Chapter 30
thirty
Frustrated, I rub the back of my neck. The solution that just popped into my head isn’t exactly legal. But it could be our only option.
“I might know someone who can help,” I say slowly, watching her face carefully.
Hope flickers in Sasha’s eyes. “Who?”
“My college roommate, Dylan. He was the one I told you about—the one who taught me how to code.” I shift uncomfortably on the couch. “He’s the reason I was able to develop Night Hunters so quickly.”
Her brows furrow. “Just how into computers is he, Jax?”
I take a deep breath. “He’s a hacker. Not only is he our best bet, but he’s the only one I know of who could take these guys out from the inside.”
“A hacker?” she asks incredulously, eyes going wide. “Like, an actual criminal hacker?”
“He prefers ‘digital security specialist,’” I say, using air quotes. “But yeah. He can trace where the message came from, maybe even get into their systems and delete the video completely.”
Clearly torn, she chews her bottom lip. “Isn’t that... illegal?”
“Very.” I shrug, not sugar-coating it. “But so is fucking blackmail.”
Running her hands through her hair, she tugs at the ends in frustration. “They’ve only given me seventy-two hours, Jax. How long do you think it’ll take him?”
“Not sure,” I admit. “But Dylan’s the best. If there’s anyone who can do it in the allotted time frame, it’s him.”
Sasha stands, wrapping her arms around her waist. The sight of her distress makes my blood boil. If I ever get my hands on her scumbag ex...
“What if he can’t find and get rid of it in time?” she asks, voice trembling. “What if they release it anyway? I don’t have a PR team at my disposal that can help make this go away.”
“We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.” Standing from the couch, I rest my hands gently on her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. “Do you happen to have two million dollars just lying around?”
She barks out a humorless laugh. “Not liquid, no. I’d have to sell assets, pull from company accounts. It would devastate Summit Studio as a whole.”
“Then we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” I pull out my phone. “Let me call him. At the very least, he can tell us if this is something he can help with.”
Hesitating for only a moment, she gives me a small nod. “Okay.”
Pulling her into my arms, I kiss the top of her head and murmur, “That’s my girl.”
As I step away from her, she sighs, and I pace, scrolling through my contacts until I find Dylan’s number.
It’s been a while since we’ve spoken—probably six months—but that’s how it’s always been with us. We can go a year without talking, then pick right back up where we left off as if no time has passed.
He answers on the third ring. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the tattoo king himself. What’s up, brother?”
Despite the seriousness of the current situation, I grin into the phone. “Hey, man. I need your help with something. It’s... time-sensitive.”
Silence breathes from the other end, and I can almost hear the gears turning in Dylan’s head. “What kind of time sensitive situation are we talking about, exactly?”
“Blackmail,” I reply simply.
I glance over at Sasha, still pacing nervously.
“Shit.” He blows out a breath. “Deets?”
Running my hand over my hair, I tug on the end of my flat ponytail. “Someone sent a text to... a friend of mine. Two million. Paid in seventy-two, or they’ll release a sex tape to TMZ.”
“Two mill?” Dylan whistles. “Shit. That’s big time. Who’s your friend? Anyone I’d know?”
I hesitate and look over at Sasha. Chewing her bottom lip, her eyes are wide with worry. “Sasha Garrett. Summit Studio.”
“The fitness empire queen? Damn, Jax.” There’s a hint of admiration in his voice. “You hitting that, or what?”
“Not the time, man,” I growl.
“Right, sorry.” Clearing his throat, I can hear him in the background as he starts typing furiously. “So whatcha need?”
“I need you to trace the text, find out who sent it, and then delete the video from their servers.” I pace across the room. “And… I don’t know… Maybe destroy their entire operation while you’re at it?”
Dylan chuckles. “Just a small favor, huh? You know what you’re asking could land me in federal prison, right?”
“And you know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” I say quietly. “She doesn’t deserve this shit.”
There’s a long pause, and for a second I think he might tell me to fuck off. Then he sighs. “You must really have it bad for this girl, huh?”
I growl.
He huffs out another laugh. “Fine. I’ll need her phone number, screenshots of the text and any other info you have. I’ll see what I can do.”
Relief floods through my chest. “Thanks, man. Now we’re even.”
“Bet your ass we are,” he says. “Give me a couple hours to poke around, see what I’m dealing with.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Ending the call, I turn and give Sasha a small smile. “He’s going to help.”
Her shoulders visibly relax. “Really?”
“Really. Dylan’s one of the best at what he does.” I walk over and pull her into my arms. “We’ll figure this out, okay?”
She nods against my chest only for a moment before she pushes away.
Crossing her arms, she takes a defensive stance and asks, “Why are you doing this for me, Jax?”
“Because that’s what friends do.”
Picking up her phone from the coffee table, I forward the text to mine, then send it to Dylan along with Sasha’s phone number. Then, I power it down.
“What are you doing?”
“This is a better safe than sorry situation. For now,” I explain when she opens her mouth to argue.
“If they’re monitoring your phone activity, we can’t let them know we’re onto them.
Or have access to your whereabouts. In fact, maybe you should stay with me at my house when we get back. Just in case.”
Sasha’s eyes flash with annoyance. “My place is right next door, Jax. If these assholes are serious about tracking me down, what makes you think they wouldn’t verify I’m at yours?”
Well, shit. I hadn’t considered that. “Fair point.”
“Besides, I’m not going to let those wackjobs scare me out of my own home.
” She starts pacing again, color rising in her cheeks as she flails her arms in the air.
“I’ve worked too damn hard to get where I am.
And the last thing I’m going to do is let Ryan or whoever the hell he owes money to ruin everything I’ve built. ”
The determination in her voice makes my dick twitch, but I’m still worried. “I get it, but these people could be dangerous—”
“Then they’re dangerous whether I’m at my place or yours,” she huffs, cutting me off. “I have a security system.”
“So do I,” I volley back.
“And a baseball bat under my bed.”
I can’t help but grin at that. “Of course you do.”
She stops pacing to face me, hands on her hips. “Look, I appreciate your concern; I really do. But the last thing I’m going to do is hide. That’s not who I am.”
Damn, she’s stubborn. And, fuck—not only do I admire her for it—it’s a huge fucking turn on.
“Fine,” I concede, holding my hands up in surrender. “Just don’t forget I’m right next door.”
She tilts her head at me and smiles. “Trust me, Jax. I won’t.”