The Darkness Beyond Part 6

But he had an odd expression on his face.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just curious. You didn't mention having any plans last night, but I tried calling you and got no answer."

She so didn't want to go there, but neither did she want to lie to her friend. "I went out for ice cream."

"Darn, you should've called. I would've kept you company."

She froze, caught between the need to get the Paladin report out of sight and keeping it low key while dealing with Cody's jealousy. Finally, she settled for first picking up the stack of papers and stas.h.i.+ng them in a nearby drawer as if they were no big deal.

"Thanks for picking these up for me. I knocked them off the counter when I went to answer the door. Did you want some cereal before we leave or wait and get something at Sat.u.r.day's Market? They're bound to have something good."

Her attempt to distract Cody failed miserably.

"D.J. came back last night, didn't he?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared down the hall, toward her bedroom. "Is he still here?"

Okay, the accusation in his voice had her feeling defensive. "Yes, D.J. did come back. Yes, we ate ice cream. No, he's not still here. But even if he was, none of this is your business, Cody."

Cody took a step back but then held his ground. "Aw, come on, Reggie, I know that. There's just something about that guy that seemed off, different somehow. What do you really know about him, anyway?"

She couldn't fault the kid's instincts. There was definitely something different about D.J.-particularly his effect on her. There was no way she was going to discuss that with Cody. He was already upset about D.J.'s return visit.

"As I told you, the two of us met online. D.J.'s plans changed unexpectedly, and he had to leave town today. Last night was our only chance to get together."

That much was true and seemed to satisfy Cody. It certainly didn't satisfy her, but at least one of them was happy about it. Cody's good mood would last right up until he learned he'd been in the presence of the Knightwalker without knowing it. He might not forgive her for that little omission.

Time to change the subject. She dug her canvas grocery bags out of the cabinet. "Let's get a move on. It's a beautiful day. I've got a cla.s.s this afternoon, so I want to spend some time out in the sun while I've got the chance."

Cody looked marginally happier. "Okay. I'll skip the cereal and settle for a fruit smoothie and an elephant ear at the market then."

She gave him a mock frown as she thought about the delicious combination of fried dough, cinnamon, and sugar. "Only if you'll share it with me. I love those things."

He grinned. "Not a chance. You'll have to buy one of your own."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's going to have trouble fitting into her jeans if she keeps eating all these sweets."

Cody snickered. "I'd say I like your jeans tight, but I've been afraid of you since you flattened Big Ed the other day. Anyone ever tell you that you've got one heck of a temper?"

"Yes, they have." She punched him lightly on the arm. "You'd best not forget it either. Now let's. .h.i.t the farmers' market before all the good stuff is gone."

They raced down the stairs. She still hadn't decided what to do about the e-mail or about turning in D.J. when she saw her boss on Monday. For right now, though, she was going to enjoy her day off.

Chapter 6.

D.J. slouched down farther in his seat as Reggie and Cody came out of her building. Didn't she have anything better to do than hang around with that scrawny punk? Evidently not. At least if she was running around with Cody, that probably meant she didn't have a boyfriend in her life at the moment. Maybe other guys felt differently, but if D.J. had a woman like Reggie to call his own, he'd be the one hanging out with her.

But irritating as it was to see her take off with the kid, her absence offered him the perfect opportunity to do a little snooping. She'd never forgive him if she ever found out that he'd riffled through her personal belongings. Luckily, he had a light touch when it came to breaking and entering. She'd never know he'd been there. From what he knew of her, she'd have heavy-duty security protocols in place on her computer, but her apartment, not so much.

When she and Cody turned the corner, he waited another couple of minutes to make sure they weren't coming back before getting out of his truck. He crept up the steps, listening carefully to avoid being caught by her neighbors. He'd palmed the key that Cody had returned to Reggie last night, just in case.

What he was about to do was illegal as h.e.l.l, but he wasn't worried about that. He was far more concerned about Reggie finding out. Reggie would kill him or at least give it her best shot.

