Thirst [All-American Vampires 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (4 page)

Mick continued. “They’re pretty good. At first I wasn’t even sure what was happening. I thought maybe it was some kind of glitch in the new system. There are always bugs that have to be worked out any time we install new software. But it’s a hacking attempt, all right. I finally figured it out. Once I knew what I was looking for, it was easy enough to find the trail. Looks like there have been several attempts in the last couple of months. And she tried again less than an hour ago. Luckily she’s not quite as good as she thinks she is.”

“She?” Hawk couldn’t conceal his surprise. Hackers were usually male.

“I was surprised, too, but we’ve got her on video. It’s definitely a woman.” Quinn nodded grimly.

“Show me.”

“All right.” Quinn moved away from his desk and let Mick sit at the keyboard. Hawk walked over so that he could clearly see the screen. A few quick keystrokes and Mick pointed. “See this?”

Hawk studied the files on the screen carefully before nodding. “What’s she after? Can you tell?”

“Not yet. She’s only just managed to get through the last of the firewalls and passwords. But she is definitely looking for something specific.”

“How did you figure out who it is?”

Hawk looked over at Quinn, who gestured at the screen.

“These computers are not hooked up to any external servers. It’s the only way to be sure that they’re secure. That’s why you have to switch to the other computer in here if you want to go online. It makes them hack proof from any external source. The only computers capable of accessing this information are the computers in the upper management offices and the tech department.”

Mick continued. “Yeah. All we had to do was narrow down which computer was being used out of a relatively small number. Then we simply located the right video feed, and there she was.”

The screen flickered, and an image of the computer tech room appeared. In a moment the camera focused on the figure of a slender female sitting before a computer screen on the far side of the room. Hawk was surprised at what he saw. There was something very fragile and feminine looking about the woman on the screen. Her pale hair was pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head, and she was dressed in a very plain, white shirt and black pants. While he looked at her, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder, almost as if she could sense their interest. Her face was fine boned and arresting, dominated by an oversized pair of black-rimmed glasses. The glasses made her look even smaller and more delicate.

As he continued to watch her, Hawk felt a low curl of desire stirring in his belly. He couldn’t believe it. He never had that kind of a reaction to a woman. What was it about this one that had him hardening with no more than a glance from those amazing eyes? Whatever it was, he had to get back on track. He couldn’t let this sudden attraction get in the way of his job. He tamped down his need and forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand.

Luckily, Quinn had turned to speak to his employee. “Thanks, Mick. You can go on back to work now. I’ll let you know if I need to speak to you about this again. And keep this under wraps, okay?”

“No problem, boss. Sorry I didn’t catch this earlier.”

Quinn shook Mick’s hand and escorted him to the door. “It’s not your fault. I’m just glad you found her for me. I owe you one.”

After the door had closed behind the computer expert, Quinn returned to his seat.

“I need your help on this, Hawk.”

“Whatever you need, Quinn. You know that.”

“With Ty gone on his honeymoon right now, I’m pressed for time. And on top of that, I’ve been invited to Chicago to meet with the Council of Nine.”

Hawk had a feeling he knew what that was about. “I’d heard that Eva Turlington was leaving the council and that they were interviewing prospective replacements. Looks like you’re on the short list.”

Quinn smiled. “She’s served her twenty years and is heading to Seattle, so this year is her last year. I guess they’re looking for new blood.”

Vampires had to move every twenty years or so to avoid drawing attention to the fact that they didn’t age as normal humans did. Most vampires had three or four homes scattered throughout the world, and they alternated their time between them.

“Are you going to accept if they offer it to you?” He was curious. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing Quinn would enjoy, but one could never tell.

“Honestly, I have no idea. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to go and talk to them, right?”

“Damn straight.” He considered the idea for a moment. “Truth is, we could use someone on the Council with some balls. They’ve gotten a little ineffectual over the past few decades.”

“I know. That’s the only reason I’m even considering the idea. Anyway, I have the hacker’s file here. Her name is Claire Landry.” He handed Hawk a folder. “This is the information we got from the background check and her application, employee evaluations, that kind of thing.”

