Hacker Beloved, page 15
“Really? I think your father told you the wrong story,” Zayla replied, glaring at her sister.
Jasmin snapped and rushed across the room. She reached her arms out to choke Zayla. Except I pulled her to the side and kicked my leg out, tripping the crazed woman and she flew forward.
“Run!” I ordered Zayla, but she didn’t move.
“You leave, and I’ll kill him,” Jasmin said indicating the remote in her hand before she stood. She grabbed the gun that fell from her waist band.
Part of me wondered if we were only given a partial truth from Vincenzo. Especially since his story never explained what was in the safety deposit box.
“Fine, I won’t leave. But nothing you’re saying makes any sense. Seriously, how can you be so calm after you killed your own father?” Zayla questioned.
“Papa only had a little time left to live anyway. For the past eight years, he has taken experimental drug after drug to fight his disease, not one worked. That’s when we noticed you had moved to Raleigh. And we started to put things together. Your father had dated a woman who was a biomedical engineer during his time in college. They broke up when he moved to New York to work. But the syndicates always keep an eye on their employees. The Russo family followed your dad and mom. Many times, it was my Papa keeping tabs on them. Your father would fly to D.C. a few times a year and meet with the woman from college. She had a daughter too. For a long time, Papa figured it was your father’s daughter.” Jasmin said. “Except later he learned after breaking into a medical facility that the girl was an experiment. A perfectly crafted human immune to any disease or virus. The files in the safety deposit box prove her blood is the key to curing all diseases. After Papa got sick, we started the search for her again and knew you would be the link. Each person we killed in Raleigh gave us information, and that’s how we learned about the safety deposit box. I love Papa, but ultimately we had different plans. He wanted the girl to cure him. But I plan to auction her off to the highest bidder…and to kill you, of course.”
"Why didn't you just come to me?" Zayla questioned. "Why all the killing? You kidnapped me, turned it into a game. I don't understand."
"Well, dear sister," Jasmin snarled in response, "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're the product of our pathetic father. Papa told me you already knew I was alive."
"That still doesn't answer why you kidnapped me."
While Zayla kept Jasmin distracted, I cautiously inched to the left. If I could reach the computer, I might be able to send a message to Asher.
"I already explained," Jasmin said, waving her gun in the air. "If I didn't need information from you, I would've killed you by now. But that time will come later."
"And your plan?" Zayla dared to ask.
"You two will get that girl for me," Jasmin retorted. "And if you don't, I'll find enough evidence against the Scarlet Scorpions to turn your dear friend Kat over to her enemy. Then I will spend years torturing Asher. One day when he’s close to a breakdown I’ll kill him, as well."
My foot slid on a puddle of water dripping from the ceiling, causing my shoe to squeak against the tile floor. The sound drew Jasmin's attention, and her gun was suddenly trained on me.
"What are you doing?" she growled.
"Can I see the medical report you said was in the stack of folders?" I asked, hoping the request would give me the chance to move closer to the computer and send that crucial message to Asher.
“I guess since you both are going to help me find her anyway…with you here I don’t have to keep paying hackers to find what I need. You are under my control,” Jasmin nodded toward the desk twenty feet away. “But remember, if you try anything, he’ll die instantly.”
Zayla moved in front of me, only a few feet away from her sister. “You changed your hair color, but I know it was you. At the clinic, you were the nurse. How could you do these things to me, to your own sister?” Zayla asked.
Jasmin’s attention was focused on Zayla as she laid out all the reasons why she felt superior to her dear sister. I used the opportunity to run my hand over the stitches in my bicep. My fingertips locked around the string knot, and I tugged. Pain shot through my body as I ripped out the stitches. Blood ran down my arm, but I didn’t stop as I fished for the small capsule and pulled it out of my arm. The pain had caused my attention to drift from their conversation. When I glanced back, Jasmin had the gun raised again.
“You need Zayla…you need her, because if her father hid anything, only her as his beneficiary can retrieve it,” I reminded her.
