HACKING THE BILLIONAIRE: Part 3 (8 page)

Riley left work to meet Luzy for lunch. This was her last week at this job, and she was happy not to have the specter of Justin hanging over her. As she walked out of the building, he was walking in. They hadn’t spoken since he’d approached her the other day.

She paused, but was unsure what to say to him. Or if she should even talk at all.

He stopped in front of her. “Last week?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what your next job is?”

“No. I’ll know my last day here,” she said.

“We’ve been lucky to have you. You do great work,” Justin said.

The compliment made her happy. “We like to keep our customers satisfied.”

He looked down at his shoes then back up to her. “I’m sorry that we didn’t work out. I know I’m complicit in that.”

“I guess it wasn’t meant to be,” she said.

“I should never have left that day,” he said.

She shrugged. “Not sure what to tell you.”

“I should have fought for you. I think we would have been good together.”

She just smiled. What could she tell him that would make him feel better? She was in love with Dirk. It was that simple. Justin probably never had a chance. “You take care, Justin.”

He kissed her on the cheek then left her standing by the door. He’d find someone, she hoped. Just like she had. Now she had to help Luzy be independent.

Riley had never thought about being anything else. An only child, she’d often spent time by herself. And she’d been the third adult as she grew up. Her parents had given her more responsibility and more freedom than most of her friends. They’d been jealous.

How would she teach that to a grown woman? Would Luzy be willing to learn?

“Hey, Tuck,” she said, greeting her driver and bodyguard.

He was a large man, of course, but he didn’t wear the usual uniform of a dark blue suit. His clothes spoke of the ability to hold his own in a fight. She made a mental note to ask him to give her some pointers. He’d mentioned at one point that he taught self-defense.

“Where are we headed today, Ms. Adams?”

She asked him a dozen times to call her Riley, but he refused. Just wasn’t in his nature, he’d told her. She was a client and he preferred to keep a line between them. Kept him sharper, he’d said.

“Here.”

She handed him a paper with the address of the restaurant on it, then climbed into the back. He started the car. “I’m not familiar with this.”

“I’m not either, but I don’t know this area very well.”

He punched it into the GPS and they were off. The neighborhood didn’t change, but this part had more empty storefronts.

“I have no idea why Luzy needed to meet me here. Maybe she’s looking at a storefront.”

“I don’t like it, but I can’t tell you exactly why,” Tuck said.

He parked by a mostly abandoned strip mall. Luzy’s car was in the lot. She hadn’t mentioned anything but lunch, but maybe that was just Luzy’s style. Riley didn’t know Dirk’s sister that well. Maybe she was flighty.

“Stay in the car. I’m going to leave it running. Let me check this out,” Tuck said.

Riley thought he was being overly cautious, but she stayed in the car as he asked. She hummed to the radio, waiting for him.

Her phone rang. Joan.

“Hey,” Riley said.

“Hey. Riley. You free tonight?”

“I am, I think. Why?”

“Just wanted to get a drink with you. Haven’t seen you in a few,” she said.

Riley could use a girls’ night out. “Sounds great. Seven?”

“That’s good. Where are you at?”

“I’m having lunch with Luzy, but I think she wants me to check out a storefront with her. At least that is what I am assuming. The address she gave me was not a restaurant. My bodyguard is checking it out.”

“Does sound odd, but then you said she seemed a little odd?”

“She did.”

“I’ve got to go. See you tonight,” Joan said.

Riley tucked the phone back into her pocket. She looked around the parking lot. Deserted. Tuck should have come back by now. What was he checking out? She pondered this for a few moments.

Then her phone buzzed. It was Tuck. He sent a text that all was okay and that she should come in. “Why didn’t he just come back out?”

Odd for sure, but whatever. She climbed out of the car then strode to the storefront where Tuck had disappeared. She paused for a moment. This did seem weird, but if Tuck said it was okay, then she was probably safer inside with him then outside without him.

She opened the door with some trepidation. The inside was dark. It had once been an ice cream parlor. Unplugged freezers littered the room in front of her. She didn’t hear any noises. Nothing.

She didn’t think that Tuck could be anywhere and not make noise.

“Hello? Luzy?”

Nothing. Not even Tuck answering. Shit. He’d said it was fine.

So she walked in. She found a door on the back wall and entered it. On the floor was Tuck. Out cold, as far as she could see. She raced over to him. He was still breathing. She yanked her phone out, but someone behind her knocked it out of her hands. It went sliding across the floor.

Someone grabbed her hair so she couldn’t turn around.

“Luzy? What the hell?”

Someone leaned down close to her ear. “It isn’t Luzy.”

Chad. Chad? What was he doing here? “Why did you knock out Tuck?”

“Because we’re going to have a little talk,” Chad said.

Her phone rang, but he held on to her. “Don’t answer it.”

