Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(25)
Aster rolled her shoulders back. “Sorry. Roger’s friend, he’s a hacker. Or was one. Got arrested in college and then got scooped up to work for the FBI. But he’s a good guy.”
Holly made a sound in the back of her throat that said otherwise. “He was a black-hat hacker wrapped up in the dark web, and we know what goes on there.”
Aster’s eyes narrowed on Holly. “He was there trying to help people. People like us.”
“That’s what he says. And given who his father is…” Holly argued.
A muscle fluttered in Aster’s cheek. “Don’t,” she clipped. “Don’t be like the rest of the narrow-minded assholes in this town.”
There was a story here—one that ran deep. But the anger that flashed in Aster’s eyes told me it was a tender one, and now wasn’t the time.
Holly’s jaw tightened, molars grinding together. “You’re right. I shouldn’t.” She turned to me. “But you should still be cautious. I don’t want you getting wrapped up in something illegal.”
Nerves flitted through my belly. But what other choice did I have? The legal avenues of investigation weren’t exactly on my side. “I’d still like his help.”
Holly’s lips flattened into a hard line.
“You look like you sucked on a lemon, Holls,” Cora chided.
The expression only deepened.
Cora laughed. “Come on. Dex is a good guy. And you know it.”
It was my turn to stiffen. “Did you say Dex? Glasses? The guy whose hotness is only matched by his grumpiness?”
Aster looked confused. “He does wear glasses, and he’s definitely hot. But the only asshole in that family is Maverick.” Her mouth tightened on the name, and I realized her earlier tension wasn’t at the mention of Dex but Maverick, who had to be his brother.
But I was still stuck on one thing. The black-hat hacker whose help I desperately needed? He was my hot, unhinged neighbor who hated me.
Great. Just great.
10
DEX
The sound of tires on gravel had me looking up from my desk. I couldn’t help the pull of my attention, the need to get a look and find out just a little more about my neighbor. I didn’t want to even think about how much time I’d spent scrolling her photos.
Or the number of times I’d replayed our encounter at the Boot. God, she was pure fire. A hellion, honestly. The truth was, I was worried she’d become an addiction. But I hadn’t given in to the urge to dig deeper. I hadn’t run a background check or looked into her financials or personal communications. It would’ve been so easy. But wrong. And risky.
Still, I let myself take the look I wanted now. Turning around, I watched out the cabin’s front windows as she let the beast dog and her son out of the SUV. The little boy practically leapt from the vehicle, making the dog bark and the woman laugh.
Brae.
Making Brae laugh. I had her first name. And her last. I could plug them into a simple search engine and—nope. No. No. No.
Brae’s head lifted as though she sensed someone watching her. Long, blond hair caught on the breeze as she glanced around, her focus landing on my cabin. There was no way she could see me, given how we were both angled, but I swore she looked right at me.
She tugged a plump, berry-pink lip between her teeth and took a step toward my cabin before stopping. She shook her head, talking to herself as she did, then turned around and headed toward her own cabin.
Disappointment flared. And why the hell was that? I didn’t need to get mixed up with a neighbor, in any way, shape, or form. They were too close. Had the potential to see too much. And I had more important things to focus on.
But I couldn’t help but wonder why she’d been tempted to walk my way. Another verbal sparring session? Did she need something? It wasn’t like people borrowed a cup of sugar these days. Maybe she needed someone to let her wild beast out while she was at work.
My phone dinged, making me realize I’d been staring at the place where Brae had been, even though she was gone.
“Get a grip,” I muttered as I swiped up my phone and saw a group chat name flash.
Maverick has changed the name of the group to 50 Shades of Slay.
I scowled at the screen. This was Mav’s way, making light of anything serious, taking trauma and laughing in its face. But not everyone in our brotherhood felt the same.
Kol
What the hell is wrong with you?
Maverick
Where do you want to start? So damn good-looking I can’t get through the day without a woman hitting on me?
Me
Head so big it makes it hard to fit through doors?
Maverick
I mean, my dick is so big it can make it hard to walk.
Wylder
Dude. TMI.
Kol
Someone change the name back.
It was a toss-up who would hate Mav’s group name more, Kol or Orion. But Orion had been mostly silent in our brother chat lately. And I worried about what that meant.
Wylder