“Soon, I’ll have the identity of that girl from twenty-five years ago. Then I plan to carve you up exactly how Papa would have done…I’ve watched him enough times, it’d be easy. I’ll do it in memory of him.”
“I’m going to look at the report.” I didn’t wait for a response as I reached out and grabbed Zayla’s hand. I pulled her toward the table and had her sit down. Not bothering to ask, I fell into the chair next her. I pushed back and bumped the desk and the screen saver vanished.
My heart sank as I realized it was six o’clock at night. Part of me expected Asher to burst through the door, but he hadn’t. Our only chance to escape was to get the gun away from Jasmin. With the poison capsule out of my body, our chances of surviving had improved drastically.
Jasmin took out a report from the folder. “See, look at the before and after. Those numbers are insane. That was what happened when the scientists used her blood mixed in a solution to cure fourth stage brain cancer.”
I stared at the sheet, completely lost. I didn’t understand a single thing those numbers meant since I worked with ones and zeros.
Zayla snatched the piece of paper. “This doesn’t say that.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the door move as the nuzzle of the gun poked through the small gap. He’d finally come.
“You're so dumb. I learned this in my first year of nursing school,” Jasmin said.
“But I never went to nursing school,” Zayla countered. “From the way you spoke. It felt like you know everything about my life, but those statements make you sound like an idiot—”
“Zayla!” I cut her off so she didn’t continue. “Your sister is a genius. We aren’t as smart as her. Maybe when all of this is over, I could help your sister. Then you can walk away with Asher.”
Zayla glared up at me, and her eyes softened for a moment as if something had clicked. I had a plan. “Fine. But I still think this is all insane. Besides, you are right. I never wanted two men. All I wanted was to go with Asher, but he won’t ever leave you. So, how do you see that going? He made promises to never walk away, because you mean too much to him.”
Her words stung at first. With the way she spoke with so much venom, I almost believed her for a second.
I jumped from the chair as Zayla rose from her own. She was only a few feet away. I grabbed her arm and pulled her close, “I knew no matter what happened, you would choose him and walk out.” I was trying to tell her no matter what to leave with Asher, and I only hoped she understood.
Zayla brought her knee up and hit my groin. She did it so fast that it looked real to anyone with an outside view. I pretended to groan when she leaned in and whispered. “Even if he’s here to save us. It’s both of us. I’m not leaving you.”
I pretended to fall to the ground and groaned as Zayla stood over me. “You’re pathetic.”
Jasmin moved closer, her eyes on Zayla with the gun pointed straight at her. “I knew he would choose me. All it took was for me to prove I’m smarter than you. I caught you twice. If I didn’t need you, I would kill you this very second. But the thought of fucking CJ in front of you sounds intriguing.”
Movement near the door grabbed my attention. I spotted two sets of feet as Asher and Paolo entered the room. They didn’t have a clear shot, because Zayla was too close.
“Lower the gun,” Asher warned.
Jasmin stopped cold and her head swiveled. “So nice of you to come to me. Saves me time from hunting you down and killing you.”
I jumped to my feet and shoved Zayla behind my back. Jasmin had changed her focus and turned her gun on Asher.
“You’re outnumbered,” Asher growled.
“Damn. I really wanted to fuck CJ. But dear sister…I guess I’ll have to get rid of one,” Jasmin pointed out. She held up the remote, a small black device. Her finger hovered over the button and pressed down.
Zayla’s blood-curdling scream echoed in the room as she rushed for Jasmin. Everything happened so fast. I lunged for Zayla, and the moment I had her in my arms, I dropped to the ground protecting her body.
Tears fell from Zayla’s eyes as Jasmin laughed after she hit the button. The crazed woman’s laughter died quickly when Asher fired a single bullet.
“We need to call nine-one-one,” Zayla sobbed. “Please don’t die.”
“Zayla,” I called and took her head in my hands. “I’m fine.”
