My place. 8:00. We’ll order dinner. Then we can do it all over again this weekend.
Everything was going perfectly.
I was one step closer to being on the inside. To having the access I needed.
I thought about the hacker who was now trying to hack me.
About Charlotte.
About what she would do without me, if it ever came to that.
The thought made my blood run cold.
I tapped out my response.
Can’t wait. See you then.
I needed to stay on top of this.
There was too much at stake.
The most important thing being my freedom.
I returned to my desk after lunch, thinking about Mason. About how I was going to play this now that things were moving faster.
I sat down in my chair, reached for my mouse, and—
My hand hovered over an object that hadn’t been there when I had gone to lunch.
I picked it up, holding it carefully in my palm.
The small yellow smiley face pin was cool in my hand.
I turned to Carl and held out the pin. “Is this yours?” I asked him. Carl, looking startled at my talking to him, glanced down at the yellow button and shook his head.
“It’s not mine.” He sounded defensive. As if I was accusing him of something.
“Okay, no biggie,” I said, turning away from him, a bit bewildered.
I stared down at the smiley face for a little longer, wondering about it.
Then I shrugged and tossed it in the garbage.
Chapter 13
Hannah
Why was picking out a suitable outfit so difficult? Maybe because my clothing choices were woefully insufficient.
I grumbled as I pawed through boring shirts and even more boring skirts. Nothing was right.
How did one dress when playing spy? Should I wear all black and a balaclava? I could tell Mason I was into role-playing.
I rolled my eyes and kept searching through my dismal outfits.
I was almost relieved when my phone rang. It gave me an excuse to stop obsessing about wardrobe options. But when I glanced at the screen I saw a number I didn’t recognize. I thought about ignoring it. I didn’t have time for phone calls. I had to get ready to go to Mason’s.
But curiosity had me answering it.
