TWENTY-ONE

The day of Brett’s Armageddon finally arrived.

Monday morning Allison was happy to be back at the cyber unit. She was going to bury herself in work and then go to the Adams Harbor Hotel and bury Brett. She left work early and went home to change clothes. Black seemed to fit the occasion. She slipped into a pair of slim ankle pants, a black silk blouse, and a pair of black flats. She transferred a few of her things into a black cross-body bag and was ready to go.

She really didn’t need to be there to watch Brett’s downfall. The computer program would take care of that. She knew she wasn’t being very charitable and would even say it was wrong to deliberately humiliate him. Maybe she was being vindictive, but after everything Brett had done, she wanted to watch him crash and burn. She could be contrite tomorrow . . . maybe even go to confession.

Someone was knocking on her door. She looked through the peephole and took a hasty step back. Liam was there . . . again. He had said he wanted to go to Brett’s presentation, but she hadn’t expected him to be in Boston. She opened the door and moved aside to let him in. She wanted to say hello, and she would do that just as soon as her brain started working again. She was so surprised, and yet so happy, to see him.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Go where?”

His smile widened. “The Adams Harbor Hotel.”

“Yes, of course I’m ready. Don’t I look ready? I think I look fine. Just fine,” she rattled on.

He slowly looked her up and down. “You look a whole lot better than fine.”

Great. Now he was giving her goose bumps. It was his voice. It had turned husky and very sexy.

As she brushed past him, Liam got a whiff of her perfume and whispered, “Ah, come on.” Her scent was light and subtle, but to him it was an aphrodisiac that wreaked havoc with his vow to keep his distance . . . a vow he, thus far, hadn’t been able to keep.

He couldn’t get her out of his mind, and he knew both of them were getting in too deep. What he thought he wanted to be a casual affair had quickly turned into much much, more. Who was he kidding? It had never been casual, and he didn’t know what he could do about it.

“I’m driving,” she said.

“Okay, sure.”

The moment Allison stepped out of the elevator in the garage, she understood why Liam had been so accommodating. His car was blocking hers. He opened the passenger door and waited. His grin was telling. He liked getting his way.

She slid into the seat. “Maybe you should drive,” she suggested.

They made the short drive to the hotel. An hour ago Allison had been so sure of herself, but now her nerves began to surface and she questioned whether it was a good idea to confront Brett. She knew she had to stop him from selling her program, but there was no way to predict what the aftermath would be. Fortunately her feeling of self-doubt lasted only a minute, and then she got her gumption back. One look at Liam and she realized she was acting like a wuss. She didn’t want him to watch her crumble, if in fact that was what she was going to do. It was time to take action. She was, as Jordan told her, now ready to kick some ass.

Feeling stronger and more determined than ever, she decided she should do this on her own. She didn’t need anyone at her side.

“Why are you coming with me? You don’t need to,” she insisted.

“Yes, I do need to.”

“Why?”

“I protect what belongs to me.” It wasn’t until the words were out of his mouth that Liam realized what he was saying, and he grimaced inside.

She nodded. “I understand. Because I’m the asset. Phillips keeps telling me that.” She sighed. “He says I can be dangerous with a computer.”

“Yeah, sure. You’re the bureau’s asset. That’s why.” The woman was clueless, and he was thankful for that. Otherwise, he’d have to explain what he’d meant, and he wasn’t ready to do that. He didn’t know his own mind anymore. He was thinking one thing and doing another. He couldn’t stay away from her, and the thought of any other man touching her infuriated him. He wanted her to belong to him and only him. Liam knew he was acting like a caveman, but that didn’t matter.

Damn, he really needed to get it together.

Allison leaned forward and took a good look at Liam’s face. “Are you all right? You’re frowning. Are you worried about tonight? Do you think Brett will cause trouble? Do you—”

He stopped her before she could get more worked up. “It’ll be fine.”

“You can’t possibly know that.”

“Sure, I can,” he replied. “Noah’s meeting us at the hotel. He promised Jordan and Alec he’d see that there was a recording of the presentation so he could e-mail it to them. He’s already checked with security to make sure their cameras are working. He even checked out the ballroom. It’s not a real big space. A platform has been set up at the far end of the room and serves as a stage. A large screen covers the wall behind it, and there are folding chairs facing the platform with a podium in the center. Brett must have a little educational film for us to see on the screen.”

