“God damn it, Delia. My name is not C.J.,
it’s
Chase Donovan just like I told you. And I’m not some seventeen-year-old child. I’m a twenty-four-year-old undercover cop.”
Delia’s eyes bulged. She looked around the room carefully for the first time. She didn’t know much about police procedure, but the room looked exactly like she imagined a police stake-out would look. Surveillance equipment sat in the corner complete with a TV monitor that gave them a view of the front door.
A flood of conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. She was relieved that she wasn’t actually a pedophile. She was elated that Chase wasn’t a criminal and that her feelings for him weren’t inappropriate. They were completely appropriate since they were practically the same age. But she was livid at the thought that he had let her believe he was a teenager for three months. He’d lied to her this entire time. He’d put her through hell. On top of that she now felt like a complete idiot for not realizing the truth on her own.
Of all the emotions, anger won. She lunged for him and started pounding him in the back. “You
lying
little punk! You put me through hell! I thought I would end up in jail for you. How could you do this to me? You let me think I was some sort of pedophile attracted to murderous teenagers.”
Principal Howard grabbed Delia’s arms and easily restrained her. “I will never forgive you!” Delia continued yelling as Principal Howard chuckled and tossed her into a chair.
“You’ve got a live one. I hope she’s worth it,” he said
“She is,” Chase groaned.
“We didn’t mean to lie to you,” Principal Howard began to explain over a cup of coffee in the kitchen area of the suite. “We just really didn’t want to break our cover. Chase and I have been on this case for two years. When I found out that you were the one he met on the cruise, I almost made him quit.”
Delia looked over the counter and caught a glimpse of Chase’s shaggy hair. She tried her best to see him as a twenty-four-year old instead of a seventeen-year-old. She couldn’t. She had thoroughly convinced herself that he was underage and untouchable. It was practically impossible to see him as anything else.
In an instant, he was once again the same Chase she had met on the cruise. But it would take some time before she would let herself believe it. Before she would let her heart flutter at the thought of his touch or his kiss. Who knew how long it would be before she would be able to share a guilt-free kiss with him.
After twenty minutes, Chase had finally been able to return to an upright position. He sat on the floor with his elbows on his knees and his head bowed into his hands.
“I’m so sorry, Chase.”
Chase grunted something to the effect of wanting to puke or die or both then went back to concentrating on his recovery.
“So, Principal Howard, are you really his Uncle?”
“Yeah, and Felicia is really my mother. That much is true. And please call me Sam or Sammy.”
“Sorry, Sam.
So where are you on the case? Do you know who’s responsible for Promise Stone?”
“We’re really close. We were planning on catching one of the higher ups in this stakeout tonight, but Locke’s presence probably scared him off.”
“I’m sorry. Was that my fault?”
“No, it’s not your fault. In fact, you’ve helped us a lot in this investigation. We had no idea Locke was involved until you started fooling around on his computer. How were you able to break so many access codes?”
Delia shrugged and blushed. She was never good at accepting compliments. “Locke is not too imaginative actually. It wasn’t that hard.”
“Captain Howard,” the EMT interrupted, “I think I need to take this woman to the hospital. I don’t like how her pulse rate is dropping.”
Delia looked at her sister who hadn’t moved the entire time she was there. She had put her in that position. “I’m going with her,” she said, hopping out of her seat.
“Actually, we kind of need you somewhere else. I’ll go with Donna Lee to the hospital and make sure she’s all right.”
Moments later, she watched as the emergency medical technicians carried her sister out on a stretcher.
“I’ll call you with regular updates,” Sam assured Delia. “Chase,” he called before he walked out of the room as he looked at his nephew. The simple tone of his voice seemed to include orders and a caution.
Chase looked up and said, “Yeah, I got it.” With what looked like great effort, he rose to his feet. Delia wanted to give him a hand, but she was afraid to touch him again. Afraid that after the beating she gave him earlier, her touch might not be received too well. “Delia, you’re with me.”
Back at the school, they sat in front of Locke’s computer. “We need you to get into the system again and find out what client was expected at the Willard Hotel tonight.” Those were the first words he’d said to her since they left the hotel room. They drove in a painful silence, each not knowing who should take the first step to break the barrier that had developed between them.
Delia typed in Locke’s password,
Donna Lee
, and began navigating her way through his files. “I was in the system earlier, but I didn’t learn anything new about Promise Stone. I just figured out how you were able to cheat in my class.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that.
I had to keep my cover.”
“Sorry? You’re sorry?” She refused to look at him anymore.
