it out after you left.”
A chill crept up her spine. “And if I refuse?”
That earned her a bark of laughter. “I don’t see why you think you have some kind of say in this, little girl. Even if you couldn’t break us, we can see when someone is useful.”
She shifted her weight back and forth, trying to puzzle out the best course of action. Accepting this would be insane, but maybe she could placate him and run.
As if reading her thoughts, he said, “There is no running. We will find the ones you love—including your little harem of men.”
Her contingency plan was right there, the keys ready to be pressed. Moving would set him off, though, and she couldn’t risk hurting her best friend, or worse, killing him by diving for the keyboard.
A shadow shifted in the doorway. What was th—
Her thoughts were cut off by Ezra tackling Xander to the ground and driving a knife into the space between his neck and shoulder.