The Hacker

KAIA

“Let me go. Right. ~Now~!”

I pounded on Aleksandr’s chest, squirming in his grip, all too conscious of my bare lower half. His arms were wrapped around my thighs, so he had to know. But he didn’t seem bothered.

He marched down the hallway, heading for the stairs that led to his bedroom. He held me as if I were weightless, and when I glanced his way, I found him eyeing my lips. He didn’t even try to hide it. Instead, his gaze grew hotter.

“Calm down, kotik,” he whispered in my ear, and my body was all too willing to comply.

“Boss.”

We both spun around at the sound of Niko’s voice as he entered through the front door.

“We have a problem,” Niko said, his voice tight. “We need to go.”

I felt Aleksandr’s chest sink as he sighed, and I refused to believe that the twinge in my chest was ~disappointment~. I should be thrilled that Aleksandr had to leave. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I were in the same bed as him. But I was certain that was his plan—to torment me.

He might claim he didn’t want to sleep with me, but his eyes and body language told a different story. I couldn’t deny that I wanted him. But maybe, I could break him too. Shatter the iron control he maintained whenever we were together.

Aleksandr gently lowered my legs to the floor before cupping my chin in his large hand, his dark eyes boring into mine.

“Go to bed, kotik,” he commanded. “~My~ bed. If you’re not there when I return, I’ll come find you and put you there.”

Without another word, he turned and left, following Niko down the short hallway to the door.

I glared at his retreating figure, wondering if any woman had ever dared to hit the pakhan. Then I decided I still needed that chamomile tea to unwind because he’d only wound me up more. Once they were out of sight, I changed course and headed back to the kitchen. That’s when I noticed another hallway to my left.

I looked around to make sure I was truly alone, then tiptoed down the hallway until I reached a pair of massive double doors. One of the doors was slightly ajar.

Aleksandr’s office.

It had to be.

He must have been in here just before he came into the kitchen and forgot to lock it before he left.

I grinned.

Lucky me.

I pushed the door open and slipped inside, closing it quietly behind me. Not that there was anyone around to hear.

I took a sharp breath in. The entire room smelled like him. He could make a fortune if he bottled this scent.

I crossed the large abstract rug, brushed past two leather chairs, and slid behind the sleek wooden desk that looked handcarved. I settled into the plush chocolate brown leather chair behind it.

I sighed as I sank into its softness, the chair dwarfing me. I imagined Aleksandr sitting here, running his empire, issuing orders in that deep, husky voice of his, and felt goosebumps rise on my skin.

Rolling my eyes at my silly thoughts, I leaned onto the desk and tapped the mouse to wake up his computer. The screen displayed a simple abstract background. Boring.

A small window popped up, asking for a password. I bit my lip. ~Damn~. I had software on my laptop and even on my phone that could help me crack it. But those were long gone now. Probably destroyed by Aleksandr’s men when they torched Cristo’s estate.

But I wasn’t discouraged. I was a smart girl.

I started opening drawers, hoping for a clue to his password. The office was devoid of personal items. No photos. No books. Just simple gold and brown stationery and a few folders. The man was as enigmatic as the sphinx.

I continued my search, trying to disturb his things as little as possible, until I reached the last drawer. Inside was a wooden box about the size of a shoebox. I pulled it out, placed it on the desk, and flipped the lid open.

A gasp escaped my lips as I sprang to my feet. There it was, my familiar blue iPhone with the shooting star case, casually resting atop a stack of papers. At last! I snatched it up in a hurry, my thumb instinctively pressing the power button. My heart plummeted when the screen remained lifeless. A large diagonal crack marred the screen, but otherwise, the phone seemed unscathed. It must have slipped from my pocket during Niko’s ambush.

~Come on, Kaia. Think.~

Aleksandr owned an iPhone and an iPad. They appeared to be the latest models, so he must have a charger somewhere in this room.

My search was brief. I found a charger tucked beneath the folders on his desk. I plugged it into the nearest outlet and sat, waiting for the moment I could power it up. At last, I was on the brink of finding my answers.

ALEKSANDR

“Damn. I forgot to lock the office,” I grumbled, running a hand over my jaw in frustration.

I had no doubt that my little kitten would seize the first opportunity to snoop around. It was in her nature, and until I could uncover her secrets, I couldn’t trust her.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Feliks. He was the only one I trusted to be alone with Kaia in the house, and he lived nearby, like my most trusted men.

“Boss,” Feliks’s raspy voice echoed through the line, clearly roused from sleep by my call.

“I just left with Niko. I need you to go into the house and lock my office.”

A chuckle resonated from the other end of the line. I typically had no need to lock my office. There was nothing of value in there unless you could crack my computer.

“Ah, your little hacker,” he sounded fully awake now. “I’m on it.”

“Spasibo,” I said.

My “thank you” was terse.

Niko shot me a grin from the rearview mirror.

“I’ll bet you a grand Feliks finds her in your office.”

I was not amused.

There was a box containing a few of Kaia’s belongings, including her cell phone. I didn’t want her to discover it or know that I’d had it all along while I was still trying to figure her out.

“You better hope not,” I muttered, gazing out the window. “For her sake.”

Run, kitten.