Obsession (10 page)

At the sound of her online name, Jessica nearly choked on a sip of water. The bottle shook in her trembling hands. “You bastard. You accessed my online computer gaming records. You have no right!”

“I have every right. It’s my job.” He gave her a level look. “I am in charge of security for the ranch, and I check out all visitors to the main house.”

Nervous tension coursed through her. Raphael must not find out what she planned.
Act casual.

Jessica capped the water. She peered out the French windows at the lanai, wishing she didn’t have to use J.J.’s internet connection. “Don’t you have something better to do than bother me?”

“Yes. I have a meeting soon. But first I will get you that laptop. Would you like to go with me? It’s at my house.”

Driving to his house with Raphael, the big, bad wolf? “Uh, no thanks. I have some unpacking to do, and I want to spend time with Alexa.”

Amusement danced in his dark eyes, as if he guessed she didn’t want to be alone with him. “Very well. I’ll get the laptop and have one of the ranch hands drop it off for you.” He unzipped a pocket in the computer case and handed her a slip of paper. “You’ll need this password for the wifi. The wireless network we use in the main house is called HOME1.”

Picking up the computer case, he walked off. Jessica returned to her bedroom, placed the paper on the desk and hugged herself.

Dear goddess, that Lupine was intense.

Jessica went into the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face. Then she went to find Alexa.

Her friend was in the living room, reading to Daniel. Both looked up.

“So, what are your plans for today?” Jessica jammed her hands into her jeans pockets, gave a friendly smile.

“Mom and I are taking the kids shopping soon. Dad and J.J. are going to inspect the rodeo grounds. Want to come with us?” Alexa asked.

“How long will you be gone?” Jessica sighed. “I have to get some work done while I’m here. Maybe I should do it today, get it over with so you and I can spend time together.”

“We’re leaving in about 30 minutes. Should be back around 4. Are you sure? J.J. and Dad are at the rodeo grounds all day and you’ll be all alone. Even Jane is going over there to supervise the temporary kitchen they’re setting up.”

Perfect. Couldn’t have asked for better timing. Jessica gave another exaggerated sigh. “No, it’s okay. I’ll get lots of work done, and I can even squeeze in some reading time.”

She plopped on the couch, watching Alexa read to Daniel. Longing tugged at her. Alexa seemed so happy and content. Why couldn’t she have the same?

You need to find out who you are before you can really find out what you want.

“Alexa, mind giving me a tour of the house? It’s so pretty.”

Alexa handed the book to Daniel. “Sure. Here, honey, read over the passage I just read to you and we’ll be right back.”

As they walked through the house, Jessica noted all the security cameras. She pointed to one in the upstairs hallway.

“Looks like a nice system. Digital? Wired into the main computer?”

Alexa shook her head. “J.J. set it up so it’s wireless and can be accessed through any laptop or our cell phones to see the footage.”

Even better.

At the last door on the left, her friend hesitated. “This is J.J.’s office. He probably won’t mind if you take a look, but let’s make it quick. He has a lot of stuff in here.”

“I’ve never seen a billionaire’s office before.” Jessica hooked her arm through Alexa’s. “I bet he has a very sophisticated computer.”

As they walked inside, Jessica was impressed at the sleek, polished look of the alpha’s furniture, and mostly, his very expensive and sophisticated computer. She took a quick, but thorough tour, pretending to admire J.J.’s book collection while searching for hidden cameras.

Ah, there. So small, hidden between two thick leather volumes. Picking up a leather book on tax law, she thumbed through it, replaced it, obscuring the camera’s view.

She found another camera on the room’s opposite side on a shelf. Jessica blocked it with the statue of a small, gray wolf she pretended to admire.

Then they returned downstairs, where Alexa’s mother and the children had gathered in the living room, all chattering and excited about the shopping outing.

Jessica told them to have fun. Then she went to her room, setting up her notebooks on the desk to look as if she really was doing research.

Then she went into the living room to wait for Raphael’s delivery boy. The cowhand brought the laptop a few minutes later, knocking on the door. She thanked him and unzipped the case and whistled.

Very sleek. And nice.

She set up the laptop in her room, alongside the notebooks. She powered up Raphael’s loaner laptop and logged into the house’s wifi, using the password Raphael had provided.

Jessica accessed the security cameras.

Cakewalk.

Using a special software program, she hacked into the system, creating a simple program that would show the old footage on a loop, and then logged out and erased evidence she’d ever accessed the wifi.

Jessica grinned and flexed her fingers. Time now for the real fun.

She changed into a comfortable dark blue T shirt and a pair of faded jeans, and walked upstairs in her socks into J.J.’s office. In order to hear anyone coming up the stairs, she left the door open. Sitting at his desk, she glanced around the desktop. A framed photo of a smiling J.J., hugging a laughing Alexa, sat on the desk near the computer screen. Jessica quickly glanced away. Why did it hurt so much to see her friend happy? Jessica was very glad for her friend, but envious.

Why couldn’t she find the same kind of happiness?

Screw it. She had a job to do. She pulled on a pair of latex gloves and powered up the PC.

Jessica removed a portable hard drive containing a special software program she’d written to hack into systems. She waggled her fingers.

“Time to go to work.”

Soon, she cracked J.J.’s password. Then there was another layer of security. This one was tougher.

Jessica hacked past it, like a mason chipping away at a brick wall. Finally she got into the system. She scrolled through the files.

There!

Lupine Genealogy Database. It had a wolf’s head icon and a warning sign.

Jessica clicked onto the icon, and a window popped up, asking for a password.

