Page 56 of Cops and Robbers

He laughed, head tilted back, showing that his scar stretched down his neck. “Someone’s confident in their hacker.”

“I only work with the best.” She took another drink.

“Ah. Of course.” When someone called Ziegler’s name, he raised a hand to pause them from speaking. “Sounds like you came here to win. I look forward to seeing your hacker’s work. Please excuse me?”

She smiled and nodded. Ziegler took his leave, and the tension between her shoulders eased until someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” another male said behind her. “Are you Elizabeth Hackerm?”

“Well, isn’t she Miss Popular?” Sid asked.

She downed her glass, steading herself in the drinker that Elizabeth was, and whispered, “And so it begins.”

“The purse doesn’t go,” the guard said, standing before Kate hours later as the logging in part of the gala commenced. Other representatives had received the same treatment, so she expected it.

“What about the dress?” she teased.

“I can’t take this.” Sid laughed into her ear.

Something rustled as if Raz had thrown an object at him. The guard didn’t find her words amusing: his expression was a blank slate. With the compact already flat against her palm, hidden from view, she handed her purse to Caige.

She walked with the guard, but knowing another frisk was on the agenda, she purposefully tripped onto the platform. As she caught herself on the guard’s arm, she slipped the compact into his side pocket.

“Sorry. These heels are killer,” she muttered.

He grunted and instructed her to lift her arms. She did so with a playful grin and idled through another efficient pat-down.

Inching closer, she rubbed her chest against his muscular arm as she whispered into his ear, “Next time ask for the dress…” She pulled her compact back from his pocket, keeping it between her thumb and flat palm like she practiced.

“Please tell me there’s a purpose to the flirting,” Raz said into her Micron Ear.

“Nature of the beast,” Caige said for her as he stood behind the valet rope, waiting. “Distract the baby to take its candy.”

“Yeah, this baby sounds like a grown ass man,” Raz said.

Sitting in front of the plain computer as instructed, she kept the laugh inside. Along their link, she sent Raz impressions of calming reassurance. He was all she desired. Her heartbeat quickened. The words resonated true. Shit. She really was falling for a dragon.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. If she didn’t get her compact connected to the computer without anyone seeing, her plan would be ruined.

Raz fell back against the SUV’s backseat, hand pressed against his thumping chest. The unfiltered thread of desire coursing across the link made him want to purr. His mind vibrated with the truth. She only wanted him.

“You good?” Sid asked from the middle row, switching his microphone off by snapping it upright.

Raz switched his mic off as well. “Fine.”

The line in his ear crackled before Clyde said, “I’m in their system, Kate.”

“Interesting…” she whispered, more so to Clyde than the monotonous talker conversing with her and Caige at the gala.

“Oh, yes, Elizabeth,” the talker gushed. “I believed so too. That’s why I—“

“Clyde’s good,” Sid said over the person talking to Kate whom Raz wanted to shut up. “I hope he’s good enough to get into Ziegler’s systems.”

Raz sat forward to peer over Sid’s shoulder. The large laptop on his lap displayed a split screen, a replica of Clyde’s.

“Only Kate would risk using the gala as a distraction while she hacked someone else. Do you think Ziegler’s hacker will catch Clyde?” Raz asked as coding filled the left screen. The right screen displayed a few unknown programs waiting.

“If he meddles too long, an intrusion detection system will report it, but everyone there, including Ziegler’s guy, is concentrated on the purse.”