The lock opened with a soft click, and D.J. eased through the door. At least she didn't have a dog to raise h.e.l.l when a stranger came inside. He put the key back on the counter, tucking it under the edge of a plant where she should find it easily enough. Hopefully, she hadn't missed it already.

He looked around the small apartment. Where to start? The computer sat on a small desk in the corner of the living room. Most of the desktop was cluttered with toys ranging from cartoon characters to action figures, not to mention a nice selection of squeeze toys designed to relieve tension. He grinned. At least half matched the ones in his own collection.

He'd save her laptop for last because he could always hack into it from the outside. This might be his only chance to learn what he could from the nest Reggie had built for herself.

The kitchen revealed little that he didn't already know. Her taste in dishes was pragmatic, not fancy. She'd spent her money where it counted-good-quality cookware and high-end knives. Evidently a fondness for steel that would hold a sharp edge was something else they had in common.

The small living room was furnished with comfort in mind. The television wasn't as big as his, but her film collection was sizable, mostly science fiction and fantasy movies, but with a stash of chick flicks tucked away on the bottom shelf.

He moved down the hall, his steps slowing to a stop just short of the threshold to her bedroom. No, he wouldn't cross that line. She'd probably understand why he'd mess with her computer, especially considering that that was what she'd been doing to him. But there was no way she'd forgive him for venturing into her most private s.p.a.ce.

If he was ever to spend time in Reggie's bedroom, it was going to be by invitation. So, okay, fat chance of that happening, but a man could always dream . . . and imagine. Yeah, he could just see the two of them picking up where they'd left off the night before, lips locked, legs entangled and burning up the sheets, her eyes huge as he took her for the first time. And the second.

Oh, h.e.l.l, no. Was that a piece of black lace lying on the floor just inside the door? His unruly mind instantly pictured all too clearly what it would be like to peel lacy panties down Reggie's shapely legs with his teeth.

Mayday! Mayday! Sensory overload! He reluctantly retreated back toward the living room before his resolve weakened. It was bad enough that his imagination was running full throttle all on its own. There was no use in revving his engines with actual images from her bedroom.

It took him several more seconds to regain control of his motor functions. Once he managed to tear his attention away from that tempting sc.r.a.p of fabric, he went back to study the living room again, looking for anything he might have missed, something to focus on that wouldn't send him into a complete meltdown. Nope, nothing stood out. He settled for checking out her computer.

Nothing like besting the woman at her own game. He grinned, happy to let his sneaky fingers dance across her keyboard. It didn't surprise him that she'd reinforced her firewalls and changed her pa.s.swords.

D.J. checked his watch. It was definitely time for him to be making himself scarce; any more exploring would have to wait.

As D.J. was about to log off, the phone rang, startling him. He stopped to listen, his curiosity getting the better of him. After three rings, the answering machine picked up. Her voice echoed in the small apartment.

"This is Reggie. Leave a message or don't. Your choice."

He grinned at her s.p.u.n.k. His smile faded when a male voice started speaking.

"Reg, I don't mean to be a pest, but our client is wanting a status report on the Knightwalker case. Can you give me an update on where we are? And don't take this to mean I want you to work all weekend . . . well, unless you want to. Let me know and I'll put you on the clock. Talk to you soon."

What the f.u.c.k?

D.J. reached out to hit the Replay b.u.t.ton.

Big surprise, the message didn't change the second time around. She'd been chasing him because she was being paid to? He stared out the window, his fists clenched, the disappointment tasting bitter.

A game of hide-and-seek was one thing. That was half the fun of being a first-rate hacker. He liked the way her mind worked and the challenge she presented. It stung to find out that all he'd been was a means to a paycheck, maybe even some overtime. d.a.m.n, that kiss had felt like so much more than that.

No use beating himself up over the situation. She wasn't the first woman to lie to him and wouldn't be the last. He'd risk a quick search of her flash drive stash before making himself scarce.