Using her program, she accessed the password.

But instead of a database, a large wolf’s head appeared. The wolf growled.

Hmmm. Maybe another firewall?

Leaning back in the leather chair, she analyzed the wolf’s head. This was a database containing private information on Lupines, so it might have magick overtones. Excitement filled her. Could be fun. She’d never came across such a challenge.

For several minutes, she studied the icon, her mind zipping through possibilities. As she went to click onto the wolf icon, every instinct in her body urged her to look up.

Hair on her nape saluted the air. Gooseflesh sprung out on her bare arms. Something was in the room with her.

Jessica tore her gaze away from J.J.’s computer screen.

A large gray timber wolf stood in the doorway, alpha markings on his muzzle.

Caught.

Chapter 7

So quiet. Stealthy. She had not heard the wolf enter.

The wolf did not growl, but regarded her. Then he loped over to the desk.

Fear curdled in her stomach. She recognized the scent. Raphael.

She pushed away from the desk, reached over to tap the keys and close down the program, but the wolf was quicker. He blocked her access and bared his teeth. Grinding her molars, Jessica rolled away from the desk and removed the gloves, stuffing them into her jeans pocket.

The wolf paced after her until the chair was a good distance from the computer. Jessica spread out her arms.

“What do you want?”

He shifted back. Oh good goddess, Raphael was naked. She caught a glimpse of well-formed, long legs, strongly muscled and covered with dark hair, and kept her gaze glued to the floor.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a deep voice, more menacing because it was quiet.

Quiet, like his wolf. Deadly, like the wolf.

“Put on some clothing and I may tell you.”

Another glimpse and those long legs were covered in denim. Jessica looked up into his cold, dark eyes.

“What are you doing here in J.J.’s private office, on his computer?’

Jessica’s heart dropped to her stomach. “Just checking things out. I like to see what kind of system his business has.”

“Liar. You’ve been hacking into his private files.”

Panic tightened her chest. “No, I haven’t!”

He stood behind her, hovering like a wolf about to devour prey. “It’s no use denying it, little Red. That’s J.J.’s personal computer and it’s password protected.”

“Really? Maybe I got the password from Alexa.”

“His mate does not have access to that computer. Only J.J. and I do.” He traced a finger down the back of her head and she shivered. “You used it to hack into the system.”

Jessica lifted her shoulders. Maybe she could get away with this.

“Someone hacked into your system? That’s terrible. Do you have a good firewall? Maybe you should let me inspect your system. I could help.”

Raphael laughed. It was a sound laced with confidence, like an amused wolf listening to a rabbit reason why the wolf shouldn’t eat her.

“I don’t think so. You also hacked into the security cameras, looping the footage so no one could see you.”

Rounding the chair, he stood before her and gave a little smile. “But you didn’t know I installed another camera in here on a separate circuit. It’s digital, accessed by my cell phone.”

His smile widened as he pointed to the framed photo of Alexa and J.J. “Pinhole camera, part of the frame’s décor. One of the mating gifts I gave to J.J. and Alexa, to guard their privacy.”

She’d totally ignored the photo because it served as another reminder of the happy couple. Ruminating over excuses, she opted for evasion.

“So I used J.J.’s computer. That doesn’t mean anything.”

He grabbed a chair and sat at the computer, punching keys and examining the files. “I have remote access to J.J.’s system and the moment you powered it up, I was watching every move you made.”

Jessica groaned. She was good. Very good and that wasn’t bragging, just a fact, but in this case, she slipped up in her desperation.

And under estimated Raphael.

Raphael turned the chair around and straddled it, his muscled arms resting on the back. The tight gray T-shirt molded to his strong chest and thick biceps. She could almost salivate over how sexy he looked, if not for the fury simmering in his dark eyes.

“Your malware has a very specific code structure. Your programming code is excellent, but you screwed up using J.J.’s computer instead of remotely accessing it through the laptop. Why did you use his computer?” he asked.

She shrugged. “It was here and no one else was.”

“You are very good.” He kept watching her face. “But I’m much better.”

She blinked. “You’re good for a guy who works with cows all day long.”

“Ranching isn’t our main source of income. Tell me, Jessica Tyrell, why are you here?”

“I’m visiting my friend.”

“And that’s why you launched a cyber-attack of J.J.’s system?

She shrugged.

“What are you looking for and why did you try to hack into the Lupine alpha database of genealogy?”

Damn. She hadn’t even had time to leave a back door for later access.

Silence was a good defense. Raphael stared at her. No reason to share any information. The wolf was protective of his pack and his alpha. She looked away.

The scrape of the chair against the hardwood. Then a firm hand was on her chin, turning her face toward Raphael’s. The contact sizzled between them, making her shiver. His gaze glittered, hot and fierce.

“Do not lie to me, Jessica. I will have the truth.”

As he released her chin, she decided on a partial truth. “I’m searching for my family.”

“You have a family in Michigan.”

“My real family. My birth family.”

Raphael rested his hands on the armrests, caging her with his body. “And why can’t you do this at your home with your own alpha?”

Jessica squirmed at the closeness. She could smell his citrus scent, count every hair on his beard. His mouth was full, and uncompromising. “I don’t want to hurt my foster monster’s feelings. She won’t understand.”

His look said he didn’t buy what she peddled. “And J.J., as an alpha, has access to records you need.”

“Okay, okay, fine. Yes, you’re right. I need privacy, AND access to those records.”

Those long fingers drummed against the armchair. Raphael stood back and she breathed easier. Sweat trickled down her back.