Page 47 of Wired Fear

No one was there, to her surprise. Maybe they were watching from another observation point? Sophie glanced around but saw nothing untoward.

She’d been able to get into his apartment to retrieve the dogs, so she was surprised that, when she unlocked the door, a chain and bar were on inside.

Sophie slid her phone out of her pocket and called Jake’s cell. It went to voicemail.

She would have to wake him up.How embarrassing. How vulnerable. And yet…

Sophie knocked, leaning into the crack in the door, calling gently inside. “Jake! Let me in. It’s Sophie.”

She heard quick, light footsteps and recoiled as Felicia’s face, framed by tousled blonde hair, appeared in the narrow opening of the door. Sophie grasped the doorframe, feeling faint.

“Sophie! Jake looked in on you and said you were sleeping.” Felicia whispered. She shut the door. Sophie listened to the chain and bar being disengaged. She opened the door again. “We didn’t want to wake you.”

“Are you and Jake…together?” Sophie whispered.

“Yes. No! I mean, we got done at work late. I brought some pizza over for you both, but you were in bed already, and so we watched a movie and…” The girl stammered, her cheeks pink. “I fell asleep. Jake’s in bed, and he took some meds. His leg…”

“I understand,” Sophie said woodenly. She stepped back from the door. “It’s fine. He knows where to find me if he would like to talk.”

Sophie turned and fled.

She reentered her apartment, her heart pounding, her mouth dry.

Felicia and Jake!

Her mind couldn’t seem to stop playing awful pictures of the two in bed together. Whether or not Felicia was telling the truth, the fact that Jake had chosen Felicia’s company over her own was a statement.

On top of the bizarre and disturbing visit from Armita, trying to go back to sleep after this upset seemed impossible.She needed to work.Needed to dive into a bigger screen than her laptop. Computers had been her salvation; submerging in the ‘wired world’ was where she could disappear, her rioting emotions calmed by the occupation of her mind.Her computer friends would never let her down or betray her.

Sophie grabbed a light parka against the cool night air, her backpack, and her weapon. The dogs she resettled on her bed with a treat.

She’d get caught up at the office. Then, by the time Jake and Felicia rolled in to work, she’d be prepared. All business. Able to act like she didn’t care that Felicia was sleeping over, whether it was platonic or a sex marathon.

Sophie got into her Security Solutions SUV and headed for the office. The dark was her friend, as it had always been.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The bitch is back.

Akane set aside the phone that had pinged him awake with a text from his spy. He reached down for his pants. He had to move fast, before extra security or one of her boyfriends showed up.

“Where ya going, baby?” Sleepy voice from the other side of the bed. “Stay with me. We can have some more fun.”

Akane glanced over at the naked woman beside him. Makeup had run, circling her eyes, along with a purple mark from his hand. The whore had bruises around her throat, too, and she was still looking for more?He was definitely going to see her again. His groin stirred, but he shook his head. He peeled a couple of C-notes off his bankroll and dropped them on the nightstand. “Be gone before I get back. I’ll call you.”

Akane dressed rapidly, picked up his weapons, and left.

He had spies keeping an eye on all the comings and goings of his targets, and he mulled over Terence’s visit to Security Solutions the day before.What could Terence be playing at?He was probably trying to get their team to help him while setting them up at the same time.

Terence thought he was so smart—and Akane would let him think so, all the way until the end.

He’d gloated over a secret button camera he’d installed to watch Terence discover his uncle’s body. Chopping Terence’s surrogate father up like that had been disgusting and a lot of work, but Terence’s horror, the way he’d puked and cried…worth every messy minute.

“You killed my family, Terence,” Akane muttered. “You’re never going to be done suffering until I finally end your miserable life.”

Akane arrived at the office building and made a pass, driving by at the speed limit, checking out the situation. The bitch had parked her car around the corner, but a light was on in the third-floor office. He smiled. She’d never see him coming.

This was going to be fun.

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