Luck was with him. The second one he tried had the Paladin file on it. Stealing it wouldn't change a thing. She'd found her way in once; she could do it again. At least this way he'd know for sure what she'd seen and how badly the organization's security had been breached.

As he waited for the computer to shut down, he took one last look around to ensure that he hadn't left any signs of his visit. Yeah, she'd wonder when she discovered the missing flash drive, but that wasn't actual proof. Since she'd never let him out of her sight the night before, she couldn't exactly point a finger in his direction.

On the way out, closing the door felt so d.a.m.n final. This wasn't the first time he'd walked out of her apartment, saying he'd never return. The difference was, this time he meant it.

One of Reggie's shopping bags slumped over on the counter, sending apples rolling all over the place. With a couple of quick moves, she managed to gather them up before they could fall off the edge. When she snagged the last one before it b.u.mped into the African violet on the far end of the counter, she noticed a small gleam peeking out from under the plant.

Her spare key. How did that get there?

Oh, yeah, she'd loaned it to Cody when he left to pick up dinner the night before. Odd that he'd put it there. He knew where she normally kept it. Of course, nothing was exactly normal last night. Not with two men giving each other the evil eye over spring rolls and rice. She would've been flattered, but it was more of a p.i.s.sing match between two males trying to stake out territory than anything to do with her. Poor Cody hadn't stood a chance against D. J. Clayborne.

Darn it, she did not need to be thinking about D.J., not now. It was bad enough that she kept smelling a lingering trace of his aftershave hanging in the air, no doubt thanks to her overactive, overheated imagination. Rather than think about it, she concentrated on putting away the rest of the produce she'd bought at Sat.u.r.day's Market.

Looking at the clock, she had just enough time to eat a quick lunch and pack up her gear for her afternoon martial arts cla.s.s. Nothing like pounding a few cla.s.smates into the mats to relieve stress. Of course, sometimes she was the one to get tossed around like a rag doll, but that worked, too.

She waited for her homemade soup to reheat and checked her e-mail. While the computer booted up, she looked over at the answering machine. Odd. It showed one old message. She could've sworn she'd deleted the last one after listening to it. She punched the Replay b.u.t.ton.

Her boss's voice filled the room. His message unraveled her nerves. As soon as he finished talking, she hit the Erase b.u.t.ton and shoved the small frisson of fear down deep where it wouldn't interfere with her thought processes.

Think, Reggie, think.

Only three people had been in her apartment in the past twenty-four hours, and just two that morning-herself and Cody. She certainly hadn't heard the message before though. Besides, she'd been at the market when Mr. DeLuca had called if the time stamp was accurate. That meant Cody wasn't the culprit either. He'd been with her when the call had come in.

That left one obvious choice. She sniffed the air again, even more convinced that she could detect a certain hacker's aftershave. The pieces started falling into place, convincing her without a doubt that she was right. The key where it didn't belong. The aftershave. The message. She did a quick sweep through the rest of her apartment. If D.J. had rooted through her personal stuff, she'd kill him. The man would be on the floor, bruised and bleeding.

The air in the bathroom held just the barest suggestion of his scent. It was stronger in the hallway, as if he'd stood there longer, but the scent stopped just short of her bedroom door. There was no indication that the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had invaded her most private s.p.a.ce. Smart of him. That little bit of restraint might have saved him some serious pain.

She hurried back to her computer desk. Her toy collection looked undisturbed, and nothing else appeared out of place. That just meant he'd been careful. It didn't take her long to determine that no one had breached her security measures, at least not yet. That didn't mean he hadn't tried though. What had he been looking for? After all, he'd already found her.

There was only one thing it could be. She yanked open the desk drawer and cursed. Just as she'd feared: the big jerk had taken the flash drive with the Paladin file on it. But being right didn't equal being relieved. Why bother stealing the file at all? He knew she could follow that trail again. Besides, she still had the hard copy. Didn't she?