“On what? How to steal and get away with it?” Her voice was filled with hostility.

“But he isn’t going to get away with it, is he?”

He sounded a little too reasonable to suit Allison. “No, he isn’t.”

“And when you prove he’s stolen your property, you aren’t going to cheer or gloat, are you? At least not there.”

“Oh, all right,” she agreed grudgingly.

“No fighting, no tackling him to the floor, no biting . . .”

“I can’t promise no tackling.”

Liam flashed a smile. He couldn’t imagine her hurting anyone. She was so soft and feminine. And gentle and kind. Too kind for her own good. The longer he’d known her, the more he’d learned about the little things she’d done to help others get through school. She was even trying to help that worthless cousin of hers. “Just behave yourself.”

“My sister raised me to be a lady,” she said.

“You had just started sixth grade when Charlotte left for college. You were on your own from then on, weren’t you?”

She shrugged. “Lots of people are on their own.”

“When they’re twelve?”

“I’d rather not discuss my home life now.” Or ever, she added silently.

He agreed with a nod. “Like I said, behave yourself tonight.”

“What exactly do you think I’m going to do? Don’t worry. I won’t punch him in his phony tan face. I may want to, but I won’t.”

He laughed. “That’s my girl.”

He pulled into the hotel’s circle drive and parked to the side. The attendant came running, but when Liam waved him off, he turned around and hurried to assist another driver.

“The ballrooms are on the lower level,” Liam said as they stepped out of the revolving glass door and into the lobby.

“I know. I pulled up the schematic.”

He wasn’t surprised. Allison liked to be prepared. “You didn’t hack into the hotel’s private server, did you?”

“No, of course not. I didn’t need to.” She hastily added, “And I don’t do that anymore.”

Noah was waiting for them in a hallway off the lobby. His attire was casual. Nothing in his appearance said FBI agent. He smiled as they approached. “Are you ready for this?”

“She’s ready,” Liam said.

They turned and walked toward a service elevator. Allison led the way and the two men followed.

In a low voice Noah said to Liam, “I thought you were supposed to be on your way to San Antonio.”

“I gave the assignment to someone else,” Liam answered.

“How come?”

Liam didn’t respond.

Allison pretended she wasn’t listening to the conversation, but she wanted Liam to tell why he was still here. He didn’t seem to have an answer for Noah. Would he get into trouble for turning down an assignment? Probably not, she decided. He was too important.

Noah pushed the button for the elevator. “They expect trouble,” he told them. “There’s a guard at the double doors. He doesn’t work for the hotel. Brett must have hired him.”

Allison was shocked, but Liam wasn’t surprised. “There’s a lot of money at stake.”

“He’s going to extremes,” Allison said. “What must his guests think?”

“Brett’s hoping they’ll think he’s important,” Noah suggested.

“You can watch the presentation from the security room,” Liam said to her.

She shook her head. “No, I want to walk into the ballroom. I want him to see me.”

The doors opened and they stepped inside. Allison assumed they had agreed with her plan to confront Brett, and it wasn’t until Noah pressed the UP button that she realized they were ignoring her wishes.

“The ballrooms are on the lower level,” she reminded him.

“Security is just above reception,” Noah explained. As they ascended, he remarked, “We have to be cautious. We don’t yet know who’s involved with his scheme. I understand your wanting to be there to stop him from profiting from your work—”

She interrupted. “Oh, he won’t be successful.”

“You said the program wasn’t complete, but couldn’t he have finished it on his own?” Liam asked.

“No,” she replied. She thought for a second to come up with an analogy that was simple to understand. “Think of it like a giant jigsaw puzzle made up of thousands of tiny pieces,” she said. “When you put the puzzle together you have a picture of a beautiful flower garden. Anyone who looks at it sees the entire picture, but you know one of the many pieces that make up a petal on a rose has no backing underneath it. Since you’re the one who removed the backing, only you know where it is and how to replace it. Even if someone studies the puzzle with a magnifying glass, the garden will look complete and perfect, but that weak piece will disintegrate very quickly.”

“Couldn’t someone with enough time and knowledge figure out how to add what’s missing?” Noah wondered.

She shook her head. “Not likely,” she answered. “They won’t be able to find it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it isn’t on the computer.” She smiled and tapped her finger on her head. “It’s here.” The doors parted, and she stepped into the hallway. “Besides, it won’t get to that point.”

