“Of course,” he said earnestly. But she knew he wouldn’t. “You’re not upset with me, are you?” Please, Kate, his expression said. I hate telling you no, but I can’t agree to this.
“No. I understand why you don’t want me to do it.”
“You mean the world to me, and every single day I remind myself how fortunate I am that you agreed to become a part of this crazy life I lead.”
“You provided a pretty convincing argument. I’ve never regretted my choice.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” she said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kate and Ian arrived at the black-tie dinner and silent auction for juvenile diabetes research. Susan had acted as chairwoman for the past six years, and when Kate opened the invitation, addressed to Mr. and Mrs. William Smith, she smiled when she remembered how irresistible her husband looked in a tux. She’d called Susan immediately to RSVP. She was dying to put on a fancy dress and get out of the house and knew Ian would agree to attend any event Susan was involved in. It was also one of the few places they wouldn’t have to worry about running into the wrong person, as whoever had doxed Ian was unlikely to be there.
“I’ll be right back,” Ian said once he’d handed his car keys to the valet and they’d made their way inside the crowded ballroom. “I’m going to fight my way to the bar and get us some drinks.”
As she waited for Ian to return, she sensed that someone was watching her. The tuxedo-clad man standing a few feet away was indistinguishable from the others except for the fact that his eyes seemed to be trained on Kate. He was handsome. Tall, late thirties, short hair, clean-shaven. A younger version of Phillip. She fidgeted awkwardly under the relentless weight of his stare, and her discomfort intensified when he walked toward her, head tilted slightly as if he were trying to place exactly how he knew her. Ian reached her side at the same time the mysterious stranger did.
“Out of all the women in this room, you have to zero in on my wife?” Ian said, but he was smiling widely when he said it.
A surprised look appeared on the man’s face. “This beautiful creature is your wife?”
“Yes, and she’s off-limits,” Ian said, handing Kate a glass of wine. “Especially to you.”
He clutched his chest in mock despair. “That hurts, man.”
Ian’s grin grew wider as the men shook hands and clapped each other on the back.
Ian turned to her. “Kate, please meet Charlie Wittkop. Hacker, task force member, and relentless womanizer.”
“This is Charlie?” It delighted Kate to finally meet someone Ian shared a history with.
“Pretty enthusiastic greeting from your wife, Merrick. My reputation precedes me.”
“I’ve mentioned you exactly once, and it’s Smith now.”
“Of course it is.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Kate said.
He shook her outstretched hand. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Charlie raised his glass in Ian’s direction. “Congratulations. Girlfriend and now wife. Must have been quite the whirlwind romance. I’ll assume my wedding invitation got lost in the mail.”
“It was a small, private ceremony.” The look they shared told Kate that despite their verbal sparring, these two men cared about each other. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
“I’ve attended the past three years. My cousin’s little girl has diabetes.”
“Then I hope Susan raises lots of money tonight.”
Ice rattled as Charlie drained the last of his drink. “I figured you’d go underground for a while and knew you’d pop up eventually. Had no idea it’d be right in my own backyard.”
“I thought Phillip might have said something to you.”
“He said you were doing the pentesting, but since you flit around the country like a damn gypsy, I had no idea where you might actually be living. Plan on sticking around for a while?”
“Looks that way. It gets much too cold here, but I’ve got this stunner to keep me warm at night.” Ian slid his hand around Kate’s waist, and there was something slightly proprietary in his touch.
“She’s a beauty.” Charlie grinned. “So, are you seriously not coming back to the task force?”
“I’m going to sit this one out.” When Ian had surprised her in the airport and promised not to work undercover anymore, she’d felt relieved. But it had to be difficult for him to be in such close proximity to headquarters yet not be able to participate.
“Lots of trouble brewing. We could sure use you.”
For a split second, his desire to jump right back into the fray showed on his face. “Yeah, well. You’ll have to get along without me.”
A gorgeous blonde walked by and gave Charlie the eye.
“Excuse me,” he said to them. “If I want to wake up next to that woman tomorrow morning, I should really go introduce myself. Incredibly nice meeting you, Kate. I hope I get to see you again.”
“I hope so too.”
“Good luck,” Ian said, gesturing with his glass toward the woman.
“Thanks. I won’t need it.”
Kate watched as Charlie caught up to the blonde, who seemed thrilled to make his acquaintance. “Are you all this cocky and self-assured?”
“Well, I’m the cockiest.”
Kate took a sip of her wine. “You are a special snowflake indeed. Is Charlie a”—she made air quotes—“special consultant like you?”
“No, he actually works for the FBI. Has a badge, wears a tie.” Ian shuddered as if he couldn’t fathom such a thing.
“You like Charlie,” Kate said.
“Sure. I like him as much as I like anyone who isn’t you.”
“How long have you known him?”
“I don’t know. Ten years? He’s been on every task force I’ve ever been a part of.”
“Ian, you have a friend.” It was clear the two men were competitive, but she’d sensed the genuine affection they felt for each other.