“I’m assuming there was nothing suspicious in the background check?”

Quinn shook his head. “No. But we don’t go real deep with that, you know? Just the basics. She worked as a computer programmer at an up-and-coming firm in Atlanta. She was twenty-seven years old when she was turned, a little less than a year ago, and lived in a suburb of Atlanta called Glen Acres with her sister. Apparently the sister is eight or nine years younger and is in her second year of college. Georgia Tech, I think. There’s no other family. The parents died in a car crash when Claire was twenty-two. She was just out of college and had started a brand-new job when she had to take on the responsibility of her younger sister.”

“That’s tough.” Hawk opened the file and looked over her employment application. There was an attached picture, and he studied the face carefully, looking for any signs that might indicate that she was involved in some kind of criminal activity, like hard eyes or a deceitful mouth. But there was nothing. She was as fresh faced and innocent looking as she’d appeared on the computer screen. And again he felt that unwanted tug of attraction. She might look innocent, but looks could be deceiving.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow night for Chicago. I need you to question her for me. Find out what she’s after. If she’s working for Simone, I need to know it. Simone’s still out there, and God only knows what she’ll try now that we messed up her plans to sell bloodslaves on the Gulf Coast.”

Hawk considered what his friend was asking him. He hoped like hell there was some simple explanation for the hack attempt. He had a feeling, though, that this was something more. Maybe it was his Cherokee blood, but he trusted his instincts a hell of a lot more than he trusted technology. Right now, they were telling him that the shit was about to hit the fan. And if it was related to Simone, things could get bad. Really bad, really fast.

“All right.”

“I knew I could count on you. That takes a load off my mind. I’d almost decided to postpone the trip to Chicago, but I really didn’t think that would go over too well with the Council members.”

“No. Probably not. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” He relaxed back in his seat. “So where’s that AB negative you promised me?”

Quinn crossed over to the minifridge and took out a bottle of Hawk’s favorite rare blood type. After he twisted off the top, he grabbed a couple of glasses and poured them each a glass, adding a splash of bourbon to his own. He handed Hawk a glass and raised his own in a toast. “To good friends.”

“Good friends.”

They both took a drink.

“Any ideas on how you’re going to handle this?”

Hawk took a sip of the rare blood, pausing to appreciate its smooth flavor. “I’d like to run a more in-depth background check on her before I do anything else. I think I can wait a few days before I have to make a move. The more information I have when I finally do talk to her, the better chance I have at getting at the truth. Looks like she still doesn’t have whatever it is that she’s after, so she won’t be going anywhere. Not yet, anyway.”

Quinn nodded his agreement. “That’s fine, as long as she doesn’t get suspicious and take off. Just keep me informed.”

“I will. I’ll keep her under surveillance, just in case.” He studied the liquid in his glass before taking another drink. “And if I find out she is working for Simone? What then?”

“We turn the tables and use her to find out whatever she knows.”

Hawk’s eyes narrowed as he downed the rest of his drink and held out his glass for more of the expensive blood. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Claire scrutinized the screen in front of her. It had been three days since her last attempt at getting to the files she needed. She knew it was too soon to try again, but she was running out of time. She had finally discovered the files she had been looking for. Now if she could only find the information she knew was there, she could get out of town before anyone had any reason to suspect what she had been up to. Eagerly, her gaze searched the screen. There. That could be it. She moved the mouse to click on the file.

“Miss Landry? Would you please come with me?”

No. No. No. Not now. Not when she was so close.

She closed the screen out. Releasing the mouse, she took a deep breath and sat back.
Think, Claire, think.
She’d always known there was the possibility of getting caught, and she had a plan. She just had to stick to it.

“What? I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

A man’s large hand came down on her shoulder. “Yes, ma’am. I need you to shut down the computer and follow me, please.”

“But why? I’m right in the middle of something. If you could just give me a few more minutes—”

“No, ma’am. I’m sorry. You need to come now.” He took hold of her arm and began pulling her to her feet.