She could see from the light of the screen that it was Dirk.

He’d come find her if she didn’t answer. Chad didn’t need to know that.

***

Dirk wondered why Riley didn’t answer her phone. Odd for her. He hung up and chose to try again in a few minutes. She might be in the bathroom. He remembered she was having lunch with Luzy, but Riley still would have answered him.

Should he call Tuck?

No, that might be construed as controlling. He didn’t need to talk to her. He just wanted to touch base. See how her day was going. Hear her voice. Holy crap. He was a goner.

For the first time in his life, for as scared as he felt, he didn’t want to do something stupid. He didn’t want to run. But he did need advice.

He called Marcia in.

She sat with a pen and a notepad as if she were taking dictation.

“This isn’t about work. It’s personal,” he said.

“Okay.”

“In an effort to be less controlling, I’m trying to define what is controlling. And how much I should call Riley or text her.”

Marcia laughed. “You really are out of your depth on this one.”

“Yes, I am. I’m used to just doing what needs to be done. This time it isn’t obvious what needs to be done.”

“Contacting her as much as you want is fine until you are annoying. Don’t expect her to answer every time you reach out. She might be in the middle of something. She might be in the bathroom.”

Just as he’d thought. “If I call her and she doesn’t answer, what is a reasonable time to wait before I call back?”

“Why call back at all? Wait for her to call you back.”

That sounded reasonable. Didn’t feel reasonable. Something was bothering Dirk, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He had a bad feeling. “What if I think there’s something wrong?”

“Are you worried that she didn’t answer, or were you worried before you called?”

“I was worried before I called.”

“Then you can call her back again soon. After that let her call you,” Marcia said.

“Are there rules written down someplace?”

“No, most people learn about boundaries growing up. You were an only for a while, so you didn’t have any.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve been accused of that. I think the other problem is that I never wanted to breach anyone’s boundaries before this.”

“That’s probably true, too. Have you told her?”

“How I feel? No, I haven’t. I have to. It’s wrong, but I needed some time to get used to the idea.”

“For you, yes, that’s understandable. Hopefully Riley will get it.”

“She hasn’t said it to me.”

“Even if she feels it, she’s going to let you say it first,” Marcia said. “You’ve been the more reluctant person in this relationship.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. Marcia was right. He’d been holding back. He didn’t want to anymore. He wanted a future with Riley. Even if that meant a move to the suburbs or having kids. Whatever she wanted was fine. As long as she agreed to stay with him. He’d been lost without her.

He’d be lost without her. He didn’t want that feeling ever again.

“I’m going to call her again.”

He did. No answer. The phone was on, because he didn’t go right to voicemail. He left a message. “I’m going to call Joan. Maybe she knows something.”

“It isn’t like Riley to not answer twice?’

“No. Even if she can’t call me back, she sends me a text telling me that she got my call.”

He dialed Joan’s number.

“She told me she was at a storefront meeting Luzy.”

“I thought they were going to lunch.”

“Riley told me she wasn’t sure about that. Tuck was checking it out before he let her go in.”

At least the man was doing his job. “Okay. I’m going to look and see where her phone is.”

He hung up with Joan, then used his computer to find Riley. “She’s at some strip mall in New Jersey.”

“Really?”

“Not that far from her job,” he said.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll have to fly there.”

“Isn’t your helicopter in for maintenance?”

“Damn. That’s right. You did schedule that. Sometimes your efficiency is unnerving.”

Marcia smiled. “That’s why you pay me the big bucks.”

“Then I better get going.”

“Aren’t you going to feel foolish if this is nothing?”

“No, because I’ll just tell her that I love her. That’s important.”

Marcia laughed. “You really have it bad. I didn’t think I’d see this day.”

He glared at his assistant, who was enjoying his discomfort more than he liked. “Have my car brought around.”

“No sports car?”

“It’s all the way at home. I’m really worried, Marcia.”

“Then go. I’ll call your driver.”

Dirk shut down his computer then arrived in the garage below his building minutes later. His heart beat fast in his chest. Maybe this was nothing, but he couldn’t imagine his life without Riley. He had to keep her safe. She was in danger because of him. That left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Traffic in Manhattan was especially bad today. Probably someone important was in town and roads were blocked. He wanted to hit something, but this wasn’t anyone’s fault. He’d just have to be patient.

He could call Luzy. Maybe she knew something. Or would his calling tip her off if Luzy was doing something nefarious?

Dirk’s phone rang before he made a decision. Joan.

“Hello, Joan.”

“I tried calling and texting Riley. No answer. Now I’m worried. Should we call the police?”

“And tell them what? That my sister is holding my girlfriend hostage, I think?”

“When you say it out loud it does sound stupid.”

“For all we know she’s in a dead zone.”

