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lynn hesitated, waiting for Zali to add something more, but she’d already dismissed us. I wanted to shake her, to knock some sense into that stupidly brilliant head of hers. But she was as stubborn as she was beautiful and determined to ignore both of us.
Her words rattled around in my head, gaining speed. I was barely holding on. Everything was spiralling out of control, like the mine cart in anIndiana Jonesmovie. Any moment now, I was going to come off the tracks and go careening headfirst into a disaster of epic proportions. Maybe I already had.
Turns out, karma could be a bitch.
My chest was tight, my breathing choppy. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’d been out of control before, and look where it landed me—jail. But this? This far and away eclipsed that night of stupidity and irresponsibility.
I’d changed after that night, after the time I’d spent in hell, and I would never go back. Not now. Not ever.
Right now, I had to get out of here. I had to think, to figure out a way to extract myself from this fucking nightmare. I didn’t want a single part of whatever hornet’s nest she was disturbing with her digging. Zali could figure that shit out on her own.
Storming out of the office, I shouldered past Flynn and headed up to the main deck. The sooner I got off this yacht, the better. But I didn’t have a clue how to sail—can you even sail a boat without sails?—the boat we’d come here on. I paced, trying to calm my breathing.
Jesus, what had she done? As lead researcher, I was responsible. Any breaches of ethics or illegal acts my assistants undertook were on my back. How could I possibly justify this to the dean? Never mind worrying about losing my job for sleeping with my students. I could list off half a dozen laws that had been broken here. This was way beyond getting slapped on the wrist for breaching a condition of employment. This was illegal.
The sea breeze, the morning sun, and rippling of the current against the hull should have been calming, but all they did was serve as a reminder that I was trapped here until Flynn was ready to leave.
Flynn knew, he had to know, what she was. How could he be okay with Zali putting herself at risk like that? Did she have any idea of the kind of people she could encounter online? She’d said it herself that there were people—organizations—who shouldn’t be crossed. She wasn’t some white-coat hacker who helped people with their security systems and protecting their Wi-Fi passwords. She trespassed and stole data, and by the sounds of it, money too. Information like bank account numbers would go for a pretty penny on the dark web. Did she sell them? Is that how she’d made her fortune?
What the fuck had I gotten myself into?
Catching the feels was one thing. But falling for her could jeopardize everything I’d worked for.
I was screwed, so screwed.
Because it wasn’t just Zali I was falling for. It was her angelic boyfriend too.
With shaking hands, I googled Queen’s hacking exploits and groaned out loud. Fucking hell. She was infamous, pegged as being responsible for one high-profile attack after another. The one thing they all had in common, though, was that she left no trace. No one could definitively link anything back to Queen, but her calling card—cleaning her targets out of every cent—was everywhere.
“Fuck me,” I muttered. Now what the fuck was I going to do?
I dialled Ezra’s number. He was literally the only person on the planet that I could talk to about this. But did he know what Zali did outside of his work? Surely he wasn’t as naïve as me. Pacing, I waited, cursing when I was prompted to record a message.
“Call me back,” I snapped, my voice a low growl as I lashed out. He’d done this. He’d been the one to assign Zali to my class. Why hadn’t he let it go? I hung my head and blew out a breath, trying to keep my calm. I knew exactlywhy he’d had Zali sign up. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me who Queen is? What the fuck have you got me involved in?”
“Hang. Up. The. Phone,” Ryder snarled from behind me. I spun around to see Ryder with a smudge of flour on his cheekbone and standing with his hands, covered in the remnants of dough, balled into fists. His hazel eyes were a molten gold that looked as lethal as the vibes the man was exuding.
I ended the call and slipped the phone into my pocket. “She’s—”
“Zali, nothing.” His voice was like a whip crack, sharp and brooking no dissent. “You’d better think very carefully about what you’re doing right now. I threatened to break your nose. I told you Zali was the risk here, but I lied. I’ll fucking kill you if you hurt her.”
“She’s put everything on the line that I’ve worked for. She’s risking everything,” I bellowed.
His laugh was cold. “Really? Is that the lie you’re telling yourself?” Shaking his head, he added, “You smart dudes are too fucking dumb for your own good. Fucking a student is enough to get a teacher fired. Everyone knows that. Fucking two of them will make it indefensible. You think that Zali put you at risk? You’ve done a pretty good job of it yourself, professor.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “This is jail time we’re talking about.” My thumb hit my chest. “My fucking freedom. Time that I could spend behind bars. Again. Don’t you get it? She’s a fucking criminal. She’s going to get caught, and we’re all going down with her.”
I closed my eyes, my hands shaking, an equal mix of anger and terror coursing through my veins. I was back there. Back in that tiny concrete block cell.
Back sharing a cell with Jordan “Carnage” Rowe, the gang enforcer.
My breath caught. My heart raced.
Pain rolled through me, phantom memories that still haunted me.
I’d cowered in the corner like a scared little rabbit. It’s what he’d called me, taunted me with over and over.
