Twenty-Two Ella
TWENTY-TWO
Ella
We move locations again, back to a city, when morning hits, and I’m going to miss the house in the forest.
I’m sore. In kind of a good way with a wisp of warning.
My skin holds his teeth and finger marks.
Justice is dangerous and sexy, and he is phenomenal in the sack.
Or shower. Or forest. I’ve never been cold or clinical, not-withstanding my love for electronics and the hum of the Internet.
I get attached to people, no matter how hard I try to keep my distance.
Pure and simple. I’ve always known that for me, sex equals emotion.
So I usually refrain and have made a lifetime out of remaining alone.
I don’t want emotion with Justice.
I can’t afford it.
As he shows me into yet another penthouse apartment in Silicon Valley, I note the distance between me and the sidewalk below.
We’re actually in San Jose, and I’m on the twenty-second floor.
While I wouldn’t mind attempting a Spider-Man escape, gravity would definitely win.
“How many penthouses do you own in town, anyway?” The other one was more comfortable.
“This one is owned by a shell company, so it can’t be traced.
You’re safe here for the day.” Justice flips on lights as we go, showing a sprawling living room with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Sunrise slams against the glass, flooding the penthouse in fire and shadow.
Mount Hamilton catches the first strike of light, the observatory flashing against the peak.
The rest of the range waits behind it, dark and steady.
San Jose stirs below us. Headlights thread through the streets, slow and uneven, the grid glowing as if the city is waking in pieces.
From the twenty-second floor, it all looks exposed.
Freeways pulse, buildings squat low, and the space between here and the ground stretches long enough to make my stomach tighten.
Leo snorts, looks around, and leaps over the back of a black leather sofa to settle down.
Justice watches him, his head cocked. I have to admit, the man has been much more patient with my new mutt than I would’ve expected.
“Stop thinking so hard.” Justice points down the hallway.
“I need to be in the city today, so you’re in the city today as well.
Extra safeguards are being put in place at my house, so for now, you’re locked down here.
Kitchen should be fully stocked.” He points the other way. “Bedroom suite is that way.”
Suite? As in singular? “Wait a minute—”
“Not in the mood, gorgeous.” He rolls his neck, looking too dangerous in a black suit, crisp white shirt, and black tie. Apparently he has another meeting to attend. Being the head of the Irish mob probably takes a lot of time.
I like being called gorgeous because it’s not true.
Oh, Rosalie is gorgeous and Alana is beauty personified.
I’m cute. Pretty enough. But definitely not gorgeous.
However, I don’t like being brushed off.
“I don’t care what kind of mood you might be in, Justice.
” My voice is surprisingly mellow and calm.
Good. I need to keep control around this man.
“We are not sharing a room.” Yeah, I feel a little ridiculous considering the multiple orgasms I’ve had lately, but still.
“Right.” He moves back to the elevator. “There should be clothing for you in the room and food for the dog in the pantry. I may be gone all day.” He glances at his garnet and obsidian-encrusted watch. “There should also be a nice section of books to read in the bedroom.”
I pause and look around carefully. There isn’t a plasma television in the living room. “Um—”
“No electronics, Ella. Sorry.” He doesn’t sound sorry. Not in the slightest. If anything, he sounds … amused? “Can’t have you escaping again. What kind of kidnapper would I be?”
He thinks this is funny? “No computers?” I breathe out, my ears ringing. This is hell. How dare he? He doesn’t care about me at all.
“Nope. But there should be plenty of books for you. I told them to bring all new releases as well as a bunch of classics. Reading is supposed to support brain longevity, you know.”
“I can’t exactly help you with your problem without a laptop,” I hiss.
He grins. Full on.
Holy crap, he shouldn’t do that. That smile transforms his rugged face to something dangerously beautiful.
I can’t explain it. But the sight shoots through me, pebbling my nipples and softening my thighs.
It’s a good thing he’s usually so grumpy.
That grin should be outlawed. Or somehow captured for all time and used as the ultimate marketing tool.
The elevator door opens. Wait a minute. Where’s the keypad?