“I don’t think there are too many of those in New Jersey. At least not where she is,” Joan said.

She had a point, but Dirk could still hope that this was all a misunderstanding.

Chad had tied Riley to a chair. He might be good at programming, but he wasn’t good at tying knots. She’d be free in a few minutes. She just had to distract him from what she was trying behind her back. He paced, not really looking at her anyway.

Tuck was still out for the count on the floor. Chad had tied the man’s hands. That was it. She’d bet if Tuck came to, he’d sort out the situation, but she wasn’t counting on that. She had to get out of this herself.

“Why are you doing this, Chad?”

“Shut up, I’m thinking.”

He continued pacing. Riley guessed that their poking had done its job. Chad was worried that they were on to him. He still had a gun. Not trained at her, but still. He had a good grip on it. She’d surveyed the scene. There was a door behind her. Three steps away after she spun. The door in front of her was all the way across the room. She didn’t know if the door was locked.

The doorway behind her was the best bet. She would have to catch him when he was turning. He wouldn’t initially see her. Riley could not believe how calm she was. Guess staring at death made you figure out just what you could accomplish.

“You had to meddle,” Chad said finally.

“I was hired to meddle.”

“No, you were hired to find the leak. You found one.”

“It was too easy.”

“You aren’t that smart.”

She was, but Chad could never handle that. Or agree. As much as she was the one tied up, Chad was desperate. He wasn’t a criminal in the sense that he could be face to face with his crime. He sat in an office and wrote code. He only saw the results secondhand.

She didn’t think he was desperate enough to pull the trigger on her. Then he’d have to hide the body, and someone might hear the gunshot. This wasn’t a rural hunting area where no one thought twice about a shot. Someone would wonder. The cops would be called.

At least if he did kill her, he wouldn’t get away with it.

“Why?”

“Why what?” he said.

“Why did you do it?”

“Do you have siblings?”

“No. I’m an only child.”

“Lucky you.”

He stopped his pacing and stared at her. “I’m the middle child. The one that everyone ignores.”

“So? I doubt Dirk ignored you.”

“Maybe not, but he was always successful. Always. From high school on. I was born and he was already successful. I had an uphill climb at birth to impress my parents.”

“You don’t have to impress your parents. They love you no matter what. That’s the deal with being a parent.”

“Oh, they might love me, but they aren’t proud of me.”

“Did you ever ask them if they were?”

He waved the gun as if dismissing what she said. No one knew the dialogue in Chad’s head. She certainly wasn’t going to figure it out. Might as well get him talking until she loosened her bonds for sure.

She was close. She could feel it.

“I didn’t have to. They always raved about Dirk. Dirk did this. Dirk did that.”

“Did you actually do things?”

He screwed up his face, and she thought for a moment that she’d pushed him too far. He held that face for a moment then let out a noisy breath. “Of course I did things. I got good grades. Maybe not as good as Dirk, but I got into good colleges. Didn’t matter. Dirk was always upstaging me.”

“But is that Dirk’s fault? He was always in a different part of his life.”

“If Dirk hadn’t always been successful, they would have noticed me more,” Chad said.

Even saying it out loud, he didn’t see how absurd he was. Dirk’s success would have never taken away from his own. He just hadn’t done anything outstanding in his life. How sad. He had spent his whole life comparing himself to Dirk. They were two different people.

Very few men were as driven as Dirk. Chad clearly was only driven to ruin Dirk.

“How did you do it?”

Chad laughed. “You never figured it out?”

She had, but he didn’t need to know that. “No.”

She was almost loose. If he got involved in extolling the virtues of what he’d done, he’d be distracted. Her heart fluttered in her chest. She’d have one chance. That’s when she glanced at Tuck.

He was awake, but behind Chad, who hadn’t noticed. Chad kept pacing around the room. Each time, he came closer and closer to Tuck. She tried to signal to Tuck that she was loose, but Chad kept glancing at her.

She didn’t want to give away that she was ready to bolt. Instead she relaxed into her chair.

Chad droned on about how he’d done the deed. As she listened, she was uninspired. She would have done it differently, and no one would have found out. It would have been untraceable. She kept that tidbit to herself.

No reason to piss the man off who had a gun. He went on and on as if he were so proud of his work. Riley had to admit she felt foolish that she hadn’t seen it all sooner. She should have pegged what he’d done. She was that good.

Dirk had been a distraction. That would be her excuse. His romancing her kept her from being on top of her game. Not that she would have traded anything for the world.

She loved the man. She hoped she would be able to get out and tell him.

Chad paced again. Closer to Tuck than before. She kept her gaze on Chad, not alerting him to Tuck’s being awake. They could pull this off.

“So that’s how I did it,” Chad said, his voice full of pride.

Then he took one more step and Tuck swing his legs around, tripping Chad, giving Riley a chance to escape.

