“I’m still with the Bureau. Ok? And yes, I’m in constant contact with them.” He held up his phone. One that I knew was encrypted. “I can’t tell you any more than that.”
“Then I’m not hacking.” I folded my arms over my chest. It was the only leverage I had. I could use my skills as a hostage if I had to.
“I don’t have time. We don’t have time.”
“Then you don’t get what you want.” I glared at him.
“Ok. Fine. One question. But we don’t have a lot of time here. I’ll answer one.”
“What’s the mission the Bureau gave you?” I asked. It was the most vital question. It might shed light on the last hour of my life.
He sighed. “Fuck. That would be the one you’d pick.”
“Yes. Answer it. I want to know what your mission is. It will explain why you’re here. I think,” I added.
“And you’ll do your computer voodoo?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes. Answer the damn question, AJ. What’s the assignment?” I hissed. I didn’t like how worked up I was. How everything was spinning out of control. I couldn’t get a handle on the rational side of my emotions. They were drowning in the nearness of him.
“It’s you, Syd.”
I pressed him with my eyes. “You’re going to have to elaborate.” My skin tingled. My throat tightened. It was as if I already knew what he was going to say. My entire body was tense and on edge.
“They want you.”
“But I don’t hack anymore,” I blurted. “I’m reformed. I have been since…” I didn’t know how to define the end of us. I couldn’t admit out loud what losing him had done to me. I stopped. The more I argued, the more my guilt seemed plausible. I kept digging myself a hole by denying I didn’t hack.
“I think you misunderstood. It’s not because of illegal hacking. It’s the exact opposite. I’ve been tailing you on all these trips you’ve taken across the country. Following you. Staying nearby.”
“Jesus, AJ. You’re stalking me?” I was horrified and stunned.
“No.” His brow furrowed. “Vetting you. Not stalking. Vetting. Making sure you aren’t compromised.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “I don’t understand. What are you saying?” I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he had been following me. How long had this been going on? What had he watched and witnessed?
“I’m supposed to recruit you, Syd. They want me to bring you in to be one of the good guys this time. You are my mission.”
Chapter Seven
“A recruit?” I almost choked on the words.
AJ nodded his dark head. God, I used to run my fingers through his hair. I’d watch it feather through my fingers when we were in bed. It was longer then. He kept his cut shorter in the FBI. Every part of him had mesmerized me. His perfect lips. His athletic body. The smolder in his eyes. The way his fingertips singed my skin.
“There’s been some activity. We could use your help. They need you on the team, Syd. It could change everything.”
It wasn’t much of an explanation. It didn’t answer half the questions.
“So you followed me to Dallas to see who I’ve been meeting with?” Did he know about Ethan Howard? Had he seen me talk to him in his driveway with Max?
“I gave you what you wanted. Open the computer and find out what’s going on with this airplane. We have a finite fuel supply. You know that. It’s not like there’s a gas station up here in the clouds.” He smirked. “Time is limited.”
I lifted the screen. “I have more questions,” I muttered. “But I’m not going to risk everyone’s lives for my curiosity.”
“They’d probably thank you for that.” He smiled.
I reconnected to the plane’s onboard Wi-Fi and funneled in through the VPN I had created.
“What do you see? What’s the chatter?” He leaned over my shoulder. He was close enough I could inhale his cologne. It wasn’t the same scent he used to wear, but it was just as intoxicating. I had to ignore it.