“You sound so surprised.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “You may not be aware of this, but you’re a bit of a loner.”
“No I’m not. I have lots of friends. I just don’t need to see them in person all the time. I talk to them online.”
“Why didn’t you tell Charlie we live here now?”
“I haven’t told anyone.”
“But he knows about me, right?”
“Everyone on the task force knows about you.”
Across the room, Charlie put his arm around the woman and said something in her ear that made her laugh.
“Has he ever been married?”
“His wife cheated on him with another agent, and he got divorced about three years ago and swore off relationships. Looks like he’s still in the ‘sowing his wild oats’ stage.”
“When you were at the bar, he was looking at me so intently, almost as if he thought he knew me.”
“Yes, I’ll be keeping an eye on you both,” Ian said.
“You have nothing to worry about. You have much better hair.”
“When we get home, I’ve got something to put in that smart mouth of yours.”
“You’re a brave man. This smart mouth has teeth.”
“You’d never use them. It might jeopardize your reputation as the reigning queen of blow—”
“There you are,” Susan said, cutting off Ian’s words as she and Phillip suddenly appeared next to them. “You look beautiful, Kate.”
“So do you.” The two women hugged, and then Ian kissed Susan on the cheek and shook Phillip’s hand.
“What a gorgeous dress,” Susan said.
“Thank you. Ian picked it out.” Kate had promised Ian she would start buying things for herself if there was ever something she wanted, but she’d admitted that she liked it when he shopped for her. Knowing he was looking at the clothes and imagining them on her body aroused her in a way she hadn’t expected. And telling him
that had the same arousing effect on him, which meant she now had a closet full of new clothes. Some were casual, jeans and tops similar to what she normally wore on a day-to-day basis. Some were elegant and classic. A fitted black pencil skirt. A white silk blouse with french cuffs. He was partial to dresses, especially sundresses with a slightly bohemian flair. And all the while, the lingerie and pajamas kept coming.
The strapless black gown he’d bought for tonight had a tightly fitted bodice and a long, full skirt with layers of gauzy black tulle underneath. Her hair had been styled in an elegant updo that showcased the diamond choker Ian had placed around her neck when she was standing in front of the dresser mirror in their bedroom. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I’m afraid to ask if it’s costume or the real thing,” she’d said as she touched the triple row of delicate stones.
“Then you probably shouldn’t,” he’d murmured in her ear as he fastened the choker.
“You spoil me,” she said.
“In all fairness, I did say I was going to.”
At the end of the evening, while Kate and Ian waited for the valet to bring Ian’s Navigator around, they watched as Charlie—a few spots ahead of them in line—tucked the blonde into the passenger seat of a sleek black Mercedes.
“What is it?” Kate asked, noticing how intently Ian was watching them.
“I never knew what Charlie drove. Pretty nice car for a fed.”
She shivered in the late-October air, and Ian wrapped his arms around her from behind. He placed a lingering kiss on the side of her neck, and she let out an almost imperceptible moan because he turned her into a puddle of need whenever he kissed her there.
“I heard that, sweetness. I want to hear it over and over before we finally go to sleep.”
As he drove them home, all Kate could think about was how nice it had been to spend a rare evening out with her husband. There was no one she wanted to spend her time with more than Ian, but she wanted to go places with him. Restaurants and movies. Museums and wine tastings. She hoped that someday they could do those things without worrying he might bump into the wrong person.
In the meantime, she would be patient. “I had a really nice time tonight.”
He reached over the console and squeezed her thigh. “I’m happy to hear that, sweetness. I did too.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ian’s day hadn’t gotten off to a great start. He’d received an e-mail first thing that morning letting him know that a potential client—one he’d been sure would choose his company—had gone with another security firm, citing their need for a full range of social engineering services. He’d then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working on the pentesting he was doing for Phillip, and the number of vulnerabilities he’d found in the latest batch of government systems was not only unbelievably high, it was unchallenging for him as well. Nothing made him happier than having to work to penetrate a system, to find a way in no one else had thought of. Instead of feeling frustrated, the challenge energized him.
Thinking of Charlie and Phillip and the rest of the task force members only added to his bad mood. He and Charlie had always enjoyed a little friendly-yet-cutthroat competition, but by voluntarily withdrawing from undercover work, he’d catapulted Charlie right into the hot seat.
Where he used to sit.
Where all the action could be found.
And the task force needed him. Charlie had said so himself. But he’d told Kate he wasn’t going to work undercover anymore, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.
The only way to salvage the remainder of the day was to spend it with his wife. She’d left in the Spyder after lunch for one of her drives, but he really thought she’d be home by now.
Ian: I feel like taking a nap. The kind where we’re both naked and neither of us are sleeping. Are you in?
He returned to his work, but twenty minutes later, he was still waiting for her to respond. He probably should have called because she wouldn’t be able to text back while she was driving. He clicked on the locator app to see where she was and blinked to clear his vision because she appeared to be heading west on a rural byway almost twenty-five miles away.
