Heart-Shaped Hack(13)

“It’s not in a hacker’s nature to share personal information. Anonymity is kind of our thing. And sometimes I hack into things I’m not supposed to,” he said. “For fun.”

“How shocking.”

“And occasionally I find myself in a bit of hot water, which I prefer to keep other people out of.”

“So the anonymity is to protect the people you associate with.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“You could have just told me that.”

“I’ve already said too much. For some reason, being around you is like swallowing truth serum. Your beauty disarms me.”

“Thank goodness I possess at least one weapon I can use against you.”

“Your legs are another.”

Kate laughed. “I’ll have to remember that.”

She increased her speed, waiting until she’d redlined the engine before shifting into fourth. She loved that sound, and there were few things more fun than driving a fast car. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Ian was watching her. It was equal parts unnerving and exhilarating.

She passed the other cars, weaving expertly in and out of the lanes, loving the way the car handled. When the traffic finally thinned out, she pressed down on the gas pedal until the speedometer was just under seventy-five.

“Come on, you can do better than that,” Ian said. “How long has it been since you’ve had a speeding ticket?”

“Years. I can’t remember the last time I got pulled over.”

“Then what are you waiting for? If you get caught, I’ll pay the fine. As long as you keep it under a hundred, you won’t lose your license.”

Kate loved to listen to loud music when she drove on the highway, and listening to something old-school—Aerosmith, maybe—would be really fun in the Shelby. Purists balked at adding a stereo, but most replica owners installed them anyway, even if it did reduce the true Shelby experience. Ian’s car had no radio of any kind in the dash. It didn’t even look like there was a place for one.

“You’re sure about this?” Kate asked, already easing the gas pedal toward the floor. Whoever built this car had likely spent a lot of time on it, and she was surprised Ian wasn’t acting more concerned.

“Positive.” He reached over and yanked on her seatbelt to make sure it was tight.

Kate accelerated. There was a fairly empty stretch of road ahead, so she kept her foot on the pedal as the speedometer inched toward eighty-five, ninety, ninety-five. She realized that music would have actually detracted from the experience because the sound of the engine, loud and raw and unbridled, was all she needed.

There were two cars up ahead, one in front of her on the left and one on the right. Luckily, neither of them were police cars because Kate flew around the first and, as soon as she passed it, had to immediately swerve back into the other lane. She lost herself in the sensation, feeling more invigorated than she had in a long time.

“Go, baby, go,” Ian shouted.

She continued on that way, passing cars when she encountered them. When she checked her speed, she experienced a moment of exhilarating panic because the needle hovered just below one hundred and ten. A little voice inside her head warned that she would surely lose her license if she came upon a policeman. She told that voice to shut up. Besides, she walked to work.

Kate spotted a cluster of taillights up ahead, which would leave her no room to pass, and she reluctantly began decelerating. She was surprised at how slow ninety felt as she brought her speed down to a more acceptable level. A few miles down the road, she pointed to an exit sign which listed several options for gas and food. “Shall I pull off here?”

“That depends. Have you satisfied your need for speed?”

She laughed. “For now. But you might have created a monster.”

“Come on over to the dark side, Katie. I’ll save you a seat next to me.”



Kate nosed the car into a parking space at a restaurant whose sign promised the best charcuterie in Minneapolis.

She followed Ian inside, and after the waitress seated them, Kate said, “That was absolutely incredible.”

“I agree. Watching you drive my car was one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen. The only thing that would have made it better is if you’d been wearing a skirt. But even in jeans it was awesome.”

“Driving your car while wearing a skirt might be difficult.”

He looked perplexed. “Not if it was short enough.”

“You’re shameless.”

Ian opened his menu. “When do you need to be back?”

“I don’t. I left Helena in charge. She’s closing up today.”

“I promised you lunch over an hour ago. You must be starving by now.”

“A little. Should we see if they’re right about the charcuterie? There’s a sharing platter.” Kate had fallen in love with the dish—basically an assortment of salty and tangy cured meat—in college.

“Drives fast, likes meat. I might have to marry you.”

Kate looked at him pointedly. “You forgot pretty.”

Ian started laughing. “You’re like a breath of fresh air. Really you are.”

They gave their order to the waitress and asked for tall draft beers to go along with their meal.