Total pages in book: 211
Estimated words: 201554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1008(@200wpm)___ 806(@250wpm)___ 672(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 201554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1008(@200wpm)___ 806(@250wpm)___ 672(@300wpm)
“Why are you staring at me?” she whispers.
“I’m not going anywhere. I know you don’t know that yet, but you will. I promise.”
Her eyes cloud and darken. “Promise?”
“I promise. Now, take me home to your bed.”
“Is it safe?”
“Yes. I’ll tell you everything on the way. Just like I hope you will tell me everything there is to tell, Harper. When you’re ready.”
I don’t give her time to deny or reply. I don’t place that pressure on her. I kiss her again, grab my bag, and lead her to the door. I’m giving her my trust. I’ll earn hers. And I won’t allow either of us to regret those decisions.
Chapter thirty-four
Eric
Imanage to usher Harper to the elevator without much explanation, but once the car doors shut and I’ve punched in the lobby level, she’s ready for answers. “What happened when you went to my house and why do you want to get back there now with such urgency?”
Because I want her home where I know we’re secure, where I can control our environment, and where I know Walker Security is guarding the exterior or the property. “That was the whole idea,” I say instead. “Get my bag. Go back to your place.”
“We’re in this together, remember? No secrets. I deserve to know what just happened at my own home. Tell me what happened when you went after the driver of the car.”
“The minute I walked in his direction, he rolled down the window and tossed a cigarette and note out.”
“A note? What kind of note?”
“A piece of paper with a fourteen-digit sequence of numbers and letters.”
She frowns. “Nothing but the sequence? That’s—odd.”
“Correct,” I say.
“Then it has to be a message for you, right? Do you know what it means?”
“I don’t. I ruled out a lot of options but nothing more so far.”
“Maybe they’re saying, your genius doesn’t scare them? Or they know you. They know how you operate.”
“Or it’s meant for you,” I say.
“Me? I mean, maybe. It was my house he was watching, but the numbers feel related to you, not me.” The elevator dings and the doors open.
We step into the lobby and start walking toward the door. “You don’t have any idea at all what it means, Eric? Are you sure?”
“It’s a name that isn’t a name,” I say, and when most people would just stare at me after a statement like that, she goes with the flow.
“Like a VIN or part number?” she asks.
“It’s neither of those things. I’m hoping once you look at it it’ll mean something to you.” We exit the front of the hotel and I snake my phone from my pocket and key in a message. “I just sent you a text with the sequence,” I say, following her to the car door that the doorman is holding open for her. “See what it means to you, if anything.”
“I left my phone at home.”
I hand her mine with the message pulled up, and palm the doorman a large bill. Once Harper’s in the vehicle, and safely shut inside, I round the hood and enter on the driver’s side. Once I’m settled in, I find Harper staring at my cell screen. “Any idea what it means?”
“I wish I did,” she says, sighing and glancing my direction, “But I don’t.” She shifts my direction. “You’re sure it’s not a parts number?”
“Not one in any recognized database.”
“But there’s so many parts and manufacturers and—”
“It’s not a parts number,” I repeat, exiting the driveway and heading toward her house.
“What about a VIN number for a competitor?”
“No.”
“How do you know?” she presses. “I mean, I get that you’re a numbers guy, but VIN numbers could be data added and deleted from databases that you might not have access to.”
“It wouldn’t be sequenced in that manner,” I insist, pulling us into her driveway. “But we’re not without resources. Blake Walker is considered one of the best hackers in the world. He’ll look for a connection that isn’t obvious.”
“The part where he’s a hacker. Is that a good or bad thing?”
“He’s one of the good guys. The kind our own military contacts for help. He’s going to run the sequence and see what technology reveals.” I park and kill the engine.
“Okay, then another question: is this a warning or a clue?”
“If it were a warning, it would be something more obvious.”
“Right,” I say. “I mean, people have died. It makes sense someone would want to help us. Someone perhaps closer to this than I am in some way. It also makes sense that someone like that would know your family, and maybe even know you’d be the one that would stand up against the Kingstons.” Her gaze shifts to the front door of her house. “I bought this place a year after meeting you, my escape from Kingston hell.” She glances over at me. “I didn’t know you’d lived in this area and yet I gravitated here. That’s odd, right?”