Shot in the Dark (Blackbridge Security #2) - Marie James Page 0,15
app that hides conversations so people can cheat on their spouses?”
“How would I know? I just created an account.”
“Just for me?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You created the account just so you can talk to me? I’m flattered.”
And there he goes again with that damn charm. Also, why is his damn voice so husky, his quick laugh so mesmerizing that I find myself making jokes just to hear it over and over again?
“Do you want my username or not?”
“Of course I do.”
I pause before handing over that information. It may not seem like a big deal to many but initiating something like this is very unusual for me. I don’t have social media, or many apps on my phone. Call me paranoid, but tracking happens everywhere, and that is never good for my business. Leaving footprints behind is a big no-no in my field, and I do everything in my power to protect client data.
W45PN357: TalkToMe app username is W45PN357-2
“There,” he says after he types out the message. “Now you can decide if you want to reach out to me. No pressure.”
But I feel pressure, low and deep in my gut, and not the kind that makes me want it to stop.
“Dash 2? Is the original Wasp Nest on the app?”
“Impossible,” he mutters, but at least this is a way to bring up something I’ve always wondered.
“Why did you choose that handle for Orc’s Realm?”
“I like it.”
Simple enough, but he probably doesn’t understand the ramifications of using the same username as one of the greatest hackers of our time.
“You know it’s the name for one of the greatest hackers of all time?”
“The greatest,” he clarifies. “Think he’ll be mad?”
“I think he has better things to do than search online for people using his name.”
“But he’d only have to set up a search program once to keep filtering through online data that tags any use.”
“Very true,” I agree. “I get the feeling you know a little more about computers than you initially let on.”
“I never said I didn’t know computers.”
“Yet you played Orc’s Realm like a guy who never touched a keyboard before.”
He laughs, causing cold chills to run down my arms. On a whim, I add him to my TalkToMe app and he accepts immediately.
“I explained that I online game, and Orc’s Realm is completely different. It just took some getting used to. Plus, YouTube is full of videos.”
A cat meme pops up on my phone screen in the app, but he doesn’t mention it. I chuckle at the image of the fat cat and send him back another already saved in my phone.
“Are we going to collect this chest tonight, or not?”
We play online for several more hours, and not once does he try to pressure me into meeting him again.
When I finally log off, I’m both relieved and disappointed.
Chapter 7
Wren
Today is the day.
I woke up feeling that in my bones this morning.
I’ve been asking Whitney to meet me for coffee each day for the last two weeks. She always says no, and I leave the subject alone for the rest of our interactions, but I can tell she’s starting to crumble.
The TalkToMe app was her suggestion when I asked for her phone number, and it’s been amazing. We don’t use actual words very often, instead showing each other our moods and senses of humor through videos, memes, and websites we find online.
I’m in my own head, floating on a freaking cloud as I climb on the elevator to head to work. Puff Daddy is being oddly quiet this morning, which I’m grateful for. There’s a very strict no animals allowed policy in this building. Of course Adrian knew I had Puff, but it’s no surprise that a hundred dollars a month kept his mouth shut. If upper management treated their people better, then they wouldn’t be so easily swayed to break the rules for renters. But Adrian is gone and I haven’t gotten the best read on the new girl at the desk. Best I can tell she’s more involved with herself than what’s going on around her. This helps me, but I know my luck will run out eventually.
I don’t even lift my head when the elevator stops before hitting the ground floor. Avoiding eye contact is a must around here. The last thing I want is some old lady knocking on my door asking to borrow sugar or something.
“Nice tits!”
My eyes dart to the carrier in my hand, but in my line of sight are a pair of legs in