Page 50 of Unexpected Heroine

Blinking clear of the tender moment, I attempt to refocus on the here and now instead of what looms.

“Sugar, I need to get a special laptop from my office. It’ll allow me to view what’s on the drive without compromising my network or other devices.”

I offer her my hand, and she follows me down the hallway. Moving quickly, I gather my dummy laptop and signal jammer. At the last second, I grab a pair of wired headphones, on the off chance that there’s audio in the file.

Once we return from my office with the supplies, I make her comfortable at the kitchen table, fixing her a snack of sliced cheese, crackers, olives, and a large glass of sweet tea.

“Okay, just holler if you need me, baby.”

Putting on a brave face, she tips her chin toward the living room. “Go on now. Get on with it.” She adds a flamboyant flip of her wrist to shoo me out.

Wearing a half grin, I kiss the top of her head and ease from the kitchen. Every few steps, I check over my shoulder to ensure she’s not panicking. Once I’m far enough away to have some privacy, I fire up the laptop.

This thing is essentially a shell of a machine. No Bluetooth, internet, or Wi-Fi access. Nothing. It’s not hooked up to my network and never has been. There’s almost nothing it can do.

On the bright side, it’s lightweight, which is good since I’ll be holding it while I keep one eye on Lettie. If I were to sit at the dining room table or coffee table, I wouldn’t be able to see her.

While it’s booting up, I set it on the floor and power on the signal jammer. It will temporarily disrupt all signals in the house and fuck up my Wi-Fi and cell service, but that’s a small price to pay to ensure this mysterious drive doesn’t launch some shit we’ll all regret. Even if it’s entirely unnecessary, given the laptop I’m using.

Impatience pulses through me as this beast powers on.

Lettie’s feigning nonchalance, but the bobbing knees and tense shoulders are a dead giveaway to her true state of mind.

“How are you holding up, sugar bear?”

She makes duck lips at me. “Nervous, but I ain’t shittin’ bricks or anything. How ’bout you?”

“No bricks here.”

“Well, that’s fan-fucking-tastic. I’m sure the maid will be pleased as punch to hear that neither of us got a sudden case of masonry-related incontinence. We’ve really got our shit together, huh?”

Who the fuck wouldn’t fall in love with that woman?

The signal jammer chimes, notifying me it’s operational. I take another steadying breath and plug the drive into the USB port.

It takes a moment for the device to recognize the drive and launch the folder. When it opens, there’s only one thing there.

A video file.

The title sends a chill down my spine: Since you like to watch.

My stomach twists and drops, bile slowly churning.

If this is what I think it is, I don’t give a fuck what I promised Mia. They will all die by my hands.

Every. Fucking. Last. One. Of. Them.

“Everything okay?” Lettie’s angelic voice calls from the kitchen.

I clear my throat, praying that when I answer, my tone doesn’t betray me. “Just getting it loaded up.”

“Is it a document?” Her volume lowers, and she adds, “Or is it something else?”

I keep my attention on the screen so she can’t see the dread clouding my vision.

“James?” she prods, far more tentative this time.

“I’m not sure what it is yet.”

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