The Billionaire's Passion Read Online Free PDF Page A

because fools are so ingenious.”
    He looks at me like Quit fooling around .
    “Hey, I don’t have to do this,” I say. “In fact, I don’t want to do this.”
    “Just go ahead and do whatever you’ve got to do.”
    “Then quit hovering over me like a helicopter parent.”
    “Fine.” He starts pacing behind me, which is only marginally better.
    “What happened to that ice water in your veins, dude?” I say as I put the finishing touches on the reroute.
    “It’s there when I have control over the situation. I don’t have any control over the situation here.”
    “I don’t know that being chased by Dobermans is ‘control over the situation.’”
    “It is when I’m in the moment. It comes down to what I do. Here… I can’t do anything. I’m totally reliant on you.”
    For some reason, that kind of makes me feel good.
    “Well… leave the digital Doberman evasion to me,” I say, and hit ENTER.
    A long series of numbers unspool onscreen, and then we get a black window with a blinking cursor.
    “What’s that?” he asks.
    “It means we’re in.”
    “‘In’ where?”
    “Your security system back at the penthouse.”
    He stares at the screen. “Really?”
    “Really.”
    “It was that easy?”
    “Nooo… I’m just that good,” I say, slightly offended.
    “Of course,” he demurs, then says, “So what now?”
    “Now we access the phone lines, and hopefully we get Jim or somebody else on – ”
    Suddenly the cursor starts moving, leaving letters in its wake.
    My heart jumps into my throat.
    Grant can see I’m not typing. “Are you doing that?” he asks, alarmed.
    I don’t need to answer, because the message onscreen does that for me.
    Eve, you naughty, naughty girl. Caught you sneaking in the back door.

14
    Grant sucks in his breath sharply. “Epicurus?”
    I nod mutely.
    “Pull the plug!” Grant hisses.
    “He can’t trace us. There’s no point in bailing now.”
    As if to corroborate my words, the cursor flashes onscreen:
    Nice job erasing your trail. How’s Guadalajaro?
    “He really thinks we’re in Mexico?” Grant asks.
    “I doubt it. But as far as he can tell from our internet footprint, that’s where we are.”
    With almost eerie prescience, the cursor types again.
    Or Brooklyn? Or Long Island? Or Newark? Or D.C.? Shall I keep guessing?
    “Shit,” Grant whispers. “He knows we’re local.”
    “It’s a reasonable assumption. He knows we couldn’t have gone too far.”
    “We could have been in New Zealand by now,” Grant mutters.
    “Okay, then he’s assuming we didn’t go too far.”
    “How?”
    I shrug. “Fifty-fifty chance. We either stayed or went.”
    “…okay…”
    “Seriously, you weren’t this jumpy when you threw us out of a skyscraper yesterday.”
    “Control over the situation,” Grant reminds me. “How did he find us?”
    “He must have hacked your system yesterday when his fake FBI crew invaded, so he could talk over the speakers. Then he set up some kind of a monitor program to let him know if we tried to get into the system, too.”
    Letters appear onscreen.
    Why so laconic?
    I type back, You seem to enjoy hearing yourself talk, so I thought I would indulge you.
    When I’m behind a computer, I’m in my element. My happy place. I have a sense of unshakable power.
    I’m only giving it free reign now because I’m as careful as I am powerful. There’s no way he can find us here, which is why I can be a smartass.
    Not everybody realizes that, though.
    “You really want to antagonize him?” Grant asks.
    “You mean, because I’m afraid he might do something worse than torture and kill me?”
    Grant just sighs.
    Epicurus types, You have quite the sharp tongue, Eve. I shall enjoy removing it.
    Whatever floats your boat, sicko, I reply.
    I’m not sick, Eve, though someone of your limited intellect might see it that way. I merely have very rarefied appetites –
    Yeah, yeah, untamable, unquenchable, undeniable, yadda yadda. I heard your