Sunday afternoon, after I hit a good stopping point on my commissioned piece for Yve, I get a text.

---

Ariel: You coming over? My skills are at your disposal.

---

Kane’s not going to like me having my hacker friend dig into Giles, but he’s not here for me to tell. He left a half hour ago in a Land Rover to “run a few errands,” which I assume means he’s out doing something more than just getting groceries. But I trust him, and I didn’t ask questions. Instead, I kissed him good-bye and told him I loved him.

Now I wish I’d asked more questions, so at least I would know how long he’s going to be gone.

I shoot Ariel a text saying I’ll be on my way in a half hour, and one to Kane telling him I’m going to Ariel’s for some girl time.

She responds with an address and a string of emojis, but Kane doesn’t respond at all.

You better be safe, I think, or I’ll kill you myself.

I take a quick shower and throw my hair up into a messy bun before pulling on cutoffs and a black tank top. To be safe, I take the Audi I know has bullet-resistant glass and armored doors. It’ll make Kane feel better about me not being here when he gets back, I tell myself.

When I pull up to the gate in front of the address Ariel sent me, I realize I truly had no idea what I was getting into with her. It’s not a house back there, it’s a mansion.

I give my name to the person on the other end of the speaker box, and the gate swings open.

I park at the end of the long driveway, on a cement pad off to the side, so as not to block the massive garage or the entrance to the house.

Ariel yanks the door open before I’m out of my car. “You made it!”

I make my way up to the entrance, trying to reconcile the monstrous house with the messy bun and Hangry Hangry Hippo T-shirt Ariel is wearing.

“You seriously are a baller, aren’t you?”

She smirks. “I’m a CEO, and my companies make cool shit. Ergo, I make a pile of cash. The house was a rental, but I fell in love with it. Wouldn’t you know that the mysterious Mr. Mount decided he was cool selling it to me?”

“Wait—” I glance at the beautiful entryway, modern and sleek, with a different eye. “This was Mount’s house?”

She nods. “Apparently one of them he didn’t use anymore. And even though I’ve dismantled his security system and installed my own, I still wonder if he can see everything that happens in here. That dude is freaking scary.”

She has no concept of just how scary he is. All I do is nod in agreement.

“And yet, your former boss married him and lived to tell about it.”

I think of the way Keira smiles and practically makes heart-eyes when she talks about him. “She didn’t just live to tell about it . . . she’s truly happy.”

“Bitch be crazy, that’s all I can say. Anyway, that’s not why you’re here. You’re here for me to work my magic.” Ariel leads me through a modern kitchen with gleaming stainless appliances to a long table that faces an incredible view of Lake Pontchartrain.

“Nice digs.”

“Mount had good taste. I didn’t change much,” Ariel says as she pulls out a chair in front of her laptop. She stretches her hands and fingers before sitting down and looking up at me. “Now, what information are we digging for this time?”

“How do you know I need more information?”

She tilts her head as I sit next to her. “Because knowledge is power. Why wouldn’t you want more? So . . . tell me and we can get to it. I won’t even charge you. But I do take payment in cookies if you know how to bake.”

I laugh. “I’ll buy you some cookies.”

“Fair enough. Now, go. I’m ready.”

I swallow, not sure how much I should say to her. “This is not a good situation. At all. Like . . . no one can know what we talk about or what you find.”

“Shit. That kind of stuff?”

I nod and Ariel stands, shutting her laptop.

I blink at her. “What are you—”

“We’re moving this to where I handle the super-secure shit. I live for this stuff. You have no idea. Come on.”

I follow Ariel through a massive master suite into a closet and look away as she punches in a code. A panel opens, and she waves a hand toward it.

“Welcome to my safe room.”

I step inside what looks like a luxurious dressing room with ornate cabinets lining two walls, and an island in the center. Two large leather sofas are situated into a conversation area.

At least until Ariel comes in, closes the door, and hits some kind of button.

The whole room changes. The cabinets disappear to reveal a high-tech security center that looks a lot like what Kane has on the second floor of the warehouse.

“You have a bat cave.”

Ariel grins at me. “I sure as hell do.” She pulls up chairs, and we settle in while she hooks up her laptop to what I assume is a secure hardline.

“You can cover your tracks?”

“Better than anyone else out there. I hacked the Pentagon seven times last year, and they never caught me. I’m the best.”

Then she’s exactly who I need. “Good, because these people are bad.”

One of Ariel’s red eyebrows goes up. “How bad?”

“Bad. The kind of people who don’t deserve to actually be alive because they sell other people.”

Ariel whips her head around to meet my gaze. “Whoa. Okay. So real super baddies. Shit. I got you. Now, give me a name or something and we’ll start digging.” She places her fingers on the keyboard and waits.

I’m almost afraid to say it out loud, because I definitely didn’t get permission from Kane to do this first.

“Can you keep a secret?”

Ariel’s expression turns solemn. “I’m keeping more secrets than I wish I was. I’m a vault. That’s how hackers stay alive.”

I suck in a breath. “Giles.”

“First name?” Ariel asks.

“Lewis. He’s a state senator and used to be a DA.”

Her eyes widen as she shifts in the desk chair and flexes her fingers. “The plot thickens . . . Let’s dig this motherfucker’s entire past up and nail him for whatever he’s doing.”