He presses his watch. “I’ll take you to Malice Media either tonight or tomorrow, if you’re a good girl all day and don’t cause me any problems. The elevator only works from my watch right now, so don’t spend hours trying to find a hidden keypad. There isn’t one.”
“Well, that’s dangerous,” I mutter, fully planning on causing him every problem I can find. The condescending bonehead. “What if there’s a fire?”
“Don’t start one,” he warns. “My men will get you out, but your ass isn’t ready for another beating.”
Oh, he did not. “I thought we had an agreement? Is this just a punishment?”
“We have an agreement and this is a punishment for wrecking my car. Behave yourself and you get freedom. Disobey me and you end up reading all day, which frankly, is good for you.”
I can’t come up with a bad enough threat that’ll make him think twice, so I don’t say anything. Then I glance at the sofa. “What about the dog? He needs to go out.”
“Wynd will fetch him every three hours for some outside time. You’ll stay inside.”
I look around the spacious cage. “Where are you going, anyway?” Damn it. I don’t care.
He studies me for a hard second. “I have a meeting with the owners of the three other social media companies.”
I gape. “You what?”
“There’s a fifth player on the board, and we need to take them out now. Plus, I want to know if anybody else is involved.” He steps into the elevator, turning to stare at me. “Do you know anything about the new player?”
“Just that there is one,” I admit. “I haven’t been able to trace them back to any of the social media upstarts.”
He runs a hand through his thick hair. “Neither have we. Also, early this morning, I hit back at TimeGem Moments with a fire to their main hub, Aquarius Social with a malware attack, and Hologrid Hub with a small explosion in Alexei’s bar. Figured I’d make a statement.”
My chin drops. “You attacked all three of them?”
He lifts a shoulder. “Barely. Just enough to let everyone know I could, and once I find out who’s shooting missiles at me, then I’ll take them out completely. I’m not sure it’s one of them.”
“I want to be there. I’m the rightful owner of TimeGem.” I hope there’s a badass suit in that room down the hall.
“No.” He steps inside, presses something on the wall, and the door rolls closed.
Jerk. What an asshole. I quickly survey the entire penthouse and find no electronics.
Fine. If he thinks he can keep me here, he has totally underestimated me.
He wants to punish me? That was a stupid move. I won’t accept that.
My heart is getting involved and only his dick is. I know he’s not a keeper. I will not spin daydreams about a guy who is just fucking me out of his system.
Jerk.
For three hours, I scour the place for what I need and then strip a couple of cords from lamps before plopping on the sofa with the latest Lexi Blake spy story. I love those Masters and Mercenaries. The elevator door, predictably, opens.
Wynd moves inside, his gaze seeking. “Truth be told, I wasn’t sure you wouldn’t try to burn the place down.” He has a nice Gaelic accent that’s thicker than Justice’s, though his voice isn’t as deep.
I sit up and place the book on the table. “I don’t trust how efficient you’d be about saving me and the dog.” There’s no reason to be civil.
Wynd smiles and shoves a hand through his dark hair. “That’s not kind.” He whistles.
Leo looks up from the adjacent leather chair.
“Come on, boy,” Wynd says. “Let’s go chase a bird or two.”
Leo stands and stretches before hopping down.
“Have you worked for Justice long?” I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. My eyes are scratchy. I sneeze. Darn it. I’m catching a cold from all the running through forests. I definitely need sleep.
“My whole life. We’re distant cousins.”
That’s dedication. So I can’t get out of here by flirting or bribing. Good to know. “Does he usually trap women in penthouses without a television?”
“Nope,” Wynd says cheerfully. “I can honestly say you’re our first penthouse kidnappee. I stocked the kitchen for you. If there’s anything missing, you let me know, and I’ll make sure you get it.”
“Gee,” I drawl. “You kidnappers are so kind.”
“We try.” He steps back into the elevator and partially turns, revealing a gun under his jacket. I’m sure it’s not the only weapon on his body. “I also bought the books. If there’s another one you want, let me know.”