Asher had a phone to his ear as he knelt down next to us. I reached up and wiped a tear from Asher’s face before I said, “I’m not going to die. Please hang the phone up.”
I faintly heard a voice on the phone who said, ‘Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?’ “Tell her it was a false alarm.”
Asher raised a brow, but did as I said. I waited for him to hang up, but the operator kept asking questions. We needed the cops, but not until we collected the files from the table.
“Why did you hang up?” Zayla cried.
“Sweetie, I took out the device earlier.”
She blinked a couple of times and started to pat her hands on my chest and lower abdomen. “You want to have sex with dead bodies in the room?” I joked.
Zayla’s hands froze. “Why would you think about sex at a time like this? I’m trying to find your wound.”
Asher chuckled next to me.
I rested my hand on her cheek. “Well, a sexy woman just straddled my cock. Her hands are running all over my body. Plus, did you see the sexy ass man who showed up to save the day even after my tracker was ripped out of my arm?”
Asher held his hand out to Zayla. “Let’s get him up and check his bicep.” He turned to Paolo. “Hey, grab all the files and the computer, then take off. I’m guessing the police will be here soon. No way the operator would let the call go unchecked with how much Zayla cried in the background.”
I groaned as I sat up and grabbed Asher’s outstretched hand. He pulled me into a deep kiss and our arms wrapped around Zayla. When he broke the kiss, he whispered in my ear. “My worst nightmare came true. Don’t you ever scare me like that again. I fucking love you, CJ…and I’m also falling in love with Zayla.”
“I love you. And we should tell her.” I replied. His hand squeezed my side, and together we turned to Zayla. Her glossy eyes stared up at us.
We both leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheeks before we moved to her ears. At the same time, we told her we loved her. She sobbed in our arms.
Asher stared over at me.
“Sweetie, you don’t need to say it back. We can take it slow.”
She pulled back. "No... I love you both as well..." She stopped and ran her hand over her nose. "...and I almost didn't get to tell you."
Zayla
I stretched out on the lounge chair in the library. I giggled out loud, when I turned the candlestick light on. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to how huge Asher and CJ’s home was. They had a billiard room and a panic room larger than my house in Raleigh.
We’d been in Ft. Lauderdale for only three days, and it already felt like home. Asher had made the right call having Paolo hide all the evidence. When the police arrived, they weren’t alone. Vincenzo was with them and he ordered the lead detective around. The Don demanded that we tell him everything my sister and her father had said. We explained they wanted what was in the box and were upset when it wasn’t what they’d expected. Vincenzo wanted us to tell him what was in there. CJ explained that the files were my dad’s family lineage.
The next day we went to my dad’s condo. The bellhop gave me issues for a while and claimed he had to call the building owner. I explained to him I owned my parents' place now, and my name had been on the admittance list since I was a kid. He looked it up and couldn’t argue. Finally, he let us in the elevator. At the door, Asher pulled out a lock set, and quickly picked the lock.
Dust covered every surface. But we weren’t the first to enter the condo since my parents’ deaths. Everything was torn apart. The couch cushions were ripped to shreds. My bedroom was destroyed and all my toys were ripped in half. With the mess, I doubted the files were still left. But we headed for my dad’s office anyway, which didn’t look any better. Even the walls had large holes. I pointed to where my dad’s desk had sat at one time. CJ and Asher moved the debris to find the floor was still intact. Asher pulled out his knife and pried the boards back. A small opening appeared. He reached inside and pulled out five pieces of paper, all covered in my dad’s handwriting.
Each page was written in our special language. I started to read the first page when Vincenzo burst into the condo. CJ grabbed the papers and shoved them into his pocket. Asher and Vincenzo argued back and forth. Vincenzo claimed us being at the condo was proof we knew something. I’d cut in and asked why he had kept the condo a secret from me. He huffed and told us we would be sorry. I was sick of the man’s threats.
