Page 4 of Her Noble Protector

“I’m no longer asking, Leif. I’m telling. Your business is now officially shut down. Within two hours, every single one of your communication devices will be hacked and shut down. Anything you decide to start up, it will be shut down. Any burner phone, new computer that you purchase… Shut down. You’re going to be dead in the water. You try to communicate through anybody else’s device, I’ll know… and your shit will be shut down.”

Leif laughed. “Like that’ll happen.”

Raiden pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and pressed a number. He waited.

“Hey, Kane. Got a situation. Family’s involved. Need a favor. Am I interrupting anything?”

Raiden listened to his second-in-command, Kane McNamara, who was their computer guru. He was also a world-class hacker from the time he was younger than Leif, and he had a hell of a software company that could accomplish anything. Anything.

“Nothing that can’t wait,” Kane replied. “So what do you need, Sato? You know you’ve got it.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. My little cousin is a sixteen-year-old shit who might be all that in the smarts department, but he has gone off the path, if you know what I mean.” Raiden thought about telling Kane the kid was a dick, but he was family, so he refrained. Plus he was a kid, and hopefully with a little guidance and a kick in the ass he’d grow out of it.

“Who are you talking to?” Leif demanded to know. Raiden ignored him.

“Here’s the problem. He’s been selling test answers for at least the last year, and he’s on the line to getting caught. He’s going to blow his future out of the water. I need his entire online life shutdown, plus anything—and I mean anything—he might start or think about starting, shut down as well.”

“Give me a name.”

“Leif Johansen. He lives in Virginia Beach.” Raiden supplied his aunt and uncle’s address. “He’s going to Princess Anne High School.”

“Got it. He’ll be shut down in an hour.”

“Appreciate it,” Raiden smiled.

“No problem. Is Max enjoying the food? Has your mom set him up yet?”

“Yes to the first, no to the second.”

“Can’t wait until she does,” Kane chuckled. “Cullen and I have a bet on that.”

Raiden laughed. “Thanks again.”

“Later.” Kane hung up.

Raiden looked at Leif and smiled. “By the time Tallie gives you back your phone, you’ll be out of business.”

“Yeah, sure,” Leif smirked. “I’m sure you muscle types have it all covered.”

“I’m going back in for food, you do what you want,” Raiden said as he turned back toward the house.

“You know, everyone in this family thinks you’re the shit. I don’t buy it,” Leif said as he trailed after him. “And I sure as fuck don’t know why you’re singling me out.”

Raiden stopped and looked back at the teenager. “I’ll tell you why. Family matters. Your parents matter, and you might not know this, but you matter. I might not have much respect or liking for you now, but I have hope. So you’re worth my time and effort. Know this—I’ll be keeping tabs.”

Leif gave him a long, considering look. “Like I said, you’re full of shit. You’ll leave and won’t even remember this conversation come tomorrow. Which is fine by me, because I’ll be back in business, and your stuck-up ass will be working out and playing soldier.”

“And there’s the attitude that makes you a dick. But like I said, I have hope.”

Raiden meandered back to the house, in the mood for some of Aunt Kathleen’s Ambrosia salad.

3

Raiden threw his Mustang’s keys on the hall table when he got home and picked up his mail. As much as he tried to put Leif out of his head, he couldn’t. He was only a couple of years younger than some of the students he’d helped to rescue seven weeks ago in Mexico, and yet it seemed like they were a world apart. Some of them might have started out as rich and entitled, but they’d stepped up. Raiden had a real hard time thinking that Leif would be the type who could and it hurt. How in the hell could he fix this?

He flipped through the mail. All of it was going to hit the shredder or the recycle bin. What a waste of the world’s resources. He headed to his kitchen and opened the fridge. He tossed in the two Tupperware containers of leftovers that his mom had packed for him. The ladies always cooked too much, which he always appreciated.

Raiden started stripping as he headed to his bedroom, then threw his clothes into the hamper. He pulled on a pair of shorts and headed to the back room. He needed to get in some PT; he’d drawn the short straw for tomorrow, so while the others on his team were going to do Close Quarters Combat training, he was stuck doing paperwork. He desperately needed a workout, then a night run on the beach. By then he should have his head sorted.