What the hell?
He opened another app—the one that had come with the car—and reached for his glasses. He clicked through the pages for distance driven and fuel efficiency, and read the number for her current speed: 112 miles per hour. He reviewed the stats for the past week and was shocked to discover she’d consistently hit speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. Three days ago she’d reached an all-time high of 132. What was she thinking?
He blamed himself. Giving her an incredibly fast car and then being upset when she drove it incredibly fast was on him. He was the one who’d encouraged her to increase her speed when he’d put her behind the wheel of the Shelby. But he’d been with her then. He driven with her enough to know she was more than competent behind the wheel, but this was nuts.
Her speed slowed to a much more acceptable level as she neared the town of Berryville. It looked as if she was turning around and heading back the way she’d come. He kept the phone in his hand, monitoring her speed all the way home, relieved to see that it never rose above seventy-five.
He was waiting for her in the driveway. When she got out of the car, he held up the phone, the app still open, and said, “One hundred and thirty-two miles per hour? Are you out of your mind?”
She looked surprised. “There’s an app for that? Dammit. I should’ve known.”
“Kate.”
Her smile faded because he’d never spoken to her in that tone of voice, but she’d scared him. He pictured the Spyder in a mangled, twisted, smoking heap of metal and his stomach clenched.
He reached for her hand and softened his voice. “I just want you to slow down before you get hurt. Or worse. You’re married to a man who enjoys driving fast, but come on. Do you have a death wish I don’t know about? What were you thinking?”
“I’m bored,” she blurted.
He’d promised Kate that life with him would never be boring. Boring was bad. “Bored like you were bored with Stuart, bored?” He sounded alarmed.
She laid her hand on his arm, quick to reassure him. “No, nothing like that. Maybe bored isn’t the right word. More like restless.”
A restless wife didn’t sound good either.
“It’s just that I’m not used to having so much time on my hands.”
Ah, so that’s what this was about. “Come with me.” He led her to the porch, and they sat down on the wicker love seat Jade had delivered the day before.
“If you let me help with your social engineering, I’d have something to keep me busy.”
He’d known that’s what she was going to say before the words came out of her mouth. “I’m on probation with your dad—for life, I might add. I hurt his daughter and dragged his family down a path I know he’d rather none of you were on. How do you think it would go over if he found out I’d turned his daughter into a hacker?”
Kate looked down at the ground. “I used to be an attorney. Then I built a nonprofit organization from the ground up. I had a board of directors. I had employees and volunteers. I worked hard to provide assistance to my community. Now I’m a housewife who goes to Pilates and makes paninis.”
“You’re much more than that. And your paninis are so good.”
She looked up and the yearning in her eyes cut through him. He didn’t want Kate to be bored, but more than that, he never wanted her to be unhappy. To have second thoughts about the sacrifices she’d made to be with him. He’d already used up his allotment of that emotion with her, and it killed him to see even a trace of sadness on her face.
“You can’t hide me away forever, Ian.”
One of the things he’d struggled with the most when Kate had been hacked was that whoever had done it had unlimited access to every photo on her computer. Any picture of her and her friends and family had been right there for them to copy and save. They’d probably also
taken pictures of her as she walked down the street. He was convinced that the hacker who’d come into the food pantry was the one who’d doxed him and hacked her, and the thought of the guy saving those images, possessing any pictures of his wife, filled him with rage. He started to say that he wasn’t trying to hide her away, but he bit back his words because that’s exactly what he was doing, and he of all people should have known that his fearless, adventure-seeking wife was never going to be satisfied with that.
He put his arm around her and pulled her close. She laid her head on his shoulder and neither of them spoke for a while. He’d asked Kate not to seek out any employment opportunities, especially those designed specifically to help others. If the person who’d doxed him ever found out where they’d gone, it would not be inconceivable that the first place they’d look for her would be the local food pantries or comparable nonprofits. He liked having Kate nearby. He liked hearing her puttering in the kitchen or looking out the window and seeing her splashing in the pool when he was working. He liked taking breaks in the middle of the day to spend time with her.
“You heard what Phillip said. Women make really good social engineers. At least give me a chance.”
There was no way he was going to tell her no, and they both knew it. He’d put her through the worst kind of anguish when he’d faked his death, and then he’d brought her here, to the rolling hills of Virginia, and stuck her in the kitchen. With a woman who craved excitement, it hadn’t been his best move.
“There’s a lot I’d need to teach you first.”
She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him, her expression hopeful. “I’m a fast learner.”
“And I have a few conditions,” he said. “One, I’d rather you didn’t say anything to your family about this, at least not for a while. I hate asking you to keep something from them because I know how close you are, but I’m even more uncomfortable thinking about how they might react to this news, which puts me in a difficult position.”
“Considering the fact that my dad is still… coming to terms with our relationship, I don’t disagree.”