She pulled away from him. “All right. All right, I’m coming. That’s not necessary.”

He raised his hand and stepped back.

Hastily, she reached out to turn the computer off. Then she rose and met the eyes of the huge man standing behind her. She didn’t recognize him but figured he must be one of the casino’s security personnel. Not bothering to waste any explanations on someone who was obviously just sent to detain her, she nodded. When he indicated that she should precede him out of the room, she started forward, flinching slightly as his hand reached out to take her elbow in a firm grasp. It wasn’t painful, but it was obvious he had no intention of letting her get away.

Avoiding the curious gazes of the other tech workers, she allowed herself to be led down the hallway and over to the employee elevator. When her silent escort pushed the button for the fourth floor, she knew she’d have to do some fast talking to get herself out of trouble. Fourth floor meant management. Upper management. She bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth as she considered her alternatives. She’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, so to speak, so denying she’d been looking through secure files was pointless. She
could
just be honest. Lay all her cards on the table and hope that they would understand her situation. But she’d considered that from the beginning and decided against it. They might be willing to help her. But what if they didn’t believe her? Or refused to help?

No. No, she’d stick with her original plan as long as possible. If that didn’t work, she might have to tell them everything. But not yet. She couldn’t take the risk that they would send her away. That wasn’t an acceptable option. Not until she had the information that she needed. This whole situation was just so far outside her comfort zone that she didn’t know what her best options were. She just had to go with her gut.

The elevator doors slid open and her guard stepped out, pulling her with him. She stumbled slightly, and he tightened his grip until she caught her balance. “Thanks,” she whispered.

He didn’t reply, simply proceeded to an open door on the right side of the hallway. He escorted her inside and then left, shutting the door behind her. She looked around, taking in the long table and chairs. Obviously this was some kind of conference room. Thinking the room was empty, she took a tentative step forward when a deep voice to her left made her nerves jump.

“Miss Landry. Take a seat, please.”

She spun around and spotted the man standing off to one side in a darkened corner of the room, his features concealed in shadow.

“Who are you?” She hated the slight tremble in her voice.

“I’m a private investigator. My name is John Blackhawk. Quinton Buchanan has asked me to look into a pretty serious matter for him involving some irregularities with some private computer files. I’m afraid I’m going to need to ask you a few questions. Hopefully this will all be resolved very quickly and you will be able to get back to work.”

He stepped forward, and her heartbeat quickened as she recognized him. She had seen him around the casino a few times with the Buchanans and had caught herself watching him on more than one occasion. He always moved with a predatory grace that put her in mind of a panther stalking its prey, and his black eyes missed nothing. She had asked Leanne who he was. The knowledge had not been comforting. His reputation as a hard-ass that one absolutely did not want to cross was well known, according to Leanne, who had also informed Claire with a whisper and raised eyebrow that Hawk was the man Quinn went to when he needed a problem
taken care of
. It had given her a moment’s pause. She had almost decided to give up on her current plan and go straight to the Buchanans for help, not wanting to risk a confrontation with someone so intimidating. Luckily for Claire, Hawk had not been around the casino much since she had been hired, so she had put him out of her mind and carried on with her original plan.

Claire studied his face now, still half-concealed in shadow, looking for any hint of softness she might be able to use to her advantage, but she saw none. He had the strong, proud features of his Native American ancestors, his face a study of planes and angles. Blade-sharp cheekbones and a proud nose were offset by a wide, sensuous mouth. Dark brows arched above eyes that appeared black, though she knew they must just be very dark brown, and his hair had been pulled back from his face in a ponytail that fell halfway down his back. From one ear dangled a small chunk of turquoise set in silver. His shoulders were broad, barely contained by the expensive suit jacket he wore, and his waist was narrow. His wrist beneath the cuff of his sleeve was encircled by a delicate band of copper wires that should have looked effeminate but didn’t. Despite the seriousness of the situation she now found herself in, she couldn’t quite contain a shiver of feminine awareness as their gazes met and she became the focus of undivided attention.