I thought about Henry, about my mom. I’d been texting her hourly to check in. No doubt she thought I’d gone crazy, but I had to make sure they were okay. I couldn’t worry about them on top of everything else.
Marjorie never left my mind. She consumed me, and a green sickness gnawed at me, forcing me to shut out the shivers that constantly threatened to erupt in me.
God, I loved her.
She saw past my emptiness, saw something in me that she could love.
I’d allowed myself to actually envision a future with her. The perfect mother for Henry and for the children she and I would have together.
Yes, I’d actually imagined more children, despite my horrific DNA.
Henry would love to have a brother or a sister, and Marjorie would be devoted to all her children, even the one she hadn’t borne herself.
I had to find her. I just had to.
I could not lose Marjorie Steel.
“Now what?” Joe said, pulling me out of my head.
“Wish I knew. Did you try Colin again?”
“Yeah. Still not answering.”
“Shit. And still no news from the Spider?”
“No. I called my friend from the club, the guy who set me up with the Spider. He hasn’t heard from him either.”
“Are they…friends?”
“I don’t know, honestly,” Joe said. “The whole thing is shady, to say the least. I mean, here’s a hacker who won’t deal directly with anyone, who doesn’t want anyone to see his face.”
“You said you trusted this guy.”
“I do.”
“Then let’s talk to him,” I said. “Maybe he can shed some light on what’s going on.”
“He won’t know who took my mother or Marjorie.”
“How do you know that? We need to check out all the possibilities.”
“He won’t see us,” Joe said.
“Why the hell not?”
“Because…he can’t risk being outed as a member of the BDSM club.”
I looked Joe straight in his eyes. “Just who is this guy, Joe?”
He looked away. “I can’t tell you that.”
Chills hit the back of my neck. Whoever this guy was, he was somebody important. Someone who might be able to help us.
“Then tell me this. How does he know a high-priced secret hacker?”
“Because,” Joe said, “he used to work for the FBI.”
Chapter Four