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“Well, I felt it. You’re sending sketchy vibes my way.”
Kelsie giggled while Jo rolled her eyes. Curly scratched his chin, seeming unsure how to deal with this sassy group of women. “You ladies mind giving me five minutes of your time?”
“I suppose we can fit you in,” Harper said with a laugh.
“Give me strength,” Curly muttered, which set all the women off laughing and high-fiving. Kelsie even got in on the action when Liv held a fist out for her to bump like the men always did.
“All right, all right. Let’s get serious.” Brooke straightened and patted Curly on his arm. “Not sure who’s gonna blow a gasket first, Curly or Ty.”
Kelsie risked a peek at Ty, and, yeah, he looked seconds from losing his cool. Despite the ferocious expression of frustration, he held her hand with a gentleness she’d expected and appreciated from him. More than appreciate, she’d come to crave his touch in a way she’d feared her trauma had stolen from her.
Whatever plan they’d concocted, it was clear Ty didn’t approve, which probably meant it involved her in a way he’d been hoping to avoid. For the past few months, hell, years, she’d played a passive role in her own life, hiding out, fearing so many things, and merely existing. Ty had given her a gift. He’d boosted her confidence. Being with him had shown her she could trust again and that she had the strength and courage to conquer her fears.
It was time to start taking an active role in her destiny. She straightened her shoulders and spoke with a clear, assertive tone. “So, what’s the plan?” Her insides weren’t convinced she could handle what they threw her way, but she’d make sure no one saw her trepidation. This club had given her a second chance at life, and she wouldn’t squander it hiding in the shadows.
Curly looked her straight in the eye. “We need you to go to your father’s house.”
Her jaw dropped as she stiffened. “I…” She blinked. Those were the last words she’d expected to hear from him. “I’m sorry… what?”
Ty’s grip nearly crushed her hand. “Stupid fucking idea,” he muttered.
Now his ire made sense.
“Curly…” Brooke’s tone was full of uncertainty.
“I know,” Curly said before she could finish. He held up a hand. “It’s not what anyone wants. I get that. I understand you never wanted or expected to go back, but we have a solid plan we think is the best way to take them down.”
“Okay, lay it out for me.” She fiddled with her lower lip, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger as she listened to the proposal.
“Law enforcement can’t help us here.” Spec took over. Liv sat perched on his lap, glancing between Kelsie and her man with worried eyes. “Your father will buy them off or use his multimillion-dollar lawyers to crush any lawsuit we might bring. And that’s if we even have any legal recourse. All they’ve done so far is float the idea of stealing real estate out from under Ty.”
“They’re too smart to put themselves in legal jeopardy,” Jo said from her seat on Tracker’s lap.
“Exactly.” Spec pointed at her. “They’re also connected to some very powerful people in the business world. The kind of people who will leave your father and Lorenzo destitute if they abandon them.”
Kelsie frowned. “Yeah, but those are their legitimate business dealings. My father has committed every white-collar crime in the book, but only against those they consider lesser than. They aren’t going to screw over someone they need to elevate their positions in society.”
“No,” Spec said. “They aren’t.” His lips twisted in a grin, sending a cold trickle down Kelsie’s spine. “But that’s where we come in. We’ve got a buddy in another MC. His name’s Acer. He’s a scary, good hacker. With a few clicks of his keyboard, he can topple your father’s entire empire. He can make it look like he’s embezzling from some very powerful clients—men just as formidable as he is.”
She tilted her head. “The kind of men who’d have no qualms about taking my father down.”
“Exactly.”
The pieces were falling into place, but one major detail remained. “So why do I need to go to my father’s house?”
She hadn’t thought it possible, but Ty became even more stone-like beside her. His silence wasn’t the type that made him inconspicuous. It screamed louder than if he’d been ranting and raving his hatred. Kelsie tried to reassure him with a squeeze of his hand, but he remained still as a statue, glowering at Spec.
Curly took over again. “Acer is sending us a flash drive with a virus that will give him access to everything on your father’s company’s network. I don’t fully understand the behind-the-scenes workings, but the virus needs to be manually uploaded onto a computer connected to his business network.”
“His home office computer,” Kelsie said with a nod. Made sense. Her father had been working from home every day since being under house arrest. The pretend punishment hadn’t stopped him from running his empire and expanding his wealth.
“Yes,” Curly said as he finally sat. “I know this is a lot to process. You can take some time to decide if—”
She straightened. “I’ll do it.”
Beside her, Ty stared at the ceiling with a jaw like granite. Volatile tension rolled off him in thick waves. If this went on much longer, he’d likely cause an earthquake with the force of his fury.
The need to ease Ty’s worry shot to the top of her priority list. None of this mattered if she couldn’t get him on board. She’d be a wreck, stressing about him and his reaction the entire time she was supposed to focus on accessing her father’s computer. There had to be a way to get him on board. Convincing him of her safety and security, both physical and mental, seemed the only way.