A quick look in the kitchen drawer answered that. In fact, the report would make the perfect lunchtime entertainment. She poured her soup into a bowl, broke off a chunk of bread she'd brought home from the market, and settled in to read. When she was done, maybe it would be time to answer that mysterious e-mail offering to answer any questions she had about the Paladins.

Sunday morning dawned gray and drizzling. It suited D.J.'s mood. He'd spent the rest of Sat.u.r.day on a pointless drive out to the Oregon Coast. No sooner had he gotten there than he'd given in to the compulsion to head right back to Portland.

He'd driven past Reggie's apartment, circling the block twice before returning to his hotel for what was left of the night. Now, after sleeping for only a handful of hours, he was pacing the floor. Maybe he should pack up the truck and go home. He'd be back in Seattle well before noon, giving Devlin plenty of time to work up a good head of steam once D.J. told him what he'd been up to.

Yeah, nothing like having a major b.u.t.t kicking to look forward to. He sipped the coffee room service had delivered. It was the perfect jolt to get him moving. He did one last pa.s.s through the nondescript hotel room to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind. He'd disappear from Reggie's life just as quickly as he had appeared.

Just in case, he'd do one more drive-by . . . although he had no idea what he expected to get out of it. Well, other than the possibility of one last glimpse of Reggie herself. He wanted to cement her image in his head-that kissable mouth, those sharp features, and that even sharper brain.

G.o.d, he was an idiot. The woman was little better than a bounty hunter, willing to work for anyone who could afford her services. She might tell herself she was on the side of justice, but that didn't make her any less a hacker at heart.

What really p.i.s.sed him off most was the memory of how she'd tasted, and how perfect she'd felt in his arms. Was that part of her job description, too? Did she get bonus money for getting up close and personal when she encountered her victim in reality?

No. There'd been too much surprise and wonder in her kiss for that to be her regular process. Besides, she'd had no idea that he'd been coming for her.

He'd made his point, and she'd made hers. When he got back to Seattle, he'd enlist Cullen's help in finding out who'd sicced her on D.J. in the first place. Not that it mattered. He had no doubt they'd be able to fix that little problem, one way or the other.

That just left the Regents and Reggie's incursion into their server. If their IT guys found it, they'd be all over her. That wasn't going to happen, not if he could help it. If anyone was going to be all over her, it was going to be him.

Oh, yeah, he'd definitely be down with that.

Feeling better than he had all morning, he picked up his bags and walked out the door.

Reggie circled the block a second time, slowing to observe the people already seated under the awning at the small outdoor cafe. Despite the early hour and the intermittent rain, the place was already busy. She was supposed to recognize her mysterious date by the bright green cap he'd be wearing and the magazine he'd be reading. No sign of him yet.

She shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, taking comfort from the small stun gun she carried on one side and the pepper spray on the other. Meeting a total stranger for coffee might not be the dumbest thing she'd ever done, but she'd come prepared for the worst. She'd even taken the precaution of not driving herself, taking the Max instead. After the meeting was over, she'd hitch a ride on a different line of the light rail and then take a cab back to her apartment.

She'd also taken the precaution of sending Cody an e-mail on a time delay, one that she could cancel once she got home. In it, she'd told him what she was doing and that something must have gone wrong if he'd received her message. She'd debated long and hard about what specific instructions to give him next. Her first thought was to have him call their boss, but she'd learned over the years to trust her instincts. For some reason, she was convinced that D.J. was the better choice, so she'd sent Cody his cell phone number instead. He was to tell D.J. two words: Paladins and Regents. She was sure he'd know what to do from there.

G.o.d, maybe she should just give up and head back home right now. No harm, no foul. But tomorrow she'd have to face her boss, and she had just this one chance to learn more about this secret Regents organization before making her decision about the infamous Knightwalker. She could only hope that curiosity wouldn't kill the cat in this particular case.

