Exploited
Page 48

I had grossly underestimated his abilities. I had thought him a far inferior foe.
I had been wrong.
There were notes scribbled in the margins, along with dates.
Ryan Law.
Smacktown.
Stanford Pharmaceuticals.
Mason was zeroing in on my time line. He had found our hidden chat.
He hadn’t decoded the encryption, but he had his eyes on us.
This was a huge problem.
With trembling hands I quickly put the file back in his briefcase and turned off the light.
I needed access to his computer. His emails. I needed more than a paper file.
I had to get into his office.
Which meant going deeper.
A lot deeper.
I left his bedroom and headed back to the living room. Mason glanced over his shoulder as I entered the room. He watched me with some hesitation as I sat down beside him.
“I am sorry, Mason. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that,” I said, sounding contrite. Ashamed.
He didn’t touch me. His hands were fists in his lap. “Was it something I did?” he asked softly.
I shook my head. “No. You’re perfect.” Mason snorted and I reached out and touched his face, my fingers brushing his cheek. “I’m not that complicated. You can probably guess what the problem is without resorting to your FBI superpowers.” I smiled shyly, shaking my head in self-deprecation.
Mason took my hand. “You’ve been hurt before,” he deduced.
It was the easiest answer. The one that would excuse my actions. The one that made sense.
“Yeah. I’m really not that hard to figure out.”
Mason lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. I ignored the buzzing. The fireworks that threatened to go off in my belly.
He knew about the chat room.
Toxicwrath and I were going to have to shut it down. We’d have to find another way to communicate.
We had to go off the grid for a little while.
Coming to Mason’s apartment had yielded important results. I could ignore the guilt I felt at using him because of that.
The concern that my motives weren’t purely self-preservation was ignored for the moment.
I had to focus on this. On the next phase of my plan.
And that involved getting inside. Access to his computer was paramount.
But how?
“Hannah, we all have ghosts. I won’t be scared off by yours.” He sounded so sure.
The day would come when he’d regret those words. I was positive of that.
And I felt sad.
Too sad.
Oh no…
“I hope not, Mason. I really do.” I slid closer, our knees bumping. Tamping down the grief at knowing this would all end very, very badly, I pushed forward. Not recklessly. But purposefully. With a clear intent.
He was getting closer to Freedom Overdrive. I couldn’t have that. I had to steer him another way.
My brain was going a million miles a second. I was split in two. Part of me with Mason, playing the role.
Part of me calculating my next move.
Maybe I should scale back the encryption on the chat room. Make it more visible to prying eyes.
Mason’s eyes.
I could feed him false information….
He inched closer, his breath hot on my face.
My heart hammered in my chest as the idea formed.
I had to talk with Toxicwrath first, but this was why he had insisted I meet Mason.
To gain the information necessary to stay one step ahead.
And I would always be just out of reach. I felt confident. Emboldened.
I was Mata fucking Hari.
Only there would be no firing squad.
Mason’s hand went around the back of my neck. Heavy and proprietary. For a moment I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed. Immobile.
I’m playing with fire.
“You just have to learn to trust me,” he said.
“Can you trust me, Mason?” I countered.
He was quiet for a few seconds, searching my face. Looking for something that would make him question his feelings. Make him doubt.
He frowned and my stomach dropped.
I had to get out of there.
He would see right through me.
He leaned in and kissed me, quieting my instinct to flee. “I think I can, Hannah. I really do.”
And just like that, it all fell into place.
Yet I didn’t feel happy about it. I wasn’t sure I could celebrate the victory.
Chapter 15

Mason
“I’ve got a surprise for you.” Her voice was excited in my ear and I couldn’t help but grin. She sounded like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Yeah? What is it?”
Perry dropped a file on my desk and raised his eyebrow questioningly. I shooed him away with a scowl.
“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?” Hannah teased. I could hear people murmuring in the background. I knew she was at work.
“Not even a hint?” I asked, chuckling. I opened the file and saw that it was more of the same. Logs and logs of chat transcripts from meaningless IRC chat rooms that had nothing to do with anything. As the days wore on, I was feeling like I was searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Freedom Overdrive was operating completely under the radar. Until he popped up with something new, there was little I could do.
Except drive myself crazy staring at the signature.
12080512alwcaw.
“Come over tonight and all will be revealed,” Hannah intoned cryptically.
“That sounds ominous,” I joked, clicking my pen open and closed.
“Dress nice. No jeans,” she instructed.
“Now I’m really intrigued.” What did she have planned? I loved that she was trying to do something nice for me, whatever it was.
“Be here no later than seven. No excuses,” she warned severely.
I quickly checked my calendar and was relieved to see that shouldn’t be a problem. Freedom Overdrive needed to lie low at least for another night. I wouldn’t let him ruin my plans.
“I’ll be there. Dressed nice. No jeans,” I said.
“Okay, see you then. I can’t wait,” she all but squealed, and I laughed.
“Me either.”
“I want us to have a good night after…”
She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. I knew what she was referring to. Her mini freak-out at my apartment. Honestly, it had bothered me at the time. Mostly because I thought I had pushed her too hard too fast.