Page 151 of Hyde and Seek

I shrugged. “I’ve been better.”

Jake looked at my laptop and saw the picture of us doing something that should have been private.

Standing, his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles turned white. His body was rigid and a muscle in his jaw jumped.

Reaching out suddenly, he snatched the lamp off the table and side armed it across the room.

It hit the wall with so much force that it looked like it exploded, shattering into tiny shards of nothing.

I couldn’t hold back when my laughter bubbled out. Jake and Detective Oscar both turned to look at me, most likely trying to assess if I going into hysterics. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that that lamp was a housewarming gift from my mother. I hated it and wanted to break it just so I wouldn’t have to look at it anymore. You did me a favor.”

“I’ll still buy you a new one.”

I shrugged. “We’ll wait until we get our own home, then pick one out together.”

Some of the tension left Jake’s body. “Sounds good.”

“So—”

A knock interrupted, making me jump and Jake tense again. He looked out the window before opening the door.

“Sweetheart, how’re you?” Gregory asked as he came straight to me. His green eyes searched my face in much the same way as Jake’s had.

“I’m better now, thank you. Sorry for interrupting your day.”

“Don’t even think about it.” His expression switched from concerned to all business. “What’s happened?”

Detective Oscar took control and filled Gregory in.

I was grateful to be saved from the embarrassment of telling my future father-in-law that his son and I had been photographed going at it at the side of the road. I’d have preferred he didn’t have to know at all, but since he did, I was relieved I didn’t have to be the one to say it. My face was on fire from just hearing it.

Jake sat on the arm of the couch and rubbed my neck. As Gregory and Detective Oscar talked about the dead ends they were hitting in the investigation, he got up and paced.

Bet he wishes I had another lamp to throw.

“So, what’s the next step?” Jake asked. His patience had clearly run out.

“Vigilance,” Detective Oscar said. “Be aware of who’s around you. If you get a feeling, Piper, don’t try to convince yourself it’s nothing. Leave. Call me. Call Jake. Callanyoneand do it loudly. Don’t go out alone. I’d suggest changing your email address, but I know it’s your work one. Still, change it if you can swing that. I’d definitely recommend buying a new laptop. Before you even turn it on, though, bring it by the station and they’ll put the tracker on it. See about replacing your phone, too. These things are easy to dig into. Most bad hackers barely get in before virus protection or firewalls shut them down. But with some serious skill, they can get in so deep there’s no scan that can detect them.”

“We’ll go tonight,” Jake said instantly.

For once, I wasn’t going to put up a fight when Jake said he was paying. I kept looking at my laptop and bracing, like it was a viper about to strike.

“Good idea. However, and I’m sure you both realize this now, the threat is real. We’d hoped to track down some punk that saw your pictures in the news, but that’s not what’s happening here. Stay safe. Don’t do anything that would put you at undue risk.” She jerked her head towards the picture on the laptop.

Yeah, I don’t see any roadside booty happening again anytime soon.

Or ever.

“I’m going to head back to the station and start digging in with the tech guys. Piper, bring by the new computer.” With a nod goodbye, she left looking totally badass.

“I need to get home to your mother. She’s worried,” Gregory said as he headed towards the door. “Call her soon, yeah?”

Huh, that sounds familiar.

“Yeah. Thanks, Dad.”

“Anything for you. Call me day or night. Love you.” He stepped outside and closed the door after him. “Lock that.”

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