“How do you know?” Liam asked.

“Let’s just say it’s possible that my computer recently made a visit to his computer.”

“How recently?” he asked as he followed close behind.

She shrugged and increased her pace.

“Then you did in fact hack into—,” he began.

“You should have more faith in me. Don’t you know me at all?”

Liam caught up with her at the door to the security room. “Yeah, that’s the problem. I do know you.”

Ordinarily guests wouldn’t have access to the security center, but Noah had notified the manager. He hadn’t asked for clearance. He’d simply told him they were coming.

Allison felt as though she had just walked into one of the rooms at the cyber unit. There were monitors along two walls with security personnel watching each area of the hotel.

“I want to confront Brett,” she reiterated. “I want him to see me.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Noah said.

Liam wasn’t as diplomatic. “You’re not going in there. Don’t even think about it.”

“I am thinking about it,” she insisted.

She saw Noah smile, and that irritated her almost as much as Liam’s high-handed tactics. Don’t even think about it? She let Liam know she wasn’t happy they were ignoring her plan. Her frown was hot enough to scorch him. He didn’t seem bothered. He winked at her.

Standing between the two tall and powerful men, Allison had to concede she was grateful for their support. She had always thought of herself as someone who was strong and independent, who never relied on anyone else. Now, with Liam at her side, she understood how it felt to be protected. She had come to rely on him, and that was galling to admit. Very nice, though.

Noah pointed to two monitors that covered the small ballroom where Brett was to make his pitch. Allison moved closer to get a good look. The audience of twenty to thirty people sat in the folding chairs facing the stage as they waited for the presentation to begin. She recognized a few of them. They were millionaires and billionaires, yet no one would guess that fact based on their attire. Some were dressed in business suits, but the majority wore the uniform of most of the tech people she knew: jeans or khakis with T-shirts or sweaters. Several appeared to be acquainted and chatted amiably. At the side of the room a long table draped with a white tablecloth was loaded with a lavish spread of food on silver trays, everything from shrimp cocktail to caviar. Next to it stood a bartender behind a counter. He was ready to offer any drink the guests could want, but no one seemed interested. Allison noticed several of the guests glancing impatiently at their phones or watches as though there were more important uses of their time than listening to one more pie-in-the-sky dreamer who was convinced he had developed the next revolution for the computer world.

“Do you know any of them?” Noah asked.

“A few but just by reputation. I’ve never met any of them.”

The side door to the meeting room opened, and in walked Brett. He was followed by a man who scanned the crowd as he took a step up on the platform and stood next to Brett. The man was older than Brett by about twenty years and heavier by thirty pounds. He wore a tailored black suit and a crisp white shirt with cuff links. His power red tie said he expected to be taken seriously. His hair was dark and thick and he wore it short, spiked up with hair gel. When he folded his arms, one couldn’t help noticing the huge ring, set with a cluster of diamonds, and the large gold Rolex watch. The message was clear. He had money, and he wanted everyone to know it.

Brett didn’t need a microphone, but he used one anyway.

“Most of you know me or have heard of me. For those who haven’t, my name is Brett Keaton, and standing next to me is Fred Stiles. Once I finished the design for this software, I took it to him and he immediately got on board. He’ll take care of the financial on the sale. Whoever buys this is going to set the world on fire.”

Liam continued to watch the screen, and then he said, “I’m going to run his name.”

“I’ll do it,” Noah said. “I’ve got a feeling we aren’t going to like what we find.”

As it turned out, he was right. One phone call was all it took to know that Fred Stiles was a sleazebag. He had been involved in one shady deal after another. He’d made a lot of money fleecing the unsuspecting. Like a shark who smelled blood in the water, Stiles could sense vulnerability. He’d sweep into a distressed company, drain it of every dollar, then walk away. And all of it was legal. There had been countless complaints filed against him, but nothing ever stuck.

“Sounds like a real nice guy,” Liam commented.

“That’s not all,” Noah said. “He’s been investigated several times for his connection to organized crime. They haven’t been able to pin anything on him yet, but they’re pretty sure he had something to do with a couple of mob executions.” After giving his report on Stiles, Noah added, “He’s evidently got quite a temper.”

“I’d sure love to help him lose it,” Liam said.