We left my childhood home and headed straight for the airport. On the plane, I read each letter out loud. We had the woman’s name, Sonali Bailey. Dad had said his friend in D.C. was killed. He was the girl’s godfather. But his life was too risky for her, so he sent her to France to live with someone he knew. He went on to explain if he died, I should reach out to Devon Bailey and tell him that Sonali was not safe.
Asher and CJ went into their office each day to dig into Sonali. It was a matter of time before someone figured out, she was alive. Strange things started happening the moment CJ and Asher left the house each morning. Guests had shown up moments later. Yesterday Kat and Bridget came to see me. They both had brought their children, and we laughed for hours. They bickered back and forth, and I’d learned much about how Bridget’s family helped CJ when he was a kid. This morning Kat had shown up again. Part of me wondered if she wanted to be part of another episode. The podcast about the Scarlet Scorpions went viral and the internet decided I should never reveal the killer because the person was doing good. Kat would constantly send me texts with fan comments about her episode. But she didn’t mention a word to me about the podcast. Instead, she brought her friend Jessica over.
Jessica was like a human statistics machine. I’d also learned that she and her husband owned Club Sanctorum. Asher had said he planned to take me there soon.
I couldn’t believe it was only a week since they’d walked into my life, and I didn’t want to head to Raleigh without them. CJ and Asher had both asked me to move in with them. Society would decree I say no, since most people wouldn’t agree with our relationship. Kat told me not to give a fuck on what people thought. She added if someone kept giving unsolicited advice to put a bullet in their leg, but just a flesh wound.
Jessica and Kat left an hour ago, CJ and Asher weren’t going to be home for a few more hours. So, I settled in the library curled up on a comfy chair and planned to research the statistic Jessica mentioned. She’d asked when I planned to have kids with CJ and Asher, and if we would try to have twins, with one being Asher’s and the other CJ’s. I stared at her trying to figure out how that was possible.
What I should have said was that I wasn’t sure if I planned to move in with them. Instead, I asked how that could be possible. She went on to explain that superfecundation happened in around a quarter of a percent of twin births. It only happened if a woman had sex with more than one man during ovulation. Then Kat cut in, describing a few sex acts she’d seen at the club that might help.
I tried to think about other things after Kat and Jessica left, but my mind went back to the sex acts. I typed ‘porn’ into the search bar. I wanted to know if Kat’s ideas were even possible.
My cheeks burned as I typed in double pussy penetration. When I clicked search, pages and pages of videos appeared. I clicked on the first one and studied every second of the video. The woman was in utter ecstasy. Part of me wondered if it really felt that good or if she was only acting. So, I played another video and continued down the search list. My face was inches away from the screen with the volume only up a few notches. Enough that I didn’t hear Asher and CJ when they walked into the library.
The tablet was snatched from my hand. I lunged forward. “Hey, that’s mine.”
Meanwhile, a woman screamed, “Harder!”
CJ stared at the video and glanced at me. “Is this what you want to do tonight?”
“I was researching,” I admitted. Again I tried to grab the tablet, but CJ tossed it to Asher. He deftly caught it with one hand. “I think our girl is ready to try anything.”
A smile spread across Asher’s lips. “Looks that way. Think we should check the history to see what else she watched.”
“I think what is on my tablet is private,” I announced.
“Most of the time, I would say yes, but this could help me learn what you like,” he tapped the history button.
CJ wrapped his arms around me, but in a way, that trapped my arms. He glanced at the screen and let out a whistle. “You watched a lot of those videos. Is that three hours’ worth?”
All I wanted was for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
“I bet your panties are soaked,” Asher said as he clicked the prior video. “I thought we would take things slow. That is why we are stretching your pretty little asshole first, or is this what you need?”
“Let’s pause this for a second and head to the bedroom,” CJ countered, not letting me answer. Asher nodded in agreement. CJ spun me in his arms, leaned forward, and lifted me over his shoulder. His hand came down hard on my ass. “I’m so glad we came home an hour early to find our little minx watching porn. It would have been better if she was naked pleasuring herself.”