“Delia, it was all part of the program. I spent over a year and half trying to build up my reputation as intelligent, yet volatile and ready to take risks. Finally, I got a phone call from someone named Al asking me to join them. I switched into Saxon Arms and started doing what I had to do to make Al happy. Three months later, I still have no idea who Al is. I get a call each day from a disembodied, digitized voice named all telling me what needs to be done and I do it. Sometimes Ian relays the messages to me. He’s been in the program longer. That’s who called that day when we were in Annapolis.”
Chase paused and breathed deeply, probably remembering how close they had come to showing their love to one another that night. Delia closed her eyes trying to block out the flood of desire that crept into her from the mere thought of it.
“Anyway, I had to play the game if I wanted to find out who was behind everything. I didn’t mean to lie to you. And I certainly didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She chose to ignore his pleas for forgiveness and said, “The system only gave you my tests and quizzes. How were you able to make A’s on everything?” She still refused to look into his eyes.
“I was a math major in college before I entered the police academy.”
“Really?”
Impressed with this piece of information, she looked at him then quickly turned away.
***
“Yeah, your tests were pretty easy actually.” He smiled then reached out to caress her face then gently turned her face toward his. He searched those delicate green eyes she tried to hide from him. He had seen her nearly every day for the past three months, but it wasn’t the same. She didn’t look at him the way she had on the cruise. She couldn’t. Why couldn’t she see him as a man, a man she could love instead of a child or a possible criminal? He had missed staring into her emerald eyes like this. He wanted to kiss her, but then he remembered he was still on the job. He had a case to solve. “We better get back to work.”
“Right, back to work.” Delia continued to stare forward and fumble with the keys of the computer. “Anyway, like I was saying when I was on here earlier, I didn’t find anything about Promise Stone, except this icon.” Delia enlarged the icon for Chase to see. He leaned in and studied it more closely.
“That’s their trademark ring. They give it to all their elite customers. It gives them unlimited … privileges to the Promise Stone services.”
“You mean sex.”
Chase nodded.
“Jason has a ring like that.”
He didn’t respond. He knew that had to be a painful fact for her and he wasn’t quite sure how to alleviate her pain short of collecting her in his arms and holding her. That wasn’t possible at that point in time seeing as they had work to do. He wanted to make sure that the next time he touched
her,
he was able to finish what he started.
“I was never enough for him.” He couldn’t resist any longer and reached out to stroke her hair. He didn’t know how anyone could treat someone as beautiful, smart, and sensitive as Delia the way Jason had. He would never do anything to hurt her. But there would be time to reassure her later. Right now, he had to focus.
He quickly retracted his hand and said, “Um, the rings cost a one-time fee of six hundred thousand dollars and allows the user unlimited sex with any of the girls in the program. Each ring is custom made. Can you enlarge that a bit more?” Chase studied the details. “This appears to be Locke’s personal ring. You see how it’s engraved there.” He pointed to the screen.
“How could he afford six hundred thousand dollars?”
Chase shrugged. It didn’t make any sense. If he could afford to spend six hundred thousand dollars on sex, why was he working as a high school computer technician?
“Wait a minute,” Delia said, “what if they gave him some sort of discount or something for the work he does for them? Maybe he’s their little technology guru.”
“Right, he’s the one that gets them into the computer systems of the different schools and runs the cheating network in exchange for elite status in the program. We need to get in and find out who he’s working for.”
Delia was less concerned about who was running the program than who was responsible for Lena’s death. She wanted to know what client had requested Lena that night.
“About getting in the application, there’s a problem.”
“What?” Chase asked anxiously. After two years, he wanted to solve the mystery tonight if possible. “What’s the problem?”
“I can’t get in it.”
“Why not?”
“I tried earlier. This is not a simple text based password that I can just guess. The password changes continuously and without the ‘key’ or ‘token’ I’ll never get in.”
“There’s
gotta
be a way, Delia. Think.”
She closed her eyes and rubbed the side of her head. It was impossible.
“Come on Delia, you’re the smartest person I know. I believe in you. You can do this.”
Delia opened her eyes and stared at Chase in what seemed to be a confused manner. He didn’t understand the look she gave him. Did she really not know how smart she was? Had no one ever told her?
Delia jumped out of her seat. She turned the computer around and started disconnecting cables.
“What are you doing? What’s going on?”
“Hold this,” she said with a focus he didn’t recognize as she handed him a bundle of cords and wires. Then she picked up the CPU and said, “We’re going to my place.”