Allison’s eyes narrowed on the jerk who had stolen her work and was now bragging about it. When Liam took hold of one of her hands, she thought he was offering her comfort and appreciated the gesture, until it dawned on her that he was holding on to her in case she tried to bolt.

The lights behind the podium dimmed as Brett continued to boast. “My software will take care of every security threat out there and some you may not even know about yet. No longer will you have to update your firewalls or your antivirus and antispyware software. Identities and passwords will be protected from hackers like never before.” He picked up a remote control from the podium and turned to the screen. “Now I’ll give you a peek at the product and then answer your questions.”

He pushed a button, and a video appeared on the screen. Earth as seen from outer space came into view, and the shot grew closer and closer until it settled on a busy urban street with cars and people rushing about helter-skelter. An unseen announcer with a deep baritone voice said, “The world is a hectic place, and the speed at which it’s changing is increasing exponentially. Information is king. Protecting that information, whether it be personal or business, has become one of the major challenges of our lifetime.” The voice continued, and after a few of the security problems of the digital world were described, Brett paused the video and turned to his audience. With a self-assured and rather arrogant air, he said, “I now introduce you to the solution for every security problem you will ever face.”

Some of Brett’s guests leaned forward with interest. Others looked at the screen with obvious skepticism.

Brett pushed the button again. The screen came to life and what appeared to be the name of the software materialized in letters too small to read. As they moved forward, they became bigger. When the word was almost legible, the video suddenly stopped. The screen went blank. Brett pushed the button again, and then again. Nothing happened. He glanced around at the faces staring up at him and could feel the perspiration on his hands. He turned back to the screen and gave the button another stab. This time the video started again, but it wasn’t exactly what Brett was expecting.

In big bold letters a message scrolled down the screen: Brett Keaton, did you really think you could steal my work and get away with it? For those of you watching, my name is Allison Trent, and I’m the creator of this program. There’s a vital piece missing, but Brett isn’t smart enough to know it. You’re a thief, Brett, a thief and a liar and a cheat.

While the audience watched, the words on the screen and the program began to disintegrate and fade away. Now only four words appeared: Brett is a thief.

At first, the audience was stunned, and then there was a mixture of reactions. Some laughed because it was all so absurd. Some were angry because their time had been wasted. And all were united in their disgust with Brett Keaton, even letting it spill over to his associate, Fred Stiles, who also looked furious.

“Man, oh man,” Noah said, and began to laugh. “Look at Brett. His face is bloodred. What’s he doing?”

“He’s trying to stop the message,” Liam guessed.

“He can’t stop it,” Allison said. On the surface she was as calm and cool as a summer breeze, but inside she was boiling. She tried to pull away from Liam, determined to give Brett a piece of her mind, but he held tight. She wasn’t going anywhere until he let her.

Brett’s audience couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

“She’s lying,” Brett shouted. “She’s a jealous bitch and she’s lying. Wait. Let me explain. She must have hacked into my program. . . . Wait. . . .” To say that Brett was frantic was an understatement.

His partner didn’t move at all until he and Brett were alone in the room. Then he attacked. He grabbed Brett by his shoulders and shook him. “You told me she wouldn’t make trouble,” he screamed.

“She . . . she can’t,” he stammered. “I made sure the program was finished before I took it. It wasn’t copyrighted yet. I never saw her show it to anybody.” He was panicked, and as Stiles tightened his grip, he rushed on. “She wasn’t supposed to find out until it was too late. Once we sold the program, we could keep it out of court for years while she fought us. Even then it would be impossible for her to prove. And she doesn’t have the money for a legal fight.” He took a deep breath and added, “She’s going to be sorry she did this to me.”

“To us,” Stiles said as he loosened his hold and gave Brett a shove away from him. “I want to know if you think she was telling the truth. Is there a missing part?”

Brett didn’t have to think about it long. “Yes, I believe her.”

“Why didn’t you know that? You did look at the software, didn’t you?”

“Yes, of course I did. I tested it over and over again, and it looked complete.”

“You should have known,” Stiles muttered. “We have to get the missing part. It has to be buried somewhere in her computer. There’s too much money involved to let this go. We’ve got to get it,” he repeated. “No matter what it takes.”

Brett was still irate, but there was a tinge of self-pity in his voice when he said, “She ruined my reputation. I was humiliated and embarrassed.”

Stiles agreed. “She shouldn’t be able to get away with this.”

“No, she shouldn’t.”

