Code Name - Hacker (Jameson Force Security 4)

I could have easily thrown Griff under the bus, making him out to be the bad guy, but when it boils down to it, I didn’t want Aaron to blame anyone for this situation other than me. No matter that Griff stalked me, insinuated himself into my life on false pretenses, and then repetitively lied, the truth of the matter is the only reason he did it is because I’d fucked up long ago by choosing to commit my crimes.

Doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed at Griff.

Oh, I’m so very pissed.

I can’t stand being lied to, and he took it way too far by pretending to actually be interested in me on such a personal level. When I think about what we did in his kitchen last night, I’m absolutely horrified and ashamed because I fell for his line of bullshit so easily.

My mom took the news as I’d expected her to—with quiet grace and understanding. I wasn’t sure how Aaron would feel. He was far too young when I was sent to prison to understand. As he grew up, his earliest memories were of going to visit his mommy in prison. What we’ve had over these last six months… this is all new to him. A normal life is something we’ve had to take day by day, and it’s taken him time to get used to it.

And now… it’s all been shattered again.

“Aaron says he understands.” I take a sip of my tea, watching my mom over the rim of the cup. “But he’s ten years old. What can he really understand about this?”

“He’s a mature ten,” my mom replies.

“He’s going to hate me,” I grumble.

“Nonsense,” my mom growls. “He adores you. That child fully understands the mistakes you made and the reasons why you went to prison. He knows you’ve done nothing but protect him with your very life, and until this thing with that Russian man can get settled, he understands we have to go away to stay protected.”

My eyes water a bit, and the misery in my heart is so heavy right now I almost can’t breathe. My mom tilts her head, giving me a sympathetic smile. “I love you, Bebe. You’re the best daughter I could ever hope for, and you’re an amazing mom to Aaron. You keep your head up, okay?”

“Okay, Mom,” I murmur with a forced smile. “I’ll try.”

There’s a knock on the door and my head swings that way, wondering who it could be. I’m not alarmed it could be anyone nefarious as Kynan stationed two Jameson guys outside. Tomorrow, they’ll be escorting my mom and Aaron out to California where they’ll stay until Bogachev can be arrested. I’ll be moving into one of the vacant apartments at Jameson headquarters.

My mom pushes up from her chair before I can react, striding to the front door. After she looks through the top pane of glass, she immediately pulls the door open. From my angle, I can’t see who it is, but my body goes taut when I hear his voice.

“Hello, Gloria,” Griff says in a humble tone. “Is Bebe around so I can talk to her?”

My mom, traitor she is, gives Griff a welcoming smile. She wasn’t as bent out of shape about his perfidy as I’ve been when I told her the full story. She even understood him keeping his secrets until he couldn’t possibly because he was undercover. Of course, she has no idea just how close he and I had gotten last night, which is really where the source of all my anger stems from. He let us cross a line, and he shouldn’t have.

“Sure,” my mom answers graciously, motioning for Griff to come in. He’s got on his trademark biker, work-for-a Russian-mobster/cybercriminal outfit of faded jeans, long-sleeved dark Henley, and biker boots. His hair is loose around his shoulders.

I rise from the couch, balancing my cup of tea to face him. I don’t even have the energy to glare anymore. Kynan spent a great deal of time today at headquarters, talking me off the ledge. I wanted nothing to do with Griff after his big reveal, but it turns out I’m going to be working in close proximity with him to help the FBI take Bogachev down. Kynan did leave the choice up to me on whether I would accept the assignment. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but ultimately, I swallowed my pride and told him I’d do it. I wanted Bogachev behind bars because it meant I could return to a normal life and my mom and Aaron could come out of hiding. As it stands, I’m completely stoked to get started on bringing Bogachev down and getting Griff out of my life as quickly as possible.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. We’re set to meet tomorrow at Jameson according to Kynan, so I’m bewildered why he’d even bother to step foot here.