Page 58 of Hacker Identified

“We are in Virginia. Sophie intercepted communication about Tim trafficking women. We thought you would be with him, but you weren’t there, and he’s not talking. He had twenty women kidnapped.” Hazel winced and grabbed her stomach. “Also, send an ambulance. I think my sister is going to have her baby.”

“Sister?”

“I’ll explain when you get here.” I slumped into Watson’s leather chair and sighed.

“See you soon. I love you.”

I hung up the phone and looked over at Kat. “Everyone is already in Virginia, and they have Tim in custody.”

Kat scrunched her nose. “I guess my husband can take part in the win this time, but Zack will owe me forever for getting you out of jail.”

“No!” One of the women we helped rescue screamed. She somehow had a gun in her hand, and it was pointed at me. Hazel stepped near me, and I tried to get in front of my sister to protect her. Kat was across the room, and her eyes narrowed on the woman.

“You’re going to be safe. Help is coming, and you can go back to your life.”

“This was my life. Tim loved me until he saw your photo on the news. That’s when everything changed. It’s all your fault.” Her finger squeezed the trigger, and Hazel hit me like a wrecking ball. I fell to the ground. A loud grunt came from across the room, and the woman was face down on the floor. Kat had the gun in her hand.

Hazel groaned, and something warm trickled on my arm. I rolled my sister to the side and noticed the large red stain on her sleeve. I could hear the faint siren of an ambulance as I held my hand to the wound trying to staunch the blood seeping from my sister’s arm.

Chapter19

Zack

Istepped out onto the patio and took a deep breath of fresh air. The warmth of the sun felt soothing against my skin, and the sounds of my friends and family chatting around me were comforting. Hannah was by my side, holding her niece close to her chest. She looked so beautiful, even in the midst of the chaos we had been through.

Even on the perfect day with the people I loved around me, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated and disappointed. We had missed our own wedding for the third time. All I wanted to do was marry Hannah and start our lives together as husband and wife.

I wrapped my arm around Hannah’s waist and pulled her close to me, grateful for her presence and the love we shared. We would get married eventually, but for now, I was content just to be with her and the people who mattered most to us.

“Can I have everyone’s attention,” Texan’s voice boomed over the conversations. Everyone quieted down and he spoke again. “As many of you know, Hannah and Zack have attempted to get married multiple times and in three states. Some might think they are cursed, but I witnessed how this made them grow closer. Maybe it was fate making sure Hannah had her family before she could get married.”

Zane held up his beer. “Cheers to family.”

Texan grinned. “My duty in life is to protect Zack and Hannah. I worked out a plan this week. While I sat in the hospital with Hannah and Hazel as they talked about everything and how much Hannah couldn’t wait to be Zack’s wife, I got an idea. You already have a Virginia marriage license. You just need someone authorized to perform the ceremony. So, last night I went online and took the test. If you want, I can marry you both today with your family here. I know many of them are leaving tomorrow.”

I glanced down at the woman I loved and waited for her response.

“Yes.”

The girls ushered Hannah back into the house and told me she had to get ready. I painstakingly sat with my brother and friends, and waited. Her dress and makeup didn’t matter to me. All I wanted was for her to become my wife.

When she came back downstairs in her white dress, my breath was taken away. The ceremony was quick and sweet. There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience as I recited my vows to Hannah.

“I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Tucker. You may kiss the bride.” I swooped her up into my arms and locked my lips against hers. People clapped around us. When I set her down, we were bombarded with hugs and congratulations. Kat connected her phone to the sound system in the back yard and played a mixture of hip hop music from the nineties. We danced for hours.

“You ready to call it a night,” I whispered in Hannah’s ear as we danced close.

“But people are still here. We need to entertain.”

Just my family and hers, they could take care of themselves. “They won’t miss us.” I bent down and picked her up in a princess hold and carried her from the backyard back into the house. A few relatives chuckled as I told them we would see them in a few days. I planned to show my wife how much I loved her.

“I love you,” she whispered as she laid her head against my shoulder.

* * *

Zayla Solace

I hunched down in the back of my closet and prayed the intruder wouldn’t find me. When a woman named Kat Ross contacted me a few weeks ago, she’d wanted to send a bodyguard to protect me. She thought the serial killer I was doing my podcast on would come for me.

At first, I thought it was some fan trying to get on my podcast for fame or for me to advertise AA Securities business. But when I looked into the Ross family, I was surprised and said I would talk to a bodyguard.

Asher and CJ did a zoom call with me. They went over all the things they would help me with. My podcast was decent enough for me to have a three-bedroom house in Raleigh. When I glanced at the AA Securities website, they didn’t have prices listed, and the more they talked, it sounded expensive.

I tried to ask about the cost. But CJ waved his hand in the air and said free. Nothing in life was free. I’d learned that from my parents, who always expected me to return a favor.

Since the original call, I’d talked to them both a few times. I’d learned that they were engaged and worked many cases together. CJ was a hacker, and Asher was former military. But I still didn’t trust them enough to bring them in on what I’d found.

Footsteps sounded outside the closet door. I tried to hunch back farther and hide as the door swung open. A tall man reached out and grabbed my neck. His grip tightened, and I clawed at his hands. As the world went dark, I wondered if CJ and Asher would notice I’d disappeared.