White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(60)

“I could say the same about you.” She climbed off his lap. “Come on. We need something to take our minds off this. We could watch a movie. We could play strip pool. I know how much you enjoy that. We could build a big fire and take a nap in front of it. You know what I mean when I say nap, right?”

He no longer looked quite so defeated, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I love you, sweetness. I’ve made some mistakes in my life, but you will never, ever, infinity, be one of them.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The images on the video surveillance screen for the front gate caught Kate’s eye as she passed in front of it on her way to the fridge for some milk. Two men were stacking a large pile of lumber next to the gate while a third unloaded power tools from the bed of a pickup truck.

There were two other cameras connected to their security system: the one located in the garage and one that captured and recorded anyone going in or out of the front door, but those screens were dark because Ian had disconnected the cameras after discovering they’d been hacked. Though he felt strongly that the malware he’d used to strengthen their security system would deter someone from attempting another intrusion, he told Kate he wasn’t going to give anyone the opportunity to obtain footage of them.

“What’s going on down at the gate?” Kate asked when Ian walked into the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

“They’re building a guard shack. We’re going old school with our home security. There’ll be another one up by the garage. I hired guards to man them twenty four hours a day. All ex-military. All armed.”

Ian’s proactive measures didn’t surprise her at all and she nodded. “Good.”

He set down his cup of coffee and reached for her, sliding his hand around her waist. “Are you freaking out about any of this?”

“We are not like other folks,” she said, shaking her head. “As long as you don’t try to keep any of it from me because you’re afraid I can’t handle it, I’ll be fine.”

Someone rang the gate, and when Kate looked at the screen, a car she didn’t recognize waited to be buzzed in. Ian pushed the button and the gate opened. “Come on. I want to introduce you to Rob.”

“Who is Rob?”

“He’s the man who’ll be accompanying you wherever you need to go when I’m not with you.”

“You got me a bodyguard?”

“I like to think of him as a special companion who goes everywhere with you.”

Kate wrinkled her nose. “That almost sounds weirder.”

“Then yes, I got you a bodyguard. I know you still have social engineering assignments to complete and things you want to do outside the house. This way you don’t have to feel as if your life has been totally disrupted, and I can feel confident about your safety.” Ian had admitted how much it worried him that someone might try to follow her again—or worse yet—approach her. All they’d have to do is wait a few miles down the road and when she drove by they could tail her until she stopped somewhere, which would leave her wide open and vulnerable.

“By the way, he thinks you’re being stalked by a jealous ex-lover and that we’re taking the situation very seriously. He also knows discretion is important, so he’s not going to ask questions outside of what he needs to know to do his job. If someone with questionable motives tries to get near you, they’ll have to get past Rob first, and that’s not going to happen.”

The doorbell rang, and when Ian opened the front door, Kate understood immediately what Ian had meant when he said no one would get past Rob; he was the tallest and broadest man she’d ever seen. Not fat, just a solid wall of muscle that stretched almost seven feet into the air. It was the first time she’d ever seen Ian look up to speak to someone. He was a good ten years older than Kate and soft-spoken, and his gentle handshake surprised her when Ian made the introductions. She listened as Ian went over a few general instructions with him. His hours would be eight to six every day, Monday through Friday, and they would provide him with a vehicle.

“So we’ll see you tomorrow,” Ian said.

He nodded and looked at Kate. “I’m looking forward to it.”

There was something about Rob’s warm smile and calm demeanor that instantly put her at ease, and she decided that having a special companion might not be so weird after all.



Later that afternoon, several employees from a local auto dealership delivered a Range Rover with heavily tinted windows that Rob would drive and a Lexus SUV with equally dark windows that Ian would use as his personal vehicle.

“There’s always a chance they’ll just follow the new cars home again, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to make it easy for them to know for sure who’s inside them,” Ian said.

Kate and Ian drove their old cars down to the barn—if you could call vehicles that had less than ten thousand miles on them old. The large, open building had room for the Spyder, Tahoe, and Navigator, with plenty left over for Rob and the security guards’ personal vehicles.

“We’ll just tell people we confused horses with horsepower,” Kate joked.

He slung an arm over her shoulder. “I do love your ability to roll with the punches, sweetness.”

Kate laughed because it seemed they’d figured out what to use the barn for after all.