Completely sated—for now at least—I hop out of his truck, my converse thudding against the parking lot pavement with a small thud. Before closing the door, I do up my jacket and take a look back at my beach knight. He’s practically on the verge of passing out, barely able to swing his head to the side and give me a smile. Blowing him a kiss, the door slams closed, locking him in his bliss.
Yeah, he’s going to be stuck like that for a while.
I mean, my code name was Temptress, after all.
Chapter Five
Kade
I’m the only one home today for once, although I've spent the majority of it held up in the computer room. Most of my time is spent like this, staring at the screens and searching through countless video feeds and image stills, watching for her. The man power they must possess to be able to take her without a trace. To wipe her off the grid and keep her hidden all these years…
I’ve always had a knack for computers, starting way back in middle school when learning them became part of the curriculum. It just wasn’t until after she had been taken, that I threw myself into the technology. Addy always did encourage me to pursue it as a profession, knowing how much I loved learning the inner workings of coding and hacking.
“Follow yourheart, Kade. We’ll always be right behind you,”she would say whenever the conflict would arise in my head.
I never honestly thought I would be able to take this route, to turn what I enjoyed doing into a way of earning money. Computer technology was so new and unknown, and my parents were trying to guide me into something they deemed to be more stable. I figured I’d end up in some I.T. department, stuck in a cubicle asking if they tried turning it off and then on again.
That morning when we saw her empty house, saw the state of the main floor and felt the stillness in the air. That’s when my future was solidified. I knew right then that I would do whatever it took to find her, to bring her back. I would search through every state, every country, every continent until I knew where she had gone. I would follow my dreams forher,expanding my knowledge and skills forher.Everything would always befor her.
Addison Grant was—nois—a true angel, sent down from whatever holy plane to keep us all moving forward. Never in the years I’ve known her had I ever heard her be cruel just for the sake of entertainment. And even when she was angry or feeling vindictive, it was always with a valid reason behind it. Addy and her family cared for everyone. Always trying to lift people’s spirits and making sure the community was taken care of. She’s truly one of a kind.
From the very first moment I figured out how to work my dick, I knew it was because of her. Even back then I knew the only thing I wanted was Addison in my arms. After being around her all the time for so many years, no one would ever come close to comparing. All these years later, all this time that has passed, she’s still the only one for me.
Something deep inside has been telling me that she’s not gone. She’s out there, alive, waiting to be found and brought home. I’m in love with that girl, and I vowed to never stop looking for her. Not until there is a death certificate on my lap and a body in front of me, will any other female cross my mind.
Ugh, the thought of that notion still gives me unpleasant shivers.
I’ve totally lost track of the day, and when my phone chimes alerting me, it’s three in the afternoon. It’s my night to figure out dinner and so reluctantly, I close out all of my programs and make my way upstairs.
Just like the last… however many days, I’ve made no progress on the Bear front. No new leads, no new sightings, not even a whisper as to where she could be. The last real piece of information we followed was nearly three years ago, when a gas station camera caught whatcouldhave been her in the back of an SUV in Idaho. The image was too blurry to confirm or deny that it was indeed her, but we still tried. I followed the route of the vehicle the best I could, but after thirty miles it turned onto a backroad and I lost sight. Satellite images showed there was nothing down the road they went. No houses, no buildings, just a dead end and just like that, she was gone again.
All these years of no progress has combined and I’m in a downer mood. Not to mention, I have a headache that could put Superman on his ass for a day. I didn’t sleep last night, running a new algorithm I created in hopes to filter out facial recognition by specific features instead of a whole face. By seven this morning, I’d gone through 85% of our video footage with no luck, and by that time there was no point in going to bed. I simply switched over to my business files and got straight to work for the day.
I work for a company called Fyresafe as their lead hacker. My job is to break into the confidential computer systems of companies that hire us and figure out how to make their protection software better. Today I had four divisions of a company to try and get into, and sadly it didn’t take long. I won’t deny I’m really good at my job, but seriously, the cyber security on these big businesses is dreadful.
Hitting the kitchen, my lack of enthusiasm could inevitably be seen from China, and I opt for not cooking. Various take out menus line the fridge with a vibrant colored pizza place catching my eye.Sounds good to me.With a quick call, dinner will be delivered in a couple of hours, right around the time the rest of my brothers get home. Just as I hang up, shoving my cell phone into my pocket, the door lock clicks and the front door swings open. In walks a dejected Max, his shoulders slumped, and a frown painted across his face. He’s staring at the floor, looking even sadder than I feel.
“Hey Bro, you okay?” I ask, catching him by surprise when he stops short and gasps.
“Oh sweet Jesus! Warn a brother!” His hand flies to his chest, covering his rapidly beating heart while breathing deep to control it. “I’m too young for a damn heart attack, Kade! Stop trying to make it happen.”
“Oh, give it a rest. As if that was my intention. Now, are you going to answer me?”
“Fuck, no, I’m not okay,” he huffs out, heading to the living room couch and planting himself on it. “Not only is it well… that time of year…” he trails off, leaving the sentence hanging. I nod in understanding, though I don’t say anything else. “But my mind is all messed up, or some shit,” he finishes with a grunt. His head falls back, lying against the top of the couch as his arm moves to cover his eyes.
“What are you talking about?!”
“I had a meeting with a client today at that little cafe just off of Atlantic. He had a customization request, which by the way, the guys a fricken lunatic! Like, go figure I find the one guy who expects me to put a damn hot—”
Seriously, again? What’s with him and the nonsense.
“Max! Get to the point,” I cut him off. My arms cross over my chest as I lean against the armchair to his right.
“Right, okay so… After my meeting, I was leaving and a huge crowd had gathered outside the main door. I was trying to get back to my car, but I was shoved and my papers went flying everywhere. People were stepping on them and they were getting covered in sand, I had to chase one and it brought me to the front of the group. There was two dudes, big, burly guys beati—”
“Max!” I shout, my eyes closing and my hand pinches the bridge of my nose.Fuck, remind me never to ask him for a recap. This is not helping my headache.
“I’m getting there! Hold your damn horses! Anyway… as I was saying, there were two guys going at it and when I looked up at the other side of the crowd, I could have sworn I saw her.”