How mad was D.J. now that he knew she was a gun for hire? Granted, he would've found out eventually. It went with the territory. She had no reason to feel guilty, but she did. There was more to the man than just a hacker out for fun. Hence the appointment she'd made for coffee and information.

She approached the open air cafe cautiously and took a seat near the exit. The place was gratifyingly crowded. Not much could go wrong in public. Crossing her fingers she was right about that, she placed her order and sat back to wait.

Thirty minutes later she gave up on her mysterious date and left the cafe. Obviously she wasn't the only one having second thoughts. She'd go home, cancel the e-mail to Cody, and settle in to watch a movie over a big bowl of b.u.t.tery popcorn. Something sad so her tears had a better reason to fall than missing a man she'd only met twice.

Down the street, a panel truck abruptly pulled out of an alley, blocking the sidewalk as it waited to move out into traffic. Inconsiderate jerk! She circled behind it rather than step off the curb onto the edge of the busy street. But just as she stepped behind the truck, she realized her mistake.

Two men were waiting for her. Even with her extensive training, her reflexes were too slow. She'd barely gotten her hand on the grip of the stun gun when the man closest to her had her by the arm and was dragging her into the back of the truck. He slapped his meaty hand over her mouth with a noxious-smelling rag, which muted her attempts to scream and filled her lungs with a chemical that was making it hard to stay focused.

Inside the van, his accomplice slammed the doors closed and then quickly shoved a needle into her vein. It hurt like h.e.l.l and scared her spitless. With her pulse outracing a jackrabbit, whatever had been in the syringe stole her strength first and her consciousness second. Fear mixed with darkness and her new, terrifying reality disappeared.

"What the h.e.l.l?"

Cody read Reggie's e-mail again. Then he rubbed his eyes and tried once more. Nothing changed except the sick feeling in his stomach that intensified with each reading. If this was a joke, he wasn't laughing.

He hit Reply and sent her a succinct "WTF?" message. While he waited for her to respond, he punched her number on speed dial, first trying her cell phone and then her home number. No answer on either of them, so he left messages and hung up to see if he heard back from her.

While he waited, he paced the short distance from one side of his studio apartment to the other. With his long legs, it only took him five steps in each direction. Not nearly enough s.p.a.ce to walk off his increasing fear for Reggie.

What was she up to that she'd felt it necessary to take such a precaution? As far as he knew, he was her closest friend. If there'd been any problems on the home front, he would've known, which meant this had to be something to do with work.

The only hot case she was currently working on was the Knightwalker. If she'd found him wouldn't she have said something? A victory of that magnitude would've been a major accomplishment for anyone in their business, giving her bragging rights for years to come. For sure, if he'd been the one to track the b.a.s.t.a.r.d down, he would've been shouting the news from the rooftops.

On the other hand, they did all their hunting by computer. There was no need to meet anyone in person. If there were special circ.u.mstances that required face-to-face contact with clients, Mr. DeLuca handled it. Another option eliminated. If this had to do with the Knightwalker, it was the man himself who was the real threat to Reggie.

Had she tripped some kind of alarm, alerting the guy to her interest in his affairs? Despite the hacker's near celebrity status, Reggie was smart enough not to meet with the guy. Not without backup. He popped the top on a cola and grabbed a handful of tortilla chips, fueling his body with junk food to keep his energy level high.

Was there someone who had it in for her? One answer jumped out at him. Big Ed had resented Reggie even before that latest incident. Cody was willing to bet that the jerk really hated her now that the boss had backed her play when she'd knocked Ed on his a.s.s for getting handsy.

Would Ed have made a grab for her? Not openly. The big slob was all bl.u.s.ter and no b.a.l.l.s. He could've tricked her somehow though. But how and why? All of this was getting Cody nowhere. If Reggie really was in danger, the clock was ticking.

He checked his e-mail one more time. Nothing. The phone also remained ominously silent. What could be wrong enough for her to want him to contact D.J. for help but not the authorities? It made no sense. He reached for the phone. It was time to alert D.J. to the problem although Cody didn't want to.