***

With Riley still not answering her phone, Dirk called Luzy. She didn’t answer, so he left a message.

She called back a few minutes later.

“Dirk?”

“Luzy. Is Riley with you?”

“Riley?”

“Yes, you were having lunch with her today. I’m trying to get hold of her.”

“Oh, she cancelled lunch.”

“Cancelled?”

Why would Luzy lie? He knew from Joan that Riley was waiting for Tuck to check out the place. Had Riley walked into something? Shit. Now he was more worried.

“She didn’t cancel, Luzy. What game are you playing?”

“Uh. I don’t know where she is, Dirk.”

“Yes you do. You gave her the address to meet you. If anything happens to her, Luzy, I will never forgive you.”

“I’m not lying. She texted me and cancelled.”

“No, she didn’t. Give me the address where you were going to meet.”

“It was a restaurant.”

“I don’t care if it was a landfill. Give me the address. I want to be sure I’m going the right place. I will press charges if something has happened to her.”

Luzy began to cry. He could hear the sniffles on the phone. He was all out of give a damn at the moment. The woman he loved was missing. Again. He was not going to take any chances with her life. He was going to find her. And he better find her alive.

“I’m sorry, Dirk. Chad made me do it.”

“Do what?”

A chill went down Dirk’s spine. They’d poked the man and now he was lashing out. Riley was going to be the casualty of this. Again. Guilt raced through him. Now that he knew how he felt about Riley he couldn’t wait to tell her.

What if he was too late? What if he couldn’t save her? Damn.

He’d never had doubts like this. This was why he’d never wanted to fall in love, but now that he had, he couldn’t back away. He wanted Riley to be his wife. To be his forever.

“He made me text her with a bogus address.”

“Did he hold a gun to your head?”

“No, but he’s pretty unstable. He’s been out to get you for years. He knew he had a chance when you hired him for computer security,” Luzy said.

“Why is he after me?”

“Because you’re successful. He’s jealous. He thinks that our parents don’t love him because they love you too much.”

“Luzy, that makes no sense.”

“Not that this justifies what he did, but you are a difficult brother to follow. Sometimes it feels as if everything we do you do better or bigger.”

He had no idea that his siblings felt this way. “Have I led you to believe that your accomplishments didn’t mean anything?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t get all this. I never became successful to show anyone up. I’m just driven.”

She sighed. “I know, Dirk. It doesn’t make sense. As much as I can look at the situation rationally, Chad can’t.”

“Why did you let yourself get wrapped up in his insanity?”

“I don’t know, Dirk. I guess I just got swept up in it. For once I felt like I had a purpose.”

Sad. “You’re my sister, Luzy. I love you no matter what. As do your parents. Your mother raised me as if I was her own. She never showed you or Chad favoritism. I always felt like I was one of the family.”

“I know. I know. Now that I say it all out loud, it doesn’t make sense. I know that you would back us in whatever we did, but I guess Chad caught me at a bad point in my life.”

“With the divorce?”

“Yes. It’s my second, Dirk. I can’t even succeed at marriage.”

“Marriage is tough, Luzy. I’ve always admired that you kept trying. I never did.”

“Will you marry Riley?”

“If she’ll have me.”

Luzy laughed. “She’ll have you. Let me text you the address, and please find her, Dirk.”

He hung up, wondering why he and his sister had never talked like that before. Why had it taken a crisis to bring them together? He loved her. He loved Chad, too, even if the man was holding his girlfriend hostage.

He wouldn’t forgive him if something happened to Riley, but he loved him nonetheless. He gave the address to his driver. It was close to where they’d figured she was.

“We’ll be there in twenty minutes, sir.”

“Not soon enough.”

He couldn’t have his driver go faster. There was almost as much traffic in North Jersey as there was in Manhattan. He called Riley’s phone again, but she still didn’t answer. “Damn.”

Where was she? Was she okay? His heart beat faster. He’d never worried this much about losing anyone. Not even his family. Riley had gotten under his skin. He had to tell her. He had to make sure this didn’t happen again.

He didn’t care what it might take. He would do it to keep Riley close. To keep her with him. The car stopped. Emergency vehicles drove by them at a high rate of speed.

“Can you see what’s going on?”

“I think there’s been an accident. No one is moving at all.”

“Can you turn off?”

“I’ll try, sir, but we’re in the middle lane. I’ll do my best.”

At this point, Dirk wanted to get out and run, but he didn’t really know where he was. Could he walk that far more quickly?

“I’m going. Meet me there.”

Dirk memorized the route on the GPS then climbed out of his car. Nothing was moving, so he was able to wend his way over to the sidewalk. He knew he had to go three blocks then make a left. The strip mall would be on that road. He had no idea what he could find when he got there, but for everyone’s sake, Riley had damn well better be alive.