White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(6)

Ian fed a cord through an opening in the desktop and crawled underneath the desk. “What’s on your agenda today?”

“I’ve got a few more boxes to unpack, and then the decorator is stopping by. She called this morning.”

Between them, they barely had enough furniture to make a dent in filling the rooms of the large home. Linda had given their names to the decorator she’d mentioned, and Kate had received a call from a woman named Jade Lynn.

“She called me too. I gave her your number and told her you were in charge.” He came out from underneath the desk and powered on the computer and both monitors.

“What time are you meeting Phillip?” Kate asked.

“Noon. He said he has a lot for us to go over, so I probably won’t be home until dinnertime.”

“That’s okay. Jade has no idea what she’s gotten herself into. I have a feeling we’ll be tied up all day.”



Jade Lynn arrived with an armful of design books and an enormous bag hanging from her shoulder. She shifted them and held out her hand. “Diane? I’m Jade Lynn.”

“Come in,” Kate said, shaking her hand and opening the door wide. “It’s great to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Here, let me take those.”

“That would be fabulous,” Jade said, handing the books to her.

“Let’s go into the kitchen,” Kate said. “We can spread everything out on the table.”

Kate guessed Jade’s age as midthirties. She wore her blond hair in a long braid that lay over her shoulder, and her clothing was as bright and colorful as the fabric swatches and paint chips she pulled from her enormous bag.

“How much of the existing décor do you plan to keep?” Jade asked.

“None of it. My style is a little funkier. A little less…”

“Horse and fox hunt?”

Kate smiled. “Exactly.”

“Let’s get an idea of the colors and textures you like. Before I leave, I’ll take pictures of every room, and then I’ll go back to the store and choose things I think you’ll like. We’ll bring them out and you can see how they look.”

“That sounds great, but I don’t want to spend a lot.”

Jade laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your husband told me you would say that.”



Ian picked up a pizza on his way home. They brought their plates into the family room and sat down on the sectional that used to be in his apartment in Minneapolis. Kate’s couch was now in the master bedroom along with Ian’s king-size bed, and Jade had promised that any new pieces she selected would match the ones they wanted to keep.

“How was your meeting?” Kate asked. “Are the hacktivists still giving Phillip trouble?”

“I think they’re worrying him a lot. He’s expanded the list of systems he wants locked down tight.”

“Did you ask him about it?”

“A little. We didn’t really discuss the details.”

“Why? Is he not allowed to?”

“He can. I still have clearance. I just don’t need to hear a lot about it if I’m not going to be working with everyone.”

Kate could see the longing on his face and knew he hated not being part of the action.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” The speed with which he assured her it didn’t matter told Kate that it absolutely did. “Phillip will get along just fine without me. He’s still got Charlie.”

“Who is Charlie?”

“Someone who’s been involved with the task force almost as long as I have.”

“Is he as good as you?”

“No one is as good as me.”

Kate grinned. “Is he at least a bit more humble?”

He reached for another piece of pizza. “Maybe a little.”

“So you’re really okay with not being on the task force?”

“Between getting this new company going and all the pentesting that’s piling up, I wouldn’t have time for it anyway.”

Somehow Kate didn’t totally believe him.

He took a drink of his beer. “How was your meeting with Jade?”

“Productive. I really liked her.” Kate explained Jade’s process and how she’d taken pictures of each room and would be returning with several different options.

“Sounds like quite a project.”

“It’ll definitely keep me busy.” Kate had never imagined spending her days with nothing more pressing than choosing which color to paint every room and whether she wanted leather or upholstered furniture. Equally unfathomable was Ian’s assurance that he didn’t mind not being a member of the task force.

Kate tried not to dwell on the fact that despite their assurances to the contrary, neither one of them could possibly be one hundred percent satisfied by their choices.





CHAPTER THREE

Kate was sitting at the kitchen island on one of the new stools Jade had delivered. Almost every day she and her deliverymen would buzz the gate, and Kate would check the video monitor connected to the surveillance camera to confirm their identity before she opened it. They would pull up in front of the house, park their van, and unload artwork and rugs and furniture. Jade had given Kate the name of a contractor, and several workmen had descended upon the top floor and were busy stripping wallpaper. As soon as they were done, the painters and carpet layers would complete the next step of the transformation.