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“Ma’am, your card was declined.”
“What?” I glance up in confusion. I carry no credit card debt, paying the balance each month when the bill comes.
“I’m so sorry. I ran it twice. Would you like to try another card?”
“Uh, yes, please.” I hand him my debit card.
“Everything okay?” Courtney asks.
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to call Amex when I get home. I don’t carry a balance; I always pay it every month.”
“And it was declined?”
“Yeah.” I frown, trying to imagine what might be going on.
“Well, I can certainly pay for tonight, and you can pay me back whenever.”
“Thanks.” I tap my foot impatiently, getting nervous when the waiter returns with a weird look on his face.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. This card was declined as well.”
“What?” I gape at him in confusion.
“Put it on mine,” Courtney says quickly, giving him her card again. “We’ll sort it out at home.”
“I don’t understand,” I protest, shaking my head. “I have plenty of money. We just got paid. I live well within my means.” Before anyone can say anything, I open my banking app and look at the balance.
Zero.
My account has zero fucking dollars.
Daniil pays us once a month, on the fifteenth, and after my health insurance contribution, the amount I put in my 401K, what he takes out that goes toward ownership of the business since I couldn’t give him a lump sum, and then the appropriate taxes and such, my paycheck is around ten thousand dollars. Rent and utilities come out to under three thousand, and my car note is only five hundred. Car insurance is minimal, and I don’t spend a lot for groceries because they feed us at the office at least three or four times a week, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
I always have money left over after I pay my bills, so this makes no sense at all.
I scroll the transactions and see two that make me blink. Both under ten thousand, so no red flags came up for the bank, but someone took my money in two installments. Transferred to a place I can’t trace on my phone.
But whoever it is, they just fucked with the wrong woman.
Because I will find and get my money back.
I wasn’t considered the best hacker in the world for nothing.
“Luna?” Courtney is watching me carefully.
“Someone took everything,” I say carefully.
“You were hacked?” Allora asks, wide-eyed.
“I was something,” I say. “But I’ll find out the details when I get home. They don’t know who they’re messing with.”
“I’ll let Daniil know,” Courtney says quickly. “He might be able to help.”
“Thank you for lending me the money,” I say, my tone laced with frustration.
“Not a problem.” Courtney stands up. “Let’s get out of here. I know you’re dying to get home to your laptop to figure out what’s going on.”
“You got that right,” I mumble.
