Page 30 of Fox in Plain Sight

“I was never a hacker! And you have no right to question me. You’re the one who’s got something to hide, not I.” She motioned to the gun he was still pointing at her head. “You’re the one with the gun, remember?”

“And that is exactly the reason why you should be answering my questions truthfully and not dishing up any more lies. I’m growing impatient, Michelle, and you know what happens when I get impatient?”

She stared at him quizzically.

“My hand starts to tremble. It’s a little tick, you know.”

“You wouldn’t.”

He shook his head. Michelle had courage, the kind of courage that could get her killed one day. “Don’t test me. Tell me the truth, Michelle, or would you rather I guessed what you’re up to?”

“Be my guest!”

“Well, then.” He loosened his hold on her by a bit while he lowered the barrel to her neck. “You were a hacker associated with Anonymous. You got caught at some point, hacking into some government agency or another. You’re talented. So talented in fact that they made you an offer: to work for them. How am I doing so far?”

She pressed her lips together.

“Good. I’m on the right track then. Shall I continue, or would you rather take over and tell me the rest?”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

He slammed his fist into the tree trunk next to her head. She flinched.

“Goddamn it, Michelle, I swear I’m going to strangle you if don’t drop your stubbornness and tell me what I want to know. Don’t you get it? This is not a game. Lives are at stake here.” He moved in, bringing his face to hover only inches from hers. “Were you the one to set up the meet?”

She shook her head, trembling now. “I was told to record whoever was showing up here.” Tears brimmed at her eyes. “I didn’t know it was going to be you.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, Michelle was talking. Softening his voice, he asked, “The person you work for, who is he with? CIA? NSA?”

She gave a helpless shrug. “I don’t know.”

Nick growled. “Michelle.”

“I swear I don’t know.” She sucked in a breath. “I don’t know who he is. He contacts me and tells me what to do. I have no choice.”

He studied her face for a moment, wheels clicking into place now. “His offer to work for him wasn’t really an offer, was it?”

Silently, she shook her head and dropped her lids.

“Is that why you’re getting a fake passport made?”

Her head shot up and she pinned him with her eyes. “How do you know that?”

“The flash drive on your key ring. You had image files and information on it that pointed to it.”

She braced her hands at her hips, suddenly furious. “You took my memory stick? That’s private property. You had no right!”

He shrugged. Private property rights weren’t really his concern right now. He had bigger fish to fry. “Should have encrypted it.”

“There’s no need to encrypt it! It never leaves my sight.”

He pasted a grin on his face. “It did when you took a shower.”

“You, you…” Her hands came up as if she wanted to hit him, but he stopped her by pressing the gun harder against her neck.

Her eyes darted to it. “Don’t you think that’s a little overkill right now? You’ve assured yourself already that I’m not armed. Or do you use that gun as an extension of your dick?”

He chuckled involuntarily. He couldn’t really blame her for being angry; neither could he take that kind of insult lying down. “My dick needs no extension, as you well know.”