Isn’t he accommodating? “Someday I’ll come into a lot of money. Is there any chance you’d let me go for a hefty amount?” Might as well ask.
“Money doesn’t do me any good if my head’s removed from my body.” He’s still cheerful. “I also have a girlfriend, so don’t embarrass us both by trying to seduce me.”
I wouldn’t know how. “Your girlfriend can’t like your job.”
“My girlfriend thinks I work for a social media company as a security consultant, which is mostly true. She doesn’t know the rest of it.
” His blue eyes are earnest but knowing.
Somewhat hard. “I should let you know that there’s a lot of chatter coming out of Aquarius Social right now about your location.
Searches being conducted. You might want to start practicing your breakup speech to Wesley Whisper.
He’s a decent guy, a good hacker, and I’d hate to see him floating in the ocean. ”
I gulp. “What in the—”
“I’ve known Justice a long time. He doesn’t share.” The dog lopes into the elevator and it closes.
What in the world did that mean? Justice can’t be considering a long-term thing with me.
The very idea lights my body on fire, and if I felt like being nicer to myself, I might allow a daydream or two.
But why go there? I return to the book and read another chapter until Wynd comes back with a happily winded Leo.
“I’ll see you in three hours,” Wynd says.
“Whatever.” I don’t look up from the book.
The second the door closes again, I move, rubbing my eyes.
I already have the copper wire stripped from the lamp. It coils warm in my palm as I drag a chair under the smoke detector and climb up. The plastic cover pops off easily.
Most people don’t look at a building as a living thing.
I do, and everything is connected somehow.
“I have a plan, Leo.” The dog just looks at me.
It’s a good plan. “I’m going to find a cure to the darn computer code I created, make it available to all four of the families, and then Justice can have the code.
It’s a win-win for everyone.” But I need time and space to do that. Then maybe I can cure him, too.
Inside the smoke detector is a small board with two sets of wires.
One pair feeds it power. The other ties this detector into a larger circuit that runs through every sensor on this floor and down to the fire panel in the basement.
That’s how the system keeps watch—one long loop of signals.
If one detector stops talking, the panel just logs a fault.
No sirens. No strobe lights. No warning to the men guarding the building.
I hold my breath and twist the copper onto the terminals, shorting the connection. The detector dies under my hand. The line goes silent.
Man, Justice is going to be pissed. Triumph filters through me. I know this isn’t a game. But if it is, I’m winning. Kind of. Maybe for now.
That silence is all it takes. When the system loses contact with a unit, it frees an elevator for inspection. It’s a built-in service feature, a way for a technician to ride up without triggering alarms. A loophole hiding in plain sight.
I climb down, my pulse steady and sharp. Then the elevator dings, soft and polite. The doors slide open and I rush inside, motioning for Leo.
He follows, panting happily, looking at me like we’re in for a great adventure. I swear, this dog has human qualities.
I laugh. Okay, this might be a game and I might be having fun. Justice shouldn’t have said he was punishing me, and he should’ve left me with a laptop, at the very least.
Let’s see him find me now.
Inside the cart, the buttons glow, waiting for me.
Normally they’d be locked behind a keycard, but in service mode, the restrictions vanish.
I press the button for the third floor since I’m sure there are guards on the bottom floor, and the car begins to descend silently. The guards down below have no clue.
The doors open onto an empty hallway, and we hurry out, headed straight toward the exit stairs. The stairwell door handle turns under my palm because the building codes require it. I step inside and jog down, each flight taking me closer to the street, closer to freedom.
Anticipation lights through me. Yeah, I’m challenging Justice, whether I admit it or not. Might as well be honest with myself. I broke his cage with nothing but copper wire and stubbornness. I guess he needs to know the real me, because I’ll always be a challenge.
But I have to succeed this time, because I can’t take another spanking. I just can’t.
Leo and I emerge onto the busy street, and I run around the corner, studying my location. Perfect. Like in most places in Silicon Valley, I have a car hidden just several blocks to the north. “Come on, Leo. We need to run.” We have three hours until they discover we’re missing.
Well, unless Justice gets home first.
I shiver, duck my head, and run faster.