Page 4 of The Geek and the Sheikh

"Who?" she asked.

"You said you are going to find him. Did you lose the guy you love?" he inquired with a short laugh.

She stared at him. "No, of course not. I haven't even met him yet."

She turned and walked away with a shake of her head. Ok, technically shehadmet Jam-man, just not in person. Either way, she was done talking to strangers now.

No wonder Midnight warned me to be careful. What is wrong with these people?

She reached her gate. The airline hostess was calling for First-Class passengers. Junebug walked to the front of the line, showed her passport, and scanned her boarding pass before continuing down the enclosed gangway.

She breezed past the hostess and settled in her seat, placing her backpack on the floor in front of her. It contained everything she would need. She had two changes of clothes, a brush, a bag of marshmallows, and her electronics. She kept her money and passport in a small cross-body clutch.

"Would you like a drink?" the hostess inquired.

Junebug blinked. "Water… please," she said.

Her heart thudded as the passengers filed through. She was doing this—really doing this! She was on her own. There was no Midnight to guide and protect her. There wasn't the usual anonymity behind a computer screen. She was out in the world… all by herself, and she was both exhilarated and terrified. For once, she was going to have to deal with people.

A barrage of thoughts and emotions hit her. She closed her eyes and rocked gently back and forth in her seat, tapping the tips of her fingers together in a pattern. Pulling Jam-man's image into her mind, she let the familiar meditation and the mental image of him calm her.

"Would you like anything else?" the hostess asked, placing her glass of water in front of her.

Junebug opened her eyes and shook her head. "No…. Thank you," she murmured.

No, the only thing I need is to find answers... and build a new life. No biggie.

* * *

Jawahir: Cyber-security division:

Six years earlier:

Sheikh Jameel Saif-Ad-Din weaved back and forth in the office corridor as he tried to hold on to a collection of file folders and text on his phone at the same time. He missed the knowing grins and amused looks of his co-workers as they stepped out of the way before he ran into them. It wasn't the first time they had to do this since he started working in the cybersecurity division three weeks earlier. One did not run into a royal prince of Jawahir—even if it was the prince's fault.

Jameel rounded the corner, heading toward his office in a lower level of the Jawahir palace. Excitement surged inside of him as he studied the screen in his hand.

How did the new patch I sent you work? Were you able to trace the rootkit back to the source?

He chuckled as he typed in a response.

Yeah. It was just like you said. It was an analyst working with the accounting division. He was having an affair with an analyst in the cybersecurity division. He used her information to access the database. I never would have found the error.

You would have… in a year or three.

Lol. Definitely not before someone found a way in the way you did. You even guessed who it was.

It wasn't hard. I just followed the money—which btw is no longer in his account. The local animal shelter received a hefty donation last night. It was like watching one of those fake office vids on TT. All drama this and cheating that. They are so dorky.

Yeah, but addictive. Hey, I'll send you payment in a few for your help.

No worries. This one is on the house. It was fun working with you. I don't often get to meet another hacker as good as you. Hey, have you tried out that new game I was telling you about?

Yeah. I'm stoked. The maps and world-building are phenomenal. I'll be on in a few. Will you be there?

Of course. I helped with the—

A soft 'oof' jarred Jameel out of his conversation with Bugs, and he dropped his phone. His scowl of annoyance at the interruption turned to a good-natured grin when he realized who he had run into. The answering scowl on his older brother's face didn't change.

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