The two men continued to talk as they walked out of the room together.

“I’m guessing they forgot the mikes were still on,” Noah suggested.

“Or they didn’t care,” Liam said.

“In their minds I’ve become the villain. Brett steals my work and then blames me when I ruin his plans? He’s beyond contemptible,” Allison railed.

“What do you want to do about this?” Noah directed his question to Liam.

“Excuse me.” Allison finally got her hand away from Liam’s and stepped back. “I’ll decide what’s to be done. This is my problem, not yours.”

“Ordinarily I would agree with you.” Liam told the lie without cracking a smile. “But you’re Phillips’s asset, so he has to know about this and handle it. I will, of course, offer to help.”

Hands on her hips, Allison responded, “How come I’m your asset when it’s convenient for you and Phillips’s asset when it isn’t?”

“It’s a quandary,” Liam answered.

“I’d call it a dilemma,” Noah remarked.

“They’re pretty much the same thing,” Liam said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

They were having a fine time teasing her. “Know what I think?” she asked.

“That you should let us do our jobs?” Liam asked. He evaded an argument by placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her toward the door. She was as stiff as starch.

“I’m still going to tell you what I think whenever I want to,” she grumbled.

He smiled. “I figured you would.”

When they reached the main floor, Noah said his good-byes and left. Allison and Liam continued to walk across the lobby. When they reached the entrance, Allison suddenly stopped. “Is that Brett waiting for his car? It is, isn’t it? If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have a few words with him.” Her voice was shaking when she got the last sentence out.

Liam grabbed her arm before she could take off. Exasperated, he said, “Didn’t we decide that was a bad idea?”

“No, you and Noah decided it was a bad idea. I didn’t.”

There was a small alcove near the bell captain’s desk, and without any explanation, Liam pulled her toward it and told her to stay put.

“What do you mean, ‘stay put’? And will you stop dragging me around!” She was about to go into a full-blown lecture on the merits of good manners and suggest he might want to get some until she noticed he wasn’t paying any attention to her. Standing directly in front of her, he was looking across the lobby as he unbuttoned his jacket and unsnapped the leather holster securing his gun.

Liam knew Brett hadn’t seen them, but Fred Stiles and the guard hired to protect the door from unwanted guests during their presentation had seen them. They were coming at them, and coming fast. The thick-shouldered guard with squinty eyes reached them first. Standing just a foot away, he looked up at Liam and said, “You don’t intimidate me. Get out of my way. I want to talk to that bitch hiding behind you.”

Liam didn’t move. In a voice Allison had never heard before, he said, “Get the hell out of here.”

“That troublemaker cost me a lot of money tonight. I was supposed to get a bonus if everything went smooth. She’s the reason it all fell apart, so she owes me.” He tried to push Liam out of his way, but Liam didn’t budge. Then the man tried to shove him in his chest next. Liam had had enough of pretending to be a nice guy. He grabbed the man’s hand and twisted his fingers back as he turned him and half lifted him, slamming him into the wall.

Stiles looked appalled by the guard’s behavior. Liam knew his outrage was all a pretense.

People coming and going through the doors of the hotel didn’t notice the guard, who had dropped to the floor inside the alcove. When he slowly sat up and rubbed the side of his head, he looked dazed.

Allison was amazed by Liam’s strength. She knew he was muscular. She should have known, for she had kissed and caressed every part of him. Still, to twist a man’s fingers, lift him, and slam his head into the wall took remarkable strength. And a temper. She was shocked by that revelation. Liam had always been so calm and easygoing with everyone . . . until now.

Unfortunately, the confrontation didn’t end with the guard. Stiles tried to walk around Liam to get to Allison, but Liam wasn’t about to let that happen, either. He quickly blocked Stiles.

“I want to talk to her,” Stiles protested.

“No,” Liam said. “Now get out of here.”

“I guess I’ll have to get my attorneys involved, then,” he threatened, glaring at her before abruptly turning and storming away. The guard, finally regaining his feet, staggered behind him.

Allison had been silent long enough. “I’d love it if you did,” she called after them.

She’d sounded so thrilled by the possibility Liam laughed. It took all the discipline he possessed not to pull her into his arms and kiss her the way he’d been thinking about all day. It suddenly occurred to him he’d been fighting an impossible war. He couldn’t stay away from her. Then again, he didn’t want to.

“Are you ready to get out of here?” His voice was gruff.

