Heart-Shaped Hack(40)

It wasn’t that Kate didn’t know the FBI utilized civilian assistance because she did. And she could understand how anyone working in that capacity would need to maintain a certain amount of anonymity. But it was a little disconcerting to discover that the man she was falling for actually was a superhero who spent at least part of his time fighting cybercrime and that she’d had no idea.

“You ask me about my day, and I tell you about the people I’ve helped. But when I ask you about your day not once have you ever said, ‘The team and I made some good progress toward bringing down a ring of cyberthieves.’”

“I wasn’t intentionally withholding it. When things are running smoothly I don’t think much about it. The FBI is just another one of my clients, and I sometimes forget it’s a bit out of the ordinary for most people.”

“How long have they been one of your clients?”

“A little over ten years.”

“What kinds of things have you worked on with them?”

“High-tech crime, exploitation, cyberterrorism, fraud. Some assignments are short. Some, like the carding ring, are much longer.”

“Is that the reason you move so much?” He could downplay it all he wanted, but if relocation was necessary, it meant that the duplicitous nature of his work carried a certain amount of risk.

“Yes. The days of simply tracking an IP address are over, and there are dozens of ways to remain anonymous online. But if someone is patient, if they’re technically savvy, which these hackers are, there are ways to obtain my personal information, including my identity and location.”

“And they’re trying to do that to you?”

“Hopefully not at the moment, but they’d like to. Hackers protect their identities at all costs, so doxing one—especially if he’s working with any kind of law-enforcement agency—is considered a badge of honor. We’re trying to gather enough evidence to send these people to prison. That’s a pretty big motivator for them to try to find me.”

Occasionally I find myself in a bit of hot water, which I prefer to keep other people out of.

“What would happen if they found you?”

“There would be threats, highly disturbing but mostly empty. It wouldn’t matter, because I’d be long gone before anyone knocked on my door.”

Kate was silent. She’d chalked up his frequent changes of address to wanderlust and the fact that he could live anywhere he chose for as long as he wanted before moving on to the next city. But wanting to stay and needing to leave were two very different things.

Her expression was apprehensive. “Would you tell me before you left?”

“Kate.” He looked hurt, as if he couldn’t believe she’d ask such a thing. “Of course I would tell you.”

How had she let things get this far? She seemed to have forgotten the promise she’d made to herself: that if she reached the point where she had strong feelings for Ian—and the feelings she had for him were growing stronger by the day—he would have to start opening up to her.

“I wasn’t sure. You know everything about me, but there’s so much I don’t know about you. I’ve never been to your place. You could have a wife and kids stashed there, and I wouldn’t have a clue. You know where I am—all the time—because of that phone. But I still don’t know your last name.”

“I don’t have a wife and kids. My last name is Bradshaw.”

It took her a moment to process what he’d said. “You said you were never going to tell me.”

“I was always going to tell you. I’m just very protective of my last name because someday when I actually have a wife and kids, I want to share it with them. But if it’s out there or if it’s ever linked to my work, I might not be able to. I had a girlfriend once who didn’t understand my need for discretion, and she talked about what I did and gave my name to anyone who would listen, which caused me nothing but stress. It’s made me a bit gun-shy, and I’m more cautious about when I tell someone than I used to be.”

“I would never say anything, Ian.”

“I know you wouldn’t because I know I can trust you.” He picked up his phone from the coffee table and started typing. When he finished, he said, “Give me your phone.”

She pulled the phone he’d given her from her pocket, unlocked it, and gave it to him.

He started typing, and a few minutes later he handed it back to her. “The only reason I track your phone is so I can wipe it if it gets lost or stolen. I didn’t know it bothered you.”

“It doesn’t bother me. Stuart and I used to track each other if one of us wasn’t answering our phone or was late. But it’s not reciprocal with us.”

“If you open the app and select Ian’s Phone it will give you my location. I should have done it from the beginning. I’m sorry.”

She glanced down at the unnamed plain blue icon. “Special app for a special phone?”

“Developed for my own private use.”

Kate could only guess the functions it was capable of, but she was glad he hadn’t hesitated to make the change. “I’m going to start stalking you now.”

He smiled gently. “I’m afraid you’ll find it very boring. If I’m not at my place, I’m probably here.”