—

Allison waited until they were back in her apartment to lecture him. “You didn’t need to use such force with that guard. You could have—”

He cut her off. “He called you a bitch. I didn’t like it.”

“You can’t go around slamming heads into walls just because you don’t like the names they call me.”

“Apparently, I can,” he replied. “Because I just did.”

She kicked off her shoes and picked them up. She stopped at her bedroom door and turned. Frowning, she asked, “Is this a pattern? Do you punch all men who insult your assets?”

“No, just the ones who insult you.”

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. He was walking toward the door, and she couldn’t let him leave without answering a question for her. She’d wanted to ask him for days and so far hadn’t been able to get up the courage. Now or never, she thought.

“Liam, wait. I want to ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest with me. I need to know . . . if this makes you uncomfortable . . .” Her voice was whisper soft and apologetic.

He couldn’t imagine what was going on inside that brilliant but decidedly confused mind of hers. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the question and told himself that, no matter what she asked, he would not get angry. Unless, of course, she wanted another favor for Will. Then he’d probably end up yelling at her.

Bracing himself, he said, “Go ahead and ask.”

“Do you think I’m sexy?”

“Do I . . . what?”

“Do you think I’m sexy?”

To say he was taken by surprise was an understatement. Had she not looked so serious, he would have laughed.

Allison waited. Liam stood there a full minute without saying a word. Was he trying to think of something diplomatic to say that wouldn’t hurt her feelings? She felt so foolish then and wished she hadn’t asked. Then he removed his jacket and loosened his tie as he walked over to her with that slow, easy smile of his.

“Yeah, I find you sexy.”

Liam pulled her to him, stared into her eyes, and waited. She dropped her shoes, and the second her arms went around his neck, his mouth covered hers. All he had to do was touch her, and his entire body reacted. How could she not know that? No woman had ever made him burn with desire the way Allison did. Every time she looked at him he wanted to take her into his arms. He wanted to cover her with his body and make love to her. He wanted to be inside her. He wanted to hear the sexy sounds she made, to feel her nails digging into his shoulders, to wrap himself in her warmth and her feminine scent. To be overwhelmed by her.

He backed away long enough to ask, “Do you . . .”

“Yes,” she whispered. There was no playing hard to get, no hesitation. “Assuming you want to take me to bed.”

“Yes.” He kissed her again. Her lips were so soft. He loved the way she gave herself so freely. He loved the low purr she made in the back of her throat when she was aroused. Hell, there wasn’t anything he didn’t love about her.

He led her to the bedroom, leaving a trail of their clothes on the floor, and they fell onto the bed, wrapped up in each other. He couldn’t slow down. She didn’t want him to. He was mindless to everything but finding a release from the tension building for both of them. It seemed to him they became one then. She arched against him, cried out his name, and tightened around him, her grip strong on his shoulders.

“Let go,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

When the intensity of their lovemaking was over, Liam rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, exhausted. He didn’t want to think about the complications. He tried to sleep, but there was a war raging inside him. His conscience was on the offensive, and it was time he came to grips with what he was doing here. His actions in the last couple of months had been impulsive and definitely out of character for him. He was accustomed to a life on the move, never getting too close to anyone or setting down roots. That was what he had signed up for. Lately, however, something had changed. He’d rearranged some assignments just so he could return to Boston. He’d told himself he needed to stay close to Allison because there were threats against her, and he felt responsible. At one point he’d even been on his way to the airport and turned around so that he could make sure she was okay. And every time he was near her, he couldn’t seem to control himself. Granted, she had been a willing partner and had agreed there were no commitments or expectations. The sex had been amazing, but was that all it was? Sex? At some point he would have to face reality and get back to his job and his life on the move. What would happen then?

Since he had met her, he hadn’t wanted any other woman. He’d had the opportunity, just not the desire. He only wanted Allison. He knew exactly when she had gotten to him, too. She had been staring at him while she timidly confessed stealing all that money from hackers, and there was something in her eyes that had captivated him. She was vulnerable, yes, but also gutsy. There was no denying her courage. Even more important, underneath the audacity was a kind heart and a sense of fairness. He’d never met anyone like her.

He just wanted to be with her. No, that wasn’t exactly true. He needed to be with her. The truth he had been afraid to admit couldn’t be avoided anymore. Damn if he hadn’t fallen in love with the woman.